Wednesday, January 28, 2009 His Eye Is On the Sparrow
Last Thursday evening, we saw and heard a bird flying into our window. We went outside to see if it was okay. The sparrow was standing motionless on the deck. The kids and I tiptoed to get a closer look. We then were right next to it taking pictures; yet its body was not moving at all even though it appeared to have no injuries. The poor bird must have been in shock. After a while (at least 5 minutes), my youngest son asked me if he could pet the bird. I said yes. While my son gently stroked its feather, it flew away. We were glad to see that.
This rare experience of witnessing a sparrow fall to the ground (from bumping into our window) made Matthew 10:29-31 come alive to me: "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." The hymn, "His Eye Is On the Sparrow" also came to mind. I am so thankful for God's love for me and His concern for my life. "...I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free, for His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."
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Wednesday, December 31, 2008 Top Ten Highlights from 2008
1. On June 16th, my husband started his new job as an assistant city engineer.
2. We have made quite a leap this leap year :). We sold our house in July; after living in the same area for about 12 years, we relocated to a new city to be closer to my husband's workplace. We moved into our current home on July 31st.
3. We had always wanted to live in the country; the dream finally came true. We bought two goats (a Nubian and a LaMancha) to be our pets and our lawnmowers :).
4. Both my husband and I turned 40! My birthday this year was an unforgettable one.
5. Our niece gave birth to a baby boy on Nov. 6th. His name is Javari. He is so adorable!
6. Our daughter, Alyssa, has been a contributor at Growing in Grace (free online Christian magazine for ladies) since February.
7. Both Alyssa and I have become book reviewers for Thomas Nelson Publishers.
8. Some of our cool outings/field trips include: Seaside/Cannon Beach, Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, Champoeg State Park, Do Hard Things conference, and the Oregon Zoo.
9. Our region broke a 40 year old record of snowfall this month. We took advantage of that by sledding to the max :). I shared some of the pictures here.
10. I enjoy staying in touch with family, reconnecting with old friends, and getting to know new friends via Facebook. I'm "Fruit Bearer" on there.
I am in awe once again at the Lord's grace and mercy! We are very thankful for all His blessings, including surprises and changes :). We are glad that the Lord continues to use us and our home to reach out to the international students with Christ's love. In our new/current city, God also put us near a university just like our previous house. I would also like to share about two incredible answered prayers that I have not blogged about yet. #1. One day in June, we went to different places including a farmer's market and Goodwill. At home that evening, my heart sank when I realized that I lost my amethyst ring that my husband gave me as an anniversary gift. I remembered having it on my finger that morning but then had no idea when I might have dropped it. It could be anywhere...at the farmer's market...or...we were afraid it could have fallen into one of the bags (filled with stuff) we donated to Goodwill. We called Goodwill and asked them to notify us if they found it. We looked all over the house and the garage (I spent some time in the garage packing...getting ready to move). We prayed and prayed. I hoped and prayed that someone in need would find it (he/she could sell it and use money to buy food) if it's not to be found by us. That night I kissed my husband goodnight and then went to the garage to pack some more. As I opened the door to the garage, I looked down and saw my amethyst ring on the floor! I thanked the Lord and then ran upstairs screaming with elation...letting my husband know that the Lord led me to find it.
#2. A few months ago, we were shocked that our water bill was more than $200. We knew we must have had a leak somewhere (underground)...but where? It would cost a lot to have someone come out here to locate the leak and then to fix it. We prayed and asked the Lord to show us where the leak was and what we should do. The first spot that the Lord led my husband to dig was where the leak was! Praise God! My husband was able to fix it and our water bill has been back to normal.
Isn't the Lord so awesome?!!! I am excited about a new year of living for Him, living in the light of eternity, serving Him, and sharing His love. To God alone be all the glory!!! |
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Thursday, December 25, 2008 Joy to the World and Joy to You For Christ is Born!
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May the miracle of His birth, the teachings of His life, the purpose of His death, the triumph of His resurrection, and the hope of His return fill your heart with unending love, peace, and joy that only Christ can bring!!! |
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Wednesday, June 4, 2008 Daddy-Daughter Date
This past Saturday night (May 31st), our homeschool group was hosting a Daddy-Daughter Dinner Party. My handsome husband looked so charming in suit and tie while my daughter dressed up in my purple fancy dress that I wore as a bridesmaid 15 years ago. She also put on an elegant cape that I made for her. It's such a sweet and precious memory-making occasion! My husband is a true gentleman and he treats our daughter like a princess. At the dinner party, dads and daughters played games as teams ("How many gumballs" game and "What am I" game). Then the girls got to pick out which info. card (dads filled out the answers about themselves beforehand) belonged to their own dad. A homeschool dad from our group offered the dads a word of encouragement to take the time to spend with their daughters while they have the chance. He shared Steven Curtis Chapman's song Cinderella and the story behind it. Daughters had the opportunity to tell their dad what they appreciate their dad for; and the dads shared the Bible verse(s) they selected in advance specifically for their own daughter(s). Finally, all the dads bravely danced a waltz with their daughter(s). What a touching moment that was (I had to peek :))!
