Holiday Cheer, Day 25.5

This is kinda unfair to consider this "Holiday Cheer" but oh well. Kevin and I flew down to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl and we spent our New Year's with his parents in an RV park watching the special New Year's fireworks over at Disneyland. It was amazing!

New Thing #99: Canning Marmalade

Kevin's grandma sent us 50 pounds of navel oranges. We wanted to do something fun with them, so Aisha and I got together and canned 48 jars of orange marmalade!! Well, 48 jars is A TON of marmalade and it felt like we hardly made a dent in those oranges. Aisha and I each got a dozen 8 oz. jars of two types of marmalade (24 jars total). We made two types:

1.) Orange Marmalade (with lemon)

2.) Orange Grapefruit Marmalade with Ginger

They were both very good. I couldn't BELIEVE how much sugar went in to each. In just 8 jars of marmalade, 5 1/2 cups of sugar went in! That's in addition to the fruit's natural sugar! Ouch...

Holiday Cheer, Day 25

Merry Christmas! Kevin woke me up with bells this morning and we opened presents. It was loads of fun :) I had prepared cinnamon rolls the night before and Kevin popped them in the oven and made mochas for us to sip on. We had a wonderful, wonderful Christmas. After our morning un-wrapping adventures, we drove down to Salem and did Christmas with mom. Kevin made steak for Christmas dinner.

Holiday Cheer, Day 24

The office is closing early today due to the holiday weekend, so I get paid for going home and prepping for Christmas eve: wassoling, wrapping and cooking! So excited to spend time with Kevin and Sugar under the Christmas tree!

Holiday Cheer, Day 23

Todd Z's poker party combined with an ugly-sweater Christmas party.

Holiday Cheer, Day 22

I've never seen "A Christmas Story" and tonight is the night! I thought it had some cute moments but I won't be watching it every, single year for the rest of my life. But I liked the leg lamp side-story because Heather always used to talk about the infamous leg lamp.

Holiday Cheer, Day 21

Recession Christmas white elephant gift exchange with the girls! Kevin got a knit scarf that Vanessa made and I got a see-through flame shower curtain. Woot woot!

Holiday Cheer, Day 20

Creating our Christmas morning music playlist on Grooveshark with Kevin. Each song has to be paired with various music trivia. I'm trying to be patient with him ... he's being "christmasy" at least ;)

Holiday Cheer, Day 19

Jackie Mitchell's wedding plus christmas with Dad, Deborah and Thomas -- fun times in Salem! Getting all glammed up :)

Holiday Cheer, Day 18

Christmas with Kevin's parents before they fly south for the winter.

Holiday Cheer, Day 17

I got tickets half-off to go see The Nutcracker Ballet for the very first time! I took Kevin and we had a nice time. We started out with a quick dinner at Paccini's (on the ground floor of the Ione Plaza, where we used to live) then went to Keller. The ballet was fantastic! Then on to Dragon Sushi for a quick bite and now we're home. What a delightful evening!

Holiday Cheer, Day 16,

Will hand paint little penguin Christmas ornament and put cute picture inside it's picture-frame tummy. Now considering pictures ideas...

Holiday Cheer, Day 15

Playing "Christmas" Scrabble with Kevin. Way more of a challenge than normal Scrabble because we could only create words associated with the Christmas holidays. Highlights included Cupid (as in Santa's reindeer), bow, geese, trees (my "axe" bissected his "tree" hahah!), torn, train, hide, gold, roof, nine and day. The other words were reaching :) Very fun all the same.

Holiday Cheer, Day 14

Plan to watch "It Happened On 5th Avenue" tonight. Not neccesarily a Christmas comedy, but was recommended as a holiday film by the internet. We'll see.

Holiday Cheer, Day 13

I watched "The Bishop's Wife" (Cary Grant version). It was a little weird. I don't like the idea of an angel coming down to heaven and trying to seduce a bishop's wife. The movie jacket led me to believe that she fell in love with him ... well, the way he was TRYING how could a woman NOT fall in love with that? Just ridiculous!

