Speaking from the Heart

I can remember telling myself that it will not be long before Mark gets his learner's permit. Well, 12.5 years have passed and he will be getting his permit any day now.

I can't believe that he is a high school sophomore.

Time flies when you're having fun!!!

Thank you, Carin for hosting Shoot Me.

No, not me. I don't sound like a broken record. I don't constantly telling Katherine to clean her room. When she was at a friend's house one weekend, I braved myself to enter her room. Instead of leaving the room with an expression of madness, I felt a teardrop coming down. I realized that one day I am going to miss this.

Thank you, Carin for hosting Shoot Me.

To retain the flavor, I woud cover the food before warming it in the microwave oven . On the other hand,  if I don't, food tends to dry out and splatter all over the wall, especially spaghetti sauce. I used saran wrap to cover the dish. However, I have mixed feelings whether or not  nuking saran wrap can cause cancer. Not to mention the fact that I am filling our earth with plastic wraps and literally throwing money away.


While I was at Wal-mart, I found a solution, microwavable cover dish.


Have any helpful hints that had worked for you? Blog it  and link it to We Are That Family.

Jeff favorite motto is "if  something is  broken and it can be fixed, why replace it?".  It was no surprise to me when his watch battery died, he went to Walmart to replace it. The guy behind the jewelry counter said he was not authorize to change out  watch batteries.


If it were me, I would have brought a new $16.00 digital watch  to avoid the trouble driving around town looking for a jeweler who would replace the battery for me. Not Jeff,  he decided to purchase the battery and do it himself. When we returned home, he replaced the battery and the watch went  "bonkers". After many failed attempts, Jeff gave up and brought himself a new watch.


Our icemaker was producing ice nonstop. Not only that, it had a small leak. Once a week, I had to use my heat gun (hair dryer) to melt chunks of ice. If I went a week without it, I had a 3" block of ice that I had to chip away. Tired of this repetitous chore, I  gave up and allowed the ice cubes to overflow to the point the machine wasn't producing anymore ice. At this point, Jeff decided to fix/replace the icemaker. After finding the kit at Lowes, he took on the task of "do-it-yourself" and saved on the repair bill.


LOL, Jeff can fix a icemaker, but unable to fix his watch !!!


For more FridayFunnies, visit Kim.

Thank you, Carin for hosting Shoot Me.

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Timothy 5:8

Praise God for believers. Both of Mrs. O's sons opened their homes to her. However she had to sell her house in Florida first. This was a year ago. Through prayers and trusting Him, her prayers have been answered. She will be closing on her home in March, then off to Taipai to live with her younger son.

Mrs. O. was Katherine's church choir teacher. Katherine thinks of Mrs. O as her surrogate grandmother. Likewise, Mrs. O. sees Katherine as her surrogate granddaughter. Before things got too hectic, Mrs. O, Katherine, and I went to Bob Evans for breakfast and to say goodbye.







Thank you, Carin for hosting Shoot Me.

Juanita's husband was accepted to a seminary school in Massachusetts. Therefore, the family will be leaving the area next week. I am going to miss my dear friend. When you talk to her, you can't help but smile.

For the last several years, I have so many close friends who have moved away. Often, I uitilize them as my crutches. However that is not what God wants. He wants me to lean only on  Him. I see my friends moving away as a wake up call from God.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5





Thank you, Carin for hosting Shoot Me.

The other girl  is so much younger .
He prefers to be with her than with me, eventhough I have known him longer.
If he had his way, he would spend both Saturdays and Sundays with her.
I knew this day would come, when I am no longer #1 in his life.
I miss my little man.
LOL, how can I compete with my son's girlfriend.

This month's challange is to tell how we can celebrate Valentine's Day  365 days a year.

Don't go to bed with an angry heart

• Having had a long distance relationship put our marriage in perspective. When Jeff and I have a disagreement and we don't talk for hours, I think back when we were apart  for 2 years. My perpective changes completely, because I am so grateful that I get to see his smiling  face everyday. In addition, we don't allow ourselves to go to bed angry. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. " Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV)

Give more than 50%

• Sometimes it's 60-40, or even 70-30. Always serve with an open and unselfish  heart. Although I don't drink coffee, I would make a  pot every morning, before Jeff awakes. Likewise,  he works long hours so that I can stay home and take care of our children.

Accept and respect one another 

•  I married Jeff for whom he is, and not for an intention to change him. On occassions, I would love to receive roses. However, I know that's not Jeff. He gave me 6 roses one time, because I nagged him enough about it. I realized he didn't give them with open heart, but out of duty. I quit nagging after that. So now, when he gives me something, I know it's coming from his heart, i.e. he surprised me with a new Camry for Valentine's Day 2005.

Play Scrabble

• I know that might sound weird, but that is how we get reconnected at the end of the day. While the T.V. is playing in the background and our kids are doing whatever, Jeff and I would sit at the dining room table trying to outscore one another  and often flirting with one other.

Trust

• Lastly and most importantly is trust. It is the foundation of our marriage.

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"1 down, 7 more to go" was Mark's exact words, after finishing his finals. He received 3 B's and 4 A's. His first semester as an IB freshman went well. There's no regrets neither from me nor from him. Before entering the program, he and I had heard that there were going to be lots of homework. It is farther from the truth. Yes, Mark has homework.However, he mananged to finish the majority of them before he comes home.


Jeff and I are more at peace about putting Mark in the program. If he had remained at home, we would not have the opportunity to have hands-on experience in culinary and telecasting. I could have taught him cooking,  but I know I would not have been able to teach him T.V. production, which is his favorite subject. 


He has learned what it's like to be working behind the camera.  it was an honor when his  teacher asked him to be on the tricasting team next fall. Mark and his team will be filming sports activites (football, basketball, etc).


