Headlines
Recent Headlines
| Sweet little cherries from the Sour Cherry Tree | Jeanette Hada | |
| When we first saw the sour cherry tree at God's Little Acre Nursery (located on Almaden Road in San Jose), I thought the fruit was for birds only. It was the prettiest dwarf tree laden with branches of tiny bright red cherries -- perfect for eating off of the tree or baking in pies. The owners of the nursery, Phil and his beautiful wife, Dolores, became our friends and we've enjoyed several trips to their gorgeous place to purchase fruit trees and a Silver Dollar Eucalyptus. If you purchase six or more trees, Phil will give a 10% discount...of course, Naoki could not resist such a deal! The ones you see in this cup were a few of the last cherries, before our guests and bird, Lucky, finished them. We'll have to wait until next Spring for the new harvest. I wonder how the cherry blossoms will look.  |
||
| At Home in the Gingerbread House | Jeanette Hada | |
| After weeks of loading and unloading, we're finally finished (for the most part) with our move into this gorgeous old gingerbread/Craftsman/Victorian home on the Northside. It's been challenging this far along in the pregnancy to deal with relocating even at this short distance. I'm due in 11 days, which feels unreal. The house is definitely far from organized, but Naoki did an excellent job of refinishing the old pinewood floors and is in the process of applying Venetian plaster to one of the rooms. When we first viewed this property, I thought it was beautiful (still do), but not for us. I pictured us moving to some place...newer and more modern, possibly even a townhouse. Naoki fell in love with the yard and has since planted 19 fruit trees, or was it 20? I've lost count. All I know is that those damn squirrels that I thought were the cutest when we moved in, have eaten the white nectarines on my daughter's tree! Her papa purchased her a grafted white peach with two different white nectarines tree. I want to plant it as soon as she's born. The gorgeous floral arrangement you see in this post is from our newlywed friends, Carla and Andre. They made our dining room smell amazing! This was our first of many flowers that have entered this home, but the only one that I managed to photograph.  |
||
| New favorit place 新しいお気に入りの場... | Lucky Rupert Hada | |
ラッキーの新しいお気に入りの場所です。庭仕事をしているときに、ここに隠れるのが好きのようです。多分、あたたかくて、 私が何をしているのかみれるのが言いようです。 -Naoki
|
||
| For lunch today: Mom's Vegetarian Lasagna and Whi... | Jeanette Hada | |
| One of the biggest perks of living close to my mom is having access to her wonderful home cooking! During my first trimester, I experienced a loss in appetite and could barely eat anything that wouldn't make me nauseous. The only dishes I could truly indulge in were prepared by my mother. Garlic and onions would turn me green, which is strange since my mom used both of those ingredients to make her lasagna. My baby is probably made of 80% lasagna / 5% oatmeal cookies / 10% white peach cobbler / 5% pickles. Of course, I've made it a habit to take my vitamins, extra calcium (w/magnesium and D), folic acid, plus a consistent amount of omegas for her development. I falter a few times a week when it comes to eating low-glycemic, and really try to monitor my sugar intake. At nearly eight months, I've gained 18 pounds and will continue to watch the scale and what I eat to insure this little girl is getting proper nutrition and gaining weight in a healthy way. In other news...we finally closed escrow on our home last Friday. It was a challenging experience purchasing a bank owned fixer upper, but the lovely little gingerbread craftsman was well worth the wait and huge pile of paperwork! I've dealt with many REO (real estate owned) properties this past year and am always amazed at what they previously sold for and how much attention or lack of was spent on maintaining the home. | ||
| Autism and the Vaccine link? | Jeanette Hada | |
| As a parent-to-be, I'm both concerned and torn over when and what to vaccinate. I understand that we need to protect our children from illnesses and disease, but don't feel comfortable taking everything a doctor says as truth (perhaps, it is as they know it, they've been known to be wrong before), it seems negligent to leave the safety and well-being of my baby without doing more research.
