being mother, being busy…

January’s come and gone and it’s just gone by so fast I’m wondering if this will be the pace for the rest of the year. 

I had so many lists with things that I wanted to do or al least sign up for in this month and well I just haven’t done any of them.  Like signing up for the Muay Thai (thai kickboxing class), or getting in touch with the music teacher to start learning the guitar and that Zumba class I’ve been wanting to try out.  I have to do something for me, right?

Hopefully February will be the month I get it done.

My books finally arrived.. I’ve been waiting for them anxiously. I’m tempted to start reading them although I still have to finish off this book.

Happy Week to you all.

Here’s a link to the book(s) that I received today. check them out, I think you’ll like them.

being mother, being busy…

January’s come and gone and it’s just gone by so fast I’m wondering if this will be the pace for the rest of the year. 

I had so many lists with things that I wanted to do or al least sign up for in this month and well I just haven’t done any of them.  Like signing up for the Muay Thai (thai kickboxing class), or getting in touch with the music teacher to start learning the guitar and that Zumba class I’ve been wanting to try out.  I have to do something for me, right?

Hopefully February will be the month I get it done.

My books finally arrived.. I’ve been waiting for them anxiously. I’m tempted to start reading them although I still have to finish off this book.

Happy Week to you all.

Here’s a link to the book(s) that I received today. check them out, I think you’ll like them.

Friday

I’m still here and I have some flowers for you!  I hope you like them.

life’s been pretty busy lately but it’s all good.  To tell you the truth my mind’s been kind of everywhere that I’ve not been able to put sentences together!!  some days I get all excited and I feel like I have so much I want to share with you all but then when I come and sit at the computer, it just escapes me. 

anyway tomorrows our first free Saturday in a long while.  Soccer is over now and so we’re planning to go to the movies.  I hope it happens, things just never go as planned around here.

I hope you’ve had a good week and are looking forward to the weekend.

Friday

I’m still here and I have some flowers for you!  I hope you like them.

life’s been pretty busy lately but it’s all good.  To tell you the truth my mind’s been kind of everywhere that I’ve not been able to put sentences together!!  some days I get all excited and I feel like I have so much I want to share with you all but then when I come and sit at the computer, it just escapes me. 

anyway tomorrows our first free Saturday in a long while.  Soccer is over now and so we’re planning to go to the movies.  I hope it happens, things just never go as planned around here.

I hope you’ve had a good week and are looking forward to the weekend.

corner view–organic

I went through my photo’s and this is what I found for you all.  They spoke organic to me.

Thanks Nadine for the inspiration.  for more organic forms visit other corner viewers starting with Theresa.

corner view–organic

I went through my photo’s and this is what I found for you all.  They spoke organic to me.

Thanks Nadine for the inspiration.  for more organic forms visit other corner viewers starting with Theresa.

beginning of the week

how do you plan your meals for the week?

Do you go through your pantry and fridge first and then put together a menu? or do you go through your week, see what everyone has going and then do a menu plan or do you just take each day as it comes?

Recently I had to throw away a lot of food.  I overstocked and just never got around to using stuff that I thought I needed and would use.  It was a big waste, and I hated that I had to do that.  So now my pantry is totally bare, and I am making every effort to keep it that way.

For me Sunday nights is when I go through everyone’s schedule for week, then I check my pantry and fridge to see what I have.  Depending on those two things I put together a dinner menu for the week.  Whatever that I don’t have,  I make a list and grocery shop on Mondays.

It’s been great so far – no overstocked pantry, no packed to capacity fridges and I’m happy.

the dinners I make are usually quick and easy. Easy for me and enjoyable for everyone.

How do you approach your dinners?  Do share.

This is what were having tonight.  Filipino Adobo Chicken.

If you are interested in the recipe click on the image.

Wishing you a happy week.

beginning of the week

how do you plan your meals for the week?

