T-Ball

E's first T-ball practice. Oh, he had so much fun! His abundant energy finally has a place to go! :) The funny thing was to see all the little ones running around the field not knowing how to play but just having fun!

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

I don't like cookies usually but this is yummy!

Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Makes 2-3 dozen

Ingredients:
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

Potato Watercress Soup

I never could use the watercress I bought and now I found a great way to use this nutritious vegetable. I loved this soup!

Potato Watercress Soup:
1 pound baby red potatoes
1 sweet onion
4 cloves garlic
1 t red pepper
1/2 t paprika
salt + pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (Lucini Italia)
1/4 cup sherry
4 cups organic free-range chicken broth
2 bundles watercress

Slice up your onion along with peeled and crushed garlic and add them to a large pot with the oil. Season with paprika, salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes or until the onions begin to brown. Scrub clean the potatoes and half-heartedly peel (good to leave some skin). Chop into quarters and add to the pot. Toss the potatoes so they are well coated and cook for another 8 minutes. Add sherry and cook off for 1 minute. Follow with chicken broth and let simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes can be easily punctured with a fork. Add the watercress for 1 minute—just long enough to keep the lovely bright green color. Remove from heat and add small batches to your blender until entire mixture is smooth. Garnish with a few raw watercress leaves, s+p, dollop of olive oil drizzle, and a pinch of paprika and/or truffle oil.

Easter 2011

I found myself focusing on the meaning of Easter this year without too many bunnies and eggs. We talked about Christ's atonement, crucifixion and resurrection throughout the week. Last Friday, we read a lot of scripture stories of Jesus. On Saturday we talked about Jesus visiting the Spirit World to preach the gospel and organize His work. We went to church on Sunday to celebrate this glorious event of His resurrection. I felt strongly that I would see my beloved family again face to face because Jesus's precious love and sacrifice for us. I felt very peaceful and grateful!

We did some fun stuff with E too. It's his spring break last week but the weather has been storming and raining crazy. The design of the Ark is on our to-do-list now. :)

While We Are in Trials

Baba joined 13.7 millions of unemployed people in the US last November and we have been praying for a job. We are grateful for all the prayers and help we get. Although things have not changed yet, we feel peaceful and hope for the best. Mama is teaching 3 to 7 classes a week and tries to pay off her tuition. Life is not easy but we still count our blessings. God has His will and we have our hearts open and wait for whatever might come.

Mama and E made the snowman together. We had some good snow and it's quite a cold winter. We are all ready for the warm weather to come.

Yes, there was a big hole on the ceiling and it's quite a scary accident. Mama was in the eves one day getting some clothes and fell through. She was hanging in the air with legs in splits thanks to years' yoga practice. :) Baba had to fix the big hole and put the real floor up there.

E's favorite activity is to build legos. He's quite creative and imaginative. He also loves to read and draw. We stay inside a lot in winter and Baba enjoyed spending time with E playing legos, action figure and Wii. Baba's favorite time every day is to read Harry Potter to E. They started last December and are already on book six. Every time when they finished one book, we got to have a Harry Potter movie night. It was really fun!

Santa Claus- Part 2

Baba lost his job at the beginning of November and life has been different since. Our Christmas was really great and special as you can see the gifts around the tree. Santa appeared as so many loving people this year for us. Grandma took baba out shopping to cheer him up and stuffed our stockings. Church friends showed up with food basket and nice toys for E. Treats and the most beautiful handmade red apron appeared in the front porch. My adopted family took me out for shopping and got us presents. A newly-acquainted friend gave E a big package of Lego set which was E's favorite toy. We got cookies from the neighbors and cards from lots of dear friends. One of the cards astonished me with money in it and I don't even know who it was from. Words cannot express how I feel. I am eternally grateful for them and for Heavenly Father who put love in their hearts and transferred to mine.

Thank you, all the Santa Claus who visited us this year!!! We love you!

Santa Claus- Part 1

I came across this story and was touched by it. It means a lot to me this year. I haven't changed the music for a while so if the background music doesn't fit, please just mute it.

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid.

I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big
sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even
dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day
because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told
the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier
when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they
were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her
everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" she
snorted...."Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around
for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and
let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second
world-famous cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store,
the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we
walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle
in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone
who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked
out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but
never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and
crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping.

For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar
bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.

I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the
kids at school, the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He
was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs.
Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that
because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always
wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew
that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat. I
fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby
Decker a coat!

I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real
warm, and he would like that.

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter
asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly.
"It's for Bobby."

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a
good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag,
smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the
coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and
wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it.

Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over
to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever
officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept
noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a
nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on
his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and
Grandma.

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open.
Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering,
beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that
those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they
ere -- ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.

