Kunghei Fatchoy

'Happiness and prosperity!'  

Kunghei fatchoy /gong-hey faa-chwhy (Cantonese)

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is marked by the lunisolar Chinese calendar, so the date changes from year to year.

The festivities usually start the day before the New Year and continue until the Lantern Festival, the 15th day of the new year.

I did my celebrating today as I was invited to join a group of seniors to celebrate Chinese New Year 2016. I had a very nice time and wanted to share the photos.

First I was greeted at the door with a name tag and someone offered to check my coat.  One inside, I was given a choice of two gifts. I chose a small calendar because I liked the red packaging.

Some of the Decorations
 

I have always loved red paper lanterns. Actually I like all paper lanterns but red stands out.

Our smiling servers

Food

Upper right and clockwise: fried rice, rice noodles, spareribs, sweet & sour spareribs, tofu and veggie

 Dessert

Warm sesame seed balls with red bean paste...so delicious. We also had an orange and some candy.

Appreciative diners

Entertainment Program

The entertainment program was very full. I was quite tired and had to leave at the last performance when the seniors did their sword dance (you'll see them below in the double ring dance).

Violinist playing a modern, electric violin & our MC who teaches drama to many of the performers.

A beautiful couple who sang a romantic song.

A group of limber seniors doing a double ring dance. They also did a sword dance but I didn't get photos.

A young champion on the left and her younger sister.

This young woman is champion Guzheng musician in both Canada and China. She also has impressive showmanship.

 

A Spoken Word group. The woman in black is reciting in English after the Chinese version done by the group.

These two ladies did a very nice Indian dance.

I think this is called a handkerchief dance.  The woman also performed the Indian dance above in purple costume.

This group of women performed several times in beautiful costumes (different costume for each dance).

Here is the same group of women in another costume.

 There are special events for Chinese New Year going on all month in my city.
 There are performances and exhibits at the  Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Pavilion  in Chinatown.
The Lion Dance is performed in different locations around Vancouver though I haven't seen one for a few years.

The Lion Dance will be the culmination of many of the activities and be held in Chinatown on Sunday.

 There are so many activities to choose from.

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Are you planning to celebrate Chinese New Year where you live?

Kunghei Fatchoy!

My World Today

Another week is here.

Today was a provincial holiday called "Family Day". The day is intended to enable families to spend time together and bond. The holiday was first enacted in Alberta and slowly over time other provinces have followed suit. I think it is only a matter of time before the holiday becomes a national one. It has already grown from a provincial holiday for one province to a provincial holiday for 6 provinces.

It was a beautiful day today but I stayed in and made some nice soup and bannock bread. I didn't think to get photos but the food was good.

Today I did a bit of Spring cleaning though it isn't Spring yet. I've got so many small and large chores that need doing so am getting a bit of a head start. I washed one of the furniture covers for the outside patio and tidied a few things outside that were an eyesore for long. I also emptied and trashed a lot of dried goods that seem to have provided sustenance for bugs and washed out two of my (lower)  kitchen cabinets.

I've never, ever had bugs in my dried goods before.  Now that they have started it seems I can't get rid of them. There are two types.  The first are tiny little black bugs that seem to like red lentils best (and brown rice).  The second type lay a lot of eggs and once hatched they look like small moths.  I first noticed the problem in some gluten free flour I'd purchased and thrown out long ago but I guess the eggs had spread.  Whenever I think I've gotten rid of the bugs, I find more.

It has been a real nuisance and a waste of money. The little black critters even get into airtight containers. They are so tiny that they just crawl under the lids. I'm hopeful I got rid of them all now but somehow I think I might find a few more. Mostly everything they might be interested in has been trashed so I hope that  means I've gotten rid of everything they like to eat.

I've been reading a few good books.

I'm still working on Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This book by a Nigerian author now living in USA is about a young Nigerian woman who moves to the USA. It begins with the woman getting her hair braided in a salon and flashes back to her family life and love life in Nigeria to set the backdrop of how she get to America. I'm just at the part where she is about to return to Nigeria and reunite with her first love. I'm enjoying the book very much and is the second novel I've read by this author. The first one I read was, Half a Yellow Sun.

