JANUARY COMFORTS

My daughter recently shared in her blog http://nikki-fancythat.blogspot.com :) that January tends to make her feel blah. This same sentiment was repeated by a few friends of mine, too. It made me think about why I've always liked January. For one, the holidays, with all their blessings, are behind (whew!). As is the frenetic activity--leaving January with the luxury of Time. Time to reflect and time to put one's home and inner self in some order. Time to think of what's next. I love making New Year goals (less guilt involved than making resolutions :). This year's involve focusing on creating more (sewing, blogging, bread baking, etc. and learning more (tai chi/yoga, more Mongolian language, tech stuff, essential oils/herbs, etc.) Oh, and reading through the Bible (found 3 great plans to choose from here: http://www.navpress.com.

Anyway, January & February tend to be the coldest months here in Mongolia and this has been an exceptionally cold month. A few days ago when I took this picture out my front window, it was -47 F! A few of my "likes" that bring me comfort during these slower, chilly days are pictures of my family which are all over our apartment, a new deluxe Scrabble game my sister sent us for Christmas :) , my sewing corner that I try to be in most every day--even if it's just 15 minutes...and my friends, of course! Then there is my French press. Dealing with my hypoglycemia has forced me to cut waaay back on my coffee consumption. So, I try to make my 2 cups with breakfast a coffee moment. This does the trick.

Comments

Nikki Schreiner said…

Hey, the blog looks great! good job. And thanks for the link ;) The little tools are only there on your own screen when you're signed in to Blogger, so you can edit things easily if you want to. The rest of us can't see them :)

January 12, 2010 at 10:52 PM

Much Needed New Winter Robe - Vogue 9232

Last spring I chucked my 20-year-old bathrobe, giving me no choice but to replace it come winter. Granted, I never took it to Mongolia, so it only got worn when I was home in the US. But still. For summer I made several light weight robes, but I knew I liked the style of my old RTW one. When I saw reviews for Vogue 9232--on PR (all 3 of them), I knew I'd found my pattern. Interestingly enough, the pattern is actually for a caftan-type dress; but all 3 reviews were done up as a robe. Sham's review in particular had great tips. On a trip to Colorado Fabrics in early summer I spotted a beeeuuutiful pink sweatshirt type fabric. The outside is more like a thick knit and inside is dreamy soft. And it's baby pink! Which is hard to tell in the pics as we in Colorado have had lots of rain and no sunshine. And OK, I'm no photographer. But seriously, this is like stepping into a pink cloud. ...

St. Patty's Day UB Style

I know this is a few days late, but we've been out of power for about 48 hours . Another story, another time. Anyway, holidays as we know them are a real challenge here. We did manage to go over to the Grand Khaan Irish Pub (remember, I do not make this stuff up) for a pint of Guinness (OK, it's watery Guinness out of China, but the sentiment is there as you can see :) and some Chinese stir fry. You see, their power was out, too, so the the grill was down but the wok was up. The place was packed and when the power did flash back on now and then, the Irish Rovers were a playin '. My first response to the 2nd picture was " Agghh ! I look 110 years old!" Randy reminded me that he took this on his cell phone. Hmm ... The 1st picture is of my first homemade corned beef!!! My dear friend, Beverly, shared her recipe (and her corned beef!) with my Bible study group 2 years ago. It turned out stellar! I have a handful of ladies of a Certain Age that inspire me and...

Jesus, Me, and Yoga

Almost a month ago I signed up for a 3-month membership at a local Dahn yoga center--and I have to say it has been life changing! Seeking to conquer my constant heart palpitations and gain lots more flexibility in ever creakier joints and muscles, I am constantly surprised--and delighted--to find it a profoundly spiritual experience. Not in a zen way, no Hindu gods invoked--but lots & lots of Jesus. I have found this stage of life to be an intersection where my spiritual life & emotions collided head on with my body. Things that for years I could sweep under the rug or just push through (ok, and blame others, hold grudges, lash out, etc., etc., yuk & yikes); well, my body would no longer tolerate it. Results: constant heart palpitations, sleep issues, anger/depression, etc. God used the hormonal stew of this life stage to bring me to a Ground Zero of sorts--what a journey it has been! My trip to Cambodia was the beginning of Change; it rebooted my decision-making p...

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