So far, since I plan to work from home and will not have our daughter in daycare, we will have her immunizations start at age 2. We'll request vaccines to be free of Thimerosal and order them ahead of time and have her shots spaced apart. This is thinking way ahead. Hopefully by the time she's due for her vaccinations, most of this mess will have been sorted through. "If a dirty bomb exposed a large segment of US citizens simultaneously to Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A, Pertussis, Tetanus, Diptheria, Haemophilous Influenza B, 3 strains of Polio viruses, 3 strains of Influenza viruses, Measles, Mumps and Rubella viruses, the Chickenpox Virus, and 7 strains of Streptococcus Bacteria, we would declare a national emergency. We would call it an " Extreme Act of BIO-TERRORISM" . The public outcry would be immense and our government would act accordingly. And yet, those are the very organisms that we inject through vaccines into our babies and our small children, with immature, undeveloped immune systems. Many are given all at the same time. But, instead of BIO-TERRORISM we call it protection. Reflect a Moment on that Irony." -Dr. Sherri Tenpenny In recent news: Families will make case for vaccine link to autism http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080512/ap_on_re_us/autism_court_case |
||
| For breakfast: Organic white peach from Kashiwase... | Jeanette Hada | |
| After an excellent appointment with my midwife's assistant/doula in Menlo Park, my friend and I headed to downtown Los Altos to indulge in something light and sweet at Satura Bakery. If you've not yet been, I highly suggest taking a trip there on a Thursday afternoon. After eating one of the best choux creams in my life, we walked over to the farmers market. This is one of the rare markets that stays open later in the day. We sampled different types of flavorful cherries that were sweet and not the least bit sour, hearty Jersey Brand milk cheeses, super sweet sweet peas, and dark juicy red strawberries. I left with five small, but crisp and sweet, organic white peaches from Kashiwase Farms, organic Spring Hill Farms garlic curds (made from fresh mozzarella), and also one of their pesto jack blocks, melt-in-your-mouth roasted rosemary fingerling potatoes (we ate those there), and a small basket of unusually pointy, but remarkably sweet strawberries!! Oh, and I also purchased five of Satura's choux creams for Naoki -- three vanilla and two green tea flavored. Forgive all of these foodcentric posts. Occupying my mind most of the time is food, house hunting for friends/clients and ourselves, and this baby. | ||
| Summer, please hurry...I need white peaches. | Jeanette Hada | |
| White nectarines are fine too. Well, maybe they're preferable since they don't have that fuzzy skin which I could do without. Current fruit obsession - muscat grapes (available for a limited time at Nijiya Markets, Bristol Farms, and Whole Foods), oranges from Twin Girl Farms (available at our local farmers markets), and strawberries. I'm sorry, nothing really new to report other than my food cravings. I won't look for and include photos as that would just cause me to go out unwrap my truck, which takes 20 minutes to get the buckles, lock, and cover taken off, and drive through the Cinco de Mayo traffic on my street to battle rush hour traffic to buy fruit. |
||
| Happy Friday everyone. | Jeanette Hada | |
| Nothing new or special to write, but thought I'd share a few little laughs with all of you. Laughing Quadruplets - Funny Daddy Entertains Babies |
||
| There really are Angels out there - Helping to Fe... | Jeanette Hada | |
| I came across this wonderful organization that supplies discounted groceries to families and seniors. They do not require meeting any particular criteria; however, they are still working on nationwide deliveries. According to the organization, the food provided is of restaurant and high grade quality.
