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.

Family Reunion Highlights

Mr. Movie, TopDad, JET at our shooting activity

Noble and Miss Pasta relaxing in the car while the rest of us shoot

Back to front - Miss Pasta & Lt. Lehi, TopDad, JET, Mr. Movie

TopDad

Mr. Movie and JET

JET trap (or skeet) shooting

JET and PFCMom

Miss Pasta, PFCMom, Noble

Before . . . 

. . . during . . .

. . . after!

Miss Pasta, PFCMom, Lt. Lehi

I feel really bad because I neglected to get a photo of Mr. Movie and I. 😔

This was our seventh annual Family Reunion, and they just keep getting better. Join us next year!

Tuesday's Treasures

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:19-21

Here is where my heart and treasure is:

Noble in the Easter outfit I made for her.

PFCMom and Noble

Miss Pasta and Lt. Lehi

JET

Mr. Movie (right in red)

Dandylion with Calico the Cat

 These are my true treasures!

An Updated Family Photo

I think the last family photo I shared was from Lt. Lehi's USMC graduation in 2014. Here's a newer one from his wedding last November. We lined up in height order, PFCMom is the plump shrimp on the left. Then Noble (27), TopDad, Lt. Lehi (25), Mr. Movie (20), Dandylion (18), and JET (23).

I actually used to feel tall at 5'7" as a young adult. Not so much anymore. I feel like a little old lady when the chuns come home. I fit under the chin of all the boys! And Noble towers over me in her heels. JET is tallest at 6'4". I LOVE them all!

Something Clever

I saw a pillow for sale (in a catalog, I think) and said to myself, "I can make that." So I did. For JET for Christmas. He loved them.

Big pillows, staged on my queen sized bed.

Rail Fence patchwork 

This one is similar to the one that gave me the idea. That one had even stripes, I made my stripes asymmetrical.

I used the same flannel fabric for the backs, a different side for each pillow.

The only thing I bought were 22" zippers to make the covers removable for washing. The fronts were made of pieces of denim from jeans that the boys and TopDad had worn, plus some brown from an old stained denim tablecloth. The backs were from some flannel that I've had so long I don't remember where it came from. The pillows forms I inherited from my mother.

Finally! A Picture

Graduation Day 30 May 2014

This is my family! L to R: JET, PW (Lt. Lehi), Dr. Hair (or Mr. Movie), TopDad, Dandylion, Noble, PFCMom, Grandpa (my dad)

Photo taken in Heritage Park, Old Town, San Diego on the occasion of PW's graduation from Marine Corps Recruit Training. We were all together for the first time in over four years. It was a glorious day!

After graduation we went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Old Town, had a delicious meal and lots of fun jabbering away with each other. When it was time to get the bill, TopDad was informed that the bill had been paid in full. We asked who, but were told that he wanted to remain anonymous. All the waitress would tell us was that he was in the Navy, had worked with Marines and thought Paul looked like an especially good Marine and he was proud and honored to pay for our meal. We teared up with gratitude and humility at being so honored by this good man.

We enjoyed a quiet Fourth this year, attending the local parade to see our boys play in the band and then relaxing at home. We had steak, potato salad, corn on the cob, and fruit to eat, and then just some more relaxing. The boys went to a nearby town to watch fireworks in the late evening.

I plan to post more pictures of our vacation, soon. A huge thank-you to my niece for taking the family photos.

Good Idea

JET came over for Easter and we got talking about what he's doing to look so good. He said he's lost 19 pounds since Christmas and the only thing he's done differently is when he feels hungry and it's not mealtime he drinks a 20 oz. bottle of water. I think I can learn from him!

Ten Things of Thankful - The Chuns

For those who are new to this blog Chuns are what four year old JET called children, as in "Can 'e chuns go out t' play?" I like the word, it's one syllable and easy to say. Today I'm thankful for Chuns. My Chuns especially.