Snow in May is a delightful little book of short stories set in the bleak landscape of Siberia, Russia.  Personally, I don't really enjoy short stories. I prefer the fully developed story line that a longer book can provide. But the cover of this book appealed to me. It was only when I got it home that I discovered it wasn't a novel.

The setting for all the short stories is Magadan, an isolated fishing and mining town in northern Russia.  It once was a transit center for prisoners sent to Stalin's labor camps. The young author, Kseniya Melnik, is also from Magadan and immigrated to Alaska at age fifteen. She earned an MFA from New York University and now lives in Texas.

The third book I'm reading is Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee.  I'm still in early stages of the book.  The protagonist, Jean Louise Finch, "Scout" has returned to Maycomb, Alabama from New York City to visit her aging father Atticus.  Atticus is a long-time lawyer in Maycomb and some of you may remember him from the American classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, also written by Harper Lee. This is only her second novel and it is rumoured that she actually wrote it first but it was never published until summer of 2015.  I am enjoying it so far despite some of the negative reviews it received. I was on the library's wait list for 7 months to get this book and I'll have to finish it and return it on time as there is still a significant waiting list of hopeful readers.

Tomorrow I'll be joining some elderly folks for a celebration of Chinese New Year.  There will be singing, dancing and some foods that are eaten especially at Chinese New Year. It should be interesting and I'm looking forward to it.

I leave you now with a few shots I took today. We were fortunate to have a wonderful, sunny day and I believe tomorrow will be much the same. After that we expect heavy rains for the rest of the week.

Much of the new snow that had fallen on the mountains last Friday has melted.

This is my world this Tuesday. 

I'm joining Lady Fi and others for Our World Tuesday.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Wildlife in the Rockies

These photos are taken from a trip through the Rocky Mountain range between the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.

The purple line on the map below gives you some idea of the route taken.

I have been through the Rocky Mountains several times but this was the first time through the mountains using the town of Rocky Mountain House as the way to get there. (I usually go through Jasper and Banff).

If memory serves me correctly we were travelling in the month was May.  We ran into snow in a few parts of the mountains. We also saw a bit of wildlife. 

Joining in with Eileen at Saturday's Critters.

If you missed my Skywatch post you can see it by clicking here.

Thank you for visiting and have a lovely weekend. xx

Beauty in Twinkle at Twilight

I am blessed. 

 This week, I was admiring all the twinkling lights and freshly fallen snow on the mountains. 

So I stopped to take a few photos.   

As I did, many stopped to admire the beauty too and acknowledged me by smiling and saying some wonderful words about the beauty before us.  I was glad to pause and commune with others in gratitude for the beauty that is here.

For when we live in a place of such beauty we should never neglect to give gratitude. 

When we see moments of beauty we should always pause even ever so briefly and drink it in.

Today I say "Happy Birthday" to my beautiful (late) sister who was born on this day.

We miss her still and have the hope that one day we will reunite.

Today I also bid adieu to an auntie who I will not see again on this earth.

Rest well in God's arms until we meet again.

Today I give thanks that the Pokot man and my friend Jonah have both had surgery and come out of it.

Now I pray for their full recovery.

Time on earth is in God's hands alone. 

