Scenic Route

Laurie Unplugged

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Sun, 24 May 2009 05:30:00 +0000

Here's an "infomercial" that Randy got me on with my new "cordless machine." :)
Here are a few things we've been working on in my quilt class here in UB--As I've said before: my "students" should be teaching me :) It's a real challenge for me to challenge them a bit. Last week we did the sunflower--they cut theirs out of silk scraps (good cottons just aren't available here)--then look! They turned around and gifted me with the wonderful pillow combining several of their flowers!! I just love it! Even the border is pieced with silk scraps. Wonderful. I about cried. This last week week did the origami star--which was a special challenge for me--Randy had to help me the night before as it was a bit abstract for me! But we had a ball getting through it.

Springtime in Mongolia

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Sat, 16 May 2009 12:54:00 +0000

We took a day trip today out to Terlj National Park today. It actually snowed last night and the wind was howling today. But still, the sky was beautiful and the signs of spring were everywhere. Beautiful!

Sewers Unplugged

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Fri, 08 May 2009 11:36:00 +0000

I know it's been forever since I blogged, but I finally have a chance (and power and internet :) to catch up. Due to the constant outages here in UB, my dear Randy gifted me with this marvelous Russian sewing machine for our recent 30th anniversary. This is what my students all use (note in pics) and it's amazingly precise never mind the hand wheel; and the stitch is perfect and even! It's strictly Sew and Don't Sew (a Myer-ism). Speaking of my students, check out what they've been up to! They just finished the sashing & borders on our Old Testament Bible blocks and yesterday we did kimono blocks from this book.
We all had a total blast with this one!

Last but not least...I just boxed up a sack o' doll clothes for Julia who will turn 2 on May 24th. Each granddaughter gets a Bitty Baby by American Dolls for her 1st b-day and then granny-made clothes for her 2nd. Yep, all 5 of them (and counting as we don't know what Jana's next one will be yet :) Tomorrow at midnight they will be winging their way to the US with a friend. Plugged or unplugged, sewing is such a gift, eh?

Easter in Mongolia

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:47:00 +0000

We had a wonderful Easter--with 60 F above 0 weather!! I wore my party padabouts sans pantyhose :) I made two of these Martha Stewart Mandarin Orange Upsidedown Cakes--one for the Easter dinner we celebrated with friends (the hosts supplied a real USDA ham! Heaven :) and one for our church fellowship that evening. I was able to sew my Easter duds together at the last minute, the skirt went together in about an hour on Saturday and the top on Sunday. Nothing like last minute, but the fact that I had any time at all was a huge surprise/gift to me. The fabric was from a 3-piece Sari package I got at a local store. There were two 3-meter lengths of a cotton/silk blend (skirt) and then another 2 meters of a silk scarf--that's what I made the vest out of. The biggest blessings of all are that He is risen!!! and calls to family of course.

My People!

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:37:00 +0000

Some things need no translation and that includes love of fabric and sewing. My Mongoilian friend, Selenge, has been after me for 4+ years to give sewing demos at her quilting center here in UB. I have finally agreed--and have had a blast! The language thing (the students speak almost no English and I use my "Monglish") is just no big deal. The first week I showed them origami fabric flowers from Kumiko Sudo's great book, Flower Origami. The next class we had Show & Tell and they just took the concept and ran with it! Now we've started Bible blocks (complete with the corresponding story :D ) --from this site: www.patternsfromhistory.com/bible_quilt/bible_bom.htm for a sampler quilt of old American blocks. The one group picture shows our finished Garden of Eden Block. Then, they taught me how to make these really cool little silk flowers made from circles!

The Littlest Birds DO Sing the Prettiest Songs!

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:23:00 +0000

I made this little fleece owl in about 30 minutes right before I met up with this little birdie below. Her name is Rachel Saruul and she belongs to our young friends Keegan & Tugsoo Cook. That impish smile is due to Mom catching her getting into a big piece of chocolate cake meant for her Daddy. The owl pattern came out of a Sew Simple magazine, Volume 11. The song title belongs to a GREAT song by the Be Good Tanyas (thank you, Nikki!)

Hearts & Birds :)

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:12:00 +0000

Valentine's Day this year marked the 30th (!!) anniversary of our first date. Randy, as always, came through with flying colors. I woke up to a dozen beautiful red roses (not to be taken for granted here in Mongolia!), was treated to a marvelous day, and finished up by dining & dancing at a Valentine's Day charity dinner (which means I got to dress way up :). I thought I would just throw in these fun birds I made last week (also from the Spool website). They adorn my guest bathroom and a spot in the living room. Too cute, eh?

