Happy JennOpher Day!

Three years have flown by since the day I waltzed down the aisle and married my favorite guy. Surrounded by our closest friends and family on that mountaintop in the middle of the ocean, I could only describe that moment as perfection. I truly thought life couldn't get any sweeter. Little did I know, it was just the beginning. 

We have come such a long way and flourished together in this marriage. It just keeps getting better, and I am so excited about all the things we have to look forward to.

The memory of my father's speech that evening is one that I hold close to my heart. Every time I revisit these words, I feel deeply encouraged, blessed, and loved.

       "Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for taking a long trip to witness Jenn and Chris exchanging vows, and to share the joy of their families. This is a happy moment, a moment to celebrate, a moment to reflect, a moment to look forward to the future, and most importantly, a moment to thank our Lord, who has been loving and watching us all the way.

       With my eyes closed, I vividly remember the first time I saw you, Jenn, a newborn baby girl in the hospital. Your first cries were really a beautiful song in my ear. Mom had experienced physical problems while carrying you, and doctors and friends advised us to terminate mom’s pregnancy for her health. But we decided to keep you, with our trust in the Lord.  It was indeed a prayer answered to see you born as a healthy baby. This was a humbling experience to us. I always view you and Tim as precious gifts from God. So, Jenn, let’s continue to trust in Him in whatever circumstances.

       Jenn, you are a happy girl. You always have a way to entertain yourself. You also bring joy to us and many people. I believe that’s why you decided to be a cheerleader in high school. This cheerful character is a precious gift from God. So, keep being a cheerleader of life! 

       Jenn, you are also very adventurous. We had to always keep an eye on you when we took you to the beach when you were a child. You were so curious in exploring new things and easily wandered away. Being adventurous in new experiences can bring you richness in life, if you put yourself in God’s hands.  The Bible tells us to be constantly transformed by the renewing of our mind, to test and approve what God’s will is in our lives.

       Jenn, you are also very artistic, always having fun making things pretty and enjoyable. So, Jenn, continue to exercise your gift and make your life together with Chris a beautiful art piece in God’s eye.

       Chris, I believe God must have bestowed special grace upon you to make you such an upright young man. We have liked you since the moment you called us asking our permission to date Jenn. Your phone call showed you were honest, sincere, responsible, and respectful to us. Over the years, as we have come to know more and more about you, we've realized you are indeed a young man with great integrity, and a lot of fun. We love hanging out with you, talking about our faith, or watching a Lakers game together. Chris, our new son, although we don't have memories of your childhood, we do look forward to building precious memories together with you and Jenn in the future.

       Chris and Jenn, we like the idea of having your wedding ceremony in a garden, because the first wedding in the world was in a garden, too. Besides, you know I like gardens and gardening. This garden is really a beautiful place, isn’t it? Did this garden become so beautiful by itself? Of course not! Surely it takes planning, cultivating, fertilizing, weeding, and depesting to create and maintain a beautiful garden.

       Keeping a happy marriage is very much like maintaining a beautiful garden. God has started the garden for you, and now, both of you, Chris and Jenn, are the co-gardeners; it might take sweat and tears, but with a humble heart to learn the lessons of loving and forgiving, your garden can be more beautiful than this one.

       May God bless your new life together, and may your marriage be a blessing to many others.

       Ladies and Gentlemen, once again, thank you for your love and friendship with this new couple. Let’s toast!"

Pin-Up Girl

Digital media and Web resources such as Pinterest have revolutionized the way we collect, archive, and share our ideas. Call me old fashioned, but I still appreciate having a physical spot to gather snippets of my favorite things in life, as well as inspiration for personal projects.

I'd been admiring some gorgeous linen pinboards from Restoration Hardware, Horchow, and Pottery Barn for quite some time, but their outrageous price tags had kept me at bay. After stalking them for months without encountering any decent promotions, I decided to roll up my sleeves and make my own. Here's how it all went down!

Since l had a rather large pinboard in mind, I needed a lightweight foundation that could easily be mounted and secured to the wall over my desk. I scored a jumbo 36" x 48" gallery wrapped canvas at Michaels, which was a steal at 40% off (Hooray for couponing!), along with two cork rolls, tacky glue, and some D-ring hardware.

I picked up a yard and a half of écru linen at Mood. I absolutely adore the clean look of raw, unbleached linen - it creates a classic and perfectly neutral backdrop for the assortment of elements that will eventually be pinned to this board.

With the canvas placed facedown on the floor, I started by gluing the cork to its backside. I chose tacky glue as my adhesive since it offers a gummy bond after it dries and will accomodate pushpins nicely. It's like wallpapering - make sure you get an even layer of glue, match up your lines, and press down. Tacky glue is pretty forgiving, so if you need to make any adjustments, all you have to do is gently peel the cork up, reposition, and press.

I used a bunch of heavy books (and a puppy) to keep the cork anchored flat as the glue dried for two hours.

After ironing all the wrinkles out of the linen (Thank you, Chris!!), I laid the canvas on top of the fabric and traced/cut a 3" margin around the perimeter. Next, using the fabric's straight edge to ensure that its weave lines were aligned at the borders, I carefully wrapped and stapled the linen around the wooden frame. I opted to reverse the usual "hospital bed" tucking at the joints to create streamlined, yet interesting corners.

Lastly, I attached hanging hardware to the wooden frame. I used three D-ring hangers in order to support the colossal size of my board. Smaller boards would probably only require two hangers.

Voilà! I now have a lovely & splendidly enormous pinboard! I can't wait to dress it up with beautiful mementos, swatches, and muses. This was an incredibly simple project, and I'd highly recommend it for anybody looking to add a some affordable and functional flair to their walls.

Floral Fixation - Lavender Crème Brûlée

These past two weeks have been a whirlwind of madness at work. I'm so glad I finally have a chance to share this recipe with you! Crème brûlée has always been one of my favorite desserts. I just love cracking that sugary top with the back of my spoon to get to the creamy goodness inside. Yum!

I decided to make crème brûlée this year as my Valentine's treat for Chris. For a creative and romantic twist, I tried infusing lavender into the cream. It was a hit! The subtle floral flavor balanced well with the richness of the custard. Crème brûlée is surprisingly easy to make, and I can't wait to give rose, jasmine, chrysanthemum, and violet a whirl sometime.

Lavender Crème Brûlée

Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon pure organic vanilla extract  
8 egg yolks
1⁄3 cup granulated sugar

Preheat your oven to 325°F. In a saucepan, combine and heat the cream, vanilla extract, salt, and lavender over moderate heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to simmer. 

Remove pan from heat and let the mixture sit at room temperature for about an hour. This gives the lavender flavor extra time to steep into the cream. Isn't this so pretty? :)

Reheat the infused cream to a low simmer, then remove from heat once again.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together into a slightly thickened mixture. Add this to the hot cream while whisking to mix completely. Make sure you pour slowly and mix evenly, to avoid making egg drop soup!!

Strain the custard mix through a fine sieve into a spouted bowl. Skim off any floating bubbles.

Fill six ramekins with the custard mix. Place them in a shallow roasting/baking pan, and add hot water until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Tent the pan with foil and bake for 35-45 minutes. 

Remove the ramekins and allow them to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate uncovered until thoroughly chilled.

Dust the top with a thin, even layer of granulated white or turbinado sugar.

Calling all pyromaniacs- here's the fun part! Using a kitchen blowtorch, heat the sugar until it liquefies, bubbles, and browns. You can see Chris going to town with the torch here.

Allow the top to cool to a crisp, glossy coating. Sprinkle some loose flowers on top of you'd like an extra hint of flavor. Enjoy!