kimberly ah

Jul 10 2013

Boston: Part 3

On our last day in Boston we ate seafood! Lauren and Mark took us to Legal Sea Foods right on the water. Naoto had a crab salad and I had my first lobster roll (pictured above). It was huge and delicious, as was the maple smoked salmon bruschetta we all shared. After lunch, we walked down to the Harpoon Brewery and had a tour. I am not a beer drinker at all, but it was still fun to learn about the process and the history of Harpoon and Naoto enjoyed my portion of the beer tasting (though, they did have cider for me to enjoy!) I only wish we weren’t too full to eat a giant pretzel in the beer hall…those looked so good! (The goggles pictured above on Mark and Naoto were all part of the tour.) Harpoon lost a bet with a brewery in Chicago and had to display this tap in their beer hall, Ruined Bruin. As a Chicagoan, it was a fun sight to see (while subtly laughing and not giving away our Chicago origins!)

After lunch and beer we headed back downtown to hunt for Necco treats (pretty much a failed attempt…I got a couple of SkyBars and some Candy Buttons for a small fortune and two different candy shops seemed perplexed about the existence of Necco) and had cocktails in the Prudential Tower (views pictured above). It was a bit hazy, but we were able to see the whole city sprawling beneath us. It was a nice little end to our vacation.

At the airport, while we waited for our (delayed) flight, Naoto and I toasted our first Dunkin Donuts coffees of the weekend. (Why did we wait so long?!) We decided that we definitely want to visit Boston again, but in my mind, it’s one stop on a long New England road trip!

Tagged adventures, coffee, food, summer

Jul 09 2013

5 Comments

adventures, summer manifesto

Boston: Part 2

Day two was by far my favorite in our Boston getaway.

We spent the early afternoon at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. This was on our must-see list from the moment we started planning for Boston. I love JFK and the history of that time in America. We spent a few hours looking through the museum, but we could have spent days inside. I loved seeing the personal effects from Kennedy’s Oval Office desk, letters he wrote, hearing Jackie’s explanations of her White House years, and seeing pictures of the Kennedy clan sailing and summering along the Massachusetts beaches. I know that Presidential libraries give a rosy-colored view of a President’s place in history, but I still love the stories the JFK museum told.

After the museum, we headed over to Fenway Park for a Red Sox game. (The Green Monster is pictured above.) Fenway is the oldest ballpark in the Major Leagues, and catching a game there has been on my wish list since I was a kid. The Red Sox were playing the Toronto Blue Jays and I think the entire country of Canada came to see the game because the Jays fans were all over the stadium, which made it fun–lots of arguing among fans. (Boston takes their sports verrrrry seriously, which is why Naoto and I didn’t wear any Blackhawks gear on our trip!)

Naoto was very excited to see a Japanese pitcher come in for the Red Sox. Sadly for the Sox, Tazawa lost the game.

At Fenway, they do the 7th inning stretch like all of the other ballparks, but in the eighth inning, the whole park sings Sweet Caroline. This was my favorite part (with a close second being the two loud-mouthed “ladies” sitting near us getting admonished by security for their behavior.)

After the game, we walked to Basho, a modern sushi restaurant in the neighborhood. We enjoyed a lot of sushi and (as pictured above) a lot of Sapporo and sparkling wine. After dinner, we walked back to Fenway and had a drink at the bar in the outfield and then made the long walk back to Lauren and Mark’s (stopping at a bar along the way). It was a very full day!

Tagged adventures, summer

Jul 08 2013

3 Comments

adventures, summer manifesto

Boston: Part 1

Boston seems like a lifetime ago. I guess that happens with vacations…you wait so long for them and then they’re gone and you’re left with good memories and the desire for another vacation (one that doesn’t end with the flu, hopefully!)

Naoto and I had a super-early flight on Friday (5:30AM!) so our first day in Boston was LOOOONG! We stayed with Naoto’s college friends, Mark and Lauren. They were gracious hosts and wonderful tour guides! They took us to all of the touristy things we wanted to see and to some amazingly delicious restaurants and bars…We felt lucky to have such adventurous local hosts!

