on the joys of motherhood, adoption, life in Korea & Japan & small town USA, simplification, homeschooling, sewing, quilting, and much more........
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I've been excited for the neighborhood to green up so that it would look better in photographs. It will get much greener still, but I couldn't wait any longer, and brought my camera with me on my walk on the first day of spring. The same day that I took these photos, and these.
Daejeon seems to be full of Christian churches. We can see at least 10 steeples topped with crosses when we look out from our balcony. Korea is estimated to be as much as 30% Christian. That is a huge number compared to other Asian countries. (Japan, for example, is less than 1% Christian). Only in the Philippines is Christianity more of a way of life, and that is because of their colonization by Spain.
As I walk along the river, at one point I can see these two Christian churches alongside a Buddhist Temple (the backwards swastika is the sign for a Buddhist Temple - Hitler actually took that sign and turned it backwards to make his swastika).
I love seeing people pushing or pulling carts along the roads like this.
Another Christian church along the river.
Our apartment complex.
An elderly man sells "popped and puffed goods" from his cart on the bridge near our complex. He has a machine inside his truck that heats up the corn, rice, wheat, etc, and pops it. I've heard that it is illegal to sell on the streets in Korea, but policemen can be paid to look the other way. Street carts like this are common.
The grocer right in front of our apartment complex. I enjoy being able to pop into this shop, and many others like it right in our neighborhood when I need something.
I mixed mine up in the blender, to smooth out all the banana lumps. I'm not sure if that was a good idea or not. It made the batter really smooth, but it also made it really airy and runny. They still tasted great, but it took me a while to figure out how to not pour too much batter into the pan, and when was just the right time to turn it so that the pancakes stayed in one piece when they were turned. Next time I may try it without the blender to compare.
One of the things I love most about Asia is the mixture of the ancient and the modern, the old and the new. I am captivated by the juxtaposition of rickity old buildings next to sparkling new skyscrapers, electronic shops with all the latest techonolgies next ancient shrines.
Our neighborhood in Daejeon, Korea is an old neighborhood. And while many old and run-down homes and buildings are being cleared away and replaced by new high-rises, many intriguing and old structures & homes remain.
Last week, on the first day of spring, I tried to capture these contrasts & their beauty with my camera.
A picturesque scene from old Korea painted on a house wall. At first glance, it seemed to me like a cowboy riding a horse - a western scene, but on closer insepction I saw it was a man in traditional Korean dress.
I LOVE Korean roof tiles.
This green seems to be the most popular color for gates.
More roof tiles
As I was taking pictures of the roof tiles above, a man asked me in what seemed to be an unfriendly and accusatory tone "why". Why was I taking pictures? It made me nervous, but I tried to stay calm, and told him it was because I thought it was pretty. He beckoned me to follow him, and I questioned the wisdom of it. But I tried to follow my heart, and it felt right to go with him. He led me into a narrow alley way between two old houses, which made me a little nervous, and then he proudly showed me this gate, and wanted me to photograph it. The yellow tape seems to be caution tape. I wonder if it will be torn down soon.....I hope not.
It is common to see people pulling carts like this around, even on busy streets.
The "backwards swastika" is the sign for a Buddhist Temple. And actually, the swastika is a backwards sign for a Buddhist Temple. Hitler stole it and turned it backwards.
Buildings like these remind me of structures we saw on our trip to Beijing.
We begin our homeschooling each morning with journal writing.
Little man has decided to write his journal entries in the style of a chapter book (his spelling left intact):
Feb. 13 ~ Feb. 14: Chapter 1: The plane
As I boarderd the plane I felt a weird feeling of sorrow and excitment.
sorrow for my friends and excitment because I havn't ridden on a plane in a long time. So as I walked in that small plane, I found my seat and made myself comforble.
I then heard the engine roar, and the next thing I new I was in mid air next to my younger sister Susanna....
Thanks to a friend's post on facebook, we started oil pulling just over a week ago, and are amazed at the results.
Our teeth have whitened considerably and are shiny and bright, like we just went to the dentist and got a cleaning. My sinuses, which always bother me, drained for the first three days I did the oil pulling, and are much clearer now. Brock's skin has cleared up an dlooks more healthy. Our 12 year old has had terrible problems with plaque. Even with brushing and flossing 3x a day, her teeth have perpetually had plaquey build up and discoloration. We have asked dentists about it, and have been told there is nothing we can do - some people just make more plaque than others. Now we know there IS something we can do. Her teeth are remarkably, almost miraculously different. They are staying SO MUCH cleaner, and look shiny throughout the day. She fought us about doing at first, but then later admitted that she had been praying for help with her teeth, and this seems to be the answer.
There are more helpful and informative articles on the internet about oil pulling than you could ever need. Here are two of them:
I am always searching for yummy healthy recipes. But I happened across this one because I was looking for a hot fudge sauce with ingredients we have on hand, or could easily get here in Korea. It was a long search on Pinterest, but I came up with this recipe. Our Bishop and his wife were coming to visit our home and I had planned to serve them hot fudge sundaes/banana splits, but then realized that I didn't have and couldn't get the ingredients for my favorite go-to hot fudge sauce, and I was out of time.