1. Noble was the first, sent to keep me company while TopDad was away for a year's unaccompanied tour to Okinawa. After the first four months she was a delightful baby and a joy to have around. I had so much fun playing house with her.During the first four months my sister told me that if she'd had Noble first she wouldn't have had any more. But that's just her. I loved my beautiful little girl, even if she was a pill. She got over it.

2. PW came next, the happiest of all little boys. He smiled early and often and had an infectious laugh; he still does! He's always been an independent thinker and inventive and hard working. He convinced me that boys have genetic difference not explainable in any other way than "they were born that way."

3. JET was the quiet one. The easy going, falls asleep on his own kind of baby. What a change. And then at five months, he got Spinal Meningitis, and after a miracle healing, was about the same as his older siblings. Darn. Still easy going and calm, he just didn't sleep through the night any more.

4. Dr. Hair got his name from his propensity to twirl my waist length hair around his fingers and almost pull it out. I had to cut my hair off, because he couldn't keep his hands off. Always serious, reticent to smile for the camera, he's an observer and a deep thinker.

5. Dandylion, when given a name and a blessing was promised that he would always be a comfort to his mother. He is. He looks the most like my side of the family. He's a cuddler, always has a hug for me and even at fifteen wants to sit on my lap. Thank goodness he weighs only 116 (he's 5' 10 1/4" tall!), but I think this is the last year he'll be able to do that.

6. From Noble I've learned to love all things Korean, to appreciate high fantasy novels, and have pushed my sewing skills further than I thought possible without classes. I love her optimism, cheerful nature, and adventurous spirit.

7. From PW I learned that stubborn is good, when channeled in the right direction. It's also called stick-to-it-iveness. Before 9/11 I was not afraid to fly on a plane; after, it scared me spitless. PW helped me overcome my fear! He wants to be a pilot more than anything. He can identify military planes at a glance. He's amazing.

8. JET (those are his initials) is an artist. Once when I complained that I wanted a banana split but feared it would undo all the weight I'd lost, he offered to make me one that wouldn't. He returned with an absolutely perfect miniature banana split in an old-fashioned sherbet glass. (He used my cookie dough scoops to get the tiny perfect balls of ice cream.) He's cheerful and makes friends wherever he goes, still!

9. Dr. Hair towers over me, but still reaches for my hair and is glad I'm growing it out. Waist length would suit him great. He shows me how being single-minded about goals can accomplish so much more than being interested in every thing that comes along. He is a film-maker. Period. Yes, he's in lots of activities at school, but he's always watching, studying, pondering and pursuing his dream and goal to make movies. He doesn't turn down an opportunity to film if at all possible. I like his focus.

10. Dandy is a brain. We just got test results back that put him in the 100th percentile in the nation in math. (He didn't get it from me, that's for sure.) He is in the 98th percentile in science. I've asked him to be my tutor when I take math in the fall. Dandy has a great sense of humor and has understood jokes since he was a baby, even explaining them to JET (who didn't always get the joke). He's generous and creative.

Can you tell I love my chuns? I'm so grateful God entrusted them to me. I've done the best I could to rear them and if I may say so myself, I think they've turned out pretty great!

Last Two Things

Day Thirty of Count Your Blessings 2013

First thing today is that I finished NaNoWriMo and am a WINNER!! It feels really good to reach a goal.

Second thing is a huge THANK YOU to Noble for encouraging me and pushing me and making writing fun.

We had a great Thanksgiving. Very quiet but so fun to have JET here with us. Lots of good food left over and I haven't had to cook all weekend.

Motherhood

Day Fourteen of Count Your Blessings 2013

Today I'm thankful to be a mother. For lots of reasons, but today for the reason that my children have introduced me to things I would never have explored otherwise.

I'm currently reading a book that Noble recommended in a genre that she loves. I can't put the dang thing down even though I have so many things to do! She's also the reason there is a jar of Kimchi in the fridge. I just had a craving for it! I'm also learning Korean, one word at a time.

