A Hanami Party

Last weekend, Naoto and I threw a hanami theme party. Hanami is Japanese word for “flower viewing” and it refers to the picnics under the sakura (cherry blossom) trees in Japan every spring. I’ve never experienced one in real life. Sadly it was raining on the best day to see the sakura on our last spring trip to Japan. But I love looking at pictures of them and dreaming of breathing in the fresh air while eating and drinking Japanese fare. So a hanami party has been on my wishlist* for awhile, so Naoto and I decided to throw one for my birthday which just happens to be during cherry blossom season! We couldn’t have a sakura viewing without the tree, so I made one. Well, a branch of one. Conveniently, there was a tornado in my hometown last month. (It ran two blocks north of my parents’ house and they watched it from their porch! Please leave your scoldings for them in the comments section.) Thankfully everyone was okay. My dad brought me a selection of branches and I picked the best one and turned it into a flowering cherry branch. I used this tutorial and spent a couple nights folding and tying blossoms. It was a pretty easy craft. I added some lights and suspended the branch from the ceiling, kind of low so it would add to the ambiance of the picnic, and I hung some colorful paper lanterns behind it. Amazingly, Presley looked but didn’t touch the branch. And yes, I did make my friends sit on the floor for the picnic. I wanted it to be as picnic as we could get! I didn’t want to have to shake up cocktails all night, so we drank lots of sparkling wine and sake out of cute paper cups. (I brought a tube of 100 paper cups home from Japan last year. They were sort of the inspiration for the picnic.) Naoto has been wanting to order a sushi tray from the Japanese market forever so we figured this was the perfect occasion! Isn’t it gorgeous? And we made two kinds of Japanese picnic sandwiches, egg salad with bacon & coleslaw and crab & cucumber. He also made a watercress salad with fresh tuna and wasabi dressing. (I want to share those recipes soon!) And we rounded out the menu with some cheese and crackers and fresh fruit. Oh, and birthday cake!! I recently added a couple of haori to my wardrobe. Haori are short kimono-like jackets. They’ve become the kaftan of my 2017.  I haven’t been brave enough to venture in public wearing one, but I’ve worn them to a couple of parties now. My spring one, with pink and blue and grey blossoms, was very on theme for the party. It was such a fun night–as it always is with my friends  and Naoto. I’m sad to miss sakura season in real life this year, but hopeful for a trip in the fall to experience a whole new season in Japan!

 

 

*I have a running list of theme parties I want to host…I wish I was a millionaire with a huge yard so I could throw each and every one!

The Women’s March in Chicago

I’ve been meaning to share some pictures from the Women’s March in Chicago for awhile now.After the election, I was feeling so discouraged. And still, most days I feel this way. I know we’re not supposed to talk about politics in public and on blogs, but for me, this goes beyond Democrats and Republicans. If Mitt Romney or John McCain had won in 2012 and 2008, I would have been disappointed, but I wouldn’t have been afraid for our country. And, while I think it’s fine to disagree, this whole “alternative facts” thing where the two sides are living in two separate realities…it’s scary. But I’m inspired by the number of people who are awakened to politics and getting involved. I have been a huge fan of politics since I was able to vote. I registered as soon as I turned 18 and I’ve voted in almost every election since then. I have always been a fan of writing to my Senator and Congressman, even the ones in “my party” because they don’t always get it right. Being in the city with 250,000 motivated, progressive, witty people gave me some hope that we’ll get through this, even if there is a lot of work to do. (By the way, that yellow sign is the ultimate Chicago burn.) So thanks to my fellow marchers for giving me a shot of hope…especially this guy, who is always beside me.

 

P.S. I wrote this in March 2017 but never hit publish. I retroactively published the post January 21, 2018.

I Failed Letter Month…

You guys, I failed at Letter Month this year. I didn’t even send my usual stack of Valentines! (Sorry grammas!) I assembled a few whales (from a Paper Source kit) and then just didn’t feel like making more. And instead of just writing letters, I did nothing. (Well, I visited my parents and I got sick, but that’s only an excuse for a few of the days!) So, this is all the mail I sent in the month of February. (#worstpenpalever) Thirteen pieces. I’m going to try to be better in March, while also looking forward to Write_On in April for National Card and Letter Writing Month. I ordered a party pack, so I’ll be planning a letter writing party and it would be just shameful if I wasn’t writing letters! In happier news, my friend Tremaine sent me this fantastic Valentine: a bag that she screenprinted herself, a Raygun sticker, and an Obama/Biden button that I wore almost every day last month. I need to work hard this month and next to put my mail karma back into balance!

 

How did you do during Letter Month this year?