My Two Munchkins

Is it Christmas already??

First of all, Christmas is my favorite time of the season.  I have always love Christmas since I was little.  Maybe because I didn't have a very traditional Christmas but I always remember receiving gifts.  That's not the real meaning of Christmas when I got older.  Still Christmas is my all time favorite.

As we are still wearing our shorts and t-shirt and trying to keep cool, the stores around me are bring out their Christmas decorations.  Wait, did I not see Costco have all their Christmas stuff out at the beginning of September?  I just can't see myself getting out the decorations out right after Thanksgiving.  And that's is just next week.  Yipes!! 

Well, this year I don't know what to do with all the people who we usually give out gifts to.  Since some of the big stores (Merwyn's, Circuit City, Linen N things, etc) are in bankruptcy courts, Nathan told me to wait on buying gift cards.  This is really sad because Christmas is a time for joy and gift giving.  And speaking of giving, some of the parents I talk with are really limiting the gift exchange.  The reason is the economy - banks are folding and some of the bread winner are laid off.   And also with the fires we have having here, some of these people lost their homes.

I hope with Thanksgiving coming up soon, I want to say I am very thankful  for my family and with what we have.  And may the Christmas time bring the joy we need to our country.

Living in So. Calif.

I love living here.  I love the wonderful year round warm weather.  Also I like living so close to the ocean (5 miles).  Also the air is constantly clear.  But there is the bad side to living here - the Santa Ana winds.  This usually comes around late September and early October.  Usually everyone here calls it the "Indian Summer".  This is where the temperature goes up to the 90s, the air is really dry, and the wind coming off the mountain.  Well, this year, the "Indian Summer" came real late.  We are having this kind of weather right now.  Also when we get this kind of weather, the people living in and near the mountain really gets nervous.  This is when the wildfire really at the peak and the fire Marshal around here warns us to be extremely careful with anything to do with fire.  Also I really don't like this kind of weather at all.

If you have been watching your television the couple of days, you have seen we are having fires all over So. Calif.  Yesterday, there was a fire that really got close to us.  We can see the brown smoke and this morning when I woke up, I even smell the smoke.  And this kind of smoke is really bad for people with asthma. 

Being the fire so close to us, I was really nervous for some of my friends living so close to the fire.  One of my friend is on standby for evacuation.  Her bags are packed and she is is waiting for the fire marshal to tell them to leave. 

Please remember these people in your prayers.  I am praying for cool weather soon.

Happy Birthday J - she's 8 but I kept telling people she's 80

Yes, my little one had her 8th birthday today.  The first thing her big sister did was jump into her bed and woke her up (this is at 6:45 a.m.) this morning.  J didn't care because today is her birthday. 

I love this little munchkin so much.  She always has that smile on her face no matter if there is something wrong - she always tells everyone, "that okay".  So for her birthday, her dad asked her where she want to go for dinner (our tradition at our house).  Her famous answer is "Kabuki". This is a Japanese restaurant that has real good food and the girls love to go there.  Because of the economy (we have changed that rule in our house where we go out for our birthday - we are trying to eat more at home).  So here Dad told her, he will go to the Korean market and get her favorite meat (kalbi) and BBQ the meat tonight.  J was okay with this.  So to be fair, we did take her out to lunch.  

Here is a referral picture I found in my picture booklet - 

  This is when she was 10 months old (according to the orphanage info).  When I saw this picture I told Nathan, she looks just like him.  I told J at that time, welcome home sweetie!!

This is a current pic of J with her sister:

You can't believe how Americanized she is - she is still my little munchkin and Happy Birthday J!!

flute

Okay, K has been learning to play the flute since school started.  She played at the school festival a couple of weeks ago

not the best picture but you can see she is in the school band. 

My concern is she is playing the say song "hot cross bun".  Now mind you, at first, just hearing the sound (thump, thump, thump) was okay but after a couple of months of this - it gets really annoying.  I ask her if she will be learning a new song, she said "no".  I just threw my hands up and walk away.  I am so glad she is still taking piano (that she is really good at).

