La Befana Bazaar

If any one out there happens to be near Bainbridge Island, WA on the 21st and 22nd of this month come and see some fabulous artists and creative crafters at the La Befana Bazaar, to be held at the Grange on Madison. I'll be there too!

The Golden Years

Did you ever stop to think just how long 50 years is? Recently my family and I went to the Big Island to celebrate my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary. My husband's parents live just outside of Pahoa which is on the east side of the island. We all bunked at their place - my family of 4 and 6 other adults, which made for a tight but cozy household. The celebration was fantastic - a quintessential Hawaiian gathering complete with plenty of local food, colorful orchids, and aloha spirit. We had a lot of laughs, at my father-in-law's expense, which reminds me...if you ever want to save yourself embarrassment at your 50th wedding anniversary, burn all of your photos from when you were in your twenties NOW!! Muttonchops and polyester are not a good combination. We also shed many tears as family and friends stood up to speak words of fondness, gratitude, and love.

To be around long enough to celebrate 50 years of togetherness with your loved one is a gift. To share these moments with your family and friends is priceless.

D'ja miss me?

Sheesh! That was way too long to be away from this blog... I'll flatter myself into thinking that y'all missed me :) Hmmm...what to say, what to say, what to say? Oh, I know! I've joined-a-book-club, designed-some-wedding-jewelry, started-training-for-a-half-marathon, lost-5-pounds, gained-them-all-back, celebrated-kids-bdays, celebrated-husband's-bday, celebrated-friend's-bdays, went-to-Oregon, bought-new-shoes, applied-for-a-passport, acquired-a-new-kitty, ran-into-old-friends, and quit-my-day-job. Anyway, now that I have some spare time on my hands, I'll try to keep up with the postings.

Everyone needs to check out my friend's newest blog - How to Waste Time With The Internet. It's hilarious fun, but be warned...it's a time sucker for sure. Enjoy!

Climb Every Mountain...or Wall

My husband and I used to frequent an indoor rock climbing gym (no, that's not us in the picture above). This was in our BK, or "before kids", period where spontaneous activites like going to the gym were a major part of our lifestyle. We belonged to Vertical World and did most of our climbing indoors at their Seattle location. I remember it being a little scary and incredibly exhausting at times, but building up to a level where I could lead climb a moderately difficult route felt awesome. I think this sport is a fantastic teaching tool, in many more respects than just the physical, to kids. It teaches you team work, decision-making skills, and encourages you to go beyond your perceived abilities. We plan to teach both of our kids rock climbing and hope that they enjoy it as much as we do.

My husband refreshing his skills on a 5.9-

My son and a friend ready to "climb on" -

My fearless daughter -

Pearly Shells and Tiny Bubbles

Just came back last night from Hawaii. We spent some family-time on the Big Island with the grandparents. They have a gorgeous plantation style-home on 3 acres of lush tropical grounds. Most of it is natural landscape, but they have also planted some of it on their own. The soil there, or should I say lack thereof, is thin - about an inch thick on average. So, if you do plan on landscaping anything around your house, you have to hire huge backhoes and the like to come and cut your property. Underneath that inch of soil are layers and layers of old lava flow, or pa hoe hoe. But once you prepare your land, it's amazing how fast everything grows. Even the weeds are beautiful... So, I'll leave you with these pictures of their property to gaze at while I take a much needed nap. I'll be back soon!

Way Too Much Coffee

I work in downtown Seattle amongst a plethora of coffeehouses. During my morning commute, I pass at least 1 per block. The aroma wafting from said places is mouthwatering - a virtual tractorbeam of caffeinated bliss that gently guides you into your place in line. I happily comply on a much too regular basis and have 3 "usuals" depending on my mood. There is the (a) double-tall-hazelnut-latte, (b) double-tall-soy-latte, and (c) tall drip coffee. The first choice is my most requested drink, the second is when I'm feeling in need of less calories, and the third is when I'm running late for work. I must also admit that I'm a little bit of a coffee-snob and will walk for blocks out of my way to get the "good stuff". Fortunately for me my office building is located quite close to one of my favorite coffeehouses, Uptown Espresso. Their claim to fame is their foam and how velvety it is. It's their tag line, "home of the velvet foam". Anybody who has had a latte from Uptown knows what I mean. The foam is slightly dense, layered thick, and oh so yummy.



While you have coffee on the mind, let me show you a pair of earrings I made. They are sterling silver hammered discs about 1/2 inch in diameter. I took this picture using a coffee-colored background to make the silver standout. They are available in my jewelry store. Come visit and take a peek.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry

A few nights ago, I went out with some girlfriends for a birthday celebration. We headed to Seattle and ate at the Boka restaurant in the new Hotel 1000. I must admit, I haven't gone out with just the girls for quite a long time. The "freedom" away from the family routine was extremely liberating. The evening was filled with good food, interesting and often hilarious conversations, good drinks and of course the birthday celebrations. We had excellent service from our very young waiter, but this may have been due to the thin Sunday night crowd. Let's just say that our group of 5 outnumbered the entire guest list for that evening. We tried to get them to put a hat on the birthday girl and belt out a Happy Birthday song, but they politely (or nervously?) laughed, brought out her dessert complete with a lit candle, and whisked themselves away from our table.

I made the birthday girl a necklace with a handmade pendant. The pendant was made with paper I found in a fabulous set of recently acquired Chiyogami. I carefully cut it into a 1-1/2 inch diameter circle, mounted it on a wooden disk and gave it some depth by thickly layering some crystal-clear, non-toxic varnish on top. A little bit of sanding, a thin coat of varnish on the back and sides, a shiny sterling-plated bail added and VOILA - it's done, baby.