Friendship Block Contest

Here are the six blocks that I made for the Friendship Block Contest. Which one do you think won? Which one would you pick? Yes, this is a shameless attempt to generate reader response. Humor me.

Fabric and Trims

Tuesday evening we the quilters met at Adele's house to quilt the donation quilt that we had basted last week. Because I was the only one who had entered a quilt show, I was elected to do the quilting. I think my true qualification was that I was the least scared to do it. The others helped to turn the quilt and run it under the machine. Several ladies also helped to stitch in the ditch. But no one wanted to sew across the squares by eyeing them. Till we finished that, and chatted, it was close to midnight. We talked about how sleep was a bad habit and we should give it up.
Wednesday Pam and I went to Dongdaemun. You may be tired of hearing about Dongdaemun, but it is fabric and craft mecca. We got cloth, and trims, and danglies for the Christmas stocking exchange. Andrea bought us some honeydew melon ice cream on a stick. How cool is that? We didn't get home until 5:15.

Map

Here is a map of the post, where most of my activities take place. Look down at the lower right hand corner where is says Blackhawk Housing. We live just to the right of that, off post. So you get some idea of how far we walk to the commissary, or the thrift shop, or Chris' work place. That is just north of the Dragon Hill Lodge.

Chris is back.

It is Tuesday morning and I am getting ready to go to the thrift shop, to sort and price, not buy. But, you never know, if something wanted comes in, we can put our names on it until somebody else prices it.
Chris arrived Sunday at 7. We were glad to see him but he wasn't himself. SO, I went to my sewing room and made the block of the month due on Monday. Then knowing we were going to vote for a block as the new friendship block (to be autographed), I made 6 blocks to submit. I made them from sketches I did earlier after scouring the internet. The rule for submission was you had to e-mail the instructions to Ralu so she could post them on the site. Well, I didn't have time, so I was prepared to be told 'sorry'. But they did pick one of my blocks! But not the one I would have picked. Then I had to mail the instructions later for posting.
Also, on Sunday I boiled almost 2 dozen eggs: 12 for pickling for Michele and 9 for Deviled Eggs for the quilt group on Monday. The group really enjoyed them. There were hardly any left for Michele.
Very late Sunday night, I ordered a sewing machine from JoAnns. They had a reconditioned model for $70 and free shipping. What do I need with another machine? To teach classes of course. I had extra machines, but I gave them away because I didn't think we'd have room for them. Silly me.
Besides voting and eating eggs, the group started the Secret Sister program. They had a form to be filled out listing what kids of this and that you like. Then, we picked anonymously from the pile. Now, at the beginning of each month, we buy a $5 gift for our assigned unsuspecting person. That means the first gift is due in a week. I'd better get busy.

Last few days

Just a quick post here as it is very late and we have to get up for church in the morning. I have spent the last few days finding places for everything that came on Wednesday and washing all those dishes. Phew! Now that my sewing room is set up, I have been ironing all the fabric I bought over the last two months. More phew! The Block of the Month is due Monday so I have chosen fabrics for that and cut out the pieces. That is as far as I will get tonight. My bookshelf stereo system is set up in my sewing room so that I can (and have been) listen(ing) to my CD collection while I iron. Ironing is a nice, warm activity now that it had suddenly turned cold.
This morning there was a yard sale at the Embassy club. It was mostly clothing, but I did get a few hangers and a hairdryer. Then we (Pam and I) went to the thrift store where I got some fabric and 3 220v lightbulbs. That way I can use my regular lamps with 220 outlets (with a $1 adapter). After that we bought a TV stand in a box at the on-post furniture store. We also bought tickets for the Christmas Tour of Homes. We picked up Pam's husband to carry the TV stand box back to my apartment. They left and Michele and I proceded to take the pieces out of the box. But, horrors, one shelf was cracked. So, called the store, offered to bring back that one piece to exchange (since I couldn't lift the whole thing) and they asked for my address and said they'd be over sometime. The guy showed up with an entirely new box, pulled out the piece that I needed, and took the broken piece. Now wasn't that nice of him? Just then I noticed the time, time to go to the commissary in case it closed at 4. I tried to bribe Michele into coming with me to help carry stuff. Nothing worked until I promised to make her her own set of pickled eggs. Who would have guessed? Even with her help, we had a heck of a time carrying it all back. We were glad for all the things we didn't buy.
After that, we did a lot of laundry. More ironing. I think we skipped supper. Oh well. At least we have milk for breakfast.

