A LITTLE SPACE, A LITTLE PRACTICE…
The girls and I are spending an entire week in Seattle. It was kind of a spur of the moment decision, the likes of which aren’t the norm when it comes to vacationing with two kids. We had plans to come up for a long weekend to celebrate Lulu’s and my mom’s birthday (May 23rd is a great day to be born!). Besides that I had plans to attend the rehearsal, and the opening night of Giselle at the Pacific Northwest Ballet. We drove up on Thursday and I spent both Thursday and Friday evening at the ballet with a wonderful friend. She treated me to dinner at Tillikum Place Café, which was fabulous, and two nights of superb ballet. On Saturday we had a birthday barbecue complete with swimming and sunscreen and strawberry shortcake.
.jpg) PIN Kyle headed home on Sunday, back to work and to his studies. Kyle is studying, actually I think cramming is probably a more accurate verb, for his final final! As of Thursday afternoon, Kyle will have finished five long years of school. He will have a degree in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. He’s been working towards this degree since before we got married. He’s diligently studied through a wedding, the purchasing of a house, two pregnancies, two newborns, building a garden, a home remodel, and approximately 1,000,000 distractions. In fact, I have vivid memories of him working away at a paper while we spent a few days in the hospital in Portland when I went into pre-term labor with Gigi, and studying like mad for an exam in the week after Lulu was born. It has taken some serious dedication, and lots and lots and lots of 5:30am wake-up calls to finish this degree. I thought that giving him a little space and time to study in a nice quiet house, and an easy way to fit in some mountain biking or beer sipping, without having to be pulled (literally) in several different directions at once, would make this last week of school much easier for him.
If I’m being completely, totally honest, I had a selfish angle too. I looked at this week as a great opportunity to check off a few stops on my long list of places I want to eat at here in Seattle. I’ve eaten already gotten a drink and eaten at Essex, had dinner with friends at Delancey, and grabbed pastries at Honoré. I stopped by each place on a different day, they all happen to be located right next door to each other which means I’ve been spending a lot of time on 70th in Ballard. I loved Essex and Delancey, the atmosphere was right up my alley, and while we do have some damn good pizza at home, we don’t exactly have a place with that kind of energy; it’s one of the few things I miss not living in the city. Honoré is one of my favorite places in Seattle and I stop at there every time we are here, usually more than once. I blow all my spending money on kouign amanns, which are these caramelized, flaky, crisp, salted spheres. Please don’t ask how to pronounce kouign amann, I usually just point and drool and say, “Can I have two of those next to the pan au chocolat… and, while you’re there I’ll have a pan au chocolat and an almond croissant… and a classic croissant… and one of those macarons, and a 12oz latte.” I load up on sticky, sweet, flaky pastries and head to the zoo where I attempt to steer a stroller around while shoving bites of baked goods in my mouth, and trying to not spill my coffee. I’m getting pretty good at it but will probably have to practice again later this week.
I love spending time up here in my hometown: visiting family members and friends, going to lunch with my 92 year old grandpa, spending lots of time at the zoo, swimming in my in-laws pool, and getting to spend lots of time with my sister and her son. We opted to stay with Grandma and Grandpa for the week. They are so helpful and wonderful, and in exchange for room and board (and lots of babysitting), I volunteered to cook all the dinners this week. This seems like a very balanced trade; I love to cook, they love to spend time with the grandchildren.
I have a chicken prepped and in the fridge, ready to make Roasted Chicken for dinner tonight; onions slowly caramelizing on the stove-top for French Onion Soup tomorrow; a couple of other easy dinners planned, as well as a couple of simple snacks. One thing I love about cooking is that it gives me a way to contribute and to pitch in when I’m staying with friends or family. My laundry folding and floor mopping skills leave something to be desired, so it’s nice to know how to chop.
