After all of the grill outs, beers, and fireworks, do any of you feel like this today? This picture makes me smile thinking about the BBQs and fun back home this weekend. Living abroad, there’s many reminders of how glad I am to be an American. (I’m not going to break out in song.. promise!)
Happy long weekend, folks!
[image via]
In Japan, the short spring season is synonymous with blossoms – cherry, plum, peach, oh my! A few weeks ago, my husband surprised me with a cherry blossom branch (I like to call it a tree because it was that big). Since then, I’ve loved having blossoms in the house! Continue reading
Happy belated new year, folks! I’ve been away on holiday travel + more, and I can’t wait to update you all on my great finds and projects. First, I went back home to revisit my roots down south in Atlanta, and boy – the city’s changed. I’d actually love to live somewhere downtown now, and it’s caught up with so many of the fads that I couldn’t live without when I was in LA. (I’m sure there’s new fads in LA that I’m just unaware of being in Japan now.) Despite all of the newness, my brother made sure that Fat Matt’s Rib Shack was my first pit stop – a place that oozes the soul of the south.
Does anything say the ‘south’ more than BBQ ribs, mac & cheese, baked beans, and super sweet iced tea? I think not. Add in a few extra sides of BBQ sauce with thick white bread to sop it all up. Yup definitely a southerner.
And if all of that wasn’t enough, Fat Matt’s is famous for their lives blues bands. They have a pretty impressive resume of bands, and that night was no exception. My heart felt whole when I heard them sing, “Georgia… Georgia…”
In this cold weather, I make sure to keep my feet nice and toasty with boots. But when I go indoors or walk a long time, I’ll admit – my feet sometimes get too toasty. One of my worst fears is smelly boots. Luckily, here’s a great, easy solution using something you definitely have in your house – aluminum foil! Here’s how:
Remove your ‘humid’ boots. Tear off 6 pieces of foil about 1ft x 1ft and roll each into a loose ball. Drop the balls of foil into your boots – 3 in each. Leave the boots alone for at least 30 minutes and voila! Perfectly un-smelly boots!
Helpful hint: I keep a bin of new foil balls, ready to be dropped in right when I take off my shoes.
I used to think that any toilet paper more elaborate than 2-ply was just frivolous. I mean, it’s just going to go down the drain, right? I’m a bit ashamed to say that I’ve gotten spoiled in Japan with all of the fun toilet paper offerings that allow you to enjoy the few seconds before and after your wipe.
First, there’s perfumed toilet paper. Every time the roll turns, whatever scent you choose lightly fills the room. I like the lavender toilet paper from Herb Garden, but I’ve also seen many other floral and herbal scents like chamomile, sandlewood, mint, and rose.
Then, there’s the patterns to choose from. Floral is the most common, but if you’re decking out your kids’ bathroom, how could you resist these character-printed toilet paper rolls?
And just in time for the holidays, Christmas-themed toilet paper! Frivolous? Yes. But fun? Definitely!
oh my omiyage 