DIY Fundraiser projects

I have spent the last couple weekends helping my youth girls make projects for our Fundraiser; I am so proud of them for working so hard on making all of these projects to fund their ministry so that they could serve our community, and bless others. These group of young ladies are so great and their hearts are so big; I am absolutely amazed and blessed that I work with such a wonderful group. Everything has been hand made with lots of love by these wonderful youth girls; Below are some pictures of a few things we made and are currently selling. 

Fusia bow scarf

My daughter with the yellow bow scarf

Pin cushion pots

Wrap bracelet

Bow headbands

 

These girls inspire and motivate me to be a better person; they teach me what it's like to serve wholeheartedly and love completely. They put so much time, effort and heart into everything they do. I am truly honored to have them in my life.

 Who makes an impact in your life?

Happy mid-week everyone! Bless someone today with a smile or an act of kindness =)

Tom Yum Soup w/Prawns & Garlic Stuffed Prawns

The last couple days I have been on a Seafood kick; specifically Prawns! I believe it all started on Monday; when my cousin and I went out and had sushi for dinner. That evening we ended up going to our local Vietnamese market, and I just couldn't resist the big jumbo prawns starring at me. I picked up a couple packs, and made it my mission to make some yummy dishes during the week. First up, I made these delicious garlic/coriander stuffed prawns; that smelled so good around my house. After I finished baking; I was preparing to take a picture of the final product, but the hungry folks in my home had other plans... they devoured it all before I even had the chance to utter out "WAIT!" I do apologize; blame those hungry people =)

My Seafood kick didn't end there; last night I took the left over Prawns and made some Tom Yum Soup for dinner. It was a rather rainy and chilly night, so the soup went perfectly well with it. My advice though, is to never attempt to cook for the sake of blogging when there are whiny hungry people walking around. Trust me... don't; I had it all planned and ready to go. It had been a long and very busy/exhausting weekend for me, I was super tired, my brain was fried, then hungry people started whining how hungry they were; So when I decided to make this Tom Yum soup; half way through I realized I had forgot all the veggies! Of course that didn't matter to them though; after all... they're not much of a fan of those healthy whatchamacallit things anyways.

I do plan on re-visiting these again in the near future, when hungry people are no longer hungry and I'll have a better chance of snapping better pictures with the finished dish. 


As mentioned earlier, I have had a super busy weekend. Last weekend was completly hectic and exhausting. We were having our Harvest Festival at my Church, and so I was there all weekend for 12 hours plus to help get things set up and ready to go for all the kiddos on Sunday Evening. By Monday morning, I could not get out of bed... every inch of me was sore and in pain, but it made me happy to know that all that hard work was well worth it in the end when we saw all the kiddos having a great time for Harvest Fest. Here's a few pictures I got to snap of the many talented youth at my Church and the awesome work they did. 

The Wishing Well Game

Face Painting Table

The Hallway

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week thus far! One thing I've learned this week is that; even after all the planning, sometimes things don't go as planned and that doesn't mean it's ruined; it just simply means it'll be slightly different, but it's OKAY! Nothing will steal your joy; if you don't allow it. It all depends on your attitude over the circumstance =) 

What is one thing you learned this week?

Happy Friday's Eve everyone! 

Family time at the Kiyokawa Family Orchards

Oh how lovely it was to be able to take my parents and my daughter up towards the base of Mt. Hood; a beautiful scenic drive up to the Kiyokawa Family Orchards; for a day of picking our own apples. As mentioned, the drive there was beautiful! It's an hour drive from where I live, and the drive was well worth it. We left around 3:30pm on a Sunday afternoon; it was more of a spur of the moment trip, but it has been something I've been excited to do with my daughter for awhile and just haven't had the time. Back home it was raining, but surprisingly it was so nice and sunny as we drove up further towards the base of Mt. Hood. It was a lovely drive and day spent with family =)

On our way to the Kiyokawa Family Orchard Farm!

Passing by Rooster Rock State Park

Started to get dark and sprinkle a little

About 30 minutes into the drive; my daughter asks the dreaded question on a road trip "Mooooooooom, are we there yet?!!" I said no, we just barely hit the road and we still have a little ways to go. She whines and says "But we have been on the road FOREVER! It's been like an hour already!" She eventually took a nap and by the time we got there, she was up and ready to go pick yummy apples!

