PaperCrank

New Adventure!

2012-02-10T00:14:00.000-05:00

I was over at Twinkie's site last week reading her Dream High 2 survey post, and I realized something absolutely crazy: I could help her recap it! The Dream High 2 vocabulary wouldn't be too difficult (unlike medical or law/police/procedural kdramas) and it would get me back into the kdrama saddle while also ~~forcing~~ encouraging me to look at kdramas more critically instead of completely turning my brain off. I also thought a 16 episode (eight week) fluffy kdrama would be a good way to test the waters in case it's not a good fit or I hate it or any number of other reasons. (But so far, I am really enjoying the recapping process!)

Twinkie was kind enough to let me try out the recapping waters on her site so I'm wading into the recapping kdrama pool slowly - posting about once a week or so.

My first post is up if you'd like to read a 6k word epic. I'm working on shortening the recaps because "there is too much. Let me sum up." I think 1k - 2k would be more reasonable, so that's my goal. 6k is waaaay too many words to read, let alone write. Must control the word count for future recaps! I wanted to get the first recap out there somewhat quickly so it was a swift 6k rush job, quite the oxymoron. heh.

So I'm on a new adventure - kdrama recapping! Feel free to pop over there and comment; I'd love to see more faces I "know."

(I'll still be posting here as sporadically as I usually do.)

Super Bowl Menu

2012-02-04T00:20:00.001-05:00

We're hosting a small Super Bowl party and I'm making foods that sound and will be delicious, but aren't very nutritionally sound. I'm still eating healthfully, but once in awhile it goes out the window. Like on Super Bowl Sunday. Back to healthier eating on Monday!

Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip from Chef John
Beer Brats from a mash-up of recipes found on allrecipes
Deviled Eggs
Chips and Salsa
Fruit and Veggies
and Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

So, who are you hoping wins the Super Bowl - the New England Patriots or the New York Giants? One of our children is rooting for the Patriots while the rest of us are rooting for the Giants. It will be interesting to see who the gracious rooters will be! ;-)

Drama!

2012-02-03T00:06:00.002-05:00

I have since returned from taking care of my grandmother at my parents' home and am just now recovering from all of the drama. Wait, that sounds bad. I guess what I mean is that I tend to be the list-maker/beaver personality type when I'm taking care of my grandmother; I'm there to do a job (keep her safe, cook, and take care of the house) and I do that, in addition to taking care of my husband and sons. Sometimes it can cause friction between me and my grandmother, since I feel that she questions everything I do, what I cook, and how I do things in the kitchen instead of viewing me as her granddaughter who is married with two children, and runs her own home. It also doesn't help that I don't have a really great relationship with my grandmother or that she is incredibly strong-willed and stubborn about almost everything. My sister on the other hand, does have a really great relationship with her. She really gets Grandma and plays the games to get her to eat or rest or whatever. I'm so incredibly thankful she was able to come and help distract her or divert her attention as I took care of other things.

All of this to say I've been stressed dealing with Grandma and since the kdrama genre is usually heavy on the melodrama, I really needed to take a break. I watched a couple of American procedural shows and a new fairy tale drama, Once Upon a Time, which is interesting and fun. I might even continue watching that one.

Before I went to take care of Grandma, I was watching Hooray for Love, a kdrama train wreck. A man divorces his wife because he (possibly) impregnated his mistress and is receiving threats from his soon-to-be brother-in-law that he had better do the honorable thing and marry the pregnant girl. The ex-wife falls in love with her divorce lawyer and is trying to run a business, which her ex-husband keeps sabotaging. I started watching because of one of the actors (Lee Tae Sung) but it's quite a train wreck. I haven't been able to return to it yet. I'm on episode 30 or 31 out of 50+. This is the longest kdrama I've ever watched. I thought 24 was long - whooo boy.

I had also been watching A Thousand Kisses, which is not quite a train wreck, but it's heavy on the melodrama. A woman (Joo Young) divorces her husband because he was cheating on her. She falls in love with a guy (Woo Bin) who happens to be her boss' ex-boyfriend. Joo Young's sister (Joo Mi) falls in love with a guy (Woo Jin), is getting married him and he turns out to be the older cousin of Woo Bin. To add more fuel to the fire, the girls' mother left the girls when they were young and turns out to be the step-mother of Woo Jin, thus becoming her younger daughter's mother-in-law. This one is also a long drama - 50 episodes, I think. I don't think I'm going to finish this one. I might just read the recaps over at Twinkie's site.

Since I feel like I'm just ready to handle some kdrama now, I'm starting with something light and fluffy - Flower Boy Ramyun Shop (꽃미남 라면 가게). I've only watched one episode and I think it's just the right amount of fluff to kick the melo to the curb!

Another kdrama I've had my eye on for awhile is Dream High 2 - which just started this week. I will start that one this weekend, I think.

So, what are you watching these days?

Dinner Menus

2012-01-18T17:04:00.000-05:00

I was making dinner last night, Indian curry and salad to be exact. And then, I got hit by something like a train that looked an awful lot like a strong-willed grandmother.

The doorbell rang and in came a mother and daughter I hadn't seen in years. They were here to visit my grandmother. I didn't mention that I'm at my parents' house while they're out of town caring for my grandmother, did I?

In they came and talked to my grandmother while I sauteed diced onions and minced garlic and the boys chopped broccoli (Sing it with me, now! Choppin' broccalaaaayyy) and opened cans of coconut milk and diced tomatoes. They continued chatting while I heated curry powder, cumin, and ginger. The mother pulled out containers of 팥죽 (paht jook, red bean porridge, like this) she had made while I added coconut milk and brought my curry to a simmer. They talked about the daughter returning to school and how she wanted to see my grandmother before she left while I added veggies to the pot. They left and I stirred the simmering curry.

While I was stirring the simmering curry and directing final salad prep from the stove with my back turned to everyone, things were happening at the table. When I turned around, there were five or six bowls of 팥죽 portioned out and ready to be eaten with dinner. She insisted that we eat this porridge with dinner since someone had brought it over for her. I decided that it wasn't so crucial to eat what I had prepared so we had 팥죽 and Indian curry. Strange, but it was dinner.

For tonight's dinner, I'm planning on chicken enchiladas and salad. I wonder what we'll really eat.

My Very Own Merri Singer

2012-01-04T01:56:00.000-05:00

In 2009, I embraced my heritage and started watching kdramas.
In 2010, I started exercising more regularly.
In 2011, I started beading.

I think this year, 2012, might be the year of the sewing machine. Along with more exercising. And more beading. And more kdrama watching.

I've dabbled with machine sewing, starting with middle school home ec projects to last year's stuffed animal fish for my nephews, with a pair of lounge pants for my sister thrown in there somewhere about 15 years ago.

Last fall, my sons started a sewing class with my neighbor and they've made some fun projects on her machine. Sadly, my neighbor is a snowbird and on her way south to visit her daughter for the next few months, which leaves me without a good friend, neighbor, and local sewing guru.

My sister gave me a sewing machine last week, which has passed through various hands and is 20+ years old. It's extremely heavy, as it's made of cast iron. I should also say I have a White sewing machine I received from a friend about 15 years ago, which had belonged to her mother. Now, she wears her dust cover and sits lady-like wherever she happens to be. Meaning, I still haven't figured out how to adjust the tension and thread it to get it ready to sew. This doesn't give me much hope in my sewing motivation, except I have some long pants I need to hem and I refuse to pay someone else to do it. Unless I completely mangle a pair ... or two ... or three. Then, I might have to rethink this sewing thing, but I don't think it'll be difficult - just takes some basic math, planning, and getting to know my machine. Perhaps I am being overly optimistic?

Anyhow, after my sister gave me this Singer Merritt 2404, I started to look for information. I found this interesting website about making your own slipcovers and Angie had picked up the same machine about a year ago. She says her Merri Singer (as she has dubbed hers and I shall call mine the same for camaraderie) went through 10 layers of duck cloth fabric. Now, I have no idea what duck cloth is, but 10 layers of anything is pretty impressive so I'm duly impressed with the potential of this Merri Singer I have sitting in my living room.

Knowing that this machine can handle multiple layers of duck cloth fabric (which I now know is a type of canvas), I am a little less hesitant and becoming more excited about sewing things. So far, my list of sewing projects include hemming jeans, a ruffled scarf, reusable Swiffer dust cloths, non-committal curtains, and a new Scrabble tile bag And perhaps a slipcover for my couch, but I'm starting small. Plus, there are exercises to do, sparkly beads to work with, and kdrama to watch, in addition to everything else.

Christmas Gifts

2012-01-03T16:21:00.000-05:00

Now that Christmas has passed and everyone has received their gifts, I can post what I gave!

For my sister-in-law who has blonde hair, blue eyes, and a fair complexion, I made a Sapphire and Peridot bracelet:

For my sister-in-law with brown hair and eyes, and a fair complexion, I made a Montana (blue-ish/grey)and Crystal AB bracelet:

For my sister-in-law with brown hair and eyes, and an olive-y complexion, I made a Tanzanite (deep purple) and Crystal AB bracelet, that I forgot to take a picture of before I wrapped and gave it to her. Beautiful, but use your imagination - Tanzanite in the middle with Crystal AB on the top and bottom.

Advent List

2011-12-02T11:53:00.000-05:00

I was inspired by Lindsay over at Passionate Homemaking to make a list of simple things to do each day to celebrate this time leading up to Christmas. We have done the countdown in the past with bits of chocolate behind doors in thin boxes, but reading this post inspired me to do a little more this year. We loved so many of Lindsay's ideas, we decided to keep many of them. It was fun to get input from the boys and talk about what they wanted to add to the list to make it ours.

I don't have cute muslin decorated bags like she does, but I'm starting with the basics - a list! The cuteness might come later.

Buy a new Christmas album and listen to it
Make ornaments
Put up Christmas tree
Make popcorn garland
Make Christmas cookies
Make Christmas gifts
Watch a Christmas movie
Make reindeer candy canes
Make cranberry bread
Drive and look at Christmas lights
Make hot chocolate
Have a camp out in front of the Christmas tree
Make candy cane play dough and share with friends
Sing Christmas songs
Make pumpkin bread
Color Christmas pictures
Build a Lego Nativity Set
Assemble the gingerbread house with friends
Make gingerbread cookies
Call family and sing Christmas songs
Christmas shopping
Make Christmas goodies to give to neighbors
Read the story of Jesus’ birth
Watch Charlie Brown Christmas

What are you doing to get ready for Christmas this month?

Just Bein' Goofy

2011-12-02T00:50:00.001-05:00

As the weather keeps changing, it provides some humor for us. I mentioned to My Dearest that it was due to rain, then change to snow later in the morning. He commented, "That's fun. If I were attacking a city, I'd use rain first then snow, too." Love that goofy husband of mine.

Thanksgiving Cooking

2011-11-25T19:19:00.001-05:00

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving! Here's a quick recap of our busy week, along with recipes for most of what we had for Thanksgiving.

Last week, I finalized our menu and shopped for ingredients, so I wouldn't have to brave the stores with other last-minute shoppers.

During the boys' sewing lesson on Tuesday, I made Mary's Awesome Pork dish with enough for leftovers so I wouldn't have to cook on Wednesday night. After their class, we made two pumpkin pies, two maple pecan tarts in lieu of pecan pie, cranberry sauce, and a gelatin salad.

On Wednesday, we spent the day making turkey broth, stuffing/dressing, mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes with a pistachio crust. Thankfully, the boys did a great job helping this year: cleaning, washing, peeling, chopping, fetching (much better than last year!), mixing, stirring, loading and unloading the dishwasher and hand-washing dishes, rolling out pie crusts, measuring ingredients, and reading recipes.

All that was left for Thursday was roasting the bird, making gravy, and warming up dishes.

It seemed much easier to make Thanksgiving Dinner this year. In years past, I would need to send My Dearest out to the store on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving while I cooked and baked like a maniac because I had forgotten something or my new technique for some dish had failed. I guess this is what happens after years of experience making Thanksgiving dinner. This year on Thanksgiving Eve evening at 6:30, we were sitting down to eat dinner and had everything done. We spent the evening relaxing and catching up on some kdrama. It doesn't matter that I had a stressful dream that night thinking that I had not prepared anything and nothing would be ready, does it?

Our Thanksgiving menu:

Mom's Green Pan Salad

Awesome Tangerine Glazed Turkey and Gravy

Awesome Sausage Apple Cranberry Stuffing

Mashed Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes with Pistachio Crust

Cranberry Sauce

Mom's Green Bean Casserole

Seafoam Salad

Rolls

Pumpkin Pie

Maple Pecan Tart

What did you eat on Thursday?

Reminders

2011-10-18T23:09:00.001-04:00

I had a great conversation with my Grandma today. She knew who I was as soon as I sing-songed my greeting to her. She called me by name and asked about everyone here. Were my boys doing their school work? Did My Dearest go to work today? Is everyone healthy?

