weekend pics

it was raining all weekend (with some reprieve on sunday). other than attending a couple of kai's commitments, his year end circus show and last soccer game of the season, i was indoors.  the rain gave me the perfect excuse to cozy up to a good book, drink tea, listen to music, and help kai complete his science project and break in his new lego game (the just acquired creationary). thank you rain. 

i didn't take much photos; a few of kai's circus show and some pics at home.

 







kai's sailboat creation





my camel creation



a very proud boy with his very first school project

stefan and kai carved out some time together on father's day.  they spent much time playing video games, they attended the car free event that happens in a few neighbourhoods in vancouver.  they also had dinner here.  i love it when kai has stefan all to himself; he adores his dad.



serious gamers





happy father's day

photo from august 2008

i asked kai if he wanted to write this father's day post, this is what he dictated to me:

"thank you dad for making time for us to play diablo together.  and i am grateful when you play soccer with me outside. i also like it when you make gobble pasta and vegetable soup. oh one more thing, i am grateful that you are a video game maker and like cars.  and i really like it when you malfunction while putting me to bed and brush my ears instead of my teeth.   can i say what i am sad about? (i tell him it's okay) i am sad when you have to go away for work."

so sweet.  have a lovely weekend and a happy father's day to everyone's father! 

noises in the night



image from here



i am a total wimp in my own house.  when stefan is away my bedtime ritual changes. it isn't as easy as shutting the lights and going to bed, many more steps take place.  i spook myself too easy, listening for noises, thinking that a burglar is coming in (we once had a daytime break-in many years ago through the bedroom window followed by an almost nighttime break-in while we were home - we then installed a light sensor!). 

my bedtime ritual when stefan is away: the alarm goes on as soon as kai and i are home even if bedtime is still a few hours away.  when it's finally time for bed i leave the bedroom light on (i have no interest in saving on electricity), i sleep with my glasses on, and i keep the alarm box and phone next to me for easy access.  i will lay in bed until i can no longer keep my eyes open, reading helps for awhile.  it is so exhausting!  i am so glad stefan is coming home tonight.

and i just learned a great tip: "put your car keys beside your bed at night.  if you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button of your car."  it is unlikely the intruder will hang around.  smart idea if you live in a house with the car out front or back but my car is in the underground parking so this tip is not so useful for me but maybe for you?  do you ever get spooked in the night?

golden kiwi

i was super excited to find golden kiwis at the market!  they are mostly available in the summer, coinciding with the new zealand winter.  they are so very good that i don't care that they are grown far, far away and hence cost more.  golden kiwis have a yellow flesh and are sweeter and less tart than a standard kiwi, tropical-like.  i eat them in droves until they are no longer available.  if you haven't already tried one please do so this summer.  you. will. love. it.  i promise.  

sorry, i have had this photo for awhile and cannot remember the source

sarah's house

i first wrote about sarah, here, to share with you her photography blog birds of a feather.  her house is featured on design sponge and i love everything about it!  and for more exciting news, i also discovered that she has a personal blog titled a house in the hills that i devoured, from start to present, in one day.  this is one awesome blog, do visit it. and i have the exact same blue planter that she does - it's a sign that i must move to los angeles and be her bff. big time girl crush, i know it's embarrassing! 

weekend pics

it was two days of lovely, enjoyable, and relaxing moments.  yet, for most of the weekend i was feeling a little off.  i am not sure what is contributing to my bluesy state but i am so glad that the events of this weekend - comfort food, dancing, and girlfriend time - helped me be okay with my off-kilter feeling.

saturday morning started with an early hot yoga class.  it was the first time i didn't want the class to end.  my body was loving (and i think needing) it.  then i met up with one of the most awesomeness women i know, my girlfriend suji. she is smart, multi-talented, stylish, and an entrepreneur (you can follow her on pinterest). everyone who's lucky enough to know her loves her to bits.  i met her for brunch at organic lives - she's trying out a raw vegan diet.  i had 'sushi' and a 'caesar' salad.  both were much more yummy than i anticipated.  i whole heartily believe organic is better for our health and environment but i can't imagine preparing raw food all of the time - i love my rice dishes, roasted broccoli, and warm soup too much!  i then spent a couple of leisurely hours browsing the shops (a few purchases might have been made but i am not saying for sure) before heading for home to help kai with his school project (the big reveal in another post).  the day ended with chicken soup, indonesian style.  thank you stefan, it was exactly the nourishment i was craving this day.

it's too bad that it's not noticeable but suji was wearing the most lovely coral lipstick from chanel. i want!

sunday morning started with a 5km run along the seawall (my race is fast approaching!) while kai was at his soccer program.  stefan joined me - he of course was faster than i was which pushed me to go faster so i could catch up to him but i never did!  and there is nothing like a dance party to shake the blues out of you.  we attended the joy of feeding event, a fundraiser for ubc farms (and the rain stayed away!).  it brought together lay cooks - women and men who love to cook for their family and friends - to share their speciality ethnic dish with those of us lucky enough to attend.  we went on an around the world trip without leaving vancouver enjoying yummy comfort foods from ghana, eygpt, italy, india, sweden, chili, tanzania, mexico, first nations, vietnam and more. meeru dhalwala, (co-owner of vij's and rangoli restaurants) the founder of the event, was inspired to "celebrate the importance of (happily) carrying on the cooking traditions of all cultures within our increasingly mixed culture society in north america. joy of feeding... encourages people of all backgrounds to cook foods from all backgrounds, inter-racial home cooking... i wanted to hold this in a farm setting where sustainably farmed food is grown to make an emotional, triangular connection between whole foods, cultures and cooking. unless we know what to do with local, unprocessed foods, we will never be able to support and appreciate local farming in any large scale, meaningful way."  what a great idea!  and i loved that the food feast included a dance party - the music from india called me to the dance floor.  it was so fun to let loose and let the bluesy feeling take a back seat.

 

   

   



  

  

 

 

kai wanted to show me some of his hip hop moves (he just completed a hip hop program organized by the school, same one as last year that i posted about here).  i love his enthusiasm!



pretty cool!