A very hot weekend

This weekend was very hot, humid and sunny. It was also Revere Beach's Sand Sculpting Festival. A good combination, especially since the water was still pretty darn cold!

So on Saturday, we headed out to see some big sand sculptures.
And enjoy the beach. And introduce Collin to the ocean, which scared him quite a bit.
It was a nice little outing for us, especially since Collin has been a big grump all weekend. We think it may be because he's teething. But oh wow, did he wear his parents out! Lots of screaming, crying, and fussing this weekend. While I could go on about how trying and tiring this weekend was for us, it struck me that when I sit down to blog, I tend towards documenting the things that bring me joy throughout the days and weeks. It's not that I am oblivious to the frustrations or intentionally ignore the things that are difficult (I have shared with quite a few friends about our weekend trials!), but I like that this blog gives me space to think about the positives. It reminds me to notice the little blessings in life, the things that make me smile, and the gifts that I am truly thankful for.

In fact, the last few months have been a difficult season--although we are not going through tragedy personally, several of our close friends are going through very difficult situations. And as I look back on this blog, I realize that I've used this space to document the small joys around me, even amidst all of the curve balls that life throws out. So, here's to the taste of homemade jam, the smell of fresh baked bread, the fun of making kids art, and the joy of watching children explore the world. Life's simple gifts of goodness.

House Warming

Today, in the hot and humid weather, I decided to break in our new home with some freshly baked bread. A friend came over, and we spent three hours kneading, waiting, baking, and chatting...and then, we (and our lucky husbands!) happily enjoyed the smell and taste of freshly baked whole-wheat bread with a bowl of split pea soup. It was a wonderful way of warming up our home.

We moved to Somerville last week, and so far I've been enjoying the new home and neighborhood. Apparently, there are 10 little boys on our block (and no girls!). It's been fun slowly getting to know the neighbors and exploring the new area. I'm looking forward to venturing out on morning runs and afternoon walks this summer.

Backpacks for Refugee Children

Working at an organization that helps with refugee resettlement, I see first-hand how bewildering it is to build a new life in the US as a refugee. For example, how do you take the bus (especially if you can't read the road signs)? How do you go grocery shopping? How in the world do you make money if you can't speak English? And how do you learn English, and learn it fast (to make money, so that you can take the bus to go grocery shopping to feed your family)? It's completely overwhelming, even without the traumatic events that led the refugees to be resettled in the first place.

As a refugee child, these challenges are compounded by learning to navigate the public school system, in addition to trying to make friends and "fit-in". With parents who do not understand the system, the children often show up to school without a base-line understanding of how classes work, what is expected of them, and what supplies they need to function.

This is why I am such a big fan of World Relief's Back-2-School Program. They are asking for people to donate backpacks with some essential school supplies (see "What do I pack?" section of the website), which will be given to refugee students. These students can then at least show up to school with the basics, and will hopefully help ease their transition socially and academically.

It's really easy to put together a backpack, especially with the list of supplies provided on the website (just pick an age group--elementary, middle school, or high school and get the appropriate supplies). It makes a world of difference for the refugee child receiving it! If you are in the Boston area, and are interested, drop me a line--I'd be happy to collect and mail them out together.

Happy Father's Day!

I love the way he loves him, teaches him, plays with him.

Strawberry Picking, Strawberry Jamming

Strawberry season is upon us! Yesterday, I went to Amesbury with a friend to pick some strawberries. I wasn't sure how it was going to work with Collin, but I figured I'd just hold him and he could watch me pick. Didn't really work--he got quite upset that there were lots of ripe, sweet strawberries in front of him but he couldn't eat any. He wasn't happy. So, my friend and I ended up taking turns picking--she held Collin while I picked my strawberries, and he watched from some distance (far enough away not to think the strawberries were going to go straight into his mouth). The good thing is his stroller served as a pretty good cargo cart.

So I came home with three pints of strawberries, on top of the one we got from our CSA. We probably could have eaten all of them in a few days, but canning seemed more adventurous. So, I made strawberry jam for the first time:



The husband tried it out this morning, and seemed pretty impressed. Though he did make some comment about how we're living like Little House on the Prairie...which I'm taking as a compliment. Thanks.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Today, Collin and I picked up our first CSA box of the season on my way home from work. As you can see, lots of greens: mustard greens, collard greens, lettuce, pea tendrils (also known as "dau miu" in Chinese), turnips, strawberries, and garlic scape. Yes, garlic scape! Never heard of it? Neither have I. It's the twisty green thing in the front of the box.

After Collin took his turn nawing on the garlic scape, I made pesto with it. We had some gnocchi left over from yesterday, which was perfect for the garlic scape pesto. Put it all on a bed of mustard greens...and here was our dinner for tonight:


The greens are so fresh, crispy and flavorful (picked this morning!). Last year, we used Boston Organics, but this year, I wanted to go with a more traditional CSA. I decided to try out the World PEAS Cooperative, which supports immigrant and refugee farmers in sustainable farming practices. So far, very pleased with our first box!

Happy 1st Birthday Kimmy!

And the trio is complete!

Farewell to Cambridge: Harvard Book Store

My favorite book store. Locally-owned, wonderful picks, wide selection, and a GREAT remainders/used books section. What more could you really ask for in a book store? I've been visiting this shop since freshmen year of college, but probably made the most purchases during law school. Those $5-6 remainder books are so hard to resist! But more than buying books, I love browsing books. I love seeing a title or cover that inspires an idea, or reminds me of something I had forgotten about, or gives me fuel to day dream. Don't laugh, but I even made our wedding photographer take a picture of me and Jason (all dressed up!) in front of this book store. What can I say, there's history here.

Better World Books Dot Com

I found a rival to amazon! A few weeks ago, there was a sale, and I got these used kiddie books for $2 each on www.betterworldbooks.com. They are in great condition, and Collin has been having a ton of fun throwing them around. I have been trying to get him to recognize Clifford the Big Red Dog...but he still seems pretty oblivious. It's been fun though, and I'm glad there's another reliable site for good (used and new) books!

Thursday Trip to Maine

Yesterday, Jason took the day off, and we took a day-trip to Maine with a couple friends. Partly because these friends are leaving Boston soon and we've been talking about this trip for awhile...and partly because it's (just about) summer time, and you can do things like this in the summer. Right?

We learned that lobsters are the biggest right about now in Maine...and although they are slightly cheaper later in the summer, they are not as meaty. And so we feasted.

In Ogunquit, there is a paved coastal walk called Marginal Way. It is great for families with strollers. And such a beautiful stretch of beach and cliffs. There's something about the ocean that makes horizons expand. Dreams just seem a little more possible when I'm looking out over the ocean. And the nice thing about trips with friends is that it's a lot easier to get family shots...

All in all, a very good Thursday.