Drunk driver

A very sad news to announce: A friend from Norwalk church whose life was taken away suddenly by a drunk driver.
They have 3 very young children and a beautiful big house that they bought in Texas a year ago..
Linda and Lance Shetler are a loving couple and they are also people who will not hesitate to help when the church needs helpers.
The day before while Lance was driving, he was hit by a drunk driver and was killed.
Our hearts go out to them especially the little children who will not see their dad again until Jesus comes.
We are very sad but we know that we will all meet again in heaven when Jesus comes. As Jesus has promised that when He comes, He will awaken all those who had rested in Him.
We don't know the reason why Lance was taken away, but we know that there is a very good reason, and we look forward to see him again when Christ returns.
So let us keep faithful to God so that when He comes, we will be able to go home with Him.
We want to offer our prayers and extend our love to Linda and her 3 little ones.
Don't forget God's promises and He will reveal all the mysteries that are so puzzling to us today.( Of course this is a war that Satan is fighting with God..thus all these unfortunate things happen becuz Satan is trying to say that God is not a loving God)
But we will understand everything and will praise God and give glory to Him for everything that happened.

Now compare the looks

Now try to compare to
see if you can see the resemblance
....ha haa

A Craig's lookalike

When we first saw this star on the chinese channel, we didn't think too much of it...until we noticed his facial expressions and mannerism. He reminded me of someone we knew. And eventually, we realized that he looks like Craig. This picture may not be the best one to show it, but the more we look at him, the more he looks like Craig or Craig like him.
It is just weird !

The Chins

I have no idea why more of the Chins turned up to meet with Craig and Eva than the Wees.
Anyways, I heard that Craig gave a very impressive impression to this group.
And they are even talking about meeting up again next year...ie, us included.
We shall see how things will be this coming new year before we make plans to travel.

Part of the family reunion

This was Eva and Craig meeting some of the Wee family. It was unfortunate that not everyone was able to make the appointment, I am sure that Eva and Craig were happy just meeting up with these uncles and auntie of theirs.
It is a blessing to be able to go on this trip to see people and places that she has not seen for a long long time.

Year end summary

This year 2008 has been a great year. So far, there is nothing to complain about.
Roland has retired from his handyman's job sometime in November. And is now working full time at home. We are glad to say that we have a brand new looking kitchen, a wood floor in our bedroom, and a rock climbing equipment in the garage for us all.
As for me, the short one year of baby sitting Clara has changed my life tremendously. We had enjoyed each other as long as she was here. Now i am just staying home and doing some arts and crafts hoping to sell them sometime soon.
Derek has his own new development with his job and his website plans. He has now added another person to his life which is a delight to us. Charmaine is a very nice girl that we all love like we love our children, and she has been just very pleasant to have around. Hope that they will tie their knots soon.
Eva's business in the wedding industry has taken off and she has been busy all year long. Now she and Craig have gone overseas to enjoy a vacation that is much needed. We are looking forward to their return soon.
Sebastian has been staying with us in the absence of his master and mistress. So far he has been good except this past Friday. He ate a whole loaf of the bread that i have baked. He was not hungry after that for the rest of the day. Guess he had filled his tummy with the yummy bread.
We have all been in pretty good health, thank the LORD. Only on occasions, my back hurts from the accident i had in 2005. And one time when I had eaten some very unclean vegetarian foods....what a oxymoron.
Other than that, the LORD has been blessing us and there is nothing we can complain about.
We hope that next year will be a more blessed year to come....meaning that the world's economy will improve.
We want to wish all those who read our blogs a very Happy New Year ! And may God bless you too.

Awaiting their return

I am sure Sebastian is wondering where his master and mistress went?. It has been over a week and he still has not see them. Little did he know that they are enjoying themselves overseas.
Their trip so far has been filled with nothing but fun and foods. They are right now in Singapore and enjoying meeting the relatives and being treated to the delicious foods of Singppore.
Although they only have 2 short days to spend in her birthplace, she is totally enjoying every minute she has there. Tonight or tomorrow over there, they will be catching the coach back to Kuala Lumpur. And thereafter, they will fly to Taiwan.
We are counting the days of their return which will be the 24th of this month. Sebastian has no idea what day they will be back, but I am sure he is very ready to go home with them.
I am sure he enjoys the walks and food we gave him, but nothing can compare to home.
So Sebastian, you wait a few more days and you will see your mistress and master coming home.

