One more Anpanman

Amigurumi eyes

Herbal soap

I made this herbal soap with some herb tea and some soap making kit. It was my second time to make soap the other day. I think I used the tea TOO MUCH. However,it does not smell much.I will buy some essential oil and use some next time. This soap takes out my grease(oil?) too much. So,I need to put some handcream after I use it. Ummmmm

Anpanman bento(Anpanman box lunch)

Wild birds' names

I don't know about most wild birds' names, so I should look up some.

My mother's friend's beads works

Purple sweet potato

It is my first time to buy some fresh purple sweet potatoes.

Heart shaped muffin

I bought this muffin pan some year's ago, but I could not use it. It's because the old microwave oven range was too small for this pan. My mother bought a steam microwave oven range last week. So, I baked these muffins. Whenever we buy newthings, I hate to read how to use. It takes lots of time to get used it. I am technophpbia, or just lazy and dumb!Anyway, I could use it.The taste? So-so, because I reduced sugar too much.Next time,I will add some chocolate chips or some more sugar.

Done!

Ummmm,childish,but it is OK.

Crocheted stuffed toy

I was making a crocheted toy. I just want to make a stuufed toy on a whim.LOL

My mother's homemade tsukemono

Sweet azuki beans and chesnut pancake

Cocoa jelly

Re-use

I made some dusters with worn out towels yesterday. I made some machine stitching. They turned out to be playful dusters.LOL

Another dish towel

I love this tread so much. I have never used this type of wool, but I should try!

With colorful sashiko thread

This evening, I bought this colourful sashiko thread and red sashiko one. I thought that this thread is strange at a craft shop, but it is so interesting.I feel as if I used many thread. Don't you think so?

Fukin(dish towel)

Hahaha! I made another dish towel, and stitched some childish?pictures. I love to bleach any kinds of towels, so the stitches will fade away soon.

Japanese sashiko stitch

Even though I was not interested in Japanese sashiko stitching I bought this sashiko thread last year. It is very thick tread. I should buy a needle which has a big thread hole. When I saw this thread, I wanted to try hand stitching with it. I made a simple kitchen towel with Japanese cotten called Sarashi.

Plane crash in Hadson river

I watched this news on TV and net. I think that the pilot was great. I feel sorry for the passengers soaked in the icy river. However, the death toll was zero! That's GREAT!

Sakura saku(to bloom cherry blossoms)

Schoolers have to take entrans examinations at this time of the year. If they pass the exams, we say "Sakura saku", which literally means to bloom cherry blossoms. If not, "sakura chiru, which means to fall cherry bloosoms . (Sorry, this picture is not new. I took this last year. This is Sakura tea. It smelles good.) Recently, I heve seen many sakura printed grocery items. If I buy some, I will show you.

Too late!

I have been thinking whether I will buy a rose chocolate mold which was on sale, or not from an on-line shop. I decided to buy it. When I was just about to order it, I realized that it already had been sold out. I should have ordered earlier!!

Omikuji(fotunes)

These white strips are omikuji , or fortune printed on these tiny pieces of paper, sold at the shrine.

Dondoyaki(burning of New Year decorations)

This is a shrine in my town. The person is tossing some money into an offertory called Saisen-bako, and will pray.

Every January we take New year's decorations to burn at a shrine in my town. It is called Dondoyaki. The people were preparing for bone fire to burn them. It's a fire festival to ward off evil at the beginning of the year. Warming ourself at the fire is said to bring good health. If we go there around 11 am., we can eat grilled mochi .

Some staff have to check up nonburnable things and burnable ones in order not to emit?(create?) dioxin. So , my mother and I had already took out nyron stuff from the New Year decorations at home.

Mini muffin + chocolate

Today, I made some playful muffins. Recently, I have been using some pancake mix to make some baked sweets, but I bought a bag of mini muffins today. I decorated them with some white chocolate , some milk chocolate , some confetti and a chocolate pen. I really love making funny sweets.

Juno, Heroes second season 1,2

I rented the DVDs a few days ago.

Ugly Betty's fashion

One of my favorite TV shows is Ugly Betty. Whenever I see Betty's clothes, I am so puzzled. It is because they are sooo eccentric. I do not care my fashion, though.

Nice exercise!

Kagamibiraki Day

Today(Jan.11th) is Kagamibiraki Day. The two white mochi on the shinto home alter , are "Kagamai mochi" We ate the mochi as zonimochi, or miso soup with mochi for breakfast.

Blizzard, or just heavy snow

We have to shovel the snow tomorrow.
Some years ago, after the blizzard one of my friends made an igloo with the snow, and we had a barbecue party there. It was very fun!

Macha Azuki muffin

I still have some pancake mix, so I made some macha azuki muffins today. They were a little hard, so I will add some more milk next time.

Chocochip muffin

Since I had some chocolatechip pancake mix, I made some muffins with it. They turned out to be good.

Nanakusagayu

Woods

Okonomiyaki

Snow shoe

Seven spring herbs of health on 7th of January

These are 7 spring herbs to celebrate for spring.( I am

sorry that my literal translation is terrible.)

We eat them on 7th of January as a rice porridge.

Takoyaki

Last December, I bought a Takoyaki pan(?), so I am addicted to use it. Today's our lunch was Takoyaki. Tako means octpus, but nowadays we use various topping(?) in a batter. I wonder if Takoyaki is popular in the US, or not?

Temaki zushi,or hand rolled sushi

Yesterday's lunch was temaki-zushi.

snow

Snow

It started to snow from New year's Eve. So, everyone had to shovel the snow for a couple of days in my district.

Osechi ryouri

We eat Osechi ryouri during the new year.

Akemashite Omedetou !Happy New Year!

Since this year is the OX year in Japan, I made an ox stamped Tenugui, or a Japanese cotton towel.
Happy Merry 2009!