My husband picked the following verses for our daughter: "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11
My daughter's "Tribute to My Dad" was published in the spring 2008 issue of the Old Schoolhouse magazine (page 54). You can also read it here. I thank the Lord for the beautiful bond between my daughter and her dad (my sweetheart). It's something I have never had (my parents were divorced when I was young) and something that is not so common these days.
 Do you notice that my husband's tie matched with my daughter's dress? Daddy-daughter date was delightfully dazzling!!! |
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Friday, May 9, 2008 Sugar's Effect?
I have several favorite motherhood moments. I enjoy spending time with my kids. Each kid is unique and each age is special. I treasure them all. If you would like to read some of the motherhood moments I have written on my blog, please click the category "Precious Moments" on my sidebar. 5minutesformom is having a contest: bloggers are to post one of our favorite motherhood moments. It's difficult for me to pick just one to share because each one is precious to me. Anyway, I decided to do one that I have never posted on my blog yet. Here it is:
One night my husband and I were on the couch talking and then for some reason (I don't remember) we started to laugh non-stop. (Once we get in that mode of laughing, sometimes it's hard for us to get out of it.) Our middle son who was about 4 at the time asked with a concerned look on his face, "Did you guys have too much sugar today?" He seriously thought that sugar made Mom and Dad laugh uncontrollably :). You know...what people (especially parents) say about "sugar." :) Well, his remark didn't help the situation; it made us laugh even more!
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Monday, February 25, 2008 Culinary Conspiracy :)
My three kids conspired in the kitchen today to cook up a scheme dinner. My 14 year old daughter was the head chef and her brothers were the chef's assistants. My husband and I were pleasantly surprised at how delicious the dinner turned out. We were served with rice, creamy garlic chicken, spicy barbecued chicken, and asparagus au parmesan. My daughter also made yummy cinnamon craisin (dried cranberries) scones. Special occasion/celebration...you may ask? Nope, the kids were just being sweet, thoughtful, and sneaky :)! My husband and I are truly blessed. Lord, please continue to develop servant hearts in my children.
"Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right." Proverbs 20:11
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Saturday, December 22, 2007 Made in China
There's a bookcase with glass cover in my/my husband's bedroom. We put music books on the bottom shelf and CDroms on the middle shelf. On the top shelf, we display international items from various countries such as Israel, Australia, the Philippines, Japan, Thailand, and China. This evening, my 6 year old son was curious about these items and asked me questions about where each one came from. I explained what countries they came from and finally mentioned that several items (eg. silk handkerchiefs, Chinese doll with a traditional costume, panda paper cut art, coin purses) came from China; all of a sudden he was very excited. He went to his bedroom and brought me several of his hot wheels and proudly said, "Mommy, you can put these on your shelf. They're all made in China." I couldn't help but burst out in laughter. I was pleased to see that he's very giving and generous. He just didn't realize that if I tried to put everything made in China on my shelf, that would cover pretty much 90% of what we have and my shelf would have to be almost as big as our house :)! |
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Thursday, June 21, 2007 How full are you? :)
After meals, I usually ask my 5 year old son, "Are you full, sweetie?" I love to hear his answer, "I'm powerful(l), Mom!" I then can rest assured that he's adequately fed (full of power/energy) :) .
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7 |
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Saturday, May 19, 2007 Me and My Daughter
 This is one of my first layouts (I can't remember exactly which one was really "first.") I like this page because it's so simple but precious and true. This black and white picture was taken in one of those booths at a mall when my daughter was 3 years old. Now she's almost 14 and yet she's still such a love, helper, blessing, and treasure to me! |
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Wednesday, April 25, 2007 What's the most important fruit?
Today at our co-op, a registered dietician came to give a presentation about nutrition. It was fun and educational. Reading nutrition facts on food products is one of my boys' hobbies :) so they enjoyed the presentation a lot. I still think it's unfair that chocolate (made from cocoa beans) doesn't fall under the vegetable group or the meat/protein group (other beans are in this group). But they put cake mix in the grain group and potato chips in the vegetable group. ?????
Afterwards, we ate healthy snacks that we (the moms) brought to share. There were a variety of fruits, banana-oatmeal bread, and crackers. While eating the snacks, my 8 yo son asked me, "What is the most important fruit?" In my mind, I tried to think of one fruit that may be packed with tons of nutrients far above the rest but I couldn't think of any. So...I said, "I don't know. What is it?" (I asked him back because he (aka "our Walking Encyclopedia") usually asks to quiz me, not to inquire an answer). He replied, "The fruit of the Spirit!" He tricked me :).