The one really encouraging (or discouraging, depending on one's point of view) part of our conversation was that she seems to have lost her previous rant of, "I'm so old! Why is God keeping me alive? Why isn't He calling me home? Isn't it time for me to die yet?!" She seems to have (finally) mellowed in her old age. It only took 95 years! The encouraging part is that she's not acting angry and antsy that she's still here. The discouraging part is that she's not as feisty as she used to be, which according to some is a sign that she'll probably pass on soon.

Our phone conversation was mainly about reminders. As a dutiful daughter, I should take care of my parents since they're getting older and it must be almost time for them to die. I did point out that if they take care of themselves and stay healthy, they could live for another 20 years and be as old as her. She chuckled a little and then shifted her energies toward my siblings. "Make sure you keep in touch with them. Pray for your bachelor brother - he needs a wife. He's closer to 50 than 40. Make sure you call your sister often." After my siblings, she also reminded me to pray and spend time with God.

In between these reminders, I dutifully answered yes and made the appropriate noises, but I chuckled quietly as she encouraged me in my familial roles, especially regarding my brother. I know it's God's will whether or not my brother gets married, it's not up to me. But all in all, a good lucid conversation with my grandmother.

Anniversary Bracelet

2011-10-07T19:34:00.001-04:00

As promised in yesterday's post, here are some pics of the anniversary bracelet my oldest son made for me. He used Capri Blue and Aquamarine Swarovski crystals, bronze triangle and silver-lined crystal seed beads, and sterling silver clam shells, jump rings, and toggle clasp.

Rice and Electricity

2011-10-06T22:11:00.001-04:00

As I was talking with my dad yesterday about my grandmother, I mentioned that I would be somewhat near them visiting a beading friend of mine. He was excited because he and my mom had to go out and were nervous about leaving my grandma at home by herself. He asked if we could stay with her while he and my mom went to run some errands. It turned into inviting my beading friend and her son over for lunch and having them hang out with us at my parents' house for a couple of hours.

My mom and I planned a simple 비빔밥 and I brought the spinach and radish, while my mom made the rice, meat, and some 튀각 for some crunch (fried seaweed pieces sprinkled with sugar and sesame seeds).

My parents had to leave just before we sat down to eat so she pointed out the rice cooker full of rice and all of the parts of the meal she had made. I dished up the rice and noticed that it looked a little different than usual, but seemed normal enough.

We ate, cleaned up, and got to the beading project my son wanted to make - an anniversary bracelet for me. (Pics to come!)

Soon after my friend and her son left, my parents arrived home and sat down to eat their lunch. About half-way through his bowl of 비빔밥, my dad noticed that the rice wasn't quite done. I couldn't believe it since I had served it to my friends and they had never had Korean food before, plus that I failed to notice that the rice wasn't completely cooked -- what kind of Korean does that make me?! I took the rice cooker over to him and said that it was still warm, plus there was a thin layer of rice starch on the bottom of the cooking pot. My mom looked and exclaimed that it was only half-done rice in her bowl as well and we started wondering how could it have happened. I noticed that when I took the rice pot over, it was already unplugged.

We came to the conclusion that my grandmother must have unplugged it in her worry about using electricity and the possibility of causing harm to others or burning the house down. As we realized that this was the most likely explanation, we all dissolved into laughter. What else could we do? There was no way we could get mad at her when she was trying so hard to keep everyone safe.

Lucid

2011-10-05T23:57:00.000-04:00

When we last spoke, I was getting ready for school and now it's October. Where does the time go?? Oh, how I wish I had the answer to that question. Here's what's been going on, though...

School started as planned, even without everything in place. Math, history, science, Korean, art, and sewing classes are just going swimmingly. Still deciding on language. Yes, we'll do something - that's a no-brainer, but which curriculum is still undecided.

In mid-September, we packed up the family and went to stay with my 95 year old grandmother while my parents were out of town. I've gotta say, this is a great perk to home schooling - we can school when and where we like! (I'm sure I've mentioned before that my grandmother lives with my parents and has since I was six months old and she needs some supervision now that she's getting older... I could link to the post, but [insert any excuse you'd like].)

This time, we stayed with Grandma for about a week and a half. We arrived there on a Thursday afternoon to visit with my parents, go over any last minute details (lawn care, trash collection, etc.) and get settled in. I didn't hear anything startling about what kind of behavior to expect from my grandmother. One item had been emphasized, though: Be sure to check refrigerator doors, stove, and water faucets since sometimes she doesn't always close them or turn them off afterwards, respectively.

During our time there, we noticed a few moments of senility, like asking if My Dearest was joining us for lunch when he had already arrived, eaten, and left to go back to work. Or after he had arrived, eaten lunch, then stepped into and out of the bathroom asking when he was going to eat. These moments weren't too often.

Though I did notice that she asked the same series of questions often: "What day is today? So if today is Tuesday, tomorrow is Wednesday, right? Then the day after will be Thursday?... What are we eating tonight?" Each time, I answered patiently, as though it were the first time she asked. Except once. She asked about dinner and which 반찬 (side dishes) we were going to have and while trying to answer her, my sons were also asking questions so when my grandmother asked her series of questions again, I answered with a little snap in my voice, though I realized mid-answer and tried to recover my tone. Of course, at that moment, she was extremely lucid and blandly replied, "You know I'm old, right? Sometimes I forget and need to ask again. Could you be patient with me?" I wanted to kick myself. It made me realize that she might be losing parts of her memory, but she was able to perceive attitudes and her judgement was still incredibly sharp.

Our visit ended with more senility than I was expecting. I was playing with my sons and nephews, so my sister could take a nap and my grandmother was watching us. She pointed at my youngest son and asked me , "Whose child is that?" Then, she pointed at my youngest nephew and asked, "Is he yours or your sisters?" Then she asked if the house belonged to my parents or if it was mine.

Awhile after our time there, my sister called me and told me that she had had a Korean-language-lesson type of conversation with her relaying who her children were, who my children were, where she lived, where I lived, and other basic information about us.

I called my grandmother today and was bracing myself for my own Korean-language-lesson type of conversation - reminding myself to be patient with her. She answered the phone and was surprisingly lucid -- "How are the boys? How's Your Dearest's job? Is everyone healthy? What are you eating these days? I feel like such a burden to your parents, I wish I could do more to help out around the house. Your father is cooking these days!"

After my conversation with her, I talked with my dad and he said some days she is very lucid and other days she's very confused. Last week, she was asking where my siblings were and when were we coming home (like we were at school or at least, living with them). She didn't know that my sister and I were married with children of our own and that my brother is (still) single. Sometimes she doesn't recognize my mom or which country she's in. I guess it's the roller coaster of dementia, though I thought the decline would be more gradual, rather than all over the board. I'm grateful that our conversation today was lucid and I got to talk to her, but I know that each conversation might be a toss-up.

May and August Moms, Plus a Late Summer Reminder

2011-08-19T09:12:00.013-04:00

We have experienced quite warm temperatures here this past summer. It has just in the last week or two started to cool nicely in the evenings so that we can open our windows and enjoy some naturally cooled air, unless there happens to be some whiff of skunk (or sometimes direct sprays of skunk in the immediate area) in the cool summer air, in which case we quickly close the windows and turn on the house fan to circulate some air. But, I digress. Cool summer evenings are (finally) here, which means crisp fall days will be here next, which means (dun, dun, dun!) school is coming. And I'm not ready yet.

In past years, I think this would have sent me into a panic because I used to be a 'May Mom,' a mom who would start planning for the following school year in May of the previous school year. I knew exactly what we were changing from the previous year, which curriculum I had to buy, where my sons needed to be enrolled for art (and they would already be), and exactly what was going to be on the agenda for the following year. When August rolled around, all of the curricula had arrived and I was ready.

This year, I have become an 'August Mom.' I just started to think about school again. I'm a teeny bit overwhelmed since I used to be a 'May Mom,' even though I know what I need to do. I need to finalize my plans for the upcoming school year and look at a couple of other companies. I need to order a math test booklet for my younger son, buy some math dvds for my older son, finalize their art class registration, talk to my neighbor about teaching them sewing (what? didn't you males out there take a sewing/home ec. class in middle/junior high school?), find information on gym classes, find someone who might be willing to teach my sons wood shop, and find a way to teach Korean this year, 'cause last year's method didn't work very well. I would like to start printing worksheets, quizzes, and tests for science and history now, instead of printing them as my boys need them.

I used to think that I had to have all of the answers, have a ready solution, and basically know it all since I was the parent and an adult. Basically, be as close to my version of 'perfect' as I could be. Pffftt!

My Dearest and I need to teach our sons lovingly, patiently, and show them how to overcome adversity gracefully, determinedly, and cheerfully. I'm sure I'm missing some fabulous adjectives and adverbs, but I think you get the idea. If I were striving to be 'perfect,' what would that teach our children? What kind of expectations would they put on themselves and what would their expectations be of those with whom they interact? How would they know the value of forgiveness and being forgiven, by others and most importantly Christ? I shudder at the thought. We need to show them Christ's love, mercy, humility, kindness, and forgiveness. If they don't learn this at home, where will they learn it? So I need to remind myself to relax the 'perfect' curtain, I know they're peering in.

And I'm not anxious that I'm not ready for the school year yet.

Birthday Meal

2011-06-28T19:35:00.002-04:00

For the first time in decades (possibly my entire life), I wanted Korean food for my birthday. I made 냉면 (naengmyeon, cold noodles in chilled beef broth) and for dessert, 팥빙수 (patbingsu, shaved ice with fruit and sweet red beans). Happy birthday to me!

냉면 (forgot the hard-boiled egg on top for the picture!)

팥빙수

Beaded Treasures

2011-06-28T13:50:00.002-04:00

A dear friend, my former paper-crafting partner-in-crime, introduced me to beading awhile ago. I am really enjoying the creative outlet since paper-crafting no longer holds much interest for me. Here are some of the beaded treasures I've made!

Two Fun Videos

2011-06-14T15:16:00.004-04:00

Here are two fun videos various people have shared with me this week. Enjoy!

First up, a video about getting older. HT: Mary and Sandy

And an entertaining PVC pipe video. HT: Hanclinto

Random Thoughts

2011-06-07T15:17:00.004-04:00

This is just how my brain is working these days.

Hot, hot, hot! It's only June and temps are in the 90s already. Hope it's not going to be this hot all summer long.

Maybe this is why I've been gaining weight. Couldn't possible be because I'm not quite as strict with my eating and not exercising as much, could it? Nah, didn't think so. ;-)

Great NYT article about interracial dating. Brings back memories before My Dearest and I got married.

My new favorite game - 221B Baker Street - like Clue, but so much better!

And finally, a catchy song - Jang Woo Hyuk's 'Time is (L)over' - interesting title and everything else that makes KPop what it is.

May Resolution Updates

2011-05-03T15:02:00.003-04:00

It's already the fifth month of the year! Here's a review of sorts of this year's resolutions.

Exercising four times per week is just not happening this year. I'm doing well if I get two or three sessions per week. Gotta work on this some more.

Transforming my neutral home is more research-intensive right now and I'm finding some great sites. One is helping me visualize color in my home, Favorite Paint Colors, where Kristin posts pictures of rooms with the color name and manufacturer, which helps me see how the paint looks on walls and not on a 2x2 paint chip. Love, love this site! Two other favorites for refinishing, re-purposing, and/or building are Centsational Girl and Ana-White. Both are great blogs and I think I want to be crafty like them both when I grow up.

Reading aloud: this has not been a problem this year. So far this year, we've read The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian and are nearly finished with The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, all by C.S. Lewis.

Menu planning is going pretty well this year. In fact, this is the first week I haven't had a menu in place before the week started.

How are your resolutions going this year?

Muscle Atrophy

2011-04-26T09:32:00.000-04:00

If one doesn't use their muscles, eventually, it atrophies or wastes away to nothingness, a shadow of it's former self. (Note to self: start exercising again - soon!) Likewise, when one doesn't write for awhile, the same occurs. My writing muscles have definitely taken a turn for the worse...

How Are Things Now?

2011-04-26T01:39:00.002-04:00

I had my blood tested recently and my hormone levels were normal. The only item that showed some irregularity was my vitamin B12 levels - low. So I'm popping B12 tablets and they seem to be helping. Apparently, there are some overlapping symptoms between premenopause and B12 deficiencies. So it would seem I'm not premenopausal, just B12 deficient.

"How Are Things?"

2011-03-28T00:42:00.005-04:00

This shouldn't be such a difficult question, but someone asked me this via Twitter earlier last week and I'm just getting to answering him. I thought this would be an interesting blog post. Also, answering with 140 characters or less can be extremely limiting.

The short answer is: I feel like I'm going crazy, a hot mess, and remembering that I'm forgiven. The long answer involves hormones, sleeplessness, fatigue, perhaps depression, "female monthly issues", and is pretty personal. Read on if you choose, but you have the short answer, and you've been warned.

