Category: personal

Aug 11

My first embroidery & purse

I’ve been following craftgawker for a little while now and love all the creative things that I come across on that site. I want to try them all. One project I was really impressed with was Yadira’s 1st embroidery. It looked gorgeous and sounded so easy to do. But I wanted to do more with the fabric after I was done embroidering it. So I upped the ante and wanted to create a purse with the embroidered fabric. I have never embroidered nor been able to sew a straight line in my life, so it was a challenge I was willing to attempt.

My first goal was to find fabric that was my style. I went to Ikea first but all the prints were just too large. Then I stopped in at Hobby Lobby and I was amazed at the beautiful prints they offered and it was on sale. I had to stop myself from wanting to purchase one of every spool. Since this was my first time, I didn’t want to go overboard. I picked out two of my favorite prints and bought half a yard of each. I then stopped by Michael’s to find floss that matched the colors on the print. While bouncing ideas off with the hubby, he mentioned lining the purse. I didn’t even think about that. Next stop was Jo-Ann’s, where I picked up a few solid prints and zippers. A size 9 inch zipper worked best for clutch I had in mind. Keep in mind, I have never sewn a zipper onto fabric before, so I was a little intimidated by that step.

Then I got to embroidering. I had no idea the different types of stitches there were. I found this blog, which had the best step by step directions with pictures and it was easy. After I finished embroidering all four pieces of fabric, I looked to this blog to help me sew on the zipper to the fabric. I also included a pocket in the purse to fit my smart phone. It wasn’t easy at first, but I got the hang of it. And here is my first embroidered and sewn purse.

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May 20

A new diet

For health reasons, I’ve decided to visit an acupuncturist. She came recommended by a friend and from the reviews online, she seems to be the best in Houston. You can read more about her here. When I first met her, she seemed a bit abrasive. But after a few more minutes into our conversation, she lightened up a bit. She suggested I go on a new diet to help balance my system. When she first started on the list of things I cannot have, I thought I was going to starve myself. Here’s what’s on the lists of can’s and cannot’s.

I cannot have wheat, red meat, soy, dairy, sweets, caffeine and fruit juices. Pretty much a gluten-free diet plus some more items. What I can have is 70% leafy greens, white meat, white fish (wild), almond milk and two servings of fruit. So you’re probably thinking that I can’t eat anything at all, but with some research, I’ve found plenty of alternatives. Going out to eat might be a little trickier now but we’ll save some money eating at home, though these “special” foods cost a good amount of money.

I’ve been on this diet for about a week now and I can honestly say I do feel a bit better. I don’t have any stomach pains, like I did in the past. Just overall, a better, healthier me. It may seem like an inconvenience, however, in the long run, if I come out of this healthier and feeling better, it won’t hurt me to try.

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May 05

Lights on the Patio


 

 

 

 

We hung some of our Christmas lights on the patio to get a feel of what it’d look like. What we realized was we wanted something else, like some of the images below. We just have to wait for the end of the season to nab them on clearance. ;) Now all we need to do is refinish our patio furniture and we’re ready to use the space.

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May 02

Patio will now be usable

It almost a year that we had our pergola and pavilion built in our backyard. It was just step one of making our backyard more usable. After much back and forth with ideas, either a deck or concrete slab, we decided to go with concrete slab because it takes less maintenance to maintain. We got an incredible deal and the slab has been poured. I’ll post after cleaning photos on Wednesday.

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Mar 14

A New Look

It’s time for a new look for the main home of TN Sugar Rush Creative. Though I like the fun and whimsicalness of the site currently, I feel like it’s time for a refresh. It’s spring cleaning for my business. This really gives me a chance to sit down and evaluate the work I’ve done in my career and decide which projects I feel worth showcasing. So stay tuned for a new refined look coming soon.

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Mar 08

Texas Independence Relay 2011

What a whirlwind of a weekend. Every year, we gather a team of runners and supporters and make our way to Gonzales, TX to start a relay race that ends at the San Jacinto Monument. 203 miles of non-stop running.

But the planning begins way in advance. I start recruiting members in November and it just goes from there. Each year I learn something and improve for next year. I believe this year has been the best organized of the four years. Every one had a good time and no worries surfaced.

Here’s a pool of pictures on flickr. A good time to be had by all on Team 1.

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Jan 18

Kitchen Control

I like to cook. I enjoy it very much. However, it wasn’t like that growing up. My mother was a wonderful cook. She worked five days a week for eight hours, took care of four kids and still had time to make food for dinner, something new everyday. And I’m not talking one dish, we always had at least three different dishes during meal time to have with rice. She was also a woman with little patience for newcomers in the kitchen, which is why I never fancied cooking growing up. Every time I would try to get in to help, she’d shoo me away and say, “Get out of my kitchen!”, in Vietnamese of course. My job was to set the table and bring the food out, so that’s what I did. It wasn’t until I was in college that she even let me make a meal for the family. No Vietnamese dishes on my first try, since I was never taught.

When my mom did get a little weaker as her disease progressed, she’d let me in the kitchen more. She shared with me a few recipes that I now hold sacred in my heart. Only if I were able to get them all, she had so many. And each time I cook these recipes, I think of her.

