some stuff about me | kimberly ah

Oct 30 2026

It’s Been Awhile

Oh hey! It’s been SO long since I’ve opened this blog!

Those of you who follow me on Instagram know that I’ve decided to step back from that platform. It all started with wanting to reclaim the time I waste scrolling every day. But after 170+ days away from the app, I realized how little I missed it. It felt so freeing to just DO things without trying to take a perfect sharable picture, without feeling pressure to keep up with the algorithm, and without being tempted to buy all of the latest new stationery. (It is amazing how out of sight, out of mind shopping can be!)

This doesn’t mean I never want to share anything again…just that I want to control what I share without worrying about Meta controlling who sees my posts (and now, without Meta scraping my page for AI.) I am kind of mad at myself for giving up on this blog and focusing so much on social media. But the past is the past, and I am so grateful for the relationships I have built through Twitter (RIP) and Instagram. SO many of my friends and pen pals have come from those platforms and I will maintain those friendships in real life and through the mail.

So, I may be here more often. I haven’t quite decided yet. I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime…

For those of you who don’t follow me on Instagram, this is Yuzu! She came to us via the streets last June. (She was a skinny little thing with a scratched up nose.) Naoto fell in love at first sight. We’re very happy she’s here.

Aug 03 2022

Speaking of Sunscreen

Do you remember this song from the late 1990s?

It was an essay written by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich in 1997 that was turned into the spoken word song. And, fun fact, Mary Schmich spoke at my college graduation, where she read her essay, I think, for the first time to a graduating class.

I do have one more (non-Japanese) sunscreen I’ve been using this summer! It’s the Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen that came out this summer. It’s $8.99 and is supposed to be a dupe for the Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen, which is $36. This one is less watery than the Japanese sunscreens I love, but it is an oil-free gel and leaves behind a velvety primer that is a good base for makeup. It is water resistant up to forty minutes and is SPF 40. I probably pull this one out of the cabinet once a week or so. Definitely not as much as my Japanese ones, but it’s good for work days where I’m outside less and I’m wearing more makeup. (The sunscreen blew up on TikTok, so I think it’s currently out of stock at most stores, but hopefully it comes back soon!)

My next hunt is for a good body sunscreen. We’re using some store brand stuff right now and it’s fine, but I’d be grateful to hear about any you love!

Tagged sunscreen, Trader Joe's, Wear Sunscreen

Jun 02 2022

2 Comments

celebrations, some stuff about me

16th Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to this guy, who sometimes feels like a third wheel with Presley and me. Life wouldn’t be the same if you hadn’t stopped by my table on that fateful Wednesday evening at the Daily Grind. I’m so grateful for every single day.

Tagged Anniversary, marriage

Jul 06 2021

2 Comments

adventures, Dispatches from Home, Forest Park, homemaking, some stuff about me

It’s Been Awhile

Hello again! It’s been awhile! I can’t believe we are halfway through 2021! And a lot has happened since my last post on November 24th! The biggest news is–we bought a house! We closed out 2020 (literally, on December 31st) by putting an offer on a house we loved. We closed in February, sold our condo in March, and we moved in March. It was a whirlwind! Pictured above is what our back yard looked like when we closed in February with feet of snow on the ground. Thankfully, by the time we moved in, all of the snow had melted and there were signs on spring in the yard!

The month between closing and moving gave us time to have hardwood floors installed on our second floor (replacing the carpet) and to paint most of the first and second floor. It was nice to have a little cushion. We still want to remodel the kitchen and paint the bathrooms and basement, but all in good time!

And Presley has adjusted like a little champion. We were very nervous since she’s older and deaf, but she is loving sneaking upstairs when she’s had enough of us and having afternoon sun naps (something that wasn’t possible in our condo since we faced east.)

We are still settling in–hanging art is so stressful and figuring out how to use all of our extra storage space is more challenging than I anticipated!–but we’re finding our house groove. Naoto has really embraced mowing the lawn (with our reel lawn mower!) and we have three little garden plots along the side of the house to tend. It was sad giving up our Plot 6 at the community garden but we love just popping out the door to tend to our tomatoes.