So, the question, "How are things?" doesn't seem so difficult. For many, it's a passing question and doesn't require much thought beyond, "Things are well" or "Fine" and a reciprocal "What about you?" or "And you?" I try to be a bit more purposeful in my asking and answering. I do genuinely want to know how one is doing when I ask. Likewise, I do try to be more honest when I answer, when I can. I use common sense and answer appropriately in each setting. What I mean is, I wouldn't bare-my-soul to someone I'm just meeting. (I don't think blogging is exactly, um, ... oh, never mind. Hey, you've been warned that this post is personal, right? It's not too late to scroll to the top of the page or move on to other parts of the web, you know? Right. Last chance! Moving on.)

A slightly older friend asked me about three months ago, how I was doing and I answered that I was having trouble sleeping. She cautiously asked me how old I was and very carefully broached the subject of (dun, dun, dun) perimenopause or premenopause. I looked at her shocked and surprised, since I had never thought that this could be the root of my sleeping troubles. She mentioned that her first symptoms were heart palpitations and trouble sleeping.

That evening, I turned to the ever-handy internet and searched perimenopause. Kinda scary and informative all at the same time. As I read through the symptoms and compared them to what I had been experiencing, things started to click into place, and my shock and surprise slowly became, "Could this be, at my (relatively) young age?" I didn't think too much about it since I didn't have the grand-daddy (mommy?) symptom of all: hot flashes.

Interestingly, just a couple of weeks ago, I realized how isolated I felt and since I felt more "like myself" I blogged about Social Hibernation, which in hindsight, showed me I probably had a bit of depression (or SAD or something else), but didn't know. Depression a possible symptom of perimenopause? You better believe it.

About that time, I also started having warm flashes - not quite the full hot flash, sweating, and then chills - and soon afterwards, hot flashes. About that time, I was talking with my sister about these symptoms and what was going on with me. I asked her if one of her temperature charting books had any information on menopause. She told me she hadn't read that far since it didn't really apply to her. She asked me some questions about my symptoms: Sleeplessness? Menses becoming more frequent? Heavier menses? Hot flashes? Trouble concentrating? Food cravings? Increased PMS? Heart palpitations? Itchy skin? Fatigue? Headaches? Thinning hair? After each of my many yeses, she laughed! She told me that when it was her turn, I could laugh at her. Sadly, I don't think I'll be able to since I'll probably be too sympathetic.

In addition to all of this, I feel like I'm losing my mind. I can't concentrate. I am having trouble focusing on various tasks at hand. I forget words often, and my speaking skills feel stilted. I used to be eloquent! I used to write papers about literature with ease! My brain feels a little mushy lately.

On top of all of this, I've noticed I'm more emotional than usual. Emotional swings plus lack of verbal skills? Oh, dear. My Dearest said something to me last week and made another comment this week that just turned me into an emotional crying mess. The comments or statements were nothing terribly horrible, unfeeling, or offensive. Yet, I still flew off the handle emotionally. And the worst part? I knew in my head that my reactions were over-the-top and I really shouldn't be acting this way, but my emotions took me on their wild ride. My poor Dearest, looked at me like he had no idea where this was all coming from, and why should he? I rarely acted like this before! And my children! Oh, my dear children who are just beginning to become hormonal are with a mother who is hormonal and entering this stage of life? Yikes.

And exercising, you might ask? I'm not terribly diligent about exercising this year. I know it will help, but the motivation is so not there. I know I resolved to do more of it regularly, but I'm having a hard time making it happen. Last week, I did exercise two or three times and I did feel better, I just need to get back into the routine and keep at it.

All I can say is that I'm not perfect. Jesus Christ is perfect and I'm forgiven through Him. As a result, I forgive those around me, and hopefully I'm being forgiven by them - even when I'm emotional, feeling crazy, and a hot mess.

So, how are you doing?

DST

2011-03-14T02:47:00.003-04:00

Now that Daylight Savings Time has started and our family has made the one-hour forward jump, I'd just like to say that this is not my favorite time of year. I don't mind the extra sunshine or gaining an hour in the fall, but the transition between Standard and DST is jarring; I don't adjust well and will very likely be late for many things this week. My Dearest proposed that DST should be a gradual transition - fifteen minute jumps per week for four weeks. Now that's an idea I might be able to handle. Or we could move to one of the few states that do not observe DST.

Social Hibernation

2011-03-13T00:40:00.005-05:00

I guess the "(intermittent) blogger" part of my profile is definitely accurate these days. :-)

This past winter found me and my family more hermit-like than in the past. We seemed to be sick more often and didn't want to share our germs with the rest of the world (you're welcome!). Or we haven't felt up to leaving the cozy house to slog through the snow and traffic to meet up with friends.

I find this very amusing since I have been known to be quite the social butterfly and am usually the last to leave or having long "final" conversations at the door when friends leave my home. But this past winter, I enjoyed being home and with my family, even when my sons would bicker (okay, not always).

Now that spring seems more imminent (so that calendar tells me), and I feel rested (most days), I feel ready to emerge from my social hibernation.

How Old Am I, Really?

2011-03-05T23:02:00.004-05:00

My first waitressing job was in a restaurant that wasn't necessarily geared towards senior citizens, but seemed to attract them more than the younger crowd. Maybe three out of five of my tables would be senior citizens.

I noticed an interesting trend among them: almost all of the older women at these tables ordered hot water to drink. Not tea or coffee - just hot water. And, I do mean senior citizens - sixty-five years of age or older (mostly in their seventies, I would guess). Not so of the (few) younger gals that sat in my section - they predictably ordered diet soda, regular soda, or iced tea.

Why do I bring this up? As the weather fluctuates, and one day teases me with warm temperatures and a flurry of rain/snow/ice mixed precipitation the next, I find myself very comforted by drinking hot water on chilly evenings. Should I be concerned about my "real age"?

Cheese and Guitar Strings

2011-01-26T22:04:00.004-05:00

We visited my sister and her family recently, and as we were snacking one evening, I mentioned to my brother-in-law that their cheese slicer sliced really evenly and did a great job. It was nothing like my attempts to use an old cheese slicer years ago, which resulted in unsightly, wavy hunks. No, their cheese slicer produced even, cut-with-something-professional looking cheese slices. He mentioned that they had needed to replace their cheese slicer wire and that he did with an old guitar string. Genius! I've been hesitant to buy a cheese slicer since the wire doesn't seem terribly sturdy (from my experience years ago) and would have to be replaced. Guess what I'm keeping an eye out for now so I can replace the wimpy wire with an old guitar string?

Shenandoah Bath & Body Give Away Winner!

2011-01-21T22:03:00.003-05:00

To my one and only entrant -- Congratulations, Mandy K, you won! Look for your package in the mail soon, thanks for playing!

Sleeplessness and Green Monsters

2011-01-19T14:29:00.006-05:00

I've been caught in a vicious cycle of sleeplessness, very light sleep, and late mornings. I'm tired and ready to go to sleep, but I'm not able to go to sleep. Or, I'm sleeping very lightly and waking several times during the night. By the time I'm really asleep, it's easily 4 or 5 in the morning.

Even though I know I should exercise, which would help me feel better, I haven't been. I even made it one of my Resolutions for this year - to exercise 4 - 6 times per week. Can you guess how that's going? My body drags my mind down into "Let's-Not-Do-Anything-About-It-and-Stay-Grumpy Land". And I've been hanging out there.

And my eating habits, you ask? Oh, you really don't want to know. Let's just mumble something about carbs and leave it at that.

All of the above adds up to a not very pretty picture compared to my normal self.

Today, I decided to start fresh -- I exercised this morning! I knew I'd feel great afterwards, so why, oh why do I let my body drag my brain down to the dumps?? I've got to be better about balancing my brain and body.

I also joined the Green Monster Movement this morning. I've been subscribing to Oh She Glows in my reader for some time now, but haven't been brave enough (desperate enough? willing to try?) to try these Green Monsters. Today, I took the plunge. It was so. tasty. After I poured the beautiful green-ness into my glass and finished it, I wanted to jump into my blender to slurp the rest off the sides. Yes, that good!

I'm looking forward to more consistent exercising, eating more healthfully, and daily Green Monsters, which will hopefully lead to better sleep and a more pleasant wife and mommy!

Shenandoah Bath & Body: Review and Give Away!

2011-01-17T23:27:00.004-05:00

Give Away Now Closed

While at a wedding last month, I was talking with my friend Rebekah. As we talked about nearly everything, our conversation turned to blogs and her business, Shenandoah Bath & Body. It might have been something like, "I've been meaning to order some of your products." To which she might have replied with, "How about I send you some stuff?"

She was kind enough to send me products to try, as well as some to give away to you! She sent me two sets of items -- two bottles of Goat's Milk & Honey Body Lotion - one Sweet Berries & Amber and one Angelic Glow, along with a Coconut Chapstick Rosemary-Mint lip balm.

Here's the official description for the Goat's Milk & Honey Body Lotion:

Thick and creamy, our Goat’s Milk & Honey Hand Cream provides much-needed moisture for dry, weather-worn hands. Goat’s milk is said to be high in protein, triglycerides, Vitamin A, B6, B12 and E, helping to hydrate and nourish dry skin. Honey is a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

The Sweet Berries & Amber Goat's Milk & Honey Body Lotion I tried first. The texture of the lotion is so silky and smooth. The fragrance is a bit strong for me as I generally choose fragrance-free items, but it smells so good! Sweet, a hint of fruitiness (from the berries, I would imagine), and perfect for these cooler months. The official description is:

Sweet and deep, Sweet Berries & Amber is the perfect “warm” blend. Blackberry fragrance is sweet, but not too sweet while Amber adds depth, but is not too heavy.

Next, I tried the Angelic Glow scented lotion, which upon first smell seemed almost baby powdery, but after I put it on, it was exactly what the website advertises:

Soft, romantic and clean, Angelic Glow is floral, blending notes of Jasmine and Lily with hints of Musk, Sandalwood and Apple.

Just the right amount of scent for me - light, floral, and not overwhelming. Even though both lotions are from the same base (I assume), this one seemed lighter in texture than the Sweet Berries & Amber scented lotion.

When I first read that the lip balm was Rosemary~Mint flavored, I was hesitant to try it, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't as exotic or as strange as I thought it would be. The tingle of mint and faintly aromatic rosemary wasn't distracting or scented too strongly. I even used it under my lipstick, since the lip balm is not waxy or slick - just right. One of my sons even tried to take this tube, so it's not just for the feminine. Here's the official description:

Rosemary~Mint - Fresh and clean. Rosemary~Mint is used exclusively in our Coconut Chapstick. Rosemary and mint essential oils are known for their refreshing and energizing properties.

To enter to win a set of each of the products I reviewed, leave me a comment telling me you: posted a blurb about Shenandoah Bath & Body on your blog, like Shenandoah Bath & Body on Facebook, or if you're Facebook-less, browse her website and tell me which products you like! Do all three (three separate comments below) and get three entries to win! I'll draw for a winner on Friday, January 21st at 9 pm EST. Open to US addresses only. I'm sure it's a no-brainer, but please be sure to leave me a way to contact you if you win!

Disclaimer: These products are courtesy of Shenandoah Bath & Body, but the reviews are my own.

2011 Resolutions

2011-01-12T22:31:00.002-05:00

Happy (belated) New Year! Well, it's still January, right?

Maintaining an exercising resolution has definitely been helpful the last two years, so it makes sense for it to be an item on my Resolutions List yearly. My first resolution is to exercise a minimum of four times each week with a maximum of six.

During the last couple of months, I've been crafty, which I wasn't sure if I'd ever see again since I've stopped being a CTMH gal and avoided paper for nearly a year. Since I'm feeling ambitious, I'm adding home decor to my resolutions. Now, I'm not going to win an award for home interior design unless someone has a category called, "Neutral Walls and Nothing on Them," so I've decided to change that (though it will probably be s-l-o-w-l-y) and make our home more inviting and less... neutral with nothing on my walls. However, I refuse to pay ridiculous amounts of money for said decor so the project(s) will be DIY or hacked, which should be very ~~entertaining~~ interesting.

I haven't made enough time to read to my children regularly, though we usually get through a few books each year. I'm aiming to read aloud to them two to three times per week.

I have meal planned in the past, but I've decided to plan our meals more regularly this year instead of once or twice a month for one week's worth of meals, and then flying by the heat of the stove when dinner time arrives all during the rest of the month. After all, dinner comes every evening and we eat it, every evening.

So this year's resolutions include:
1. Exercise 4 - 6 times per week
2. Change the Neutral Walls and Nothing on Them. Inexpensively.
3. Read aloud to children 2 - 3 times per week
4. Menu plan consistently

How 'bout you? What resolutions are you making for this year?

