Today James came home around noon and we all piled in the van and went to the Houston Children’s Museum. They have recently completed huge renovation and the museum is fresh, new and fabulous. We all had a great time and could have stayed forever. That explains the purchase of an annual membership. Here are some photos:
Category: Great Stuff (Page 2 of 5)
I stopped off in Kingwood for two days on my way to North Carolina. Caitlyn and Aimee are interested in sewing so we got fabric for everyone and got busy sewing pillowcases. Caitlyn and Aimee made their own and Lainey, Havana and David helped by stepping on the “gas” while I fed the fabric through the machine for them. It was a fun project!
When we first moved here the Tokyo American Club was in a fairly central location near Tokyo Tower. About a year later the club was demolished and the construction of a new club on that property was started. The club was relocated to a temporary location that was not as convenient for me to get to.
The new club opened this week. Today Rick and I walked over to explore the new location. It is quite impressive. It seems so much larger than the old club. The exercise facility has all new equipment and great views through the large windows. The pool is on the roof-top with it’s own outdoor restaurant. There will be several restaurants when it is completely up and running. I really liked all the windows with views over Tokyo and the many terraces that provide outdoor relaxing.
Rick and I received this as a Christmas gift. I have had mixed feelings about whether or not I’d like one because I love everything about books. The feel, the smell….everything. Books are part of my first memories. My great aunt was a librarian and always had a book to share. One of my favorites was about a little girl and the crescent moon. My grandmother would often bribe my sister and I on shopping trips with a reward of a Little Golden book. It worked and we had quite a collection. I had a library card from an early age. I think I discovered that reading about other people’s lives allowed me to escape reality and since my reality wasn’t always so great I read all the time. In 6th grade I read every biography in my school library. I also read Rosemary’s Baby! Where was my mother?
Back to the Kindle…In early December I ordered a book from Amazon Japan. I thought it would be a great read during my December travels. The website did not state, in English anyway, whether the book was a hardback or a paperback. It arrived and it is a hardback, a very thick and heavy hardback. Since I was already carrying my laptop I could not bring myself to take the book. It cost about $15. That is when I decided a Kindle would be great. The Kindle version of the book is $9.99! Will I buy that book for the Kindle, too? No, I’ll just have to read when I’m home for awhile which will be after March 3.
I just booked two trips, one to the freezing Appalachian Mountains and the other to sunny warm Perth. By the way, I do like the Kindle a lot!
I have loved the weather since I arrived back in Tokyo this week. Clear skies and cold! Rick arrived home around noon and asked about my plans for the rest of the day. I had been up since 5am cleaning like a crazy woman and I still hadn’t finished and probably won’t until Tuesday. Monday is a national holiday and we have sumo tickets. Anyway, back to our plans…I had none, I just wanted to get out somewhere and enjoy the sunshine and crisp air. Then I remembered Jiyugaoka. Every time I ride the train to Nori’s I think, “This place looks interesting, I should get off sometime and wander around.” When I told Rick he got online and found a restaurant that Nori’s husband, Mitch had told him about. Cheap, all you can eat, sukiyaki and shabu shabu. By the time he finished, he had pages of info and maps. We found the restaurant easily.
We chose shabu shabu with a combination of beef and pork. The center of each table has an electric burner and a pot of broth was put on it immediately. Once it’s boiling you cook your own meat and vegetables and eat them with a bowl of rice.
There is a time limit on the all you can eat idea and the host was careful to tell us before we were seated that because they close at 3:00 we would not have the full time. We weren’t worried. We ate all that was served and requested a refill on rice. Then we went to a vegetable bar (think salad bar) and loaded our plate up. Â The meat was delicious, but the initial serving was substantial. Our bill totaled 3150 yen, drinks were included. The last time I had shabu shabu my meal alone was over 10,000 yen. Fortunately, it was a business dinner and the company paid.
We walked around Jiyugaoka for awhile. An interesting find was a “mission” store that sold handmade items, many made of felted wool. One day I’ll go back and try to figure out what the mission is and maybe buy some gifts. There is a huge flower shop, a tiny, traditional soba noodle shop, and great little streets to wander around in.
Soba Shop
Just before Christmas on a day when I was rushing to get Christmas pillowcases sewn and sent to Maddie and Izzie in Australia, my sewing machine started sewing with huge loops on the bobbin side. I “googled” the problem and tried everything. The final step said if none of this works you will have to take the machine to a shop for repair. A US machine to a shop in Tokyo? I’m not even going to try.
My friend Jo called and asked me what I was doing and instantly offered her machine. I made the pillowcases and got them in the mail that day. After sewing on her machine I realized that I might want to upgrade. The machine I have been using was won in a contest that I should have never entered. I won it from the Cotton Shop in Provo and had picked it up and was on my way home to Tokyo when Rick reminded me about the poor BYU mom who could have used instead of me. I have money to buy new sewing machines, by winning one I was possibly taking it away from someone who may not be able to afford to buy one. I rarely enter contests anymore and when I do it’s for something I plan to give away. Like the two contests I entered recently to win a Madsen bike. I planned to give that to one of my girls. In fact, that is the only contest I have entered this year.
So… that was a long story to get to my new sewing machine. I researched and read many reviews before deciding on a Brother. Yes, I know my my grandmother would cringe, being the Singer owner that she was (but if I had her Singer, I probably wouldn’t have needed a new machine). The machine that broke was a Singer, a little, very basic machine.
The machine I chose was the Brother Project Runway (yes, I could do without the Project runway emblazoned on the front). It is a great machine and with free two shipping from Amazon Prime and no tax, it was a good deal. I got it out in Texas and tried it to make sure it worked and then sweet Rick brought it home for me in a wheeled carry on.
I was anxious to try it out today and it is great! So different! I just needed to read the directions on how to wind a bobbin (seriously ?) It’s a bit different than on my Singer. I plan to do a lot of sewing this year. Today I am piecing a baby girl quilt.
I love the giant paper clip on this sign for Tokyo stationary shop.
Every December since we have lived in Tokyo our building manager comes to my door with a gift from the property management company and every year it has been coffee. So every year Rick takes it to the office and gives it to his assistant. So this year I was surprised when there was a small bag from Living Motif on the top of a box. I tore it open and found a darling Santa ornament made with felted balls. Hurray, they finally got it right! P.S. They gave us coffee, too. American=coffee drinker
With Andrew and Leigh living in the midst of Appalachia in a cabin on top of a mountain, I never know know what we will see next. Last winter was so bad they couldn’t get either of their four wheel drive vehicles up to the cabin. They hiked in with their groceries and laundry in back packs. So when I saw this photo of Rorey on Facebook I wasn’t surprised. I really think I remember buying a crib for her…hmm. Isn’t she adorable!
Japanese children in elementary school all wear the same type of backpacks. The color is determined by which school they attend and it is part of their school uniform. I saw these in a shop and am amazed at the price, 39,000 yen is the equivalant of $464.00! I used to make my children use their $20 JanSport backpacks for several years. They had to be falling apart and beyond repair for me to buy a new one.