Holiday Cheer, Day 12

Kevin's marine division holiday party and white elephant gift exchange is tonight. I'm bringing ginger chews, sugar cookies and gluten-free fudge brownies.

Holiday Cheer, Day 11

The day of the second annual Ugly Sweater Fiesta is here! I'm hosting my second ugly christmas sweater party. Kevin got this great Japanese cardigan and he's going to wear it without a shirt on underneath. It will be hilarious! I'm wearing my little Scandinavian sailor suit sweater. Also, very cute! Grand prize for best sweater is a Snuggie. I made sugar cookies and ginger chews and hot spiced apple cider (with brandy) and gluten-free brownies (turned out horribly but still edible -- with a spoon). Then I'm providing fuji apples with caramel dip, chips and salsa and guacomole, taquitos, veggies with ranch ... and I think that's it. It should be a fun time! I will let you know ;)

Holiday Cheer, Day 10

Making the gingerbread house and baking two types of Christmas cookies (sugar and ginger chew) ... yay for awesome holiday smells in my apartment :)

Holiday Cheer, Day 9

I'm gonna suffer through making a Martha Stewart holly wreath ... maybe ... If the holly kicks my ass it's going to be sorry!

(an hour later)

I made it and it looks really good. I used a bent coat hanger, ribbon, electrical tape and left-over holly berry sprigs from the Y.

Holiday Cheer, Day 8

I mailed all my Christmas cards today – spreading the cheer!

Holiday Cheer, Day 7

I watched "Miracle on 34th Street" for the first time and loved it! It would have been a good one to watch when I started to not believe in Santa Claus. The man that played Kris Kringle was very convincing!

Holiday Cheer, Day 6

I picked up my first mistletoe sprig and hung it in the living room. Now I'm trying to trap Kevin into trying it out :)

Holiday Cheer, Day 5

We had a wonderful time at Kevin's company's Christmas party. DEA served great food and threw a "Casino night" where we could play blackjack, craps and more with fake money. Kevin won a $50 gift card to McMenamin's in the employee raffle and participated in the silent auction and won the bid for lunch with David Evans himself! Also, this image is totally ridiculous because people were just playing and not looking all "OH my, I'm having the best time EVER!"

Holiday Cheer, Day 4

Heading to the Oregon Zoo this evening for Zoo Lights with Kevin... checking out the new lion exhibit and playing with penguins.

Holiday Cheer, Day 3

Bundling up and walking over to Coach's to cheer on the Duck's Rose Bowl dreams! Merry Christmas to Eugene because we won! SEE YOU IN PASADENA!

Holiday Cheer, Day 2

Take the MAX downtown with Kevin to see the Christmas Tree in Pioneer Square and use it as an excuse to walk around arm-in-arm. Oh! And drink hot cocoa from Starbucks!

Holiday Cheer, Day 1

Watched "A Christmas Carol" with Patrick Stewart as "Scrooge" -- Totally awesome and I officially loved it! Do you know that Patrick Stewart has a higher order of knighthood then Paul McCartney? Haha!

Holiday Cheer, Day -1

Got "Frosted" at work today. This year at the office rather then doing a Secret Santa, we are doing a holiday gift bag we can give to anyone in the office. I was the recipient today. Don't know who gave me the Lindor truffles and other fun holiday swag, but it made for a nice Monday.

Holiday Cheer, Day -2

Put up a suet feeder and a hand-made sunflower feeder for the little chickadees trying to fatten up this winter. I was worried they would get eaten by a cat while scrounging on the ground and they roost in a little tree right next to our patio... they are soo cheerful!

Holiday Cheer, Day -3

Putting up the Christmas tree with Kevin, singing along to Holiday music (loudly), decorating the tree with bells on the bottom for Sugar to play with :)

Holiday Cheer, Day -4

Holiday Cheer at Lush on 23rd buying bath bombs and getting RSVP gift bags full of bathing goodies. Yeah for Christmas inspired baths!

