Tag Archives: celebrations

Garden Stamp

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Shortly after I decided I had to sign up for the community garden (application still pending…) I came across this “From the Garden of” Stamp Activity Kit from Yellow Owl Workshop. I immediately bought it (which is very unlike me…I firmly follow the one day waiting period for all online purchases). I already have two Stamp Activity Kits (the Gift Tag and the Place Card, both gifts from Naoto) and I love them, so I figured having a garden stamp on hand might come in handy if I get to grow vegetables this summer. I optimistically imagined Naoto & I giving some fresh tomatoes and cucumbers to our friends in a brown paper sack complete with a hand-stamped tag. (Realistically–or pessimistically as Naoto calls it, I fear we will grow a garden of weeds and have nothing to offer anyone.)

My parents, on the other hand, are veteran gardeners with many years of success in their gardening gloves. My dad’s vegetable garden is enormous and overflows with produce throughout the summer. They give away a ton and can several vegetables each year. And he and my mom have quite the collection of perennials throughout their yard. Just when they think they don’t have any room for another plant, they fall in love with a new variety and magically find a place for it. (I talked my mom into buying an anemone just yesterday.)

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So naturally with all that extra produce, I figured my dad could use some garden tags this summer. Using the green ink that comes in the kit (which, incidentally, is similar to StazOn because it works on pretty much any surface), I stamped a few tags (Martha Stewart for Avery manilla tags 4 3/4in x 2 3/8in, which are apparently discontinued…) and added them to his birthday gift (pistachios and this). It was a quick little project and one I hope to repeat for my own garden!

 

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Kimberly AH One Year Later

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I started this blog one year ago today.*

I’m one of those people who starts a journal and gives up after a few days, so I’m happy to know that I can stick with something and document a small piece of my life somewhere, even if it’s not on paper (my preferred medium).

In my first year around here I started a few series, and though I know I cannot promise to bring them all back with any sense of regularity, I do have every intention of sharing the rest of our home with you, to share more from the Little Red Toolbox and to attempt a few more Homemaker’s Challenges. Stay tuned…

Thank you to everyone who reads along, comments and shares this space with me. The internet is an odd place, but without it, I’m not sure where I would have found so many friends who like to talk about letter writing, postage stamps, crafts and cocktails…you guys are my favorites.

*I actually had a blog before this at overachieverunderachiever.com (the link now leads you back here) where I blogged about pretty much the same thing I blog about here (everything? …nothing?). My mom was pretty much my only reader. I blogged as the “underachiever” on a now-dufuct platform–iWeb (there’s a reason iWeb didn’t last!) and now the archives have been moved over to WordPress but sadly without pictures…which, even though they are mediocre pictures, they tell a large part of the story… Someday maybe I’ll add them back in…or not.

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Muji Checklist Stamp=More Procrastination FUN!

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I’ve had the Muji Checklist Stamp on my wish list for quite awhile now. Since Naoto ordered the Tokyo-in-a-Bag for my birthday, he added the stamp to his order as a little gift from Presley. (She is so thoughtful!)

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I’m using it to stamp tiny to-do lists onto my daily calendar…probably slightly redundant (I could easily just list my to-dos instead of having the little checkboxes) but fun nonetheless! I like that there are only four lines because it keeps me focused on four important things rather that flailing around and starting a dozen things and finishing none. Of course, I could always stamp a few lists for those days of over-ambition.

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I also love that the stamp comes in an acrylic case, so I can carry it around in my bag and stamp my to-do list on the go!

Now I’m ready to check “blog post” off and move onto another task!

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Daffodils

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Every spring I look forward to picking up a little bunch of daffodils from Trader Joe’s. I know when these bright stems show up in the store, real spring is just around the corner. My first experience with a bouquet of daffodils was years ago when Naoto and I were “just friends”. I wasn’t feeling well–I had a bad spring cold–and he showed up at my door with tea, honey, an orange, some vitamins and a tiny bouquet of yellow cheer.

