Constant Beginnings

Korea offers a little something for everyone. For me, New Core Outlets. A little tiny taste of an American department store. It is lovely. I never buy anything, but I enjoy wandering and looking. Mya and Claire love the play area. This one is free. There is another upstairs that costs a few thousand won, but we didn't happen to have any with us, so free it was. Free is good.  I happen to ask Mya one day if she could copy my trick. She did and soon after, Claire did as well. I guess it isn't so special anymore.

Last year's Valentine's Day treasure hit was such a hit that I had to do it again. It received rave reviews once again and this time it was especially fun to see Mya actually participate. Claire was asking for treasure hunts several days later. I guess she likes the treasure hunt as much as anyone. 

My head is spinning. We have had quite the weekend. It has been a busy one, more mentally/emotionally exhausting than physically. Here are a few things: Our couches were returned Friday night--1 week and 1 day from pickup. Pretty amazing. The upholsterer did a great job. Very happy. I wasn't so sure about my color selection at first. It is kind of a goldy beige and coming from the ivory we once had, it was quite a change. I am coming to like the color as well. So far so good. Claire dripped water on them last night with no sign of it today. That is a far fetch from our experience with the microfiber fabric that we had which would show EVERYTHING. Before After: Loveseat After: Couch w/ 2 models My classes are killing me. Actually I should clarify, it isn't so much the classes, but the craziness at work, combined with the classes and then of course, my meager attempts to be a Mom and Wife. It has been stressful, but the end of this session is in sight. Then I a...

These two are quite the combo lately. Mya refers to Claire as "my Claire" and that pretty much sums it up. They are the best of friends being "teachers" to their babies, building houses for their squinkies, doing ballet to Justin Bieber or the Muppet theme song (whichever captures their mood that day) and laughing and giggling galore. It is really nice to see them together. This friendship has been a work in progress and I am certain this is an "up" on the rollercoaster, but I am taking it all in!

10 days. Yep, that's it. In 10 days (or less) we will know our destination. This wait has been intolerable. We actually caught word a few weeks ago that we may be headed to San Antonio and though we knew this was far from definite, we leaped into planning mode (you know, just in case ;). Four months is not nearly enough time to find an appropriate house, great school for Claire, preschool for Mya, and a job for me. San Antonio was second on our list, so it could be a real possibility. Needless to say, if San Antonio is our future home, we are all set. We found everything we were looking for and more (not to mention family to love on our kids and sunshine galore). So exciting. That being said, now that we have our hearts on Texas, even if we get our #1 choice (Ramstein, Germany), I think we will feel a twinge of disappointment. Strange and wrong on so many levels. I am trying to reopen that door again today in preparation for the "drop." 10 days. Yikes! I can't wait! ...

We bought new couches when we got married. We chose ivory microfiber thinking we'd switch them out in 5 years or so. 7.5 years later, they're still here and looking rather shabby. These poor couches have seen it all--breast milk, vomit, urine and countless crumbs and juice spills. Yep. I am willing to bet you are dying to come on over and have a cup of tea. :) To make a long story short, on a last ditch effort to save our couches, I took the cushion covers off and washed them. They came out clean but also a faint shade of pink. I thought I was in trouble and began to break the news to my dear husband that in addition to potentially buying a house in the coming months, we will also need to fork out some moolah for new couches. Well....Korea is the land of many wonderful things. One of those things is the tailoring and upholstery work available for a very affordable price. The challenge; however, is finding these places (everything being in hangul and broken English presents qui...

I love holidays. I love doing something a little extra special. I made Claire's Valentine's last year with rave reviews from the recipients, so I had to rise to the challenge again this year. I think I did just that. So. darn. cute. I am not a fan of giving out loads of sugar to kiddos, so I try to think of different, healthier options. That being said, Claire gave capri sun waters and Mya gave playdoh to their friends. The sticker labels turned out great and didn't take forever to create. In fact, I managed to put everything together in about an hour, including the little gift baskets for their teachers. I found the idea for Mya's on pinterest. Love that site! Not sure where I got the other two, but I'd come across the basic idea somewhere, then just made it my own. 

February is Valentine's Day. Our kids are a bit too small to get the idea behind Valentine's Day and I really don't care for the idea of needing to show love on one certain day. I think it something that should be taught and expected each and everyday. Anyway, off my soapbox. I saw these adorable envelopes in the Pottery Barn catalogue and decided I'd whip up my own. I did just that and I am rather thrilled with how they turned out. I used a heavy felt from my favorite Korean craft store and sewed on some ric-rac detailing from my Grandma's stash that I took when we cleaned out her house. I am so glad I could use it on this particular project. I love it!  Each and everyday, I write the kids a note telling them what I love about them or why I think they are extra special people. Sometimes there is a little something extra in the form of stickers or a shirt. When they get mail/cards from others, I put them in there too. On this particular day, Mya found a card from...