From Japan with Love

Swimmin' under the Starlight

LOVE

Uncharted Area

Swimmin' in the Wonderland

My friend Yumi, from band camp... Actually, she's my friend from Japan. I just talk about her a lot, so I feel like we went to band camp together and she was the most interesting (and fun) person at camp. Yumi has been busy making quilts for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. As I've mentioned before, I'm her pusher. I really don't have to push her to make these gorgeous art quilts, she loves doing them. She tells me it's her life's work. Boy, are they gorgeous. Needle-turn applique, hand quilting, fun fabrics, unique designs, Yumi does it all. You should see these babies in person.

And although I would be happy just to send her quilts off to AAQI, she always includes goodies for me and my family. Best band camp friend ever!

First off, a Starbucks mug from her city, Saitama. Now I'm a big Starbucks stockholder (two whole shares), so I always enjoy supporting "my" company! Isn't the mug darling? That Starbucks chick has Fred Flinstone hands like mine.

These Cheeza crackers are totally addictive. The brie flavored ones are my favorite. 10% more bags too! I can at least figure that out. The yellow bag is a new flavor I haven't tried. They are mixed cheese flavor. I hoard and hide these babies and have been known to eat them with brie. Yep, that's how we Americans roll. What tickles me about these snacks is that they are approximately the size of a small bag of chips you would get to go along with a sandwich, but...they have a zip lock closure. Like you probably shouldn't eat the entire bag in one sitting. Right.

These little packages stumped me, but I figured out they were travel tissue packs. Very soft and fancy.

Here's the rest of the goodies. Coffee beans from Yumi's favorite coffee shop. White chocolate cocoa. See how Yumi writes the description and instructions in English? She is quite proficient in English, but my Japanese has a lot to be desired. She can also whip your butt in "Words with Friends." Lastly, some butter ball candies. I can't wait to try these. Am I the luckiest band camp gal ever? Guess what I played in band? I played two instruments, so your odds aren't too bad.