My New Room

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Rae

I finally got my hands on a nice camera to take these photos for you guys. I hope you enjoy this virtual tour of my new dorm room…

As far as bedding goes, I decided to stick with the simplistic “white-out” look. Thankfully, my room was blessed with lots of light, and paired with white walls and bedding, I open my door to a bright oasis every afternoon.

The hanging frame and mirror display was always a look that I loved for bedroom decor. During my two weeks with Grams and Gramps in SD, I compiled this small collection for my own version:
-As you know, the pink cake plate is one of my favorites and it brings back sweet memories of my baking days in TJ.
-The picture frames were given to me by Grandma, and as you can see I haven’t found photos to fill them with yet!
-The two mirrors were actually $2.00 from Goodwill. I spray painted them black.

I am obsessed with succulent plants right now and believe it or not I lugged this gold pot of cacti all the way from a farmer’s market in SD. I definitely wouldn’t consider myself to have a green thumb, but so far so good for these little guys 🙂

The map above my bed is my favorite piece of decor so far. Coincidently it fits perfectly under our bedroom light fixtures, which in my opinion, gives it an elegant look.
~Every time I look up at it I can imagine all of you talking around the dinner table at home in China.

Love and miss you all.

Summer in Review

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Maddie

It’s been an amazing, fun, whirlwind of a summer and I cannot even begin to describe how much I’m missing all my dear friends, family, and most of all my big sissy, Rachel. It’s so hard having to leave everything & everyone knowing that it’ll be a whole year before I’ll see them again. However, I know the memories I make each summer will stick with me for a lifetime.
I’ll always cherish the many golf cart rides I had with my cousin Grace. And, I’ll never forget the drive in movie I watched with my South Dakota cousins, Bethany and Christian. haha and I definitely won’t forget the consequences of losing a race down to the lake at my Grandma’s house; a soaking pair of clothes and wet hair!

Life will constantly present us with complicated and difficult situations but I think during these situations the most important thing to remember is that God has a plan. He knows why, how, and when everything will be sorted out. I guess what I’m saying is, Leave it up to God, He’ll take care of it all.

Sean’s Classroom gets a New Look

Posted on August 25, 2013 by Susan

The start of a new school year is always a good time to do something make some changes. Sean has been wanting to make his classroom a more “welcoming” environment for students to hang out. This year he had the help of Michael and Jessie to give his classroom a new look. Also a family in our city is moving back to Texas this fall and had some items for sale, which Sean was able to purchase for a good price. New furniture along with some plants, the rearranging of desks, projector and white boards has turned Sean’s classroom into the new hangout place for students before and after school and during lunch times.

This year Sean is teaching a new Competitive Robotics class which will take he and his team to Tokyo, Japan this fall for their first competition.

The four new info-gram boards that Jessie and Michael created to display different technology related topics.

Goodbye Michael

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Susan

Michael returned again to Hong Kong this week to begin his final year in Architecture at The University of Hong Kong. We all will miss him so much, especially this little sister.

As a last outing together, Michael and I went to the historic Astor Hotel in downtown Tianjin for high tea. There is a lovely park just outside the hotel where we found this Chinese pagoda.

Toasting for Christ

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Susan

Saturday, August 17th, 2013, I was busy in the kitchen making breakfast scones for the family before everyone woke up. Megan had been awake for a while helping me in the kitchen. All of the sudden she said, “Mom, I want to be a Christian.” What sweet words. We made our way back Sean’s office to have a talk with daddy. Sean asked Megan some questions and she said, “I know that God created me and I want to love HIM all my life.” We said a short prayer with Megan as she followed along. What a treasure to know that Jesus has come into Megan’s heart.

That night we had a toast around the dinner table in celebration.

Back to School Tea Party

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Susan

Megan had been begging to open the Trader Joe’s ABC cookies ever since we arrived back in China. When we lived in Virginia, it had been my tradition to let the kids eat these cookies as a special treat during the start of school. So I told Megan we should wait until school starts. We decided to invite some of Megan’s classmates over for a Back to School Tea Party.

Looking for the letter N

Most of these girls have been Megan’s friends since our arrival in 2008. They have made many sweet memories together.

Are You a Digital Citizen?

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Jessie

Rachel: Here is my very first infographic flowchart! Dad wanted some posters for his classroom and asked me to make one about being a “Digital Citizen”. Originally, I planned to find a good one online and tweak it a bit to fit our purposes, but I ended making one completely from scratch. I am really pleased with how it turned out!

So, are you a Digital Citizen?

Side Walk Chalking

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Maddie

Yes, it may seem childish, but side walk chalk is nothing less than fun. While I was sitting on my grandparents porch this summer, I thought to myself it would be fun to create some colorful art on the sidewalk. After I finished my creation and showed it to the others, then almost everyone began coloring away.

Jessie decided to draw a bright hot air balloon, inspired by one that had flown over our heads just minutes before. Rachel drew a chalky sunset like the one we had been enjoying every night for the past few days. I, on the other hand, was less creative and stuck with the word love. In the end the pavement leading up to my grandparents house was, to put it simply, very very colorful.

Missing Summer and Family

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Rae

The school year is nearing at an uncontrollably swift pace, and in looking forward I also look back at the memories I shard during the summer of 2013. This particular day, in Dallas TX, was one of my favorites because I had the privilege of spending an entire day snuggling my baby cousins.

The day started with a batch of caramelized french toast made by yours truly, and ended with a sunset as I held a little, sleeping girl in my arms. Everywhere in between, I enjoyed time on the lake’s shore, taking photos, cooking out, and playing with the dog, Snorts (as we have nicknamed her).