Its January 2014 and we are witnessing growth spurts with Emma in every of development. She speaks in sentences as often as she can. She sat on a big swing for the first time. She loves showers now but still asks for bubble baths. She is a great dancer and walks up and down the big hill that we live on daily. She has started clearing the table after meals without us asking. She occasionally asks to sit on the potty, when for a while she was not at all interested. She still loves to draw and has been making “e’s.” She has been painting so much that our walls are covered in her artwork. She makes friends with every person she meets and loves to hug & kiss every baby and dog. She learned to play her harmonica and not just hum with it on her lips. She is suddenly quite concerned with her hair and obsessed with barrettes and having her hair pulled back. These are just some of the things that I can think of off the top of my head and every day is filled with new adventures and discoveries. Life for us is exciting.

Forever appreciating items that keep me organized and help me to be more efficient at home. I need to get a paper calendar for the new year. Was thinking about documenting ideas for meal planning in a daily planner—although it may be overkill. But I am always thinking about ways to simplify our home life. I found these charcoal sticks and thought they would be interesting to try (maybe in an earthquake bag). I love these cord wrapper thingies and think that they just look so nice. Ah cords, they are everywhere in our home. Still wanting new towels as well. I am so disappointed that my stripe from towels Garnet Hill smell musty after being used once. Is this what happens when they get old? Is five years old for a towel? Now that we pay quarters for laundry I realize how often they need laundering. I think that a turkish towel would be softest but also trying out some linen that I picked up a while back. Both fabrics tend to dry very quickly so they may be the best bet for our windowless bathroom.

I still have yet to make bread from scratch but since Bleubird posted step by step instructions I am again convinced that this will be any easy process. More links for bread: challah, peasant bread, and bread wrap.

Been cooking at home exclusively for the last couple months and its working out great. As a family we have not eaten out for a long time! I buy Emma yogurts here and there and we sometimes get a muffin or scone if I grab a coffee but even that is rare. We decided that when we are in another city to pack snacks and buy very little. Last week when Emma and I went to S.F. to go to the Frog and Toad exhibit and we bought a egg & cheese bagel and brought fruit to snack on. We always get sick when we eat out (maiki and I) so we chose this for health reasons as well as saving money. Its been a lot of fun to cook this much and almost like a personal challenge for me. Funny enough I always create the best meals when our kitchen is closer to empty and I am forced to get creative. ^_^

I was telling my sister that I make soup quite often and how easy and delicious it is. I may post some recipes here for her reference and in case anyone wants to hear all my secrets. I am a very whimsical cook so recipes to me are always guidelines that I will ultimately modify in some way. Not sure that I can even write a recipe with any precise measurements but I am game to try.

Just starting reading Alice Munro’s Runaway. Its an excellent book of short stories and easy for me to pick up and put down throughout the day. I made a decision to read as many (or more) books as I do blogs this year. I came home with a stack from the library that was a bit ambitious for me to read in two weeks time but gives me the chance to get interested in them.