Of course, my Korean gets mixed up with the Spanish I learned in my childhood and youth and try to keep up. But I'm nowhere near as fluent as PW. He gives me an incentive to get better. And then there's the guns and airplanes to learn about! And he was my first Lego Man, but not the last.

I know a lot more about the inner workings of automobiles because of JET. He loves cars! So I hear about them when he comes to visit. I love his enthusiasm. I always thought a vehicle was just a way to get from point A to point B. But he knows how to drift!!! And other cool things.

Dr. Hair has taught me to look at movies in a whole new way. As a film-maker himself he notices effects, camera angles, bloopers and such. And he can remember dialog from movies seemingly without effort. He's also the younger Lego Man. A master builder with visions and skills that rival professionals.

I sat through a year of violin lessons with Dandylion before getting up the courage to take lessons for myself. Seeing him do it gave me hope that I could learn too. It gave me great joy for four months before finances fell apart and I had to stop. We had fun playing a few duets too. He has music in his soul! I've learned to listen closer to hear the different instruments being played. He plays percussion and those instruments are not always easy to distinguish. But I'm getting better.

My cooking skills are legendary (within my family) having been honed over twenty-four years of feeding hungry children. My patience has increased exponentially over the years. I'm grateful to have learned selflessness through motherhood. And I'm so grateful for all the joy! Especially as my children become my best friends as they reach adulthood.

My only regret is that I couldn't have had five more!

Wait, is it January already?

I'm still alive. I wish I had one of those devices that Hermione had in one of the Harry Potter movies that allowed her to be in two places at the same time or whatever.

In October I was asked to serve as the President of our church's womens organization, the Relief Society. Those who know what that means know why I haven't been blogging lately.

News: Topdad is having some procedures to ease the pain of his arthritic knees, hoping to put off have total knee replacements for a while longer. School is going well and he is happy with his classes. Noble is in Texas for her tech school before heading for Korea. PW finished his first semester at school in Utah, is now working fulltime and transferring to BYU-Idaho in the spring. JET has joined the USMC and will be leaving for Basic Training in March. We weren't planning on any vacations this summer, but how can we pass up an opportunity to attend a Marine Corps event! Dr. Hair and Dandylion have been sick; Dandy the worst of all. When all my home remedies failed to get him better we took him in and he is getting well on some antibiotics.

Nothing much new on the homemaking front; I'm participating in a decluttering challenge over at Nourishing Minimalism, 2,013 in 2013. It is helping to focus on taking action instead of procrastinating removal of "thing, stuff and junk" from the house and my life.

My frugality these days consists of being mindful of preparing food and using it up, not wasting it. Someday I'll share some ideas.

One thing I wanted to share but can't do more photos yet is the great fabric gift bags I made for Christmas. I'm never going to use paper again. We loved them!

I take just enough time to read my favorite blogs and some news online, answer my emails and that's about it these days. Things in Relief Society are settling into a routine so my hopes are high that I'll be able to get back to blogging regularly, but who knows. Thanks for reading!

Frugal Friday - Odds and Ends

Progress Report on floor: The old carpet must have been carpet and pad integrated and the pad must have been adhesive because it left a horrible residue on the beautiful wood floor. I used a paint scraper to get it up and in some places had to use an orbital sander to remove it. (Perhaps a chemical would have done the job, but I'm trying to be frugal here!) Now we are left with the decision "to refinish, or not". Even where the pad came up easily it left a slightly hazy residue on the floor. My feeling is that as long as the room is empty, let's refinish and then we can enjoy moving in to a room with fresh paint and a fresh floor.

Yucky residue.

Yucky residue scraped off.

Area where I used the orbital sander to remove the yucky residue.

 Now on to more fun things:

Bad photo of Tim with a piece of popcorn clinging to his side.

Calico napping in Dr. Hair's laundry hamper.