After a hearty breakfast, we did a ton of walking on our first day. We saw every part of the city on our weekend visit, and I would say most of that happened on Friday. We spent most of the day downtown Boston (pictured above: looking way up at the John Hancock Tower, and the reflection of Trinity Church in the Hancock Tower) and then exploring the sights along the Freedom Trail, a route you can walk along to see many of the historic places in Boston.

We went to the Boston Public Gardens and looked at the gorgeous flowers and the ducks and swans in the pond. (pictured above: George Washington was sporting a Bruins jersey in the Boston Public Garden, in spite of the fact that they lost the Stanley Cup to Chicago, and Naoto having a ride on the ducklings)

Next, we went to the Paul Revere house (pictured above). I love, love, love seeing homes of historic people. These “museums” are usually small and have a handmade quality to the exhibits. I love seeing old kitchens and thinking about how much work it was to make a simple meal each day. I love looking at the simple furnishings and dishes. I love walking up old stairs thinking that Paul Revere walked up those same stairs back in the 1700s. I love reading the little mundane details typed on card stock and listening to the docent’s simple speeches about the house. I wish I had lingered longer.

We walked along the path to the Old North Church and the Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, checking out little bits of history along the way until we were all walked out and decided to head home and get ready for dinner.

We had dinner at Stella, which is right in Mark and Lauren’s neighborhood. The food was amazing (I had the Braised Short Ribs & I’m dreaming of them now!) and the cocktails were fun. (That’s my Mango Vesper up above.) It was the perfect ending to day one.

I’ll be back tomorrow with Day Two!

Tagged adventures, cocktails, food, garden

Jul 08 2013

4 Comments

some stuff about me, thoughts

A Return to Normal

This has been the flu that won’t quit. Just when I start thinking I’m all back to normal, I’m not. I tried as much as possible to enjoy the holiday weekend, but also gave myself a break, staying home when I could and resting as much as possible (except for a late night creepy movie marathon on Saturday night!). I’m hoping for a better week ahead. (Disclaimer to quash any feelings of hope: Mom, I am not pregnant.)

I’ll be back this afternoon with my first post about Boston (which feels like a lifetime ago!) It’s a rainy and stormy day here, so I’m looking forward to catching up on all of the life I missed last week!

Jul 04 2013

3 Comments

some stuff about me

Under the Weather

Sorry for the silence around here. On Monday night I came down with the flu…the icky stomach flu. I’m sure I caught it on the plane, in spite of my hand washing vigilance.

Presley was my companion champion and Naoto…well, let’s just say that man deserves a medal. If we ever have kids, they will be lucky to have one parent who can handle illness.

Anyway, I’ll be back tomorrow. Today is for cleaning the house thoroughly, and getting ready for fireworks tonight. It’s Independence Day in the US. Naoto and I are looking forward to gardening this afternoon and hanging out until the big show later.

To all my American friends, Happy 4th of July!

Jul 01 2013

2 Comments

crafty adventures, summer manifesto

#30DOC Week 4

Thirty Days of Creativity is all wrapped up and I’m happy to say I finished, thanks to a little bit of help from July 1st. Even though I was behind pretty often throughout the month, I am convinced that I would have finished on time if we hadn’t been traveling (And if I hadn’t been so unorganized about getting ready to travel. My original intention was to bring some embroidery supplies to work on during the flight and during down time. I didn’t get my supplies together in time, and as it turns out, there was no down time and flying makes me feel too gross to craft on the plane.) I didn’t achieve my original goals of finishing more art projects for our home and stretching myself artistically. I mainly stuck in my comfort zone (mail art, cocktails…) But, I had fun creating…creating for no reason other than the mere enjoyment of it. Here’s a look at my last projects (including a bonus one!)

6/23 Vesper martinis, 6/24 letter set made with resist embossing & a tie-dye technique, 6/25 galaxy (for a future project), 6/26 artwork celebrating the end of DOMA (a joint project with Naoto who did the calligraphy), 6/27 patriotic mail art (completed on 7/1), 6/28 a perfectly packed bag (my packing skills deserve their own blog post) & a mini summer celebration in an envelope (completed on 7/1), 6/29 another patriotic mail art (completed on 7/1) and 6/30 a stack of Boston postcards!!

