Meeting Amora

Amora wears her burgundy-colored hair up in two heart-shaped buns to proclaim her love for life. Babbling about sweet floral frocks and adventures under the sun puts a perpetual smile on her face. She bakes snickerdoodles and moist birthday cake with yummy frosting for all her chummies who pay her a visit. She especially treasures the company of joyful friends.

Ever since we noticed how Serene loves Cosette the fox when we introduced the lovey to her about a month ago, we have been tempted to buy more stuffies for her. Then I decided I'd try to make one for her during my staycation a couple of weeks ago. An attempt to save money and make more use of the sewing machine - cheers! Inspired by this doll, Serene's new lovey, who is henceforth named Amora, is made with tons of love. I used felt, vintage reproduction fabric, embroidery floss, and polyfil too. She wears a little apron that I sewed out of a bit of vintage tablecloth. Now that I've a sweet stuffed doll for my sweet babe, I want to make more. They're such good use of the fabric scraps, felt, and polyfil that are sitting around in my stash (a product of when I had an Etsy selling stuff like this, this, and this back in the day). I love being able to make things for Serene in hopes that they'll be more meaningful to her than store-bought toys. Plus, I can make little mistakes here and there while crafting, and she won't mind! Because right now, playing is synonymous with chewing. ;)

Ahi tuna poke

I crave sushi at least weekly. Unfortunately, Alex doesn't. It's also not wise to frequent sushi restaurants all the time. That's when I resort to making poke. I've been storing ahi tuna steaks in the freezer because I have been making poke weekly. It is the ideal sashimi fix: quick to throw together using simple ingredients that enhance the flavor of the fish. I eat it alone, atop wonton crisps, as a salad on a bed of mixed greens and sliced English cucumber, or as a side with (brown) rice. If you're a sashimi aficionado, this shall be your go-to when that craving strikes. I've also made poke with sashimi grade albacore and tilapia. The recipe is so versatile; you could make poke out of any sushi-friendly fish. Yum!
Ahi Tuna Poke
Ingredients:
1 lb ahi tuna, cut into 3/4" cubes
Hawaiian salt to taste
2 tsp sesame oil
Red chili pepper flakes to taste
Furikake rice seasoning (includes seaweed and sesame seeds together) sprinkled generously
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 avocado, sliced

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine ahi tuna cubes, Hawaiian salt (I use about 1 tbsp), chili pepper flakes, green onion, and Furikake rice seasoning. Drizzle sesame oil on top. Mix well. Refrigerate at least two hours before serving.
2. Serve with avocado slices. Enjoy with wonton crisps, rice, a salad of mixed greens and sliced English cucumber, or alone!

A reversible skirt

I took a staycation from work for three days last week for some family time, mostly to care for Serene since Alex was prepping to preach several sermons throughout the week. One of my primary goals during the staycation was to sew for Serene (during naptimes!). It had been way too long; the last time I crafted for her was when she was still in my womb! I've been brainstorming projects aplenty in my head these past few weeks, but haven't had time to translate them into reality until last week. The first mommy-made project was a circle skirt inspired by this simple one. I altered the pattern to make the skirt reversible with single pockets on each side, and enclosed the elastic within the fabric. Which resulted in a skirt reminiscent of springtime picnics - full of flounce, color, and life. I used vintage reproduction fabrics from my stash, and pieced together scraps to sew a single pocket on both sides of the skirt. I love that the skirt does double duty to perk up any outfit. Alex had another purpose in mind. When I told him I made a reversible skirt for Serene, he said, "That's great! Now when she has poop explosions while wearing it, we can just switch it to the other side." How silly of me to think that the skirt was only dual-purpose - haha!

