Jacobsens' Adventures in Guangzhou, China

Meet Our Newest Edition

2009-07-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

I know it has been ages since I last posted anything on our blog, but that is because it was blocked for several weeks while we were still living in Guangzhou. Now that we back home in Canada for the summer, that is no longer a concern, or an issue. I am free to post as often as I please . . . which means, I can make my happy announcement now.

Ahem . . . Glenn and I are proud to announce the arrival of our son, Josiah Breum Jacobsen, who was born on June 30th at 1:56am. My labour pains started around midnight, we got to the hospital just after 12:30am, and Josiah was born shortly after that.

A friend of mine commented that I should keep my "ridiculously short labours" to myself, but I have to admit that I was EXTREMELY grateful that it wasn't any longer than that! No time for pain killers either (!!) . . . perhaps with our next baby I'll have to camp out on the steps of the hospital to ensure I get there in time!

I only have a few pictures of Josiah and I just after he was born . . . but I will keep you up to date on how our little "J-Man" is doing . . . so far, he's just as windy as the rest of the family. Now we have a NEW member of the family on whom we can blame for our intestinal discomfort! (Mwah-ha-ha!)

As you can see, Angelica is already the BEST big sister a brother could ever ask for! Her "mothering instincts" have already kicked in.

First Art Lesson

2009-04-02T05:28:00.000-07:00

Move over, Picasso! There's a new child prodigy in town . . . and it all begins with the first wax crayon - a splash of colour here, a naturalistic depiction of lines and squiggles there, and VOILA! A masterpiece is born! What's that? I'm a little too optimistic, you say? Maybe . . . but considering my degree is in sculpting, I have my hopes set high . . . but until her debut appearance at the Guggenheim, I'm happy to let her explore the world around. Art is, afterall, about discovery!

Such concentration!

Mischief Maker

2009-04-02T04:48:00.000-07:00

Mischievous?? Who ME?? Look deep into my eyes . . . do I REALLY look mischievous?
The answer to that question, "Why, yes, my darling girl! You most certainly do!"

There are very few drawers that Angelica is allowed to play in . . . and even fewer that she can actually reach . . . but there are certain drawers that seem to captivate her attention more than others, and my sock drawer seems to fall into that category. Usually, Angelica will just practice opening and shutting the drawer, being ever so careful not to pinch her fingers in the process. On this particular day, however, Angelica decided my drawer needed some maintenance, and so she proceeded to "re-organize" . . . "'Cause Mommy, you just don't have it right yet."

Just trying to be helpful, Mommy!

Angelica's First Birthday

2009-03-05T23:10:00.000-08:00

The month of February seems to have just flown by in a wink! Soon our little Jelly Belly is going to be 13 months, instead of 12! Oh my! She's growing so fast! I remember how overwhelmed I felt when we first moved to Guangzhou, and how I fretted anxiously over her first birthday - to the point of tears! I was terrified that she would have no children at her party, and it would be all my fault for not having made any friends. Well, that certainly wasn't the case! We had lots of friends to celebrate with us - and just the right number of children - for all of whom we are extremely grateful.

Well, here they are: Angelica's birthday photos. Sorry it's taken me so long to blog about it. I put the album together on my facebook account first so that family, friends, and relatives back home could get a glimpse of what Angelica's special day was like. Now it's time to put this blog in motion.

The last few days leading up to Angelica's party (on February 15th) were a maze of activity. On Thursday, I spent the morning, and part of the afternoon, buying decorations, candles, and gifts for the party bags (in Canada I could have done all of this in an hour, but in Guangzhou these items are not easy to find unless you know where to look . . . and you can speak Chinese). My friend, Shelley, came with me and introduced me to a whole new world of crazy shopping (thanks, Shelley!)! There are so many fabulous markets to explore in Guangzhou . . . and you can buy almost anything . . . but once again, you have to know where to go and where to look once you get there! Who would have thought that buying party decor could take so much time and energy!

I baked the 2 large cakes, and cupcakes, on Friday. Saturday I accosted a balloon man and spent the day shopping for fruit and icing ingredients (milk and butter - fortunately, I brought back two large bags of icing sugar from Canada - and I used all but a cup!), as well as decorating the house for the party and planning the games. Sunday morning I woke up before 6 am and started decorating the cakes (I was really feeling the pressure then!). I finished decorating both cakes, all the cupcakes, and arranging the fruit platter by 1:30 pm. This gave me enough time to eat breakfast (I was bad and only had a plum to keep me going that whole time . . . but I did snack on a few grapes and strawberries so it wasn't that bad). I was soooooo happy when all the planning was finished. All in all, I was quite pleased with how everything turned out.