Let us give thanks for every breath we take.

~~~~~

In beauty I walk 

With beauty before me I walk 

With beauty behind me I walk 

With beauty above me I walk 

With beauty around me I walk 

It has become beauty again 

It has become beauty again 

It has become beauty again 

It has become beauty again 

(From the Navajo Way Prayer and Blessing)

 

Joining in with Skywatch Friday

Can you Help? & Update on Baby Fidelis

Hello friends,

The man in the photo is from Pokot country in Kenya and his name is John. He is the one that had 3 snake bites just before my friend Jonah got bit. Both of them are suffering from complications after initially healing well. I hesitated to put this man's photo up because this tribe of people doesn't like to have their photos taken. (I remember it wasn't so many decades ago when my people also did not want their images captured on film.  These days we take a lot of photos).  Anyway I know that it is difficult for people to feel connected to someone to help them if they don't know what they look like so I decided to post and hope for the best.

My friend Jonah has been on medication over the past week or so to try and reduce his lung size. He is likely going to have surgery on February 4th as the medication is not working to reduce his lungs. Doctors from Germany are at the Eldoret hospital.  There will be 4 doctors performing and assisting in the procedure on Jonah. His brother has ho travel from Kericho to Eldoret to sign the necessary release or waiver forms.  I'm still praying that this surgical procedure will not need to be done because it is very serious business.  But if it does go ahead, I pray for the very best result and a quick healing time.

The Pokot man above is also now suffering COPD as a consequence of the snake bites.  He needs more financial help to get the proper medical attention. It would be ideal if he can get help at the same time Jonah does so that they can both benefit from the assistance of the foreign doctors. I just wish I knew more about the surgery as what I've read isn't very encouraging. I am having to trust in God that ALL will go well and that these two men will be safe.

If you  can help the Pokot man, please contact me soonest.  You can either use the contact form to the top right of this blog or by send me email.  Click here.  Prayers are also much appreciated.  God bless.

 Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

~~~

In a spirit of rejoicing, Baby Fidelis and her mother made it home safely to Kenya on February 2, 2016.

Here they are being greeted at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after the long journey home from Canada.

Thanks be to God and to all those who prayed for and helped this dear baby. 

She will need to undergo more surgeries in future but for now she is at home with family.

Finished Garments & Update on Snake Bite Victims

Happy Sunday friends,

I showed you the material I was working with last week for purposes of making dresses for my mom and two nightgowns (one for mom, one for me).  Now I'll show you the end products.

The first dress is a palm leaf print in shades of fuchsia and purple.  Originally I made it with a round neckline. But after trying it on I thought it would be uncomfortable for mom as I cut the dress a little too small. The width also seemed slightly too small.  So I ended up adding side inserts to make the dress fuller and decided to turn the neckline into a v-neck for greater comfort.  (I've mentioned before that I don't work with patterns. That always makes working on the necklines and sleeves a bit fiddly and I end up making a  lot of adjustments to make it all work.)

The second dress is a dark navy colour with slight striations of white or gray. The dress looks a bit "blah" but the material is very comfortable.  Mom doesn't like "blah" so I've decided to add a decorative design around the neckline in a coordinating shade of light blue for extra interest. The navy fabric had better stretch than the fuchsia and purple dress so I didn't need to add inserts.

The next two garments are nightgowns. The first one is a knit jersey in shades of "pinky" purple and gray.  I've never worked with it before and found it challenging to sew without everything puckering. It took some time to figure out what to do with the neckline. In the end I added a little bodice and neck backing (I copied one of my nightgowns). I don't have a serger so can't get that "neat and tidy" look. But none of my sewing is perfect anyway.  These days I'm okay with that.

When working with knits I've discovered one should sew with a stretch stitch or a small zig zag. I'm still learning my "newish" machine and it's functions.  I can never find my sewing machine manual so I used the small zig zag stitch because I knew how to set that one, lol.  After trying and failing to eliminate the puckering, I used my walking foot (which I purchased for quilting) to help feed the material (top and bottom) evening under the needle.  That helped a lot and I must try to remember this for next time.

 

The last night gown in shades of light gray and white, is for me. I'm  not sure what kind of fabric it is but it is very lightweight and perfect for hot, muggy summer days. I cut it a bit full but because the fabric doesn't stretch much.  It isn't baggy once on. 

I have enough fabric left to make a camisole and sleep shorts.

First I'll try using  the nightgown and see if it breaths before I make anything else out of the fabric.

 

I still have to modify the dress I showed in my last post (see photo below).

If I can find just the right fabric for a slip I might make one before I pay mom a visit. 

She is getting anxious for another visit soon.

To be modified.

Proverbs 31: 19-20

19  She layeth her hands to the spindle,

And her hands hold the distaff.

20  She stretcheth out her hand to the  poor;

Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I mentioned in my last post that Jonah of Missions of Hope, Kenya and a man from Pokot country in Kenya were both doing well post-snake bite.

In fact Jonah was released to go home though he had to return to the hospital a week later for check up.