A most momentous weekend

Hope your weekend was grand! Last Friday earmarked the epic day of the greatest act of sacrificial love ever fulfilled - when Jesus Christ died on the cross on our behalf, a death (and resurrection) that facilitates the salvation of those who believe, and a subsequent, all-encompassing joy in the true treasure that is Christ. I'll never know how much it cost to see my sins upon that cross, but I am thankful to the Lord for His unmatched mercy in granting us the good news of the gospel. Because He is risen, life is worth living. So grateful for Resurrection Sunday yesterday to commemorate Christ's resurrection from the dead that grants us a living hope that surpasses all else on earth. God is too good to us.

We celebrated by gathering with our church family where Alex preached on the consequences of a resurrection-less Savior, followed by a feast and egg hunt with dear family friends. I realized after Sunday service that though I thought I picked out a random vintage dress for Serene to wear that day, it was actually an official Easter dress. It featured an embroidered bunny front detail - perfect for an Easter egg hunt! Alex was so sad that "big kids" weren't allowed to participate in the egg hunt last year. He made up for it this year. He stole eggs and ate the candy inside before the hunt even began, all in the name of Serene Joy. When the hunt was about to officially begin, he even tried to cut in front of the kiddos in line. My husband is unashamed to relive his childhood through the baby - haha! But really, all of these sweet blessings are a result of our hope in Christ. This weekend past was simply a more poignant reminder that we were made alive in Christ, and we've this life to declare His promise.

The duck redeemed the tub

Serene has been getting too long for her little bathtub that fits in the sink, which we've been using affectionately since her newborn days. Though we got a bigger tub that sits in the bathtub a while ago, we haven't used it because washing her in her little bathtub in the sink makes the pastime efficient, and therefore more ideal. However, at six and a half months, Serene is past the age recommendation for her little tub. Her limbs stick out and splash water like a hyperactive fountain. Her ever-growing dexterity leads her to turn the hot water on full blast, to her and our chagrin. This has become a daily occurrence, which finally convinced us to make the switch to her bigger tub over the weekend. When we plopped her into the unfamiliar, watery abyss for the first time, she immediately looked up at us with furrowed brows and voiced panic-stricken cries. Until we waved a friendly water creature in her face. Instant satisfaction washed over her, and she spent the remainder of bathtime splashing contentedly with her new rubber duck in her mouth. I don't know what it is about these yellow fellows, but I'm glad its charm worked on Serene's transition to her new tub!

Serene attends a conference

Dear Daddy,

While you were away this week in Louisville for this pastor's conference, I attended a conference too: the Daughters Missing Daddies Conference 2014 here in SoCal. Mommy thought it would be fun for me to experience conferences the way you do.




I bet I attended just as many sessions as you did. My favorite one was How to Cope Without Your Daddy For a Week. Dr. Cosette Fox from the Department of Personal History at Woodland University gave such profound insight into the topic. She used easy-to-remember alliteration in all her points, and she gave some really funny illustrations too.
But I have to confess - I got distracted after a while. Conference sessions get a tad long sometimes.
So I started fiddling with the conference swag they passed out during registration. They gave us a bunch of Daddy-Os.
I was so happy to spend time with fellow attendants. Chatting with Posie, Banana Friend, Dolly, and Cosette  about how much we miss our daddies was refreshing for my soul. Is that how you feel when you hang out with other pastors at your conferences?
Posie said something I disagreed with, obviously.
Hours of presentations and workshops wore me out. I was thankful for a nap break. Snoozing time goes by so quickly, huh?
I loved getting free books at the conference though! I don't think I received fifteen of them like you did, but I agree that they're one of the biggest perks. They said that the books are for you to read to me. I can't wait!
I tried to call you during my call-your-daddy break to tell you all about my conference, but you didn't answer. I suppose you were at a breakout session. So I wrote you this letter (complete with pictures that Mommy took for me) instead. I miss you so much, and I can't wait to see you when you come home this afternoon!


Love,
Serene Joy

P.S. Mommy missed you a whole bunch too. She told me so every day while you were gone. Especially when I subjected her to poop explosions.