I Miss Dollhouse World!!

I was scheduled for one last class at Dollhouse World in Suwon and was so looking forward to it.  Unfortunity, the owner, Jung-Mi's father-in-law had fallen gravely ill and as the wife of the eldest son, the hospital vigil fell on her shoulders.  She spent every hour of every day at the hospital keeping me informed (through my Korean girlfriend) his status and the possibility of still having my class.

But he ended up passing right before we left so I was unable to have that class.  But I did stop in one more time to pick up a few supplies.

 While her sister (who owns the coffee shop adjacent to the shop) scurried around collecting items along with some phone calls to her sister looking for things, I took some photos of all the talent.

                Then I stayed for lunch and had a bittersweet meal with her.  Her shop is so cute.

I just love this bagel sandwich of hers.  It had egg, bacon, lettuce and mayo.  Yummy.

If you every are in Suwon near Sungdae Station, stop by.  She has kits available too.  If you have two full days, have a Korean friend give her a call and see if she can schedule a class for you.  It will be one of the best things you ever did in Korea.  To get to Dollhouse World:  From Sungdae Station, walk West for a few blocks until you past a gas station.  Take a right at the next street, its' a steep one and walk.  You will see the coffee shop and Dollhouse World on the left.  You can't miss it, it's the first building when you take that left.

There is a huge miniature show in Chicago every year and she would love to go.  I'm trying to convince her to go and that I would drive down and help her with the show.  I'll let you know if she ever takes me up on it.

Up North With Noah!

We used to rent a cabin for a week most summers up on Leech Lake when the kids were young but it had been a good decade since we had done that.  I thought this year would be a great year to do that again.  My folks would be going with us as I had heard my Dad more than once talk about all the fun we had up North.

We were able to bring Noah with us and we also had visitors like our son and his girlfriend and my sister and her husband.  This photo is Noah's first boat ride on Leech Lake.

We went up on a Saturday and by Monday we were sitting in a doctor's office with Noah.  He hadn't been feeling well and was running a 102 degree fever.  But when he started crying about his throat hurting we knew we were in trouble.  I was lucky enough to find a clinic (the only clinic) willing to squeeze us in.

The poor little guy had strep and the doctor wanted to know where we were from.  He had seen a lot of strep that week and all from the Twin Cities.  He called in Noah's prescription and we made our way to the pharmacy.  Thank goodness for my IPhone.  I was able to call Laura and she sent me copies of her insurance card through our phones.

Noah wasn't himself most of the week but that didn't stop him from having a ton of fun.

He would have bursts of energy only to crash and burn quickly.  We just catered to whatever he needed and by Thursday he was back to his old self.

Our resort is off of a winding road going around Leech Lake.  We noticed one morning about 30-40 Native Americans in the woods digging.  We saw a hearst there also and that's when we realized that it was a gravesite.  They were still there that evening having spent the entire day there.

              I had never seen anything like it so I grabbed my camera to take a few pictures.

It reminded me of the tombs I would see dotting the landscape in South Korea.  It was similar except in Korea they would use bricks or stones to make a dome and the body would lay under the dome.  It was then covered with dirt and grass.

Every Tuesday there is a flea market in Hackensack.  It had really grown since the last time I had went. Both my Mom and I love a good flea market.  We brought Noah with us too.

I did get a few things including this cool bag.  Noah got a few things too and so did my Mom.

Smoretime!

Noah also learned how to catch crayfish.  A couple of brothers really took him under their wing and were wonderful swimming buddies.

                  We also went into Walker and did a little shopping.  They had a lot of cute shops.

                                          Noah picked out this t-shirt for his little brother.

This was our cabin.  We chose a large one because we weren't sure how many people would be coming and we wanted plenty of room.

                                                                     The Kitchen

                                                                  Family Room

                                                 My Folk's Room and yes, that is a jacuzzi you see.

