Keep On Keeping On

Do you have a dream?

Susan Boyle showed us something this year

That little insecurity in all of us

That dream that we never really forgot

And the importance of chasing it

What is your dream

That you will be chasing?

Happy New Year

May 2010 be your best year yet!

Merry Christmas!!

We are finishing up the last presents for our kids

We had all those left over wrapping paper

So we are making something really quick for girls

Our girls don't get enough time with us individually

So we made some tickets for girls to use

And put them in glass jars

So we can have fun all year long doing fun stuff

It is 1:30am now

So we are finally going to sleep...

But before I go

Merry Christmas!!

I am hoping you a wonderful day with many cheers :)

Christmas Tote Bags

I finished making matching tote bags for my girls last night

And I am going out to buy chocolates, cookies and other sweets to stuff in them for Friday

I did stuff their stockings with sweets last year

And I didn't know I needed SO MUCH sweets to fill them

....I think I made them high from so much suger

....Because they were SO HAPPY

....And kind of crazy

So

I made matching tote bags with left over fabrics this year

Just for little bit of sweets

So far

Me and girls are being good

And avoiding sweets and hot cocoa this holidays
So we can be really bad on Christmas day :)

Happy Wednesday

Are you done with Christmas shopping?

How To Watch TV During The Holidays

The right way to watch TV during the holidays

According to my kiddies

Is like this

You might already know

That no girl likes to lose

So if someone dare to steal one of those

She will chase you

And let you know how important those things are

To watch TV

With a karate chop

Instead of using those things inside wrapping papers as swords to beat each other
Which they have done in the past


It is this in 2009


I will put names on each of those tonight
So I don't need to see any more karate chops coming out of my girls
....Who ever said girls are easy?

Lost Treasure

Do you remember your stuffed animal or a toy you loved when you were a child?

Or a music that brings out a lot of memories?

I found pictures of my girls few years back that brought out a lot of memories

I took them during a trip to Japan

The trip had a special meaning for me

Because one of our children didn't come out of my tummy

She came out of my sister's tummy

And with all the twist and turns

She became our baby

And came to the US as a year old

But the baby had difficult time adjusting

So she had terrible one

And terrible two

And terrible three

And terrible four

And I started questioning myself as a mother

And a person

Part of me knew

She was longing to go back

But I knew

She has no family to go back to anymore

So I couldn't visit my family for a long time

And finally, we did a few years ago

I met her as a day old newborn

And by then she had lost her mother already

So she had to go through many caretakers

Until she joined our family

She didn't come out of my tummy

But I did go through very difficult labor for her

Which took me several years

To become her mother

So I am thankful

To just be

A mom

What are you thankful for?

Happy Wednesday and stay warm!

Slowly...

I have finally started to put Christmas decorations (besides Christmas tree that is)

This year I was too lazy to bring out all the boxes of decorations

So I used antique silver items I have been collecting

With left over Christmas decorations

(Above our old piano)
(Lauren's pine corns from a park in antique silver bowl along with Chloe's old books)


I am planning to put more out...but it will require a little more time...
Just a quick sharing with you...


Happy Monday
and
Stay warm :)

Prepping For Friday Night Dinner

Just a peek...

Prepping for Friday night dinner...
With a special guest...

I am not cooking tonight
So I am lighting candles instead

Wish you a wonderful night!!

Advent Wreath

I saw an article of a Swedish holiday decoration

And the home had an Advent wreath with candles hanging above dining table

And then I saw some more Advent wreath

Hanging over dining area like a chandelier

In many blogs from Sweden

So I thought I might be able to make one for our house :)

But then encountered a problem....

If I stick candle sticks like the ones I saw
I might start fire...

So I went to get some tea candles
To place on the wreath
All the material here came from Michael's

Did you go there this holiday season?
All beautiful Christmas decorations are now 50% off
So I picked some for this wreath

And I am thinking about getting a very small Christmas tree (a real one)
So I can use Christmas cookie cutters
And bake cookies to decorate the tree

I am so~ enjoying to see all the Christmas decorations in many blogs :)

Happy Friday
And
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!!

