"Sense"-ational Sundays...

Our senses tell a story. I've committed to recording my 5 senses for the past week - every week - as an exercise to explore my sensory world. I challenge you to do the same. If you choose to do so, just blog your 5 senses every Sunday & let me know - I'd love to read along!

I SEE: A new photography set up

Isn't it beautiful? I am so geekin' excited about our new Christmas present {Matt & I got it for eachother}, I can hardly contain myself!!! It's a 30 inch light tent and it's revolutionizing what I can do with product photography over here! Whoohoo - happy dance-happy dance-happy dance! There are no calm & mature words - I'm still too excited!

I HEAR: Cranium - Turbo edition
So much fun {although I think I was hearing the timer go off in my sleep}! We played Christmas eve - teams. Aunt Carol & I won, although it was a hoot watching Matt & Meg do charades and seeing Amy & her dad play with their "extra" - one of Amy's battle buddies on speaker phone. I think we were over there til about 1...we haven't stayed up that late on Christmas eve in a while!

I TASTE: Wee ham sandwiches
I did these for Matt's family reunion & for my inlaws Christmas day. So simple & so scrumptious - I'm still craving more! Hawaiian rolls, Inglehoffer stoneground mustard & shaved ham. It's amazing how much of a mustard junkie I've become after discovering I liked it a few months ago...

I TOUCH: GreenCards



We're working on all kinds of paper items for TheBookie, which we plan to launch on New Year's Eve. One of the projects are these little upcycled notecard sets - we're calling them "GreenCards" (green for the recycling aspect). Matt's absolutely addicted to making them & I love them because I always have or make cards and need envelopes!

I SMELL: Choya Plum Wine with Ume Fruit
My aunt's birthday is Christmas day & I discovered this year that she really likes Plum wine {specifically a bottle of Kinsen I had in my fridge}. She had said, after she tasted it, that she would love a bottle for her birthday {how on earth I remembered I couldn't tell you}. Well, of course, they were sold out when I tried to hunt it down, but they tipped me off to the umeshu (the plum wine with ume) & I got that instead. She cracked into it on Christmas eve & gave me a taste.

I like them both, although they are very different. The Kinsen is very full and almond-y. It is one of the favorites of the plums I've tried. The Choya is more citric (because of the pickled Ume floating in it) and lighter. The aroma on both is utterly intoxicating. I love Japanese plum wines...they are so aromatic and complex. You should really try either of these if you haven't had them before.