Scenic Route

Ahh....blogging...sometimes it's just haaaard .  I was set to post on Valentines Day morning; alas, duty called.  That afternoon and evening?  No Internet.  Yesterday afternoon?  No power for the one hour I had.  Last night?  No Internet.  ...and, People!  I'm in America, NOT Mongolia!   OK, I'm back. However, I do want to share with my teeny tiny audience the following: Both Randy and I ended up sharing Valentine sentiments (15 hours apart) having to do with our 1st date. Romantic coincidence?  I love that thought :)  Our 1st date was at a Basque Restaurant in, of all places, Bakersfield, CA.  About as remote as Mongolia.   Lots of other similarities actually.  Sometimes I think I married Randy because he is absolutely the only one in my circle back then who agreed to go to the Basque restaurant....it was so, you know, foreign .  Ha!  Look at us now :D   Anyway, after this Romantic Coincid...

Things are a changing here in UB--my hole-in-the-wall shop is now importing from Korea  and Russia where once there were only bolts of shiny silk-esque (polyester), now the place is crammed, floor-to-ceiling with rolls of all kinds of knits, velours, shirtings AND wools--even cashmere wools! etc.  Good cottons have yet to arrive--and the thin, scratchy Hello Kitty stuff used for bedding (ouch!) does not count. Anyway, check out my purchases--the knits were about $4 a meter and the gray wool $10 a meter and the lavender one that I'm sure is cashmere was only $12 a meter.  I'm happy. This great wool--not sure if this one is cashmere but has a great feel and hand and... The super soft jacket-weight wool I think I posted last time.  The textured right side is worth another post  I think :) and... This light knit with a faint silver paisley print for going out on the town, maybe? and... This silver knit for a shell or something for next holiday season. ...

Yes, here in UB we are in the midst of the usual Deep Freeze (walked to a women's meeting and to pick up dry cleaning today in -20), but I am trying to be a bit proactive regarding spring--not natural for me, being proactive.  Maybe it has to do with the trip to Calif in February that Randy & I are planning.  Maybe a realization that the Hibernation Mode we've been in for the past 3 weeks is coming to an end:  3 new Wagner families/couples arriving this week, meeting up with acquaintances today at the IWAM meeting resulting in meetings next week, social engagements for the upcoming Friday & Saturday nights, Randy traveling next week.  Sigh.  All welcome, but, well, sigh.  Enough said! This is what's going on in my little sewing corner here: Some receiving blankets for the maternity hospital made from a heap of flannel given to me by dear Rose Marie back in my home church.  Flannel here is scarce and really rough and scratchy in bizarre prin...

I am SO looking forward to the new year!  Partly due to the plans I have for it and partly due to the dose of Acceptance God has graced me with.  Acceptance of this unconventional life Randy & I are living and even making friends with the challenges that come with it.   Last year my Word was Peace.  I really think I grew in this area--as always, the spiritual affects our whole being.   After some consideration, my word for this year is  Grace .   Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus 2 Tim 2:1 A certain relationship in my life has exposed my lack in this area.  While I have come so far in learning about and experiencing God's grace to me , I really need to practice it horizontally.  I think this relationship will be excellent training. Other goals I have for the coming year are: Learning about finances.  While I handle a large portion of our living expenses; insurance; property taxes; etc., I want to get a grip on ...

...Back.  This is the last day of the year on this side of the world and before I turn the calendar to a new year, I want to just blog about Stuff I've Made.  Despite all the Travel, Crazy Schedules and Family Fun, I really did get a lot of sewing done.  In fact, I have a renewed interest in garment sewing for myself--partly due to inspiration from all the sewing blogs and podcasts out there (and Nikki!) and partly because of the joy of my sewing loft in Colorado where the views and light are great and all my stuff is organized. First there were the Christmas jammies for the Munchkins.  I ended up making them all except for Elijah's (Carters with Lego men were the ticket) and Andreas' (who is enjoying a glut of jammies and for whom I crotchet a monster hat and strings for store bought mittens).  Kelby also had a plethora of jammies and Nikki suggested a little man robe.  Done. Then there were Personality Appropriate Aprons for my friend Maureen's b-...