Handful of summer goodness

Beautiful and absolutely delicious tomatoes

and the biggest raspberries I have ever seen

All from my garden! Ymm!!

Call-in sick today

I'm not sure if it's from some kind of bug or just exhaustion from good-old playing hard without enough sleep. My 2 older kids had mild fever today. My body doesn't produce much of fever, but I have had this headache and absolutely no energy to do anything. So, I decided to call-in sick today as...me. Kids are fed and changed. I think that's about all I have done today. I guess it's a benefit of being stay-at-home mom, because I don't have any certain number of sick-days to begin with. Although I have a son who constantly calling me "Mama!" for help and asked me to finish his $1.00 wooden model helicopter (which I did finish), I don't have to be yelled at by my boss (my former boss, that is). Although I have a lot of housework needed to be done, I don't have to feel unnecessarily guilty about leaving that job for my nagging co-workers (again, my former co-workers), because those housework will still be there without much complain, or maybe my sweet dear husband will help do graciously.
So, today, kids and I just snuggled up in a couch and watched movies (kids) or read a book (me), and got some very needed rest all together.

Definition of happiness

I started reading a book Bluebird a few days ago. In there, it read "Canadian positive psychologist Paul T.P. Wong defines happiness as 'the capacity to rejoice in the midst of suffering.' I like that definition. Happiness isn't the absence of suffering, then. Happiness doesn't have to be about denial."

I like that. Maybe I should post more often here...

Best baby-sitter in town!

I had my friend's girl as a baby-sitter this afternoon while I was at work. I have never hired a baby-sitter with a theme! A theme!! The theme was "fishing". She brought: a movie "Ponyo" as an entertainment; stuff to make jellyfish (paper plates and tissue papers - genius!) for the craft time; and "fishing theme snack" - long pretzel rods with spoonful of peanut butter to "fish" the fish-shaped cheese crackers! When I showed up at the door, they were playing "Go Fishin' " game. Wow!! I was just amazed. Kids LOVED it. They had such a fun time! Thanks, MJ!

Healing power of camping

Last weekend, we went camping to heal my exhausted soul. We went to my favorite beach and just floated in the warm water. The sun, the wave, the sand....it was so relaxing. Something about me born and raised in a fisherman town, whenever I'm down I crave the sound of waves. I can just sit at beach doing absolutely nothing, nothing but watching and listening to the waves, for a very long time. At night, after kids went to bed, my husband and I just sat by camp fire and talked. Under clear starry sky in the woods, with back ground sound of campfire popping, we admired the beauty of the fire. With slight breeze, there was no mosquitoes to be annoying us. Just perfect. Then I realized that I was surrounded by all the 4 elements, Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. Hmmm.....interesting.
Of course, kids love it, including baby K. There is nothing better than roasted marshmallow over campfire, early morning fishing trip with Daddy, and playing at the beach without caring about what time it is. No TV. No computer. No phone. Just us. We needed it. And, most of all, I needed it.

Backyard Jungle

My backyard vegetable garden looked like this a few weeks ago....

Now, it looks like this....

Tomato Jungle!! And I'm loving it!
My first trial of cantaloupe plants have a lot of flowers.

Beautiful Peas!

First harvest

Just cute, aren't they? Oh, they were so yummy, too!

Hello, beautiful.

The look of it, the smell of it, and the taste of it, you are just beautiful. Sorry, your twin sister disappeared pretty quickly at dinner table, and later as a bed time snack. I'm sure you miss her, but don't worry, you'll soon join her, in our stomachs. It's part of the deal you signed up; we have to eat you. So, here is the proof you were here. You look beautiful! Oh, I won't forget your grand entrance to this world from the oven. It was just gorgeous. The butter on the top helped you really glow, literally.
So, PBJ, or turkey club? Or maybe just good-ol'-bread-and-butter? A glass of chocolate milk might make a good compliment. Yeah, that sounds good. Let's do that.