>We had too much fun indulging in lots of cold sweets over spring break. Forget the beach, we hit up all the local ice cream places. HA! Well, we do love the beach, but not SoCal traffic, so I rarely make it out there. Anyway, one of the places we had so much fun trying was the Popbar at the Anaheim Packing House. It was our first time there, and we met my BFF there for lunch (it was her first time too). We had some delicious Vietnamese food, and of course, ice cream for dessert.

Popbar is gelato ice cream on a stick, so it’s much creamier than your regular popsicle. I got the hazelnut bar, half dipped with milk chocolate and waffle cone. The other girls picked their own… True got strawberry sorbet dipped in milk chocolate, Soul got vanilla dipped in milk chocolate and waffle cone, Brave got a berry sorbetto dipped in white chocolate and waffle cone, and Glow wanted chocolate everything. After I had finished my bar, I declared that I could totally go for another, so since Linda wanted to try the pistachio, she went back to order that, and we shared (my BFF is the best!). I loved every bite of my popbar, and next time I want to try the peanut butter one.

Popbars aren’t easy to split in half, so each girl got her own. When you have to multiply everything by four, things just cost more (about $25 for 5 popbars). It was spring break though, so we went wild and everyone got one. It’s kind of pricey that way, but it was totally worth it to let everyone enjoy their popbars in peace. #illalwayssayyestoicecream

We had a wonderful resurrection Sunday. It was filled with lots of Jesus and grace (Ben and I had a couple of small spats), food, gospel-centered conversations, family, friends, and lots of dessert. Of course, there was also an easter egg hunt. The eggs were filled with chocolate, cookies, and dollar bills! The adults so wanted to join in. Soul gathered the most eggs, and she was so sweet and selfless by giving some of her eggs to her sisters.

All the girls’ dresses were sewn by me, but they picked out their own fabric combinations (well, not Glow). True’s is from a pattern that can be found in my book. I don’t have a pattern to share for the others.

After such a fun spring break week last week, it was hard having to get back into our regular homeschooling routine. We sucked it up and got back at it though (we are totally counting down until summer). Something good that Monday brought: we officially started remodeling our downstairs bathrooms (see here). I’m excited to see it all come together!

I love having a hammock inside our home (see the room tour here and it was also featured here). The girls love sitting in the hammock (they all pile in together) to read or watch a movie on their iPad, and sometimes they just get in their to lightly swing. It’s unexpected to have a hammock inside, and people always get surprised by it and are eager to try it out. They always doubt it will hold their weight, but we assure them it’ll be fine. Ben used some sturdy eye bolts and put them into studs in the walls. Technically, he made them strong enough to hold 900 lbs, but I don’t we will ever fill the hammock with that much weight. Originally, the hammock was supposed to go outside, but I’m so glad we put it inside instead.

Our Nicaraguan hammock (we also have this colorful one) was from a seller on etsy, but he wasn’t reliable when other people ordered from him (total bad news), so obviously, I wouldn’t recommend him any longer. I did find these other options online, and thought they are all just as pretty and would be a great hammock to have indoors (or out!). I’m hoping that one day, we can put a hammock outside too!

1st row: brazilian hammock with fringe,  cape cod style
2nd row: canvas chair hammock, wedding hammock
3rd row: luxury macrame hammock, canyon fringe hammock

One of our favorite dishes in Singapore was Hainanese Chicken Rice. My friend Abby, who also was our tour guide when we were there, has been learning from her grandmother how to make this delectable and aromatic dish, so she came over to teach us.

She also taught us how to make chicken rice balls, and the girls loved getting in on the action. It looks like the simplest dish, but it is really so flavorful. It’s not really a colorful meal, but what it lacks in color, it makes up for it with the magic that happens in every bite. You eat the chicken with the rice, seriously the best rice ever, a little bit of chili sauce, ginger sauce, and dark soy sauce. It’s an amazing dish! Even as I type out this post, I’m craving it. Maybe I should change this week’s meal plan to include chicken rice.

Abby created a film about her grandmother and how to make chicken rice. The film is actually more than that; it also weaves the story of her grandmother’s making of chicken rice with Singapore’s language policies and its changes. I had the honor of being able to see Abby’s film and it was so beautifully done. You see this older woman passing a priceless gift to her granddaughter. Sure, she’s just teaching her how to cook, but there’s so much depth in it, she is passing down a part of her cultural heritage, part of her story. Now, Abby gets to take that story and mold it into her own. It made me want to go spend more time with my grandparents. In college, I recorded both of my grandparents telling me how they grew up and met, so I’m somewhat familiar with some of their stories, but I’m sure there is so much more I’m missing out on too. I need to find that cassette and keep it in a safe place, so my kids can listen to it one day.

In the film, Abby tells her grandmother, “You taught me how to cook chicken rice. This is my inheritance. This is an inheritance money cannot buy.” How precious is that inheritance indeed!

Rag Rug Bag

Supplies:
Rag rug (this rug is similar to the one I used)
1 yard of braided fabric, cut into two 16″ pieces (I found this at the ribbon section of Joann’s and can be purchased by the yard)
Scissor
Coordinating thread
Sewing machine
Fabric pencil
Ruler
Embroidery floss (optional)

Directions:
1. Fold the rug in half width-wise, and sew along the entire length of both sides.

2. Box the corners by pinching each corner with the right sides together and aligning the sides seams with the bottom seam. With a fabric pencil and ruler mark a line perpendicular to the side seam that is about 1 1/2″ from the corner and 3″ long. Pin and sew along that line. Repeat for the opposite corner.

3. Turn the bag right side out and decide the placement for the handles. I placed mine about 5″ in from each side and 1″ down from the top. Fold each handle end in about 1/2″, pin in place, the folded end of the bag handle facing the inside fabric of the bag (the handle will twist as pictured). Machine stitch the handles to the bag using 2 horizontal stitches, 1/4″ and 3/4″ from the folded edge. Make sure to backstitch to secure.

4. Optional: Using embroidery floss, make some small tassels and tie around one of the handles. In total, I think the project took me less than 30 minutes.

I had pinned this bag from Zara last spring, and had been wanting to make my own version of it with a rag rug, but I’m only getting around to it now. A couple weeks ago, I saw these rag rugs at the 99 cent store (they had tons, but make sure to choose one that is woven tightly), I knew it would be perfect for a quick bag project. I’m not sure about the name “rag rug bag,” I think sounds funny, but I couldn’t think of anything else, so oh well.