If you love hummus, you must try this...

One of my creative outlets lately has been a bit of "cooking" on the weekends.  My years in the Middle East have left me with a serious hummus habit - I simply love the stuff!  It is one of my staples in the summer, but when we are in Jakarta I don't get to have it as often as I'd like.  Chickpeas are often expensive and hard to come by.  So with a little searching online I found a wonderful new recipe for roasted carrot hummus from the Washington Post.  It is a MUST try!

My first batch of carrot hummus

What do you think, Bryce?

Yummy!

Amelia's First Haircut

In early December we took Amelia for her first haircut...

Amelia sat up so straight

She looked so pleased to be getting a haircut...

She held still...

And only wiggled a teeny bit...

Until it was done...

A few layers and her curls were fresh and laying beautifully!

Sign this Petition...Ban Plastic Bags from Bali

Last night while we were reading a Sesame Street book about Seasons, Amelia pointed to a picture of Bert and Ernie on a beach and said, "There's no garbage there?"  It was one of those moments where we looked at each other and were stunned.  It is such a shame that the beaches and sea in Bali, where we just spent two weeks, are so very polluted.  Seeing a black sand beach in northwest Bali covered in everything from dirty waterlogged diapers to lightbulbs, to food packaging was very alarming and upsetting for us.  So of course we talked about it as a family, but we had no idea how much of an impact it had on Amelia.  We thought aloud about what we could do to better the situation.  We felt good about traveling with a water pump so we didn't add to the waste by using numerous water bottles, but what about everyone else?  What about the local people who don't have proper sanitation services?  Where are they supposed to put their trash as it piles up around their crowded living spaces?  What can be done for them?  It's sad for me to think that about the conditions so many families around us live in.  And my own child, who is growing up with the notion that trash and the beach go hand in hand.  So maybe if we sign this petition, to help ban plastic bags in Bali, it would be one small step to encourage environmental awareness and maybe would result in a little less plastic washing up on the shores in a beach near you.

Sweet Dreams - She's Got Moves!

It's been a while since we have posted a video of our nightly dance party...it's taken on a life of it's own!

New Tastes...Star Fruit is in Season...

I have always seen it in stores and wondered what star fruit tasted like, but it wasn't until today when Amelia enthusiastically said, "Let's try it mommy!" that I actually felt the need to find out.  So this afternoon we discovered a new and delicious snack...star fruit!  We all liked it - it was juicy, a little tart and only a tiny bit sweet.  Apparently it is high in vitamin C, which is always good.  Both Bryce and Amelia reached for more.  We will definitely be eating more in the very future.  Try it if you get a chance.

 

This year I will be better...

This poor blog has not seen much activity this past year.  Despite this, I see that there are still a few that check in almost daily (Dad, I know it is you!) to see what is new with our happy little family.  So, with that in mind I am setting a goal to be better this year.  I am going to shot for a target of 50 posts, with less activity in the summer, by next December.  It seems like a reasonable number to make, right?  We'll see how we do... so stay tuned!