A is for Akari...

{this moment} And a Winner!

2012-02-24T07:39:00.000-08:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama

And the winner of the Hawaiian Treat Giveaway is...

Ivey!

I hope you guys enjoy the goodies. Happy Aloha Friday to all!

Hawaiian Treat Giveaway

2012-02-21T07:57:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, I brought back some goodies to share with you!

I thought you might enjoy a little souvenir,

so I picked up some of my favorite treats while I was on Maui...

Maui Coffe co. - Whole bean 1/2 lb.
Hawaiian Party Mix Ararei (rice crackers)
Li Hing Mui Gummy Bears (a sweet/sour plum powder sprinkled on gummy bears)
Mini Meles (Toffee coated Macadamia nuts covered in milk chocolate)
Tomoe Ame (rice candy, you can eat the wrapper!)

Leave a comment and I'll pick the lucky winner on Friday. Good luck and Aloha!

{this moment}

2012-02-17T09:05:00.000-08:00

Healthy Valentine Treats

2012-02-14T06:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Indigo and Hazel are sure to get their (more than) fare share of sugary treats today, so I thought I'd start the holiday off with something festive but healthy...

Heart-shaped egg-in-the-hole.

For a snack, here is something also festive and sugar-free. (a repost from last year)

XOXO, people!

Postcards From Maui 2012

2012-02-13T11:20:00.000-08:00

At the aptly named, Baby Beach, Lahaina

Guacamole heaven

Coconuts from my mom's tree

Hibiscus waiting for a bee

The Kikue twins...Tutu and Indigo, who share the same name,

"Kikue", which means "Chrysanthemum" in Japanese

Watching the surfers at Ho'okipa

Fun with old (young) friends

Baby octopus

Hazel was brave enough to cop a feel

Pretty shell...it was alive, so we threw it back

Tandem rodeo with cousins

Some laughs over ice-cream too

Exploring the tide pools in Wailea

But not this one...ouch!

Sister and her man Andrew at Paia Flatbread Co.

Whale watch!

(Thanks, Dad & Ivan)

On the lookout...we got to see tons of Humpback whales,

unfortunately all my pictures were of people

Some sugar for Uncle Jim

Catching guppies in Grandma's pond

Photo shoot at the beach...

"I'm ready for my close-up now"

In the middle of ebb and flow

Daddy's got you

Jim's always got a wise man looking over his shoulder

Last day on Maui, spent a nice evening at the beach with my sister and brothers...

watching the Maui sunset.

Postcards From Chad And Charmaine's Wedding

2012-02-09T17:06:00.000-08:00

The reason for our recent trip to Hawaii was to attend the wedding of our good friends, Chad and Charmaine. The wedding was gorgeous and the reception was tons of fun. Here's a peak..

Beautiful spot to say "I do."

Kailua, Oahu

Centerpieces

Joe was one of the Groomsmen

I was sober, really.

We've known & loved Chad & Charmaine for a long time and were so happy that we got to be a part of such an important day. It was really special to see them get married.

These guys met as college roommates at UH Manoa,

back in the days of double surf sessions and dunkin doughnuts...

and look at them now, all grown up!

"Winter"

2012-01-23T17:27:00.001-08:00

We are visiting my family in Maui for two weeks.

It's............heavenly.

Supposedly, it's winter here in the islands.

That is, if you consider blue skies and 75 degrees "winter".

{this moment}

2012-01-13T07:12:00.000-08:00

{this moment}

2012-01-06T08:18:00.000-08:00

New Year Tradition

2012-01-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you!

We started a new family tradition this year...

Wine making!

Apple wine, to be exact.

I gave Joe a wine-making kit for Christmas and he found a local farmer who was willing to part with 20 lbs. of his cold-stash of Mitsu & Fuji apples. We're 3 days into the initial fermenting stage and I must say...it smells much better than I thought it would.

I'll let you know how our apple country wine turns out.

Maybe we'll have a corking party on the summer solstice!

{this moment}

2011-12-30T17:39:00.000-08:00

Holly Jolly Christmas

2011-12-27T07:23:00.000-08:00

Patsy Cline, you said it, sister!