New Thing #98: Migraine Massage

I got a massage today that was supposed to take away my migraines. It's the Monday of my placebo pills, so I think the timing should be about right. I haven't felt anything yet, and I'm hoping the good karma continues. Here's the definition of the treatment per Massage On the Go.

Myofascial release is the three-dimensional application of sustained pressure and movement into the fascial system in order to eliminate fascial restrictions. This technique is an effective approach in the relief of cervical pain, back pain, fibromyalgia, scoliosis, chronic pain and headaches.

Right now, my entire body feels sore from the massage but surprisingly it improved my vision and made me feel much better. The therapist could even tell what side I was ovulating on because I was so much more tender on that one (my right side).

On Tuesday, even after I worked a full day at work, drank caffeine (bad girl), ate chocolate (double bad girl) I still felt the migraine as a slumbering beast. It was there, but so easy to dismiss and overlook. I was sooo very thankful!

It was fantastic! I am hoping to incorporate this type of massage in to my monthly regiment. If it takes away the migraines I get, it's worth every penny.

186 days

Teachers in Oregon only have to work 186 days. Do the math:

365 days a year as a teacher (8 to 9 hour days)

186 days (required for teachers in the State of Oregon)

versus

365 days a year in a "cubicle-style" or any "normal" 9 to 5 job.

260 working days (52x5)

-7 national holidays

-14 days (traditional 2 weeks vacation)

=239 working days

Net difference: 53 fewer days worked...

Plus your breaks get spread out as well with Spring break, Xmas break, summer break and even though you don't get vacation, you still get sick time.

New Thing #97: Carved a Chashaku

At tea class tonight, I carved my first chashaku, or tea scoop used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Sensai's husband has converted their two-car garage in to a wood shop. We used razors to shape the bamboo strips and then sand paper for the fine work. To bend the top, we used candle flame to slowly heat the bamboo but not scorch it. Mine was a little narrow at the top, but all and all not bad for my first wood carving ;)

New Thing #96: Took an HTML Class

At the New Horizons Learning Center in Beaverton, I Took My First HTML Class. It was fascinating. We talked about CSS and of course, how to create web pages in HTML. You can take the class for free again in the first six months, and I plan on doing that because we only covered 75% of the material.

New Thing #95: My First Tea Bowl

Sensai says never buy a tea bowl until you are ready. I've been borrowing one of her Edo-style "rice" bowls until I learned what made a tea bowl good. It's all personal preference really. But there are a few things I was looking for. First, I wanted a bowl with a wide base and high sides. I was looking for one with a nice tea well and a small foot. Also a nice hip and a good proportion. (Even though wabi is beautiful, I wasn't looking for a wabi bowl as my first bowl). So, I bought my first tea bowl today and I was so pleased.

This bowl is an ash glaze. Fired in a wood kiln. The artist, Motoko Hori, added some copper to give the bowl it's distinctive "sea foam" coloring with this fantastic purple look to it underneath. I bought it at a Buddhist bazaar in E. Portland for $30. Considering my teacher told me that most bowls cost $200 to $400 straight from the potter, I felt I was getting something of real quality. Also, I was able to ask the potter her technique and I got something that really resonated with me. It's perfect.

New Thing #94: "Oh Yeah"

My favorite baby-blue toggle sweater that I got from Banana Republic years ago, has finally bitten the dust. It got dribbled soy sauce down it at PF Chang's and it's owner slobbered something down the front of it, which looks like it's permanently stained it. So, per my friend Vicki's instruction who is an expert knitter, I dyed my sweater with Kool-Aid. Mind you, this will only work with 100% animal fibers (also human hair, in case you want to know). It took 25 packs of Blue Raspberry Lemonade (un-sugared... very important) Kool-Aid packs to make this brilliant blue. Only problem was that it wasn't quite dissolved enough before I put in the sweater. So, I'm going to redue it, the same color mind, and put in 35 packs this time and heat it and stir it until well dissolved BEFORE putting the sweater in. Don't heat the water too much or the wool will felt.