The Big Day is Over

The big day is over. The loaner pick-up team came at 8:30 and were gone by nine. The delivery team came at 9:40 and were finished delivering, assembling tables and beds, and unpacking , by noon. They were very good, knew exactly what they were doing, and spoke passable English. Too bad that some things hadn't been packed properly. My water scene painting has been damaged. And it is all so dirty! Where did they store it?
But anyway, the living room is assembled, except for the hooking up of all the electronic components. Same for the computer room. Both bedrooms are looking good. It is the sewing room and the kitchen that still need work. The problem in the kitchen is that everything needs to be washed before it can be put away. And there is WAY too much stuff, and not enough kitchen. The problem with the sewing room is that it caught everything that didn't have a room to go into. It is no longer sew ready. Bummer. So much for my plan to lock myself in until all the fabric is gone. I have accomplished so much that I rewarded myself with a chocolate peanutbutter eyeball (leftover from the Halloween themed luncheon yesterday).

The Big Day Has Arrived

When we last left our heroine, she was anticipating the arrival of her hosuehold goods several days hence. As the morning of the big day dawns, she reviews the events of yesterday. She remembers dropping off a bag of loan closet items to ACS, and then attending the AFSC luncheon where she bought 50 yards of fabric. It is a pleasant memory, especially the price, $100. She knows some people would look askance at such extravagance, but others would understand the value and nod approvingly. Last night, she soaked, washed and tried to dry most of that fabric, but alas, the dryer would not cooperate. What to do? Well, what are husbands for, if not to handle such trivia so that their wives can move on to more important matters? He'd be back soon, she knew. Perhaps too soon. Why, she had an entire apartment to arrange in his absence. And maybe a few things to insure would 'get lost' in the move.
Ah, but time is getting short now, and she must finish a few details. The dressers have been emptied, the tables cleared. One bed has been stripped. The plan had been to stuff the bed clothes into the washing machine, but with the dryer not preforming its duties, that would have to wait. The apartment came with a drying rack on the porch, but it was, she reflected, covered in bright, damp fabrics. Fabrics which will need pressing. She groaned. Well, time to get started putting away the last few items that might get in someones way. After all, one can't spend all day writing to one's blog.

Getting ready for the big day

Chris has been gone two days. I thought we needed him to change the 5 gallon water bottle, but Michele and I handled it. We didn't go anywhere yesterday except church with the Lunds. Today the quilt group worked on baby quilts. We had a pot luck lunch and then delivered 8 quilts to the hospital. I made egg-salad sandwiches from pickled red beet eggs. Somehow everyone knew when they saw the sandwiches that I had made them and the bread, too.
I stopped by the housing department to make sure that they would pick up the furniture they lent us before delivering our house hold goods. It sounds like they hadn't planned on it. Good thing I stopped by! Now, all I have to do before they come Wednesday morning is strip the beds, empty the dressers and the wardrobe, clear the tables, pack up the loan closet items, and clear the sewing and computer rooms to make room for the desks and tables. And I have to do most of it tonight because there is a luncheon tomorrow morning and the quilt group is meeting tomorrow night. Oh, yes, and drop the DVD's by the library so they don't get lost in the shuffle.