That’s the news for today–I hope to come back Thursday and share a little more about the house or the garden. And, now we have a larger lanai (really, a back deck) for happy hours and gatherings which is a total dream come true.

Tagged adventures, forest park, home, moving

Dec 29 2019

1 Comment

some stuff about me, vintage

The Quilt from Grandpa & Sharon’s House

I’m finally sharing the quilt that my mom picked for me at Grandpa and Sharon’s house when we were there last spring for the memorial service. I dont’t know the history of the quilt or who made it, but it’s created with various fabrics that look like they would have been clothes or recycled from other things. It’s a mix of florals, a weird mountain scene, some children’s fabric, and stripes. Nothing really matches or goes together, which is part of the charm.

When we got home with it, I washed it and held my breath the whole time. (You’re apparently not supposed to wash old quilts…who knew?) I used the delicate setting and let it air dry and came out fine. I figured I can’t have a blanket in the house that I’m not washing and I’d rather use this quilt than just store it in the closet. Since then, Presley barfed on the quilt and I had to wash it again, so I guess it’s just going to be a part of our lives…which is kind of the point, right?

Tagged handmade quilt, heirloom quilt, quilt

Oct 25 2019

1 Comment

Forest Park, Oak Park, Oak Park, Office Supplies, some stuff about me

Church Lady

So, I’ve been at my job for three weeks now and so far so good. It is really hard being the new person…I haven’t been the new person in so long, I’d forgotten how unsure I would feel so much of the time as I get to know the rhythms and routines of a new place. But everyone is super nice and welcoming so I feel like I’m slowly getting my footing.

In case you didn’t notice by the title, I’m working at a church doing administrative work. It’s still part time, so I have plenty of time to devote to Galaxie Safari, but it’s more hours and more regular hours than my previous job, which is a good change. I really enjoy office work (Is that weird?) and I’ve been looking for an office job for quite some time, but it’s been difficult to find part time work with a company or organization that I felt good about. The church is very progressive (which matches my sensibilities.)

I have to tell you how serendipitous getting this job feels! In 2013, Anne from my book club passed away and she had been a member of this church. I went alone to her memorial service and noticed how diverse and friendly the congregation was. So many people got up and spoke so fondly of Anne, you could tell the community really valued her. So when I started looking for a new job, I was delighted to discover that the church looking for someone to work in the office was Anne’s church. I applied and interviewed (where we talked about Anne!) and got the job. The timing was perfect. The church is currently in a temporary location (at another church in the area) because they had a fire last year and are rebuilding. My commute is about a mile walk right now, and it will be about the same when we get back into our own church next spring. It’s a nice little stroll in the morning, that I’ve actually been enjoying, even in the cold. (But ask me again in January!) I get to walk through Mills Park, which is right by Pleasant Home where we used to hold book club and where I sell at Petite Boutique every November!

So I’m embracing a new routine, getting out of the house a little earlier in the mornings, and the discomfort of not knowing what I’m doing…some change is good, right?

Oct 04 2019

6 Comments

some stuff about me

Moving On…

Today is my last day at my job. I’ve been working part time at a local paper store (turned national chain store) since 2007! I started out while I was still working at my old full time job, working during the holidays and on occasional Sundays. I took a year or so off somewhere in between then and 2010, but when I left my full time job in 2010, my old manager said she’d hire me back “until you figure out what you want to do next.” (It took me awhile…)

Since then, I’ve looked for other part time jobs, on and off, depending on my happiness level. (We’ve had a lot of managers during this time…transitions aren’t always good.) But I could never find something local and part time that was a good fit.

Last summer, our store got a really fantastic manager and work became fun again so I stopped looking. But all good things must come to an end–she got promoted to a bigger store (yay, Danny!) and everything has been in this weird flux since then. I don’t do well with change and a lack of transition plan…and so I started looking again.