Do you go through your pantry and fridge first and then put together a menu? or do you go through your week, see what everyone has going and then do a menu plan or do you just take each day as it comes?

Recently I had to throw away a lot of food.  I overstocked and just never got around to using stuff that I thought I needed and would use.  It was a big waste, and I hated that I had to do that.  So now my pantry is totally bare, and I am making every effort to keep it that way.

For me Sunday nights is when I go through everyone’s schedule for week, then I check my pantry and fridge to see what I have.  Depending on those two things I put together a dinner menu for the week.  Whatever that I don’t have,  I make a list and grocery shop on Mondays.

It’s been great so far – no overstocked pantry, no packed to capacity fridges and I’m happy.

the dinners I make are usually quick and easy. Easy for me and enjoyable for everyone.

How do you approach your dinners?  Do share.

This is what were having tonight.  Filipino Adobo Chicken.

If you are interested in the recipe click on the image.

Wishing you a happy week.

On Sunday………………….two birds with one post

17 days into the new year and I think have my word, what word your wondering well my word for the year.

Last week I came across this blog and it got me thinking.  Thinking that how every new year, I start out by focusing on the things that I’m not doing well or enough of and then resolve to hopefully do them better in the new year. the first couple of days, maybe weeks I do well but then I start to slacken off and then I get discouraged and then it’s just a whole spiral effect after that, discouraging if I may say so and then of course I feel like a total failure..

Anyway so after being inspired by this post  I’ve decided to make a SOUL Resolution too.  Imagine that, resolving to better something on the inside of me, not the outside but inside.  Isn’t that where the real you and me comes from – the inside, the issues of our heart?  Well  It got me excited and I started praying and mulling over it.

And after 2 weeks here is my word:

COURAGE!

Courage to believe in God again.  The COURAGE to trust in Him, the courage to have hope.  Oh yes and the courage to see God in everything.

The dictionary defines courage as;

a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear

or also known as bravery, fortitude, will, and intrepidity, is the ability to confront fear, pain, risk/danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. ...

The quality of a confident character not to be afraid or intimidated easily but without being incautious or inconsiderate; The ability to do things which one finds frightening

Well I know me and I’m not very brave, I don’t have those qualities.  I lack that confidence that I should in Him when the bible tells me that I can trust in Him.

And so this is my prayer that this year will be one marked with COURAGE. 

*****************************

And so how is God calling me to be more confident or bold?

I’ve seen and read them all – the promise that if you wear this or that then you’ll feel great about yourself and therefore feel confident.  Or a pearly white smile will boost your confidence.  And such things may be true – but for how long? 

Do we really need material and superficial reassurances to be confident?

Don’t you think these are fleeting like self esteem – here one day, gone the next. 

There are days when I feel like I’m on top of the world and others when I want to crawl under my bed and stay there.  It happens.  Yes I’m human and my confidence gets shot down. 

I realize that here then is where I need COURAGE.  The courage to believe the bible, where God promises that the work He began in me he’ll complete. (Philippian 1:4)

I need the courage to believe that nothing can separate me  from his love, nothing. (Romans 8:35).  Not even a lack of confidence.

Some days it easier to believe in and live by God’s word, while on other days well it’s just plain hard.  But there’s got to come a time when it has nothing to do about how I’m feeling but everything to do about who God is and what He’s promised.

I’ll get there.  One day at a time.

for more shots of faith click on the image or here.

I know my post is late (Faith Barista Jam happens on Thursday) but here it is.  see you Thursday for another jam session.

On Sunday………………….two birds with one post

17 days into the new year and I think have my word, what word your wondering well my word for the year.

Last week I came across this blog and it got me thinking.  Thinking that how every new year, I start out by focusing on the things that I’m not doing well or enough of and then resolve to hopefully do them better in the new year. the first couple of days, maybe weeks I do well but then I start to slacken off and then I get discouraged and then it’s just a whole spiral effect after that, discouraging if I may say so and then of course I feel like a total failure..

