MIA

Wow! It's been a LONG time since I blogged!!! Sure hope that I can come back more often. I'll try to shorten the events that had happened since May of last year....

• Rediscover the fibroid that was causing heavy bleeding whenever I had my period.
• Parents visited, went for a wonderful vacation at the sand dunes, Wildlife Safari and Crater Lake.
  
• Had a laparoscopic hysterectomy....and so thankful to have my mom here to take care of me and my family.
• Lucas got into the waiting list to see Dr. Freeman (child behaviorist at OHSU)
  
• Kids going back to school. So happy with the teacher Yesmin has this year!
  
• Coping with 4th grade homework!!! What a HUGE change!!
• Kids birthdays...so thankful for my friends who came and helped!
  
• Husband's first birthday party in God knows how many years! So thankful he came home from business trip, just in time for his birthday, which happens so to fall on a Saturday!!
• Took a last minute winter break vacation. Our first time not celebrating Christmas at home...but a WHITE Christmas for sure.
• Yesmin's skiing has improved so much that she's going on the "half pipe" and her instructor said she is ready to go to the higher lift!!! ---- NNNNOOOOOOO!!!!
• After having kids, this is the first time for us to stay pass midnight...and at a friend's house. The kids did too!! Very sleepy, but it was very fun!
• I have picked up a new hobby!!! Needle felting!!! Thanks to my friend, Christy! :P Hope to have a store on Etsy soon.

There's the summary of my interesting life in the past 8 months. Hope you had a wonderful 8 months too!!!

Sushi Table Mats

Some time end of last year, Smartie Pants, my kids and I went to Craft Warehouse. While I showed her the fabric department, we saw this really cute (among other many many cute ones) fabric with sushi prints. Yesmin wanted it, and I figured since we all really love sushi, plus I have just bought my new sewing machine, so why not. But I didn't know what to do with it. So the very nice and thoughtful Smartie Pants took my kids to another area, so that I can peacefully figure out and making up my mind what I wanted to get from the fabric department, and what I wanted to do with them. Anyhow, I decided I'd make place mats for them and some of Yesmin's friends who also love sushi too.

The fabric sat some where in the house for a while, before I decided to start making them. It took me one night to cut out the fabric, few days to sew them up, another day or 2 to sew the trims on! :P At first I was just gonna make a plain, simple table mat...but one night I was chatting with KT, KT, KT on Facebook, she brought up the idea of adding the chopsticks/utensil pocket (one of her crafty friends made some table mats with that design, and I have a book that has the same design too)...I told her I wasn't gonna do that, cos' it'd take too much effort! :P But after our conversation, I changed my mind! I realized that KT, KT, KT some how is very good at "convincing" me on the crafty stuff ;P Acutally, ever since I've got to know her some 3 years back, she has inspired me on all of my crafty projects. My husband often "accuse" her for getting me into scrapbooking! But now that she has moved to Idaho, Smartie Pants, you are on his list of being the next "target" to blame!!! ;P lol

Anyway, here it is... One thing I learn from this project is that, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTION --- when the instruction says to PRESHRINK your fabric by washing it before begining of your project, DO SO! ;P I was so lazy that I skipped this step and jump right into the project! So, I'm sure you'd have figured out what happend to these mats! lol --- lesson learned! ;P

Can you tell that I was also lazy to measure them??? Pay attention the the chopsticks/utensil pockets ;P

A Confession of my Obsessions!! =P

I confess: I am obsessed/addicted with a couple of things....magazines, books (mainly books on cooking and baking, crafts), papers (this obsession started after I join the scrapbooking frenzy! :P). I can totally see myself obsessed with fabric next! Not that I know how to sew~I'd like to learn to sew if given the chance, but I wouldn't dare start another hobby now! :P But some of the fabrics that I've seen lately are just so fun, interesting, funky...kinda like my papers! Talking about the papers that I have, I could probably wall paper a room or two! :P Hope my husband isn't reading my blog! :P Let just say that what you're about the see, isn't the only ones I have...these are just the ones that are neatly shelved! I have books and magazines everywhere else in the house... ;P hehehehee...

Mainly Martha Stewart magazines on the bottom and middle shelves arranged according to month and year! The one and only top shelf belongs to my husband for his guitar magazines. :P

Other magazines

My 12x 12 papers

Other papers that fits into my drawers.