Luke II

First Day of School

E woke up happily and started to get ready for school. His hair always sticks out to different directions every morning so he put a hand full of mousse on the hair to create this crazy hairdo. Of course mama had to smooth it out.

His grandma and aunt actually came knocked on our door and rushed us to leave. They were as anxious as we were. We walked to the bus stop. (E actually ran all the way.)

His backpack looked so huge on his little body. Fortunately he doesn't usually need to carry anything but a folder. There were mixed feelings when I saw the bus leaving. I was glad that he felt good about school and welcomed this new adventure. I was not sure if he's ready for this but I had confidence in his intelligence and energy. With our help, he will enjoy this learning experience.

To celebrate this big day, we did a treasure hunt to reveal his gift. There were 7 clues for him to follow and he had fun running up and down the stairs to find all the clues and his final treasure. When he found the soccer ball, he said with great excitement, "I can't believe it!" I love his expression and happiness filled our hearts.

Shawnee Lookout

E is starting school tomorrow so Mama decided to take him to go hiking. He was saying the Pledge of Allegiance in front of the sign. I guess he felt the need to do so. This is the longest trail in the park, about 2 miles. I was not sure if E could finish it by himself. I thought it might end it up with me carrying him somehow.

It was really intriguing to see this in the middle of the path. Obviously someone found the turtle shell and arranged this. I hope the poor turtle that lost this shell did not have a sad story to tell.

E was chasing all kinds of bugs and picking up rocks for protection. His backpack was so heavy that he decided to do some rock-skipping down the hill in half way. He loved this beetle. I looked it up on the web and found it was net-winged beetle.

E took this picture and I think he did a good job.

There were two lookout spots of great view of Ohio River and northern Kentucky. This park has lots of Indian history and burial mounds. I got to teach E about showing respect of the place and he talked about the Nephites and Lamanites.

E was complaining about the hike until he saw the steps. He ran most of the second half of the trail. After that he was exhausted.

A lady with a dog we met on the trail gave us this, a buckeye.

She cracked another one for us. We had never seen this before so it's a good learning for us since we live in the Buckeye State.

E managed to finish the trail all by himself. He even played in the sand and playground after the hike. We both enjoyed this special day!

Utah Trip

She was my mission daughter, which means I trained her when we were missionaries in Touliou 12 years ago. She was one of the most loving persons I met. She shared her Christmas gifts with me and taught me everything about service, charity and hard work. When I moved from Touliou, she put lots of "love" stickers on my giant luggage. I had the pleasure to visit her parents 11 years ago and I had strong connection with her mom. I was so happy to attend her wedding at Manti temple where I prayed that I could feel her mom and mine as well. I believe they probably talk about us in heaven from time to time. I was the guest of honor in the sealing room and the spirit was so strong. I am grateful for the friendship we have and am happy that she found her eternal companion. The wedding was so beautiful and everyone felt honored and appreciated, just as my sweet friend had prayed.

We were about to leave for our hiking trip to American Fork Canyon. I brought my smallest hello kitty backpack for convenience and my friend had to borrow from a 11-year-old girl. We got kicked out of our appearances.

The water in the mountain was nice and cold. Right after we stopped by this quiet place, something dramatic happened.

My friend saw a snake in the grass and screamed. As soon as I heard her, I screamed like crazy without seeing anything and tried to pass through it. We laughed so hard for 10 minutes after that. This was actually another snake we came across on the trail. We saw four in total, which I didn't expect it at all. The snake is officially the animal I am scared of.

I thought it would be fun to do some yoga poses on these two logs and it turned out to be very challenging. The surface was not flat and there was this fear of falling into the rocks and water. I don't know how those yogis always have the shots of doing arm balancing or handstand at the edge of the cliffs. I certainly need more practice.

Guess what we saw. It was right in front of us on the trail and then moved to the woods. It was a MOOSE and it's huge. We were very careful watching it's movement to make sure it would not come charging us.

The view was breathtaking. When we got to the top, a beautiful lake appeared.

It's sitting so quietly in the mist of the mountains. I had to call it "Lake of Shining Waters"(When Anne Shirley saw the Barry's lake, she called it by this name.)

What a great day we had!!! The smell of the trees was so refreshing. My friend told me all these aspens came from the same root. That made me think about everyone on this earth came from the same Father, our God in heaven. It is amazing!

This was Silver Lake Trail and it's about 3 to 4 miles. It took us about 4 hours because we stopped a lot on the way and also at the lake. It's a great place to visit.

Happy 5th Birthday

E had his 5th birthday last month and he's a happy, energetic and healthy 5-year-old boy. He insisted making his own cake this year. The theme was the robot cake but the images were too small to see. He decorated the cake with his dad and they had fun. E told me that I made the best icing in the whole wide world. He is not reserved when he gives compliments and I love that about him. :)

He has been learning to swim and ride the bicycle. He also likes to go hiking. We enjoyed watching fireworks in the backyard together on the 4th. He seemed to like the things I have been showing to him, the world that I learned to appreciate and enjoy. Of course, he likes to watch movies and play with the toys like every other kid. There is part of him growing inward, more aware of his surroundings and people. I have been trying to stop to smell the roses from time to time to enjoy the moments of life and feel from inner self. That also helps me feel calm and serene.