Stuffed Squid

Chris got up EARLY this morning and Rick drove him to meet the bus to the airport. He will be in Northern Va for a week. I wanted to send him with a shopping list, but he thought he'd be busy doing whatever they sent him to do. Well, I had a number of things I wanted to do today but had to wait for the plumber to come at 11. Only he didn't. But we waited. Then we got a call around one saying that he would come at 2. So, since Michele was here to let him in, I dashed over to the thrift shop to buy a chair. There was only one left. I also got a laundry basket, and I had brought my rolling cart. I put the chair upside down in the basket and put the basket on the carrier and rolled the two home. I didn't make it by two, but it was ok. The plumber had finished and left and Michele was ready to go to the International Food Festival in Etaewon. I needed a break after rolling that chair, but then we hiked over to Etaewon, and did some window shopping and sampled food. Michele got a Pakistani chicken tortilla, and I got a fried triangle with a spicy potato filling. One place advertised cider, but it was nothing more than a mild Sprite. Just before we left, I bought a stuffed squid. Michele identified it for me. The lady sliced it up, put some red stuff on it, wrapped it in tinfoil, and away we went. It was still hot when we got home. It was ok. Michele would NOT try it. I put the rest in the fridge and tried it cold later. I liked it better cold.
Waiting for the plumber this morning, we cleaned the apartment. By that I mean Michele vacuumed her room and I did the rest.I also wove the back of one of the chairs. After returning from the thrift shop with a chair that was 'icky', I spent half an hour scrubbing the seat with a toothbrush and now it looks great! I also did a little sewing, but it is hard to get in the mood to lay out and cut fabric on the floor. Our household goods will be delivered Wednesday, and if I can hold out that long, I will have my cutting table, making the process SO much easier. I will also have speakers for my stereo system so I can listen to music as I sew.
I hung a panel of burgundy silk in the window last night and it looked so good, but come morning the light went right through it. So curtain linings will be on my sewing list. Oh, one more thing to bring from home if you move here is a bag of your favorite clothing patterns. They are conspicuously absent at the fabric market. I have been told that here people give a picture of the garment they want to a sewing lady, along with their measurements, and she makes it. How does she do that? What about the joy of making it yourself?

Donation Quilt

Our quilt group on post is working on a quilt to donate to the AWC, which they will auction off at their Dec 6th dinner. We asked them for a monetary donation to buy fabrics to make quilts for wounded soldiers and baby quilts for Storks Nest, where military moms have their babies. So, here is what we came up with. It is definitely a quilt by committee, and I like it. It gets better every time we work on it. I'll post another picture when it is finished.

Chairs

I am writing several posts at once to get my pictures on the net before Chris leaves. He will be taking this laptop (with all my pictures) with him. Because we thought we could keep the chairs they loaned us, we didn't ship any kitchen chairs, dining room chairs, or living room chairs. Just computer chairs. Well, we are about to have a chair shortage. Knowing this was coming, I bought two folding chairs at the furniture store on post. Also, my friend Adele was going to throw out some patio chairs that had busted seats. I asked her to let me have them and re-weave the seats. So I got some canvas ribbon at Dongdaemun and made new seats. Then, sitting in the first one, the back broke. So now I will have to do those, too. If you know anything about weaving seats, you can probably tell from the photo that I don't. But I like how they turned out.

Thai and Vietnamese silks

Thursday: Chris went to work at 4:15 am and Michele to school at 6:45. I volunteered at the thrift shop. While there, Nancy dropped by with a pizza and one of the ladies brought sushi. That reminded me that this is the day the sushi dept opens at the commissary. So, after my shift at the thrift shop, I stopped by the commissary and got two kinds of sushi: salmon, and cream cheese. I ran into Cathi there. She said that people were like roses. When you transplant them to a new place, they need time to grow new roots before they can bloom. Well, I want to be an air fern. That way being transplanted won't damage my roots.
Thursday night the quilt group met to work on the donation quilt. We got all the borders on and made a matching pillow case. Some of us stayed pretty late, talking. Adele drove me to the gate, and I got home by midnight. Since Chris needed to get up early again, he should have gone to bed, but he stayed up until I got home.
On friday there was no school, so Michele stayed home. Chris went to work, and then to the division picnic. I stopped by the Chosun gift shop to check out the Thai silks. A 4-yard piece was $8, so I got several colors. I also got some Vietnamese silk in the form of a skirt and a wrap. Then I met Chris at the picnic. After eating, I showed my purchases to some of the ladies and they hurried over to check it out. After I got back to the apt, Chris forwarded an e-mail that our household goods had arrived and we should call for delivery. Yea!! He set the delivery date for Wednesday, since I have things to attend on Monday and Tuesday. Sadly Chris won't be here. He is being sent to D.C. for a week. He leaves early tomorrow for the airport. He is sleeping now, but not for long. Just this morning he was told about a teleconference tonight from 10:30pm to 12:30am. So he has to go back to work and walk home after midnight. It irks me that these conferences are set by people in the states at very inconvenient times for us. On the other hand, he gets paid overtime :) I guess there is a bright side to everything.

