A Place of My Own

These days I have been starting to seriously doing my old hobby
Before I got married I was a segment producer/ scriptwriter
I loved to combine images and writings to make a simple stories

I think it's time to start doing it again
In different methods
Blogging is one of them...
So.. last weekend I set a place of my own in the basement

a place for crafting, writing, drawing and meditating

Beige Food

" Looks like you're gaining weights these days, " said a colleague to my husband

So today, I cooked light , simple food
Napa cabbage, mushrooms, tofu
a little chicken and scallion in homemade chicken broth
with a bowl of steamed brown rice

They looked beige with a little green scattered here and there
I hope the taste would not be as boring as they looked

My kids will eat pasta with store bought alfredo sauce
and breaded baked chicken
Rather simple but heavy
I think it will take some time for them to enjoy the plain food

Because He Was a Hotty

Because he was a hotty, smarty, and lovey,
an older married woman desired him
because he wanted to stay pure
he was thrown to jail

Because he was a goodie
he did not wallow in self pity or plan revenge
because he was faithful
he was productive at home , in prison, or in the palace

Because he knew that God was ( and is and is to come ) good
He could say to the people who had hurt him
" You meant evil against me but God meant it for good "

His name was Joseph
He is my HERO today

They Love Cinnamon

I did not eat much cinnamon when I was back home in Indonesia.
I knew that it was used as a spice to cook nasi uduk ( rice cooked in coconut milk ), or kolak ( plantain stewed in brown sugar and coconut milk ). My mom, who is the chef in our house, does not consider it as a staple in her kitchen.

When I live in United States, then I started to notice the cinnamon. I eat Cinnabon. I eat cinnamon rolls at IKEA. As I started to bake , I found a lot of recipes used cinnamon. I put cinnamon in my oatmeal. I always have a bottle of cinnamon powder in my pantry.

My kids love the cinnamon. They love snickerdoodle cookies and muffins, cinnamon rolls, Cinnabon rolls. Today we had toasts with cinnamon sugar.

As it was said in Indonesia , tak kenal maka tak sayang , meaning not knowing hence do not care, that was my experience with cinnamon. It's rather ironic since Indonesia is one of the major growers of cinnamon in the world. Well... maybe someone should open a Cinnabon store there . Anybody interested ?

cinnamon rolls made from canned biscuit dough

toast with butter and cinnamon sugar

 the boy who loves cinnamon toast

A Rather Unusal Day

This morning at my kids' school, there were three police cars. Kids were outside.
I've been asked by the traffic ladies to park and let the kids wait inside the car.
What happened ? Accident ? Robbery ? Fighting ?
Well.. it was a bomb threat.
Later on there was a sniffing dog, going around and inside the school with an officer

Thank God , everything went well.. no panic or chaos.
The kids were waiting inside the buses because it was rather cold
After three hours searched , the police said the school was clear and safe
No bomb on the premises. The school activities were cancelled.
The kids who were not picked up by their parents stayed in the school. 

Some of the parents could easily pick up their kids
( like me, who stay at home during the day )
But for the ones who work outside the home,
I imagined it would be complicated to pick up and arrange the care
( for my Asian friends who have maids or relatives at home, don't take them for granted )

When I emailed my Bible study leader about the bomb threat
She pointed to the positives .
So...today I prefer to thank God
for the police and the school who worked hard for the safety of my kids
instead of worrying about or cursing the person who did the sick joke like that

PS : It was very nice to see one parent brought some coffees from McDonald's for the teachers today
      

Tofu Time

Two nights ago, I made two dishes out of a boxed tofu.
Tofu omellette and stir fry tofu in white sauce ( capcay tofu )

For Tofu Omellete.. I use 1/3 of a boxed firm tofu, mashed
                               3 raw shrimps thinly sliced
                               1 green onion, thinly sliced
                                seasoning : garlic powder, onion powder,
                                salt and white pepper, fish sauce
                                4 eggs beaten

Mix everything.. heat 3 tbsp of canola oil in a non-stick pan. Cook the omellette until done...

For stir fry tofu, 2/3 of a boxed firm tofu, cut into cubes
                         4 raw shrimps , sliced
                         1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
                         2 tsp of chopped garlic
                         4 tbsp of mixed frozen veggies
                         2 tsp of corn starch dilute with 4 tbsp of water

Sautee the onion until translucent, put the garlic ... sautee untill the garlic smell good, put the shrimps, when shrimps changed into pink color, add the frozen veggies.. cook for about two minutes.. add the corn starch .. when it starts bubbling, put the seasoning, taste and correct the seasoning... put more water if the mix become too pasty... put the tofu cubes...stir a little bit.. do not over-stir... cook untill bubbling.
Eat with warm rice

The Gallery

My three kids bring home lots of crafts from school.

Where could I display their art without making 

my home look like their classroom ?

LAUNDRY ROOM is the answer