Sachiko's Cooking School

The last couple years I have made a giant calendar that lets me see the whole schedule for summer vacation. To have all the events, kids extra curricula activities, play dates, family functions and trips all in one sheet paper! I write down all the free activities that are happening in the area that I can take my kids to. This has worked so well that I made one for this summer too.

My kids behave better when we have a schedule, planned activities and something they can look forward to. I also do many art projects, but this year, I added something else on the list for them to do...

Sachiko's Cooking School

I think that my kids are old enough (especially the older two) to learn more cooking. They can cook mean scrambled eggs, pizza toast and such, but they are ready for more.
I asked them what they think about attending my cooking school once a week and they were SUPER excited! I asked them what they wanted to learn. Some of the things are...

Pot stickers, curry rice, yakisoba, fried rice, tempura...and the list goes on.
Aren't they ambitious? Maybe they were just shouting out the things they want to eat, but I love their enthusiasm. :)

I had my first cooking class this week. They learned how to make pot sticker. They washed, cut vegetables, and had so much fun doing so. We all sat around the table to wrap the pot stickers, just like I used to with my sister and mom growing up. They did such a great job.

Here are the pictures of pot stickers that they wrapped.

Apprentice no. 1 (5 years old)


Apprentice no. 2 (8 years old)


Apprentice no. 3 (10 years old)



They were so excited to serve them to the ultimate food critic (my hubby). The pot stickers turned out so good that the kids had big smiles on their faces and full tummies.

After the dinner, apprentice No. 2 was asking me; "Mom, what are you going to teach us tomorrow?"

Hello My Name is...

Whew...I am back! Thanks to my sweet husband, he was able to save all the pictures, and everything up and running. Yea!


A few weeks ago, I was asked to sew a bunch of parts for sock monkeys. There is a summer camp for young women in our church, and this is a craft activity that they are going to do. All I needed to do was to cut and sew the parts, so they can stuff and put them together. The person asked me to do this got the idea from Sock & Glove there are a very easy to follow instructions in the book.

Near the end of it, I was getting very fast at sewing them. Then, I remembered the socks I bought a while ago were intended to make Rachel's leg warmers. I decided to make a sock monkey for her instead.

Since this monkey is for her, I thought it would be a good idea to include her in some of the decision making.

For example, I asked her what kind of eyes we should give the monkey, and we went through my button case. Here are my picks...




Cute, but predictable right? Here are the Rachel's picks...




Cute and unpredictable. The combination of different shapes and it is hard for you to tell by these pictures, but the red and aqua colored buttons are SO HUGE, that they would cover half the face of the monkey. She will look like an alien.

Every time she found new buttons for the eyes, she would hold them up to the monkey's face and laugh real hard. The laugh was so contagious that I started laughing too! I quickly realized that she was enjoying this but not serious about picking the eyes to give the monkey a pretty face.

So I said (imagine that I am using my "nice voice" and acting that I just discovered something amazing) "oh, look, there are these buttons that are perfect for her!" and picked the eyes and sewed them on.

Then, I was going back and forth about what to do with the nose. No nose? or this and that, there were a few options but I couldn't decide.
I asked Rachel, "What about her nose?"

She exclaimed, "NO nose!” followed by a giggle.

So, I said "Oh, look, if I do this, she can breathe better!" and quickly sewed two lines for the nose. Luckily she liked it too.

At last, the monkey was complete, except her name. I was talking to myself (loudly), "hmm...what should I name her..."

Then Rachel said, "Chef Boyardee!!" (Yes, I feed my kids chef Boyardee sometimes, don't judge me...) she was laughing so hard, she almost fell off the couch.

I said, "No, I want a different name... (the pause is for giving her the opportunity to come up with a different name)"

Again, she said "Chef Boyardee! hahahah". She was just so fond of her brilliant idea of coming up with such a name; she didn't let it go.

We repeated the same conversation a more few times, then, my son Michael who was watching TV there had enough. He said, "How about Lulu or Lala."

Ha! I liked the sounds of it, so did Rachel.

So, her name is....



Thanks to Michael, she didn't end up with the name "Chef Boyardee".
Rachel was just so pleased that she was in the important decision making process (even though they weren't the final picks. :) ) She held Lulu in her arms and went to play.

Computer Problems

Sorry I didn't get a post out yesterday. Something went terribly wrong with our computers. Either it was a virus or some sort of malware or spyware; so we've had to physically disconnect our computers from the internet until my husband can clean them off and restore them.

Fortunately I was able to save all my photos and such and should be able to resume posting again either tonight or tomorrow.

Tutorial ~ Ruffle Top for a Baby ~

Hi all! I made this top for my neighbor's new baby a while ago. I will share a quick tutorial with you.

1. I bought the type of underwear that folds in the front like kimono. You will need a shirt, and some lace.


2. Treat the edges of the lace with Serger or zigzag stitches.


3. I folded 1/2" from the rough edge of the lace and sewed two lines using the largest stitch setting. One is 1/8" from the edge, the other 1/2" from the edge. Then pull those two threads to make ruffles.


4. Pin the lace onto the front edges along the neck line. Sew in the middle of the two stitched lines. Repeat the process to make one more ruffle out of a lace and sew it on to the bottom edge.