"If I could see the world through the eyes of a child, what a wonderful world this would be..."

Every year, since my babies were born, Christmas has gotten better and better.

Somehow, I don't think this is a coincidence.

Happy Holidays 2011

2011-12-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

Enjoy the festivities, my friends!

It's Beginning To Feel A Lot Like Christmas...

2011-12-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

An awful cold has been making it's way through our family for the last 10 days. At last, today, I am feeling a bit better. Better enough to bake cookies and do some Christmas crafts with the girls. The festive mood of the holidays is creeping in and I'm finally getting excited about this weekend. Did I mention my sister is coming to visit? That's the best gift of all!

Thank You Cartwheel Clothing!

2011-12-19T05:17:00.000-08:00

(A long overdue) Thank you! to Ivey and Cartwheel Clothing

for the awesome give-away they sponsored a couple months ago.

We won the girl's package and Indigo loves her matching headband and belt ensemble.

Jennifer, the owner, was sweet enough to also throw in a couple other cute headbands

and it's a good thing because Hazel is all over those.

She hasn't quite got the hang of it, but it's early yet.

The other awesome thing we won from Cartwheel Clothing is

this adorable reusable sandwich bag.

And look who's been putting it to good use...

{this moment} the late edition

2011-12-19T05:09:00.000-08:00

{this moment}

2011-12-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

Secret Hollow Book : A Cool Handmade Gift For Guys

2011-12-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I have a difficult time coming up with handmade gift ideas for guys. Girls are easy...Felt Flower hair clips, Dinner napkins, Pot holders, Fancy aprons, Lumiaries...there's a lot of options. Guy gifts though; they leave me stumped.

However, I do have one pretty cool trick up my sleeve when it comes to making a gift for a guy...

The Secret Hollow Book!

Neat huh? I'll bet it would make any guy or girl happy. I made this one as a Christmas gift for my 11 year old nephew. I hope he likes it. Just to make sure, I threw in a $10 itunes gift card.

I think this gift would be enjoyed by pretty much anyone, girl or guy, young or old. I gave one to my 30 year old brother and he loved it! (Although that might have been partially due to the choice of book that I gutted...all I'm saying is that lightening hasn't struck me down yet!)

Guinness Gingerbread

2011-12-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

This is my new favorite holiday treat. I've made it twice in the past week and you should make it today. For lack of a better word, it's delicious.

I followed Nigella's recipe and the only departure I made was to substitute 2/3 c. corn syrup + 1/3 c. molasses for the 1 c. of Lyle's Golden Syrup, which is what the recipe calls for.

Also, this recipe makes the perfect amount to fill 5 of those mini foil loaf pans so you can share the scrumptiousness with your neighbors, like I did. (Cooking time is the same, 45 min.)

The best part is you'll have half a Guinness left over to drink! Cheers!

{this moment}

2011-12-02T05:37:00.000-08:00

Under The Wire

2011-12-01T11:04:00.000-08:00

I made it! (I made it.)

Happy December 1st...Let's kick off this Advent season right!

{this moment}

2011-11-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

{this moment}

2011-11-18T10:01:00.000-08:00

Fleur De Sel Caramels

2011-11-16T05:25:00.000-08:00

Uncle Ivan sent me this fancy salt from France.

I love the container, don't you? I thought I'd try my hand at making caramels.

They turned out wonderful! Not initially...but eventually.

I have one of those old school candy thermometers, and maybe the newer digital ones leave less room for error. I bring it up because although I followed Ina's recipe, my first try turned out too hard and crunchy, kind of like toffee so I re-melted the whole thing down, added a bit more water and cream and proceeded again.

The second time it worked like magic and when I ate those delicious ~~sweet, creamy pillows of bliss~~ suckers, I felt like an alchemist.

The Explosion in the Alchemist's Laboratory - Justus Gustav van Bentum (1670-1727)

P.S. The Caramels are in the mail, Uncle Ivan

{this moment}

2011-11-11T10:45:00.000-08:00