At first glance this photos looks like a man with his new puppy. But look closely and you will see that this animal is no dog at all, rather it is a pet pig!
We glanced out the window of our apartment on Saturday and saw this man with his pet. All the girls were eager to run downstairs to see this little piglet. The owner told us that they got the pig from Thailand as their new pet. Interesting pet to have in a city of 14 million. Here’s Megan trying to feed him dead grass.
The Girl with a Pearl Earring: a painting that – in it’s mystery – has inspired both film and novel, and caught my interest as a historic “Style Icon”. This piece is a bit less “flashy” then the first, Twiggy, however there is something so enchanting about her eyes that catches my attention. Some say that the pearl earring is the focal point of the painting, but personally I think that it is her eyes are the most mesmerizing feature.
Stay tuned to see the next piece in the collection! I have already started it, and I think it’s going to turn out really nice. Kudos to whoever can guess it – leave a comment with your thoughts!
Here are some photos that I found in my iphoto from random vacations we took in the past few years. It was funny how many emotions and memories went through my head when I looked through these (if you are in need of a sentimental trip to the past just pull out those photo albums and start flipping!). My first response is to cringe when I see some of these, happiness and amusement come next, then of course sadness over some (missing Michael)! I feel like everyone should take 20 minutes out of their lives to reminisce over old pictures every once in a while. Hope you enjoy… one of my personel favorites is at the bottom right taken on Michaels 18th Birthday.
Our school often provides professional development for native Chinese teachers of local schools. One kindergarten/preschool in a nearby city, is sponsored by like-minded friends “if you know what I mean”. All the teachers in the school live by the same principals we hold dear in our favorite Book. Our family had the opportunity to provide housing for one of these teachers, who came to observe classes in our Early Childhood Center. It was exciting, to hear her stories. The girls taught her how to make snickerdoodle cookies, while she was with us.
Susan’s mom, sister and little niece were able to come to China for a short visit. We squeezed in many fun things around Tianjin, including a walk to our local vegetable and meat market, a trip to Ancient Culture Street for Chinese souvenirs, a visit to our new school campus, a ride on the Tianjin Eye (one of China’s largest ferris wheels), and the favorite, a trip to the Great Wall.
Rachel acted as tour guide, photographer, and babysitter to her little niece, Elaine (Ellie)!
A few days ago I was browsing Pinterest, relaxing after a hard week of school. Lately I have been especially interested in geometric designs and patterns >> check out my Geometric Board on Pinterest! While I was scrolling through a Illustrative board I came upon a painting by Tim Biskup of a portrait composed of geometric shapes. I was so inspired by his work that I thought I’d give it a try! I have decided to start a collection of portraits remade with geometric shapes of “Style Icons”. If you haven’t recognized her yet, this is a portrait of Leslie Hornby (Twiggy). I really love how it turned out and I am currently working on the next piece, The Girl with a Pearl Earring. Stay tuned to see how it turns out!
Megan’s class hosted their weekly morning chapel, by presenting the story of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” Megan played the part of one of the sheep. Their class did a nice job teaching others about the principles of honesty. Sean was able to join us since he teaches most of his classes after lunch.
Aren’t Saturday biscuits heavenly?
I woke up early Saturday morning to make these cream cheese biscuits for my family (and of course they loved me for it) There is something wonderful about starting out the day with a pleasant (and successful!) baking experience. I’ve baked home-made biscuits before but these were different… almost resilient. The cream cheese gave them an springy quality that was actually quite nice. In my pictures I spread them with pomegranate and raspberry jam but my favorite way to eat biscuits is hot-out-of-the-oven with lots of butter and honey… oh, and of course hot tea.
Visit BakedBree for the full recipe and enjoy!
In Megan’s kindergarten class there is a brother/sister set of twins who are from Poland. Megan’s teacher asked these Polish parents to come to share as part of their social studies unit. Megan’s class has a very diverse demographic including students from Holland, Taiwan, Korea, Poland and the United States.
A new business’ Grand Opening always requires lots of fireworks and flowers. This was the opening of a new hotel.
Here is what we saw in the middle of the road in front of the new hotel…cars just keep driving!!