Still Sewing--really!

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:51:00 +0000

Here are some projects I made for my 7 Wee Ones before I left the States. Hats & scarves for all plus a few princess pillowcases. Then, I brought back this great fabric to re-do my sewing machine & serger covers and thread catcher. I've always been a bit picky about these things and mine were at least 10 years old. They sure brighten up my sewing room and go with my artwork :) I finally ditched that old pattern and dowloaded the cover patterns at http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/2008/07/25/sewing-machine-cozy/ Directions were brief and perfect!

Goodbye West, Hello East

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 08:59:00 +0000

Well, I kissed the babies in Denver goodbye (sigh) and headed back to Mongolia. A mere 33 hours later (from the door of the Denver airport to exiting Chinggis Khan airport in Mongolia), I was receiving a bear hug from Randy :) I just want to share a glimpse of Incheon Airport in Seoul, So Korea--notice the lounge/sleeping areas; they're sprinkled throughout the airport. The whole airport is spotlessly clean and wonderfully quiet. Flight announcements are made one at a time and in a pleasant North American voice. Showers, massage, etc., are all available to everyone (notice the massage tables behind the lounging lady); not just those with lounge privileges. Incheon Airport is my "wardrobe" of re-entry into Asia (you know; The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe tale) and helps take a bit of the sting out of leaving loved ones. Check out the video!

A Few of My Favorite Things

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 04:18:00 +0000

I just cannot put off blogging any longer--never mind that I'm living with 3 of my favorite little things right now and that they have been down with a virus. Yes, it's been like living in a TB ward. Anyway, I've added a video of Kelby taken when I first got to Denver-- toooooo cute. Oh, and I could not resist adding Natalie's "centerpiece" of fairy bodies--a festive touch to the table the night the pastor and his family came to dinner. :) That's Tinker Belle's rear end front & center just in case you're trying to place it. Oh, and that is my Greta Goose that i discovered in my bed--put there by nurturing Natalie. You might notice the baby monitor next to Greta--I took it for the girlsies while this plague has plagued us. to help Nikki out who has her hands full with a stuffed up Kelby ...ah, the things we forget about...like the love/hate relationship with the baby monitor.

Layla's 2!

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:33:00 +0000

Layla Jane's special day begin right after a birthday breakfast of pancakes when she opened a few presents from immediate family :) After church, her party continued on at Cici's restaurant where 25 or so of her closest friends :) and some more family showed up to help her celebrate. Layla was the consumate party girl and held up great.

Let It Snow, let it snow....

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:21:00 +0000

I do believe the last statistic I read was that Spokane has received 53+ inches of snow during the month of December! I believe it! Isn't it amazing? ...and yes, beautiful. I have been able to take a good walk almost every day and snapped these pictures

Christmas in a New Time Zone

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:55:00 +0000

I've been blessed to spend Christmas 2008 in Spokane, WA--USA!! (Thanks to the generousity of Randy :) After flying halfway around the world, I met up with my sister, Carol, in the Seattle airport where we both came to a complete halt due to weather and canceled flights. Long story short, we made it (with a lot of Divine Intervention--thank you to all who were praying :) The pictures capture the Joy & Chaos of our visit so far--we had a full hearth of stockings!

Sawadee!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:47:00 +0000

Sawadee is the meet 'n greet phrase in Thailand and is always accompanied by folded hands and a bow. I thought it would be interesting to have a cultural exchange of airline attendants; say, do a secret switch of a crew of Asian flight attendants (who always smile and speak softly--oh, and are gorgeous) with a crew of North American ones. Hmm. Neither would know what hit them.

Anyway...
For those of you in the deep freeze back in the US, thought you might like a glimpse of our time out last week :) This time we went to Phuket Island in Thailand; a little piece of heaven! We left Mongolia at -25 F and basked in Phuket's 85-90's. Ahh...The beach was pristine (the picture of our feet is in the ocean, not the pool!) and the resort stunning--we had a private patio with an outdoor shower (yes, we had one inside, too)--all for less than the average Best Western back in US. I think Randy's smile says it all, don't you? Oh, and the brushes below are hawked to beach slugs like us; to brush away the sand, don't you know :)

One last thought: interesting how the White people immediately set out to clothe the natives in these places--now it's the natives who dress head-to-toe against the sun and the White people who could use a bit more fabric (OK, a lot more).