The Pokot man was doing well after the graft surgery on his leg and ready for release about the time Jonah returned for his check-up.

That was about a week ago.

Now both of them are in hospital. 

Jonah was examined very thoroughly and underwent extensive testings of blood, urine and x-rays to examine organs and bones.

He had been having problems breathing and the tests established that his lungs are enlarged.  He is also experiencing joint pain.  The heart and lung specialist is considering surgery.

In the meantime he is on medication.

The Pokot man has regressed and is doing poorly.

He didn't have funds so was unable to undergo extensive examination or testing.

As of Friday the man has been thoroughly assessed.  The Eldoret doctors are waiting results and consultation with  doctors in Nairobi.

I've read on line that snake bite treatment is one of the most expensive things to treat in the USA once you are bitten by a poisonous snake as these men were.

The treatment and recovery period can be anywhere from a week to many months.

The health care in Kenya is also expensive.

Please keep both of these men in prayer.

We are grateful their lives were spared but now we pray for a quick(er) recovery

so they can get back to normal and have the stress behind them.

God bless.

A New Week Begins

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

I had plans to do a lot of sewing but I ended up not doing so much. Instead I was rather busy getting caught up with laundry, sweeping and washing floors, doing dishes, grocery shopping and vegetable preparation. Whenever I can, I like to wash all my vegetables and dry them before storing so they are ready to use during the week.  This helps ensure that I actually use the vegetables as sometimes I get lazy and don't feel like doing the prep when I'm actually making dinner. There are always so many vegetables that I have to soak (I use vinegar in water), rinse, dry and store so I do it in stages. Sunday night I did the green peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, cilantro and kale. The other vegetables I don't mind doing as needed; like celery, carrots, etc.

Last night's dinner was stir fried vegetables with thin strips of beef and noodles. It was very good. I made a lot of it so there were left overs for lunch today.

Dinner tonight is nachos.  I cooked up the ground beef last night and washed the green peppers, tomatoes and lettuce. Tonight I just have to chop up the onions and tomatoes for salsa and wash the avocados for the guacamole. I don't eat this stuff very often anymore.  When I was much younger I had it every weekend.  Nowadays I might have it once a year or even less but it is a nice change.  I discovered I was out of cheddar cheese so had to buy some of that today to top the nachos.  I usually always have this on hand but suddenly it was gone.  I do like mozzarella on my nachos too but I am saving the mozzarella for home made pizza in the not too distant future. The pizza has been on my mind since before Christmas, lol.

I started a book called Americanah by an author I've read once before. Her name is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I really enjoy her style of writing. If I can make good progress on the book this week I may join several people on Friday for a discussion over dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant I've been wanting to try. I will only go if I've had time to read the book.  I  like what I've read so far.

As for my sewing,  I decided to make myself a nightgown before I finish mom's nightgown and dresses. So now I have 3 projects to finish plus one ready made dress to alter. I finished the navy dress late last week. I'm about half finished on the necklines for the other 3 projects so it shouldn't take much longer. I like to work slowly on the necklines because I work without a pattern.  Since I'm working without a pattern and I lack patience where sewing is concerned, my cutting is a bit freehand.  For sewers you will know that freehand cutting can mean wrong "fit" if not careful. So far I'm doing fine. When I started making the clothing for mom I hadn't really planned on making a lot of clothing because sewing is not my favourite thing in the world. I thought the things she requested would be "one off"  projects but I'm now realizing that I will have to continue sewing for her.   It is just easier than trying to find the right ready made clothing. For future projects, I will probably try to cut out a pattern on piece of paper to use for necklines (v-neck and round neck) and for sleeves (set in and dropped shoulders).  This will make future sewing projects go much quicker both in cutting and sewing.

I also spent a lot of time on Saturday getting mail off to my niece for Valentine's Day. She will love the Star Wars calendar I bought her since we went to see the latest Star Wars film over Christmas. Of course, I also sent her some some chocolates in the shape of lipstick and nail polish. She loves nail polish and I think will like the lipstick too though she won't mind eating it at all, lol. 

