Fireworks in My Room

by Amy

When we first moved here almost 3 years ago, my boys were 2 1/2 years old. There were many nights where they would cry out an hour or two after they had gone to bed, "Daddy! There's fireworks in my room!!" At two years old, it was loud and scary! (Now they sleep right through them!) Fireworks and and blackcats can easily be purchased on any day of the year and lit at any location, any time, day or night. Locals believe (or, did believe years ago) that the fireworks scare off the "bad spirits." So, often, when a new store opens or someone gets married, fireworks explode! When people have a party, fireworks explode! When people are happy, fireworks explode! When someone dies, fireworks explode! And when there's a holiday FIREWORKS EXPLODE!!

As I mentioned in my last post, we celebrated the lunar new year at home this year. When it comes to holidays, this is definitely the BIGGEST one of the year. Everything (except for Wal-mart) is closed for at least 3 days, and many stores are closed for 7-8 days. Most workers have 7 days vacation and students have anywhere from 3-5 weeks off. So, I now realize that I thought I had experienced holiday fireworks around here since I had been in town for many other holidays.... I was wrong! It was absolutely insane! On the eve of the new year, in the garden area out our back window, there were a steady stream of fireworks from about 5 pm to 1am. They were so loud that we had our TV volume set at 56 as we watched ET with the kids. We usually have the volume set at 23-30. And, they still asked often asked us to repeat what was said! When I say fireworks, I don't mean little bottle rockets... Think downtown firework display on the Forth of July. That's what was happening in my backyard! Debris was hitting our windows!! Since we live on the 13th floor, we're at the perfect height! They explode right in front of us! It was cool...for the first couple of hours, then, it was just loud.... The kids and I slept right through it... Brad woke up all night long....

And, the next morning, we looked out our window and this is what we saw....

This picture was taken from the 13th floor. Notice the bench on the top right corner to help with size. All the red stuff is the trash/debris from the fireworks! Crazy.... I tried to take pics of the fireworks exploding, but between the window glass and the flash, I couldn't make it work!

Skip February

by Amy

Whoops! Where did February go? It's already March, and I'm not used to writing 2010 yet! Time is flyin' by! This February was good. For the first time ever, we were in town during the Lunar New Year celebrations. (In the past we had always traveled out of the country.) Savannah was out of school for 5 weeks! It was great! I love having her home all day! We were able to do lots of home schooling, as well as some extra crafty stuff and schoolish games. Unfortunately, we had about 2 weeks where one or more of us was sick -- Brad was the only one who didn't get it -- but we're all well now. We also took a trip to the big city up north. We had a great time playing, eating and swimming! I'm convinced my kids are half fish. They LOVE swimming, so it was great to stay in a hotel with a nice pool.

Also, over the last couple of months I've been ordering lots of homeschooling books & supplies. (Now you know the real reason I haven't been blogging! I've been organizing, sorting and planning!) Savannah's last day of first grade will be this Friday. Then, we'll take a week or two off before we'll begin second grade. (I school year-round and take breaks when we travel or have guests visit.) I also will begin officially teaching Peter and Alex kindergarten. They are SOOO excited to use their new workbooks! Everyday they beg me to teach them math! (Right now I'm just doing reading and handwriting with them.) I have given in a few times, and it's been fun! When our new school year begins, I'll teach math, reading and Phonics/English twice (once to Savannah and once to the boys.) Then, I'll also teach history, science, and Bible to all three together. I've never taught science before, but I'm really looking forward to it! We're going to study the planets.

Well, that's about it for the February recap.... It was busy, but fun! Today, we're back to a normal schedule again. The kids are all back to school, and Brad and I are meeting with our tutor three times a week. I'll try to post again before April rolls around!

Language Learning

by Amy

Brad and I have started using a new method for studying the local language. Three to four mornings a week our tutor comes over for two hours. (Our kids are at their schools.) We have a wordless-picture book in front of us. Brad and I spend about 3o minutes going back and forth describing what we see on the page and asking how to say different words. For example....

When we looked at this picture, these are some of the things Brad and I could say, or learned how to say....

The farmer is going fishing. He has a goatee and is wearing a hat. He's carrying a fishing pole on his shoulder. The fishing line is wrapped around the pole. He's wearing overalls with big pockets, a plaid shirt and black boots. His pants are rolled up and he has a long seam down each leg. There's a chicken following the farmer, staring the can of bait the he's carrying. The chicken's legs are short......

As we talk, we make a list of the words we're learning. Then, our tutor will record a description of the page, including all the things we said. Then, he'll record our new words, and review them with us using a listen-and-point method. I've been amazed at how many words I'm learning and how much more comfortable we're getting with speaking off the cuff.