That’s everything, and one big thing crossed off of my Summer Manifesto. I’ll be back tomorrow to share more of a manifesto update before I talk about Boston. It’s such a beautiful day out today and I’m anxious to see how our garden is growing!!

Tagged cocktails, crafts, diy, mail art, rubber stamp, snail mail, summer, washi tape

Jun 27 2013

4 Comments

adventures, summer manifesto

Boston Bound

Naoto and I are Boston bound!! Presley is less than happy about it, too. (Thankfully our friend Karen is on call from across the hall to take care of our little furry girl!)

Our flight is ridiculously early, but we are super excited for our first vacation since Iowa last year. Neither of us has ever been to Boston and there’s a long list of things we want to do and see. (Mine includes stocking up on Necco candy!) And, we’re staying with friends so we’ll have two locals to guide us around and show us the best Dunkin Donuts in the city. (I’m only half kidding…heading to Massachusetts is like heading to our coffee home land!)

So, I still have to pack our clothes and things, and–most importantly–my address book and postcard stamps. Our flight leaves in a few hours…before the crack of dawn.

I’ll be back next week to share some pictures and details. Have a good weekend!

Tagged adventures, coffee, summer

Jun 25 2013

3 Comments

crafty adventures, snail mail, summer manifesto

#30DOC Week 3

This week was another “catch-up” week. It’s like I lost all steam. But the end is near, and it would be silly to quit now! I was tempted to count my new tomato as a “creation” but let’s be honest…it did that without much help from me. Besides, it’s bad enough that I’m counting cocktails!

From the top: 6/16 Letherbee gin & tonics (recommended by Kathy & Chicago-made), 6/17 popsicle themed mail (I stayed up super-late writing letters & had so much fun making these!), 6/18 more mail art, 6/19 birthday card (made at work), 6/20 pun card (made at work…I love a good pun), 6/21 another pun card (I’m not proud of these), 6/22 notecard

If I create something tonight (which I will), I will be all caught up. And, even though we are traveling over the weekend, I’m hoping to remain on track and finish strong.

Tagged cocktails, crafts, diy, mail art, snail mail, summer, washi tape

Jun 24 2013

1 Comment

homemaking, Jell-O, Those Were the Days, what's for dinner

Knox On-Camera Recipes

Knowing my love for all things vintage & gelatin, my friend Karen snagged this book from her grandmother’s collection (don’t worry–we gave it back!) It is the Knox On-Camera Recipes Gel-Cookery Guide. Printed in 1960, the guide is a print-version of TV demonstrations and (according to the introduction) “gives you a new look at the many rewarding uses of Unflavored Gelatin(e).”

Basically, the recipe book takes delicious dishes–like gazpacho, spinach salad, Waldorf salad, deviled eggs…and gelatin-izes them…which creates beautiful and yes, slightly weird, molded presentations (as seen below).

While I am super-interested in trying to make a savory gelatin dish just for the nostalgia of it all, the thought of molded avocado and tuna kind of makes my stomach turn. Part of me thinks that there’s a reason Jello survived in its sweet form…and maybe we should just leave savory gelatin in the past.

How about you? Have you ever had a savory gelatin dish? Would you ever try one?

Tagged food, homemaking, memories, vintage

Jun 19 2013

2 Comments

Forest Park, Oak Park, gardening, summer manifesto

Garden Update: We Have a Tiny Tomato

The garden is booming with excitement this week. We went last night to water and check on the progress and I found a teeny, tiny Juliet tomato!! (Pictured above in the center of the picture…isn’t she a beaut?) I couldn’t contain my giddiness! All of our other tomato plants (the two Big Boys, the Brandywine and the three Early Girls) have blooms but so far the Juliet is in the lead.

Everything else is doing well, except the loofah that never grew and the slug-devoured limas are still up in the air. We’ve harvested a few daikon and they are pretty small…tasty, but small. We want to buy another pack of seeds and try them again.

This weekend, when we aren’t eating and working, we will be gardening. We can’t wait very much longer to get a handle on our vining plants. So far they are behaving, but it’s only a matter of time…