.jpg) PINI love being able to, not only make dinners, but to also offer up simple snacks during the day like this Roasted Artichoke and Asparagus Dip with Pita Chips. This time of year, when asparagus is abundant, I like to incorporate it anywhere I can. A couple weeks ago I decided to experiment with a beautiful bunch of asparagus I picked up at the market by tossing it onto a roasting pan alongside some artichoke hearts for a little twist on classic artichoke dip. The result was a delicious snack that could be served at any temperature, any time of day, or taken along for a healthy snack to say, the zoo. Making the pita chips is really easy, and I brush them with a bit of oregano or marjoram infused olive oil which gives them a nice earthy, deep flavor. The dip itself is really flavorful and actually pretty healthy, which certainly can’t be said for all artichoke dips. You can make it using regular mayonnaise, or Vegenaise if you prefer. I’ve made it with both and like the light tartness that the Vegenaise adds, but the mayonnaise is a bit creamier.
.jpg) PINROASTED ARTICHOKE AND ASPARAGUS DIP WITH OREGANO OIL PITA CHIPS
Ingredients.
2 14oz cans quartered artichoke hearts, drained
8 asparagus stalks, woody ends trimmed and discarded, cut into 2” pieces
2 green onions, white and light green parts only
1 garlic clove, minced
1 package of pitas (the kind that open like pockets, one package usually contains 4-6 whole pitas), cut into 8 wedges
extra virgin olive oil
a few sprigs fresh oregano or marjoram
1/4 cup mayonnaise or Vegeniase
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions.
Preheat your oven to 375˚F.
Pour 1/3 cup olive oil into a small saucepan and warm over medium-high heat until it just starts to appear thin and clear. Toss in a few sprigs of fresh oregano or marjoram, turn off the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature. Set aside a few tablespoons of the oregano oil to use later.
Paint each side of your pita wedges with a little bit of the oregano infused olive oil, sprinkle salt and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Cook in the oven for 12 minutes, flipping them over at the 6 minute mark. They should be lightly golden. Transfer the chips to a bowl and allow them to cool. They will crisp up as they cool down.
Toss the artichoke hearts, asparagus, and green onions onto the baking sheet. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat.
Roast the vegetables until they are soft and starting to brown slightly around the edges, about an hour. Add the garlic clove, toss, and pop the pan back in the oven for another minute to soften the garlic flavor a bit. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the vegetables to cool for a few minutes.
Transfer all the vegetables from the food processor along with 1/4 cup mayonnaise or Vegenaise and a few tablespoons of the remaining oregano oil. Whiz until it’s smooth, season to taste with salt and pepper, transfer to a bowl, top with a little more oil and serve along with the pita chips.
Serves 4-6.
PRINTABLE RECIPE.
ROASTED ARTICHOKE AND ASPARAGUS DIP WITH OREGANO OIL PITA CHIPS
EXTRAORDINARILY ORDINARY…
I braced her Lulu close in an effort to soothe her back to sleep for the second half of her much-needed afternoon nap. I held her and swayed from side to side, back and forth in a rythmn that is so familiar to mothers; a movement I often find myself doing when I hear any baby crying or when I am talking to a friend who’s holding a tiny babe. As her heated sobs quickly gave way to sleep, I squeezed her even tighter. Her light hair tickled my checks and I craned back bit to see if she was sleeping. I had stopped feeling the tick-tick-tick of her lashes, but sometimes she snuggles, eyes open, waiting to pop her little head out from under my chin to grab my nose or flash a big, silly smile. But as I pulled back a bit to peer at her, her heavy head stayed perfectly still on my shoulder.
I stopped swaying and held her; breathing in her sweet baby smell, letting our tacky sweat blend together, letting her soft, purposeful exhales swirl around my neck and collarbone. I let my eyes wander around her room and they rested on a photo that my sister had taken of her when she was only three precious days old.
 PINPerhaps it was because it was her birthday but I felt that predictable sting in my eyes and tingle across my sinuses, and whatever that is, deep in the very center of my chest that cramps down at moments like these, tighten up and twinge.
I hate to use the word bittersweet to describe the emotion; although it defines the too-quick growing up of babies and children perfectly. It is a well-fitting adjective but there is really nothing bitter about any of it. Lulu’s turning one is ordinarily extraordinary. It’s such a blessing to have gotten to watch her grow, thrive, and learn these past 365 days. With every day I get to spend with my children, my love for them becomes more deeply- rooted and my desire to give them the world grows stronger.
