Chinese New Year

We finally celebrated Chinese New Years last night. Malia was very excited and could hardly wait! Ruth and Wayne and their kids came over for supper. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to get everyhing ready at the right time. It didn't quite work out, but it still turned out fine. I usually only make one dish at a time, so this was a challenge. There was a lot of prep work and then everything needed to be cooked at about the same time.

Our menu included:

Crab Soup

Deep Fried Spring Rolls (made from scratch)

Stir-fried Veggies with Noodles

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Rice

Fortune Cookies

I was very proud of our kids. The tried everything, even the Crab Soup which had mushrooms and bamboo shoots in it!

I had great intentions of taking lots of pictures, but got caught up in cooking and eating and forgot. My poor camera spent most of the evening on the cupboard. . . waiting for me to notice it!

We also enjoyed a variety of Chinese style goodies. Malia loved the soy beans and devoured them quickly! Note the barrette in Malia's hair. The boys combed and styled her hair. . .not bad!

Our Princess!

I bought a few decorations, including the one below and some Chinese lanterns, etc.

Our boys got in on the fun of decorating and made a few things as well. Morgun created the dragon out of Malia's blocks and Alex drew the picture. He's not sure what the Chinese writing says. He randomly copied it.

Our Little Cabin

Yes, we are building a little cabin. It is 10 x 14 and will be rustic and primitive. We plan to build some bunks so the kids can spend some nights in there, just for fun! There will be no running water or electricity, but it will have a wood stove and a little sink/cupboard area.



Morgun loves to help with almost any project and helped Martin with the nailing although most of it was done with the air nailer.

Martin teaching Morgun and Alex how to frame walls. I love this part of the project, being able to teach our kids things they will likely not learn at school or in college. (Gotta love the little ningas!)

Once again the temperature was around -25 with the windchill. Martin put up some boards and the boys and I built a fire to help us stay warm.

Using Martin as a step ladder. We work very well together and I never tire of having him around! Not even during the winter months, when his work slows down.

Alex managed to get a little fire going after there were only embers left. He much prefers to experiment and explore, rather than actually building.

Malia helping Martin. Tonight when we prayed she said " Thank you Lord for cabin, pretty, pretty, pretty. . . " I imagine we will eventually be dealing with fights regarding who gets the cabin. . .boys or girls!

By the end of the day all the walls were up and Martin was working on the main beam.

Guess What We're Doing. . .

We were planning to go to Edmonton for a few days over the mid-term break, but instead we're doing something a lot more exciting! See if you can figure it out!

Day 1

We began yesterday, by exploring. We couldn't have had a nicer day. Everything was heavily covered in hoarfrost and the weather was nice. Of coarse the boys had to have their sticks!
Malia had a difficult time making it through the high snow. She did get frustrated, but overall was a good sport.

Aghh!!

I thought this would be the perfect spot, but the guys thought it was too close to the drive and would be too visible. I thought the spruce tree would add a nice touch. . .

But then we found this spot. . . no spruce tree from this view, but there is one to the left and a little further back. . . I think this will work! Best of all, it will be barely noticeable from the drive!

And the work begins. . . Martin began by clearing the snow.

It's ready to go!

Off to . . .guess where?

Yup! You figured it out!! Home Depot here we come!

Alex helping load lumber.

Making sure ever 2x4 is straight.

Morgun is getting good and picking only the best! He has a great teacher!

Day 2

We began by unloading more lumber, and then headed out again to pick up a few more supplies. Boy is it ever cold! -25 with the windchill. It really is too cold to be working outside, but that is doing very little to dampen any ones spirits!

Martin built the floor, covered the bottom with some left over metal. Then came the real challenge. . . lifting the floor and flipping it over. Martin's "engineering" degree sure came in handy! ;)


Yeh! We got it upright!

Ahhh! I think it's going over! But it didn't, whew!

The floor back on its way down. Amazingly enough we managed to slooowly let it down. It worked perfectly!

By the end of the day the floor was done, and one wall framed.

