Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating this very food-centric holiday! When I lived in Japan for a couple of years, a bunch of ex-pats and I would gather together to re-create Thanksgiving with the works: turkey, yams, pumpkin pie. We had to special order all the ingredients and we doused ourselves in nostalgia as we gorged on astronomically expensive Western food - good times. With my mom here this year, we're going Japanese style all the way and noshing on sushi. K isn't the biggest fan of ... Read more
DIY Magnets + Giveaway!
I had half-heartedly tossed out the idea of doing some simple DIY projects and here I am, actually following through! I also have a giveaway and a story at the bottom of the post if you're interested. Anyway, many moons ago, I got this idea to make magnets and in my enthusiasm, I ordered a bunch of supplies. I probably don't need to elaborate that my magnet-making scheme didn't pan out so well, and now I have quite the surplus taking up room in my basement. So, just in time for the ... Read more
Pumpkin Banana Bread with Vanilla Bean Glaze
I keep forgetting that this is Thanksgiving week. Maybe it's because I lost a week due to the flu, but I feel like my holiday circadian rhythm is all off. To rectify this, I figured baking with pumpkin puree would get me back on track. But plain old pumpkin bread struck me as a little mundane, and pumpkin pie was more commitment than I was willing to pony up. Then I spotted the over-ripe bananas on the counter and immediately Googled "pumpkin banana bread". This recipe sounded promising, ... Read more
Monday Outfit: Quilted Jacket + Boho Dress
And I'm back! Not quite 100% but a whole lot better, and feeling nourished by my mama's homemade food. My mom is visiting for six weeks (!) so I am going to be very well-fed for the next month and a half. And K is on cloud nine with all this Ba-chan attention. So let's talk about this week's outfit -- a bit of a departure for me, wouldn't you say? Well, at least the dress feels a little more globally-inspired and decorative than my usual style. I'll tell you a secret: it used to be a ... Read more
Happy Friday + Randomness
Happy Friday! Whew, this week was a bust: my total creative output was one pair of mittens. That painting above is from eons ago - I just shamelessly dig through my old stuff whenever I don't have anything fresh. Oh well, there have been a few pleasantly surprising turn of events because of my flu/bronchitis/whatever-this-is. - I've been using this contraption with menthol inserts, and the price of indignity rewarded me with amazing skin. It's like getting a steam facial every day, so I'm ... Read more