Halloween (Oct 31)

I somehow lost the kids individual pictures for Halloween. :( This is a group picture that I've found on my computer. Jeannie and the YW had decided to go treat or treating together in our neighborhood. The "Die Hard" treat-or-treater had tons of fun though the rain was pouring at some point.

From right to left: Jenna G., Ashley G., Rachael G., Sarah D., Jady K., Jessie D., Jeannie K., Evan K., me and Ben G.

Jeannie's Home Coming (Oct 24)

It was Jeannie's homecoming last Sat, and it also happened to be the Church standard night as well as the youth dance afterwards. I am glad that she and Ashley chose to stay at the standard night and went to the homecoming after. This is her picutre of her at the dance having fun with her friends. I can't believe my child is turning 16 in a month!!!

Latest Projects

I have working on a few fun projects lately. Found some very interesting websites and learned how to mod podge. So, I mod podged pictures on a wooden frame to replace the broken one in the kitchen. Johnny and the kids thought I did an amazing job and they truly enjoyed looking at it.

A few weeks ago, the kids and I went to a thrift store and got this nice looking rattan chair for $7.50. No kidding... it's a steal! After I cleaned up the cushion with some antibacteria spray, I sewed the cover with a floral patterned and make a pillow for that also. It just looked so good now!!!

Ok, Jady had outgrown her poncho, so I got some fleece and make her a double sided poncho. It looke pretty cool and she thought herself being the super hero!!! :) Should have matched the pattern on the front. Oh well....

Nursemaid Elbow Again!!!

Oh my goodness... Jady had another nursemaid incident again. This time happened to be at the church. Jady was playing with Jeannie's friend, and her extended arm was pulled while piggy backing. She was screaming, and refused to use her arm. All we could do was to stablize the elbow and toold her to the Dr. first thing in the morning. She was feeling all better right after Dr. Safier popped it back into place. Hope this won't happen again. It was her left arm last time and right arm this time!

Geothermal

We finally made the decision to put in the geothermal system in the house after a month of researching. With the global warming concern and the high rising cost of fuel, gas and oil, Johnny and I thought it's not a bad idea to invest some "green" and valuable system in our home.

The guys came in on Monday to line up all the pipe works and vents throughout the house. The digging started on Wed. and Thursday. Four tons of loops were put in our backyard... so no pool in the future!

The guys did the pipe works were excellent!!! They were Vietnamese, hard working people. They came here on time, and cleaned up so well. There wasn't much dust to clean up after putting some 30+ vents in the whole house. All vents were spaced out and installed onto the ceiling in each room. I am 120% satisfied with their job! We instantly feel the warm in all three floors after it's been installed. It will be a test in the winter though! Will be excited to see how much we can save for the month...

As for the digging... they are ok! We had a problem Sat. night and find out that the main drained was clogged. I started the washer while in the laundry room when Jady had an accident. It was actually a blessing that she had an accident because I was cleaning her up in the utility sink, but to find out the pipes, as well as the toilet attached to the laundry room were clogged. I went and tried to plunge the drain, but nothing seemed to work. So, I called the home warranty company and wasn't able to get any help from any one at all... For one, they don't have "guaranteed" emergency service, and second, both the companies on their list were lined up with jobs and not available until Monday. I was terribly desperate!!!

So, we started calling our neighbor and tried to get a referral from him. The plumber was excellent and came over right away. What he and Johnny found out was that the worker who put in the loops had dugged up our sewage line. What???? That's my first reaction!!! Haven't they checked with the city of all the lay outs (pipes and cables) before the digging? I was totally overwhelmed with the cleaning already, and now I had to think about the bathroom issue for the next two days??? I left the room and had Johnny took care of that. Thank goodness, the workers came within an hour and dug a big hole (that able to hold 1000 gallon) for us so that we can do our usual cleaning and stuff.

All I can say in this whole situation is to count our blessings!!! Had Jady not had an accident, the washer would be pouring 40 gallons of water in a minute and our whole basement would be flooded. That would be a total disaster!!! I can only be thankful that we were watched over!!!