She was nice and bundled up; keeping warm while running around picking apples. I loved how excited she was, she even said "This is so fun, Mom!"

Yummy Pears!

We walked further into the field and found these super sweet pears! They are the sweetest pears I have ever had. So naturally of course; we picked a bunch of these as well =)

So delicious!

Oh, and then we came across these super sweet and juicy Asian pears! My parents were like little kids in a candy store when we came across these =) They excitedly picked a bunch.

And finally the two apples I was most excited for; were these beauties! The delicious oh so juicy and sweet; Honey Crisp apple and this STUNNING golden on the outside and red flesh on the inside like a Watermelon called; Mountain Rose! 

One of my favorites; Honey Crisp!

Has now become one of my favorites; Mountain Rose!

Isn't that a beauty?! I have not seen anything like this before. I couldn't wait to get home and cut one up to show you all! Can you imagine this in a pie or a tart? Oh I'll have to try it out very soon!

 
 Over all, it was a day/weekend well spent with family. We had a great time at this super friendly family orchard, all the employees were super nice, the owners walk up and greet you with nice warm smiles and talk to you. A great abundance of variety apples/pears to choose from. I absolutely recommend this place if you live in the Oregon/Washington and are looking for something simple/fun to do with your family/kids. 

What's one fond memory you have as a child growing up with your family?

Have a wonderful week everyone!  

Pumpkin Spice Cookies & a time to relax

Saturday was just one of those Pumpkin kind of days; when you see bright orange Pumpkins everywhere you go, and the colorful Fall leaves scattered all around town reminding you that Autumn is here, making you just want to sink your teeth into a nice yummy pumpkin pie with lots of whip cream. Instead of making Pumpkin Pie, I decided to make Pumpkin Spice Cookies! Oh let me tell you; they were perfectly soft and chewy on the inside, and tasted just like mini Pumpkin Pie bites. I topped it off with some Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses, and that made it even more delish! A perfect Fall treat, and a big hit at the pot luck I brought these to on Sunday.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

Basic sugar cookie recipe

1 tsp of pumpkin spice

1 tsp of cinnamon 

1tsp of vanilla extract

1- 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin in a can

1 bag of pumpkin spice hershey kisses

Directions: 

Follow your basic sugar cookie recipe, or you can always just use premixed sugar cookie. Add pumpkin spice, cinnamon, vanilla extract and pumpkin in a can into the mixture and mix and fold until all ingredients incorporate and get to know each other very well. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, Then take your cookie sheet and line it up with parchment paper; scoop about a tablespoon of dough and drop it on cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown; take it out and let it cool for about a minute before pressing down the hershey kiss. 

Tips:

Pumpkin spice hershey kisses melt a lot faster than regular hershey kisses, so you will want to place them in the freezer while mixing and baking your cookies, once cookies has cooled for about a minute, then take out the hershey kisses, peel and gently press into the cookie. It will melt a bit onto the cookie, but it will harden back up once it's cooled. Place in the fridge to help harden.

On another note; I have been day dreaming of a weekend of alone time with just  only me and nothing but the sounds of the waves crashing. A time of solitude, a moment to relax with some peace and quite, be refreshed and rejuvenate. Do any of you ladies feel this way? I think women lead such busy hectic lives taking care of everyone and everything; that they tend to forget about themselves. I think once in awhile; it's okay to just step away for a moment to refresh ourselves so we can come back ready to take on everyday happenings. Below is a picture of one of these moments for me; one where I got to do just that. A weekend of just over looking the beach at the beach house; with nothing but just me and the sounds of the wave crashing. No time to worry about, no running around like a headless chicken trying to get things done. No rush hour traffic, no phones, no work emails. Stress-free and relaxing weekend so I can come back the best person I can be for everyone in my life =) 

Relaxing @ Seaside, OR

 

There's nothing like waking up on a cold Fall morning; after the rain fall at the beach. Sitting on the balcony of the beach house and sipping on a hot cup of tea; listening to the waves. I absolutely love our beaches; they are so peaceful and beautiful. There's a sense of peace every time I come here; I never want to leave! 

What are ways you take time for yourself?

Happy Monday everyone! Make this a wonderful week =)  

Great friends and Hot buns!

