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Author Archives: ifshedid
My Two Dads
Reminiscent of the late 1980′s U.S. sitcom, I have been blessed with “My Two Dads”. My relationships with each are as different as they are. For the many reasons that makes them each unique, I wholeheartedly love them both, and am thankful to have them in my life. Continue reading
Posted in Cardmaking, Cool Tool, Crafting, Technology
Tagged cardmaking, cool tool, Crafting, family, Technology
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Mission Accomplished!
The Mission, if accepted: Complete a 5k on Sunday, June 6th, 2010
My Personal Goal: Walk/Jog said 5k and complete in under 45 minutes (i.e. 15-min miles)
The Contender(s): Me, and my beloved team of support (AKA my husband and friends)
Location: The Pasadena Rose Bowl – site of the famed Rose Bowl Tournament and the Tournament of Roses Parade — complete with a perimeter pedestrian path of 3.2 miles (5k)
The Lowdown: At 6:40-something on Sunday morning I hear my husband’s alarm going off, knowing I now have about ten more minutes before my back-up alarm goes off. I greedily relish every second of half-sleep, peeping one eye open every other minute or so to see how much time I have left. Continue reading
Posted in Community, Exercise, Health, Personal Journey
Tagged 5k, accomplishments, Exercise, Low-Cost Activities, personal journey, Rose Bowl, walking/jogging, Weight Watchers, well-being
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Happy Day, Mom
It’s one of those days — like Father’s Day, birthdays, and Thanksgiving. A day to slow down, reflect, and appreciate. And I love living in a nation where we are encouraged with space in our calendars, and even space in our schedules to do just that — pause and be thankful. Yesterday, our family did just that. Continue reading
Posted in Cardmaking, Crafting, Personal Journey
Tagged cardmaking, Crafting, family, holidays, K & Company, Michaels, Paper-Source, peekaboo window, personal journey, Recollections
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A Wrapper’s Delight
In my messiest (and of course, most creative) days the dining table, coffee table, and even sometimes the tarp on the floor are covered in crafty supplies. If you’re picturing inks, decorative papers, punches, and rubber and clear stamps you’re right. But there’s more. Even before delighting in making handmade sentiments I have been a beader. So in addition to said supplies, one might also find eye pins, head pins, various pliers, crystal beads, glass beads, precious metal findings, and more. If I was to define myself as a crafter, I would probably first identity myself by my beading, then my cardmaking, and then my crocheting (although it’s been about a year since I’ve crocheted anything). Ironically, though, my Etsy shop displays some of my jewelry, while thus far in the blog, I’ve only shared my cards. In the spirit of sharing some of my latest work and to even things out a bit, I give you “Wrapper’s Delight”. Continue reading
Posted in Beading Jewelry, Crafting, Personal Journey
Tagged beading, Crafting, Michaels, well-being, wire-wrapping
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Left My Heart in Chinatown
I think it may have started with Mrs. Wong’s kitchen, but ever since a young girl I’ve long had a soft spot for Chinese culture. Whether Mandarin or Cantonese, the languages of China are my absolute favorite to listen to — some enjoy French, others Italian, I love hearing Chinese — perhaps because I understand nearly none of it. Many of my childhood and teenage friends were from Chinese homes, growing up in the U.S., but preserving their language and culture through Saturday schools, practicing traditions at home, and maintaining a tight-knit and friendly community. The writings of Amy Tan, Aimee Liu, more recently Lisa See, and others helped to paint greater landscapes of China in my mind. And the food — don’t even get me started on the food! Continue reading
Posted in Personal Journey, Travel
Tagged cable car, Chinatown, family, personal journey, San Francisco, Travel, U.S.
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Seaside View: Reservations for One
The ultimate in multitasking — doing the things I normally do and love — reading, writing, listening to audio books, watching movies, even napping, and while doing all these things traveling three hundred miles. Have I transformed into Superwoman? No. I just took an eight-hour trip along the Golden State on the Amtrak. Riding the rails, one of my favorite ways to travel. Continue reading
A Little Scattered
You may have noticed I haven’t posted in a little over a week. Yikes! In and of itself, not a big deal. The reasons: they’re good. Grand Canyon Trip with Mom & Uncle. Amtrak trip along the Golden State for Uncle’s 60th Surprise Birthday (more on that in another post). Settling back into the routine at home. Honestly, I feel like I have blog back-up; I have at least 4 posts “in the works” on my to-d0 list. So many things experienced, so many things to write about, and always — not enough time!
