Bracing for a freezing cold weekend

It's going to be cold this weekend. Twenties. Lows can go down to a single digit on Saturday. 

I've ben finishing up a cowl {just need to weave ends in} so that our necks and faces can be covered because we have a guest pup coming who only does her business on walks. We'll need that extra warmth!

I'm also thinking we need to get the fire going in our fireplace and make some soup in the slow cooker. 

Hopefully I'll get to knit up more hats over the weekend and a scarf. I also want to make a couple of blankets as well but I need to get my hands on some more yarn. Eep. Yangkyu isn't going to understand. He doesn't understand why I need more yarn when I have so much just "sitting there". :) 

Have a wonderful weekend. 

Stay warm!

And may the force be with you.

{I just saw Star Wars earlier this month and I'm still thinking about it and I wish I can see it again! I grew up watching because of my brother and a few names, scenes and things have stuck with me throughout the years. My brother was just bonkers about it. I mean figurines and model kits, {he had a humongous Millennium Falcom model kit which he didn't let me touch}, watching the movies over and over and over again and making me watch it too, role playing with make believe lightsabers {I didn't make for such a good Jedi Knight and our childhood cocker spaniel was always R2D2}, even computer programming to make a 3D version of the Millennium Falcon. Even now he shares his love for Stars Wars with his sons. And so when I watched The Force Awakens, my jaw dropped when Rey called the Millennium Falcon garbage {ok - she didn't know it was the Millennium Falcon then} and I couldn't watch when she flew it so terribly. This sounds really weird but I almost cried when Chewie and Han Solo came on the screen and almost cried a second time when the X-Wing Fighters came to the rescue. I hadn't realized the influence of my brother and Star Wars had on me but watching The Force Awakens was like reliving my childhood and all the fond memories I had of it. Did you all watch? What did you think?}

I get it now. Thumbs are important.

Several years ago when I was reading The Art of Racing in the Rain, the dog in the book mentions how he wants to help his owner but he can't because he doesn't have thumbs. He can't open doors or do anything of the sort. Gah! Only if he had thumbs!

Even after reading that I didn't realize how handy my thumbs were until this winter. 

Now my skin gets brutally dry every winter, but this winter has been the worst. I think it's because I wash my hands more than ever {dog care business} and I don't even bother putting on lotion afterwards because I'll be washing my hands anyway after 2 minutes of applying it. 

I don't wash the dishes with rubber gloves because too many of my glassware of gone to glassware heaven because they would slip right out of my hands. 

This all led to my fingers splitting and cracking. I mean they were just little splits but they hurt like a mother. And I got them on all my fingers - especially on my fingertips right next to my nail. And the worst was when I got them on my thumbs. I couldn't do anything - I couldn't wash the dishes, knit, even put on a band aid because the pressure just hurt too much. I tried doing these things without my thumb and you know what? You can't. 

So thumbs are important. 

I read on Emmy's blog a while back about O'Keefe's Working Hands. I got them because I was so desperate. They work. But I don't like the way they feel on my hands. It feels like I just peeled an orange. But it works. And so I apply it every night before going sleep. 

This is the golden yellow yarn I wanted to use to make a cowl but it turned into a hat. I finished it recently {after my thumbs healed}, working on it without a pattern. The top turned out a little funny but I like it anyway. I was on a pom pom kick last year and so I wanted a knit hat sans pom pom. 

But I just got a bunch of yarn though from Wool and the Gang and all I can think about is knitting up hats with huge pom poms. 

Life is always funny this way isn't it? 

Happy Lunar New Year!

We used to take loads of pictures with Piri like this {where we're making a bunch of silly faces}, but not so much anymore. He kinda gets over it way before we start taking pictures. Hey.. I say.. if you're 80+ years in human age, you can do and care about whatever the heck you like. 

Today is Lunar New Year - Year of the Monkey. It's called Gu Jung in Korean.

We aren't really big on celebrating {although it is a pretty big holiday in Korea} but we like to acknowledge it and we usually make ddduk guk as well (even though we eat it also on January 1). Today though, there is no dduk guk {too lazy to make}, but we think we'll stop by the Korean market to pick up some rice cakes {I love the ones with honey inside}.

As a kid, I remember going to the countryside for Gu Jung where my grandparents lived and there was always something good to eat. All the kids played freely outside from morning to night, roaming the alleyways that was filled with old fashioned homes that had windows and doors made with wood and rice paper. The air was crisp and slapped our skin and we all ended up with bright rosy cheeks. It was so vastly different than playing in playgrounds in the city. So much better, although I probably didn't realize it back then.

The biggest event though came when we all got dressed in hanbok and bowed {full body bow} to all the adults and in return we got envelopes filled with money. I'm not sure if there was a favorite uncle or aunt who gave especially larger sums of money -- I don't think I cared too much about getting money and I didn't fancy wearing a hanbok either. I remember being embarrassed to wear it for some reason.

I am far away from family now to celebrate in this way, but I am thankful for my childhood and the memories I have of it. I sit here recalling back to the sights and sounds and the first thing that I feel is gratitude and appreciation that I had the opportunity to experience something like this and remember it enough to be able to retell it. 

I'll probably end up talking about it again with Yangkyu and we will end up comparing how different and similar our Gu Jung with family was. 

Happy Lunar New Year or as we say in Korean Sae Hae Bok Mani Bat Ue Sae Yo {wishing you lots of luck in the New Year}. 

I like this life with you // 004

"It's not the load that breaks you down. It's the way you carry it."

 -- C.S. Lewis

Hello Monday

We currently don't have any Piri's Place/DogVacay bookings this week and so as of right now it looks like I will get this entire week off. 

Last week we had about three days when we didn't have guest dogs but those days were spent at the cardiologist for Piri, vet's office, errands and then cleaning the entire house (6 hours of cleaning!) and so it didn't really feel like break. Then we had guest dogs over the weekend and so this week it's really off time for all of us, including Piri. 

I started to knit, a hat. On double pointed needles. It didn't turn out well and I started over a couple of times and then gave up altogether. I realized that I don't have the right circular needles to knit the hat I want and so I've been kind of at a standstill {I can just buy the needles but we spent so much money in January that I've been waiting for a new month to start buying things again}. 

I bought some fleece fabric the other day. The lady who was cutting my fabric asked if I was making a blanket. I said "Oh no. Actually a doggy scarf." She thought that was pretty cute. In my head the doggy scarf looks perfect, but I am not too sure how it will turn out. We will just have to see. 

Our refrigerator is full with lots of vegetables that need to be washed, cut and prepared. Our meal planning looks good this week and we kind of look forward to having some spicy braised mackerel.

I've had so much junk food these past two weeks {I blame the blizzard and Aunt Flo} that I'm looking forward to getting back to eating well again. 

The snow has melted away significantly and I can't wait until garbage days this week because ours are about to explode {which sort of made me think about how much waste we produce}.

We are having awesomely warm weather. I hope it continues to help melt away the snow and clear the sidewalks so I can go running away real soon.

We did a little rearranging in the house and moved my seamless white paper that I use for taking pictures upstairs in Yangkyu's office. That room gets so much natural light that it only made sense to put it back in there {we had originally taken it out because the mount didn't fit above our closet doors which was right next to the window. The seamless paper isn't next to a window now and I'm sure I'll have fun trying to play with shadows but we'll manage.. somehow.. don't we always?}

But first, I need another cup of coffee. 

Have a good week friends!