Body lotion and lip balm giveaway coming next!

2010 Resolutions

2011-01-05T22:53:00.000-05:00

I made two goals this year - to exercise four times a week and lose 15 pounds.

With my first goal, I did really well... until October when we all took turns being ill. During November and December, I totally slacked off and busied myself with holiday planning, keeping up with school, and making gifts for Christmas.

I was bold enough to assign a number this year as part of my goal instead of mind-tricking myself. I realized about half-way through the year not to rely on the scale as much as I should pay attention to how I'm feeling. I didn't make this goal, though I'm not disappointed since I dealt with the "numbers" issue during the summer.

Funnily enough, sometime during the late summer or early fall, my grandmother told me I needed to stop losing weight and actually gain some back; she thought I was starting to look too skinny.

Next, 2011 Resolutions.

2010 Wrap Up

2011-01-04T15:21:00.006-05:00

Let's pick up where we last left off; my last post was about appliances revolting.

We decided to buy a new clothes washer since I refused to hand-wash clothes, plus some other factors which may have included time, money, and energy.

We have decided to forgo a new dishwasher for now. Not because we don't have the money. Not because it's more convenient to hand-wash. Mainly because we don't have to have a dishwasher - we are able to hand wash our dishes. It isn't nearly as much of a sacrifice as one might think. I rock my blue dish gloves, turn up the music, and our old dishwasher makes a fabulous dish drying rack!

The year ended with a crazy month, but when is December ever quiet?

It started with a birthday party preparations and the actual party for our youngest son with 13 friends between the ages of 6 and 13. I didn't think it was a big deal (even if this was the first winter birthday party I was throwing) until one of my friends (mom of an attendee) asked how many children were coming and claimed I was brave. Thankfully, the party went off without too much of a hitch - a Bingo-like game using my son's first name instead of Bingo and his favorite things instead of numbers, a guessing game (how many Lego pieces in the container), and a Christmas tree drawing contest on top of your head contest, since Christmas is our son's favorite holiday.

After the birthday party, it was time to crank out 500 truffles for a dear friend who was getting married. 250 Oreo and 250 peppermint with dark chocolate truffles. I had two of each to make sure that they met my quality standards. Then, I tried not to smell them and went into truffle mode: made the fillings, chilled, rolled, decorated, nestled into paper liners, packaged them, delivered, and arranged them at the hall. Plus enjoying the wedding. Whew!

After the truffles, I made stuffed animal fish for my nephews as their Christmas gifts. The fish were about three feet long, just shorter than my older nephew and definitely longer than my younger nephew. The squeals of joy and seeing my older nephew carry his almost everywhere around the house made it very satisfying. My younger nephew discovered his on our last day together and delightfully rubbed his head on it.

I made snowmen crystal earrings to give to My Dearest's female relations. Since most of them live in warmer climates, I thought they might enjoy some sparkly snowmen.

I made a Siam (red) and crystal Swarovski choker style necklace for my mom. She saw me making a Montana (grey-blue) and crystal bracelet to go with a dress I wore to two weddings this year and mentioned that it would be really pretty in red and as a choker necklace. So off I went to make her gift.

Then, came the edible food gifts. Vegan Cinnamon Sugared Almonds and Crystallized Ginger. The house, even now, smells faintly of cinnamon and ginger. The almonds were a new addition, which were warmly received, but the ginger was the show stealer. My brother-in-law said that he really looked forward to it and would be happy with big batches of it every year in lieu of other gifts. Or something like that.

I had made plans to embroider some flour sack towels last year when I saw this post via Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer. I figured that needles and running around the house and kitchen like a crazy woman didn't really go well together. I thought sitting still for this project would make my life easier later (no bandages, blood stains on the towels, etc.) so I didn't even start until Christmas Eve. Thankfully, it really was easy, and I made four towels - two with the great- and grandsons names in Korean to be given to my grandmother and my mom. Two with my sister's last name initial in various fonts across the bottom - one for her and one for her in-laws, whom I thought we would be seeing.

Phew! Now you know why I haven't been blogging; I'm still recovering from December. I'd love to say that I'll post pics since I haven't posted any, but I think I know myself well enough to know it probably won't happen. Shoot! I may not have taken any...

Next, 2010 Resolution Update and 2011 Resolutions.

Appliances Revolt

2010-12-13T20:29:00.008-05:00

We've had some appliances revolt around these parts. If you've been following me on twitter, you've probably caught bits and pieces of it.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the upper spray arm on our dishwasher decided that spinning, spraying, and doing what it is designed to do was highly overrated. We hand-washed dishes (thanks, L, for helping me with dishes after Thanksgiving dinner!!) and started using our dishwasher as a huge dish rack. Boy, I'm starting to feel like a Korean Mom now!

We went out on Black Friday, Saturday, and after church on Sunday to look at various dishwashers. By Sunday evening, all dishwashers started to look the same to me. I couldn't keep track of which models had which features, which features we talked about with the sales person, and which features we really wanted.

But, by Sunday, we quickly had gotten used to hand-washing dishes and modifying our dish usage to minimize what needed to be washed. I'm not in a hurry to replace the dishwasher, even though it would be more convenient to have one. For now, I don't mind hand-washing the dishes and I have to tell you, my dishwasher does make an awesome dish rack. *sigh.

Then, last Thursday, our washer revolted and joined the dishwasher. Now, there was no way I was going to hand-wash clothes. No, siree, no ma'am. I hand-wash very little. Very little meaning next to nothing. We found that our nearly nine year old washer needed a new belt. We replaced it the following day and the washer worked. How thankful and relieved I was that a $25 belt fixed our washer!

Then, tonight, the belt broke again. And filled our basement with enough smoke that made one of our sons edge toward panic-city. Now, we're on the hunt for a new washer instead of trying to make this one work, as the necessary parts would be nearly the same cost of a new washer.

I hope the other major appliances aren't getting any ideas.

Fetching 102

2010-12-01T22:16:00.004-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! We had a lovely time with my parents and the W family. Everything was delicious and we all probably ate too much. Yes, I realize it's Wednesday now.

We were very busy last week, though I had planned to keep up with the boys' school until Wednesday. However, by Tuesday, I needed kitchen helpers. The boys actively participated in Bread-Cubing 101, Apple Chopping 101, Stirring 101, Can-Opening 101, Fetching 102, Sweeping 102, Cleaning Windows and Mirrors 102, Vacuuming 201 and more.

You may have noticed that not all of their "classes" were 101 level. Not all of their tasks required me to ~~hound them~~ ~~breathe down their necks~~ supervise them. Vacuuming is fun for them and they do a good job with it. Sweeping and Cleaning Windows and Mirrors just required me to double-check their work when they beamed and told me they were done.

Surprisingly, Fetching caused more problems than I would have thought possible. They may need to take the 101 level class again.

Many of our pantry items are stored in part of our basement. While I was cooking turkey sausage for the stuffing or crying while chopping onions, I would send one of my boys to Fetch something. I'm not sure if the sight of the tables set up for Thanksgiving threw their minds into a tailspin or they honestly couldn't find the item I requested on one of the three shelving units we use.

At first, I'd tell them almost exactly where I put it. "Sweetheart, it's on the shelf perpendicular to the cereal shelves on the shelf that's at your eye-level, about six inches from the left edge." After they returned without having Fetched the item they were supposed to have Fetched, I'd hmph and go get it.

After the second time, I finally started making bets with them. "If I find [the item] on the shelf where I told you it was, I get [some of your Hallowe'en candy, to give you a love swat on your bottom, or tell you a big fat "I told you so!"] Do you want to take another look?" Of course, they declined and claimed they were thorough in their search. I got some candy. I gave a love-swat. AND I just might have danced and pointed and sang to them, "I told you so!" Being a fun parent can be so much fun sometimes.

At one point during the preparations, my eldest said, "You know what, Mom? Cooking Thanksgiving dinner is not easy." I felt elated that he realized how much needs to happen in order to have a meal like Thanksgiving. I pray he remembers this sentiment, but he is a boy and will be a teenager soon enough. I'm not holding my breath.

One Week 'til Thanksgiving!

2010-11-18T23:25:00.006-05:00

I really am my father's daughter. I mean, I know that I am, but sometimes a habit or event will happen and then I am really struck by how much I am my father's daughter.

I blogged and poked fun at him in my post about the field trip we took earlier in the year because he had his spreadsheet and time table all set up. (You can read about it here, if you missed it.)

Now, Thanksgiving is one week away and I'm hosting it this year. I kicked into high gear and transfered my Thanksgiving thoughts from paper into... a spreadsheet. Yes, I have a spreadsheet. I personally think it rocks, but that might be my inner nerd/geek (neek? nerek? gerd? geeerd?) leaping with joy and telling me it's awesome.

In case you're interested in my thoughts on Thanksgiving, including menu items, what I plan to do each day, and what my Thanksgiving time-line looks like, I uploaded them for you to see here. Of course, I think they look better in spreadsheet form with the multiple tabs along the bottom and neat rectangles, rather than .pdf form. *sigh. I think my inner nerd/geek is showing again.

I'm never making fun of my father's spreadsheets ever again. Of course, it's not that I would be making fun, per se, but rather, enjoying him through his use of spreadsheets. And, "never" is relative in this case.

Thanksgiving Preparations

2010-11-12T23:04:00.004-05:00

I'm getting ready to host Thanksgiving in just a couple of weeks. Guests have been invited. The menu is complete. My food prep and house cleaning schedules have been filled in and printed. As I pin down my turkey purchase date so that I can ideally purchase and immediately start thawing it, I came across this article about turkey prices and production costs. I think tomorrow might be dedicated to making room in the freezer so I can buy the tom I just saw for under $1 per pound.

What the Heck Was I Thinking?!

2010-11-09T16:07:00.005-05:00

I thought this was the month that I was going to write 50k words. HAhahaHAhahaha!! Looking back, I was starting to feel better about the time I made the commitment and thought that my destination of restored health was just around the corner. Mm-nope.

I started to feel better so I started to do things like dishes, making dinner, schooling the boys, and picking up the craziness that had become our home. I also thought about the three story plots rolling around in my brain and thought about which one I was going to strap myself to for the month. And then Saturday happened.

On Saturday, I planned to go to a baby shower for a friend in the morning, followed by a trip to a craft store where I had to pick up an order. After that, I planned to go home and relax while playing with my newly bought craft items. We all know about plans now, don't we?

Here's what happened instead. I went to the baby shower and craft store as planned. At the craft store, I received a phone call from my dad who asked me what he should get my mom for an anniversary gift. I recommended something shiny and sparkle-y. He sounded a little confused and I realized he would need in-person and in-store guidance. Since I was already about half-way to their home, I suggested meeting at a mall near their home.

I arrived a little early at the mall and walked through the jewelry department looking for something that would suit my mom. I met my dad and we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for my mom. I think we picked out something she would really like. Success! At least, I think. (Mom, do you like it??)

When I finally got on the road to go home, I was looking forward to pulling on some comfy clothes and relaxing the evening away. I knew it wasn't quite to be when I saw my mother-in-law's car as I pulled onto our street. Now, please don't misunderstand -- she's fabulous and not at all like the evil mothers-in-law portrayed in stories or movies. On the contrary, we get along really well and we talk. And talk and talk the night away we did. As a result of our talkativeness, I didn't go to sleep until after midnight.

Sunday, after church, fellowship lunch, and more talking, we headed home and I crashed. And now I've relapsed. This is not the recovery/write-like-crazy week I thought it would be.

So, I'm putting the writing on hold until I'm feeling better. It would be fun if 50k words happened this month, but I'm not going to stress about it. Besides, there are eleven other months in the year during which I can write, not just November.

What a Novel Idea!

2010-11-03T23:30:00.001-04:00

After I organized myself for Christmas, I realized on the last day of October that National Novel Writing Month was starting in just hours on November 1.

A few years ago, I had heard about NaNoWriMo from a former scrapbooking customer of mine (now friend) who encouraged me to join her. I declined, as I thought I was busy enough with my family, my scrapbooking business (at the time), and whatever other commitments I had. Each time she brought it up, I shied away from really answering her. Quite frankly, I was scared to make the commitment to write *gulp* 50,000 words (FIFTY THOUSAND WORDS!) in one month that somehow all fit nicely together to form a novel with some sort of a plot and include some decent character development and perhaps most importantly, written by me. All in thirty days.

So, I threw caution to the wind and joined NaNoWriMo this year. I panicked at first (and still am!), but after reading over the information on the site, I feel encouraged by this blurb:

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

And this is what I'll be reminding myself of -- quantity (not quality), lower my expectations, and just WRITE -- all month long.

Getting Ready for Christmas!

2010-11-03T21:38:00.003-04:00

My last post was about Christmas being two months away and I got organized. I made my list of who is getting what and which materials need to be bought to make their items. I started to feel really excited about this coming Christmas, which is a big deal for me because in the past few years I have had a difficult time getting into the Christmas spirit before December 15th, which is when panic would strike hard and fast. Now, I find it hard to believe that I'm excited about Christmas so early! Maybe it's because I'm making so many gifts this year?

