New Year's Resolutions

In the past, I've always tried to somehow change myself, changing my weaknesses and replacing them with strengths. But let's face it, I have not been successful. I wrote some goals last year, which included doing some things daily, every other day, weekly, and monthly. I put the list on the fridge where I could look at it every day, and I achieved... one of them.
I'm not so good at consistency.
In school, when I had a long term project, I would schedule out the work and get started right away. But then I'd feel like I was ahead of schedule, and I'd put my feet up for a while. Then before I knew it, I'd have to scramble at the end to finish the stupid thing. Every time. Consistency is not my strength.
I feel it particularly strongly because consistency IS one of Kevin's strong points. When he was studying for the Foreign Service Exam, he decided he'd study for the test for an hour a day after work. And he did it-- daily-- for like 3 months. Every day. That's insane! I would have lasted about three days-- at the most.
I've tried to change this about myself, but I've only ever failed. So I'm going to change my approach this year. I'll use my weakness as a strength. This year, I resolve to be more inconsistent!


1. I'm going to exercise more inconsistently. Forget about 3x a week. I'm going to exercise when I think of it. I'm going to exercise when it's fun. It's not going to be part of a "program," because then it starts to feel like an obligation. Blah!

2. I'd like to clean my house less. Is that even possible? you may ask. Ha ha ha. Moving on. I just mean that I'm going to clean occasionally for a certain amount of time. It's daunting to see a whole kitchen full of dishes and somehow talk myself into cleaning it, knowing it would take the better part of an hour. I kind of get compulsive when I start cleaning, which makes me not want to start. So I'll set a timer and quit before it sucks me in-- leave me wanting more!

3. I'll lose 10-15 pounds. One way or another.

4. I'll make a Farmer's Wife Quilt. My sister Sarah and I have plans to each make a quilt this year. It's a complicated quilt made up of 111 different 6" blocks. I'm not planning on working consistently doing 3 blocks a week, but I'll keep up with Sarah. Competition is a good motivator for me. Plus, I kind of wanted to do this quilt myself, so it hardly counts as a goal.

5. I'll learn Portuguese. I just ordered a textbook and workbook, and I have 12 months until we move to Brazil. Maybe I should be specific and say I'll finish my textbook and workbook before the end of the year. But either way, I'll finish the year knowing more Portuguese than I do now!

And I think five goals is enough! I give you all permission to check in on me and see how I'm doing on my goals. Just don't try to pinch an inch.

My new machine

When I told Kevin I'd decided to buy a new sewing machine, his response was, "What? In CHINA?"

I see his point. If I got a regular one, it would be 220 Volts, which would basically make it worthless anywhere but in China. And if I bought it in China, it would likely be made in China-- and not for export. It would wear out and break within a month.

However, I didn't want a regular machine.

I'd seen these in the tailor shops when I'd go through, and while they're the old style, they're recently produced-- which is a good thing and a bad thing. So it's not an antique. But it looks like one. And I love it!

My new treadle machine!

The (ahem) world famous Flying Man brand! I saw one online that was Butterfly brand... but the store just had this one.

Butterfly brand wouldn't have had this! My very own flying man. (Shudder)

It looks like the hood ornament for a Bentley. But with a 人 (person) character in the middle.
Fantastic!

And the treadle itself. I'm excited!

The wooden part of the desk is probably the crappiest construction I've ever seen. It's flimsy plywood  with rough edges, and you can even see a staple in the drawer where they tried to put it together.
This will have to be replaced.
If I made my own, by buying crappy wood at Home Depot, nailing it together myself, and sanding it here and there, I know it would still be better quality. I'll be on the lookout for something in America.

I learned how to sew on a machine like this at my grandma's house, and even before we knew how to use it, we loved pumping the treadle as fast as we could make it go. I'm not sure Grandma loved that, but she was patient with us. As long as there wasn't thread to make a big knot, she'd usually let us tread away!
It doesn't do any fancy tricks or stitches. It goes forwards and backwards. It winds a bobbin. I'll have to check to see if I can use any of my other feet on it (walking foot, rolled hem foot, etc.). That would be awesome! One thing that I really love is that it has a much bigger space under the arm (the armpit between the needle and the machine base). On my current machine, that space is about the size of my two fists, which makes it so frustrating to try and machine quilt anything!
So... I'm excited about my new flying man!