Anyway so after being inspired by this post  I’ve decided to make a SOUL Resolution too.  Imagine that, resolving to better something on the inside of me, not the outside but inside.  Isn’t that where the real you and me comes from – the inside, the issues of our heart?  Well  It got me excited and I started praying and mulling over it.

And after 2 weeks here is my word:

COURAGE!

Courage to believe in God again.  The COURAGE to trust in Him, the courage to have hope.  Oh yes and the courage to see God in everything.

The dictionary defines courage as;

a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear

or also known as bravery, fortitude, will, and intrepidity, is the ability to confront fear, pain, risk/danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. ...

The quality of a confident character not to be afraid or intimidated easily but without being incautious or inconsiderate; The ability to do things which one finds frightening

Well I know me and I’m not very brave, I don’t have those qualities.  I lack that confidence that I should in Him when the bible tells me that I can trust in Him.

And so this is my prayer that this year will be one marked with COURAGE. 

*****************************

And so how is God calling me to be more confident or bold?

I’ve seen and read them all – the promise that if you wear this or that then you’ll feel great about yourself and therefore feel confident.  Or a pearly white smile will boost your confidence.  And such things may be true – but for how long? 

Do we really need material and superficial reassurances to be confident?

Don’t you think these are fleeting like self esteem – here one day, gone the next. 

There are days when I feel like I’m on top of the world and others when I want to crawl under my bed and stay there.  It happens.  Yes I’m human and my confidence gets shot down. 

I realize that here then is where I need COURAGE.  The courage to believe the bible, where God promises that the work He began in me he’ll complete. (Philippian 1:4)

I need the courage to believe that nothing can separate me  from his love, nothing. (Romans 8:35).  Not even a lack of confidence.

Some days it easier to believe in and live by God’s word, while on other days well it’s just plain hard.  But there’s got to come a time when it has nothing to do about how I’m feeling but everything to do about who God is and what He’s promised.

I’ll get there.  One day at a time.

for more shots of faith click on the image or here.

I know my post is late (Faith Barista Jam happens on Thursday) but here it is.  see you Thursday for another jam session.

Thursday

random photo’s from these last couple of days(more photo’s over on my other blog)

Today…………… Joshua had an awesome day at school, Renee’s soccer team was defeated badly and Tanysha is over the moon that she’s now able to ride Renee’s old bike to school.

Tomorrow……….I’m buying birthday presents for the parties that my girls have been invited too, having coffee with a friend, and also getting a massage.

Yesterday ……………… I overheard a high school kid telling his friend that someone called him the ‘N’ word (really??!, It made me sad), made my first ever Greek salad and I wondered why I’ve never tried it before and was happy to see that our Starbucks nearby has reopened after being closed for a month for renovations.

Hope your week has gone well!

**********************

not too sure how to acknowledge or respond to comments from my post yesterday so I’m going to do it this way for now;

Tania, I hope to make it someday to Germany!

Ian, you’re right Korea is not too far away.  maybe this December.

Francesca, the Hill Tribe villagers do make a living from their gorgeous crafts. I learnt that it’s tough because they don’t have many tourists going into their villages so they are happy when groups of people go there.

oh and by the way did anyone notice the baby in the first picture?

Thursday

random photo’s from these last couple of days(more photo’s over on my other blog)

Today…………… Joshua had an awesome day at school, Renee’s soccer team was defeated badly and Tanysha is over the moon that she’s now able to ride Renee’s old bike to school.

Tomorrow……….I’m buying birthday presents for the parties that my girls have been invited too, having coffee with a friend, and also getting a massage.

Yesterday ……………… I overheard a high school kid telling his friend that someone called him the ‘N’ word (really??!, It made me sad), made my first ever Greek salad and I wondered why I’ve never tried it before and was happy to see that our Starbucks nearby has reopened after being closed for a month for renovations.