A Kenyan friend is having a birthday early in the month. It is difficult to send things so far away due to the cost and postage theft is also a problem so I tried to get something nice but not so expensive. I sent a calendar with  photos of my beautiful city and I hope he likes it. I also sent my sponsored boys some picture post cards. One of the young boys I write to told me how much he looks forward to receiving my letters. I've been sponsoring him for just over 5 years and the time has flown by! Since the Fall I've been making a conscious effort to increase the letters and cards I sent to my sponsored boys. There are 3 of them so if I send mail a few times a month that makes for a lot of writing. But it is so very important to these youngsters to know that someone cares about them and prays for them and sends money each month for their needs. If any of you are looking to sponsor children, I would recommend Compassion International. They do a wonderful job of keeping the sponsor involved and informed about everything like the child's development, community information and country information. They provide an updated photo each year along with a letter from the leadership in the community and some community and country information so you know the context within which the child is living and learning. They make sure every child receives a gift at Christmas whether you send funds or not for that purpose.  Of course they encourage you to contribute to the Christmas Fund but they make sure no child is left out. You are also able to make gifts throughout the year to the family and to the child to provide for other things like food and housing needs.

Today I managed to get around to using my Vitamix to make cashew milk! Yeah! I was inspired by Teresa's blog over at Affectioknit  I've been wanting to make the cashew milk for a long time but didn't make it a priority. I needed to find a source of raw organic cashews and also figure out how to do it. Teresa's post showed how easy it is so I got inspired.  

I've looked on line at Nut.Com, Amazon and a local supplier Nut Hut. In the end, I decided to purchase some raw, organic cashews at my local grocers. In fact, I purchased some at two different grocers just to try them out. I just bought a small amount to experiment and made up my first batch today.

My procedure is a little different because I soaked my nuts overnight. I've read several health practitioners say it is necessary to soak nuts because nuts have phytic acid and enzymes inhibitors.  Soaking them reduces the phytic acid and neutralizes enzyme inhibitors. There are other benefits to soaking and you can read more about it on line. Phytates can interfere with your body's absorption of important minerals like calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc and lead to bone loss (even whole wheat grains should be soaked for this reason.  You might remember my experiment with soaked grains here.  I haven't made a lot of bread lately due to blood glucose issues but if I make more I will remember to soak the grains).

Here is my procedure:

- 1/2 cup of raw, organic cashews
- cover with water and soak overnight.

In the morning I discarded the water as it looked rather dirty. I put the cashews in the Vitamix blender along with a pinch of Celtic sea salt, a half teaspoon of honey and a cup of water. 

After zapping until smooth it looked like this. I will be using it for coffee and if I find I like it I will be making more to use for cereal in the morning.

The cashew milk/cream. It is surprisingly white though the nuts look more ivory in colour.

Ready for coffee

                               The first cup was great and I found the cashew cream made my coffee less bitter tasting.

I hope to get some outdoor photos to share soon but for now here are two moon shots I snapped on Friday using my phone camera.

I like the first shot where the city street lights bracket the moon.

Unfortunately the phone camera doesn't capture moon detail and it is even hard to get a clear photo at night.

Joining up with Lady Fi and others at Our World Tuesday.

Have a glorious week.

Rounding Out the Week

These sky photos are from late last week when our weather was glorious, sunny and clear. As of last night we are back to our usual rain.  But I can't complain about the weather this winter as it seems like we've had more sunny and clear days than usual.

In my last post I mentioned I planned to go fabric shopping and make my mother some new dresses.  She wanted purple and turquoise fabrics. I purchased fuchsia/purple and navy fabric and have a dress that I will alter slightly which is turquoise/black/white.

The light knit jersey is the right composition (polyester and spandex blend) so it can stand up to the washing in the care home. The hand is quite soft and lovely but I fear it might be a little too flimsy. It will have to do as I can't take the fabric back.  It would probably help to make another slip or two for her to wear underneath.  She does still have the 3 slips I made a year ago but I think she wears 1 more than the others. After a year they are getting a bit ragged with daily use and hot water washes.