So, I told her that we are only learning to play the flute for only one year or until Mom get really frustrated with the one and only song.

It's time for "whining" not the drinking kind...

As you know if you have been following my blog, I have the following problem -

1.  early stage of bone loss (taking a once a week pill)

2.  early stage of arthritis (taking a pill right now )

3.  early stage of tendinitis.

Now here is the new one.  In August I had fallen so I was in pain.  The doctor had taken x-ray of my right side and he found out about the early stage of arthritis.  Well, for the couple of weeks now, I have been having pains in my right leg.  Yes from my tail bone to my ankle.  Well, I could not stand the pain anymore so I made an appointment with my doctor.  I went in yesterday and I told him about my problem.  Well, this is what he told me. When he did the x-ray, they found out I have a slight degenerated disc in my back.  Lordy, now I know why I am in such pain.   Also he found out my blood pressure is going up again (excuse me, when you have two active girls, you wonder why my blood pressure is up).  Anyway, he wants me to increase my blood pressure pill. Now I am taking one in the morning and one in the evening.  He has prescribed me a muscle relaxer pill.  Also the pill for my arthritis pill can be taken with Tylenol to help with my pain. 

Here is what the doctor wants to do.  Keep taking my current pills and if the pain does not go away, he will have me take an MRI to really find out where the pain is coming from. 

I really hate getting old - the many pains I am having. 

cute, cute

  K and J with Dopey

j hugging K  - too much

Can't guess where they went last weekend???

Enjoy

Halloween

Here are some pics of the girls with their costumes - K is the "hamster fairy" - this is from one of the book she is reading

 

This is J - Arimenta Spookie - from a book she is reading.

 

That girl, I had a perfect shot and they she turn so quickly and this is what I got.  Anywho, this is J.

J needs glasses also

Yes, J needs glasses also.  She told me the other day, the teacher had moved her to the last row and she is having a problem reading the board.  I ask J if she really  really having a problem reading the board.  She told me the letters are fuzzy.  Okay, I am not going to cause trouble so today we went to the optometrist and he did a quick check.  He was really nice and he told me her left eye really need prescription glasses but not so bad.  So he is prescribing her a pair.  The doctor told me they are so weak but because J insisted to him she sees better with the prescription glasses, he will order them (he was really cute because our insurance will not pay because of the weakness but he is tweaking it so the insurance will pay for it).  So J is happy and I am happy - after paying my $14.00 co-pay.  J will get her new glasses sometime next week.  So stay tune on this one.

Give me some mercy...

K said this to big boy and me tonight at dinner:

Me:  You know you have homework to do for Mr. Leo (piano), Ms. Whitney (private hula lessons), Auntie Kathy (main teacher at her hula) and Mrs. Mz (regular teacher).

K:  She told us can we give her some mercy on all homeworks.

Me:  I told her if she has too many activities and can't keep up with them, it is time to cut back on some of them.

K:  Mom, I am okay with all the homeworks.

Hmmmm, what is the problem here?

Heatwave

A couple of weeks ago I had mentioned the weather have changed to look more like Fall.  What happened?  The last couple of days here we have been having summer weather.  I know we are having a warming climate.  With the weather being hot a couple of days and then turn cool is really driving me crazy.  I don't know when to put away the summer clothes the girls have been wearing.  Today we are wearing - shorts and sleeveless tops.  The girls are so hot from after getting home from school because they told me they had to do PE.  In this heat, they are constantly getting hot and then get cold.  I think J is coming down with a cold again.  And I am still trying to get rid of mine. 