JET (purple shirt), Dr. Hair (white shirt), and two of JET's roommates
Occasion: JET's birthday on Sunday

JET, the birthday boy & PFCMom, the birthday dinner planner and provider

What's a young thing like you doing with a face like this? Where did my youth go?

Okay, now for some frugality:
What do you do when you find at the store a bag of bananas for a buck?

They aren't bad, just a little spotted on the outside. First we eat a few on cereal for breakfast, a few more in smoothies and then the rest . . .

These bananas are actually a few days after I bought them and yes they are really ripe.

are smashed up, measured and put in freezer containers with lemon juice for banana bread. 

Containers of 2 cups of mashed bananas and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.

When I want to make some bread I take the container out of the freezer and thaw it overnight on the counter (or in the fridge, but it takes longer), then I can make bread in the morning and the house smells good all day.

Here's another little frugal practice of mine.
See that brown thing that looks like a trash can next to the night stand in my bedroom?

PFCMom's Bedroom

That brown thing is actually two paper grocery bags, one slipped inside the other with the top folded down, which I use as my trash receptacle. This one has lasted two years (see the autumn scene?). I didn't have money to buy one, couldn't find one I liked anyway, so I made one.

Repurposed paper grocery bags

A friend of mine repurposes tin cans for all sorts of things, sells them at craft fairs and gives them as gifts. These are two I use as "pencil" holders. She got the idea from a craft magazine that showed painting on terra cotta pots. She didn't want to spend money on pots and looked for an alternative. I think the cans are terrific. (When I get my Christmas stuff out I'll show you the one she made me that I think is absolutely darling.)

Repurposed painted tin can pencil holders

 And last on our tour today, a way to corral those water bottles:

Basket for bottles

I searched thrift stores for a basket deep enough to hold the tall bottles; I had tried short baskets but the bottles would topple and scatter. This one keeps them nicely corralled on top of the fridge. 

Neat and tidy bottles

Just a note on searching for things at thrift stores--Be patient and go often. Those are the keys to scoring treasures at tightwad prices. The other rule is to buy when you see it, she who hesitates is out of luck. The item won't be there next time. I have never regretted buying anything because if it doesn't work out I can always re-donate it. But I have truly regretted NOT buying items, thinking I'd go back for them later. Wrong.

Have a great weekend!

Countdown Begins

Two weeks from today school begins in our town! Gadzooks, where did the summer go?

We're still working on our new house, but progress is slow as we are not under any deadline to finish, and I refuse to begin a second room until the first one is completely finished. I don't want to be living in a house of unfinished rooms. So I do a little here and there and we'll see what happens.

Yesterday I had the boys sort through their clothes to see what they had and what they needed for the new school year. I got out our storage box of "grow into" clothes and found I had enough shirts to meet their needs, plus shoes, Sunday slacks and belt for Dr. Hair. SCORE! That leaves jeans for both boys, and all new underwear for Dr. Hair (Dandylion got his for his June birthday).

JET has a birthday this month and I promised him new jeans and Sunday Shoes too.

PW is registered for classes at Utah Valley University and has found an apartment and roommate so he is excited, and we are pleased that things are going well for him.

Noble is enduring through her third and final semester at Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. She celebrated her 23rd birthday last Saturday by going to California Pizza kitchen where she had a Pear and Gorgonzola pizza, which she said was divinely yummy.

TopDad is stressing over all that needs to be done to be ready to teach classes at TWO schools this year. Enrollment is down and he is (sort of) half time at the two schools. Always a new challenge.

I'm getting ready to teach early morning seminary again this year--my two students are our two sons. We'll study the New Testament, which we read as a family last year.

JET got a haircut!

JET on Christmas Day
 

 Sometime after Christmas, he got a haircut, but it was still fairly long. Too long to suit me.

Then last week he called me and said, "Uh, Mom I was wondering if you'd call Kim and set up an appointment for me to get my hair cut." "Of course." "And uh, I was wondering if you could pay for it."

"Yes, JET."

JET before his haircut 

JET after his haircut

He's happy and so is PFCMom