We have moved to our 2nd Korean home...

We moved...yes, our third home since August. We have only been in this new place for 2 days and are already feeling at home...side effects of moving too much I guess. This new, and I mean BRAND NEW...we are this first people to live in this absolutely gorgeous, top floor (penthouse) apartment, is the most beautiful home I have ever lived in. Of course it is valued at $2 million American dollars....thankfully the U.S. Air Force flips that bill. After living so high-class, I am worried I won't enjoy my new home in California when I get there.

I am excited over this new kitchen. It comes complete with that HD little flatscreen. The cupboards and counters are so pretty too.

Not sure how, but strawberries are in full-swing here in Korea. This is our 3rd box of these babies in a week.

Civil Defense Exercise

Every month here in Korea they have a Civil Defense exercise. Madi was home sick and I was tired that it was a good thing I talked to Steve over lunch and he reminded me...cause when the sirens would have gone off I think it might have scared me to death today.

After North Korea tossed bombs this direction, Thanksgiving week, these civil defense exercises are a little more serious. The sirens sound and all 22 million people living in Seoul come to a stop for a bit. The police are in the roads with gas masks on and ALL the cars come to a skreetching halt.

Not sure what is being said on the roaming loud speaker.

Jets flew overhead and then we watched the helicopters land on Post.

Madi sat on my bed and watched out the window the whole time. They practice at school. Normal school kids have fire drills but Ben and Madi have bomb drills. Madi cracked me up today with all her knowledge on bomb/nuclear safety.

I really love living in Korea....well Seoul that is. It's the military's best kept secret! It's just like Manhatten and the base is Central Park. You can see the base in this picture out our living room window. If you click on the picture to make it big you can see base housing with their red tile roofs.

If you make this picture bigger you can see more housing, the base gym, the lights for the soccer field...isn't it funny.

Pots of gold

Here are some little pots of gold (rolos) we made to hand out. The tag is a free download I found over at the crafting chicks.

We are getting ready to move. The apartment we now live in had been for sale for a few years for $1.5 million but Korea is also experiencing a slower economy. The couple who own this apartment....the wife has cancer and they need the money so they dropped the price down to $1 million and it sold in a heartbeat...so I keep telling myself in this whole situation I am not the one getting the raw end of the deal. Plus the new apartment we are moving to is a nicer $2 million dollar place....it's beautiful with beautiful grounds. (I still can't believe the U.S. military pays for us to live like this.) It's a community with 13 towers, 3 kids parks, built-in soccer field, basketball hoops, 2 gyms for adults and we got the top floor with a decent view.

Look at this old Korean temple. It's a landmark that they are not allowed to touch so they have to build all around it. This is in the middle of the 13 tower community...too cool.

Outside exercise equipment. I wonder why they don't make stuff like this in the USA?

Kimchi pots

Today was perfect. I met some friends in Itaewon at 9 timo for a delicious Italian lunch. After lunch and cupcakes (we celebrated another friends birthday) my friend Kelley and I decided to walk all the way home. Kelley is so cool. She is the Weather Squadron's Commander's wife and cares so much for all of us ladies in the unit. Plus she is prior Air Force too. Before moving here after just getting married last summer she worked in the White House doing communications for President Obama...see she is really cool. On our walk home we made a detour to the aka Kimchi pot gate. The base we are at has at least like 15 gates and this stop is right outside one of them.




Kelley picked up this pretty green piece of pottery.

Look at these beautiful large kimchi pots. They can be used at a side table or something like that since I won't be using it to make THAT much kimchi. I didn't get a large one...not sure exactly what size I want yet. Any ideas on what decorating purpose it could fill?

I did get these baby kimchi pots. Wouldn't one of these make the cutest sugar bowl!?!

Decorating with green

Easter is so late this year, I had to make St. Patrick's Day ornies to tie me over from Valentine's to Easter.











I chainstiched some yarn for a green garland.