So please I hope we will have a nice Fall is the weather soon maybe

Araminta Spookie

No, I am not on drugs!!!  This is a character both my girls have been reading.  To describe her, you have to remember the Adam's Family TV program.  Okay, you do remember.  Good.  There was a little girl living there name Wednesday.  She wears a black outfit.  So for Halloween, J wanted to be this character.  I told her I will make it only if I can find a pattern.  Wouldn't you know it, there isn't one.  So I had to cut and paste from two separate patterns.  So, here what the outfit looks like in the very beginning stage.  Yes, I have only one more week to finish it.  Oh did I tell you K wants a fairy outfit?

Here is J modeling her outfit:

 

I still need to put a red belt on this outfit and did I tell you I really hate the material I am using - yuck.  I will do a final one after I am done with both of the girls' outfit.

Fried Chicken

I love fried chicken.  I especially like to try all the varieties of fried chicken.  I love the different ethnic versions of how the chicken is fried.  But all in all, you come back to the basic fried chicken - flour, salt, buttermilk and oil. 

In our house, I have tried the fried chicken using Panko (the Japanese bread as the flour).  This came out okay but if you don't do it right, the Panko gets burnt , yucky!!  I tried fried chicken using the oven.  It is okay but it is just not fried (more baked).  The family likes it but still they want the crunchy and good to the last bite crumb on the fried chicken. 

My girlfriend (her parents is from Georgia) gave me the best of best recipe.  She told me the chicken need to be put into buttermilk overnight (she told me to get the smell out - go figure).  Then she told me the following day, you drench it in this order, flour, egg and seasoned (salt and pepper) flour.  Then using a cast iron pan, you start frying the chicken.  After the chicken is placed in the pan to cool, she told me you can put your seasoning (salt or whatever you want). You know what, this is the best.  Also she told me to use Crisco lard.  Sorry, I know this is the best but I found using vegetable oil does work well.  You just need to keep an eye on the oil and the chicken comes out crunchy.

I am planning to make some tonight - tell you more later.

Just get it over - quickly!!

Oh, I will never be so glad when this election is going to be over.  I have been inundated with flyer's, phone calls (solicitors), TV ads and people stopping at the mall to make sure I am voting.  I really dislike this time of year (every 4 years).  I will be so happy when December comes and I can enjoy the peace and quiet. 

Just last week, I got so many phone call (I did registered for the 1800 no calls) but some how they must have bypass a law of some kind.  I had to email my friends and tell them I am having my call routed to the answering machine.  Then at the market (in front of Target of all places), people are out there to make sure I know who to vote and what proposition to vote for.  Please leave me alone!!!

Then our neighbor across the the street has all the place card in their front yard reminding anyone who drives by to vote for so and so. 

Is this enough, what happen to "leave me alone" and "don't bother me" policy?? By the way, I am voting by Absentee ballot and I don't care who calls me after today.

cursive

J: Mom, when can I learn how to write "cursive"?

Mom:  When you get to 3rd grade.

J: Mom you can write cursive really fast.

Mom:  I have been doing this for over 'gazillion' years.

J:  Mom you must be old.

Mom:  Mumbing - thanks

It looking more like Fall here

For the last couple of weeks, we have been having summer weather - high 80's and a couple of days - in the 90's.  Normally we are in the 70's.  Guess what, today I do feel the change in the weather.  The wind is blowing and the air is feeling a lot cooler.  I really like this kind of weather - not too hot and not too cold.  Also this is a leading front so watch out people living East of us, I hear there is snow in Colorado.

When we get the crazy weather, it usually affects K.  She is the one with the asthma.  This change in temperature affects her lung.  So far, all is okay.  Yesterday she complaint she had a sore throat.  I gave her some medicine and this morning she was feeling okay.  This weekend, we are doing nothing.  I skip J's hula class.

Big boy is at a college football game (the team with a Trojan horse).  He is an alumnae so when he was given a free seasoned holder ticket (close to the 50 yards), he would give up the world to go.  Also he is the only boy in our family, we girls told him he should be with the boys.  K and J told me their Dad always watch the football game even when he is tire.  

So have a good weekend and enjoy the nice clean air out there.