It is hard to get just the right amount of weight and stretch in the right colours when shopping for fabrics. Next time I'll stop at Fabricland.  They seem to sell just the right fabric at the right weight.  But I'm not a member there and that means I pay a lot more for fabrics.  Membership is a bit steep at $30 annually.  I don't sew enough or purchase enough fabric there to justify the membership cost so I will just have a look at clearance fabrics.

Here are some photos of the fuchsia/purple and navy dresses. I have to finish the dresses (the neckline on one dress and the hemming on both).

 And, the ready made turquoise/black and white dress.

 This dress needs to be modified up the back.  I love the Ikat design though it may be difficult to see in this photo.

I also bought some fabric to make a nightgown for her but haven't made it yet. Here is what it looks like. It is nice and soft and I know she will like it.

I purchased some nightgown fabric for me as well.  Here it is.

Lastly,  I bought some beautiful fabric to make a jacket which I have in mind to give as a gift.  It's been a very long time since I've made a jacket.

Besides fabric shopping and sewing, I picked up some movies at the library.

- August: Osage County Meryl Streep plays a cancer stricken, pill popping foul mouthed matriarch who lets her anger spill out various family members who gather to bury her late husband.  I found this movie somewhat depressing but probably close to the real life that some people have.  It is wonderfully acted by a long list of distinguished actors including Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor & Benedict Cumberbatch.
- The Iron Lady Released in 2012, this is a movie about Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of England in her twilight years as she is suffering from dementia and about to dispose of her late husband's belongings. Meryl Streep plays the title role. Along the way you learn about Mrs. Thatcher's life and entry into politics.
-  An Englishman in New York is a 2009 biographical film that chronicles the years gay English writer Quentin Crisp spent in New York City.  The title is taken from a song by Crisp written by Sting.
- The Jane Austen Book Club is a 2007 romantic drama. The film focuses a book club formed specifically to discuss the six novels written by Jane Austen. As the characters delve into each book, the club members find themselves dealing with life experiences that parallel the themes of the books they are reading. There is a large cast of wonderful actors including Emily Blunt, Amy Brenneman, Lynn Redgrave and Jimmy Smits.

The first two movies I wanted to see in the theatre but missed my chance. The other two movies I picked up because they looked interesting. I found all of these movies to be rather sad in different ways but wonderful acted by all. I probably enjoyed The Jane Austen Book Club best but then I am a Jane Austen fan.

Have any of you read the book by Bishop T.D. Jakes on Destiny? I saw him on Dr. Oz earlier in the week and googled the book on YouTube.  He has many videos on YouTube but I enjoyed this one in case you are interested in watching it.

Over the weekend I hope to continue with some sewing after Friday's errands. We are back to a lot of rain so indoor activities are just the ticket. 

 Linking up with Skywatch Friday

I hope you all have a great weekend!

The Beautiful Days of January

The first few days of the year were quite hectic what with the earthquake and activities and missions in Kenya. But since then I've been taking things slowly. This year I feel the need to take care of my energy levels and rest more so I've been looking at ways I can do that yet still keep in touch with people and continue blogging.

I've been spending a lot of time on organizing myself for better health and wellness. That includes all aspects of health:  physical, emotional, spiritual & mental.  I won't go into the details of each area like I've done in years passed.  That would be time consuming and I'm not into doing that this year.  I'm also not into choosing a guiding word for the year. But I do have everything clear in my mind as to what I want to work on and how that will guide my daily and monthly activities.

The last week or two have been quite enjoyable. I've just been taking my time to do this and that and moving at a comfortable pace as opposed to the frantic pace I seem to always set for myself.  I've managed to reconnect with several friends who had been going through some difficult and/or very busy periods. It's always nice to reconnect with people who you've lost touch with.  I actually have several more people to reconnect with but there are only so many people one can keep in good touch with. Of course I cannot forget my friends in Kenya who are often on my mind as well as my sponsored boys in Kenya and Ethiopia who need to hear from me on a regular basis. Since last Fall I've been trying to make sure they hear from me more often.

Reading is always a big part of my life and this year I started off reading two books: A Girl in the Woods and the Orphan Train.  The first book I happened upon when I went to a movie in November. A woman was lined up for the show and intently reading the book. I asked her what it was about and made a note to read it and borrow it from the library.

