Ben and I went on a date on Friday night, since the girls slept over my mom and dad’s place. We have a restaurant that is our go-to place when we are in my mom and dad’s area, but I wasn’t feeling it on Friday, and wanted to try somewhere new. After yelp-ing a few things in the area, I narrowed it down to Korean sushi, ramen, or our go-to cajun seafood place. I consulted the BFF on what to do, since 1) she’s Korean and could help me figure out if we would like Korean sushi, and 2) she knows our palettes so well that she always has good recommendations. She said, “The sushi is daring, the ramen is safe, and our cajun seafood is super-safe.” Thus, we went with daring, so Dongbu Live Fish it is!

This was a small mom and pop restaurant, and I have to admit, we were a little apprehensive upon entering. It’s a small establishment, and there were these large tanks on one side, and tables on the other. The reviews on yelp were good, so we felt safe, but we had a feeling this was going to be interesting. We’ve tried a lot of Korean food, but we have never had Korean sashimi. The special thing about Korean sashimi is that it is about as fresh as it could be. I already knew what we wanted to order, so we got the small live sashimi combo to share (that was more than plenty for two people!).

The chef, I assume he was the chef, went to one of the large tanks on the other side of the room, and pulled out a live halibut. It was a moving and wriggling fish! He showed it to us, told us this was our fish (and asked if I wanted to take a picture, so I did), and then he went to the back to do his fancy slicing. In the meantime, they brought out us a salad, quail eggs, and lots of little Korean side dishes. Next, out came some soup, and the thinly sliced abalone, which they just picked fresh from the tank moments before, and some spicy buckwheat noodles. Then, our big plate of the thinly sliced halibut, and some lettuce. The BFF (and the chef) informed us, you take a slice of fish, put it in the lettuce, add some bean paste, garlic, and jalapeño, and eat it all in one bite. We were chowing down on all this deliciousness that we were both starting to get really full. As soon as I declared that I couldn’t eat anymore, they brought out rice and hot pot tofu soup. Okay, so I had a little bit of that, and proclaimed I was done. But wait! Then, they brought out grilled mackerel, and I went for a little bite to try it, but it was so good, I kept going. Next thing you know, Ben and I had devoured the mackerel and it was all gone. Ben continued eating what was left, and I was done for real. I wasn’t stuffed, but I felt good enough, and wanted to save room for dessert.

For dessert, we went to pick up some Honeymee, which was milk ice cream with pure honey drizzled all over (see here). I happily indulged in each spoonful of that cup full of joy until it was all gone. I can’t wait to introduce the girls to Honeymee, I know they’ll love it too! If you’re adventurous, I highly recommend trying Korean style sushi. It had a lot of the Korean flavors we were already used to in other dishes, so it ended up not being too new to us. What was new though, was that was the freshest fish we ever had. I mean it was alive, then 10-15 minutes later it was in our stomachs!

Quirky Bendable Bow Headband

Supplies:
23″ x 5 1/2″ piece of fabric
17″ x 5 1/2″ piece of fabric
Thin headbands
12 gauge decorative wire
Wire cutter
Scissors
Hand-sewing needle
Coordinating thread
Sewing machine

Seam allowance: 1/2″

Directions:
1. Fold the strip of fabric in half lengthwise, with their right sides together, and cut each end at a small slant. Sew the entire length of the long side and one of the short sides, then turn right side out, and press (you don’t have to iron it, but I prefer to press when sewing).

2. Roll out your wire to the length of the fabric strip, add an additional 1/2″ on each end, and then cut. Bend the ends of the wire in to create a hook (I did this as a safety precaution). Insert the wire in the the strip, fold the open end in about 1/4″, and slip stitch close.

3. Center the headband on the strip, and knot the fabric strip around the headband. Be sure to pull it tight so that it is secure to the band; it helps the bow stay up and not flop around. For the longer 23″ long fabric strip, follow the same instructions, but after you wrap and knot it around the headband, you bend each end to create the look of a bow loop, and bend about 1 1/2″-2″ of each end outward (see the gif below for clarification).

We love the quirkiness of these bendy bows. I already had the fabric scraps and floral wire on hand, and I just picked up a couple packs of headbands at the 99 cents store. We think this headband is such a fun accessory, and my four girls are really into accessorizing! By the way, I would totally wear all their outfits (I’m too old for the big bows though). I’m already thinking about sewing myself a striped dress with denim pockets! I also love this old navy embroidered shift dress (it’s backordered), and I think True and Brave would love it too, but I’m also wondering if an XXL might fit me. Brave looks so cute in shortalls and Glow’s romper is the best. I love that it’s a light weight chambray and will be so good for those warm spring days (that’s pretty much everyday in SoCal). Spring break isn’t  for a couple more weeks for us, and we are so getting the itch to take a break from school and just spend lazy days playing. We must keep trekking along though, as there is still much work to be done!

on true: shirt, gap kids via schoola. floral jacket, chambray circle skirt, and glitter sandals (similar here), c/o old navy. on brave: top, vintage. shortalls and sneakers, c/o old navy. on soul: striped pocket dress and jelly sandals, c/o old navy. on glow: romper and gladiator sandals, c/o old navy.

