DIY Jack O Lanterns with Oranges

It's gourd season, but gourds are messy, and expensive in Hong Kong. We went with oranges instead. A great family craft that's quick and easy.

Before:
Just 2 oranges and a clementine.

I cut off the tops and scooped out the orange guts into a bowl. Best results were when we scooped along the membrane, for a clean separation that didn't leave juices behind. The faces we did with sharp scissors. 

I bought some Vanilla scented tealights from Ikea, and our whole house smelled like delicious orange creamsicles. Very autumnal. I suppose you could also rub some cinnamon on the inside of the orange, or stick some cloves in for an even spicier, holiday scent. Delicious! 

After:

Baby didn"t quite turn out as well as Mama and Papa, because he was the exact same size as the tealight. Oh well. Baby went to bed soon after and we stayed up scaring the neighbors.

DIY Cake Topper

I made this cake topper in the likeness of the bride and groom for my friend Amber's beautiful wedding on the Sunshine Coast, right outside of Vancouver, Canada!

I think it turned out pretty cute! And it gave me so many more ideas too. There's no limit to the custom variations and possibilities for decorating this way, especially with simple to put together elements like the mini-bunting and the banner.

You could...

• liven up a potted plant with cut-outs mounted on popsicle stick
• stick back-to-back stickers or print fun stuff on cards and cut them out to mount on toothpicks for more festive cupcakes 
• it would be fun to find and scan pictures from a favorite children's book, print them on card stock and do this for a book-themed birthday party
• besides the obvious floral foam chunks, things like big balls of yarn and string also make good bases for sticking pointy things into, for centerpieces or flower arrangements that are a bit different

India

Here are some pictures from a trip I took to Mumbai last year. I am so fortunate to be able to travel for work in a way that helps me see more than I ever would as a tourist.

Mumbai Train Station, and The Gateway of India

Streetside stone wall carving.

Headed somewhere exciting with teacher.

The women-only train car. 

Oakland Farmer's Market

Beets.

Phuket Night Market

Markets!!! I love a good outdoor market, bazaar, agora, exchange, town square, whatever you want to call it, but I love an excellent, colorful, raw, aromatic, bustling, steamy, oily, smoky food market even more. The food courts we have in the air conditioned malls we know so well are just weak descendants of the original, real thing.

Phuket is home to perhaps my most favorite outdoor night food market - it's huge and there is enough choice to keep you and 10 friends nibbling and dribbling sauce down your chins for hours.

Here are some pictures from Naka Wat Night market in Phuket, Thailand. They were taken in August of 2011.

 

Frying up some Pad Thai goodness. If you're wondering if it's a touristy spot, it's not like they will look at tourists like aliens, but I would say the large majority of people hanging out are local. Legit!!

 

Cup corn and Lady Cakes. Confession, I did not try the lady cakes, I just liked the name. And the sprinkles. 

General guidelines for the gastro-intestinally weak are as such (this is good advice for any cooked market stall experience): don't eat anything that hasn't been cooked directly in front of you, especially not anything that looks like it's been sitting out for a while.

Disclosure: I did not follow such rules and ate pre-cut fruit, potatoes and curry that all could have been sitting out for hours. I was fine, but I'm always fine no matter what I eat. Fact! (Fine can be loosely defined as either totally unaffected, or slight rumblings followed by a trip to the bathroom, and everything is solved. I never get prolonged stomach issues).

 

Skewers in Spicy Broth.

 

Infamous Durian. Will tried it for the first time. He said it was neither bad nor good. I love the shape of the fruit. Attitude!!!

 

Fresh seafood abounds in Phuket. They were selling these wondrous crabs (?) steamed whole, but also in take out boxes PRE-PEELED and with a delicious lime-chili sauce drizzled over it. I ate a whole box. It was truly indulgent to eat crab that was already peeled. It almost felt too easy. It was pretty spicy though, but worth it. 

Naka Wat Night Market is open from 4.30pm until late on Saturday and Sunday evenings in Phuket. It's big and it's easy to get lost so stick with your buddies or agree on a meeting spot before splitting up.