Since I don't have a baby anymore at home (even though my children seem to act like it sometimes...), it is so much fun to come up with little baby items to work on. Don't you think there is something about baby stuff that brings smiles, "ohhh"s and "Ahhh"s?

Link Love No.56

It has been great weather where I live lately (finally!); I have been working on the yard, playing with the kids and thinking of ways to spend fun time with my family. There are a few things I have in mind, but I will write about it some other time...

Are you ready for this week’s link love?

Kenda from Kenda's Crafts saw this idea of making an "I spy" book at Delia Createsand she decided to give it a try. One of my sons was big time into I spy books when he was small; I wish I knew about this! It turned out so nicely!


I will reveal one of the things you don't know about me... I LOVE LOVE the rolls from Texas Road House. I am not a big meat eater, but I can go to that restaurant to just eat the rolls. I don't know what's in them, but they are so good! I feel like I can eat 20 or 30 of them if I don't have to think about the consequences later... mmm. Chef in Trainingshares a recipe for rolls & sweet butter. She said it is very close to the one from the Texas Road House. I so want to give it a try!


Look at these adorable Hedgehogs! See Kate Sewshared these cute stuffed creatures. I think they are perfect for either a boy or a girl, I mean they are stylish enough for grown-ups too!


I love this yo-yo pillow shared by Little Projects in Style. I have seen many yo-yo projects before, but this one is a bit different from others. Mainly, her yo-yos are white, but contain a tint of color. I think that makes this pillow interesting. So pretty!


Oh how I love this day bed redo! Cedar Hill Ranch did such a terrific job on this makeover, I just love how everything looks. Feed sacks (by the way does anybody know where I can buy some feed sacks?) and linen gives a casual and relaxed look but at the same time, it is very romantic.


Thank you all for participating in another fun link party!

Tutorial ~ Eclectic Necklace ~

One of the jewelry projects I did recently is this necklace. I always wanted to try to make one with many different items and elements. I thought that it is a little more challenging to mix and match and I might be able to come up with something unique.

To make this necklace, I used wood, metal, and leather. I also mixed vintage items with new findings. Go ahead, go fish around the house... you might find some fun and unique items to make a one of a kind necklace!

{You will need}

35" thin leather cord
22 (1/2") Wood beads
Large main piece (in my case, it is a vintage earring)
2 Medium to large side pieces (I used a couple metal findings that I found at the scrapbook section)
A few more small findings (you can use anything...findings for scrapbooks, buttons etc.)
Fabric
Glue ( I used E 6000 clear type)

{How to}

1. Tie a knot at 9" from the tip of the leather cord.


2. Slide a bead on and tie a knot. Repeat this process with 9 beads. I left a space about 4" for the center pieces, and tied the knot for the other side. If your center piece and findings are something you need to put through the cord, you need to do so at this step before you start adding more wood beads.


3. Put clip on earrings in the middle of the opening. Glue it, and wait until it is all dry and stable.



4. Add flowers on the sides. I cut out a few circles from linen, put glue on and used them as "tape" to bond the flowers to the cord. Wait for the glue to get hard for each flower.



5. Add smaller findings to fill out the spaces between the bigger pieces. Use the same method to glue them on.


6. Done!


I wore it with white clothes, but the necklace goes well with other things too.

Link Party No. 56!

What is your "taste of summer"? Since I always have been a big fan of food, I have many that I can think of off the top of my head... watermelon, sloppy, corn on the cub, soumen (Japanese cold noodles), etc.

The newest taste of summer for me would be Pico de Gallo. I started making it a few years ago, it was good, but when I made it with the tomatoes that we harvested from our own garden, it tasted EVEN BETTER! I didn't really have a recipe that I followed. I made it so many times and I found my best combinations. It is easy to make, and inexpensive, perfect for summer parties.

{Pico de Gallo}

7 to 8 Tomatoes (I am big fan of Roma tomatoes)
1 Can of black beans
1 Can of corn
1/2 medium size red onion
About a handful of fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 to 1 lime
Salt & pepper

1. Dice tomatoes, red onion and cilantro. Put them in to a large bowl or container. I chop the red onion very tiny. I love the taste of onions, but I want them to blend in and not be too over powering.

2. Open the black beans and corn, drain the liquid. Add them to the bowl in step 1.

3. Squeeze the lime into the bowl, and add salt and pepper. This part is totally up to you how much you want to add. I guess most people won't add pepper to Pico de Gallo, but I like the little kick.

4. Let it chill in the refrigerator until time to serve. Serve with tortilla chips.

My family love to make nachos and pour the Pico de Gallo over it. It is soo good. :)

Say ahhh...



OK, it is time for you to show off your creations, sewing, crocheting, cooking, anything you made is welcome. Link up and have fun! :)

As always here are the rules:

1. Please post something YOU made. It doesn't matter if it is crochet, quilt, clothing, anything would be fine. I want to see it! If you use someone's idea or patterns please give them the rightful credit.

2. Link to your specific post, that way it is easier for everybody to find and read it.

3. Please grab the "Tea Rose Home" grab button, and link back from your post. If you can mention the party in your post or place the button on your side bar, that would be great! I want more people to have a chance to come and show off their creation.


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