Two Months Away!

2010-10-25T10:28:00.001-04:00

I can't believe that Christmas Day is in two months! I've been pondering much regarding the holiday and gift-giving lately - What do my boys want? What do they need? What would they enjoy? What should they get? Will it break two minutes (hours, days) after being opened?

My sister mentioned this blog in a conversation and I found this helpful post -- Raising Real Men: Christmas Gift Ideas for Boys.

How's the Sickie?

2010-10-25T08:41:00.002-04:00

Still feeling ill, but feeling the urge to blog. Go figure.

Today, I want to ask you: What do you do when you're ill?

Most of my desires to get ahead on school plans, projects, and anything but basic housekeeping flee quickly when I feel ill. My favorite place to be is curled up with my Blanket of Power or the blanket with sleeves that my sister made for me and pillow on the couch to either watch or read something. Napping is always wonderful, too.

Some of my favorite to-watch-while-ill movies include: "The Princess Bride," "The Lord of the Rings" series or "Pride and Prejudice" (the 1995 BBC nearly-six-hours-long series starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle).

But, I'm Korean now! haha. I'm still watching more dramas than American/Western shows.

One of my favorite dramas right now is the currently airing Sungkyunkwan Scandal (성균관 스캔들). This drama takes place during the Joseon dynasty in Korea (1700s) when men ruled and women were not allowed to attend university, deemed essentially, second class citizens. This isn't an entirely historic drama (saeguek or 새극) but more of a fusion drama, incorporating both modern and historical aspects. The main character, Kim Yoon Hee (a girl) dresses like a boy, ends up passing the entrance exam to the prestigious school, Sungkyunkwan, and is ordered by the king to attend the all-male university, though she faces a beheading if she is found out. Hijinks ensue, which you can watch here or here.

But, as I am not feeling well, I'm finding myself wanting something more light-hearted. I found Oh! My Lady, which is about a super-star in his twenties, a divorced woman in her thirties with an elementary-aged child, and a young child that brings them together. At least that's what DramaFever tells me, though I haven't gotten to that point where they're together yet.

So I ask you, dear readers... leave me a comment telling me what you do (watch or read) when you're ill. I'd love to know!

Ugh.

2010-10-24T16:40:00.006-04:00

The past few days have been like a blanket-wrapped, warm water with lemon and honey, daily changing symptoms vacation. That's right. I'm ill. This time, I was the last one in the house to catch this bug. My youngest child caught it, shared it with My Dearest, who passed it on to my oldest child who was kind enough to share with me. Ah, I love it when our children share ... their germs with me!

Warning: this post may seem too icky since it deals with being sick.

Those not comfortable with reading about illness symptoms may want to check back tomorrow.

Okay, you've been warned.

I called a moratorium on most of school. The boys have done a little penmanship and Bible through their illnesses and mine. After that oh-so-tedious task is complete (insert eye roll), the boys are soaking up the last warm days of autumn, playing with Lego, and trying to keep quiet while my head pounds.

The kicker of this illness (this time, anyway) is that the symptoms are changing daily. DAILY! The first day, I had a sore throat. I salt gargled, thinking it would help. The second day, my throat was even worse - no voice! It was so painful that gargling didn't even touch it -- not one bit of soothing, which usually happens almost immediately. I seriously thought about buying an air horn to get the attention of my boys, since I had no voice and they had/have a difficult time hearing whispers.

On day three, I had sinus drainage, though I could clearly breathe through my nose. Somehow, this managed to stuff my head, as well as drain down my throat, at the same time. eeeeww. But, the sore throat was mostly gone.

Day four brought a pounding headache along with teasing sinuses. "Oh! Her nose is clearing; she can breathe through her nose! Let's continue to drain down her throat. But, now, let's make her nose run! Constantly! Cue stuffiness... now!" Ah, the sinus confusion, but on the up side, most of my voice came back, even if I sound(ed) like a toddler learning how to speak.

Day five (today) is up in the air. A little dry throat, sinus confusion still going on, headache is a little better, but I've now starting coughing. ugh.

Wondering what symptoms I'll have tomorrow...

2010-10-22T05:39:00.000-04:00

I realize it's been a long time since I've blogged. There's been an anniversary get-away, a dead laptop which was resurrected, a trip to visit family, school, illnesses, neck/back issues, and not enough time to exercise. I'm trying to get back in the habit of blogging.

Civic Duty

2010-09-16T17:11:00.001-04:00

I made sure I didn't pack any prohibited items with me - laptop, mp3 player, floss, Palm Pilot, needles, flatware, rattail comb, brass knuckles, nail clipper, stapler, ammunition, and everything else that was on the list. I did take my cell phone, but locked it in my car. I packed my bag with some analog hobbies and headed out the door.

After I arrived at the court house at 7:50 am, I made it through the metal detectors (my sunglasses beeped), and checked into the jury assembly room. I filled out the survey detailing my zip code, gender, and race, and returned it to the clerk. I sat in the crowded room between a woman reading a book and a man who seemed bored.

Soon after I sat down, a woman and her driver, who seemed to be Middle Eastern, walked in. The man explained that he was this woman's driver and interpreter. He was granted access into the jury assembly room with the instructions that he wasn't allowed anywhere but in this room.

The clerk explained that she needed to take one of each of the items on the counter, and that the survey form was optional. I mentioned that the clerk had not said that the survey was optional to me (or any other potential juror since I had come in). The woman sitting next to me said, "Oh, don't let those Middle Eastern people fool you. They know plenty of English and can speak and understand just fine." I was stunned since I had been commenting on the form, not whether or not she spoke English. She continued, "I work in retail and I see plenty of them speaking English, but faking not being able to speak English when American people walk by." I, still stunned, said, "You know, my grandmother has been in this country for over 30 years, but she still doesn't understand much besides 'hungry,' at which point she'll bring out food. But for anything else, she just smiles because she just doesn't understand." At this, the woman actually looked at me and realized that even though I spoke accent-less English I wasn't "white." And perhaps just to drive the point home, I pulled a book out of my bag - a children's book in Korean.

Since I don't make time at home to practice my Korean reading and writing skills, and electronic devices were banned, I figured I now had time. After I had read half a dozen pages, the man on the other side of me asked if it was Chinese I was reading. It led to a friendly, but brief conversation about the differences between characters and letters.

At about 9:00, a clerk brought us to attention and read through the other paper we had been told to pick up - basic information about court hours, lunch times, etc. He reminded us to wear our "Juror" stickers while we were in the building. He then called about twenty names and they were told to report to their assigned court room. I breathed a sigh of relief when my name wasn't called.

Then, he started calling names for the second group and guess whose name was called first? Yup, mine. Although I think he looked confused since my last name doesn't match my Asian looks. *sigh. Anyway, our group proceeded to our assigned court room. As I was standing in the elevator, a man said, "If you're in a court room on x floor, remember me," and he told us all his name. I think we were all a bit shocked, but thankfully we weren't getting off at the same floor.

As we waited in the hallway, we watched people walk into and out of various court rooms. Then, we heard massive amounts of keys jingle while their owners, officers, quickly exited multiple court rooms on our floor and announced on their walkie-talkies that they were responding to the disturbance on another floor. We potential jurors looked nervously at one another and wondered if we were safe where we were. After a few minutes, many of them returned and I still wonder what prompted their urgent presence on another floor. An officer exited our assigned court room. She announced that our services were not needed for that court room and we should report back to the jury assembly room.

We headed back downstairs and found the room was nearly empty. Many of the jurors, I assume, had been sent to other court rooms. I settled in a chair under a bank of televisions and heard movie trailers playing above me. A young lady sat next to me said, "I hope it's not 'Men in Black'; they played it two years ago when I was here last." And then I heard that after the feature film, the music video for 'Men in Black' would be played. She and I laughed. She settled in for a nap; I spent some time writing and reading.

A gal in her late twenties or early thirties sat across from me (let's call her April) and we chatted about the commotion upstairs, the person in the elevator, and how long we expected to be there. As we chatted, another lady (let's call her Joan) joined us and asked what we were missing out on that day. April was due to catch a flight out of town to visit some friends; I told her I wasn't home schooling today. Joan asked how old my children were and April looked surprised when she heard my answer. (tee hee hee, I apparently still don't look my age!) I was surprised when Joan told me that she was also missing a day of home schooling, but had her parents substitute teaching as she had prepared lessons for the week. I laughed and told her we were taking the week off.

At about 11:45, the clerk read off more names and told them they were free to go to lunch and return at 1 pm. After that group left, the rest of us looked at each other wondering if we were going to get to each lunch any time soon. A chuckle came from the microphone, then the clerk announced that they were trying to figure out what to do with the rest of us.

A little while later, they called more names, mine included, and we gathered near the clerk's window to hear our fate. I recognized many of the faces -- we had all been part of the second group of potential jurors. The clerk announced that we had fulfilled our civic duty for the next 365 days and were free to leave! The security guard noticed all of the happy faces exiting and asked, "Why do you all look so happy?"

Preparations for Civic Duty

2010-09-16T14:13:00.001-04:00

I was scheduled to fulfill my civic duty via jury duty this past week. Initially, I panicked when I received the notice in the mail a couple of months ago. Who would watch my children for the whole day, and possibly longer if I had to sit on a jury? The date I was due to report would be right after we had planned to start school. This was a court house with which I was unfamiliar. I am pretty familiar with different parts of downtown, but I couldn't picture where this one was located.

A friend very graciously offered to watch my boys in addition to her eight. She even offered to have my boys spend the night when she realized I had to be downtown at 7:45 in the morning. Boys watched? Check!

I then sat down with my calendar and decided to start school early to accommodate both jury duty and spending time with my grandmother while my parents were out of town. School schedule? Check!

The night before jury duty, My Dearest and I dropped off the boys at my friend's house and got them settled. Since my friend lives closer to downtown, I decided that we should take a test run to where I needed to go.

According to google maps, I was to take one freeway, merge onto a different freeway, exit, make two right turns, and I'd be there. Easy-peasy, right? (Insert eye roll, here) The first freeway had a lane closed, which at 8 pm wasn't too much of a problem, but I figured in the morning it would be. The second freeway I was to take was closed! We detoured and found a way to get onto one of the cross streets. Then, it was only a matter of figuring out which one way streets would get me there. After passing the football stadium, baseball stadium, the wrong court house, and other various landmarks, I made it to the correct court house. Then, I went back to the exit ramp and drove back to the court house without the scenic detours. Directions to the court house? Check!

Since I felt comfortable getting from the exit ramp to the court house, it was time to go home. And another adventure started! Once we found the signs, which were small and not well placed, we followed it. We drove in the direction the sign indicated, which took us through some scary areas, then we wouldn't see a sign for a very long time. Eventually, the road ended without a new sign pointing in which direction we should continue. *sigh. After turning around multiple times, I found we weren't too far from where I went to school. Once I found some familiar landmarks, it was just a matter of dredging up driving directions from over a decade ago. Directions home? Um... check?

Tomorrow - Civic Duty.

Seeing is Believing

2010-09-09T10:08:00.001-04:00

At dinner time on Monday evening, my grandmother was busily getting the garden ready for the fall. I wish I could tell you what she was doing, but since I'm not the gardener, I have no idea. I told her dinner was ready, she should wash up, and join us for dinner. She told me she had too much work to do and that we should eat without her. I countered with, "But, if you don't see us eating, you won't believe that we did!" She laughed at the thought of that, but said she'd be in soon.

We prayed, plated food, and sat down to eat. I warned everyone to eat slowly because she wouldn't believe that we had eaten if she didn't actually see us consuming our food. She came in shortly after and joined us at the table. She focused on what we were eating (American style food) and commented that American food is so easy to prepare and eat -- there weren't so many side dishes as there are in Korean cuisine. She was so busy commenting on the differences between cuisines and eating her food, she didn't realize we were also eating. She looked at my empty plate and exclaimed that I hadn't eaten anything. I laughed and told her, "See? I told you that you wouldn't believe me!"

Gardens and Frost

2010-09-08T22:13:00.002-04:00

I associate gardens with my grandmother. She is an avid gardener, as she had a farm in Korea before she came to this country about 35 years ago.

At the house I grew up in, she grew Korean peppers, radishes, green onions, squash, lettuces, and other vegetables. This sounds normal, except her vegetable garden was over 6 feet wide and was nearly the length of the quarter acre lot. Now, she has a garden that is tiny by comparison, about four feet wide by six or seven feet long, but still filled with vegetables.

Sadly, I did not inherit my grandmother's very green thumb; I kill plants. I think she's very disappointed that I don't have nor want a garden.