As Lulu turns one and I look back at the last year, and forward into the future, I think about how lucky I am to have her. I can’t wait to watch her actualize her ideas and dreams, to watch her emerge and grow, and to see who she becomes, to make room for her and her needs, and to be the best mom to her I can be.
Yesterday, we had a little birthday barbecue for her with a couple of friends. We kept is small and simple. Our menu was as easy as can be: hot dogs, Burg’s Potato Salad from Molly Wizenburg’s first book A Homemade Life, salad, and, for dessert, Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats from Smitten Kitchen! Kyle stocked up on Lulu Saison and I made Sangria.
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PINPINPINPINI started making sangria last summer after Lulu was born. For my 30th birthday a few of my girlfriends and I had gone for dinner at Toro Bravo in Portland. They had the most amazing looking sangria, but as I was mid-pregnancy with Lu, I was unable to have a glass. I did have a sip of someone else’s and I vowed to myself that that summer, the summer of 2013, would be the summer of sangria! But, once Lu was born things were busy, our backyard was a major work in progress, and I didn’t manage to perfect my recipe.
This year is different. With Lulu being a big one year old, I have a lot more time on my hands for important things like making Sangria. Our backyard, while still a work in progress, is really coming together and the patio is just begging for folks to come kick up their feet with a chilled Sangria in hand. My neighbors have all been called on to help drink the batches I’ve been making over the past few weeks and I think I have a winning recipe. So, without further ado, I officially declare this, the summer of 2014, the Summer of Sangria. Now you know what to expect when you drop by.
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SUMMER SANGRIA WITH STRAWBERRIES, PEACHES, CITRUS FRUIT AND GINGER
Ingredients.
1 lemon
1 lime
1/2 orange, sliced
2 small peaches, pitted and sliced into wedges
1/2 cup raspberries
6 strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
2” piece of ginger, peeled and grated
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 bottle cabernet sauvignon
1/2 cup club soda
fresh mint or basil
Directions.
Begin by making a ginger simple syrup. In a saucepan bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and stir in the sugar and ginger until the sugar has completely dissolved. Simmer and reduce until you have 1/2 cup of syrup. Turn of the heat and allow the syrup to cool to room temperature. Strain and set aside.
Juice half of the lemon and half of the lime, slice the remaining halves of both. Toss both the juice and the slices into a large pitcher along with the orange slices, raspberrries, peach slices, and sliced strawberries. Then pour in the ginger simple syrup, orange juice, pomegranate juice, and the wine. Stir gently to combine. Place the sangria in the refrigerator and allow it to sit for a few hours (any recipes call for letting sangria sit overnight but I prefer it “fresher”).
When you are ready to serve the sangria, add the club soda, stir gently, pour into glasses and garnish with mint or basil!
PRINTABLE RECIPE.
SUMMER SANGRIA
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SLOW DOWN. UNPLUG…
Sometimes life feels like a whirlwind of diapers, dinners, errands, laughter, tantrums, emails to return, phone calls to make, weeds to pull… But when things slow down at different points throughout the day I get to see it for what it really is. Life right now is freshly planted perennials, the sound of water pulsing through the hose and soaking into the beds, the light spring breeze, the texture of crumbly sidewalk chalk, my reflection in Lulu’s big blue eyes while she nurses, fruit that ripens too quickly, the crunch of gravel underfoot at garden store, the smell and weight of damp, clean clothes on the clothesline, sneaking blows of ice cream during nap time (I love being an adult), mud spattered feet, fresh ice water with cucumber slices, warm, heavy cuddles with Gigi after nap time, and late evening rainstorms.
The thing that helps me slow things down is simplifying. I have, as you know, been simplifying my space, but I’ve also been making a concerted effort to simplify my time.
I’ve been leaving my phone in the back room for hours at a time, and when I have it out in the living area I’ve been leaving it plugged into the wall. I’ve been using an “old fashioned” handset to enhance the land-line style of phone-use even more. I find if I’m standing in one spot, stuck in the kitchen, I don’t stay on the phone long. I started to use the phone less after Lulu was born, it began pretty naturally since I just couldn’t use it as much, but lately it’s become very intentional. I don’t answer the phone every time it rings… which I used to do. I don’t respond to every text… which I used to do. I’ve also given myself permission to not respond to every single email that comes my way… which I used to do.