Snow or ice?

Woke up this morning to find the front lawn covered with snow or ice.
The roofs of our home and the neighbor's were also covered with a thin layer of snow.
It must be pretty cold to have snow on these places.
I love this winter season and just so happy that we have this little bit of snow right at our doorstep.

On their honeymoon

The Chious as seen here are on their way to their honeymoon in Asia.
This will be her first time after many years to travel back to her home town. She is totally elated and had just written that she is suffering from airsick. (transit in Taiwan)
Poor girl, what a start !
We want to wish her a better 2nd part of her journey.......

Countdown

2 announcements to share with everyone. First off, I want to share with everyone the joy of inheriting my son's apple computer. It is the best computer for me as far as I am concern.
It can do a lot of things that I don't even know and will be learning more about it as time goes by.
Here I want to thank my son for sharing this blessing with me. Oh, one thing that I cannot get though...my iphoto. Erego, no picture here to go with my thoughts. It seems to be gone. Help.... cuz i need my iphoto.
Second thing to announce is that Craig and Eva are going for a vacation in Malaysia, Spore and Taiwan. It is the first long distant vacation for Eva after more than 10 years of not visiting her birthplace. She is elated about this trip. And they will be leaving on Wednesday of this week.
So we want to wish them a safe trip and great enjoyment. Don't go crazy eating all the foods in Spore or you will come back a chunky girl....hahahaa !

Isn't he cute !

This is actually a door post blocker.
That means to say that you can use it to block the wind seeping through the gap under the door.
It is custom made and again requests can be made for this.
Let me know if anyone is interested in ordering some.
There will be a rampage sale in January and these and others will be on sale. Details later. If there is anyone interested in buying or selling these for charity, let me know. There will be many other items available. Hats, shrugs, wraps, ponchos etc....

Sample

Here is a sample of one of the works I have been doing for the past few days. Thanksgiving had been wonderful and now we are moving on to Christmas.
As times are so bad this year, my gifts for the family will be homemade. If you like a hairband of such, make a request and it will be made for you.
My hands are busy these days and taking requests therefore had neglected my blog. Will be back when all work is done..

Month of November

Announcements and more announcements.... this seems to be a month for births and weddings...
Here is Katie Hohertz. She was born to Erna and Jeff on the 10th of November. Very healthy and a beautiful little girl.
Sister Lana wide eyes showed her surprise that her Christmas wish came early. She had been asking for a sister and she got it in November !
We want to wish the Hohertz a very happy and healthy family.
And congratulations too for having such a beautiful baby girl !

Xiao Wen

This is our friend Xiao Wen from church. She left us to go to Chicago to be a professor in a University.
This is her whirlwind wedding. She met this husband of hers for only a month and got married within that month.
We are happy for her but we are also worried as this thing happened too fast.
Well, I should not say too much becuz this is very individual. Some people have it quick while others take years to walk down the aisle. Just hope that those who are taking so long will hurry up a little. ha hahaa...
We want to wish them happiness and love.

Baby Cyrus

This is baby Cyrus. He is Clara's little baby brother who came into the world at the time when California's homes were on fire. He was born Nov.12 2008. He weighs 8 lbs and 13ozs with length of 21 inches. A big baby ! Yesterday, 11/16/08, their home was in the midst of the fire.
We took 40 mins to try to get to their home as there were blockage everywhere.
But we were glad that they are all safe and we managed to go to the hospital to visit this little one. We want to wish the parents God's blessings as they learn to raise this little one.

Heart to heart

It was good to see a lot of people yesterday whom we have not seen for years at church.
A friend was very tearful as her son had not been going to church and on top of that, he has been into smoking and drinking.
As a mother, I can understand how she feels although, I am very thankful that my children have not gotten those habits. But I feel for her and her worries for her son.
Both of us want very much for our children to love the LORD and stay in the faith. Unfortunately, things happened and our children are out of the church. But our prayers are always with them. It is our prayer day and night that our children will return to the LORD's side. He is coming soon to take us all home to Heaven.

Someone has a Birthday !