Adventures in stupidity

Aaaghghh! I'm so dumb.
I've been considering buying a new sewing machine while I'm here in China. I considered it before we got here, I considered it when I saw some I liked, and last night, on a whim, I considered it again. I checked online for some prices, talked to Kevin about it, found a store, and decided to go for it!
So this morning I set out for the store. It was on the street where we live, and the Baidu Map (like google maps but used in China) gave me a good idea of where it was. I walked like half an hour through slushy streets in a balmy 14 degrees Fahrenheit. I got to the location, and there was no store. Actually, there were no shops at all, and there were only three very large government buildings. I walked around the block where I was sure it would be, but it wasn't there either. I walked all the way home on the other side of the street, not seeing a sewing machine store the entire time.
Ugh!
I found the website again and gave the place a call.
"Hello, is this the place that sells sewing machines?"
"Yes, it is."
"Hi, I'd like to come by and see your sewing machines. Is your store on ___ Street?"
"That's right."
(Ugh! That's only the same street I'd been traipsing up and down for the last HOUR.) "Is your store near an intersection? Which one?"
"Well... you know the post office? There's an overpass bridge right by it, and if you cross the street right there, you'll see our store. It has a blue sign with white lettering: Yong Shun Sewing Machines."
THE POST OFFICE????? The post office RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM MY APARTMENT?
Yes, that's the post office she was talking about.
I didn't plan on going back out again, but once I realized it was right across the street, I put my boots and coat back on, smacked myself in the forehead several times, told my husband I was stupid, and ran back out the door.
While I was waiting for the elevator, I looked out the window where she said she was located, and yup. There was a big blue sign, bright white lettering. Yong Shun Sewing Machines.
Now I'll cut myself a bit of slack: It was written in Chinese. It was also facing my apartment, which is not facing the street where I'd been walking. But I still feel stupid for not calling before I set out to find the place.
So I went to their store for about 2 minutes. They didn't have the kind of machine I was looking for.
"But the Hua Lin Sewing Machine store around the corner has one."
Yup. Across the street THE OTHER WAY from my house was ANOTHER sewing machine store. I bought my machine, and they'll be delivering it later today.
If I hadn't been so stubborn, if I had called the place before setting out, if I had humbled myself and asked for help (because that is really the issue here), what took two hours of my afternoon might otherwise have taken LITERALLY fifteen minutes.
UGH!
But I'll share pictures once it gets here!

Christmas

Christmas in Shenyang is different. It snowed today, and there's no shortage of cold. Today Penny and I went out for lunch at McDonald's, and we watched a tractor scoop up snow off the pedestrian street. The first couple scoops it would do unassisted, but then a few people would start pushing the snow into the tractor scoop using snow shovels. As many as 7 or 8 people would circle around it, shoveling snow into a pile, and then helping the tractor shovel that snow into its scoop. The tractor would then dump it into a truck, and the truck takes it over to an empty lot, or a construction site, or maybe out of town, to dump the snow.
When Kevin comes home from work, we eat dinner, and then he takes the girls downstairs to our playroom. This gives me some time to myself, and today I used that time to go buy Christmas presents. Penny LOVES Mickey Mouse, and thankfully, so does everyone else in China. I got some Mickey Mouse chocolates, as well as pencils, stamps, booklets, eraser dolls that you can change their clothes, and random other stationery supplies. I think it will be a very merry, very Mickey Christmas morning.
I love being surprised on Christmas morning, and I love surprising other people. This is hard when any packages we receive at the Consulate have to be opened there, at the Consulate. It kind of takes the fun out of any surprises on Christmas morning. At least for Kevin and me. The girls will be surprised, and I am excited about that.
We hear Christmas carols outside our windows all day long. I love Christmas carols, but there are some mighty annoying ones. And even cute ones grow grating after hearing them on repeat for weeks on end. The mall downstairs blares "Jingle Bells," "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," and "Frosty the Snowman." That's it. All day. English and Chinese. You think "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is obnoxious in English? Ha! Multiply that by 1.3 billion.
I do love Christmas, though. I have a pandora station that plays classical carols sung by English cathedral choirs. I especially love this one, sung by the King's College Choir at Cambridge. Followed by a reading of Luke 2, this is one of my VERY FAVORITE Christmas presentations. The song is pure, simple, and sweet. And the Savior's birth story is like poetry to me.

 1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all ^athe world should be ^btaxed.

 2 (And this ^ataxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called^aBethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

 5 To be taxed with Mary his ^aespoused wife, being great with child.

 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

 7 And she brought forth her ^afirstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the ^binn.

 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the ^agloryof the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you ^agood tidings of great ^bjoy, which shall be to all people.

 11 For unto you is ^aborn this day in the city of David a ^bSaviour, which is Christ the ^cLord.

 12 And this shall be a ^asign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

 14 ^aGlory to God in the highest, and on earth ^bpeace, good will toward men.

 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

 16 And they came with ^ahaste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

 18 And all they that heard it ^awondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

 19 But Mary kept all these things, and ^apondered them in her heart.

 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

A quick run-down of Hawaii

I've found that if I let much time pass after something happens, whatever I write about it on my blog is pretty bland. So I'll just briefly share some of my favorite pictures from our trip to Hawaii.  

Penny enjoyed playing with the olives at our Thanksgiving dinner. I don't remember her actually eating any, so there is hope for her, yet.

We found this strange looking, three horned fellow in the garden. He's holding a Jackson chameleon. 

I thought he was pretty cool looking

We all shared a room during the trip, and the two girls shared a fold-out bed. A couple nights we found them snuggling together, and whether it was intentional or not, made my heart melt.

I don't remember the situation for Naomi's nakedness, but we hung her swim suit on a tree and designated it our pirate flag. After several people walked by and commented, "How cute!" or took pictures, we decided we had better do the same.

Penny made a zillion sand angels.

This was at the very end of our trip. I'm just as pasty as they make 'em.

Naomi is simply delightful-- more and more so every day.