Have You Ever Tried. . .

Dragon Fruit?

The outside fruit may call to mind a dragon, but the inside is definitely Dalmation! And it's really yummy.

Or, have you tried Kimbap? A Korean wrap.

l-r Pickled Radish, sliced carrots, beef, for the filling

Two completed rolls all sliced up, with more pickled radish on the side.

The green is wilted spinach, and there's egg too. Delicious for lunch or snacks.

What I Made Last Spring

Our daughter, Noble, asked for help making a book bag, specifically for carrying large hard cover books. She was already carrying a large shoulder bag with computer, etc., to school and wanted a special bag for the book she was reading.

Hence:

Noble chose this fun lime green with elephants cotton duck for the bag.

With a cheerful orange polka dot lining; it's just the right size!

A little bit of decorative stitching!

Noble modeling the bag, and declaring it perfect.

Noble, the college senior, all ready to go to school.

I enjoy creating! What have you made or done recently that's felt creatively joyful?

Look What I Made

Pretty new tote bag

Inside - two pockets and a magnet clasp

I took a class at a local quilt shop and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The rose print and the calico inside are over thirty years old from my stash; the dark green batik was purchased at the shop for the class. We made them in one day 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (actually finished my about 3:15). Lots of fun!!

Modesty

This is the best explanation for dressing modestly that I've ever heard:

This has profoundly changed me!

For several years I've been working on overcoming procrastination. I've come a long way and am so much better than I used to be. But this video has produced more change in me than anything else. For too long I couldn't get things done because I was waiting for the right motivation. Or the right circumstances. Or the right mood. How did I get to be 61 years old and not understand the principles taught so succinctly in this video?

Jocko Willink is pretty intense! But he speaks the truth!

I hope this positively impacts your life too. Let me know what you think.

Monday: Miracle and Mess

I love birds! I've always wanted to hold a wild bird, but . . . how does one catch one to hold?

Last week a bird flew into a picture window and knocked itself out, temporarily. While it was stunned I went out and picked it up. It was so calm, letting me hold it and stroke it, all while speaking as reassuringly as I could. His feathers were so soft! God knows our desires and will grant them in His own time.

Downy Woodpecker

PFCMom and the Downy Woodpecker

As for messes, we knew we had a small leak in a pipe from the main second floor bathroom. Suddenly it got worse! TopDad, smart man that he is, tracked it to the wall between the second and first floors. He and Mr. Movie opened up the wall and discovered a crack in the original cast iron waste drain pipe. Oh joy. Not! Sometimes we think we should have gutted the house to the studs so we could do all the rewiring and re-plumbing needed, insulate the darn thing and then put up nice drywall. But we didn't win the lottery, and haven't stumbled upon a cache of cash in the basement or attic. So we proceed with one little (or huge) project at a time. And wouldn't you know, it was the very wall Mr. Movie had spent three hours stripping of painted over wallpaper, prepping for a new paint job. This house is going to drive me to drink!

View from the staircase side (with mess)

Would you look at that crack!

View from the foyer side

This is what my mess looks like!

The good news is that I found the couch we've been looking for: blue leather, double recliner (at a nearby thrift store). Now if I could just get the room stripped and painted! But that's not at the top of the list yet.

So, what's new in your life?

For those who enjoy Ballet . . . and Humor

Nana's are the Best

Jellybean at five and a half weeks

His momma said this is the first smile captured in a photo--good job Nana! I got it while his parents were out for lunch and a movie. We had such fun together!

This is what joy looks like!

Nana and Jellybean

I'm in Utah visiting our son Lt. Lehi, our daughter-in-law Miss Pasta, and their five week old son Jellybean. He is totally adorable and such fun to hold and cuddle. I'm willing to do it all again!

The quilt I made for Jellybean - My Primary Colors

Burpies

And more Burpies

Double flannel blanket I made for Jellybean

The "circle of life" is real and made of sorrows and joys. Meeting Jellybean is one of the JOYS!

Are the Dishes Done?

Not yet!

Now they're done! A place for everything, and everything in their place.

I prefer to dry and put away everything so I start the day with clear counters and everything in its place and easy to find or get to. I love a clean kitchen with cleared counters!

A Whole New Family

What's more exciting than having your own family? Well, I guess it's having one of your children form a new family.

Lt. Lehi, Miss Pasta, and little Jellybean

FAMILIES CAN BE TOGETHER FOREVER!

Finally!!

Lt. Lehi and his son Jellybean

He arrived 15 January at about 10:30 PM weighing 8 lb. 4 oz, measuring 20.5 inches. We are thrilled.

New Year Update

Christmas visitors!

JET age 25

Noble age 29

Dandylion age 20

Mr. Movie age 22

I'm not a great photographer and I don't have a wonderful camera so my photos are less than "Kodak Moments" quality. But whatever, I take a few photos to jog my memory.

We missed having Lt. Lehi and Miss Pasta with us. They are just a few weeks away from giving us our first grandchild, Jellybean.

The holidays were quiet, spent at home, enjoying time together.

Mr. Movie building his new Lego set "Diner"

January is my month to take care of some health issues. I've already had some pre-cancerous spots of Actinec Keritosis burned off my face and right hand. Upcoming is cataract surgery on my right eye. After that, new glasses, and then on to seeing about my painful left foot. Seems like when I turned 60, a year ago, my body began to fall apart!

 Goals for the new year include:

Finishing long ago begun projects: Cookbook, photo albums, quilts, etc.
Learning to speak (and read and write) Korean: I'm using an online program called Memrise.
Planting a flower garden
Downsizing my fabric stash and associated notions.
Improve my health by losing another 50 lbs. and exercising 4-5 days each week. (I'm down 16 lbs. since last summer.) It's slow going because I am making permanent changes to my eating habits so the weight loss will be permanent.

I'm still deciding whether to attempt blogging regularly. There are others who are so much better at it than I am, but I think I have something to offer. Leave a comment with your thoughts! I think of those whose blogs I read and those who read my blog as my friends! I like getting together.