A Birthday, a birthday, oh who has had a birthday....
Our handyman/chef/father/husband celebrated his Birthday last night at Coconut Bay.
We won't tell how old he is, but he is pretty happy to be at that age becuz he now will be able to enjoy discounts in certain places.
We are glad that he is graciously aging...... not everyone can age with grace.
Happy Birthday !

Is that a baby kangeroo???

That is not a baby kangeroo... it is Chuck who came for a visit. Chuck is a funny little dog. I can tell that he knows and loves us for his tail is constantly wagging when he sees us. He loves to be near people and loves to sleep on laps.
He has learned a new trick this time he came to visit. He learned how to shake his hand. It is a BIG accomplishment becuz according to his human mommy, he has ADHD or ADD.... Ha ha haa..
The last time he came as a guest, he bit through my bread container and ate my bread. Oh, this time, he left a very valuable gift... his poop ! It was funny trying to make him stop pooping.He didn't care and kept on doing what he wanted and intended to do.
Therefore, he is a funny dog ! But he is welcome to visit again becuz he will be learning more tricks.

A loner

When Mr and Mrs Pitts gave us this little mandarin tree, it had over 20 pieces of mandarin oranges. They were very tart and small though. This year, only one was produced.
I wonder if it will be sweet or tart. Will wait till it is fully ripe before picking it. My precious one and only fruit !

My beautiful flowers

Every year, I look forward to see these flowers blooming. They are growing so well again this year.
So proud of them. Love to cut them and put them on display in the home.
What beautiful flowers !

Here is my friend

Here is my friend, Ai Hoon and her husband, Kum Meng.
They must be so proud and happy for their little girl....They look so happy and she does look good in brown. Hopefully she will make trips to Canada to see their daughter, so they can detour here to see me as well....
ha ha haaa....

My best friend's daughter's wedding

On Sept 7, 2008, Yuin Yee and Richard tied the knot. It must be a very happy occasion for my best friend, Ai Hoon. Yuin Yee is the baby of the family. Looks like Richard is going to be a wonderful husband to her. They all look so happy...
They are both now residing in Canada where he and his family live. We want to wish Yuin Yee and Richard a very happy and long married life.

A new quilt

A quilt that I have been working on for the past few days. It started out as small pieces of squares. The more fabric added onto it, the bigger it becomes. Now it is like a twin size bedspread.
It has been a long time since I made quilts. Satisfied? Sort of. Wish i had better matching colors. Just have a thought on this. Quilts are like our lives. We started out small and as we live on, we add people or things to our lives. And gradually we have a lot, and our squares of knowledge, friends, possessions, and many others grow bigger.

Beautiful sky

It makes me happy to hear that my niece, Kimberly, has done well in her studies. It is difficult to do well at school for children in Singapore. Parents are very competitive, and everyone steps on each other to have their children go to the best schools. When i say "step on each other" I really mean, they will do all in their means to have their children work hard to achieve.
To be able to be at the 8th position in the whole school, is not an easy task. So we want to celebrate this happy occasion. Yay, hurray for Kimberly ! Keep up your good work !
Another happy announcement is that my brother in law is recovering very well from his injuries.
He is able to talk and eat now. He has come to term with himself... being humbled by this accident, he has asked for forgiveness from everyone whom he thinks he has wronged.
It takes a real man to realize his shortcomings and able to apologize for them. Yay, hurray for my brother in law. We are proud of him. I am sure now that his heart is freed from any hard feelings he had harbored for so long.. A good thing to celebrate.

New designs

This is one of the patterns I found while going through the tutorial for this embroidery machine.
It is interesting to know some of the things that I have been doing wrong before I read the instructions.
It pays to read them before I venture into it without really knowing how. Here is another design I found there.

How to lose some weights

We heard this doctor who was an evolution lecturer who turned christian, gave a lecture on health.
We were told that we don't really need a lot of protein because we are already a body of protein. And extra protein gives you a whole lot of unneeded troubles. ( will elaborate in my next blog on health ) And in order to lose weights, walking is the best way. Brisk walking, not the hard walking that makes you pant. And of course no eating between meals... a hem, that will be something I have to deal with.
But being a vegetarian will help as well. Lots of fruits and vegetables. We rather eat vegetable protein than animal proteins. So remember the next time before you put animal protein in your mouth, you need to consider some of these facts: you will release stinky gas, get constipation, put extra proteins that your body really doesn't need, illnesses..etc.
Be true to yourself, take good care of yourself and stay healthy.

