Girls' Time Out

Two of my friends and I went to a girls' time out trip to IKEA on Saturday.
It was a lot of FUN!
NO KIDS!!
We talked, talked, and talked without any interuption.
Thanks to all of our husbands to make this possible.
It was a good 1 day vacation for Mommys.















By the way, one of my purchased items was well loved soon after I came home. It's a roll of drawing paper. I covered the entire dining table. We all sat around the table and drew for a good 1 hour. That was fun too!

Beauty and the Beast

"Mama! Look! M is a princess. Isn't she cute?", J called me.

He decorated M's hair with stickers.
And he made himself as a monster/beast/some kind of scary creature with "long nails."
I guess I'm glad that he didn't decorate himself as a princess...

Yes, they are the same kind of stickers, a 500 count roll of stickers from a dollar store (you can see in the bottom right corner).

But M is a princess and J is a monster.

Beauty and the Beast.

Halloween crafts

Leftover felt scrap from old craft project: $0
Daddy's old boy scout pants from his teenage years: $0
Trick-or-treating with one-and-only kind of bag: Priceless

One side (above) and the other side (below)

I'm afraid my sweet baby boy is turning to be a BOY. He wanted a spider, a ghost, and "bat mans" on his trick-or-treat bag, not those cutesy pumpkin or cat. But I'm not quite ready for spooky stuff yet...

Farmers Market

I love Farmers Market. Here in Michigan, it's almost the end of the season. But I just love to see all the fresh produce piled up. They are so beautiful without some artificial lighting. We enjoy every summer.

My kids love it too. Well, they have one favorite section - a honey stick vender (link is just a reference). They get to purchase their own honey stick with 2 dimes. Sour apple, raspberry, watermelon...they have so many flavors. J usually pick based on color.

So, J decided to have his own farmers market here.


Remember those beads seeds from the alst post? He put them into those tiny spots on Duplo truck. "Look! Farmers Market! This is how farmers carry cucumbers and tomatoes to the market."

I'm so happy to see my son learning how seeds grow to be vegetables, and knowing those vegetables come from farmers and gardens, not from store shelves in plastic bags.

What matters.

When kids are quiet for a long time, we wonder what they are up to, right?

While I was occupied in the kitchen canning more applesauce yesterday, my son J and his good friend A were playing very well. They were playing so well. No screaming. No crying. Playing well quietly.

"Hmm? What are they up to?"
I wondered.

This is what I saw.

And, this is what was going on.

A pair of scissors
and
a bunch of beads necklace from a parade.

Results:
"Mama! Look! I made seeds for my garden out of beads!"

Yes, they were cutting those beads into pieces....But, they were contained in a box. So, I was okay with that. Carrots, beans, peppers, egg plants and tomatoes, he told me. Just like our garden. They are just made of beads. But he is going to plant them and grow them, in his mind.

Because I have been in kitchen a lot this week, our house is full of toys. Toys, toys, everywhere. Toys on the floor. Toys on a couch. Toys on a dining table. And, toys on our bed.

When a friend of us showed up this morning to pick up my husband, I said "Sorry for our mess. Come in and have a seat, if you can find a spot." But he said, "Don't worry about the mess. It seems like kids are having fun."

Yes, our kids are having fun.
That's what matters.
Not a spotless house.
Yes, our kids are happy.
That's what matters.

I like a clean and organized house where I can feel calm and peace, but that comment really made me feel better and happier. And I became okay letting our house be full of toys, at least for the day.

Is my house picked up now? No. I am surrounded by toys (I'm on a couch with PBS on). Dining table is still full of dishes from lunch. But, I'm happy.

That's what matters.

Right?

Alternative Heating!?

Sugar Cookies for a Baby Shower

Halloween Cookies

Apple Pie

and

Apple Turnovers

Our house has been very warm this past week because of all the baking and canning that I have been doing.

Can I call it Alternative Heating!? Please?

Not only these things make our house warm, they make my heart really warm.
I like cooking, baking and canning, but I LOVE watching my family and friends enjoy eating them.

