Book Review

This week since the last Thursday was the most stressful, tense, and busy in this year because of the assignment of writing a book review for my history class plus usual assignments :(

Since my history professor is a half Japanese, her cousin's name is the same as mine, she somehow seemed to feel close feeling for me. She added a book "The Internment of Japanese Americans During World War II" on the book list to choose a book to read from especially for me. She said all other books have 200 - 600 pages, but this book was around 120 pages. I think an audience for this book is a teenager. THANK YOU, professor!!

It was still HARD for me to finish the book. I took 8 pages notes reading the book, but had to squeeze my notes into 2 pages, double-spacing, 12 points font, 1" margins all sides, which there is not much space to write. She said the grammar and spelling are also graded, but suggested us to take the paper to the writing center at NOVA (free tutoring) for proofreading, and then we can get extra points on it. I don't know how many students in her class are around ESL level though, I appreciate her for adding the special treat for us. Also, I appreciate my housemate for helping me a lot. He has a huuuuuuuuuuuuge storage of knowledge in his brain and is very good at teaching in GREAT patience. Amazing.

SO, I am done with the book review. The tutor of the writing center who was familiar with the book I read told me that I covered the contents of the book very well. GOOD. I can sleep tonight :)

Writing a book review is still ongoing with the second one - have to read 2 books in the semester. I anyway picked up a few books for the second review, which has less pages, familiar to the topic, easy sentences and structures to read for me.

These are the final candidates.

I am interested in the thicker one "The Envoy", but the contents would include about military. The book is about similar story of Schindler's list. I've noticed that I really don't know anything about military even basic words for it since Japan don't have military. It is said in the constitution that we will never join war and never have military after World War II. Since I am not familiar with any kinds of military things, it makes me confuse when the contents include those. And also, this book has 50 pages more than the "Notes on Nightingale", which is a biography of her. So, I'm going to stick with Nightingale.

At one of close libraries, I found an interesting thing when I was looking for the books.

The library loans art prints! Each of them is in a frame. I think this is a good idea so that people can enjoy art prints free and change it when they are tired of one print.

BUSY January!

January was really crazy! Correctly, probably after Christmas last year. I missed many segments that I had thought to put on my blog. Birthday lunch for me, gifts from Japan, visiting friends, visitors of cats, about new classes, panicking with the history class (continuous), new diet, friendship, appreciation, met my customer in person for a custom order, etc, etc, etc. Everything including both happiness and unpleasantness came to happen during this month were very meaningful and interesting for me. Life goes on, so I will leave those which already became parts my history. I took many pictures of these events though.

So, because of this crazy weather (?), I found a small cherry blossoms 2 days ago in my community. I hope we won't have snow so that they could survive longer.

Place mats + a table runner - custom order -

Table runner - white houses -
This table runner matches with this quilt.

Quilt - custom order -
I cannot think a good name for this quilt. This is a custom order quilt. The fabric I received from my customer were these.

She wanted to have random blocks for her quilt; the pattern was discussed prior. I thought just sew the 3 fabric given together randomly would be too busy, so I added solid colors that is similar to the basic given fabric.

Here is the result.

I seldom, probably this was my first time, deal with vivid colors and busy patterns for my original work. It was a little concern for me that if I could put them together well. I brought the quilt to my quilting group for show and tell, and many of the members gave me "Good Job!". So I hope my customer would like it.

Finally, my naughty boy has been so fascinated by squirrels.

He waits and waits at the window for hours to see his friend coming to eat peanuts spread by my landlord.

My landlord started spread peanuts for HIM to give some excitement and fun, but I am the one who have been actually having fun watching him being excited. He is cute.

Happy New Year!

New Year's Day and New Year's Day Eve are very important for Japanese. I think it's like Christmas day for Americans. However, although I have been feeling the atmosphere of new year celebrations in Japan through my Japanese friends, I was feeling like those days were as normal days here because of American culture and time difference (Japan is 14 hours ahead).