Poor Baby !

Poor baby..... he cannot take his diet too well. He gets hungry all the time. Oh look, I made him look so skinny here..
He will have to learn that trash is not a place to have his tummy filled. Chocolates are not good for him either. He ate 3 whole bags of chocolates... I wonder if he was sick after that. I would be sick after eating 3 bags full... one for the master, one for the dame...just kidding.
But he really did eat 3 bags full of chocolates. What was his consequence? He had to have his stomach pumped out. I am sure after this experience he will never want to see another chocolate again. By the way, Happy Belated 6th Birthday, Sebastian ! Oh, now i know why he ate those chocolates. We have forgotten to celebrate his birthday for him, and so he celebrates it himself by eating chocolates.... !

Trip canceled !

Out of the kindness of our friends' the trip has been canceled.
They think we need more time to rest.
So we will go on another day which is alright with us.
Although I kind of look forward to this trip, I don't mind waiting till we are strong and not contagious to go.
So you will see us this weekend....hopefully healthy and strong and not contagious.

An accident

This is not the car that my brother in law was driving, but I believe it was as totaled as this can be.
He is a taxi driver in Singapore.( correction: he was driving a 10ft truck that day) A speeding trailer hit him on Monday. He sustained serious injuries and is very much in pain. He has flesh ripped off from his body and a big ripped on his mouth to his ear. So glad to know that he is much better today and will be going in for plastic surgery. We are praying for him and we are just thankful that he is still alive. We cannot feel his pain which must be really intense, but we can imagine how painful that must be. His bones are all crushed and out of places. The doctors are working to align them in place.
Reminds me of the accident I had in this car. My angels were with me then. I cannot imagine escaping from serious injuries after being hit by a 80,000 lbs vehicle ! Look at my brother in law. It is a miracle that I escaped with only a minor scratch. My guardian angels were working over time that day! I thank God everyday that I am alive. We should not take our being alive for granted. We don't know what is ahead of us. Only God can protect us. And we pray everyday for our love ones.

on cloudy days

On days like these, my whole being is helpless and useless. Oh how I hated to be sick !
The day before, Roland was sick with a very bad cough. His voice became hoarse and his muscles ached from coughing. I had a feeling that I was coming down with something. So drank a lot of water and tried to get a restful sleep. But sickness is no respecter of persons. It was too late. It struck me at the end. Yesterday, I was a piece of useless junk. My whole day was filled with heaviness, tiredness and dealing with a runny nose. It was not too bad in the morning, but once the full bloom struck, I was as helpless as a new born baby.
Roland by this time has gotten better. He always steps up to his plate when nursing me back to health.
So glad that I am much much better today. The clouds are gone and thank Jesus, He has healed me. I talked and pleaded with Him last night. Being sick is no fun. And thank You, Lord, for healing me. Now watch out people, drink a lot of water and get plenty of rest. For those people who sleep late and get up early....watch out.
Since Clara stops coming to our home , we have been sleeping really late and getting up at the same time every morning.(early) Guess that kind of life is out. We are back to getting enough sleep and living a normal healthy life.

The 3 hats lady

Here is another experimental hat.
I have always wanted to learn how to crochet the curved brim. And here it is.
Did this in less than an hour.
At the meantime, also learning how to digitize my artwork.

This is the other hat

This is a floppy hat. The pattern requested a flower, but I substitute it with a lace flower that I have created.
Will be bringing these hats for the trip this Sunday.

My new hats

This is one I crocheted last night. This can be done in 45 or less minutes.
This pattern was taken from a pattern book.
Now i have 2 new hats that I have made.

Cool gadget !!!

What a cool toy to have.... ! We are playing with this new gadget that Derek gave last night.
By the way, is that really for us??
We can put it in our car and watch dvds and all....so cool !

Trip confirmed

Correction: It is not walking distant... Julian is 4 miles from where RV park is. So we will drop by and pick apples first before we go to the RV park.
We have been told that this coming Sunday the 26th of Oct, we will be going to Julian .... where apples are in abundance.
Sounds like it is going to be chilly over there in the night...40 some degree. And it is walking distance to where the apples are.
I am looking forward to this trip becuz if you have already known me you will know that I love to venture to places where no one has ever gone before... ha haha,...
More like places where I have never gone before.
So I will be taking a lot of pictures, and my poor camera will be overworked again.