A Girl in the Woods is Aspen Matis's exhilarating true-life adventure of hiking from Mexico to Canada.  She went on the hike after being raped in his first year of college.  The story is not only about the hike but about her survival and growth from teenager to young adult.

I picked up the Orphan Train at a second hand shop.  The book is about trains that ran between 1854 and 1929 from the cities of the East Coast to the farmlands of the Midwest, carrying thousands of abandoned children to be adopted or fostered.       

Both of these stories are based on true events. I would recommend both of them if you are at all interested in the subjects.  Though I cannot say either of the books were my all time favourite reads, they both taught me something.

Last week I attended an educational seminar on health matters and I learned so much. I took many notes and all of it will come in very handy this year. In fact, I have already started to put the knowledge to work to try and improve my health and wellness. That is always a goal of mine and every few months I tweak what I am doing to try and keep moving forward in a positive way. While I was at the seminar, I met a retired teacher who invited me to join the University Women's Club. I haven't given an answer yet but I know the club is on it's annual membership drive and will be until late next month.  I've actually considered joining this group before.  The membership dues are rather high and I already participate in a number of similar activities through free groups (or groups that charge a very nominal fee).  Whenever there is such a  large expenditure of funds involved (I'm talking hundreds of dollars annually in  membership dues alone), I always think the money could be better spent on  missions needs in Kenya. Especially now that the Canadian dollar is so lacking in strength on the world market.

A big part of  my focus this year will be on health and wellness.  This is true every year because I have a number of chronic health issues.  Mostly on this blog, I address the diabetes issue just because it is all consuming condition and eats up a lot of my time (no pun intended). As I begin the new year, I'm studying a lot of health and nutrition information; both from the seminar I went to last week and from a fitness consultant I 'met' on line last year.  I've also made a good start on using and applying the information I've learned.

Food shopping is a big part of health and wellness management and anyone who runs a household (whether it's a household of one or a household of several)  knows that it is very time consuming to manage all the household needs. Shopping is a big part of managing the household and with the ever increasing prices of food and the falling loonie (Canadian dollar coin), it becomes more time consuming and challenging to shop healthy and eat well.

Just last week I discovered that the celery I'd purchased a came to almost $5 for the bunch and it wasn't even organic!  I purchased it without even looking at the price because celery is something I use a lot.  The situation has become so alarming that the local news station did a story or two about the skyrocketing prices. I like to purchase multiple varieties of vegetables each and every week as well as fruits so I'm going to be more adventurous and change what I eat slightly since I'll mostly be buying those things that are on sale.  There is only so much I will pay for a particular vegetable or fruit or meat for that matter.  So far I've been managing to do most of the shopping for a reasonable amount of funds each week.  It takes a lot of planning and effort to shop the sales but I enjoy this part of the week as long as I'm not too rushed in the doing of it. It is also a time when I usually check to see what bills need to be paid.I can't complain too loudly because I read in internet news very recently that  3 out of 10 Kenyans (mostly those in rural areas) do not get a daily meal. I'm still eating daily and that is a blessing so nothing to complain about here but there are adjustments that must be made.

I've also been looking into sources of cashew nuts and almond nuts so I can begin making my own cashew and almond milk. The nuts will be raw and organic so it is quite a splurge for me in terms of costs since nuts have to be imported.  Given the long drought in California the nuts have to be imported from Asia.  Some of you may remember that I tried making brown rice milk last year.  It turned out okay but I wasn't a big fan of it and it took too long because the rice must be cooked first.   With cashew and almond milk you simply soak the nuts first though some people don't soak them at all.  I purchased a Vitamix blender last year to make smoothies, flours and nut milk.  So far I've made a lot of blended green smoothies but haven't yet tried making nut milks or flours. I've cut down on the baking (a lot) due to the need to manage my blood glucose levels better.