Last weekend Naoto bought three bouquets for the Fondue Fun Night, but they didn’t bloom until my birthday. Huge explosions of sunshine popped up throughout our apartment, making the sting of the snowfall  just a little less painful.

It’s the little things that make me smile…especially as I wait (not-so) patiently for spring.

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Tokyo-in-a-Bag & Birthday Pie

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I’m a child inside. Tokyo in a Bag–the wooden play set you see above–has been on my wishlist for awhile now. Naoto and Presley gave it to me for my birthday. So far, each time I’ve built Tokyo, Presley has decided to play the role of Godzilla–she knocks everything over and tries to scurry off with a car. It’s great fun really.

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We spent my birthday recovering from Fondue Fun Night and watching the snow fall. But on Monday night, Naoto took me out to the Little Goat Diner for my “birthday” dinner. I’ve been dreaming about the pie and the coffee ever since we tried the Little Goat during the Week of Indulgence, so there was no question where we’d be dining for my birthday. (That’s my latte above, next to Naoto’s chocolate malt. There was plenty for him to choose from on the menu!)

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I got the Bull’s Eye French Toast–sweet onion brioche with eggs cooked inside, topped with crispy fried chicken and gooseberries smothered in BBQ maple syrup…ohmygoodness it was delicious. Super-rich. If I got it again, I’d share it and get the syrup on the side…but no regrets here! Unfortunately, I could not eat my pie again!! I had to get it to go, and this time we made sure I didn’t forget it on the table.

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Once we got home, I was ready for pie. I ate half of it right away and saved the other half for a 3AM snack.

(It’s a lovely experience to dream of pie and then actually wake up and eat it!)

 

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Fondue Fun Night

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On Saturday, Naoto and I hosted our first ever Fondue Fun Night. We had a fun time planning the party, checking out fondue recipes and dusting off the fondue pot–which was one of my first purchases when I got my own apartment. For some reason, fondue has always sounded like fun to me. The community, the bite sized food, the pretty forks, the cheese… We clearly need to break out the fondue pot more often because it was a great party.

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We used a modified version of this recipe. We mixed everything up in our yellow pot, then transferred it to the fondue pot. Once we put the cheese mixture into the fondue pot, disaster struck. The flame under the pot went out and the fondue was just a big hunk of gloppy cheese. Thankfully, Karen & Naoto saved the day with some quick Googling, a little more wine and a little more fire…and once people started eating and stirring the pot, the cheese was just right.

We served apples, pears, broccoli, prosciutto, tiny potatoes, carrots, grape tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, zucchini and of course bites of bread for the fondue. Karen made deviled eggs and I made a grape salad and an orange pineapple Jell-O salad to keep with the 70s theme along with the Brandy Alexanders for dessert. There might have been a mini bourbon tasting in the middle of the party, too. Maybe…

It was a perfect not-a-birthday-party…friends, food and good fun!

 

P.S. I always wish I had taken more pictures…

 

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Happy Birthday, Dad!

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Wishing a very happy birthday to my dad today! Dad, we owe you a birthday lunch at Portillo’s soon!

xoxo

 

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The Everybody Loves a Parade Weekend

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I’m a little sad that the weekend is over. Naoto & I both had Saturday and Sunday off…that’s a rarity around here. This weekend was the perfect balance between activities and lazing…and cooking–I made a tasty zucchini and cheese omelet for Saturday’s breakfast and Naoto made a delicious soy-glazed salmon for Sunday supper.

On Saturday we walked a couple of blocks to Madison Street for the Forest Park St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It was our first time seeing this parade and my first parade in a very, very long time. I was glad to see the usual characters like the Shriners, clowns and a guy on stilts (both awesome and creepy…but not as creepy as the clown! I found myself avoiding eye contact so he wouldn’t come talk to us!) The bagpipers were my favorite part…

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On Sunday I went to another letter social with the Letter Writers Alliance. It was a fun time as usual, but not a super-productive one for me (I spent more time talking!) since I only finished one and a half letters! The picture at the top is of my letters and supplies hanging out on the table.