After redoing the sweater with 35 packs, it's a lot less splotchy from not being dissolved enough. But, sadly to say, the stains are still visible. But I think they will be less visible and all and all, since I didn't mind wearing it with the stains being visible I don't mind. But I spent like $15 on Kool-Aid. The blue packs are like 3x as expensive as the red packs. If you're going to dye something, dye it red if you want.

New Thing #93: Por Que No Taquiera

I met up with my friend Alanna to do dinner and drinks after work at Por Que No Taquiera on 46th and Hawthorne in East Portland.

I wouldn't recommend it, it cost me $14 for a sangria-style drink and a bean bowl with two flour tortillas! The atmosphere was okay, but there was a line out the door. Ehh, I'll leave that place next time.

New Thing #92: Hosted My First Chakai

I hosted my first chakai, or Japanese tea ceremony.
Location: Portland Japanese Garden's Tea House
When: Saturday, October 10th from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and 30 minute walking tour around the garden to follow
Guests: 3, Amanda (first guest), Erin and Vicki
Ceremony: Hirotemai, thin tea
Sweets: peach diafaku sweets from Tokyo, Japan when Kevin and I went
Scroll: "Ichigo, Ichie"
Theme: Autumn Changing Leaves and "Ichigo, Ichie" emphasis
Haiku: A red leaf falling,
settling
into the river,
clings to a green rock.
~Joso
Flowers: bush/shrub seed pod branch paired with small white cosmos in a woven bamboo floor vase arrangement

Summary of Event: Guests arrived promptly. I gave them a little history of the tea room. Pointed out scroll and flowers. They enjoyed the sweets and were so-so on the matcha. Following the tea ceremony, I took them for a walk around the garden and pointed out different landmarks/interesting aspects. The weather was brisk but also sunny and pleasant. The leaves were beginning to fall and they made a wonderful sound when sensai and I were preparing the miziuya.

New Thing #91: Attended a Moon Viewing

I volunteered to help sensai at the Portland Japanese Garden's Moon Viewing event. It was a three-night event, but I helped on the last night. I was privileged to work on the actual night of the full moon. It was a fun event. At the tea room, we did four tea making demonstrations. I did the first one! I did okay. I knew where I need to do better next time. I met many of her Friday night Aikido students. And I had a boy make me tea! It was so neat. I've never seen that before :). I tried some sake and a chicken skewer. I wrote a haiku to the moon and drew a picture and put it on the haiku board. I listened to the musicians play on the authentic instruments (very lovely, btw). The evening got a little chilly at the end but no rain, thank goodness ;)

New Thing #90: Made Thank You Cards

Thank you cards are NOT a new thing for me, I'm very good about sending out prompt thank you cards. For our wedding, I bought 100 blank folding cards and matching envelopes when Paperzone had a sale. Then I stamped them in black ink with "Thanks for everything" on the covers and embossed them. They look really sharp. Very simple, but sharp. I folded them all along their crease marks and put them in a shoe box awaiting to be sent when invitations go out and gifts come in. It will nice to use the left over cards for thank yous through out the years ;). So, I made 100 Thank You Cards.

New Thing #89: Fruit Fly Catcher

There seems to be a theme recently: Firefly, Fruitfly...lol. Firefly was MUCH better then fruit flies, however. Last year, living in this apartment we had an infestation of fruit flies. I kept the kitchen pretty clean too, it just seemed like it was NEVER good enough. So, I made a fruit fly trap with the following ingredients:

One small disposable plastic cottage cheese bowl
1 drop of liquid dish soap (to make it so the flies can't LEAVE the liquid)
1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar (yay, I can finally use up that vinegar!)
1/2 cup water (to dilute the mixture)
small, tempting food particles (preferably bananas though anything will do)
Place one bowl in every area where fruit flies are prevalant.
Change solution once a week or as needed.