I don't even eat much of these cookies.
I just want to watch my family and friends enjoy eating them.
That's enough for me.
No, that is what I like about.
It's fun creating things, but it is so much more fun to see those happy yummy faces.
It's kind of addicting.
I want to see those happy yummy faces.
More and more.

My husband's "Mmmm!!!" is the best prize ever.

My kids' request for "More!" is the best compliment.

My mom is a good cook, a very good one.
She doesn't seem to mind spending many hours in kitchen cooking many delicious dishes because she enjoyed watching her family and friends enjoy eating what she creates.
Many times, I remember, she made things that she didn't even eat much of.

I used to think, "Why would she cook things that she won't even eat?"

Maybe I started to understand why.

Maybe it is genetic after all.

Thanks mom for giving me good cooking genes.

Before and After, and more...

BEFORE

AFTER

Thanks to my friend Tami for sharing these beautiful apples. These beautiful apples came from an apple tree in her backyard. It was so sweet of her sharing these precious apples with us.

They are so crispy and sweet, and just delicious.

I don't even know what kind of apples they are. But we are enjoying these apples.
And we will be enjoying these home-made applesauce this winter.

And these jars of applesauce will remind me of her friendship.

Serenity

When was the last time you were able to enjoy your breakfast in one sitting?

Mine usually goes like,

"Mama! I don't want this."
"Uh-oh!"
"Mama! I want to watch Curious George."
"Juice! Uh! Uh! Juice!"(accompanied by baby-sign for "more")

So, I stand up, go get something, come back and sit down just long enough to take a bite, and stand up again, etc.

But, today it is a little different.

It is such a beautiful morning.
Sun is shining through our front picture windows.
Mild breeze moves colored leave gently.
Morning dew on leaves reflect the sunlight.
Our dog is sleeping by my feet.
Kids are nicely playing upstair in our daughter's room.
I was able to pray quietly as long as I wanted.
I enjoyed my breakfast toast while it was still warm and crispy.

Quiet.

So quiet.

Serenity.

That would the perfect word to discribe this moment.

Then, there goes,
"Mama! Look! Happy Birthday! I made a cake for you!"
I can hear my son calling me from upstair.

Today will be a good day.

Have a wonderful day.

Kids' Birthday

We celebrated our kids' birthday along with my father-in-law's last Sunday.

My son will soon turn 4 and my daughter 2. It was fun making these cakes. Yes, we had a lot of leftover cakes, but it was more for a show than than taste of it...

Three, Two, One, Blast off!!

JSA - Josh Space Agency!

My daughter LOVES rubber ducky.
She took a bite of jello and just played with her new PINK ducky.

This was the idea....

Looks close enough?

The "bestest" husband

I need to brag about my dear "the bestest" husband.

Last night, we came home late from our family birthday party (I'll post about kids' birthday later). I was tired. The house was a mess. And a tons more mess came home with us from the party.

While I was on the phone taking care of some personal business, my dear husband unpacked the car, unpacked bags and put stuff away, picked up all the toys on the floor, and swiffered the floor!

I felt SO LOVED!

Then, he offered me a back rub. With my favorite Stress Relief Eucalyptus Spearmint Aromatherapy Body Lotion from Bath & Body Work.

I haven't been relaxed that much in a long time. I felt SO GOOD!

I felt SO RELAXED, SO LOVED, and SO HAPPY!

He is the best husband, the best father, and my best friend.

Mama! Mama!! Mama!!!

Oh, my kids love me so much!

Today is Saturday and I was hoping for a bit of sleep in. It didn't happen.
Instead,

"Mama! Mama!! Mama!!!" times two, by 7:30 am.

"Mama! I want chocolate milk!"
"Mama!! I want Cheerios!"
"Mama!!! I want to play outside!"

How do they get that much of energy that early!?

So, I decided to let them run around the house. We are staying at my sister-in-law's this weekend, and they have this perfect circle that kids can run around - from entrance to kitchen to dining room to back to entrance.

They were making laps. "1, 2, 3..." I think I counted till 10.
Then I gave up counting.
It was too early for me to count more than 10.

And there went my son J running around, and around, and around...

"Hi, Mama!"

"Aren't you tired?"

"Nope!"

And then, more running around, and around, and around.....

In his Dalmatian Halloween outfit....