My laptop has been on the blink for months now. Compound that with a series of ill health episodes, thanks to perimenopause, and I just couldn’t make time to blog. But I’m back, even if my laptop is still with the repair guy. I’m making do with my phone and a Bluetooth keyboard. Anyways, IContinue reading “Bookish Update: April and May Wrap-up”
Author Archives: ivythissmalllife
Small Life Delight – Homemade Candy
The first time I learned about snowflake crisps, I was watching famous Chinese vlogger Li Ziqi prepare treats for a festival. I was intrigued by the mixture of butter, marshmallows, crackers, dried fruits, nuts, seeds, etc. It looked like really loaded marshmallows, a concept I found really intriguing. It’s always fun to see candy beingContinue reading “Small Life Delight – Homemade Candy”
Bookish Update: February Reads and Book Hauls
My boys are on the autism spectrum and they have some sleep issues. Every now and then, they’d stay up for 20 hours and mess up our schedule. Our days consequently become upside down, and when this happens, one of the things I end up sacrificing is my writing time. Since I have a paidContinue reading “Bookish Update: February Reads and Book Hauls”
2024 Reading Challenge: January Wrap-up
January lasted a long time, but I’m still a little taken aback that it’s already February. I might as well tell you that my reading goal for the past few years has been to finish one book a week. That means 52 books in a year. I didn’t quite reach this mark last year. IContinue reading “2024 Reading Challenge: January Wrap-up”
New Series I’m Hoarding
Before my cousin gave me Sweet Valley Twins #4 (Choosing Sides) when I was nine years old, I was perfectly content with borrowing The Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew from the school library. That singular point in time involving a seemingly innocuous present, however, spurred one of my life passions: my personal library that IContinue reading “New Series I’m Hoarding”
In the Garden – Volunteer Aglaonemas… Aglaonemae?
What’s your attitude toward volunteers in your garden? I’ve always been benevolent toward plants (mushrooms and animals too, if truth be told) that decide to show up without my bidding, even the ones that I know I don’t want around. I let them linger until they start showing their true thug. That’s when I feelContinue reading “In the Garden – Volunteer Aglaonemas… Aglaonemae?”
In the Garden – Crooked Cucumber Harvest
I’m not going to make any claim to Zen other than the fact that I write a lot about green tea and often have to delve into meditation and tea ceremonies. I’m hard pressed to find any Zen in my life. It’s not my aesthetic and not my disposition. It would be nice if itContinue reading “In the Garden – Crooked Cucumber Harvest”
First Cat Lady Entry – Introduction to Our Menagerie
We have seven masters in our house. They stay rent-free and expect the bipeds to wait on them hand and foot, eager to do their bidding day and night. I’m kidding. This is an exaggeration, of course, but, there’s really no denying that my daughter and I are whipped. Case in point, we end upContinue reading “First Cat Lady Entry – Introduction to Our Menagerie”
Baking in the Fall… Except I’m Near the Equator
Unlike people in other hemispheres, my mind already turned to Christmas in June. Our summer was over, after all, and the rainy season had commenced. We were already halfway through the year, and it’s time to turn our mind to the end of the year holidays. We’re a little (a lot) over-the-top about Christmas overContinue reading “Baking in the Fall… Except I’m Near the Equator”
Hygge: There’s Something about Tea (Featuring Favorite Tea Quotes)
The day had been particularly trying. My daughter was exhibiting all the finer qualities of being a teenager. With a heavy heart, I forcibly dismissed the incident as growing pains and reminded myself not to take it personally. This is hard when you suspect that your psyche is still hovering over the boundary line betweenContinue reading “Hygge: There’s Something about Tea (Featuring Favorite Tea Quotes)”
This Small Life 