The other place I practice careful shopping is at the local pharmacy. I've been making sure I only buy those things I really need but also looking for those things that will get me a lot of in store points.  By doing this I managed to get 4 free movies tickets last week. A friend and I went to see the  movie "Brooklyn". I enjoyed it but it turned out rather differently than I was expecting. It's always a good thing when a movie or book isn't overly predictable.  Movies are another luxury so I try to get as many free tickets as possible. I have a points card so that when I go to movies I get a few points for it and if I purchase concession foods I get a few points there too. Eventually I get enough points to go to a "free" movie. I tend not to buy concession foods because they aren't healthy but now and then I treat my niece to a movie and I must buy her popcorn or she will throw a hissy fit, lol. When I went to the movie with my friend, I took some hot tea in a thermos and some home made popcorn with nutritional yeast for flavouring. I also took an apple and protein bar as it would be awhile before dinner.

For all my careful shopping at the pharmacy I accumulated enough points to spend $195 (Canadian) in store. It took a few months to accumulate the points but now that I have them I will use half to purchase health supplements as needed and the other half to purchase daily/weekly items (milk, eggs, bread, toilet paper, etc.).

The weekend saw me doing some minor alterations.  A top I'd purchased with Christmas money gifted by a friends had some loose beading on the bodice which needed tacking down.  The top is actually too large but it was on clearance so I bought it. I sewed the sides in and made the armholes a bit smaller.  It feels much better now though there is still plenty of give in the fabric. I do tend to shop on clearance items mainly these days so I also managed to purchase a summer dress and some earrings with the same Christmas money gift.  Again, the dress doesn't quite fit and will need a few simple alterations. I've already made great use of the earrings as they match the beading on my top (as in the photo below).  The top looks a bit wild but it is a great summer top and matches so many plain coloured items I already have in my wardrobe.

Early in the week I plan to go fabric shopping to make some more dresses for my mother.  It was Fall 2015 when I made her 2 dresses (2 tops and 2 skirts) but I find the dresses are a little too baggy in the front area.  I want to make some that fit better. I always ask her for her colour choices and try and buy them if they are available.  This time she has selected purple and turquoise for 2 separate dresses.

Now I leave you with some sky photos I took on a beautiful day late last week. In fact, I was on my way to the movie. I could not believe that the trees were already beginning to bud.  We've had a lot more sunny days this winter than we usually have and now the weather too is quite warm during the daylight hours.

In case it isn't so obvious why I titled this post "The Beautiful Days of January", it is because I feel great about the slower pace and good process I'm making on a number of fronts. I'm also very happy with the weather we've been having.
I also have great news that the Pokot man that was injured by 3 black mamba snake bites is now doing much better and ready to be released from hospital in Eldoret, Kenya. Jonah of Missions of Hope, Kenya had to return to the hospital for a check up a week after release and was able to get an in person update from the man.

The Pokot man's hospital bill is enormous and he cannot pay it. Neither can I help him.
But he is still so very appreciative that I was able to send the deposit which enabled him to get medical treatment and save his leg. He is believing for some miracle from the hospital concerning the hospital bill.
 I like his positivity and optimism.
 ~~~
How about you dear reader?
How is your January going?
Are things progressing well?

What about on the food front?
Have you too noticed the high cost of food and how are you managing to deal with it?
I'd love to hear from you in the comments.

A Few Perspectives on the Sky

These first two photos were taken in East Vancouver. The first photo is taken on West Hastings Street. I noticed the medicine wheel on the side of the building and the decorative "feathers" hanging down. I think this is a health center of some kind.

The second photo was taken at a skytrain (light rapid transit) station. I was trying to capture the crescent moon in both but didn't have a zoom lens with me. In fact I just used my phone camera for these shots as I was on the way to meet a friend and didn't have time to get out the larger camera.

This last photo was taken the day before yesterday in Timboroa, Baringo County of Kenya. 

This county is located in the Rift Valley Province. If you can pinpoint Eldoret on the map below you travel in a southeasterly direction to get to Timboroa (just past the Burnt Forest which is not on the map). Find Kericho Town on the map and travel in a northeasterly direction. From Nakuru, you would drive in a northwesterly direction.It is a few hours drive and about half way to Eldoret.

 It looks to be a warm day with a bit of cloud haze.

Photo Credit: Jonah, Missions of Hope:  Timboroa, Kenya

Joining in with Skywatch Friday today
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.