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t spoon of sunshine


Guys. It's 2020 and we are already two months into this decade. Over the holidays, our Florida family came to visit  for their annual New Year's pilgrimage and to do all the things and eat all the foods. It's obvious and inevitable that we all get older each year but it becomes even more noticeable when watching the small people turn into bigger people with big ideas and even bigger imaginations. Watching them evolve into the people we hope they become--loving, generous and mindful--is nothing short of awe-inspiring. They're all still at that magical age where their self-esteem and confidence hasn't been muddied by whatever other influences may enter into their lives later on. To be kind isn't a calculated act; it just is. It is what they know, it is what they've always known. 

With the help of Kaleen's eyes, once again, we catch a glimpse into the mechanics of their minds. The expressions on their faces can tell volumes of stories in each image. Upon receiving these photos, I told Kaleen that I could actually hear what was happening in them. It's that kind of visceral reaction to them that I treasure so much because in the next decade and the other one after that, I know that I'll be able to look at all of these again and be transported to that day where the sun shone on our faces, we laughed until it hurt to smile and our children were still small.

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A couple of months ago, my dear friend Kaleen spent an entire day with us from sun-up to sun-down and documented, what she calls, "A Day In The Life." She has taken so many photos of us throughout the years and I couldn't be more grateful for her and her ability to preserve our memories in the most tangible way. She asked me for my thoughts on the day so click here to read what I had to say!

(More photos Kaleen has taken of us here, here, here, here and ohmygod look at that teeny tiny baby Akira!)
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While it's technically already fall, it still feels very much like summer. So while this heat still lingers for a few more weeks here in the South, we can still enjoy things like crisp chilled wines and light desserts, right? Behold, the fruit pizza.

I made this dessert a few weeks back for a friend's Labor Day cook-out and it was a hit. Not only does it taste good, it is visually quite the showstopper. It's a great way to incorporate lots of different textures, flavors and color onto a platter and it adds a little extra zhuzh to any table it's on.

The crust I used is simply a store-bought sugar cookie dough that I rolled out and baked directly onto a pizza pan. The original recipe says you can also opt to make your own sugar cookie dough but, let's be real here, I didn't have the time, nor did I feel like adding more steps to a dessert that is supposed to be easy peasy. I did, however, make my own cream cheese frosting as the base of this dessert because, personally, I find the pre-made ones from the grocery store to be a little too sweet for my taste. But you do you! Then, I sliced my fruits and started arranging them into a pretty pattern until the whole pan was covered. Lastly, I glazed the fruits to literally make it shine. The last step is completely optional, but I think it definitely adds to the appearance of the dessert.

I don't think a fruit pizza necessarily has to go away once summer is over. In fact, I bet different fruits could even turn it into a seasonal dessert. Apples, pears, pomegranates and even some figs would be gorgeous and instead of cream cheese frosting, mascarpone could be used as an alternative to elevate the dessert. Let's just please not attempt to make this a pumpkin spice fruit pizza. Because, just no. Happy fall!


Fruit Pizza
prep time
45 MINS
cook time
18 MINS
cooling time:
1 HR
Ingredients
CRUST:
  • 1 batch store-bought sugar cookie dough

    TOPPINGS:
    • cream cheese frosting (see *easy* recipe below)
    • 8 oz fresh strawberries, sliced
    • 2 oz mandarin orange canned
    • 3 fresh kiwis, peeled & sliced
    • 2 oz fresh blueberries
    • 2 oz fresh grapes, halved
    • 1 oz fresh raspberries
    •  fresh mint (optional to garnish)
    FOR THE GLAZE:
    • 1 tablespoon apricot jelly/preserves
    • 2 tablespoons honey

    Instructions
    CRUST:
    1. Preheat the oven to 350º F.
    2. Press the dough into a pizza pan in an even layer, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until set and golden around the edges but still soft towards the center.
    3. Allow the crust to cool completely before topping with cream cheese frosting and fruit.
    cream cheese frosting:
    1. In a large bowl, beat 8 oz of softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup of softened unsalted butter until smooth. Slowly add 2 cups of powdered sugar and 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract. Beat until just combined; do not over mix!
    2. Frosting can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
    TOPPINGS:
    1. Spread the cooled cookie crust with an even layer of cream cheese frosting.
    2. Arrange the fruit in whatever pattern your heart desires on top of the frosting.
    3. Brush the fruit with glaze.
    GLAZE:
    1. In a small saucepan, heat the apricot jelly and honey until warmed. Stir until combined.
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    Let's try this one more time, ok? Now that summer is nearing its end and school is back in session, maybe I can be proactive and revive this thing yet again. The past few years have all felt like a blur and now that both kids are in school, it feels like there will be parts of my life (*cough*this blog*cough) that may return to what it used to be. Or maybe it'll be slightly different because things and people and life changes things. In any case, here I am trying to make sense of it all.