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22, 23 May we all be fruit-bearers! |
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Thursday, March 22, 2007 Odd Observation
Yesterday, my 5 yo son noticed something peculiar about my right hand and said, "Mom, look...(pointing to the veins on the back of my right hand)! It looks like "W". I looked and had to agree with him, "Yes, you're right. It does look like "W"." I wondered about his hand, "Let me see your hand." He examined his hand first before showing me and informing me what he discovered, "Mine looks original!"  |
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Friday, November 17, 2006 A Christmas Tradition
Every year after Thanksgiving, my kids are excited about preparing their gift for Jesus. Christmas is the time when we celebrate our Savior's birth. We want to give Him gifts. First, each kid picks a wrapper for his or her own box. After the (empty) boxes are wrapped, I cut a slit (about 2-3 inches long) on top of each box. Then the fun begins :). The kids are all trying to please Jesus by being kind, helpful, thoughtful, encouraging, generous, humble, polite, self-controlled, patient, etc. Each time my husband or I catches one of the kids doing what pleases Jesus, we write down what he/she did on a little piece of paper and then put it in his/her box. On Christmas Day, after my husband reads the Christmas story from the Bible, we pray and then the kids give Jesus their gifts. Each one opens up his/her box and we take turns reading each piece of paper. They all beam with the biggest smiles as they realize that Jesus has been honored and pleased by what they have done. They would like to do this tradition all year round but it would take manyyyyyyy days to read all the pieces of paper :). Well...even without the boxes, they do try to please Jesus everyday anyhow (sometimes they fail but the desire is there :))!
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Tuesday, September 19, 2006 Don't get your dander up :).
This evening I quizzed my daughter some questions from her health book. I asked her to name some common allergens. She correctly named several. She also commented that she's surprised "chocolate" was one of the common allergens. Oh, how thankful I am that I'm not allergic to chocolate :)! Then I read the list they gave in the answer key. One of them (which my daughter didn't name) was "animal dander."
Sidenote: I am not a native English speaker (I was born and raised in Thailand) so my English vocabulary is limited; I didn't know what "dander" meant. I asked my daughter to look up the dictionary. She grabbed one that's close by (Webster's Pocket Dictionary) and read to me, "Dander means temper; anger." We both laughed so hard. How can people be allergic to animal's temper/anger? Then my daughter said, "Now we can say to people who are angry that we have to get away from them because we're allergic to dander!!!" Great idea! When our laughters subsided, I suggested we look up the bigger dictionary (the American Heritage Desk Dictionary). That's when we found out another meaning of "dander": tiny particles from hair or fur, sometimes a cause of allergy in human beings. Ha..ha..we still like the first definition better  ! I think I am (very likely) allergic to someone with dander (temper/anger). Who (in their right mind) would want to be near a dander-filled person, anyway? Dandruff is preferable (compared to dander) :).
"Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared." Proverbs 22:24-25
"An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins." Proverbs 29:22
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Friday, August 11, 2006 Do you know your level of energy? :)
This morning the kids and I took a walk in our neighborhood. After we had been walking for a while, my 4 yo son asked me, "Mommy, do you know how much energy I have right now?" I smiled and said, "How much?" He replied as a matter of fact, "100." My daughter was curious and asked him what the highest level of his energy could be and what the lowest level was. He explained that the highest level was googolplex and the lowest level was 1.
(Googolplex is a one with a googol zeros. Exponentially speaking, googolplex is ten to the googol power. "Googol" is a one with a hundred zeros.) Now you understand how much energy my 4 yo son could have! Don't you wish you could have that much energy?
We kept on walking and then we stopped at the park nearby to play. The kids had lots of fun playing tag (around/through the playground equipment). When they were exhausted and ready to head back home, I asked my 4 yo son, "how much energy do you have left now?" He thought for a moment and said, "It went down to 90 earlier and now it just came up to 1,000!) I guess exercise does energize us. My 4 yo son proved it with his energy gauge!
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Saturday, July 1, 2006 Sweet and Smelly :)
Today my 4 yo son handed me some pink wild flowers. He's a sweet and affectionate boy. After I thanked him, I smelled the flowers and said, "These smell pretty good, huh?" My son then smelled them and immediately agreed, "Yep, pretty smelly!" I burst into laughter.
I just love the innocence of little children!
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Friday, June 30, 2006 To Throw or Not to Throw...
Tonight I overheard my two boys talking in their bedroom. My 4 yo boy said to his 7 yo brother, "I like to share my toys with you but please don't throw them...okay?" Big brother replied, "Okay." (My 7 yo son has a habit of throwing things because he enjoys playing basketball too much. ) Then I heard my 4 yo son added, "But you can throw rocks at bad guys." Hmm...he must have learned that one from David and Goliath's story. Anyway, I thought it's cute that he wanted to specify what his brother can throw.
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