I anyway cooked Toshikosi-Soba (images here from Google), which is a traditional meal for Japanese to have at midnight of new year eve wishing a long life. Soba is a noodle made with buckwheat which has long length. The ingredients that are put on Soba is in variety depends on which prefectures of Japan you are from. I am from Kyoto, which herrings are supposed to be put on Toshikosi-Soba. Since I couldn't find herrings at the local Asian grocery store, I used Tuna. I think I anyway could achieve the purpose of having Toshikosi-Soba.

The New Year's day!, which is supposed to be very special for Japanese, I went to DC to visit the American history museum. I enrolled the American history class for the next semester, I thought it would be good to have a little knowledge of American history.

What I really surprised at at the museum is that the expensive price of food in the museum!!

The sandwich I had at the cafe in the museum... priced $9.25 (+ tax). Other food like a piece of chicken, a piece of pizza were the same price. I strongly decided to bring my own food for the next visit. I wanted to come home before dusk, so I didn't have much time to look around in the museum.

Well, tomorrow would be the last day of the New year's holiday for many people. I have been having wonderful holidays. Hope you all enjoy this holiday until the last minute!!

Appreciations.

It's been a while since I started to receive happy faces, holiday wishes, great news about their family/themselves, Christmas gifts, and so on from my friends. Their hearts always inspire me to do things the best. I am very happy to be able to have those companies with them and to share whatever I have with them.

Here is one of the great news from my friend, Masko.

Her item is on this book! :D
I ordered the book at Amazon. I wish this book will make her famous :D

This is a birthday gift for my friend. I started to help her for organizing her studio a couple months ago, and she keeps providing me whatever she doesn't need anymore. I picked up some small blocks from them, and made this small quilt for her. I put a hanging sleeve on the back, so it can be used as a wall hanging as well. I sent her some pics of it for some reasons, she seemed to like it :D GOOD :D

Aaaaaaaaaaaand, here is my new quilt for girls.

I collected textured cotton fabric time to time to make a girl's quilt. The result (this quilt) wasn't quite what I had on my mind, but it's OK I think. I still have the fabric for another quilt, so I would try to make another one. I am now addicted to embroidered or textured, yarn dyed cotton fabric. I looked some on the Internet, and ordered them :D

All of my duties for this year were done today. So, I started a new project :D

Well, have a great Christmas to you all!

White Houses Quilt

"White Houses on the Hill on a Sunny Day"

My friend said that "... elephants?".
I said that "... space invaders..."

I tried to express white houses on a hill on a sunny day with the sun. If the roofs of the houses were triangles, they could more looked like houses...
It took a little while to determine what quilting line pattern I would use for this quilt. I initially thought of using bunch of circles to express the sun. Then, I thought of sunbeam. I think it went well :)

I cleaned one section of my room today. I picked up those fabric from my fabric collection(!) to make a baby quilt a while ago, but I don't remember what the baby quilt was supposed to look like...

Ummmmm...., I think I have no motivation to work on this selection for now. Probably, someday, later on...

Christmas Treat.

Christmas!
I don't celebrate Christmas because I am not a Christian. But, I love this Christmas atmosphere. Everywhere turns to be beautiful in this time of year :D

Little useful Christmas trees for cooking :D They are rosemary trees. I love to use herbs in my cooking. They add nice flavor to dishes. Also, it ends up adding lesser salt to them.

And a little treat to my housemates (cats)!

Catnip snack :D :D :D I got some other flavors, too.
Actually, I could say this is for myself. Sonny used to come to my room everyday at 4pm, which is the time for him to get hungry. But, they have to wait for being fed until my landlord comes home. Since a little snack had run out, Sonny stopped to visit me once he figured out that he cannot get the snack from me. What a smart cat :( It is kind of sad about figuring out that he actually doesn't love me, he just loves food. I enjoy the company with him very much, so I had to have the snack to get him back around me. Well. I wanted to believe he loves me. But, this is reality.

Another treat for myself :D I ordered bunch of brown fabric. I love brown. It is very convenient color to use anywhere :D I am supposed to receive other packages from other fabric companies :D Yees, I bought some more fabric and threads :D :D :D What a wonderful time of year :D