New Thing #88: Firefly

I have been thinking a lot about Michelle lately. It's hard, I feel like there is no one I can talk to about her. Nick's gotten remarried, which I am happy about but still wish that I didn't feel weird bringing up the past. Kevin never got to know her. Mom and I talk about her but it usually ends in tears. I feel that her old friends and I don't understand each other because she was the glue that held us all together. My new thing was that I watched the entire season of "Firefly," one of Michelle's favorite TV shows. It was short-lived, like her. I miss her. There was one moment when I was watching an episode that I said to myself "I have to call Michelle and talk to her about blank" ... and then I remembered ... and it made me cry. Because for that brief moment, she was alive to me again. And then ... she was gone all over again and it reduced me to tears. I don't want to talk about this anymore

If the Dress Fits...

The wedding dress fits! What a blessing! Here I thought I HAD to lose all this weight... now I know I CAN lose the weight but no pressure! Ohhh, so happy.

Fantastic Birthday Cake Idea

My Neighbor Totoro inspired cakes :)

Twenty Rules For Life Time Learning

Training for Chado is very similar to training in martial arts. Even though it is not as actively physical, Chado trains the body and strengthens character just like martial arts. It is a lifelong pursuit and if you do not train constantly, you lose your edge.

Early in their formal education, young samurai were instructed to brush a copy of the following rules and then sign and date the document as a lifelong pledge. I think it also applies to tea training, or other situations.

1. Never lie.
2. Never forget to be grateful to one's Lord.
3. Never forget to be grateful to one's parents.
4. Never forget to be grateful to one's teachers.
5. Never forget to be grateful to one's fellow human beings.
6. Do nothing to offend gods, buddhas and one's elders.
7. Do not begrudge small children.
8. Do not burden others with your own troubles.
9. There is no place for anger or rage in the Way.
10. Do not rejoice in the misfortune of others.
11. Do your best to do what is best.
12.Do not turn your back on others and only think of yourself.
13. When you eat, think of the hard work of the farmers who grew the food. Never be wasteful of plants, trees, earth or stones.
14. Do not dress up in fine clothes, or waste time on superficial appearance.
15. Always behave properly with good manners.
16. Always treat everyone like an honored guest.
17. To overcome ignorance, learn from as many people as possible.
18. Do not study and practice the arts just to make a name for yourself.
19. Human beings have good and bad points. Do not dismiss or laugh at anyone.
20. Strive to behave well but keep good actions hidden and do not seek the praise of others.

Favorite Foods from A to Z

Favorite Foods from A to Z (maximum of 3 items per letter):
A – Artichoke, Asparagus
B – Broccoli, Berries (all), BBQ
C – Chocolate, Cheese, Caesar Salad
D – Desserts
E – Enchiladas, Espresso drinks
F – Fondue, Fruit (most)
G – Grandma’s Lemon Chicken & Lemon Meringue Pie, Gaie’s Salad Dressings
H – Hungarian Goulash, Haggaslagg, Honey-baked Ham
I – Ice creams, Icees
J – Junior’s Cheesecakes
K – Kevin’s Hash Browns,
L – Love Love Teriyaki Bowl
M – Matcha Tea, McDonald’s Cheeseburger
N – Nigiri sushi
O –
P – Pickles, Pizza, Potatoes
Q – nada
R –
S – Steak, Sushi, Stuffing
T – Taco Bell, Tuna Fish Sandwich, Turkey
U –
V –
W – Wine
X – nada
Y –
Z – nada

New Thing #87: Took an Enneagram Test

I took a free enneagram test online.


Path of development:

Accept insecurity as part of life
Develop inner faith in self, others and the world
Recognize that both flight and fight are reactions to fear
Observe fear and calm it
Move ahead in spite of fear
Ultimate task: Reclaiming trust in yourself, others and the world, and living comfortably with uncertainty.