The cost of groceries has risen significantly since last year due to the economy. Below is a short news clip on how you can reduce how much you spend at the stores (though I believe most people know these tips already...). Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing grocery relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. Blessings by the box Angel Food's groceries are sold in a quantity that can fit into a medium-sized box at $30 per unit. Each month's menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $50. Comparison shopping has been done across the country in various communities using a wide range of retail grocery stores and has resulted in the same food items costing from between $42 and $78. Generally, one unit of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. The food is all the same high quality one would purchase at a grocery store. There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe. Also offered are specialty boxes such as steaks, chicken and pork. Many participants in this bonus program appreciate the expanded choices. Additionally, there is no limit to the number of units or bonus foods an individual can purchase, and there are no applications to complete or qualifications to which participants must adhere. Angel Food Ministries, like most all other retail grocery stores, also participates in the U.S. Food Stamp program, using the Off-Line Food Stamp Voucher system. It's both a Bargain and a Blessing! |
||
| Strawberries, sour cream, and brown sugar - Who k... | Jeanette Hada | |
| Hello and welcome to my latest obsession...fresh strawberries, dunked in lowfat sour cream, then swiped in light brown sugar! I had a colleague share this foodie tip with me recently and internally I scoffed at it. C'mon the combination sounded to bizarre to be good; however, curiosity got the best of me after my brother said he'd tried and liked this concoction. So, yesterday after a quick stop at Whole Foods to pick up super ripe organic strawberries (good enough to eat on their own) and tub of sour cream, I ripped open that bag of light brown sugar Naoki was waiting to use for one of his breads (that's his current obsession btw). Together those three simple ingredients were absolutely delish!! I had heard that it would have a cheesecake like flavor, which I am not a fan of, but was pleasantly surprised that it was even better! If you have a chance to try this combo, I would highly recommend it (unless you're lactose intolerant, in which case contact me for the perfect enzyme supplements). NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per strawberry: 29 calories; 1 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 2 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 0 g fiber; 2 mg sodium; 43 mg potassium. 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving  |
||
| Product Rave: Poopourri | Jeanette Hada | |
| Sometimes you don't get what you wish for... | Jeanette Hada | |
| Right now I want... | Jeanette Hada | |
| 1001 Vinegar Tips | Jeanette Hada | |
| A Special Time with Friends... | Jeanette Hada | |
| Lesson learned: No running in 3.5" heels | Jeanette Hada | |
| Cloned Food Labeling Act | Jeanette Hada | |
| Happy Belated New Years Everyone! | Jeanette Hada | |
| Wait for it... | Jeanette Hada | |
| Not so sweet afterall | Jeanette Hada | |
| Happy Thanksgiving everyone! | Jeanette Hada | |
| beautiful. | Jeanette Hada | |
| Lymphatic facial massage from Japan | Jeanette Hada | |
| Magical Mexican Riviera Cruise! | Jeanette Hada | |
| Ingredients to be aware of in our personal care p... | Jeanette Hada | |
| Glyconutrients | Jeanette Hada | |
| Experiences | Jeanette Hada | |
| Ginseng tea with pink roses, pink pickled garlic | Jeanette Hada | |
| 水汲みダンス Water Dance | Lucky Rupert Hada | |
| A Sunday full of Sparkles... | Jeanette Hada | |
| A Reason to Celebrate! | Jeanette Hada | |
| Japanese Preservative & Paraben -Free Eye Cream | Jeanette Hada | |
| Addicted to Kabocha (pumpkin) | Jeanette Hada | |
| Soulmate OST | Jeanette Hada | |
| The Last Fireworks Show in Okazaki - definitely o... | Jeanette Hada | |
| Burned, blinded, and bitten - FUN still had! | Jeanette Hada | |
| Visiting Shrines in Ise, Japan | Jeanette Hada | |
| Eating Healthy in Japan | Jeanette Hada | |
| Random ramblings from the road (our SoCal trip) | Jeanette Hada | |
| Water Pumping Dance (水くみダンス) | Lucky Rupert Hada | |
| Glyconutrients for your pets | Jeanette Hada | |
| Identifying produce that's GMO, Coventional, or O... | Jeanette Hada | |
| 20 Simple Ways to Lower Your Home's Carbon Footpr... | Jeanette Hada | |
| Funky Sock Exchange | Jeanette Hada | |
| Green Tea for Health | Jeanette Hada | |
| Favorite places to shop, dine, and frequent in th... | Jeanette Hada | |
| Movies made for Food Lovers | Jeanette Hada | |
| Stand like a model モデル立ち | Lucky Rupert Hada | |
| Lucky's First Outing | Lucky Rupert Hada | |
| Ball Play ボール遊び | Lucky Rupert Hada | |