Johnny's Birthday (Oct 11, Sunday)

It was Johnny's birthday yesterday. We came home from church and had an egg custard pie (since we are not fans with cake) and some curry pasteries. I guess it's a mom's thing... I felt so fulfilling when the crew empty everything on the table. :) Then, Johnny opened our gifts:

• Jeannie got daddy a car scraper
• Evan bought daddy a T-shirt
• I mod podged a pencil jar and a personalized birthday card for my husband. Well, I got the idea from a flyer at a craft store and spent a few hours looking on the website to find out how to do it. In fact, it's quite a simple, but fun project. I love personalized, homemade stuff!!!

Talent Show/Pumpkin Painting/Indoor Gardening!!

It's was a well pack Sat morning (Oct 10). We attended a Primary Talent Show at church, then went pumpking painting at the Y, out to dinner and celebrate Johnny's birthday (10/11) at the hotel across the KOP mall.

Evan's talent show picture at the church when he was doing the bike tricks. He went so fast that I was not able to snap a good picture of him.

Then, we went to the Y and paint pumkins with Jady and the kids. Jady had so much fun that she did not even want to leave.

Went home, clean the house, and out to dinner in celebration of Johnny's birthday. We did not go out on his actual birthday because it fell on Sunday this year! The dinner was awesome and everyone in the family seemed to have a great time.

After dinner, we spent about half an hour at the mall. We saw this AeroGXXX for a great value of $50 instead of $129 at JCPXXX. That's exactly what I asked my husband for my birthday!!! So, Johnny got the system and set it up running as soon as we got home. (It's funny that we don't give surprised gift anymore.... Johnny and I don't like the idea of returning birthday gift that was given by our spouse.)

sure, you don't have to wait until your birthday though
On Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 2:01 PM, Pauline XXX paulinexxxxxx@xxxx.com wrote:
hun, i really want this for my birthday!!!

http://www.herbkits.com/medicinal.htm

Evan's Second Week of Middle School

Evan came home with a detention slip that needed to be signed and returned. Why? This kid has been forgotten to bring his completed homework twice, and work folder back to school once. We told him to put his homework back into his backpack after our checking every night, and yet he chose to ignore our warnings and left it on his table. What's more??? He lost his new gym uniform... How? He claimed he has put them in the locker and they were gone the next day. Ahuh..... Should I forget that he has a habit of leaving his drawer open when he is done picking his clothes??? Evan, Evan, Evan........ I just hope these are all the bad news I heard from him.

Of course, I was totally mad at some point, but my wish is that he would be learning from all the mistakes right from the beginning. I know I am "Ah Q", but thinking positive is really impoartant in this situation. So, I sat down and wrote a thank you note to his teacher, Ms. Henry for thanking her follow through with my son, and not letting him get away with his consequences.... got to print the email out and put it in his book! :)

Choice of Herbs and Pots

I love herbs and especially fond of cilantro, chives, mint and basil. These herbs are not only flavorful, but also had tons of medicinal properties.

http://www.liveandfeel.com/medicinalplants/basil.html

So, I have decided to grow my own herb garden this Winter.... had been out shopping for a big ceramic pot for awhile, but did not have much success. They are either too small or out of my budget. Sometime last week, I went to TJXXX and found this beautiful huge ceramic pot for $10 at the clearance section. It was so beautiful that I couldn't take my hands off of it. The only problem was that the color of the flowers on the pot doesn't match the house decor. So, I spent about two hours putting a coat of dark chocolate paint on it. I am just thrilled with the turn out.


After the painting, I mix up some soil with potting mix, and the fertilizer (all organic), and planted three of my favorite herbs, cilantro, chives, and basil. I am hoping to see something real soon!!!

By far, I've found the following website has the best forum on home gardening. The people there are very helpful with questions regarding seeding, watering and harvesting any individual plant.

http://www.gardenweb.com/

General Conference

It was the 179th Seminannual General Conference on Sat (10/3) and Sun (10/4). There were so many good talks by church leaders, but the one that stays in my mind the most was from President Monson titled, "What have I done for someone today??"

We often forgot about others when we are busy or so focus on ourselves, and that's not how life should be. There is nothing we will bring with us when we pass on, but only good works and deeds. I just love our prophet, President Monson. I had a book of him full of stories about his work and ministry, and the people who he associated with or make a difference in life. It's just amazing to me how the Lord had prepared a man to be his servant since their early age.