                                                                       Noah's Room

                                                                    Our Room

Our son is kinda famous around these parts.  When he was 12, he caught a record muskie off the dock.  The resort owners had a replica made of his catch and also a plaque made.  He still holds to this day the Minnesota State Record and the World Record for 16 and under.  He is quite the fisherman.

Happy Birthday, Louie!!!

Happy 8th Birthday, Louie! We could never imagine all the joy and laughter you have brought to our lives.  We love you so much even when you woke us at 5 am this morning meowing like there was no tomorrow to tell us you were hungry.

Completion and Decisions

I finally finished the bojagi that was my final assignment from my Korean bojagi teacher, KJ.  I'm amazed at how much time it takes to handstitch and I worked on it constantly to the detriment of the housework (I am not a big fan of housework).  I love the Korean fabric I used.  It was a silk with a flower design.  I wish I could find similar fabric here but I haven't been able to.  I'm really happy at how it turned out and happy to be finished.

We also made a final decision on the kitchen, family room and bathroom colors. The salesclerk at Hirshfield's was shocked at our choice for the bathroom.  It was actually Rocketman who came up with the purple and chartreuse.  Now he is prepping the rooms for paint.  We found out that after wallpaper it is a good idea to paint a coat of oil based paint on the walls as a primer.  So Rocketman is looking at an extra coat on the bathroom and kitchen walls.  Thank you everyone for your suggestions, they really helped.

We are still eating on the floor, Korean style and really enjoying it.  It's a great exercise for the knees and it will keep us ready for our next visit to Korea.  We are thinking of a trip next May.  Spring is one of my favorite times in South Korea with all the cherry blossoms in bloom. 

Noah's Critique of Suave's "No Tear" Shampoo

We had the pleasure of having our grandson, Noah, with us for a whole week when we stayed at a cabin in Northern Minnesota.  During a shower, Noah became very upset with the shampoo.  He knew it was "tear free" but yet it made his eyes burn.  I grabbed the video camera and caught the conversation.

Color Conumdrum

I'm struggling.  We need to decide on a color to paint our kitchen and family room.  It's times like this that I miss my old neighbor, Jan.  She was an interior decorator and really had an eye for these types of decisions.

We went to Hirschfields's last night to decide and came home undecided.  The salesclerk that helped us suggested the colors above.  We were thinking of going lighter but she said with the dark countertop and backsplash, we should go dark with the walls.  There isn't a whole lot of wall in the kitchen that needs to be painted.  But then what color to use for the family room?  Lighter?

                                    These were two colors I came home with.  I just don't know.

This is the adjoining family room and right now it is yellow.  If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

We have a tiny bathroom downstairs which had leopard wallpaper until now.  I am thinking of painting it turquoise with a thick chartreuse stripe.

My Amish dresser which I ordered in April finally was finished.  Since it is made by the Amish, it took 14-16 weeks to get.  We are so lucky to have an Amish furniture store just a few hours from here in Lanesboro, MN.  We have bought many pieces over the years but it had been a good ten years since we had bought anything.

It was delivered by Jacob of R & J Wood Goods and I couldn't believe how heavy it was.  It was also huge at 55 inches tall and so well made.  This isn't from China.  I recommend them highly.  It wasn't cheap at $1278 but it is something we will have forever.  It is replacing a beatup second hand chest of drawers which kept many of Rocketman's things.

As I was tranferring his things, I came across a plethora of hankerchiefs.  He was surprised to see them too.  I don't think they had seen the light of day since the 80's.

Kitchen Remodel - Part 4

I decided on an over the range microwave and fan.  Sean had to install it in order to finish the tilework.  I can't wait to see the new black range because our old one really sticks out like a sore thumb.

                                                            All the tilework was finished.

                                          Tomorrow Sean is hoping to start grouting the tile.

The knockdown ceilings were done today also.  Rocketman and I LOVE them.  I just wish I could do the whole house but it is definitely on our wishlist.