Inspiration

Everyone has at least one person who inspires them

Mine lives in Japan

And she turned her new house into this

She distressed wood and aged them outside

And used them inside her newly built house

To give character

I am a big fan of old house

And never thought a newly built house can be this charming

Anyway

I have a new Christmas lighting project
That I am hoping to share with you soon


Til then...
Stay warm :)

Remember Those Doors?

Remember when I bought 2 doors for $20 from my neighbor?

The two unfinished over sized doors

That made me look crazy to that someone's eyes?

Well, I finished them!!!!

I layered many paints and dark stains to make it look antique

And added a huge mirror that has been sitting in our garage

To make one of the doors into a trumeau mirror for our living room

And the other door

Which is a double glassed door

Turned into a room divider

Because our old cottage is like many other old house

That doesn't have a foyer

And when you walk into our house

It is just one open space

So I used it to divide our living room from the door way

Without completely blocking out the natural light

So when I finally finished

I earned my right to tell that special someone

Ha! Ha!

See? I wasn't crazy :) :)

I am just a little frugal and handy

Which makes him a very lucky husband ;)

Happy Monday!!!

Hello, Christmas Tree

Hello!!

We've been waiting for you

The time with a tree with lights

This is our new tree

White tree

With white, green and silver ornaments

But if I leave it to girls to decorate

And go to do dish washing

They might add something green to the Christmas tree

While I am not there

Something green like this

Comes out from girl's room

That naughty green one

Grinch...is...sitting...on...the...tree...

I didn't take many pictures
But it is quite pretty at night
So
I will wait to take more pictures after dark
To share with you some other time :)


Did you get your tree yet?

Sunday Morning

We've been having very warm Thanksgiving weekend

So first thing to do today was

Going to the beach

And just have fun :)

We'll decorate the tree tonight

So I'll share that with you tomorrow...

Have a wonderful Sunday!!

Three Little Leg Warmers

I have been having serious dark circles under my eyes

Like a Panda Bear

And I have been a panda bear

With serious dark circles

Who sips coffee all day long

Because I have been knitting three little leg warmers for my girls

As stocking stuffer

And since they are for Christmas

I had to hide and knit late at night

Which really tested this night owl

When we were awaiting the birth of our children

The only thing that mattered

Was

They grow old happy and healthy

And

We hoped to be that wise parents

Who can teach them what's important in life

But

"Keeping up with the Jones"

Always sneaks into our mind

And sometimes we do too much

And take away

Something precious in life

Is giving coolest toys for Christmas really that important?

Should the amount of toys make us proud or sorry as parents?

Sometimes I want to ask me

Me in 1999

When we were soon to be parents

We had just a simplest wish

To be a happy family

Not from having many things

But having many invisible things that make life special

So as I knit and sew

I am hoping to go back in time

And

Be me with the simplest wish....

Who would laugh out loud for such a silly dilemma...

Who would also tell me...

Love is all we need

Picnic

We have been having warm weather

So when we set out to have a picnic

And take some pictures for Christmas cards

There was no way I could dress our girls in layered clothes

They might do it if they were professional models

And getting paid

But they are not

So I ended up dressing them in summer clothes

Paired with winter accessories

And red cheeks for being too hot

It has been too warm

We don't even have golden leaves...

They are all leafy with really green leaves...

For our Christmas pictures...

And when it takes 30 minutes to get there

Little one is sleeping happily in her seat

And she won't be running like those two

She will either be held for pictures

Or
If I put her on the ground

She will hang on

To Chloe's hat

And circle around

To make a point

So we'll go again next week

Hoping it gets a little cooler

So they don't have to dress in summer clothes for our Christmas cards :)

Thank You Girls

It was Kanon and Lauren's Shichigosan

Shichigosan means 7 5 3 in Japanese

They celebrate kids aged 7, 5 and 3 in November

Because too many small kids used to die before reaching those age long time ago

So parents put their kids in little kimonos to appreciate

And celebrate the milestones

So we took the girls to a Japanese garden

To take pictures

And remember

How lucky we are

And when we dress two girls in kimono
There will be one who says
I wanted to...
So
We celebrated
Our girls
Aged 10, 7 and 3 :)

Thank you girls...
And I love you...