Here is his talk: http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1117-27,00.html

There is also a website of all the talks on both days. I would like to figure out how to attached the video on my blog, but for now they are available online.

http://lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-1117,00.html

Acupuncture Session

It was Evan's first time to the acupuncture last Sat (9/26). I bet it did scare him at the beginning, but he is now all fine and not having any stuffy nose. So, it's all convincing to him that acupuncture dose work!!! I believe Jeannie might need another session. We will have to decide when they are done with the herbal medicine. In fact, those medicine have been working great. The kids appetide has been improving; and they tend to eat more.

Pretzel Sticks

I was scratching my head to come up with some healthy snacks for the YW. There was not a whole lot that I could make when it comes to snacks since I hate baking.

So, I ended up getting a big bucket of pretzel sticks from Cosxxx, and spent a few hours dipping them in chocolate. They tasted good to me, and especially Jady... she probably ate fifteen of them before I ran out of chocolate.

Well, things don't always turn out the way I want. When Jeannie and Evan got home after school, I asked them to taste some samples becasue I used a different kind of chocolate this time, and they both preferred the ones that I made last time. Because of that, I decided to make another batch of pretzels with a new recipe using brown sugar, egg white and cinnamon.

Don't know what I was thinking... trying to come up with something I never tried on a busy Wed. night. Anyway, Johnny came home around 6:00pm when the pretzels were still in the oven (took about an hour to bake). Dinner was not even prepared at that point. I was exhausted by then after working the whole afternoon and not getting anywhere. I talked to myself what I did was so not worth it!!! Then, a thought came to my mind... "Well, if the pretzels turn out good, then I can mass production and use this recipe for Christmas treats!" My day had changed completely from that moment on. I actually looked forward to see how the pretzels turned out and started to appreciate my new adventure.

At the end, the pretzels turn out great. My whole family admit it! :) And I was able to feed them before heading to church. What had I learned from this experience?

1) Simplify my life... Do not overdo when I can't afford the time.
2) Be optimistic even when facing challenges. Be faithful and hopeful!
3) Lastly, yet the most important things is to be in tune with the spirit. Sometimes, we just need to set back and relax, and let the spirit works on us to bring back peace and harmony into our lives when troubled.

Busy Week (Sept 23-28)

We had a crazy week again since Wed. I think the kids had been sleep deprived since Wed. We got home after church (YW activity and the cubscout) around 9:00pm and helped the kids with homework. It was probably 11:00pm when we sent them to bed. Then on Thursday night, we attended Jeannie's school open house. This kid is taking two AP courses (Bio and Euro), as well as other honors classes this semester. We wanted to meet with her teachers and make sure she is not killing herself. Once again, she went to bed around 11:00pm because dad needed to check her math homework when we were done with the Open House around 9:00pm.

Jeannie always wanted to play sports for the school. Although she did not make it to the school tennis team, she came home about a week ago and expressed interest of joining the school ice hockey club. The team practices and have games on every Sat. from Sept to March. It was a 4-hour commitment and the fees was more than US$1,400 excluding the gears and uniform (which is another $1,000+). Thank goodness that she decided to withdraw after finding out the cost and fees for the club.

Waking up at 5:00am everyday and taking full loaded courses... I just pray that her health would not be jeopardized by the overloaded schedule. The kids started having allergy, both having stuffy nose, and sore throat for Jeannie. I hope she did not get Swine flu like one of her best friends.

On Sat (Sept 26), we took Evna and Jeannie for an acupunture session. It was Evan's first time ever to the acupunturist. According to the Dr., Jeannie has better health than Evan, so Evan ended up having more needles poked into his body - one on each elbow, four on the back, one on each side behind the ears, and two on the lower back. I don't think Evan enjoy it at all. Hopefully, we don't have to go back next week! The Dr. gave them some herbal medicine as part of the treatment, and if their situation doesn't improve in a week, the kids will have to see her a second session. I was totally exhasted by the time we got home, but had to get to the stake center for the General Relief Society broadcast. I especially enjoyed the talk by Sister Thompson. It was a great evening.

Then on Sunday, we got to the church half an hour early because the Young Women were performing a song during sacrament meeting. I also taught the YW a lesson on Raising Above Peer Pressure during the third hour. Church wasn't done for the day. We rushed home, grabbed something to eat while I baked cookies for the visiting teachers and home teachers. Their appointments were scheduled back to back and we were not done until 6:00pm.