Seoul Tour - more pictures

In order to show all the pictures that I took on the Seoul Tour, I have put them in an album on Picasa. Hopefully the following link is clickable and will take you there with no problem. If not, copy and paste it into your browser. If that doesn't work, you may have to type it in, or e-mail me at damourcf@yahoo.com and I will send you a clickable invitation.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Damourcf/SeoulTour

Dongdaemun - again

Tuesday Michele went to school, but Chris stayed home, which was good since we had to call for a plumber. The drain pipe under the kitchen sink came completely off. Chris called the realestate agent, who called somebody, who came and taped it back on. He didn't speak English so we didn't know if this was meant to be temporary or permanent. I went to volunteer at the thrift shop. AFter that I went to the library, and the Px, which is STILL out of 11 1/2 inch stainless steel bowls. Nor did they have a large Korean dictionary. All they had were small ones, written in English. Eventually I met a friend who had asked me to tutor her daughter to take the PSAT on Wednesday. She took me to her house. Very very nice. And two cute little dogs. After tutoring, she brought me back, then her daughter had a game to cheerlead. That evening I finished turning the hems on my striped blue shirt. But what to do about the neckline? It turned out lower than I expected, so turning under the edges would only make it lower. Luckily, Wednesday (this morning) Tina, Rachel and I went back to Dongdaemun where we found a blue trim for the neckline. I also got a textured grey knit, black pantyhose, more rice cakes, an almost-denim blue to make a matching skirt, an embroidered peach fabric, batting, quilt backing, elastic, and canvas ribbon.

Seoul Tour

Yesterday was Sunday. Rick and Nancy provided us with transportation to and from the church. Chris and I made a commissary run. Later the three of us went to the library, then over to Burke Towers where a co-worker of Chris asked Michele to babysit. They were going out with friends, and the friends had kids, too. So Michele sat for 3 kids for 5 hours. She called at 1 am to have Chris meet her at the commissary gate and walk her home. Of course that woke me up, and I couldn't go back to sleep. I kept thinking that they should have driven her home. It would only have taken another 2 minutes at that time of night. However, the next morning I found out that they offered to drive her all the way home and she refused, to save them some trouble.
So today we had a tour, complete with tour bus that picked us up on post and tour guide. We visited Seoul Tower, which has a 360 degree observation deck. Each of the many windows has the names of world cities that that window faces and how far away they are. I took a picture of the New York window.
Then we visited a restored traditional Korean noble village. The rooms were very small to conserve heat, and the cooking fires heated tunnels under the floors as well.
After that, we walked to a nearby Korean restaurant. We had three kinds of kimchi, seaweed, broccoli, bean sprouts, spinach, something chicken-like, eggplant, something suspiciously like rice jello, and the main course, beef with veggies, noodles, and mushrooms. Most of it I liked. I want my parents to know that I ate some of everything on the table.
After lunch we walked to an ALPHA store. It was kinda an art, office and convenience store. Since I had just been thinking the day before about how to find one because they were recommended, it was amazing to find myself there without any effort on my part. Then we went to the 63 building, so named because of its 63 floors, once the tallest building in Seoul. First we went to the 63rd floor in a glass enclosed elevator. I had to close my eyes to avoid dizziness. That floor was an observation deck also. It held an exhibition of Hello Kitty art. Then we proceeded to the basement where Sea World was located. We saw fish, reptiles, anemones, sea lions, manta rays, etc. Very very cool. And then we came back to post. I don't know who paid for the tour, but it was free to us the passengers. And I would definitely recommend it.