This post is sponsored by Old Navy. Thank you for your continuous support of this space and the brands I choose to partner with.

Here’s a confession… Ben and I sleep in two different beds. It’s not as bad as it sounds, as it’s two beds right next to each other, so we’re still together, but it is still two beds. He has a firm twin right next (there isn’t any space between the two beds) to our soft queen, and it’s because the mattress we bought when we first got married is killer on his back; it’s not enough support. We had a much firmer twin in a guest room, so some time ago, he dragged that into our room and put it next to our bed. It’s quite laughable and our friends totally make fun of us, and just in case you’re wondering… our marriage is great. This has not affected us one bit. It’s just like we have a super king bed, but use different sheets!

We started mattress hunting two years ago, and narrowed it down to a couple choices, but then we got all freaked out about all the chemicals that go into making a bed, so we decided to look at more natural options. We looked at a couple natural choices, and we love the one we picked out for True (read about it here), but we still haven’t figured out one for us just yet. I have always liked beds not resting on a frame, kind of just low to the ground (which is what our bed(s) are now). But I think it’s time to grow up and pick out a frame (and hopefully a mattress).

I’ve searched long and hard for a bed frame I liked, but since I haven’t found one, I haven’t been in a hurry to get a mattress. Well, I think I found two bed frames that make me dance, so now we are back into bed and mattress discussions. I love this one with a tall headboard (in white), and I like this narrow leg bed frame (in white), but not sure if I want a headboard or not. One day, I want to also put white brick on the wall behind our bed, so I’m not sure if that should weigh in having a headboard. First world problems, I know.

Even when we decide on a bed frame, we are still stuck on what mattress to get, and whether to get king or queen. Our bed is a queen, but I guess having two beds together, it’s pretty much like we have a king. We never co-sleep with the children, but on the weekends they do like to come sleep in our room, so they all drag sleeping bags and sleep on the floor, so not sure if we need a king. I have gotten used to having more bed to myself though, so maybe a king would be best. See, another bed-deciding dilemma… at this rate, we are going to live like this for another couple years. HA!

image 1 via the style of my life. image 2 found on pinterest, source unknown. image 3 found on pinterest, source unknown. image 4 via nuevo estilo. if you know who the unknown photos belong to (or if i have any one linked up incorrectly), please do share as I would like to make sure to give them credit. thanks!

Take 2. The first try was two years ago (see here). We’ve learned a lot since and made some modifications, namely, raised beds.

During the two years, we’ve also learned about Kevin Hauser and his knack for growing apples in hot climates. As a result we’ve been exposed to some non-traditional apples for our area; varieties once thought limited to much colder climates.

Now that they’ve been planted, they really just look like short sticks in the ground. However, we’re hoping that one day, these espaliered trees will be providing us with some excellent apples. We highly recommend Kevin’s trees and how-to manuals, especially for those in hotter areas!

Yesterday afternoon, True was excitedly telling her sisters, “Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day and we are going to get surprises.”

I heard that and my eyes got wide. I didn’t plan anything, but my failure to remember this day happens every year. I never remember it until the night before. Thankfully, I have a stash of goodies for an occasion such as this and I hoard craft supplies. Thus, with some kraft containers stuffed with a little wooden car and toy horse, along with gold shreds, we had the perfect “pot of gold” for the end of the rainbow. The rainbow is just made with colorful crepe paper streamers leading from the upstairs hallway to the bottom of the stairs.

See last year’s surprise here, and the year before is found here. This morning, during breakfast, we watched this short clip about St. Patrick. Did you know Saint Patrick wasn’t even Irish?! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I’ve had this fabric for several years now and have vacillated on what to do with it. Initially, I wanted to make it like the tie style dress I made here, but then didn’t. Later, I thought it would be a cool romper for one of the girls, but that never happened. A few weeks ago, as I was internet browsing, I happened upon this dress and thought, “Oh that dress and fabric looks fun”, and then remembered I had similar colorful fabric, so I set out to recreate it.

It’s a trapeze dress and I did make the slits on the sides of the dress to slip a matching sash to tie around the waist if I wanted to. Here’s a sketch of the dress shape if you wanted to try your hand at making your own. I didn’t follow that, but what I did was similar. You can’t tell due to the busy pattern of the fabric, but I sewed bust darts.

It’s such a nice lightweight cotton and with it being over 90 degrees on Saturday, it was the perfect thing to wear out. The bag is a souvenir I brought home from my trip to Singapore. It’s a tote of the MRT (public transport) routes, and I tell you, it was so easy to use. I love looking at my bag and remembering all my favorite stops, which then reminds me of all the delicious food we indulged in while there.

on me: dress, handmade. black clogs, c/o lotta from stockholm. bag, from singapore.