*********************************

After I took the free online test, it said I was an Enneagram Type 6 - The Loyalist with Wings of Type 5 (The Investigator – (woman with telescope)) and Type 7 (The Enthusiast – (girl with butterfly))

Type 6 – Fat grumpy man on left, bottom
Conflicted between trust and distrust

People of this personality type essentially feel insecure, as though there is nothing quite steady enough to hold onto. At the core of the type Six personality is a kind of fear or anxiety. This anxiety has a very deep source and can manifest in a variety of different styles, making Sixes somewhat difficult to describe and to type. What all Sixes have in common however, is the fear rooted at the center of their personality, which manifests in worrying, and restless imaginings of everything that might go wrong. This tendency makes Sixes gifted at trouble shooting, but also robs the Six of much needed peace of mind and tends to deprive the personality of spontaneity. The essential anxiety at the core of the type Six fixation tends to permeate the personality with a sort of "defensive suspiciousness." Sixes don't trust easily; they are often ambivalent about others, until the person has absolutely proven herself, at which point they are likely to respond with steadfast loyalty. The loyalty of the Six is something of a two edged sword however, as Sixes are sometimes prone to stand by a friend, partner, job or cause even long after it is time to move on.

Sixes are generally looking for something or someone to believe in. This, combined with their general suspiciousness, gives rise to a complicated relationship to authority. The side of the Six which is looking for something to believe in, is often very susceptible to the temptation to turn authority over to an external source, whether it be in the form of an individual or a creed. But the Six's tendency towards distrust and suspicion works against any sort of faith in authority. Thus, two opposite pulls exist side by side in the personality of enneatype Six, and assume different proportions in different individuals, sometimes alternating within the same individual.

The truly confounding element when it comes to typing Sixes is that there are two fundamentally different strategies that Sixes adopt for dealing with fear. Some Sixes are basically phobic. Phobic Sixes are generally compliant, affiliative and cooperative. Other Sixes adopt the opposite strategy of dealing with fear, and become counterphobic, essentially taking a defiant stand against whatever they find threatening. This is the Six who takes on authority or who adopts a dare devil attitude towards physical danger. Counterphobic Sixes can be agressive and, rather than looking for authorities, can adopt a rebellious or anti-authoritarian demeanor. Counterphobic Sixes are often unaware of the fear that motivates their actions. In fact, Sixes in general, tend to be blind to the extent of their own anxiety. Because it is the constant back drop to all of their emotions, Sixes are frequently unaware of its existence, as they have nothing with which to contrast it.

Because Sixes so frequently fail to appreciate the extent of their own fear, they often mistype themselves. It is common for instance, for female Sixes to mistype as Twos, especially if they are identified with a helper role, but Sixes have a much more ambivalent attitude towards relationships than do Twos, who generally know exactly what they want. Sixes, failing to recognize their anxiety, can mistype as Nines, but Nines have the ability to relax and to trust in others, neither of which come easily to Sixes. Sixes can mistype as Fours, especially if they have artistic inclinations, but they lack the Four's self-absorption. They can mistype as Fives, especially if they are intellectual, as many Sixes are, but unlike Fives, Sixes tend to be practical. Finally, conterphobic Sixes can easily mistype as Eights, but they lack the Eight's self-certainty.

New Thing #86: Created a Nature Journal

Art Media was having a sale, and I got a book called "Nature Journal: A Guided Journal for Illustrating and Recording Your Observations of the Natural World." It was SUCH a nice book, that I decided to make my own Nature Journal out of an old sketchbook that I got from mom. The paper is pretty thin, so I might have to alternate pages, I don't know yet. It's funny, I go out and buy a blank journal with instructions in it, but I think it's so nice that I use a blank sketch book that isn't being used for anything. Here is a sample page from someone else's nature book, but you can get the gist. Other examples include (from youth literature):

Lady Cottington's Pressed Fair Book

Gnomes

Spiderwick Chronicle's Guide to the World Around You