I found something that I *think* will be a good fit. I don’t want to jinx it, because I start on Monday…but there are some good signs. I’ll tell you all about it once I get up and running.

In the meantime, I’m going to celebrate turning the page on this chapter and look forward to a quiet October weekend…

Dec 11 2018

4 Comments

adventures, some stuff about me

To Japan & Back

Argh! It’s been a lifetime since I’ve blogged and real life has taken over. In October/November, Naoto & I took a trip to Japan, our first vacation in over two years! So, getting ready to travel and then adjusting to time and jumping back into craft show prep (I had 2 shows in November) and then Thanksgiving and now Christmas preparations…well, I haven’t had time to share much. But almost everything in our apartment is decorated and cards are done, so blogging will happen again!

I have so much to share about our trip and obviously Christmas preparations…I hate to be away from the blog this long, as it really has become a nice way to connect with people and to remember what I’ve been up to in previous years…kind of my own Facebook memories.

Anyway, thanks for sticking it out with me. I’ll be back this week with a holiday season update and then we’ll see…maybe Japan fits in better in January when the Christmas glow has worn off. We’ll see what happens and how much holiday goodness I can round up around here.

Tagged adventures, Japan

Sep 19 2018

1 Comment

snail mail, some stuff about me, summer manifesto

Summer is Almost Over…

…and I still have some things to check off in our Passport to Adventure! I’ll do a real update about that at the end of September. I’ve definitely met my goal of sending fifty pieces of mail though. I’ve been so good about mail this summer, I’m a little surprised at myself. Right now, I have a bit of a stack to return, so I’m trying to catch up so I can start October fresh and jump into Halloween mail! Yesterday I took down my summer decorations finally and put away my summery stationery. I tried to use up all of my neon paper and envelopes and cards but I failed miserably, so away it goes until next year. (Though it is 90 degrees today, so it feels like I should still be sending popsicle mail!)In other news…over Labor Day weekend, we always celebrate Presley’s “birthday” since we got her on Labor Day back in 2006. Well, this year, she got a case of pancreatitis and ended up at the emergency vet’s for two days. It was extremely stressful and worrisome, but I think she’s feeling back to normal finally. It was so good to be able to bring her home and let her relax in her normal setting. She wouldn’t go to the bathroom or eat at the hospital, but once she got home, she was comfortable enough to do her thing. (Sorry.) We did have to feed her an appetite stimulant to get her back on track for eating. She refused her normal wet and dry foods for awhile so she ate loads of treats and -ahem- freshly baked salmon that we made for her with our own dinner. And thankfully, our regular vet made a little house call to help take Presley’s catheter out so we didn’t have to drag her back to the regular vet after her traumatic emergency vet stay. (The emergency vet was lovely…Presley just does not like the vet.) Presley has some lovely human, dog, and cat friends who sent her get well cards and treats. She’s very lucky. And eventually her little shaved arm will grow back, but in the meantime…we’re trying to fashion her a fancy bracelet.

So…other than getting ready for my three craft shows this month and nursing Presley, not much has been keeping me away…I’ll be back with a little Galaxie Safari news tomorrow and then hopefully I can share a little news from Naoto’s kitchen. He has completely taken over the cooking and it’s wonnnnnnderful.

Tagged adventures, mail art, snail mail, summer

Aug 22 2018

Garage Galleries 2018

On Saturday, I’ll be participating in Forest Park’s Garage Galleries, a neighborhood art walk where artists show their work in local garages. I’ll be in a garage in south Forest Park, 1306 Marengo Avenue, with two other artists. I’ll have my greeting cards and framed pieces ready to sell, but it’s a nice casual way to enjoy art of all kinds. There are forty artists from all over Chicagoland spread across sixteen garages, so you can meander your way through Forest Park and see it all, or pop into a cluster of garages and get a taste of what’s happening. The Forest Park Review did a story about it if you’d like to learn more.