This past weekend, the weather (finally) cooled significantly, which required long sleeves and long pants. This panicked my grandmother since she instantly thought FROST and she is determined to continue her garden until the very last possible moment. I told her there was no danger of frost and that seemed to calm her a little. I encouraged her to continue to get ready to leave the house and I continued to get ready as well. A few minutes later, I knew I had been had. She walked in from the backyard wearing layers of clothing and exclaimed, "I had to cover the vegetables before we left because it might frost tonight!" I should have known she was only placating me.

Frustration

2010-09-08T17:36:00.003-04:00

Frustration is when reality and one's expectations do not match.

Life

2010-09-07T10:50:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite sayings is, "Man plans, God laughs." And right now, it fits.

Two weeks ago, we started school and nearly everything else has been an afterthought. I did manage to exercise regularly that first week of school as we slowly eased into the school routine, but last week when we had a full schedule of school, I think I exercised twice.

In addition to having a full schedule of school, I was preparing to stay with my 90-something grandmother for a week. She lives with my parents and they were ~~running away~~ going on vacation. Since I, out of all of my siblings, "am free during the day," live relatively close by, and am able, I was asked if I could stay with my grandmother and keep an eye on her.

Thankfully, she is still rather healthy. She just recently got a wheeled walker, not that she uses it or even feels that she needs it; it just sits prettily in the corner. She doesn't need a hearing aid, though she seems to have extremely selective hearing. She hears the slightest noise on a different floor of the house, yet doesn't hear me tell her on my first night here that I would be cooking dinner all week - my attempt to have her take it easy while I'm here.

So this week, I'm attempting to school, hoping to get some exercising done, and trying to take care of Grandma. More posts to come soon, I'm sure of it.

Monday Funnies - Webs

2010-08-30T09:12:00.001-04:00

My Dearest stood on a chair to wipe the edge of the kitchen light fixture with a napkin. When asked what he was doing, he replied, "I'm taking down a web... a web of deceit." Pointing to the chair under his feet he added, "Actually, if the web was down here it would be a web of 'deseat'."

Our youngest then piped up, "Why did you take it down? That was a web of delight!"

Have a great Monday!

Monday Funnies: Drama

2010-08-23T08:54:00.004-04:00

Recently, My Dearest and I celebrated a dear friend's wedding. We spent a couple of hours at my parents' home after the ceremony, since the reception hall was only miles from their home and there were several hours between the ceremony and reception. We visited and talked a bit, but knew that there were things my parents had to do. We settled in front of one of their computers to re-watch an episode of one of our favorite Korean dramas.

My dad walked into the computer room to do his work and muttered to himself, "Argh, Korean dramas... what a waste of time! I can't believe you're watching them!" He settled behind his computer and got to work. A few minutes later I heard, "Hey, turn that up! I can't hear it over here!" My Dearest and I smiled to each other as we complied. A little while later, my dad exclaimed, "I think I need a bigger monitor! I can't see so well from over here!"

Have a great Monday!

USJ Workout Update

2010-08-20T14:25:00.005-04:00

I made it to the end of the second week of the Ultimate Skinny Jeans Workout. Now, can I tell you how excited I am that there are only six weeks left?!

When I was going through the Too Busy To Workout Workout, I found that the first week of each month was difficult and served as an adjustment period. Then, the exercises became more familiar and somewhat easier to do in two minute super-set increments. So I thought that I was strong enough to start this circuit training method and that it wouldn't be too difficult, as it seems like a natural step up from super-sets. Boy, was I wrong! This circuit training is just brutal. I think it's the format and method as many of the exercises are ones I'm familiar with and have done before. I've only made it through two circuits of the recommended three this week and last, but am going to do the recommended three next week. yikes. Here's to fat loss and results!

Monday Funnies - Reading

2010-08-16T09:24:00.002-04:00

I am thankful that my mom encouraged me to read when I was a young child. I hope my children will enjoy reading as much as I do. Even if they enjoy reading like this:

Have a great Monday!

Plateau-Jumping

2010-08-14T07:50:00.002-04:00

So, after I replaced the scale battery, I found out that I was (still) stuck on my plateau. Even though I had been exercising and eating (mostly) well, along with drinking lots of water, and supposedly not caring about my weight, my body seemed to decide on its own to be done -- with 22 pounds lost and apparently, very happy to stay there. I knew that my body composition was changing as more muscle was being built and fat was disappearing, but I, however, was still frustrated as the number wasn't changing. I really wanted to get off of the plateau, especially since I knew I still had more fat to lose.

As I lamented to my friends, I heard some interesting plateau-jumping theories. **Fine print: None of these are endorsed by me. Consult your physician... etc. etc.** One friend said he got off of his plateau by not eating dinner for two nights. Another recommended that I vary my calorie intake every few days to keep my body guessing. And yet another said I should eat like I don't care and start fresh in a few days, provided that I can control my eating. None of those sounded like something I wanted to try during the 12 week Too Busy To Workout Workout; I thought that if I continued with the workout and maintaining my eating habits, I'd be off of the plateau sooner or later.

After I finished the 12 week TBTW Workout and lightly exercised for a couple of weeks, I started a new one - The Ultimate Skinny Jean Workout, again over at MightyGrasshopper's site. Now, I'm not a big fan of the clothing trend, but I'm interested in shedding fat (and not doing aerobic routines circa 1985) so I'm very excited about the new workout. I've finished week one and I'm noticing changes already - my arms and legs feel stronger and look leaner, my core feels firmer and flatter, and my clothes are beginning to feel even looser than before. And I very cautiously report that I think I'm off of my plateau and am starting to lose weight again.

Before and After the TBTW Workout

2010-08-13T13:16:00.003-04:00

I did it! I made it through the 12 week "Too Busy To Workout" workout program! The program did "work" - it toned my body. (Although in theory, if one committed to and actually did any exercise program, it should "work.") The program also did a good job of getting me more disciplined about my exercising since it was a six day per week program.

Interestingly, I didn't lose any weight. I know I gained muscle and lost fat, but it's not reflected on the scale. I lost 5 inches overall on my body, but even that is a little misleading as the ratio of, um, width and depth changed, the circumference didn't change as drastically as I would have hoped. Glad I'm not just measuring success by the numbers! Nevertheless, I'm still excited since I'm hauling around a smaller and better toned body than before I started this program.

The week after the end of TBTWW coincided with our camping trip, so I spent a week camping and relaxing on the beach with my family. I decided to take a break that week, though I did some easily-incorporated-into-camping exercise - walking on the beach, swimming, playing on the beach, hiking across sand dunes, and playing bocce. I didn't realize how much stronger I had become, until I picked up my first bocce to throw. You know how one picks up a light-weight object expecting it to be much heavier and the object nearly flies in the air? Yeah, that was me when it was my turn to throw my first bocce. I also noticed that if I didn't get enough exercise, I would feel antsy. If I crossed my legs at my knees, I would unconsciously swing my leg, which I normally don't do. I did eat with a little more abandon than I normally would, but I didn't entirely cut loose.

Here are my pics, before (holding my nephew) and after (on the beach)...

I kinda like that the skirt in my "after" pic looks big, even though I bought it (and it fit nicely) only about three weeks before the picture was taken. I guess I need to go shopping again.

... Pants on Fire

2010-08-12T01:47:00.004-04:00

I exclaimed with joy the freedom I felt from my scale about a month and a half ago. Well, I lied. I felt compelled to pick up a battery for my scale a few weeks ago. It didn't help that I was at the battery display picking up a new battery charger and right at eye-level was the button battery I needed for my scale.

Since I felt so liberated from the scale and had been so excited to try going off-scale for possibly the rest of the year, I sort of wavered on whether or not the scale needed to be brought back to life. My curiosity got the better of me and I folded. Now, I know I haven't gained any weight. Nor have I lost any, technically.

Plateau-jumping, coming next!

I get this...

2010-08-10T15:22:00.001-04:00

“I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I’m doing.” ~Marsha Doble

Monday Funnies - Eek!

2010-08-09T16:38:00.001-04:00

Eek! It's late afternoon and there's no Monday Funny yet.

Our son was sitting facing forward in the car in his car seat, in the middle of the backseat, which tells me that he was under a year and a half old, but older than a year. As My Dearest was driving, I noticed we were quickly approaching a red traffic light and let out an, "Eek!" Of course, we stopped in time, but as we approached the next traffic light, our son pointed and said, "Mama! Eek!"

Have a great rest of your Monday!

Monday Funnies: Fun

2010-08-02T08:28:00.000-04:00

My oldest recently said, "I was meant to have fun outdoors... I think."

Have a great Monday!

Monday Funnies: Quotes

2010-07-26T10:47:00.002-04:00

No Monday Funnies today, but some thought-provoking quotes I've come across recently.

Enjoy, and have a great Monday!

The true portrait of a man

is a fusion of what he thinks he is,

what others think he is,

what he really is and what he tries to be.

~ Dore Schary

“If we wait for the moment when everything,

absolutely everything is ready,

we shall never begin.”

~ Ivan Turgenev

“You can do anything, but not everything.”

~ David Allen

Big One

2010-07-19T19:59:00.003-04:00

I forget sometimes how quickly time passes. It seems like just yesterday that we brought our oldest son home from the hospital, until I see something that very tangibly reminds me that time continues marching. Like when my oldest son started school or we started home schooling him or when his feet became the same size as mine and we could conceivably share shoes. I was reminded that he is continuing this growing thing this past weekend.

I asked my son to put the cereal away (in the cabinet, above our stove). He nonchalantly reached up, opened the cabinet door, popped the box in, and shut the cabinet door. Without a chair, step-stool, or anything to alter his height. And I have reason to believe that he's just going to continue growing, too. Crazy.

Monday Funnies: Those Tricky Vents

2010-07-19T07:29:00.002-04:00

Here's something from one of my sons:

A boy threw a crumpled up ball of paper at the vent, but he missed because the vent duct.

Have a great Monday!

Julia's Camping Test Kitchen

2010-07-15T23:19:00.001-04:00

We've been experimenting with camping foods lately. Whatever we take must be easily prepared, relatively healthy, and easily cleaned up afterwards. Not asking too much, right?

One meal we took for a cook test was the Low Country Boil. I've read about this type of dish in books, but never really thought to make it until I found it in my Reader feed from Heather over at Home Ec 101. Why not? One pot, easy prep and method of cooking, and everyone can pick and eat together leisurely.

I modified the recipe a tiny bit, since Old Bay still seems too spicy for my boys. I only added 2 tablespoons of it to the 3 quarts of water. Everything else was according to the recipe and it was fabulous! This recipe is definitely camp-able. The boys (all three of them) enjoyed this meal. Oh, you wanted to see pics?? Go see Heather's; they're beautiful! I forgot to take photos.

Another recipe we tried was a mashup of two recipes from my friends Gayle and Melinda. Gayle had us over for dinner recently and made this ground beef, onion, potato, carrot, beef broth concoction served over rice, which was fabulous. Melinda told me about a meal she made up when she and her family were on vacation, staying in a hotel and cooking on a hot plate (hence the name "Hotel Meal") with their five children. Her version included ground beef, beans, tomatoes, and pasta. Melinda's recipe lives on and morphs, since it changes based on what she's trying to use up from her refrigerator, though the name stays the same.

My version included some ground beef, onions, diced tomatoes, pinto beans, peas, carrots, a little bit of broth, salt, and pepper, served over rice. This one is camp-able as well! My sons really enjoyed this meal. But, what about me not wanting to take the rice cooker camping, you ask? The rice can be cooked and cooled before we leave, kept in the cooler 'til necessary, and voila! We can eat rice camping. Oh, and it was really good with some Sriracha sauce.

So these two recipes have been added to our camping kitchen, along with our usual standbys. I think My Dearest and I might feel deprived of Korean food by the time we get back. The boys might not be glad to be home from camping.

Sun Protection

2010-07-15T21:46:00.004-04:00

Have you thought about what you're using to protect yourself from damaging sun rays this summer? I didn't really think about it until I came across this very informative website. Turns out that my daily sunscreen lotion should be avoided.

Monday Funnies on Thursday - Star Wars Subway

2010-07-15T16:10:00.000-04:00

I couldn't wait until Monday to share this fun video!

Have a great ~~Monday~~ Thursday!!

Monday Funnies

2010-07-12T07:45:00.000-04:00

Imagine a photo from a catalog. Now, imagine that people lived inside that catalog page and made witty comments. Head on over to CatalogLiving to see it for yourself!

Have a great Monday!

Fitness Fact or Fiction?

2010-07-10T21:22:00.003-04:00

Is it better to exercise first thing in the morning? Are crunches the best way to fit abs? And my personal favorite - does cardio burn more calories than strength training? Nine fitness tidbits answered over at Yahoo - Fitness Fact or Fiction?