I was a little nervous about this recipe - melting the chocolate chips into water? Would that really work? It didn't seem like it would. But it did, and it was so yummy! It only requires four ingredients - chocolate chips, water, coconut oil (only 1/2 tsp) and milk (only 1 Tbs). I used sour cream in place of the milk. It is only a Tablespoon, and I thought a little creaminess sounded good. It was VERY good. And much richer and prettier looking than this photo from the blog I found it on.
Every other recipe I looked at called for one or more of the following ingerdients in large amounts - corn syrup (no please!), heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, powdered sugar, evaporated milk.
Every day I am reading more about Tourette's, and gaining great understanding of my boy, and myself, and our family dynamics.
It is healing and painful and enlightening and humbling and liberating and frustrating.
I am realizing how much self control our little guy actually has. And how much patience he has had with us and our impatience.
:Waiting to play his violin with the Nauvoo Community Orchestra in his first performance - you can see in his face how he is struggling & focusing so he can hold still:
We have been very confused and frustrated over the years about the issue of why he can hold still in school and church, but not at home. We have honestly never had a family prayer, scripture study, family home evening, or even a conversation that hasn't been interrupted (usually repeatedly) by him, since he came to us at 4 days old. But as I shared in my first post about Tourette's, he can hold still and not interrupt in church and school. We have asked him over and over in exasperation why he can't do it for us at home. And now we have an answer. "When a child with Tourette Syndrome is trying to suppress several tics during the day, say at school for example, he will be using up a lot of energy and this becomes exhasuting for him. This will build up to a feeling of frustration......and the tics and pent up energy will need to be released when he gets home."....Tics and Tourette Sundrome: A Handbook For Parents and Professionals
I read years and years ago that it is a good sign when children act up home, because it means that is where they feel safe, and it is the same with Tourette's - he can't suppress the tics and urges and energy all the time, and he feels safe to do it at home. So that is good. But I feel so guilty that I haven't understood it until now.
The book I referenced above also says, "It is a sad but realistic thought that every day there will be a chid with a tic disorder in a classroom somewhere who will be reprimanded for his tics. It is not uncommon to hear about children given detentions or extra homework because the teacher assumes the tics are done deliverately to annoy him/her". Thankfully, I am not aware of this happening to our son. He has been blessed with very good teachers. And I think he has also worked hard to suppress the tics at school. I am so grateful for the wonderful teachers he has had at school and church. I just wish I could also say that I haven't reprimanded him for his tics. But I am coming to realize how much I have reprimanded, scolded, reminded, pleaded, and even lost my temper & yelled over things that he probably had little or no control over - like touching every single thing he passes in the grocery store aisle (which happened again yesterday, and I started to scold him, just like I always have) . It is very humbling and heartbreaking. And somehow he still loves me sweetly and patiently.
I have learned again and again that our children offer us every opportunity to overcome our weaknesses, if we will be open to learning those lessons. It is difficult and painful. One of my great weaknesses is that I am easily overstimulated. And so living with the constant movement, noise, confusion, and chaos has brought out the very worst in me. I have felt completely frayed and frazzled for almost 10 years. But I also have the opportunity to let this situation make me into a better person than I could ever otherwise be. I am continually faced with opportunities to be kind and patient and understanding in spite of feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated. Probably every child offers this to every parent. But for me and my boy, the scale of this offering is enormous.
I love my boy more than I can express, and am so grateful that we get to journey this life together.
We had a surprise delivery today ~ two large boxes from our Natasha. She sent us her winter missionary clothes to keep for her until next winter, and also sent some fun letters, Korean study helps, and this lovely Hanbok set for Susanna Grace. I love traditional Korean clothes - so feminine and colorful.
Once a month, our stake (a group of congregations) charters a large bus for the two hour trip to visit the Temple in Seoul. On March 8th we waked 20 minutes in the early morning darkness to catch the bus at 6:00 am. At 8:15 or so we arrived in Seoul, where our Natasha is serving as a missionary.
The Seoul Temple is so lovely. We have loved it since October of 2000 when we first saw it during a 24 hour layover in Seoul on our way to Beijing. The landscaping is beautifully Asian, and so is the interior of the temple.
We can't wait to see it again when the trees have leaved out and the undulating waves of shrubs have become green and vibrant.
A feeling of peace, love, and serenity fills the temple and it's grounds.
Natasha visits the temple about once a month as a missionary, and it was fun to feel closer to her while we were there.
:Natasha and Sister Kim at the Seoul Temple in November. Sister Kim's family is in our ward (church congregation) here in Daejeon!:
After our session at the temple, we had time to walk around the city.
:notice the words on the window, the cakes on display inside, and the traffic reflected in the window - I love Asia:
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