Hearty Broccoli Dip

This recipe came from Taste of Home. I made this for a couple times and everyone loved it! It's not the healthiest thing of my choice but certainly a favorite of the crowd. I use ground chicken instead of beef.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cubed
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 3 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
• 2 tablespoons salsa
• Tortilla chips

Directions

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Add cheese, soup, broccoli and salsa; mix well. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until heated through, stirring after 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips. Yield: 5-1/2 cups.

Utah Trip

I went on a trip to Utah at the beginning of April for the 1oth anniversary of my mission. My friend took me to Jordan River Temple at the first night. Temple is a sacred place for us to perform ordinances for ourselves and the deceased. It's a blessing from God to connect with Him and with our ancestors. It's Heaven on earth. I was so glad to be able to go to the temple and learned the things that make my spirit grow and calm.

I attended three sessions of General Conference. I was blessed to sit very close to see the prophet in person. As I watched his face, I felt the spirit and testified to me that President Monson was the prophet of God. As long as I follow his teachings, I will be able to go back to my Heavenly Father, have an eternal family and achieve the exaltation.

It was great to hear the Tabernacle Choir sing. It was once my dream to become one of them. Although I have chosen another path, I still felt tingling under the skin when I saw the choir. My friend kept encouraging me to make the dream come true. I know I can not at this point but I do start thinking about singing again.

It was my second time seeing the beauty of Salt Lake temple. It touches my heart thinking about the people who spent 40 years building this temple and transported white granite from 20 miles away. It was 4 days journey for both trips. It took numerous people's great effort and faith to finish this House of the Lord. I'm truly grateful for these people and for the Lord to bring this great light on earth, which brings us great joy and peace.

Oh, how I loved my mission president and his late wife. They were my parents on my mission and continued helping me in this life journey. President Kim's new wife happened to be a sister who watched me grow up. I'm grateful for this relationship with them.

This kid was my friend's and he's super cool. I taught them yoga when I stayed there and we had fun doing yoga every day. He loved doing yoga and meditating.

Drop Painting

We had a couple of hours' fun with this activity. We just grabbed a few things from the kitchen and started it. E loved to mix different colors together to explore. We put two pieces of paper towel together, colored it and then unfolded.

E called this one "The Joker".

Materials needed:

Food coloring

Baby food jars or any small containers(one for each color desired)

Droppers(one for each color desired)

Thick paper towels

1. Fill containers with water. Add a few drops of different color of food coloring into each container.

2. Cover the table with vinyl table cloth or some newspaper for easy cleanup.

3. Using droppers(I only had one and it still worked out great), have the children drop the "paint" onto the paper towels, one drop at a time. The drops will fan out and bleed into each other, creating a very pretty picture!!!

What Happened in Taiwan

I finally have time to share about our trip to Taiwan. It was wonderful as long as I don't tell you the details. :) It was three years ago when we went back last. The kids are not babies and toddlers anymore. They all talk very well of course in their languages. E understood Chinese but spoke mainly English so his cousins didn't quite understand him. They had their ways of communicating that we as adults could sometimes learn from. This is a picture of E and his cousin and I love the chemistry in this one. His cousin was really tough and strong-minded. E always tried to play rough with him and he thought it's for real. Oh, they fought and fought leaving bruises and scratches until the last day! I'm glad they got to know each other well. I just wish they didn't choose such an uncivilized way.

McDonald's was such a comfortable place for E. He was really overwhelmed with the different food and place. He liked to go to "Old McDonald" (that's how he called it) to eat and play and it gave him such comfort especially with the happy meal toys.

He learned how to ride a bike and yes on a girl's hello-kitty bike. He had so much fun!

The Chinese New Year celebration is about family gathering and food.

Lots of yummy dumplings, hot pot and more.

E was curious about eating the whole fish and then he gobbled down more than 10 of them, unbelievable, using chopsticks too.

E played his first sparkler and he absolutely loved it.

This place is called "Flower Sea", a very large beautiful flower field.

They don't use car seats there so E insisted that he should wear seat belt also with the helmet. He's surely a safety kid!

There are a lot of motor scooters there. E's grandpa loved to take him for a short ride.

Below is the movie showing a very old Chinese candy making technique. It's called "Blowing Candy". The master made a dinosaur for E.

Hugging each other at the airport, as you can see, they finally made up. E learned to know his family in Taiwan in three weeks and it's not easy for him at all. When family live so far away, we do have to build the relationships in a different way. The most important thing is that we try.