Camping Lists: Food

2010-07-10T10:19:00.001-04:00

There's the necessary activity of eating whilst one goes camping and I'd like to think that we have gotten this down pretty well. Since My Dearest is the type of guy who thinks that the most important meal of the day is the next one, food ranks very high on our list of necessities - camping or otherwise. However, the difficulty of cooking over the campfire, on a burner or portable grill while trying to prepare food without the benefit of the ever-so-convenient counter tops adds new challenges to one's culinary skills.

When we first went camping (and even now), we placed quite a bit of emphasis on the ease of creating the meals. With the lack of the ever-so-convenient counter top, we just recently started bringing a 5' folding table, on which we cook our food (atop our burner) and also have a mini food-prep area.

Ease of meal preparation doesn't mean that sensible eating goes out the window, though. We still eat somewhat healthfully while camping, which means that more thought goes into our meal planning before we leave. Our camping meal planning happens randomly throughout the year either from talking with other camping friends or just when we talk about food, which we do often. Remember that he is my most important meal guy? The final selection of meals gets locked in about one or two weeks before our trip. We do factor in what our children would like to eat - but they also request foods most children their age wouldn't. I create a master list of meals and a slightly less master list of which ingredients go with which meal to help keep me sane.

Breakfast and lunch are easy and usually casual. Breakfast is either cereal and rice milk or eggs, turkey sausage, and toast. Lunch is usually sandwiches (pb & j or turkey and cheese), fruit, tortilla chips or crackers, and we usually eat down on the beach.

Dinner is where the meal planning really kicks in. Our basic rule to keeping things easy is: Cook meat and prep veggies ahead of time, if possible. Dealing with food poisoning while camping is not any fun and we try to avoid it. If any meat needs to be transported raw, it goes frozen and travels cozily double zippy bagged.

We usually always have one Mexican meal; it is a favorite camping meal of ours because nearly everything gets prepped at home and we usually have enough for dinner one night and breakfast the next day. I cook and slice the chicken, slice onions and peppers, and dice tomatoes so that the meal is easily warmed, sautéed, and assembled without too much difficulty. The leftovers get warmed up and eaten with the eggs the next morning.

A few years ago (before I became Korean), a family a few campsites away had brought their rice cooker, bbq beef, and other Korean foods. My Dearest (whose favorite cuisine before we met was Korean) looked at me, and before he could even say anything, I said, "NO! We're not bringing a rice cooker camping!" He looked so crushed. Knowing how cumbersome it is to stock a dually ethnic kitchen, let alone a camping kitchen, it's highly unlikely we'll ever be the ones eating Korean food while camping. Though I'd love to hear your ideas and what you have to say, if you pull off diverse cuisines while enjoying the great outdoors!

We started experimenting with some new recipes recently to see if they are camping-worthy. 'Julia's Camping Test Kitchen' is coming soon!

Camping Lists

2010-07-08T09:02:00.001-04:00

We enthusiastically camp once each summer, and have for the last five years. My family would probably like to go more often, but sadly, I'm a city-girl-stick-in-the-mud... at least until this year! I have been looking forward to going camping since late spring!

I think the hardest thing about camping is the preparation and packing. When I was single and went camping (the one time I went), it was easy - throw a sleeping bag and tent in the car, add a cooler with some food, a few basic toiletries and clothes into a duffel bag, some books for the beach and go! It doesn't seem to work that way with the responsibility of a family.

When we started camping as a family, My Dearest and I started making a list. Now, it's The List. It includes what we need to pack for each person, meals with ingredients, plus a rough estimate of which meal gets eaten when, kitchen/cooking items, games, chairs for the beach, sunblock, and tons more. I probably could go easy on all of that, but I like being prepared. Dare I tell you it's in a spreadsheet format so that it's easy to print off each year? I did give you a little warning and tell you earlier that I was the city-girl-stick-in-the-mud, didn't I?

More to come soon!

Flashing Neon Signs Over My Head

2010-07-07T07:38:00.004-04:00

I have signs over my head. In flashing neon. That only mosquitoes can see. They must read something like this, "Open! 24 Hour Buffet! Juicy and Fresh!" Thaaat's right. Mosquitoes love me. I can't say I feel the same way about them.

I'm glad bats and dragonflies eat them, and wish they would do so more often. Especially within close proximity to me. I'd love to have a pet bat or two and a swarm of dragonflies that would eat the pesky skeeters within a few feet of me from late spring to late fall. My own travelin' skeeter-eatin' entourage. Can you imagine?

Last year, they didn't seem too terrible. When we went camping last year, we hardly had to apply repellent. This year, however, with all of the rain we had in the spring and early summer, they are out for blood -- my blood. And apparently, I have what it takes to attract them, not that I'm sure what that is exactly.

I already have a decent number of bites on my neck, arms, feet, and legs from watching fireworks a few nights ago. I applied repellent, but I was still swatting at the mosquitoes like it was a dance and smacking the bites I already had so as to not itch them, but to sting them into not itching any more. Yeah, it's weird.

If I'm already assaulted like this here, what's it going to be like when we're camping right on the lake? I can't wait to hear the waves on the beach, play bocce on the beach, spend some time in the sun, and relax, but I'm not looking forward to the "All They Can Eat Buffet" the mosquitoes will be enjoying whilst I slap at myself and hop around in a manner worthy of institutionalization.

Then, once the bites have already occurred, there are the many "remedies". Vinegar, hot water, baking soda paste, meat tenderizer paste, nail polish.... the list goes on. Very little seems to help me. My mom tries to be helpful and has recommended that I rub plantain leaves on my skin at the bite site to help reduce the swelling and relieve the skin... except I have sensitive skin and I react to the plantain worse than the existing mosquito bite. Just the other day, she told me banana peels rubbed on the skin helps take away the itching. uh...

I'd really rather prevent the bites naturally, then slather on the bug repellent or (try to) treat after the fact. I'd love to hear what preventative strategies you have! Or if you've got neon signs over your head and want to commiserate, drop me a comment, too!

Belated Monday Funnies - The Nothing Box

2010-07-06T14:47:00.002-04:00

Oh, the differences between men and women... Enjoy, and have a great Tuesday!

Hot Sauces and a Franken-recipe

2010-06-30T22:33:00.005-04:00

My sister and brother-in-law have a variety of hot sauces at their home, Sriracha sauce included. My sister recently mentioned that Sriracha sauce is especially good on curry with pineapple over rice and lentils. While I was at the Asian market last weekend, I found coconut milk for $0.89 a can and Sriracha sauce for $2.99. Score!

After looking at the cans of coconut milk, I finally made something today. I franken-reciped a Betty Crocker chicken curry recipe, a Good Housekeeping coconut curry sauce recipe, plus added a few of my own inspirations.

Julia's Franken-Recipe for Coconut Beef* Curry

2 T oil
1 T curry powder
2 onions, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb beef, sliced thinly
14 oz coconut milk
3 T sugar
14 oz diced tomatoes
crushed pineapple
mandarin oranges, drained
peanuts
Sriracha sauce, optional

1. Warm oil in sauce pan, add curry powder and cook the curry until it is fragrant and dark brown, about 5 - 10 minutes.
2. Add onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent.
3. Add beef and cook until done.
4. Stir in the coconut milk and sugar.
5. Stir in the tomatoes and let simmer until thickened, about 40 minutes.

Serve over rice and lentils. Spoon fruit and peanuts on top. Add Sriracha sauce to taste, if desired.

Reviews: My Dearest and the boys all enjoyed it and would like to eat it again. The curry was very, very mild. Next time, I'll add more curry, maybe another tablespoon or two. I also realized that the coconut milk was a huge source of fat! I'll have to see I can find reasonably priced low-fat coconut milk (if it exists) or maybe substitute plain yogurt and almond or rice milk instead. It was all gone before I realized I didn't take any pictures of it! Perhaps next time.

*I realize beef isn't traditional curry meat, however, it's what I had and it was pretty tasty. Next time, I'll use chicken chunks instead.

Incidentally, I found this list of best hot sauces. I'd love to know which sauce is your favorite or if you have a different fave!

Numbers

2010-06-30T07:19:00.001-04:00

I have no qualms about how old I am or disclosing it to friends or others. I'll even tell you all - I'm 36. (Perhaps yesterday's post makes more sense now.)

Now, my weight is another story. I've been reluctant to post how much I weigh. I'm not as hesitant when it comes to mentioning it in a conversation with friends as I work to get off of this (extremely frustrating) plateau. But, since it's become more "stable," I've become more comfortable with it, though I'd still like to lose the 15 pounds I set out to lose this year. On a side note, I've heard that the last ten or fifteen pounds one would like to lose are the hardest to lose.

Though currently, my weight is a moot point because the battery in my scale died about two weeks ago. It's a button-type of battery, a size and style I don't readily have in my home. I can't raid my children's toys to find one and pop into my scale. Not that I'd do that. Ahem. At first, I felt rather panicked that I didn't know how much I weighed or how much I had lost or gained just days after the scale died.

I've learned a few things in the past couple of weeks. First, I've learned to relax a little since then. I'm not nearly as stressed about my weight, which I didn't fully realize I was until my scale went kaput. I think the absence of the scale has freed me to give myself a little wiggle room, and not obsess about the digits that make up my weight.

Secondly, I've learned to pay better attention to other indicators of my health rather than just the scale's numbers, such as by how my clothes fit (though many of them are getting too big!) and how I feel overall.

And thirdly, I've realized that there are many factors to weight besides height. There's build, body style or type, and attitude. Okay, so attitude maybe not so much, but I'm slowly realizing I'm not putting as much stock into how much I weigh, as long as my medical numbers remain within normalcies (blood pressure, heart rate, etc.) and I'm taking care of my health.

A girl could get used to this kind of freedom. I may not replace the battery in the scale until the end of the year, just so I can see if I met my goal or not!

Proof of Age

2010-06-29T08:32:00.003-04:00

About six months ago, I stopped at a liquor store to pick up some Guinness to enjoy with My Dearest and his cousin who was visiting. Not only was I asked for proof of age, but I was asked if it was a fake! The clerk tapped my license on the counter to see if it would fall apart like the cheap fake he thought it was.

About three months ago, My Dearest and I went out to eat and after I ordered a beer, I was asked for proof again that I was old enough to consume alcohol. I laughed, thinking she was joking. The look on her face told me she was serious, plus the somewhat stern, "No, I really need to see it," kinda sealed the deal for me. After I handed my license to her and she saw my birth date, her jaw dropped. Literally. She turned various shades of red and stammered an apology.

A few weeks later, I was buying wine at the grocery store. In front of me were two guys buying wine. One of them nudged the other and said, "You need to show her your ID so she knows you're legal as well." I inwardly laughed as I realized they must be in their early twenties. I knew when it was my turn to pay, she'd ask for my ID based on my previous experiences purchasing alcohol. I handed it to the cashier without even waiting for her to ask. She did mention that I looked young for my age.

And just a few weeks ago, we all went out to eat - My Dearest, our two boys, and me. I was surprised I didn't get carded. Maybe my children make me look older?

From the instances I've recounted for you, it may seem that we consume alcohol regularly and often, but we're not that big on alcohol.

Two-Thirds!

2010-06-28T16:35:00.001-04:00

I'm two-thirds of the way through the exercise series Mica has put together for the readers at MFG! It's hard to believe eight weeks have gone by already. It's also hard to believe that I've exercised six days each week, nearly consistently for eight weeks.

I'm excited about the change of pace with this last month of exercises, even though Brian at MFG says, "As I was looking through this month's routine, I had a good chuckle and thought "this is gonna be a killer!" This, of course, is a good thing!" Why do I feel like he just might be laughing at and enjoying my pain? Of course, I know that you have to increase the intensity and have "killer workouts" to get the results you want. I'm excited to see how my body will have changed over the last 12 weeks, and these next four especially. I've already started to see changes everywhere, but I'd love to see more results through my lower abs, hips, and thighs.

Of course, there is no such thing as spot-training or spot-reduction, but I have noticed that since I haven't been walking three to four miles, four to five times each week, I've noticed what seems like a stall in the loss of fat around my middle. To remedy this, I've started walking two to three miles (in about 20 minutes) in addition to the workouts. As soon as I started this, I've noticed that my middle has started slimming down again.

Bring on the last four weeks!

Monday Funnies - Dessert and Breakfast

2010-06-28T12:55:00.003-04:00

Since today is my birthday, here's an age related joke.

A man says to his wife, "Honey, some dessert sounds good! Maybe some ice cream, hot fudge, peanuts, and a cherry on top." The wife goes into the kitchen to fix the dessert. The husband calls after her, "Now, don't forget the peanuts!!" The wife hollers back that she won't. A little while later, she walks out of the kitchen and brings in a tray of breakfast foods: scrambled eggs, bacon, coffee, and orange juice. He says to her, "I told you not to forget the toast!!"

Have a great Monday!

Monday Funnies

2010-06-21T07:12:00.000-04:00

This is one of my favorite scenes from "Pasta", a Korean drama.