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:29:00 +0000

Look to the Lord and His strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done. Ps 105:4-5

I love Thanksgiving. No gifts, no hype; just family, friends, and lots of good food. Here in Mongolia friends are extra precious as family is so far away. We don't take clean water, hot water, electricity or internet for granted either. So today I would like to offer the sweet offering of Thanksgiving for all of the above and for all of the below, too. (Except for the last picture--I am thankful that I do not have to buy my meat from the back of a SUV, even if my meat started out there :)

Friends Hubby (and pumpkin cheesecake!)

Church family

news from home :)

Yuk

Thanksgiving is a time of quiet reflection upon the past and an annual reminder that God has, again, been ever so faithful. The solid and simple things of life are brought into clear focus, so much so that everything else fades into insignificance.

Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life

Chuck Swindoll

Stitchin' in Outer Mongolia

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:26:00 +0000

Today I went to the grand opening of the New Life Quilting Centre here in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Selenge (in picture #2) began this work 5 years ago in an effort to help Mongolian women find a creative outlet for relaxation as well as create community for them. Selenge, as a single mom herself, has also tried to help other single moms earn income (and self-respect) through the art of quilting. From humble beginnings in a yukky basement apartment (where the toilets above would often overflow into the Centre's space) to this wonderful new location, the Centre is a success in every way. The day drew a good crowd of foreign as well as local women--and TV cameras!

I think the pictures speak for themselves!

Below is the the Centre's workshop--looks like one of Santa's, eh?

A better woman would have left her own stuff out...but not me! It's been so long since I shared my stuff, I cannot resist. Here are just a few of the projects I worked on in the past few months, several done in the mayhem of helping my daughter with her newborn and 2 toddlers.

Here is a princess dress to replace one that was in shreds. The smile says it all. :) Couldn't leave sister Layla out. She was in dire need of her very own tutu. Alas, I did not have time before I left to sew one so bought (gasp!) a Fancy Nancy one. She loved it.

Here is a clown custume for the family clown, Abby, who turned 6 in September. I think it was a hit (even though competing with the 1st missing tooth).Here is a set of bibs made for the new little man in our family, Kelby. OK, the pumpkin is not mine--my daughter Nikki was cranking those out right & left despite just giving birth. Show off!

This notetaker will be familiar to many of you. I made this here in UB for my IWAM meetings and grocery lists. The fabrics were left from Abby's clown costume--makes me smile!

These bibs & burp cloths were made for a new baby here in UB.
I made these sassy little skirts (one with a kick ruffle, the other pleated) while in Colorado, for Natalie who is 3 :)
Blog speaking, I may be (a titch) caught up. maybe....

DAY TRIPPIN'

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:12:00 +0000

Sunday afternoon we took a hike up Zaison Hill (finally! It's only taken us 4+ years to do this). The October weather was spectacular (God bless global warming--especially in Mongoila--is what I say :) As far as we could figure out, this hill is a monument to Russian victories in World War II, as well as Mongolian/Russian collaboration. As you can see in the 1st picture, there are what surely are a gazillion steps! Once up there (whew!), I did manage some nice snapshots of several lovers as well as, once again, the contrast between the modern city and the traditional hashaa districts. Much of what is in the city veiws did not exist even 4 or 5 years ago. Amazing to have a front row seat to all this change!

Back to Asia

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:10:00 +0000

Well, I've been back in UB exactly 2 weeks today. Within the first 7 days I came down with food poisening and got robbed (while sick and napping I left the apartment door unlocked--Randy was due home any time--and someone came in and took the $ out of my wallet and then snatched my iPod. That's it. Gutsy, eh? Grace-and-peace, grace-and-peace, grace-and peace...) The good news is we finally have a road out front (see above pic)! Yippee! No more 3-story clouds of dust rolling down the road and into any open window or crack or crevice. At least not until the spring when the Gobi winds come and nothing is safe.
Anyway, here are just a few of my favorite pics from our trip home to US. We had so much fun with all these little ones! As you can tell, life can get very fancy sometimes. Look out Elijah & Kelby!

Schreiner Stuff!

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:17:00 +0000

Life here in the Schreiner household has been Busy & Blessed as you can see by these pictures; hence the long blog silence :) I don't think I need to add a lot of words, do you? Mom, Nikki, is doing great and looking beautiful and Dad, Casey is proud and doing a stellar job of balancing family, full-time school, Army Reserves as well as the night shift at UPS. Enjoy. I am :)

Welcome Baby Kelby!