Columbus Day celebration

Friday I left the apartment early to check out the running club. But I missed the bus "by THAT much" as Maxwell Smart would say. So, as I would have to run to get there on time, and then run to catch up, I decided to run to the commissary and back, since we needed food anyway. I spent the rest of the day working in my sewing room, adapting the patterns I brought, to work with the fabric I bought. I read the SQG newletter. Such fond memories I have of them. In there it said that they sent me a card. Now I have that to look forward to. I also did laundry, washing the sheet my friend Tina so graciously bestowed upon me after she heard my sob story about commissary sheets, and the twin bed sheet we have stretched across our double bed. If you know anybody moving to Korea, tell them to bring sheets. The Koreans have thinner mattresses, which they zip into a sheet-like case. So there are no sheet sets for sale at the markets.
Saturday was a lazy day. Basically we read, watched a DVD and sat at the computer. I looked up Korean words from a flyer that the gas company left. It was somewhat tedious, but I have a good idea of the Korean alphabet now and how syllables are formed.
Later, Michele and I walked to post and took a bus to the Dragon Hill Lodge. She was going to Homecoming, like a dance, I guess. I helped her primp in the bathrooom and then we proceeded to the lobby. After she spotted some friends, she told me I could go. Humph! So I walked by the Octoberfest, this being it's last day. Last week we had seen a large delicious-looking waffle cone with icecream, strawberries and whipped cream. I thought about getting one tonight but had just had supper, so I went to the Columbus Day celebration instead. It was dark by the time I got there. A little crowded, but not badly so. I was just in time for the 8th Army Band. Now, doesn't that make you think of marches, and patriotic music? But no, it was a small combo with electric guitars that played hard rock. And something I called 'noise with a beat". (That could be a name for a rock band!) After the band played, the firewarks started. Now, THAT is what I came for. I have never been so close to fireworks in my life. In fact,I have to wash the ash out of my hair. It was exciting, though. Then, because the wind was blowing (thank goodness because the smoke had gotten pretty thick), and I was cold, I ran home. Well, off and on, anyway. Chris is now out meeting Michele at the gate. I hope she had a good time.

Block of the Month

Here is a picture of the blocks I won Monday at the quilt meeting. It is nice that there are 12 of them. I can't really do anything with them until my large square ruler comes.
Wednesday I did a lot of running around on post. Got alot done, but it sure tired me out. Chris had to go in early so he got hungry for lunch early. He ate his sandwich then was still hungry so he called me to go to lunch with him. We went to the Katusa snack bar and had Fried Squid and Jabchae. Like so many Korean dishes, they were mostly Korean veggies over rice. And spicy. We were served two kinds of kimchi, one based on Bok choi and the other on eggplant. I didn't like either one.
Afterwards I went to the library and got the largest Korean dictionary they had. Sadly I haven't opened it yet. It is part of my plan to learn some Korean by looking up words from Korean newspapers, advertisements, announcements, etc. I figure if I have to look it up, I'll remember it.
Wednesday night the quilt group met to work on our donation quilt. We finished the top except for a border, if we want one. The lady who hosted it also showed us how she makes jewelry. Very interesting.

Dongdaemun

Last week some ladies had discussed going to Dongdaemun to look at fabric. But they had never been, so I offered to go with them. We had it set up for today but then it conflicted with the AWC coffee so until last night no one had e-mailed me back to say they would go. Well, so I had alternate plans just in case. But they did show and we went. You know, riding the subway is very different when you are not with people who've done it many times. We had a time figuring out which train to get on. And then figuring out which exit to take. It makes a BIG difference in where you come out. We came out exit 8, across a major thoroughfare from where we wanted to be. In the subway station, just before the exit, there was a man selling womens shoes. All kinds of shoes crammed into a small space, but if you saw something you liked, he had it in different sizes. Well, the pair I liked was 5000 won, less than 5 dollars. So I bought them in two sizes, 240 and 245. I am not sure which one means 7 1/2. They are leather, and almost flat with a little arch support.
Since we didn't come out right at the fabric market, we walked around to see what was nearby. Too bad I didn't bring my camera. We saw men's shoes on one street. We saw exercise equipment and umbrellas on another. One building had undergarments: socks, knee-hi's, hosiery, fancy underwear, pajamas, nightgowns etc. I bought some black knee-hi's to go with the black shoes I bought. Downside: 10 pairs in a pkg. Upside: less than $4. We wandered through an area like tent city, selling scarves, clothing and food. Tina bought a corn dog with french fries stuck to it. We all tried it. Then I bought some muffins. They had a sweet bean paste filling. We all tried that, too. Then Rachel bought a fried coleslaw sandwich. It was like a fried doughnut, sliced in half, filled with coleslaw and a little ham. That was good, so we each got one.
Then, to get to the fabric market, we had to go back into the subway station. But this was a different entrance. So here the subway was full of merchants selling fancy fabric for Korean costumes. It was almost all solid colors. We looked, but didn't buy. When we came out, we were closer to the market and could walk over without being run over. Way too much to mention, but full of fabric and trims and jewelry makings, etc. I bought some striped jersey and some blue jersey. We enjoyed looking around, adn then headed back. At this entrance to the subway, a woman was selling rice cakes with assorted fillings. I bought a package for Chris and Michele since they couldn't come (consolation purchase).
On the way back, Tina asked where we should go next Tuesday. Rachel responded with "Where shall we go tomorrow?". These are my kind of people.

