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.