But I digress. As some of you know me, I like to take charge. I have a plan of attack and I set out to accomplish my goals. Same as in the kitchen. I have my recipes lined up, food to prep and I’m off to make a delicious meal. During this course of meal making, my darling hubby asks, “Do you need any help?”, which I quickly respond, “No, that’s okay.” But last night when he asked me, I changed my mind. I said, “Sure, you can make the marinara sauce.” I even prepped the veggies for him and open the cans of crushed tomatoes. Everything was set and ready to go. As the hubby walked into the kitchen to prepare the sauce, my controlling eye waved over me. I couldn’t help it. I was watching his every move and making sure he was doing it correctly. I was hovering, the one thing I dislike people doing to me. I was turning into my mom. My impatience was growing. I wanted to finish the sauce myself but I had to keep reminding myself, “Learn to be patient, learn to be patient.” The hubby did finish the sauce, however, he said it wasn’t a warm welcome in the kitchen. My worst fears have come true, I’ve turned into my mother in the kitchen. This impatient, no-nonsense, little Vietnamese woman, that’s me!

Oh, but the tides are turning. It’s difficult to let go of the reins when you’ve done it so long. There’s a process that I go through, prep, start the meal, clean the dishes, finish cooking, eat. My kitchen triangle is perfected. This Wednesday, I’m turning my kitchen over to the hubby. I’ve picked out a fairly easy recipe for him to follow and made sure he was comfortable with it. I will do my best to stay out of the kitchen, unless my help is needed. Wish me luck! I will report back on Thursday.

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Jan 13

My Baby Sadie

She makes me smile and laugh all the time. She loves snuggling in our laps when she’s ready for a nap. There’s never a day that goes by that I’m not thankful for her in our lives. That’s my baby Sadie!

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Jan 10

A Great Break

It’s been almost a year since our last vacation and let’s just say I was long overdue for a break. I’ve been mentally and physically spent. We decided to go where we’ve never been, which is Winter Park, CO. We have never seen such white, powdery snow before, it was beautiful! We rode the train from Denver into Winter Park and it was a great way to see the mountains and start our vacation. Our first day in Winter Park, we got the lay of the land and how the shuttle buses worked. We decided to take the bus to Fraser, CO to go tubing. We trekked our way up to the Historical Fraser Tubing Hill to find out that they do NOT accept credit cards. Who in tarnation does not accept credit cards in 2011? We did notice another tubing company below the hill, so before continuing our trek, I decided to give them a call to see if they accept credit cards and luckily they did. As we were walking down the hill, we decided to stop on the side of the road and make snow angels. Once we were checked-in for tubing and fitted for our helmets, we grabbed a tube and headed to the conveyor belt to send us up. There were a total of 4 hills we could choose from, easy to most difficult. We started with the easy hill just to see what we’d gotten ourselves in and boy was it fun. What we forgot were our goggles because we had snow kick-up all over our faces. We were tubing for an hour and my legs were beat. We were fortunate enough to get a lift into town to grab a bite to eat and head to the local Safeway for groceries for the week.

The next day we had plans to head to Winter Park Resort to try our hands on snow biking. It’s supposed to be best for first timers on the slopes. The hardest thing I couldn’t get over is the slipping and sliding part. My mind kept saying stop but I knew that it’s supposed to work that way. After a couple runs on the bunny slopes, the teacher decided to take us one lift higher to test our skills. Before heading up, we were getting ready to take the lift up. But something was stuck, my bike got stuck on the lift, which dragged me down and dropped the bike onto my legs. The next thing I remember was looking up and seeing the other bikes overhead and hoping that they didn’t drop them on me. Luckily, I was alright but I was told that what happened to me happens very infrequently. It was an amazing view from up top. We were ready to go. But after a few runs down, I suddenly became fatigued. Each ride down, I just continued to fall down. I fell into the powder. I slipped into the tree lines. I just ate it a lot! When I finally got back down to the bunny slope, I was thankful and glad to be close to the bottom. Even though we did not receive our licenses to ride by ourselves, we still had a great time. Now it was time to get back home and rest our legs. Thankfully my hubby did all the cooking while I iced my knees and took it easy. Once I was ready to shower, I noticed the large bruise on my thigh from the bike. Bumps and bruises, I’m still glad I went up the hill and tried it.

For the next day, Phi tried his hand at snowboarding while I took a day for pampering. It was much needed to since my legs were beat! As I said my goodbyes to my hubby, I was off for my spa treatment, The Mary Jane. It was the best 2 1/2 hours of pampering and so much deserved. The hubby made sure he put on his wedding ring so “snow bunnies wouldn’t hit on him.” His words, not mine.

For our last day in Winter Park, we went to Fossil Ridge Guide for our private sleigh ride. Luckily they were able to accommodate us and it was gorgeous. The horses were beautiful and the views were spectacular. We stopped at a campfire for some hot cocoa. It was so peaceful and serene, we didn’t want to leave.

This trip was what we needed. The hubby’s been stressed at work and I’ve been suffering from a creative block. Hopefully, this is what we needed to unwind us. Here are some pictures on flickr, enjoy!

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Nov 01

Menu for this week

Day 1: Shrimp Fajitas

Day 2: Peppery Cube Steak

Day 3: Mahogany Roasted Chicken Thighs

Day 4: Goat Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

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