Thank goodness, the kids had Monday off, and they got some rest before Sister Cook and the missionary came over for Family Home Evening. It was the start of our busy week again...

My Song / Garage Sale Treasure

Sometime in July, I got the answer from the LDS music submission that my song was not selected. I was a little disappointed at first, but thought that I should better ask the evaluator to write me some comments on the areas that I need to improve on. It was very detailed and constructive email I got from her and I am willing to try something different again this year.... :)

Johnny and I went to garage sale the last two Sat. and got some really good deals:

A brand new photo copier, brand new a scanner/photo copier which I just needed, and a gently used bike for Jeannie. They are in such condition that we couldn't believe people would sell them for $20 each.

Valley Forge Park (Sept 2009)

Valley Forge Park with my parents and Jady's bubble gun.

Lancaster, PA (Aug 2009)

It must have been the last week of Aug we took my parents to Lancaster, PA for some sightseeing. We tasted many different/interesting kinds of jams, salsa, and cheese made by the hard working Armish people. Dad had good taste and got a few bottles of Mint jam as souvenirs for mom's friends. They are really good and fairly resonably priced.

Nursemaid's Elbow

Jady was screaming one night after Johnny got her off the potty. From that moment on, she refused to use her left arm, and held close to her little body. We suspected that daddy might have pulled her extended arm while trying to get her up, and that caused her "nursemaid" elbow.

Because it was late and our pediatrician's office was closed. We had to watch and wait until the next day before taking Jady to the Dr. We watched her for about 15-20 mins and she cried and screamed everytime she tried to lift up her arm. She could only hold it to mid air. That really bothers me coz I wasn't sure how she's able to sleep through the night. I was praying hard in my heart for some guidance to ease her pain.... Somehow I was prompted to check on the internet.

It must have been at least ten websites I'd read before getting the idea of stablizing my child's arm. One website even mentioned if a child is flexible enough, he/she might be able to pop the elbow back in place by itself. I did not pray for a miracle, all I needed was for my child to go to bed without pain. Jady cried and got frustrated at first because she couldn't get off my bed without hurting her injured arm. So, I got her off and wrapped her arm as instructed with a triangle bandage hanging on her neck.

The Lord surely was watching over us. The minute I finished wrapping her little arm, Jady got side tracked with a little toy on the floor. Then she managed to unlose her injured arm from the banadage, and picked up the toy off the floor with her other arm. Although, she did not use her left arm, but I saw clearly that her left arm was moving freely without pain. I was stunned!!! I couldn't believe what I'd seen. It took me a good few minutes to determine of her recovery. Her mobility and appearance showed me that she was all well and happy, unlike the child I saw an earlier. I puzzled whether she was faking her pain for the last hour, but as I put the pieces together, there was no way that my active two year old could sit still, use only one arm, and keep her injured arm in the same location for over a long period of time. It's just impossible!!!

It was a true miracle, and the Lord had showned me once again that He listens to my prayer, and He is there for me and everyone who seek after Him!!!

Happy Birthday, mom!!!

It was mom's 60th birthday on 9/10 and we took her and dad to a Japanese restaurant for some delicious yummy sushi. We then celebrated again with the kids after dinner. I got mom a recycling bag (w. picture of the kids), and she loved it!!! I also got dad a sweater since it was his 60th birthday the past April also!

Washington, DC (Sept 5, 2009)

We took our parents to DC the week before Labor Day for sightseeing. Mom had a tough time with all the walking, but it was a fun trip overall.

Canada (Aug 8-16, 2009)

Our big trip to Canada. It was so much fun and brought back so many good memories with my parents. I wish we can stay a little longer, but Jeannie will have to be back for tennis tryout. We all had a really good time, and probably ate too much too! :)

1st day - From PA to the Glass Museum, NY

2nd day - Niagra Fall, downtown Toronto and visiting aunt Eliza.

3rd day - The Roger Center, lunch at CN Tower, and the Casa Loma.

4th day - Dim Sum with friends, and 4 hrs drive to Ottawa - beautiful night show at the Parliament Hill, the changing of the Guard ceremony in the morning, the Byward Market, the Norte Dame Cathedral Basilica and a tour at the Royal Canadian Mint.

