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!