This large green shamrock is made from felt.

Hmmm...little Georgia Bulldogs living in Korea. Look at the kids toothbrushes.

a spiderweb and a new highrise

I love to make things. I am learning so many new things and I can't believe some of the pretty crafts I have been making. Here is my latest...it's one block of the spiderweb pattern. There is NO WAY I would make a spiderweb quilt...it would take a lifetime. Anyways, I followed these directions.

Okay now about moving. Our apartment here sold and we have to move. I think we may be setting a world record....my family will call 4 different houses home in 13 months by the time we get to California in Aug. We aren't sure yet which place we are moving into...it may be that highrise down the street...I looked at it yesterday. Today our realtor is going to show us some others that are open. I am starting to feel sorry for myself. Craziness I tell ya!

40's and 50's

Since when is 40's and 50's warm and feels like it's Spring Break? When you live in Korea and it's been darn near 0 degrees everyday!!! Of course the year we live in Korea we break 98 year old records for cold weather. I mean we drive around in our car and the temp reads 9...it's been crazy!




Here is Madi enjoying our (HOT) 52 degrees. She is standing near some kimchi pots.








It's been over a month since my neighbor Liz and I had been to Osan and since it's Saturday and 50's we went. I scored my favorite...Chanel, with a wallet. I needed a Chanel with their signature chain :-)

This heat wave we are having has put me in a Spring mood and I got this super fun colorful Coach.

Steve was so nice to watch the kids today. Madi's little friend spent the whole day over here. Her family was stationed in Georgia with us so we have known them for years. Madi looks like an orphan because well, Steve takes such good care of the kids and others since he watched our friend all day too, but he does NOT do hair and I was gone shopping with Liz all day. Oh, Liz got a super cute lime green Jimmy Choo and a pretty Prada. What a wonderful day this has been.

stacked coins

Finally, I made myself a stacked coins quilt. This neat pattern had been on my wishlist of things to make for a long time. I LOVE it. That's Madi holding it up standing in front of our living room window...we never never tire of the Seoul skyline view we have.

potholders and a new kitchen?

Last summer the super talented dressmaker jordon gave me tons of her scrap fabric for FREE! I have used bits and pieces here and there. One day I felt like trying my hand at some cute potholders and thought some of those scaps from Jordon would be darn cute cut in squares all sewn together...I made a bunch of those darn cute things. FUN!














I have been freaking out all afternoon. Our realtor in California let us know a house that we put a bid on is starting to go through. The house is perfect...it's a ranch, 4 bedrooms, 1 living room, 3 car garage and has the most beautiful kitchen with 2 ovens and 2 sinks! The house was built in 2006 and sold in 2006 for $177,000 MORE than it is now, which means we are saving $177,000 by buying this house now rather than 4 years ago, can you believe that? This housing market is the best thing to ever happen for us to be able to buy a home in that great state of California...I am getting excited to say the least.

Best brownies & free movies

My goodness have I been busy. In this past week we have had 2 dinner parties, a night of Bunco, a brunch with my favorite Weather Wives and then all the my normal doings as well...it's been crazy fun. Last night our realtor hosted a dinner party with her clients...many of them are from the Weather Squadron. We stuffed ourselves with the most delicious Korean food and then enjoyed playing some traditional Korean games...Ben and Madi were pro's because they had learned how to play at school in Korean Culture Class. I chose the world's best brownies to take for dessert.



So now about the movies. Here at USAG Yongsan we have the BEST base movie theater I have ever seen. It has 3 screens inside. They play a movie on each screen 3 times a day...that is 9 movies to choose from everyday of the week. Good movies too...up to date. They played Tangled and Secretariet the weekends they opened in the United States. Our family goes all the time, they are FREE!!! Free for us I guess, but some of you out there who pay taxes may be paying for us. It all started back in 2001 after September 11th, everyone was on lockdown so they opened the theater for everyone free of charge and decided to leave it. We just really get a kick out of going so much.