You may not have figured out what we are building, so here's a hint. Alex, Morgun, and Martin have been scheming and dreaming for several years on how and where to build this thing. It is something every young boy would love to have! We used to want one at a lake, but have settled for having one on our yard instead!! I love it!! I'll keep you posted as the project progresses. Oh, Kathy, I think Owen and Kiannah would love to spend some time here as well! Just a subtle hint. ;)

Just Some Thoughts. . .

Today was one of those days where Martin and I were both missing Mom and Dad. We both felt like calling them up and asking them to join us for supper. . . Chinese food would have been good. . . Dad would have ordered his double rye and coke and Mom would have opted for a virgin Caesar. Those are great memories. Missing my folks always causes me to reflect on life and its meaning. I could cry and get angry at God, but that would not benefit anyone. Instead I choose to see all the good God has done through such tragedy.
*It was Dad's passing that finally convinced Martin that we should adopt. I thank God for that! We are a content family that enjoys each other and that is priceless!
*I am becoming less of a work-a-holic, taking more time to spend with my kids, hubby and simply enjoying life.
*I am less self-centered. I want to do all I can for God and if that means sacrificing time, career,or money I am willing to do that. Pursuing my teaching career is less important every day as God gives my life new meaning. I love teaching and every time I get called in I wonder why God would give me 2 passions. I enjoy my role as a stay-at-home mom more than ever before and would love to have more kids! And yet I do not want to do both at the same time. Perhaps that is why I love Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans for a hope and a future. . ." I don't think God means material wealth. . .I think He means a spiritual wealth. Not only for eternity but also here on earth. I need only to look at my own life, the peace and contentment I feel and know it is because of Him! I'm sooo very glad that He is with me every step of the way!
To sum it all up. . . Thank you God for loving me!

Soccer

I had a blast this past weekend. My soccer team was invited to a mini "for fun" tournament at Millar Bible College near Swift Current. We've gone for the past 6 years and tend to dominate the tournament, but not this year. In the past 2 years we've lost a few players and are in a transition phase. None the less we played hard and enjoyed ourselves! I am proud to say that age has very little to do with being in shape and how well one plays. I don't feel sore or stiff, other than the ankle that I sprained a bit. The average age on our team is about 31/32. We were playing against teams where the average age was about 20/21. I am so very thankful that I have the opportunity to play soccer. It's a stress reliever and motivates me to stay in shape!

Havin' some fun!!

This past month has been extremely busy with many doctor appointments. Between the 5 of us we had 15+ appointments! Not my idea of fun, although we finally have a little more insight as to what the future holds for Malia. Malia had a bilateral cleft lip which means it effected both sides, which means her face is basically symmetrical which is good news. Even though she does still have a hole in the roof of her mouth (close to where her front teeth should be) any further surgery will only happen once she is 7 or 8 years old. At that time our plastic surgeon thought she would have grown/developed enough to proceed. There is a chance that she can have surgery to give her nose more definition. It is next to impossible for her to wear sunglasses. We will need to find a pair that fits snugly around her ears. This past week Malia had tubes put in her ears, so unless they come out, she should not be needing any surgery in the next few years.



The plastic surgeon was very thorough, gentle and such a blessing. Malia noticed a picture on his wall and kept pointing at it. When I finally paused to take a look I realized it was a picture titled "The Great Physician". It is a picture of a surgeon during surgery with Jesus at the head of the bed guiding the physicians hands. I started to explain what the picture meant, and who was in it, when our surgeon added "that's how we do what we do!" God is so good and continues to show that He is with us every step of the way! It thrills me to know that He worked things out so that we have a godly physician!



With all the busyness I realized I really needed to have some fun! I pulled out my card making supplies and had a blast! Here are some of the cards I made. As always I made 4 of each, some to give away as cards and some to give as a bundle of blank cards. My craft room is slowly getting to the point where I can work in it properly. I am now saving so that by next winter I will have enough money to get all the shelving, desk, tables,etc that I want. I'm hoping that will allow for more organization and maybe, just maybe it will look like the craft rooms I see in magazines!