We got our first iPhones when Gigi was born and I’m trying to start thinking about it like a mini-computer, as opposed to just a phone, and I’ve been asking myself, “Would I get my computer out right now?” While technology was supposed to make things more efficient and easier, it often just feels like it adds complication and urgency.
I’ve cut way back on all social media. I have stopped using Facebook for personal use. I recently went through and deleted many of the photos on my Instagram feed, and reduced the number of people I was following both on Instagram and on Twitter. I also took my email off my phone!
Because of the recent reappearance of my back pain, I’m really minimizing my time on the computer. I have to be on the computer for work, but I don’t want to waste my time on it. I was thinking about the expression “killing time” last night while I laid in bed with bright clear moonlight streaming in and I thought, “Why in the world would I want to kill time?” Freeze time? Yes. Slow down time? Yes, please.
One way I’ve been slowing time down for myself is by making myself a simple lunch after a put the kids down for their naps. It’s usually not much, a quick open faced sandwich or little salad. But it’s part of the way I’m taking care of myself. I make myself a little food, and I sit in silence and eat while I jot down ideas, make a little list, or plan my next move for the day. I have really been loving making tartines, which is a fancy name for an open faced sandwich. My friend James told me she makes them all the time, and I’m often at a loss for lunch ideas, and now I can’t stop making them! My favorite topping at the moment is whole milk ricotta which I jazz up with some herbs, or lemon zest and top with any variety of things.
This delicate Tartine with Ricotta and Micro-Greens is topped with a very simple Limoncello Vinaigrette. The idea came to me when I saw some beautiful, locally grown micro-greens at the the grocery store. I knew they’d pair up well with the creamy ricotta and some sort of bright dressing. I had originally intended to make a champagne vinegar based dressing, but didn’t realize that we were out of champagne vinegar. As I searched out refrigerator door for an alternative I came across a lovely bottle of Limoncello that a friend of ours had made and given to us as a gift, and I decided to give it a try. The dressing on it’s own tasted pretty vodka-y, but when it was added to the other ingredients on the tartine, it blended in but left a little bite. The sweetness of the Limoncello was the perfect counter to the bitter micro-greens.
These were almost too pretty to eat… almost. Making something simple and pretty, something that feels a little elegant for myself for lunch in the middle of a busy day while I ignore my phone, my emails, and all the other “noise” that’s become the norm in my world, allows me to clear my head and reset. It’s not a luxury I get to enjoy every single day but I am trying to make it a priority.
PINPINPINTARTINES WITH RICOTTA, MICRO-GREENS AND LIMONCELLO VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients.
4 slices of your favorite French or sourdough bread
1 cup whole milk ricotta
2 teaspoons lemon zest
a couple pinches of fresh thyme
micro-greens
1 1/2 tablespoons limoncello
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
kosher or maldon salt
Directions.
Drizzle the slices of bread with olive oil and pop them under the broiler until they are golden.
In a small bowl whisk together the limoncello and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, lemon zest, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Smear the bread with the ricotta mixture, top with micro-greens and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Top with a bit of Maldon salt.
Serves 2 adults.
PRINTABLE RECIPE.
TARTINES WITH RICOTTA, MICRO-GREENS AND LIMONCELLO VINAIGRETTE
I was having the most amazing flying dream this morning. One of those dreams where you leap and hover, and then soar; suspended and propelled above the changing landscape. It’s been years, maybe a decade, since I last had a flying dream. Dream-flying is a far cry from my very grounded and leveling week last week.
For years, I’ve had back pain. During and between my pregnancies that pain went away and I can’t tell you the joy and relief that came with that physical freedom. It’s ironic to define the 39 weeks of my pregnancies as a windows of physical freedom because they’re really anything but physically liberating, but they gave me a break from the searing pain in my low back. Pain that kept me from doing things; that filled my schedule with appointments at the massage therapists, physical therapists, with chiropractors, acupuncturists, craniosacral and tuina specialists, orthopedic surgeons offices, x-rays, MRIs, and TENS units.