Gown for a princess

Any princess small enough to wear this pretty handmade gown or dress?
It is a handkerchief dress. Easy to make and fun to do.
Pink is my favourite color. If only I can make it into an adullt size dress, that will be so pretty to wear.

My first experiment on creating

This is the first experiment on creating my own design.
This picture is drawn by my son, Derek, long time ago.
Just happened to find it on his pc.
Very happy with the result. Still learning about my new machine.
Yay !!!!

Picture of myself

After a long time reading the information on how to create your own design, I am now able to produce this... my very own design and drawing.
Doesn't that look like me???? ... maybe in my younger days ! Ha ha ha...
So happy to be able to learn this. Thanks to my son who bugs me about it.
Guess i just needed a little push !
Thank you, son !

Does this look familiar?

This is a bag that Charm left for me.... so here is the completion of the whole bag in the front.
I was going to put Bridesaurus... but was afraid that the word is too long.
But I am going to do it on the back.

The right side up version

Here is where I totally got it.
But also learn some lessons from here. Although I have used red color for the main thread, the bottom thread has to be red too as shown in the heart.
Note to self.... make sure the up and down have the same color.

more experimentaion

It is fun to experiment embroidering on a bag.
I had a hard time finding where the rotation button is. But after searching, I found it.
But mentally, I still hadn't figure out which direction this should be rotated.
Therefore, this first experimentation gave me the upside down view....
But I learn quickly... see the next picture.

Joint pain?

There are 3 ways to keep your joints from hurting. 1) Exercise. Yes, regular activities can help to relieve joint pain and stiffness, and strengthens your joints.
2)Watch your weight. Heavy body weights can put stress on our joints. The heavier we are, the more stress we put on our bodies.
3) Give it a rub. There are many ointments in the stores we can get to rub on our joints. Heat treatment, muscle rubs...etc.
Try all these and keep your joints strong and healthy.
Have fun !

Food labels a trap????

I have noticed people studying the labels on food products before buying them. But can we really rely on the information labeled there?
Do you know the labels on these food products can be deceiving in a way that when they labeled it as low fat, people tend to overindulge in eating more than they should? Someone we know who is on low salt diet. But just because the label says low salt, more salt were sprinkled onto the food. I am sure you have seen people doing that. Just because the label says Fat Free, people tend to eat more of it.
Remember your intake even it is labeled fat free, low fat, low salt etc.... when you eat more than you should, it equals to the same amount of the food that you were trying to stay away from.
So if you want to be true to your diet, eat moderately and don't overindulge !

Vacation

Looks like my vacation comes early this year.
I have just been told that Clara's mom will stay home for maternity leave now.
Her original plan was to work till end of the month, but the heaviness of her unborn child is too much to bear. Therefore she will have her maternity leave earlier than she had planned.
Oh well, that means I get to enjoy my vacation till another child comes in.
Better take this opportunity to clean up the house and do whatever I wanted to do.....
I am glad in a way, but on the other hand, that means no income.
I am not going to worry about it... que sera sera.

A look into a future trip

There is a potential trip coming up in 2 weeks.
Right now our plans are still pending as this huge mobile home is in the repair shop or garage.
Tentatively, we will be going to Julian end of October. Where is this place? I have no clue. But I know that it is where apples are in abundance. It is about 123 miles from here and seems to be up a mountain.
Wherever that is, I am looking forward to go becuz we will be able to pick apples and drink fresh apple juices. And this time we are much more prepared as far as foods are concern.
Moreover that place has hookups, so we don't have to be thrifty with water or electricity.
That means we can have showers....
Though it maybe a 2 day fun trip, it is good enough for us.
Well, we will update on this if we do go.

Master Crafter

You should have seen the craft master at work. It looks as easy as 1 2 3.... The sawing , cutting and shaping make a lot of noise, but the end product is extraordinary. She should become a craft master of all crafts.. Can you imagine her carving faces or images out of all kinds of fruits, melons, pumpkins, squashes and anything creatable? Wouldn't it be interesting to see?