18th Anniversary

Today we celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. It went very well. Chris went to work for half a day. I went to the quilt meeting. They had a drawing for Block of the Month and I won the blocks. After the meeting, I met with Nancy, who drove us to the thrift shop where I bought a humdinger of an ironing board. Then I walked back to the apartment, where Chris was waiting for me. He had gotten me a very nice card and I was touched.
Then we walked into Itaewon where all the international restaurants are. We chose an Italian restaurant. It was very nice and it was open at 2:30 in the afternoon. Chris ordered the Burning Pizza, which was spicy, naturally. Feeling adventurous, I ordered the Abalone Viscera Spaghetti, but they were out. So I settled for the Squid Ink Spaghetti. It was the perfect Halloween dish: spaghetti in an alfredo sauce with calamari rings, all black, with a small mound of bright orange fish eggs in the center. Yummy. (The mango smoothie was good, too.) When the dish was served, I thought "I'm wearing my best top, and I've ordered a plate of ink. What's wrong with this picture?". We brought the extra home and took a picture of Michele trying it. Later we took a short walk to the local coffee shop for dessert, but they didn't have any. So we had coffee with whipped cream, a Kiwi drink, and a nice conversation.

...Octoberfest

Friday I met Chris and his coworkers for lunch. We ate at a Katusa snack bar. 'Katusa' stands for something like Korean Augmentation to the US Army. Anway, they serve Korean food. We ordered the Young Radish dish and the Curry Chicken. The chicken dish was better. Both came with radish slices in water, and beansprout soup. Oh, and 3 kinds of kimchi.
Saturday, Michele took the SAT. She wasn't registered to take it, but for a fee could be on standby. It was a 5 hour test. She thinks she did well. While she was doing that, I washed the dishes, and vacuumed the floors. Then Chris and I went by his office to drop pff a can of sugar. We passed under the bridge where there was supposed to be a flea market, but only one person was set up. Then we hit the library, returning books and DVD's and checking out more. The we walked to the Gallery, where I picked up my new glasses. Can you belive it, bifocals? I wore them while we went to the PX, and then to the bus stop. But had to take them off then because I was getting queasy. We were home for awhile, Michele got back a few hours later (she and her friends had some post-SAT celebration at Baskin Robbins). Then we met some friends at the Dragon Hill Lodge for Octoberfest.
There was a BIG tent, with many tables and chairs. We lined up for German food, which was ok, but the pretzels were the best. Our table got a pitcher of beer. Recorded music was playing for awhile, then the 8th Army Band showed up. They were very good. At one point, three trombonists paraded around playing Lassus Trombone, a piece my father used to play for me. Then, they had arm-wrestling, first for the men , then for the women. After that, waltzing. But a little too fast for rubber-soled shoes on concrete. Anway, we left soon because it was VERY noisy and my eyes were smarting due to all the people taking flash pictures. I wish I had remembered my camera. We walked over to the main bldg to use the restrooms and discovered that fireworks were playing over the Han river. You couldn't hear them inside the tent. I stopped to watch because I LOVE fireworks.
(P.S. I also love getting e-mails from the people back in the states.)

Dongdaemun

On Wednesday five of us went to Dongdaemun, the fabric center of the city. I had been once before, but didn't see it all. I saw more this time, but still haven't seen it all. We all bought quilting fabric, of course. I also bought some teal dress weight poly and a lightweight gray knit. I wanted to buy curtain fabric, but didn't have any measurements with me. The place was crowded. Most aisles are very narrow. Keeping out of other people's way is difficult. Our hands were full when we returned via the subway.
On Thursday I volunteered at the thrift shop. Several people asked about my Dongdaemun trip, so I have scheduled another for next Tuesday. I wonder if I will ever get tired of that place?
Anyway, I did a lot of walking today, visiting the school, library, arts and crafts center, and ACS bldg. I was home for the late afternoon, reading and washing fabric, but then Chris came home for supper and afterwards we walked to the theater to see The Mummy 3.