Hope your week has gone well!

**********************

not too sure how to acknowledge or respond to comments from my post yesterday so I’m going to do it this way for now;

Tania, I hope to make it someday to Germany!

Ian, you’re right Korea is not too far away.  maybe this December.

Francesca, the Hill Tribe villagers do make a living from their gorgeous crafts. I learnt that it’s tough because they don’t have many tourists going into their villages so they are happy when groups of people go there.

oh and by the way did anyone notice the baby in the first picture?

Corner View - Winter

Happy New Year CV Bloggers!

It’s great to be back at corner view.  I trust you all had a lovely Christmas and holiday break and are now rejuvenated for the new year.

So today’s theme is Winter – well gee that’s a pretty tough one for me right off the bat.  As you know in my corner there is no winter!   I’m not a cold person and so that suits me just fine.

I’ve never seen snow falling from the sky and have no idea how it feels when it’s falling.

So like I said there is no white winter here but we do experience cooler weather around December and January and we enjoy it immensely because we know the heat is just around the corner, and she won’t be too kind.

Don’t really have any wintery photo’s from Thailand except from our recent trip to the mountains where we met some Hill Tribe villagers.  I’m sure Dec/Jan is when it’s the coldest for them up in the mountains.

And it’s all about the layers. 

These women are from the Lahu Shi Balah Tribe.

For more winter cv’s visit Theresa’s sidebar.

Corner View - Winter

Happy New Year CV Bloggers!

It’s great to be back at corner view.  I trust you all had a lovely Christmas and holiday break and are now rejuvenated for the new year.

So today’s theme is Winter – well gee that’s a pretty tough one for me right off the bat.  As you know in my corner there is no winter!   I’m not a cold person and so that suits me just fine.

I’ve never seen snow falling from the sky and have no idea how it feels when it’s falling.

So like I said there is no white winter here but we do experience cooler weather around December and January and we enjoy it immensely because we know the heat is just around the corner, and she won’t be too kind.

Don’t really have any wintery photo’s from Thailand except from our recent trip to the mountains where we met some Hill Tribe villagers.  I’m sure Dec/Jan is when it’s the coldest for them up in the mountains.

And it’s all about the layers. 

These women are from the Lahu Shi Balah Tribe.

For more winter cv’s visit Theresa’s sidebar.

back to normal, normal

Now everyone’s schedules are back to normal.  especially mine.  Hubby’s been back at work for a week now and the kids returned to school yesterday. I was a little bummed that I got sick over the weekend and we weren’t able to visit the Ancient City together on our last weekend of the holidays, like we had hoped..

Anyway now I can make some solid plans for the hours that the kids are away at school.  I try to make sure to be done by 2.30pm at least cause that’s when the kids get home and then of course it’s their time until bedtime.

Of course JJ is still at home with me but it’s easier to work one kid in to your schedule than 3. 

I’m looking into some classes to take up, we’ll see what happens.

Happy Tuesday!

back to normal, normal

Now everyone’s schedules are back to normal.  especially mine.  Hubby’s been back at work for a week now and the kids returned to school yesterday. I was a little bummed that I got sick over the weekend and we weren’t able to visit the Ancient City together on our last weekend of the holidays, like we had hoped..

Anyway now I can make some solid plans for the hours that the kids are away at school.  I try to make sure to be done by 2.30pm at least cause that’s when the kids get home and then of course it’s their time until bedtime.

Of course JJ is still at home with me but it’s easier to work one kid in to your schedule than 3. 

I’m looking into some classes to take up, we’ll see what happens.

Happy Tuesday!

Friday’s Fave Five # 64

TGIF! I’m ready for the weekend.  Nothing special planned but just glad that the weekend is here.  I can’t believe the week has gone by so fast – well it’s one down and now 51 weeks left to this young new year.

So it is Friday and it’s time to look back on the week to share some favorites. I hope you have had a lovely week too and will share what’s blessed you this week.