It could be my bias opinion, but I think his television classmates also like Mark's work ethics. The televison competition team asked Mark to join the team. In a couple of weeks, he and the team will be competing for the local championship. They will  be  given a “prompt”. They must then video and edit a 60 second public service announcement based on the prompt. The team members will also be given newswire copy as well as raw video footage of the stories. The team then must create a 3 minute news break. If they win the local championship, they will go on to state, and then national. The school has won back to back state championships in television production as well as two national fifth place finishes.

Thank you, Carin for hosting Shoot Me.

Katherine was allowed to go to the fair without me tagging along.  This was very special, because the last time she went to the fair, she was 3 years old. She had such a blast with her best friend Lindsey.  What made it more special was Lindsey's mom bought them airbrushed T-shirts. Katherine's T-shirt says " Katherine  & Lindsey,  B.F.F."  and Lindsey's shirt says the opposite. 

Looking at the grin on her face, Katherine had an awesome time. I am gonna miss her big grin.

Thank you, Carin for hosting Shoot Me.

 Click on the Iheartfaces to participate or to see more adorable faces.

It's retro week on FB. I've  been posting pictures of me when I was much younger. It has been so much fun, especially when a friend  posts a picture of me that I've have long forgotten.


In the picture,I was waiting at the Tuscaloosa Airport. My family and I were waiting for mom's childhood friend Kim Hai (Hi) and family to arrive. She had not  seen her best friend for more than 10 years. They kept in touch, but after the fall of Vietnam, the communications came to a halt.

Along with many people, Kim Hai and her family escaped from Vietnam via boat. Like the pilgrims, they  stayed on a crowded boat for many days, even weeks. Many were scared that they would not make it to land. However, the dream of freedom and being in the land of opportunities kept many alive.

For those who survived the sea, they were put in a camp. They waited at the camp until either one their American relatives or a church sponsored them.  Kim Hai and her family didn't pack many things when they began their journey. Knowing that  her childhood friend wasn't going to abandon her, Kim Hai hid Mom's address in a safe and dry place.

When Mom received Kim Hai's letter, she was glad that Kim Hai and her family were alive. Mom began working on sponsorship paper. She went to local churches asking for help. Tuscaloosa News did a story on her. People called and asked how they could help. Churches donated clothes, dishes, furniture, and many things we daily take for granted.

Kim Hai and her family lived in Tuscaloosa for a couple of years, but eventually moved to California. They have been there for about 30 years and are doing well. Kim Hai owns a nail salon..Unfortunately, her husband passed away a couple of years ago. Her 3 children are doing well. The oldest son is a professor. The other son is an engineer, and the daughter is in Iraq fighting for our freedom.

I am thankful John did not have a heart attack. When his father-in-law noticed that John was having shortness of breaths, he rushed John to the hospital.  It turned out that John had four blockages ( 2 @ 75% and 2 @ 90%). After a quadruple bypass surgery, John is slowly on his way to recovery. Please keep him in your prayers.

Partners in crime for Apologia General Science. On Mondays, Terry  teaches 20 middle home schoolers and Moi is her assistant/noise controller. 





Thank you, Carin for hosting Shoot Me.

Jeff and I play at least one Scrabble game a day. If we aren't tired, we would play a second game. It keeps our minds sharp and increases our vocabulary. Since the game is on the computer, it keeps tally of wins and losses. Most of the time, I am the loser. It gotten to a point where Jeff was leading by 30 games. It would have taken me a long time to catch up to him. Therefore, he deleted the history. We began a new tally, a white slate. 

When we repent, Jesus forgives us. Our slate is as white as snow. I am thankful that He does not keep a tally of our sins.

For many years, the kids have asked Jeff for a handheld DS. Because it is another electronic toy, Jeff wasn't going to buy them one  nor allowed them to buy one with their own money.  Katherine was in for a big surprise when she opened the gift from her grandmother. Her expression says it all.

 Click on the Iheartfaces to participate or to see more adorable faces.

1. Jeff turned 50.
2. Mark got accepted to an IB program, college prep high school curriculum
3. Katherine got her ears pierced. In return, she has to take piano lessons for the next five years.
4. Jeff  got a motorcycle.
5. We went to visit my sister for Mark's 14th birthday.
6. Katherine's medieval flag was chosen by for Medieval Fair.
7. I learned that homeschooling one child is much harder than teaching 2 children.
8. Katherine's  best friend and my "adopted" daughter moved to St. Louis.
9. Katherine was the Godmother in Cinderella.
10. Mark is thinking about majoring in TV production.
11. Grandmother had to take care of the family during her visit. We were too sick.

You know your kids are becoming teenagers when they would rather talk to their friends, rather than talking to you.  When the kids are grown and the house is too quiet, I am gonna miss this moment. What moment will you miss?

The Sunday school teacher asked her pupils to write down their weekly prayer requests. Millie asked for more money, so there would be more food in the house. Hoping that the church would want  to help Millie's family, the teacher gave the request  to the preacher.

Concerned about the request, the preacher approached Millie's grandpa the following Sunday. He said that the church was praying for Millie's family. If they needed food, they could come to the church's food bank on Fridays. Looking at grandpa's expression, the preacher thought grandpa might have been embarrassed about the sensitive matter. After the preacher told  Grandpa about  Millie's prayer request , grandpa had  a good chuckle. When the chuckle subsided, grandpa ensured  the preacher that the family was doing fine. Because Millie's 3 brothers were hearty eaters,  the pantry and fridged were constantly bare.

For more Friday Funnies, go see Kim.

In 2010, I am going to make an effort to have at least 52 pictures of me having fun with my spouse,children, loved ones, and friends. Thank you, Carin for hosting Shoot Me.