    We just wrapped up the first week of the school year with lots of smiles. Akira turned 4 (!) on the first day of school this past Monday and that was both incredible and devastating all the same. When did my not-so-tiny baby get big enough to be in school with his now 2nd grade (!!) sister? It's hard to believe that on one hand, I've reached the finish line for staying at home with them. On the other, a new normal is just beginning--one that involves huge chunks of my day without either of them trying to vie for my attention, without having to go on grocery runs with at least one of them in tow, without having to play referee as soon as they see each other in the afternoon. I'm now learning to navigate the hours without them, both a thrilling and slightly melancholy feeling, if I'm being honest. Someone I know recently mentioned to me that I've gone full speed for the past seven years and that I ought to take some time for myself. Jesse even said that I shouldn't try to rush into anything if I didn't want and to simply enjoy the stillness in being alone without having to worry about the kids at every waking hour. While I reluctantly agree, it is definitely a readjustment period for me, too. There's the societal pressure and expectation that I would return to work since my "work" is no longer at home with me. I know that no one means harm by asking what my next move will be, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that it gives me anxiety. For now, I'd like to breathe and be the kind of mom who makes bento lunches for her kids and just enjoys it, mmmkay?

    Speaking of bento lunches, I've been asked about them recently and am happy to share what I did and what kinds of bento boxes I use. I found the bento boxes at Super H-Mart in town and at Target. They're nothing fancy, and although I can't vouch for them, I've heard good things about brands like PlanetBox and Bentgo. As for the ones I use for my kids, they're pretty basic (read: inexpensive) but I haven't had any issues with spillage or leaks. They're narrower but stackable and if you don't have a Super H-Mart nearby, Amazon has really similar bentos available!

    Now, for the food. For the first time, I actually set aside time on the Sunday before the first day of school to prep all the food for the week. I love Just One Cookbook and all of her recipes so I was delighted to find that she had a video in this blog post to guide me through 3-days' worth of bento lunches for the kids. On the non-bento days, she makes them sandwiches, but I just sent them to school with leftovers. Also, something to note about bento lunches is that the food is made to be able to be eaten at room temp, so no reheating involved! The meals included karaage (Japanese fried chicken), chicken soboro (ground chicken with rice), and onigirazu (Japanese rice 'sandwich'). Then there are the sides like a grated carrot salad and a Korean sesame spinach salad. All of these foods compliment each other nicely and are really palatable, especially for kids. Plus, it looks pretty and when food looks pretty, kids are more likely to try it, right? Right?!
    I'm looking forward to coming up with my own lunch combinations for them and seeing what works and what doesn't. This could be a huge win or could be a glorious disaster. Either way, it's worth trying out, especially since I've got the time to do it. Would you try it? What kinds of bento lunches would you want your kids to have? Happy weekend! Maybe you'll try this over the weekend! ;-)
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    [music: Future Islands "Seasons"]

    Last weekend, our family took a much-needed end-of-summer road trip down to a weird little Florida beach town called Seaside. I say it was weird only because it was one of those manicured and perfect neighborhoods with picturesque houses, cobblestone alleyways and quaint shops and restaurants.  It was actually where The Truman Show was filmed twenty years ago!

    Although the water was a little too rough to just let the kids loose, we did manage to squeeze some rest and relaxation on the sand. We watched storm clouds roll in and pass over us while lightning bolts danced across the sky. We ate our weight in seafood and wood-fired pizza. But I think what I loved most about this trip was the time we had together to reconnect and really enjoy each other's company without the distractions and stresses of every day life. Our kids reminded us what it was like to look at the sky and see shapes in the clouds. We made mermaid tails and castles out of sand and pretended to be the captains of bunk bed ships. And when the kids were asleep, we got to sit in quiet stillness and drift into that kind of restful sleep that usually eludes us when we are home. We returned to Atlanta sun-kissed and refreshed, ready to tackle the rest of the year.


