Vampire Amigurumi

As Napoleon Dynamite made clear, skills are an attractive quality in a person, and very important to have. So for Christmas I bought my sister some hooks, yarn and crochet books in order to add the skill to her repertoire.

I even did good and bought her books that would fit her personal tastes: cute and creepy.

But alas, little sister had no patience for big sister, and gave up shortly. It also didn't help that left-handed me had a hard time teaching right-handed her. Ah well, my grandmother said she'd have better luck teaching her than I would, so Penga-sis will just have to take the book over there to learn.

But as I had plenty of time to kill during the holidays, I picked up the book myself. I've crocheted scarves and cat-eared hats and stuffed animal capes in the past, but I had never tried amigurumi. The little stuffed dolls are terribly cute!

I went with the Nosferatu doll pattern, because a) I loved the movie and b) it was one of the easier patterns.

Not having used a hook in a while, he came out a little lumpy, but still really cute. The eyes are made of glossy black cardboard from some box I found in the recycle bin, because I was too lazy to use clay as was recommended.

Penga-Sis likes him too. Looks like I gave the girl a fish instead of teaching her to fish. Sigh.

Can you crochet, and if so, what do you make?

New Year's Mochi

Feeling like a fail-wifu, I forgot to make sure Sak got his new year's treat of mochi.  Among other traditions, it's customary in Japan to eat buckwheat noodles on New Year's Eve, and mochi on New Year's Day.  Or at least to put the mochi out, and eat it sometime in January.  For good luck! Anyway, to make up for forgetting, he got it a week late.  Yes, I'm a week behind with just about everything right now, life has gotten so busy!

To really make mochi (super glutinous sweet rice), you have to pound the mochi flour, or put it in an automatic pounder.  Seeing as I have no patience and no pounder, I bought the instant kind.

Simply put the hard mochi in water, and microwave for a few minutes!

Then I put it in some sweet red bean soup, for a week-late new year's treat!  (Three since Penga-Sis is visiting with us for a while before her school starts up again.) And traditionally, you're supposed to make ozoni, which is a salty veggie soup with the mochi.  But neither Sak or I really like it, so I used something sweet instead! 

Looks kinda weird, I know.  But it really is tasty!

Do you have any new year's traditions?  I guess it's too late to make a resolution to be a more pro-active blogger and commentor, eh? *Sigh*

Merry Christmas!

It seems the holidays have caught up with me (and judging by my stagnant Google Reader, other bloggers too).

Merry Christmas to you - I hope you are all filled with peace, joy and love. If I could give each of you a hug, I would. *Virtual hug* And then I'd feed you a bacon cookie (which turned out pretty tasty, but super, super greasy).

Sak used his precious Slap-Chop to mince the bacon.

Yum.

Yummm.

I used this recipe, but if you make it, add a bit more maple flavor because it cooks out a lot. If that's even a term.

Sak and I have been busy. Last weekend, Sak was baptised, and we were officially made members of our church, after attending membership classes, writing a faith statement, interviewing, and finally sharing our testimony to the congregation! (A harrowing experience for the shy, to be sure.)

I nearly cried during Sak's testimony. Which is saying a lot since I wasn't even near tears during our wedding - supposedly the most emotional time of one's life. I had been worried about him, since he had refused to prepare for his "speech", and had distracted himself the week prior to keep from worrying over it. (As you can guess - I was the one who spent the week fretting, for both our sakes.) I was especially worried since he doesn't like talking about personal matters to people other than me and maybe our Bible study. Not even to his parents, and especially not to a crowd. And one's spiritual self is a very personal thing, especially when belief in Jesus meant giving up other beliefs held since childhood.

But he was very clear with his story of how he came to realize that not all Christians were quick to tell him about his pending trip to Hell. Of how he found God's love through people that really, honestly cared about him. Of how he felt that the church we had picked out together really did feel like family to him.

I guess there's just something about a man declaring his love for the Lord with simple honesty and without reserve that really just makes me weak in the knees, because I was about to lose it. By far the best Christmas present I could witness.

The other thing we've been up to is with our Bible study group. We partnered with City Team again, who told us about Bhutanese refugees that have been steadily coming to Oakland. Due to internal conflict, they had to leave their little country, which borders India, to live in camps in Nepal. 60,000 of them have been offered a new home in the US, and about 400 of them are new residents of Oakland.

Our mission was simple - help provide the families with things they need - and to explain to them what the whole Christmas thing is about. As it is their first Christmas here, I'm sure the crazy decorations and retail madness can be quite confusing. Our family, in particular, has been here only about a year, and from that family Sak and I picked the 24 year old son. Instead of wanting videogames like a typical American boy of his age - his request was simply for a jacket or a pair of shoes. We opted for the jacket since shoes are a little more personal a fit. Sak picked it out, but I included the return receipt should he not like the style.

Anyway, we always do these sorts of "adopt-a-family" things, but I think it's especially neat when you get to know a little about the family you adopt. Makes it more personal?  There was a party held in Oakland, and several members of our group went to meet the refugees in person! Unfortunately it was a workday, so we couldn't make it.  But I hear they were all very nice, and could speak English even.  Which always makes me embarrassed.  Why is it that people (who may never come to our country at all) always know English, yet so very few of us know anything BUT English.  Or at least I don't. Bahhh.

So in any case, that's what we've been up to this season - and now we shall chill with my family for a bit! Yay! Well-stocked pantry of delicious food!

Happy holidays to you! Hope you are doing something lovely and even borderline magical!