Oh my, where do my weekends go? I've been so busy decorating my Sunday School Class for my new students, and putting together lesson plans, trying to find new ways be creative and make the classroom a fun and enjoyable learning atmosphere without losing touch of what's important. It's been fun, challenging, overwhelming, and joyous. I had my first day of teaching my new students this past Sunday, and I must say... it was quite calm and peaceful, and they were excited to see the new classroom. I'll post some pictures up of some cool DIY classroom projects in a later post. 

For now I will just post another subject that makes me joyous; FOOD! Yes, food. I spent the day with some of my girlfriends on Saturday, and we made some hot buns otherwise known as "Hum Bao Steamed Buns" They were light, fluffy, moist and full of goodness. Please forgive me as I can't muster the energy to type out the reciepe and ingredients; perhaps when I have a moment to breathe and a day to relax; I will post it up in the future. As for now, I'll just post up a picture. That's the best I can do =(

After Church on Sunday, my best friend, her little sister, and my daughter and I went out for dinner. We had a grand time sharing laughs, and the kiddos had a great time. I don't know what they put in that apple juice, but the girls sure were extra giggly all the way home. 

They were a little skimpy on the fries, but the steak was good and more fries would have been bad for me anyways.

My daughter didn't want to be in the picture, but she gave a thumbs up for her approval of her plate of food.

What makes you joyous?

I love starting out my week refreshed and happy. I hope you all have a wonderful week as well!

A fun filled all girly weekend!

I don't consider myself to be too girly; I mean... I like pretty and cute things, I love makeup and clothes, shoes, purses etc. but I can get down and dirty when I need to without worrying about chipping a nail or getting dirty. I'm not always in heels or prancing around in dresses, and cute skirts (although I do like to look pretty and well put together in my eyes). 

So over the weekend, I had the pain... oh, I meant pleasure! of taking a few of the youth girls from my Church and my  daughter out to do some fun girly things together. It was a super fun (long, money spending, hair pulling, girls squealing, tiring and exhausting) day full of laughter, and good company bringing out my inner still pretty darn young and fun self =)

We had a picnic in the park; cooling off in the shade, then we went to get our hair did, we had mani and pedi's  and eyebrow waxing done, and went window shopping like there's no tomorrow! After a long hard day of being girly... we stopped by to get some frozen yogurt to top off our girls hang out day.

Thin Mint Frozen Yogurt and Berries YUM!

If I had one word to describe my weekend with these girls; it would be "Bankrupt!"
Just kidding; I enjoyed my weekend with them, and I'm happy they still find me "Cool" enough to want to hang out with me and drain my energy and pockets =D

How do you spend your girly days with your girlfriends?

Food should taste good!

It's 11:00pm and it's still 80 degrees outside; I'm grumpy and I have the munchies! Luckily; I went grocery shopping for veggies and what not earlier, and I picked up a bag of these tasty little chips. These are my favorite; they're Gluten free Multigrain Tortilla Chips made with flax, sunflower and sesame seeds, quinoa, soy and brown rice, and YES they do taste good =)

Yummy in my tummy

There's nothing like a bottle of ice cold water to wash it down with, and plus it keeps me nice and cool; which makes me less grumpy. My freezer has about 4-5 frozen water bottles in it every day now; It's a must have for me lately since it's been so HOT! I am not a hot weather kind of gal... don't get me wrong; I do like sunshine just not triple digit weather that brings out the grumpy old man in me RAWR! (My apologies to all the grumpy old men out there)

Trusty o' thirst quencher and hot weather reliever

What are your favorite late night snacks and does hot weather make you cranky too? Or is it just me *sighs*

Hot Summer days...

Yesterday I was sheltered from the summer heat for half the day because I was at work; however I came home right smack dab in the middle of the day when it was at it's hottest. So what does one do when she is hot and no longer has central air? Pack up a couple of ice cold water bottles; and head on down to seek some natural cool air by the creek?!

The water drastically went down, but it's ok... it was just enough to cool off and hide from the Sun.

I chose to play hide and seek today with Mr. Sun; I hid under this gigantic tree. I don't think he found me; until I accidentally stepped out into his view.

Happy Monday everyone! Have a fantastic week and try to stay cool and drink plenty of H2O!

Tell me; how do you escape the dog days of Summer?