Watch the whole drama here or here.

Have a great Monday!

Scary Scale

2010-06-15T00:23:00.007-04:00

I'm pleased with how my body has been changing since I started this exercise program several weeks ago. I'm a little less than pleased with where my weight is currently, and I'm very certain I'd rather not twitter about it every time I step on the scale. But perhaps you wouldn't mind? Head over here.

Monday Funnies - Man Made Card

2010-06-14T06:43:00.003-04:00

Have a great Monday!

Monday Funnies - Refrigerators

2010-06-07T16:15:00.002-04:00

Enjoy, and have a great Monday!

HTOTW: How Much Water?

2010-06-04T12:29:00.004-04:00

So, how much water does one *really* need daily? I remember the 8-8 guideline, 8 glasses of 8 ounces daily. I remember also hearing that the 8-8 guideline was too much, then it was too little. I've also heard half your body weight in ounces. Here is a hydration calculator that clears it up! Answer questions based on one's weight, exercise habits, whether one is pregnant or nursing, climate, altitude, and more, and find out how much water one should drink daily! HT: Witness My Fitness

TV and Weight Loss

2010-06-03T21:19:00.001-04:00

I was speaking with My Dearest and a friend recently about our television viewing habits, which consists of us not watching much of it. We explained that there were two shows we watched on television and the others were on-line, regardless of whether they were Korean dramas or American shows.

We talked about how we felt like we suffered through the multi-hour premiere (and finale) of Lost this year and all of the commercials during the show. At the end of the premiere, I think My Dearest and I talked more about how we felt so bombarded by the commercials and how we felt more "snack-y" while we watched the show, rather than the show itself. I noticed that the pattern was fairly consistent when we watched TV compared to when we were watching on-line.

As our conversation continued, a light bulb slowly started flickering above my head. As I thought about my weight loss over the last year and a half, I realized that most of my weight was lost while I wasn't watching much TV. I think there is a correlation between seeing (food) commercials and diet. Then I came across this interesting article about TV and advertisements.

2010-06-02T18:03:00.003-04:00

Wow. Go read this.

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-31T06:29:00.001-04:00

No Monday Funny this week, but a thought provoking quote that makes me feel thankful for the American men and women who have died in military service.

Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom. ~ Albert Einstein

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!

MFG TBTW Workout Update

2010-05-31T01:44:00.003-04:00

I have made it through four weeks of The Mighty Fit Grasshopper's "Too-Busy-To-Workout" workout. I got into the rhythm of working out six days each week. I have gotten used to the level of activity Month 1 required.

Now, I have seen what exercises Month 2 is expecting me to do. I'm excited by the progress I anticipate making by the end of the month, but I'm not looking forward to what the end of each day this upcoming first week of the new workout will be like. I think I'm going to be a sack of wobbly limbs - at least for this week. Bring it on!

Calling All Video Game Developers!

2010-05-29T23:42:00.003-04:00

Check out HanClinto.com for their starter kit that gives your aspiring video game developer everything they need to make their own Mario style flash game! Complete source code, royalty-free graphics, video tutorials, and more are all included. See what has been done using HanClinto's kit here!

**I am not being compensated by hanclinto.com at all, just trying to spread the love.

Monday Funnies - Warm Weather

2010-05-24T08:36:00.001-04:00

The weather is warming up nicely and it has affected My Dearest. Yesterday, he said, "When it comes to ice cream, I take dish it out as well as I can take it."

Have a great Monday!

Grace

2010-05-18T17:19:00.000-04:00

"Hope means holding onto You; grace means You're holding me, too." ~ JJ Heller

cr: SNM

Monday Funny - Groaner

2010-05-17T08:11:00.001-04:00

My Dearest, preparing to cut the grass, said, "I'm going to go do Hawaiian." After a puzzled look from me, he corrected himself, saying, "I'm going to go do Samoan!"

I warned you that it was a groaner.

Have a wonderful Monday, anyway!

Wellness Challenge

2010-05-13T16:52:00.003-04:00

If you need some motivation to eat well and exercise, check out this blog -- The Best YOU!! Join the group, exercise, eat well, submit your weekly points, and become the best you. There's also money on the line for the top winners!

cr: Shelli@Needle in a Haystack

Diet Soda and Water

2010-05-13T06:43:00.001-04:00

I came across two very interesting health-related articles I want to share with you. The first article reinforces my thoughts about diet soda and weight gain, plus there's a video that illustrates the points well. The second article is about water intake and fat burning potential. Personally, I'm going to go drink some water right now.

Encourage Each Other

2010-05-11T07:53:00.002-04:00

Yesterday's Monday Funny wasn't terribly funny, but it struck me as an interesting perspective on weight loss and the power of the mind. I've blogged about Mind Games here. But, what if Mind Games aren't enough to motivate someone to exercise or eat right?

Here's a tip that I've found helpful in sticking to my new exercise program. Granted, this new program is only a week old, so maybe it hasn't had time to be proven yet, but it is helpful so far -- Be accountable to someone. I blogged about this before and how all you (half-dozen) lurkers out there are my accountability since I blog about this, but I've tweaked it into an email.

I was speaking with a friend at church about exercising and our goals to lose weight. I mentioned the new workout I was going to be starting, she mentioned interest in it, and would I mind emailing her the link? So we ended up being exercise accountability partners. We email each other each day (or thereabouts) with what exercise we did. We don't have any hard and fast rules, just a quick note to the other. Sometimes a vent, sometimes a praise, but it must include the exercise part. I have found that it helps keep me on track because I enjoy emailing her what exercising I've done; it feels like a task crossed off of my list. Also, it's a way for us to become better friends, since we see each other rarely outside of church.

Find someone to email, tweet, or call to share your exercise success! Can't find anyone? Join a Facebook group or one of the forums over at RealAge!

Get moving and get fit! Summer's just around the corner!

Monday Funny - A Different Perspective

2010-05-10T20:51:00.003-04:00

I was speaking with a friend who would like to lose weight, but is having a difficult time of it. She commented, "If most of the population is overweight, maybe it's you skinny-minis that are abnormal and we fat people that are normal!!"

Some encouraging words are coming tomorrow... Have a great rest of your Monday!

Quick MFG TBTW Workout Update

2010-05-08T15:55:00.005-04:00

I made it through Week 1 of the Mighty Fit Grasshopper's Too-Busy-To-Workout workout! One week down, 11 more to go.

I have been modifying the workout a bit since the resistance band I have doesn't provide enough resistance, but hand weights and My Dearest's weight machines have been my stop-gap and they get me through.

On Monday, I couldn't get the Day 1 video to load. Since I had no idea how to execute half of the exercises, I started with the Lower Body workout (Day 2). After I was done with my workout, I couldn't believe how much energy I had! My legs felt a little wobbly as I went down the stairs to do laundry, but I figured that the huge laundry baskets would cushion my fall if I took a tumble. Thankfully I didn't fall, but I did do five loads of laundry, folded four of them, turned my mattress, taught my boys, made dinner, cleaned up the kitchen afterwards, and felt that I had energy to burn at the end of the day.

Tuesday, Day 2 -- I did Day 1's workout. My arms weren't too sore, but in my experience, it's always the day after the workout that gets me. But, again, I had lots of energy after I was done. I didn't realize how much I was using my core muscles until My Dearest said something that evening that made me laugh and my stomach started protesting. Of course when I laughed, my stomach hurt, which made me laugh more. That's a vicious cycle, I tell ya.

On Wednesday, Day 3, I actually did the workout designated for the day and wowzers. I definitely started noticing that my stomach was starting to feel and look flatter this day after I was done working out. High energy again - cleaned the bathroom, the kitchen, vacuumed, and again felt that I had left-over energy at the end of the day.

Thursday, Day 4 -- I decided to keep the pattern from earlier in the week and did the Lower body workout (Day 2). Definitely easier than when I first had done the exercises three days ago. I found that a full-length mirror helps with form and posture, especially with the lunges and the squats.

Friday, Day 5 -- I thought by this point I would regard this program as a chore, since I was used to only exercising three to four times per week, but I found I was looking forward to it! I was concerned when I was done with the workout because my arms weren't as fatigued as when I had done the exercises earlier in the week. I wondered if I was maintaining the proper form, or perhaps I wasn't doing enough reps. But, as the day went on, my arms and core started feeling pleasantly fatigued.

Saturday, Day 6 -- I did an in-between of what they recommend and walked three miles in about 40 minutes (a Leslie Sansone dvd).

I know that taking a "before" picture is helpful. MFG even recommends it in the first half of the post, but I forgot. I know that measuring one's body is helpful to see that one is actually losing weight and getting trimmer when the scale doesn't show much difference (or even shows a gain), but I forgot to do that as well. I hesitate to post a photo, but I am going to measure my body weekly (starting today) and I'll give a summary of inches lost at the end of the program.

Get moving and get fit!

Korean Barbecued Beef Recipe

2010-05-04T09:28:00.002-04:00

We've been eating more Korean food lately, which shouldn't be a surprise, unless you're new here. (Welcome to my spot on the web!) Here's my recipe for Korean Barbecued Beef (불고기, romanized as bulgogi).

1 lb. beef (London broil, country style ribs, or flank)

2 1/2 T soy sauce

1 1/2 T sugar

2 T rice wine

1 T sesame oil

1 tsp ginger root, crushed and minced (about a 1/2 inch thick piece)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 or 4 green onions, chopped

1 tsp roasted sesame seeds (optional)

1 T. water

Slice beef thinly against the grain; place in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Marinate at least 1/2 hour in the refrigerator; I prefer to marinate the beef overnight. Grill or pan-fry until done (medium-well), or to taste.

My children enjoy eating this with rice and some veggies. My Dearest likes to add pickled cabbage (김치 or kim chi). I like to eat mine in lettuce wraps - leaf lettuce with a spoonful of rice, a schmear of spicy red pepper paste (고추장), and a piece of 불고기 all wrapped together. Enjoy!

Helpful hints: I find it helpful to freeze the beef for an hour or two in order to slice it thinly - but not so that the beef is frozen solid! Also, we decrease the sugar or increase it, depending on mood. My mom uses pineapple juice instead of the water.

Monday Funnies - How was school?

2010-05-03T08:15:00.003-04:00

For today's Monday Funny, I'm sending you over to Dawn at Because I Said So! When I read this, I laughed out loud, and then I laughed some more. I might have scared my children I was laughing so hard. Without further ado, Dawn asks,"How was school?"

Have a great Monday!

Resolution Update

2010-05-02T21:47:00.004-04:00

Well, it's now May and yet again, I haven't been doing so well at keeping my resolutions. I've exercised sporadically, which means the 15 pounds I want to lose have not miraculously vanished; I've only lost three of them so far. Thankfully, my eating habits have remained somewhat decent so I'm not gaining weight. This current "weight-hovering" is somewhat refreshing, only because my mental image of my body is more in line with what I actually look like now, instead of what I looked like 22 pounds ago.

To mix it up and start exercising again, I'm going to try a program of sorts. I googled something health or nutrition related a month or two ago, which led me to an interesting blog, The Mighty Fit Grasshopper. Monday, I'm starting the Too-Busy-To-Workout Workout for women. It's a 12 week program and the first month has two sections - 15 minutes of resistance training and 10 minutes of cardio. Exercise done in 25 minutes! I'm willing to try it. Anyone want to join me?

Congratulations to Nancy!

2010-05-01T18:53:00.000-04:00

If you have a moment to spare, head over to see my blog friend Nancy at Home Made Blessings and leave her some comment love. She has hit a milestone - 500 posts and 2000 comments, and both at the same time! To celebrate her milestones, she's giving away a basket of goodies to one of her comment-ers, so tell her "Congratulations!" and enter to see if you win.

This makes me wonder how many posts I've written and how many comments I have...

Monday Funnies

2010-04-26T07:39:00.001-04:00

Before church service yesterday, our youngest son turned to My Dearest and said with the air of a teenager, "Now, Dad, I'm not planning on hanging around after church." My Dearest laughed and wondered to himself if our eight year old son was going to drive himself home or perhaps meet friends for lunch afterwards.

Have a great Monday!

Language Sites

2010-04-24T11:35:00.006-04:00

I've come across a couple of foreign language sites recently that I thought I'd share with you, dear netizens.

First off is Livemocha. My Dearest is using Livemocha quite regularly and is learning Korean quickly. Livemocha seems to be very similar to Rosetta Stone, from the small sampling of Rosetta Stone I've seen. Livemocha has free courses, but there is also the option to pay for additional resources. This site offers lots of languages and various ways to learn (drag/drop magnet board, listening, reading).

Second is the Foreign Service Institute. This site also offers many languages, though some languages have more lessons than others. This site is structured more like school, which I really appreciate since I don't know how to teach Korean to my children. I'm looking forward to using this site as soon as they fix their server overload problems from the LifeHacker site. HT: LifeHacker