1. Great weather.  I know the heat is coming around the corner so I’m taking in the lovely cool weather that we’ve had all week.  It really is pleasant.

2.  phone conversation with my youngest sister.  whenever I call home I often only ever speak to the sister born after me.  I am closer to her than the others.  But this week it was great to chat with my younger sister.  It was a different kind of conversation – she just finished 12th grade.  There is a big age difference.

3. Reading Again.  It’s been a while since I’ve picked up a novel and this week I did.  I’m loving the book already.

4. Waking Early.  Rohan headed back to work this week so I’ve been getting up early.  Once he leaves the house is still quiet.  With all the kids still resting it’s nice to have the place to myself.

5. And finally I lost weight.  Friday’s is when I weigh in (for myself) and today I did and I was surprised to see that I had lost 2 pounds.  I feel so good about myself.

For more favorites head on over to Susanne’s. 

Happy Weekend.   

Friday’s Fave Five # 64

TGIF! I’m ready for the weekend.  Nothing special planned but just glad that the weekend is here.  I can’t believe the week has gone by so fast – well it’s one down and now 51 weeks left to this young new year.

So it is Friday and it’s time to look back on the week to share some favorites. I hope you have had a lovely week too and will share what’s blessed you this week.

1. Great weather.  I know the heat is coming around the corner so I’m taking in the lovely cool weather that we’ve had all week.  It really is pleasant.

2.  phone conversation with my youngest sister.  whenever I call home I often only ever speak to the sister born after me.  I am closer to her than the others.  But this week it was great to chat with my younger sister.  It was a different kind of conversation – she just finished 12th grade.  There is a big age difference.

3. Reading Again.  It’s been a while since I’ve picked up a novel and this week I did.  I’m loving the book already.

4. Waking Early.  Rohan headed back to work this week so I’ve been getting up early.  Once he leaves the house is still quiet.  With all the kids still resting it’s nice to have the place to myself.

5. And finally I lost weight.  Friday’s is when I weigh in (for myself) and today I did and I was surprised to see that I had lost 2 pounds.  I feel so good about myself.

For more favorites head on over to Susanne’s. 

Happy Weekend.   

Wat Rong Khun

the bridge we had to walk across to take a look inside.  the hands you can see is what the artist describes as the “pit of hell”.Our visit to the White Temple was a wow moment for me..  It definitely wasn’t like any of the other temples we’ve been too.. For starters it’s all white and then also covered with mirrored tiles,  the outside anyway. when you walk into the room there is a large Bhudda sitting in front and then when you turn around to come back out  there is a mural of the artists impression and expression of certain world events.  Personally I found it to be very very interesting to say the least.  I guess that’s the beauty of being an artist – you can express yourself. And I guess if you are financing the whole project with your own money then you can do and say what you want to.

The white temple is actually one mans vision/dream and project, an artist from Chiang Rai. You can read about him here.  You can also read about the temple here and here.

And then here below are the public toilets – the Thais like to refer to them as the most expensive restrooms in Thailand.

Wat Rong Khun

the bridge we had to walk across to take a look inside.  the hands you can see is what the artist describes as the “pit of hell”.Our visit to the White Temple was a wow moment for me..  It definitely wasn’t like any of the other temples we’ve been too.. For starters it’s all white and then also covered with mirrored tiles,  the outside anyway. when you walk into the room there is a large Bhudda sitting in front and then when you turn around to come back out  there is a mural of the artists impression and expression of certain world events.  Personally I found it to be very very interesting to say the least.  I guess that’s the beauty of being an artist – you can express yourself. And I guess if you are financing the whole project with your own money then you can do and say what you want to.

The white temple is actually one mans vision/dream and project, an artist from Chiang Rai. You can read about him here.  You can also read about the temple here and here.

And then here below are the public toilets – the Thais like to refer to them as the most expensive restrooms in Thailand.