Here I am on Monday afternoon, in desperate need of a shower after an awesome gym workout (yup visiting the gym now), nearing the lunchtime hunger hour, and although seeing that I have now crossed five items off my to-do list, there is still much to be done, and if I’m realistic I won’t get to all of it, and if I’m honest, it’s not all “what she loves”. Isn’t that life, though?
Three of the items thus far completed were Continue reading
A Grand Road Trip
Driving into a land of 75 mile per hour speed limits, motorcyclists with a “no helmet” option, and signs posted outside of restaurants and shops informing patrons of just when they can or can not bear their firearm…subtle changes like this remind me of the beauty and the strangeness that it can be to enter another culture, even if that means merely crossing the stateline that is 276 miles away from home. Two words that can fill my mind and soul with such sun-warmed memories of contentment like no other words can…road trip.
My mother, a very spontaneous traveler and day-tripper, was yearning for a little getaway to celebrate the infamous and highly academic spring break. Through an everyday conversation with my uncle, my mother discovered that he’d never seen the Grand Canyon. She also remembered that although I’ve climbed Mt. Fuji, have glided over the marine life of the Great Barrier Reef, and have island-hopped around Tahiti, I’ve never seen one of the greatest natural beauties in my own backyard. Bam! It hit her – this could be the spring break trip she was longing for – perfect road trip material: 8-hour car trip, a wonder to behold, and reasonably priced accommodations. Continue reading
Ponyo and Homemade Pizza
I first saw the beauty of his work during an annual screening of “Hotaru no Hakka” (Grave of the Fireflies) — even with the Japanese language ability of a two-month old his animation transcended the major gaps in my vocabulary … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Health, Low-Cost Activities, Personal Journey
Tagged dinner, low-cost, Low-Cost Activities, movies, personal journey, recipes
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A Classic Yummy — Tuna Sandwich
My father came to the U.S. in his early adulthood – an immigrant from the coastal country of Perú – with big dreams for his life, an innate curiosity about nature, Science, and the world around him, and a great … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Health, Personal Journey
Tagged family, Health, lunch, recipes, Weight Watchers
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Thank you for applying
I remember back in the day (and my days don’t even go that far back) in the world of job hunting, one would scour the want-ads, agencies, and weekly publications for potential jobs. Then after spending due time updating, revising, … Continue reading
Posted in Personal Journey, unemployment
Tagged job-hunting, job-searching, personal journey, Technology, unemployment
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Nostalgia in a Bowl — Potsticker Soup
Many favorite childhood memories include visits to a little hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant called “Mrs. Wong’s Kitchen”. In addition to being a favorite dining stop for my dad, Mrs. Wong’s Kitchen also had a large, jolly Buddha statue, and in my … Continue reading
He’s Goin’ the Distance
Today I had the distinct honor of participating on the Colloquium Committee for a colleague and friend. As part of concluding his Master’s program he was presenting on all that he has learned over the two years, his vision, and … Continue reading
Posted in Cardmaking, Crafting, education
Tagged 3D adhesive squares, cardmaking, Color Box, Crafting, embossing, occasions
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Oh yeah, Baby!
As promised, I have the pics from some recent baby shower cards that I made. With both of these I was experimenting with somehow incorporating wraphia in the card design. For the Baby Shower Buggy card I chose a plaid … Continue reading
Posted in Cardmaking, Crafting
Tagged cardmaking, Color Box, Crafting, embossing, Fiskars, K & Company, Kimberly, Marvy, McGill, Michaels, pop dots, Recollections, Stamp Stuff
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Put on a Happy Face…
…after all, the show must go on. No worries – the title of the post is not implying that I’m in a down mood and in need of cheering, but rather that sometimes when I don’t want to do something, … Continue reading
Posted in Exercise, Health, Personal Journey
Tagged Exercise, iPod, Tony Bennett, well-being
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