Cuc's Happiness Project

"Most folks are as happy as they make up their mind to be." ~ Abraham Lincoln

Happiness is a conscious choice. It is not something we can demand or expect. It took going through rough times for me to realize that. If you want to be happy, there is always something you can find happiness in; if you want to be angry, it's not hard to see the bad in everything. My friends really shined through the storm and showed me true friendship when I needed them the most. It was a humbling experience. Other things that helped were reading, writing, listening to motivating and up-lifting podcasts, and doing things that I've always wanted to do. I learned to not be afraid of challenges. I've been on a journey of self-reflection to find my happiness and I want to share the wisdom I have found in others. I am grateful that there are so many people out there who share what they learned from their mistakes and successes so that we can be led by examples. I wanted to be able to offer the same. I've created Cuc's Happiness Project to document my journey in this new chapter of my life (the new link is available on the left menu).

The End Of A Hiatus And The Beginning Of Something Better

I've been fairly unproductive in the last couple of weeks. My friend was visiting from Dallas, so she's part of my excuse. She came up to visit St. Louis for a couple of days and then we took a road trip to Kansas City. I've grown to like KC quite a bit. There are some good tourist attractions, nice shopping districts, and also it's the home of the best BBQ in America - Oklahoma Joe's (one of Anthony Bourdain's "13 places to eat before you die").

We arrived in Kansas City fairly late in the afternoon and missed the lunch rush at OK Joe's, but as you can see, the line was still out the door. It was my second time there. I fell in love with the brisket the first time and hadn't stopped thinking about it since. Nothing has ever compared. I ordered a full brisket dinner and was delighted that it was exactly everything I had hoped for... I also got a chicken dinner as well. I think I put the men around me to shame with their single dinners. Honestly, I thought everything else here was OK. I was only there for the brisket and their sweet spicy BBQ sauce (it can be bought at the grocery stores in St. Louis, so it may be available in other cities).

As always, after a trip I always feel a little blue to be back home. It's so nice to able to step away into another city and explore. It took me a couple days to get out of the slump. What helped was my excitement in making some plans to learn about classical art. I have such a deep appreciate for old art and was just blown away by the artistry of the pieces I saw while visiting art museums. More to come on this...

I am currently also working on getting myself on track with exercise. I haven't worked out in a loooong time and it's taken such a toll on my energy level. I have so much I want to do and have just been too tired to do anything.  I started by taking Winston to run around at the park. Baby steps! I got a chance to take a picture of Winston for the first time outdoors.

I hope to have a few projects finished in the next few days for Mother's Day, so stay tuned!

Too Many Vet Visits In One Week!

Mr. Winston was neutered just last Wednesday. The poor guy were a was stumbling around clumsily and running into things the days he wore the cone. He looked sad but also a little goofy as well.

I was back in at the Vet today for one of my kitties, Derpy. Winston had accidentally injured him and now he has a fractured femur. :( Poor guy was in so much pain last night and is now staying overnight at the clinic and awaiting surgery tomorrow. It's fortunate that I have a great vet and everyone in the office is extremely service oriented. Not only is the medical and customer service phenomenal, but I can't believe how much cheaper their prices are compared to others. I'm planning on making some small beds and chew toys to donate to the office for the pets that stay overnight. Hopefully, I can get some things completed by Saturday when Winston gets his stitches removed.

This week has been exhausting between work, the pets, and personal projects. It's only Wednesday, but I'm already looking forward this weekend! I wish there were more interesting things going on in my life to report, but this is my life for the time being. It's enough to keep me busy though!

Chocolate Lab Puppy

I know my posts have been coming in slower, but I have a legitimate reason! I got a chocolate Lab puppy last Friday and boy is he a handful! It's around the clock care and no chance to work on any projects or so much as sleep. His name is Winston. He is so cute, sweet and soft & cuddly! He's done so well with his potty training, but he was struggling with crate training.  Training him has been frustrating and yet very rewarding when he gets it. Thank goodness the neighbors are so nice and understanding about his cries. Winston's separation anxiety has improvement tremendously though, so I think this issue should be resolved soon. He's a good boy :) He is growing so fast too. Puppies!

The pictures on top were from the first day he was brought home.

About

Hello there!  I'm Cuc and welcome to my blog!  First, about this blog...

SEWING.  I visited Seattle at the end of this summer and I was in love with all the pretty and cute handmade goods in the street markets.  It inspired me to explore my inner creativity and be productive in my personal life.  For the last month, I've been up until the wee hours of the morning browsing blog after blog for tutorials and ideas on sewing, crafts, refashioning, and the likes.  Hundreds of bookmarks later, I decided that I needed a space where I could share these wonderful finds and my personal journey into this adventure.  I had no sewing experience and feared that I wouldn't even be able to sew in a straight line.  I bought my first sewing machine on a whim (Brother CS6000i), read the manual from front to back, thru and thru, and over and over.  When I finally got the courage to operate it for the first time, it felt liberating.  I realized the endless amount of potential to create and transform things all within my fingertips and I wondered why I never thought to do this before.

FOOD.  When I am not obsessing over all things sewing or spending countless of hours at the fabric store, I love to cook for the BF and friends.  I enjoy all types of foods and especially loooove spicy!  I also like to whip up some sweets every now and then.  I'll be sharing some of my favorite recipes and exploring new ones with you.  Some have an added touch of Cuc and some are left as found.

ART.   I dreaded painting in art class when I was young.  I was OK with other mediums, but couldn't produce anything remotely pretty with a paint brush.  Fast forward to the summer of 2012 and I did my first wall-worthy painting (inspired by a social painting party that I very reluctantly attended).  I think painting required more patience and serenity than I had before.  Now, I actually enjoy painting and wish I had more time to do it!

ME.  I am a Chinese/Vietnamese American.  One of my favorite cities is Beijing.  I studied there for a semester during college and it was one of the best experiences of my life!  My other favorite city is Seattle.  I loved everything about it and knew I would.  I love mountains and evergreens and think they make the most breathtaking sceneries.

Mount Rainer near Seattle, WA ~ August 2012

I have 2 cats who I LOVE and ADORE.  They made a cat-lover out of me.

(Left to right): Setzer is one curious kitty!  He's a trouble maker, but he knows how to pull his strings. Derpy is such a sweet kitty and he is super soft!  He's a cuddler and is known to smother with affection.

03.22.13: Latest addition to my life: Winston. He keeps my life busy and hectic, but I love this fella :)

His first day < 8 weeks old. Short and stout.

Winston at around 5 months old. His legs have out-grown his body!