5th day - Ottawa to Montreal (4 hrs??) - Visited the Old Montreal, St. Joseph Oratory, Place d'Armes

6th day - Montreal to Quebec (2 hrs) - I lost track on what we've seen, but feels like we've been converted to a different faith after visiting all these churchs....but they are beautifully built.

7th day - Quebec to Vermont (visit Ben & Jerry Ice-cream factory, Joseph Smith's birthplace, the most sacred place I've ever visited!)

8th day - Hartford, Connecticut (the State Capital, and Mark Twins home)

New York (Aug 1, 2009)

The trip to New York was fun. We left home early in the morning. Arrived at NY around noon, had a quick lunch, then visited the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Central Station, and Street market on 42th street, and the Chinatown in Manhattan City. We didn't get home until 11:00pm.

Random Pictures

Dad & I working in the basement.

Johnny and the gang had the first tomato harvest in our garden.

Checking on our bitter melon. Grandpa and grandma enjoying a hot sunny day outside the patio with the kids.

Johnny got his new toy.... his dream car after 10 yr!!!

Passing the Bear Scout

Evan has been working hard this year in passing his Bear Scout award. Way to go, Son!!! I hope you remember all the things you've learned!!!

Believe it or not, this is the best out of focus pictures among the rest! :)

Atlantic City, New Jersey (Jul 18 or 25)

We spent the afternoon at Atlantic City in New Jersey. It was such a beautiful day to be at the beach. Mom and dad had a nice walk on the boardwalk, but it was packed with people. The kids spent an hour playing in the sand and we went to Ocean City for a seafood dinner afterwards.

July 6-11

Took Evan to the Reading Camp, scout meeting, and got lost while driving to the Veales.

Can't belive I forgot about Evan's cub scout camp meeting. I had it on my calendar and was painting the basement, and working in the backyard when Christy J. stopped by and dropped off Evan's camp shirt. She is such a sweetheart!

Dad and I had been in and out of HomeDexxx and Loxx... shopping for the right floor materials for the basement. We first bought the laminated woodfloor, but then decided to switch to tiles because the material was not in good quality. We ended up picking the tiles from Loxx, but to find out that the store close by only carried 12 boxes, so we had to drove for another 30mins to a different store to get another 12+ boxes --- went to return all the wood pieces for a refund!

Went shopping for the garbage disposal, pipes, electrical switch etc. Dad relined the pipes, installed the garbage disposal and the electrical switch.

***
Dad also installed our bedroom ceiling fan and change the light fixture in the dinning room.

Sometime in July

Sometime in July, we took my parents to the Outlet mall, and Hibachi.

I totally lost track on dad's projects around the house. Cutting up the tree (our neighbor's backyard at the back, they were remodling their patio also) in the backyard and many more. Mom played badminton with Evan on our driveway, and enjoying her afternoon coffee in the backyard.

July 4

Jeannie is finally home on July 4th, and she had a wondeful time at the EFY. We picked her up in Maryland and drove back the same day while mom and dad wathed the kids and fixed Jeannie's favorite food. Dad made roast pork and BBQ pork, and mom made turnip rice cake. They were absolutely delicious!

The same afternoon, we went to Martine and Gary Green house for the July 4 dinner. I loved Martine's authentic French cuisine. The vension spread and the plum cake were my favorite besides the cheese.

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Must be the magic of EFY... My child seemed had suddendly grown overnight. During dinner, Kyle C., came and talked to me how impressed she was with Jeannie of making sure Abby J. felt welcome to the party. Gloria C. also made a comment of having a fun visiting with Jeannie about her cereal theory! Jeannie was trying to convince Gloria of replacing her vegetables with three cups of cereals. Obviously, it didn't work for any adult, not to mention she is a Dr's wife. :D Later that evening, Jeannie asked to remove Jady's cupcake tattoo to get ready for church, reminded us of giving Jady a amodest dress for the next day, and no fussing on Fast Sunday. Way to go, EFY...
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We went home after dinner, took my parents to Charlie Brown's parking lot and watched the fire work. They were stunning!

The crazy kids came home and lighted up the fireworks in the backyard!