We bought more Korean rice...50 lbs. It's the BEST EVER! We have started eating like Koreans. When Steve got back from California all he wanted was Korean food after going without. Did anyone out there know Korean food was so good? Most nights of the week my kids ask me to cook Korean food. I will take some pictures and share some recipes.

Dongdaemun!

That's where I went today. The fabric market at Dongdaemun in Seoul, Korea is the neatest place on earth...for a quilter that is. Take a look at all my new fabric...this one on the right...if you do papercrafts you will notice it's vintage milk bottle caps by Jenny Bowlin...in fabric state...LOVE IT! It got 2 yards...maybe an apron and dish towel? Throw me some ideas if one comes to you. At Dongdaemun there is not much measuring...there are thousands and thousands of bolts of fabric and they just roll some out measure against their arm and body what they think is a yard ,make a snip at the top and rip it down the grain. The guy selling this stuff was huge so his arm span was a nice extra large yard...nice!

All the fabric is 3,000 won a yard which is about $2.80. I picked up 2 yards of the pac-man fabric to make something for Ben. The white fabric with the black crowns...I bought 4 yards of it a few weeks ago and wanted more...it's 3,000 won at Dongdaemun or look here at the fatquatershop it's $9.50 plus shipping per yard...no thanks I will buy mine here in Korea for much cheaper! Oh and I picked up a fatquater of Japanese fabric with matruska dolls on it.

These are some other cute fabrics I picked up. Won't that orange with the cute skulls and bats make a cute skirt for Madi and I got enough I could make the kids Halloween pillowcases...FUN!

While I was there I stocked up on a few Louis Vuitton ribbons.

Since I always make girly things for Madi when I saw this Tom and Jerry fabric I had to get it too. What else can I make for Ben? And ever since seeing this post by camille I have had houndstooth on the brain, so it totally caught my eye at one of the venders today.

I love Audrey Hepburn so I picked these up to make something out of them. The ribbon was on sale too...3,000 won for 33 yards.

I can't get over this Olivia fabric...it's so cute.

You've got mail

Here in Korea we are about 1 day ahead of the United States...so it's almost Valentine's Day here. I have had these pink mailboxes from the dollar section at Target for 2 years and finally I am I giving them away...one for each of the kids teachers and we have 2 for the 2 wonderful nurses that take care of Madi's diabetes needs everyday during her time at school. The "mail" inside are chocolate coconut cookies I made...MMM!

I cross-stitched this primitive Valentine pillow.

When we lived in Germany I collected a few Hummel plates and dolls. These little plates are my favorite but I only set them out as part of my Valentines decor.

The other day the Family Mart across the street was swallowed by flames and we watched the whole thing from our living room window here on the 17th floor. We LOVE living in a highrise...in Korea...even having kids.

Valentine mug rugs

Mug rugs seem to be everywhere. So I wanted to give them a try. I had seen some similar to this over at sweetwater and thought they would be fun to make. I made a stack of them for some sweethearts for Valentines.

G is for Georgia...

... not Green Bay. That said, I am letting the kids skip school tomorrow to watch the Super Bowl, and since we can't cheer for the Atlanta Falcons we will be rooting for the Steelers. We live in Seoul, Korea where the Super Bowl starts at 0830 on a Monday morning. We are going to get up at the normal time we would for school so we can watch the pre-game festivities. Steve is in sunny, 72 degrees Sacramento, California doing some house hunting. Today, he actually put in a bid on a short sale.

The kids were looking through pictures earlier today and I saw this one. This was exactly 5 years ago. Ben and Madi were 3 and 5. Look how cute. This is in the city square of Prague, Czech Republic.

My ironing board

I made this bright-cheery cover out of the Bliss line of fabric...I LOVE that line. It makes my ironing board seem like a decoration and it makes any ironing a little more tolerable.




Today in Korea we are celebrating the Lunar New Year...Happy New Year!