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:12:00 +0000

Here are a few pics of our most recent Life Event (not to diminish our recent visit with our 4 other little Life Events in Spokane--more to come, promise!) Kelby John

Schreiner entered our world at 8:58 on August 14th, weighing in at 7.12 lb and 21" long. He resembles his siblings a good deal. Natalie & Layla seem to have accepted him right into their little world. Layla seemed to be fascinated with his eyes and we had to really watch her! Randy & I (aka Papa & Granny) have been enjoying this little one immensely--though chasing after his sisters leaves us pretty pooped by the end of the day!

Nikki/Mommy is doing great; really bouncing back--looking absolutely beautiful to boot! But then, I think she made a stunning prego, too :) I almost have to slap her back onto the couch to rest, reminding her to "milk this for all it's worth!"

Ahh...Life is good--thank You, Father.

(Oh! And here is the quilt that Nikki picked out for me to make for Kelby:) Isn't it cool?

A Glance Back

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:15:00 +0000

Tonight at midnight we will be winging our way back to the Land O' Plenty (USA)--God willing and Korean Air flies :) I thought I'd do a last blog from Mongolia with a few scenes that really struck me. Ulaanbaatar is in the process of building a bridge not to far from our apartment. Walking up to and over the work in progress, I was struck--as I often am--at the collision of modern and old ways. I took 2 pictures standing at a center point on the new bridge of the new road. One picture faces the new work and the other faces the way the new road will take toward our apartment building. You can see how the modern buildings stand out against the ger districts; or the other way around.
On a less cerebral note, here is recipe for some STELLAR brownies I made for last week's Bible study ladies. Enjoy!

COCOA BROWNIES

4 large eggs
1 cup sugur
1 cup brown sugar
8 oz melted butter
1 ¼ cups cocoa, sifted
2 tsp vanilla
½ cup flour, sifted
½ tsp kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 300. Spray 8” square pan (parchment paper is extra helpful).

Beat the eggs at med until fluffy & light yellow. Add both sugars. Add remaining ing and mix to combine.

Pour the batter into pay and bake for 45 min. Check for doneness—toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean. May need another 10 or 15 minutes. Cool & cut.

Company Picnic Mongol Style

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:07:00 +0000

A few weekends ago Randy's company, Wagner Asia Equipment, held their annual picnic. This year deviated from our usual foray into Terlj National Park. Instead, we were treated to a new venue at a 13th-Century style park. We ended up stopping 4 different times: 1st stop the new HUGE statue of Chinggis.
2nd: a "13th-century" encampment (that's Randy and I sitting on the Khan's "13th-century" throne below).
Next, we stopped a canyon set up as a 13th century arena. The company was divided into teams, as usual, for traditional Mongolian games. This year some teams dressed in traditional Mongolian costume (so no laughing at Randy! Is there anything more goofy than white people in other country's national costume?) and some in matching T-shirts. That's Randy's assistant, Shagai, giving us the peace sign. As soon as we all got settled in the "13th Century Arena," it started pouring rain! Below is my friend, Ruth, huddling in a 13th-Century Cave. We got absolutely soaked. But the sun did come out later in the day and we did manage to dry out.

Next stop: lunch. We were treated to a wonderful meal served in a "13th-Century Kahn's Ger." You can see the boss; i.e., Tom Dargh, and visiting company guys seated at the Kahn's table.

Next stop: riding yaks, camels & Mongol horses (complete with wooden saddles! Not for weenies.) I just cannot stay away from the camels! They just have so much personality!

Very last stop: awards (how about that Award Goat's Head eh? Again, I don't make this stuff up!), and dancing to Russian disco & the Beach Boys.

A great day!

Angels in the Architecture II

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:30:00 +0000

Ah, the Problem with Prague...

...I don't know where to begin! The 4 1/2-hour train ride to get here from Berlin was stellar. We wound through beautiful river canyons lined with ancient villages & Victorian-era resorts--I saw my first European castle ruin on this train ride! It was perched high up on a rock formation; I almost fainted. (On the return trip we spotted several more!) Amazing.

The first thing I learned about Prague was that things are almost always older than they look. On one hand it was like walking through a Disney Land theme park; but on closer inspection these 1,000-year-old buildings have just continued to morph with the times. Below is a picture taken inside the Hard Rock Cafe (!)--note how they let the ancient poke through the modern! Also, zoning codes forbid the changing of original interior spaces. Amazing!

