#lifereflections — Public Fediverse posts

H-Mart grocery haul

We made a trip to H-Mart, and I unintentionally ended up with a big grocery haul. Lol! Isn’t that how it always happens?

To me, H-Mart is like the Target of grocery stores. I go in with my short list, and I somehow always come out with a cart full of way more than I had planned.

Over the past few months, I’ve become increasingly interested in Japanese and Korean home cooking, especially the simple, everyday meals families prepare. So, I decided it was time to explore a few ingredients that were completely new to me.

Travis was able to help me pick out some of the products. He was stationed in South Korea for about a year, and he said he ate out at a lot of the restaurants (which he loved!). He even took a cooking class while he was living in Korea.

This trip, I picked up seaweed snacks, sesame oil, sushi rice, Japanese mayonnaise, and a few other items that caught my attention along the way.

Travis and I were using our phones to google which seaweed brands were good for making gimbap and sushi rolls. As we were trying very hard to determine which brand to get, a lovely Korean woman, who was also shopping in the store, overheard our conversation and walked up to us offering to help.

She was so sweet. She showed us which seaweed brands she uses to make gimbap. We smiled and thanked her profusely for her kindness. That helped us so much!

One of the things I enjoy most about cooking is learning something new. I love learning how to cook many different types of foods. I may not know exactly what I’m doing yet, but that’s part of the fun!

Every new ingredient, recipe, and kitchen experiment teaches me a little more than I knew the day before.

Here are some photos from our H-Mart grocery store haul.

Now the real adventure begins: figuring out what to make first! Do you enjoy learning how to cook different types of recipes?

💜 XO

Drawing with the kids 👩🏽‍🎨

Today, I enjoyed a calming activity with the kids—sketching and coloring flowers. 🌸 The flower activity was part of a science lesson for the kids to draw, color, and label a flower with pollen.

I turned on a jazz playlist to help us focus on our artwork, and as we were creating our sketches, it started to rain.

Perfect timing! 🌧☺️

We discussed shapes we could see in the image of the flower.

One shape that stood out to Zaya (5) and Zephaniah (8) was the middle of the flower reminded them of a hexagon.

So, together we sketched a hexagon shape onto our sketch pads.

Surprisingly, drawing a hexagon is not as easy as I thought it would be! It took me several tries to finally get the six sides connected to form the shape. 😆

Next, we discussed the vibrant yellow color of the pollen and its purpose. We also made connections to the flowers and vegetables growing in our garden.

There was something unexpectedly joyful sitting at the kitchen table with Zaya and Zephaniah, drawing and coloring together.

Keep in mind I am not an artist 😅.

However, the children told me they thought my purple flower looked amazing, and really, that’s all the recognition I needed. 🥰

💜 XO

Somewhat clear skies

It feels good to be back outside now that the air quality is improving.

An unexpected visitor 🐣

A summer storm left our patio garden with one unexpected little visitor. 🐥

A front porch garden harvest 🫑

Enjoying a small garden harvest right from our front porch! 🫑🥬

✮ A Semblance of Life ✮

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✮ A Semblance of Life ✮

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✮ A Semblance of Life ✮

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Winter Moments

In the winter, when the days are short and the nights long, it’s easy for anyone to feel a bit lonely, especially during the holiday season. This time of year, even during celebrations, one can fall into a quiet introspection.

There’s something special about this quieter time. It’s an opportunity for personal reflection, much like nature itself in winter. This season encourages us to slow down, think about where we are, and where we’re heading.

One way I find comfort and perspective during these moments is to pay attention to the beauty of the world around us big or small. For instance, the intricate patterns of ice up close. It’s incredible how something so simple can reveal such complex designs and artistry. The delicate details in ice crystals can be a gentle reminder of the beauty of life.

While the holidays are happening around you, remember to take a moment for yourself, I’ve taken a bunch of moments just to reset. Look at the beauty big or small of the world. It’s a way to connect with the here and now, to find calm and in the peace of nature. This can be a source of strength and energy. Sometimes we just need that reminder that sunnier days are ahead.

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