After Lulu was born, and even up until a couple of weeks ago, my back didn’t hurt. It had almost been long enough for the memory of that imprisoning pain to fade. I did have some nagging pain in my left foot caused by stress fractures, and something like tendonitis. I saw some great specialists at OHSU. They got things improved to the point that I was doing “fine”. I had stopped limping and could walk barefoot a bit. I still had some aching in my foot, and my doctors suggested that I see a physical therapist to strengthen and stretch my foot.
Three weeks ago I started seeing the physical therapist. He took one look at my foot, and his eyes traveled up to my shoulders, and traced back down to my left hip, where they stopped. I felt the panic rise in my chest before he even said the words, “I think your foot isn’t the problem. The issue in your foot is coming from your low back.” Since I’ve been going to work with him, my foot has gotten better – almost completely – but my back pain is back in full force. He put me back in alignment, and just like that an issue that my body had figured out how to somewhat-successfully compensate for came back as strongly as if it had never been banished by relaxin.
Friday was a low, low day for me. The pain was so intense and constant that I felt nauseous. It radiated through my hip, down my leg; coursed up my back and deep into my abdominals. I just laid on the floor, with my legs elevated, in tears for the majority of the day. I felt desperately panicked, frustrated, and I kept thinking, “I hate my body.” I truly feel like a prisoner of my body, the pain is so debilitating.
I don’t really hate my body, of course. I’m just incredibly frustrated. Our bodies manifest our choices. Our bodies don’t lie. Our muscles can become skeletal, and in my case, that’s exactly what they’ve done. Muscles are encased and entrapped by a layer of fascia which over time freezes into permanence around misused muscles, trapping them into a position of painful submission. Fifteen years as a gymnast, years of sitting slouched at a computer, and 20 years of childcare – carrying around a tot on my left hip – has caused my muscles to become stuck and aggravated and swollen and inflamed.
There’s a part of me that knew that this respite from pain was too good to be true. With my foot injured I avoided action. I’ve spent a year mostly sitting, and hoping that things were really better, but knowing deep down that this was no way to live. Sitting and being mostly out of pain was not a long term solution. Neglecting to do anything is not a long term answer to any problem. I was so happy to not be in pain that I was afraid to make a move.
I hate that I’m here again, in pain again. But I’m determined that it will get better this time. I don’t want my kids to remember that I always smelled of mentholated pain-relieving patches, or that I was always lying, draped across a pillow on the living room floor with a winced look on my face. This is the first time I’ve been in pain like this since I’ve become a mother and, let me tell you, having two young kids makes me willing to do anything.
Undoing 20 years of muscle memory is overwhelming and, frankly, terrifying. But I’m putting my faith in my physical therapist, who’s approach is very different than anyone else I’ve seen. I fully realize that in order to undo the pain that my habits have caused, I’m going to have to completely overhaul all of my habits, my approach to work, my routines… everything. Which is daunting. But I’m ready to do it; I have no choice, really.
The blessing, or maybe it’s a sign, in all of this is that I feel better and have less pain when I’m relaxing or when I’m moving. Which are two things I could really stand to do more of. When I’m out working in the garden, as long as I’m being conscious of my movements and postures, I feel better. So, more time in the garden, going for walks, and a bit more time reading books on the couch are in order.
I don’t have a recipe to share today, I just wanted to share this part of my life with you. Since, even though I hate to admit it, chronic pain is determined to play a role in shaping who I am; and if I suddenly enroll in yoga school or try an intense cleanse, you’ll understand why.
Here are some photos of things I’ve been enjoying lately… wildflowers on our walks, Lulu wearing sundresses that Gigi wore three summers ago, a girl who is way too big for sink baths but still insists on getting in when Lulu gets out, swinging at the “Lost Boys Fort”, and gorgeous spring sunsets.
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PARIS IN THE SPRINGTIME…
My Dad and Stepmom have been sending me photos from Paris; photos of Montmartre on a cloudy day, the Eiffel Tower peaking out from between alleyways, cheese and champagne on a platter in a little Parisian apartment. The photos usually arrive fist thing in the morning, just in time for me to slip into dreamland while I sip my coffee. This morning they sent another picture of the Eiffel Tower and when I showed it to Gigi she cried, “I love it! I want to go to Paris!”