Our hotel (Best Western no less!) building has been a hostel since 1307!!! (Earlier records were lost due to a fire.) The hotel had a small elevator and perfectly modern plumbing. The city intentionally raised itself 3 meters in the 1500's to avoid the constant flooding damage. So, every building has a cellar that dates to around 1100 or so!! The next 2 pics show across the street and down the street from our hotel!!! All this to say that people live and work in these buildings--or commute to apartments here from jobs in a newer business district. Amazing!

Our first day in Prague we signed up for a 6-hour walking tour and the next few pics are from that tour. Our guide, Omar (a Palestinian whose father came to Prague as a journalist and never left) was SO knowledgeable & passionate about the city (and adorable to boot!). Time & $ well spent.

The birdie below is real, the dudes on St. Charles's bridge are not. :) Cute, eh?

Here I'm getting blessed by touching a 12th century marker of St. John, a martyred confessor of one of the queens.

The next few days were filled with castles and boat rides and lunch along the medieval path to the castle up the hill--amazing.

One of the last things we did was hear a classical concert of Bach, Franceschini, Handel & Purcell done by pipe organ (below) & trumpet in Prague's oldest church--originally erected in 975!!! (2nd pic) Amazing. Amazing.

Angels in the Architecture I

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 06:01:00 +0000

Our first trip to Europe!!! One word: AMAZING. This had to be a quick trip of 7 days, but it was perfect even though short; 2 nights/1 full day in Berlin then 4 nights/3 days in Prague. Randy came through as Hero Extraordinaire once again by booking us business class on Mongolian Airlines for the 10-hr trip to Berlin (stopping to refuel in Moscow). It was only a few hundred $ more on this airline and what a blessing. This blog entry just barely covers our stay in Berlin.

Once we landed in Berlin we discovered that we had accidentally booked a hotel by the other airport clear across Berlin. So to avoid an 80-euro taxi ride (yikes!), we jumped on a bus that took us to the main train station that eventually got us to the hotel, thanks to Randy's navigation skills :) Always take the scenic route, eh?

Anyway, I loved Berlin! The trains allowed us a wonderful view/feel of the city: flower boxes everywhere (even in the most humble abodes), maniacally neat & clean, everyone eats outside (!)--and beer! Oh my--beer in vending machines (even in the airports after security!) Respectable grannies imbibe at the bus stop at 3 p.m. Locals drink it with breakfast. We found this in Prague, too. ...and, we did not encounter one drunk (OK, we were in bed reading by 9 p.m. most every night, but still...). Medieval meets modern everywhere you look and it all seems to work well side by side. We visited Museum Island and were only able to hit the Classical Museum--which contained whole sections of temples from Greece, Rome and the middle East. We also hit checkpoint Charlie and the remains of the Berlin Wall, then on to the Brandenburg Gate. After a full day of walking and before heading back to the hotel on the train we had a real German meal of brats, sauerkraut & German potato salad in a small local restaurant, outside of course :)

I have embraced my German heritage!!

The next morning we headed to the train station to catch a 4 1/2 hour train ride to Prague.

The footsie pics are of one on 2,500-yr-old marble and then one on the cobblestones of Berlin. :)

Stay tuned for Prague!

Plan B Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Scenic Route) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:10:00 +0000

Last weekend Randy & I were planning to hike up a local mountain on Sunday afternoon. However, the previous evening a huge dry lightening/wind storm had swept down on UB causing several big grass fires. So, hiking didn't seem the thing to do 1) because heavy breathing in all that smoke was not a good idea and 2) why go to all that effort if we couldn't enjoy a view? So...Plan B was to visit one of the few museums we've yet to visit after 4 years in Ulaanbaatar. What you see here is from our visit to the Bogd Khan's Winter Palace. This was the last residing Khan of Mongolia who was deposed in 1921 when the Manchurian Chinese invaded. The compound obviously resembles the Forbidden City in Beijing (shhh...); however, the residence was built in the 1880's and is decidedly European. You can get a sense of the dense smoke that was present that day (and the Mongolian attention to landscaping which is basically nonexistent) as well as the contrast between past and present with just a glimpse of the myriad of construction cranes present in UB right now. End note: the last Khan had only one adopted daughter who died during the "Cultural Revolution" (not what the common Chinese call it). We left wondering if anyone could lay claim as a descendant through DNA, etc. Hmm...