Today I am trying to tidy up the kitchen. We have been buying a lot of new food to accommodate Naoto’s diet and all the new food is making me realize that it’s time for a pantry clean-out. And maybe an entire kitchen clean-out. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves…the spare room is still a mess!

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The BEST Christmas Gift

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A long time ago, I was pilfering through my mom’s cookbook drawer searching for some recipe I’d loved as a kid. My mom hasn’t bought a cookbook in years. Nope, you won’t find a Rachel Ray or a Giada or a Barefoot Contessa book in her drawer. She does have plenty of old-school pamphlets filled with recipes promoting things like Philadelphia Cream cheese and Eagle Brand condensed milk and of course she has the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. (Does everyone have this cookbook? Naoto and I each brought one to the marriage and neither of us is willing to part with the copy we brought.) While I was looking through the drawer I found her old Methodist Church cookbook. I flipped through it finding all of the usual church cookbook fare: plenty of jello salads, punches and casseroles. I loved seeing familiar names from our small town and seeing which recipes my grandma and her church lady friends contributed. I told my mom that I wanted a copy of the cookbook.

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Since the cookbook was published in 1984, I knew finding one would be pretty impossible. I sifted through eBay listings of church cookbooks for weeks, but gave up and kind of forgot about it for awhile. When we were celebrating Christmas Thursday, I opened a box that had some new kitchen towels and new measuring spoons inside and there it was, tucked under a kitchen towel–the church cookbook! Apparently my mom told my aunt that she was searching for one and my aunt offered up her copy for the cause! (Thanks, Aunt Karen!)

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My mom and I spent a good amount of time looking through our books and discovering recipes that include outdated ingredients (Have you ever used Dream Whip before?), many cans of cream of mushroom soup, oleo (aka margarine) and lots of Jello. I’ve already picked out a few recipes to try. I’m starting with a Jello salad, since Naoto and I have been in a Jello groove lately and I’m super-psyched to see several lima bean salads and casseroles!! Limas are my favorite and who knew they were the star of so many dishes!!

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Monogram Tea Towel

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I whipped up a quick tea towel for my parents last night. It was a last minute craft, one where I didn’t even iron all if the wrinkles out of the tea towel…

I keep a stash of plain white flour sack tea towels in my closet for craft emergencies. (Mine are from Target, but you get the idea.) They are the first things I learned to embroider (I made a sushi towel for Naoto) and the fabric is thin but not too thin for little stitches. My mom has several of these towels that she’s had for years, and like most things, the ones made today are much thinner than the old ones. (They don’t make things like they used to.)

Because I wanted to keep things simple with a monogram (A for Adami, in case you didn’t put that together…), I just practiced writing a few cursive A’s until I found one I liked, then I traced the A onto the fabric with a Pilot FriXion Pen. I use the FriXion pens in my calendar, I love they way they write and the eras-ability factor. So imagine my delight when I heard from Mollie and read a great tip here that the ink disappears when it’s heated, making the FriXion pen perfect for embroidery and quilting (and probably other crafts). I didn’t have to worry about heating up my A to remove the lines because my 6-strand split stitch covered the thin (0.5) line perfectly.

Sidenote: I do have first-hand experience with the disappearing ink. I left my FriXion pen on my balcony on a sunny summer day last year and when I went back to use it again, the ink flowed clear instead of black. Huge bummer for me, but thankfully I had about ten back-up pens…

I think my parents liked it–my mom told my dad he should use it when he bakes bread–and I think the red variegated floss (Anchor #1206) matches their kitchen just enough. All-in-all I think a quickie tea towel makes a nice little gift, don’t you?

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