PINI want to go to Paris, too. It’s been five years since we were last there, on our honeymoon…
PIN… we’re overdue for a trip. I can’t wait to show the girls that city. I’ve been trying to talk Kyle into buying tickets, or using miles, to go next Spring! Then we have a whole year to figure out the details. We’re lucky to have family there; in fact, my cousins who live there have two young girls. We have a wonderful little apartment we can stay in in the 7th arrondissement. It makes perfect sense to go before Lulu turns two and she can fly (almost) for free! We already have a our passports… I can’t think of a single reason not to go! I’ve always been a “yes!” person, but I’ve also always been a worrier. I’m working on letting go of the worry and just trusting that things will work out perfectly… or, if not perfectly, at least good enough to justify the leap of faith. I want to teach my kids how to leap.
Until we buy those tickets, I will enjoy the photos from streaming in from my Dad, and count down the days until we are eating cheese and drinking wine in Cécile’s apartment again. Cécile is a friend of my Uncle, and I’ve stayed in her little apartment on three separate trips to Paris. It’s a small apartment, but there’s plenty of room for a couple with a couple kids… as long as everyone is willing to be cozy. And as long as everyone doesn’t mind the gentlemen who’s snores echo around the courtyard all night. The kitchen is pretty tiny but it’s big enough to put together simple breakfasts made with fresh ingredients bought on Rue Cler, to make a fresh salad, or to assemble an impressive cheese and charcuterie platter.
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When we’ve stayed there before we mostly ate breakfasts in, and enjoyed many coursed lunches out, and had light evening picnics on the Champs de Mars. For breakfast we’d make quick, simple scrambled eggs, and serve them alongside some heavily buttered baguette, or a bit of leftover salami or prosciutto from our previous evening’s picnic. I love making scrambled eggs using fresh, season vegetables. In the spring, asparagus is definitely my favorite ingredient. It always feels like a privilege when asparagus season comes around. I feel like I have to buy it every time I come across it since the season is so short.
These Softly Scrambled Eggs with Asparagus and Ricotta are simple, and really delicious. I like to sauté the asparagus until it starts to brown a little bit, which adds a lot of flavor. The eggs are mixed with a little ricotta, which makes them velvety and rich, then gently folded in hot butter until they are silky and soft. This is such an easy breakfast, no matter how tiny your kitchen is, or what country you’re in.
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SOFTLY SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH ASPARAGUS AND RICOTTA
Ingredients.
4 eggs
2 tablespoons whole milk ricotta cheese
6 asparagus spears, washed and woody ends trimmed, and cut into 1” pieces
Maldon or kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Directions.
Whisk the eggs together in a bowl, then add the ricotta cheese and whisk a bit more, until combined. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
In a medium-sized skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Toss in the asparagus pieces in and sauté for 5 minutes, until they are slightly tender and beginning to brown.
Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Add the butter and melt it. Tilt the pan so that the butter and olive oil pool along one edge. Gently pour the egg mixture into the pool of butter, and slowly set the pan back level on the burner. Let the eggs settle for a moment before gently folding and turning them a bit. Let them settle again, fold gently again. Continue this until the eggs are cooked to your desired doneness.
Transfer to plates and season with a bit more salt and pepper.
Serves 2 adults.
PRINTABLE RECIPE.
SOFTLY SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH ASPARAGUS AND RICOTTA
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Rebeka - I’ve been dying to try Essex. I don’t know how I haven’t made it there yet. Ballard is so trendy and awesome these days!
Also that Artichoke + Asparagus dip looks incredible. I’m definitely going to have to make that soon. Yum!
I hope you enjoy the rest of your time up here in Seattle 🙂
Hanan - Hi there! I am Hanan from Cairo, Egypt and I have been following your blog for a few years now 🙂 I really like reading your stories and you recipes and go through your beautiful pictures. Just wanted to say that I tried the artichoke dip today and I really loved it.
Thank you for sharing your recipes.
kacieblogs@gmail.com - Hanan,
Thank you so much. It’s nice to “meet” you. Than you for introducing yourself. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! You made my day. xoxo