My outfit today, a navy polka dotted sun dress from Forever 21, was my inspiration for writing this post. This dress is one of my favorites because it is so light weight and comfortable – a perfect sun dress for the summer months. Let’s face it – life just wouldn’t be the same without sun dresses, especially when they’re polka dotted! My favorite part of this “I’m Lovin” is definitely the patterned backpack; I’ve been needing a new bag for months now, and I just haven’t found one that fulfills all my requirements – ie. big enough – but not to bulky, stylish, comfortable, and it just has to be me. For any fans out there who want to send me a surprise gift, you know what to buy!
Monthly Archives: April 2012
Birthdays
In the last month we celebrated 3 birthdays. Megan turned 6, Maddie turned 14 and Jessie celebrated sweet 16! In the midst of moving life has been upside down. My sweet Malaysian friend remembered the girls birthdays and presented them with this delicious fruit-topped birthday cake. We are so blessed by special friendships here.
Dinner on the Street
Megan and her friend, Keli, pictured below as we ate a meal together at the White Market, near our old apartment. Lot of memories at this market, buying vegetables, meat, street food and odd & ends.
A glimpse of the small kitchen and passersby.
As of Late…
Thought I would share a bit about what’s happening in my life this week…
– Celebrating Jessie’s “sweet 16th” Birthday was spactacular (view the post about it here!)
– Deciding what to do about my habit of watching TV/a movie every night… uh oh
– Just started “stumbling” on Stumble Upon – its an awesome way to discover new blogs like this, this, and this one!
– No school on Friday! I’m planning on spending my day making smoothies, taking walks, and chatting with friends.
– Inspired by this video.
– Can’t stop thinking about our trip home (to America) this summer to visit friends and family! The first thing I want to eat when I get there is Chili’s Buffalo Wings (YUM!)
– Thankful that my relatives send packages full of Easter goodies every year! I love you guys <3
– Random Question: Right now would you rather be on a beach sun bathing or in a mall shopping?
Happy Birthday Jessie!
Did you know that Jessie and Maddie are born exactly one week apart (with 2 years in between)?! The month of April is crazy with Birthday frill, delicious cakes, lovely packaged presents and rainbow colored balloons. We celebrated Jessie’s Birthday on Saturday (although her Birthday is really the 13th of April) and I enjoyed a day (of much needed rest) spending time with my adorable Birthday sisters. Suffice it to say, I satisfied my baking crave by baking every single thing possible within a span of two days.
I fried cake donuts (sweet) while Maddie cooked egg boats (savory) for Jessie Saturday morning. My advice to you, “save donut boxes!” — reuse them when you feel creative enough to make your own sweet-dough desserts!
Guess where we got the ingredients to make this delicious (literally to die for) dessert? My cousins sent them all the way from AMERICA! Of course they do not sell chex cereal, chocolate chips, OR powdered sugar in a typical Chinese super market so this was an especially delectable (and rare!) treat for Jessie.
Smoothies for an afternoon refreshment (YUM!), nothing more to be said.
Planting Trees for Service
I accompanied 10th and 12th graders on a service project in our district. We were asked to help plant trees at a tree farm outside our city. Next year when the trees are more mature, they will be replanted to add more green to Tianjin.
Blog Meeting
Today was a big day for the blog. Since I am currently in China, we are right now having some regroup chats and making strategies for the future. Our goal is to really stay true to our main purpose of staying connected.
This means chatting, talking, living, and thinking with the view of our siblings and staying in-touch. I want to keep going over ideas with each other and making sure that this is not in an individualistic approach. Below are some instagram photos from today… inspiration for the future.
Birthday Breakfast | Crepes
Happy Birthday Maddie! This morning I got up early – well, as early as I could pull myself out of bed – to start preparations for Maddie’s Birthday breakfast. We made her favorite, crêpes! These French pancakes are delicious, especially when served with whipped cream, jam, or lemon. I scrambled around, touching up the table settings and decorations, every minute expecting Maddie to wake up and catch us unprepared. I should’ve known that Maddie never wakes up on her own accord, though. In the end the breakfast was delicious. It is suffice to say that I wasn’t able to eat another bite until two in the afternoon!
To my lovely sister: I hope you had an amazing birthday today! You daily make me smile with your cheerful attitude; today I hope that I could give you at least a piece of the surprises and fun that I enjoy when I am with you! It is a blessing to have you as my sister! <3 Jessie
Passover
After a long week of work setting up our new apartment, we celebrated Passover…it was actually the first full meal I cooked in my new kitchen, which made it more meaningful. Michael was able to join us from Hong Kong, since he had a long weekend for the Easter holiday. In the kitchen
Tables set in the cozy loft room and chocolate-covered Matzos.
Sean reads to Megan from a children’s Haggadah.
Happiness…
Here’s a new motto to those of you who were hoping to squeeze in some extra hours of sleep this weekend – “Happiness is loving SLEEP”. I have been trying to get in some late mornings myself this week as we are on Spring Break. Our recent move to our new apartment, however, has interfered with my plan a bit. So please, tonight get some sleep for me!
Source: Back Picture