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    [PC: @poncecitymarket]


    While many of you know that I've been staying at home with the kids for the past several years, I also am a part of something else that I hold near and dear. And it's something I'm excited to be a part of because, while it has been indescribably rewarding to truly shape my kids and watch them come into themselves, I know that I personally have struggled with being "just" that. I say "just" in quotation marks because, obviously, being a stay-at-home mom is a full-time job. It's often times exhausting and thankless and stressful and is completely pro-bono 100% of the time. But for me, there were times that I would feel that I wasn't enough. For myself. Before we get into all of the reasons why I should be gentler with myself (and trust me, there are a myriad of reasons), I want to say with complete support to the mamas who have made and are making the choice to solely be with their kids, I see you. I hear you. You are amazing. And to the others who are going through their own struggles of having to work or choosing to work or even wanting to work, I see you, too. I hear you, too. And you are also amazing.

    That said, I recently became the manager to the flagship store location of The LB Brand.

    Jen Roberts, the founder of the brand (who happens to also be my most serendipitous friend), started this brand from her kitchen table when she was a new mom navigating motherhood shortly after losing her own mother. She found herself in motherless motherhood. Wrap your head around that. You know how moms rely on each other? Facebook groups, mom groups, "Moms Night Out"s all exist because of the community that is so vital in lifting each other up and supporting each other. And a huge part of being a mother is being able to go back talk to your own mom about experiences or difficulties or milestones that happen as they come. But she didn't have that. Instead, she took her pain and emotional chaos and turned it into what is now The LB Brand.

    Anyone who meets her is immediately inspired. She exudes an energy about her that brings people to want to tell their own stories. She empowers those who have had their own traumas and challenges to breathe and sit with their feelings because, quite honestly, everyone needs to feel things to understand what's happening to them. And her brand, this company, embodies all of that.

    The thing is, there is no one way to be a mother. It is life-changing, to say the least. Yes, there are parts of me that will always be the same. There are other parts of me, bigger parts of me, however, that have shifted and evolved into something richer and deeper, hopefully wiser and more patient. I couldn't be more proud of the place I work and its core message: Live Bold.

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    Admission: I suck at keeping up with this blog. I didn't use to. There was a time when I was hungry to write and ramble. I would write about daydreams I had, places I wanted to visit, food I wanted to eat and clothes I wanted to wear. That was a time before children and time seemed so much slower and haphazard. It has admittedly been harder to carve time out of my day to find a quiet moment to sit still, let alone focus on a post that I want to share. But amidst all the chaos that has recently been the norm in our house (School is back in session! Akira is in pre-school! Anaïs rides the school bus and is now in 1st grade! I'm working part-time! And still running a household and a puppy!), the dust settled, even if only for a moment, enough for me to breathe and get back into doing something I remember I once loved to do.


    So...here I am. Hi. 

    Last month, in the thickest humidity of the summer, my sister and her family flew down south to spend a week with us. We were all excited to have them visit, most especially since they had yet to see our new home since we bought it two years ago and all of our kids love each other with such ferocity that it's always so heartwarming to see them all together.









    I realized before their arrival that we hardly have any family photos with them. So, naturally, I asked my dear friend Kaleen if she would like to document an afternoon with us. She indulged me and I am, once again, blown away by her eye. Kaleen has such a gift and I couldn't be luckier to be on the receiving end of it. I treasure these photos so much. There are layers within the pictures that tell stories of our family and our relationship with each other. You see,  my sister and I have always had kind of a touch-and-go relationship. For as long as I can remember, there was a level of insecurity sprinkled with competition between us that made things rather difficult. There were times when we wouldn't speak to each other over the dumbest things, we'd be angry at each other for differences of opinion and we'd harbor resentment from past wrongs that should have stayed in the past. But there have also been times when she and I would laugh at and with each other so hard that we'd be crying tears while clutching each other and our bellies from the exuberant pain. We have secrets and inside jokes that no one else gets. We can know what each other is thinking with a look and our words to each other are weighted and valued. I think having children of our own changed something deep within us and our relationship. We call each other more often. We make time for each other regularly. We want our kids--cousins!--to be close. So, differences aside, we are bridging gaps and learning how to agree to disagree. Because, at the end of the day, we will always be sisters. 

    The other night, I watched Kodachrome. Have you seen it? It was one of those heart-wrenching and heart-warming movies that made me have a cathartic ugly cry that I didn't know I needed to have until that moment. It encompasses a difficult family relationship and all the baggage that comes with it. Without spoiling any of the movie, I will leave you with something Ed Harris' character says that struck my heart at its core: "We're always so frightened by time, the way it moves on, the way things disappear...We take pictures to stop time, commit moments to eternity. Human nature made tangible." 




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    t is for tanya.

    this is the place i share little glimpses into our life. this is also the place where i may ramble aimlessly about the everything and the nothing. thank you for stopping by. i'm so glad to have you here!

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