This last weekend, I had some girl friends come over to study a Good Book with me. I usually teach in English. But, one of my friends had brought a non-English speaker to join our group. At the same time a couple of guys came over to hang out with Brad. Since some of the girls knew Brad's guy friends, at the last minute we decided to combine groups. Brad took my non-detailed notes (in English) and taught/lead a discussion for 90 minutes in the local language without any prep! I was amazed! He is progressing so well! We both still have a long way to go in mastering this language, but it's encouraging to see growth.

For Katie

by Amy

My friend Katie commented on my bread sticks post and asked me to post my peanut butter fudge recipe. So, here it is.....

Peanut Butter Fudge

2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
½ cup milk
1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow crème

In a saucepan, bring sugar and milk to a boil; boil for three minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat then add peanut butter and marshmallow crème; mix well. Quickly pour into a greased 8-inch square pan. Chill until firm.

This would be a nice finish to the soup and bread sticks meal, Katie. It's so super easy and quite tasty! Enjoy!

Bread Sticks

by Amy

So, if you're going to make Minestrone Soup, you gotta have bread sticks to go with it! And, since I don't have an Olive Garden down the street, I make my own in a bread maker. (Well, truth be told, Leigh makes them for us!) My friend Rachel found this recipe somewhere, and we've been making for the past couple of years. They're pretty tasty! So, if you have a bread maker, dust it off, and serve some bread sticks with dinner tonight!

Place the following ingredients in your bread maker in this order, or the order recommended in your instruction manual:

1 1/8 cup warm water
2T oil
3 T grated Parmesan cheese (cheddar or mozzarella are also OK)
2 T sugar
3 1/2 t garlic powder
1 1/2 t salt
3/4 t minced basil
3 1/2 cup flour
2 t yeast

Set your maker to the dough cycle. When it's finished (about 1.5 hours later), divide into 20 portions and form into"stick" shapes. (Feel free to add some flour if your dough is too sticky.)

Place the sticks on greased cookie sheets, cover and let rise 40 min. (I cover
with saran that's been sprayed with pam/oil).

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 min. (recipe calls for 18-22 min, but
that's too long in my small oven.)

Enjoy!

Brush with garlic salt/melted butter after baking, before serving.

Warm Up With Some Soup!

by Amy

My husband LOVES soup. I'm personally not so crazy about it, but in the winter, I try to make soup every week or two. This winter we have regularly seen temps in the teens or single digits (F), so even I have been willing eat soup every week! But, for some reason, since we've moved overseas, I've had a hard time finding soups that we like. So, I'm always on the look-out for a new recipe, that has ingredients I can easily find here. (feel free to send recipes my way!)

About a week ago, the "Girl-Talk" ladies posted a Minestrone Soup recipe, that I thought I'd tweak and try. We had it last night and my husband LOVED it - I think he ate 3 servings and would have had more if home-made ice cream wasn't waiting in the freezer for him! To see the original recipe, click here. Below you'll find my tweaked-so-it-can-be-made-in-asia version. :)

4 slices bacon
½ c onions, chopped
1 large carrot, cut in 2in long skinny strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups of water with 6 T of chicken bullion (bullion in the States is stronger and salter than mine, so if you live in America, you might want to use 6t of bullion or just buy cans of pre-made chicken bullion.)
2 nice sized tomatoes, diced
2-3 cups shredded cabbage
1/3 cup dry white wine
1T dried parsley
1 bay leaf
1T basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1 cup dry macaroni noodles.
Parmesan cheese

In large pot cook bacon over medium heat until browned and crisp. Remove; drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon and set aside. Drain off all but 3 tablespoons drippings from pot. Add onions, carrots, and garlic. Cook stirring often about 8 minutes. Add chicken broth (bullion and water), tomatoes with juice, wine, and spices. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Bring it back to a strong boil and add dry macaroni noodles. Let them cook for 5 minutes, then add cabbage. Cook 10 minutes longer. Remove bay leaf. Serve with bread sticks (recipe to come) and top with Parmesan cheese and/or crumbled bacon. I wasn't a big fan of the bacon on top, so I'm saving it for baked potatoes tonight!

Brotherly Love

by Amy

Yesterday we were reading about Katherine Luther in history class. The chapter about her ended with a quote by her husband, Martin. He said, "Apart from God's gift of his Son, she [Katherine] is the best gift He has given me in all my life." So, Savannah asked if I thought Brad was my best gift ever, besides Jesus. I responded with a hearty, "OF COURSE!" Then, Peter, without missing a beat or being prompted in the least, said, "I think Alex is my best gift." Having a twin is wonderful! My boys truly are the best of friends. They love playing together, sharing with one another, and encouraging one another. It's so fun to watch!