Angelica's lady bug cake. Yes, I decorated it myself and everything was made from scratch - from the frosting to the cake batter. The only synthetic additions were the oreo cookies and the licorice antennae.

This was supposed to be a large daisy, but I accidentally put it on the wrong cake platter. My bad!

To go with our ladybug theme, my friend Shelley bought Jelly the sweetest ladybug bowling set.

Angelica LOVES ribbons!

Angelica's first taste of birthday cake. Personally, I wish her hat came in MY size!

As for the invitations, I only made one like this. When I realized how long it was going to take me to make the rest, I quickly abandonned that idea and created something on photoshop to email out. The e-vite only took 30 minutes (once Glenn showed me how to convert my creation to a PDF file - I'm so thankful for him!).

This is the poem that I wrote on the invitation:

Squeals, giggles, and wiggly toes,
Wispy blond hair, and a cute button nose.
A year has flown by, like a bee on a flower;
So we’d love you to join us for this happy hour!

Angelica’s birthday ~ a lovely surprise!
It’s sure to delight and bring joy to her eyes
To see you all there with your smiles and songs,
And we promise her party won’t last very long.

Please join us for ice cream and cake, if you please,
And IF you’re all good there may even be CHEESE!
Please RSVP of your plans to attend;
We thank you all kindly for the responses you’ll send.

Guess how many Cheerios were in the sippy cup? Give up? 250 . . . believe it or not!

Daisy Cupcakes

The BIG birthday blowout!

Luke wanted to show me how his birthday blower worked.

I can't understand why Luke didn't believe me when I said I'd be serving this for dinner the next time he came to visit (playdough cooking set).

It certainly was a memorable day. A special thanks goes out to everyone who shared it with us! We were so glad that you could be apart of it.

Malaysia - TRULY Asia!

2009-02-20T15:47:00.001-08:00

Unable to bear the cold any longer, the Jacobsen clan headed for Marvelous Malaysia (our new favourite hot spot, next to Thailand - literally!). We had a glorious time . . . and from the pictures below you can see that we spent most of it in the water. It took Angelica a few minutes to get used to it, but after a week and a half of swimming everyday, she became a little beach bum!

The Frangipani's dining room . . . we enjoyed the oceanscape every morning during breakfast.

Angelica's first dip in the ocean in Langkawi. As you can see, while we dined on fine Malaysian cuisine, the mosquitos feasted on the appetizing Angelica. She had over 35 bites on her face alone. When they were finished with her, she looked like a pepperoni pizza.

Angelica got to experience her first trip to an aquarium. She loved the petting tanks best!

A rare family photo taken together in front of the Palace Gardens (Kuala Lumpur).

War Memorial in Kuala Lumpur

As you can see, my daughter is quite modest!

Daddy's girl

Glenn and I love our life. We feel so fortunate to have been able to see the world - Asia will always have a special place in our hearts.

Chinese New Year

2009-02-19T22:32:00.000-08:00

This year, we celebrated Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year, as we've known it in Korea) in another part of Asia - Guangzhou, China, to be precise - and it was c-c-c-old! For those of you living in Northern China, South Korea, and Canada, it was certainly not as cold as you've experienced. However, one thing remains to be said: YOU have central heating (whimps!!), we do NOT.

In Guangzhou, Chinese New Year is usually the COLDEST time of year, reaching only a few degrees above 0 celcius, and legend has it that if it is not, the year will bring "bad luck".

So to bring in the New Year, Glenn and I ventured over to the Sports' Stadium and partook in the festivities.

I can't say I understand the reason behind all the inflatable hammers, but to each his own!

I was absolutely intrigued by this unique plant, so I enquired about it. Expecting to hear some exotic and scientific name, I was a little taken back to learn that it's called the nipple plant . . . I kid you not! Now aren't you glad I asked?

Angelica and I dressed to the nines in our winter garb!

The 15th day of the New Year is called the Lantern Festival. This festival is celebrated at night with beautiful lantern displays and often a parade of children carrying their own.

Baby Belly

2009-01-19T04:59:00.000-08:00

If you were wondering about my growing belly, you can see for you yourselves that it is now apparent that I am pregnant. I am 15 weeks now and I have decided to ask for help the next time I want to take belly shots. I can't imagine why I found it hard to juggle three things at once when I constantly multi-task throughout the day! But for some reason, I couldn't manage the following: holding my sweater up; focusing the camera and keeping it steady; and trying to avoid drawing attention to my rather dirty mirror. Remember, I am almost a mom of 2 now, and both take a great deal of my energy. Dirty mirrors - pshaw! What's that!

Play Date!

2009-01-18T22:33:00.000-08:00

Being cute has it's advantages: you get to be the first in line, people all of a sudden treat you with celebrity status - snapping photos of you like crazy - and sometimes, you may even look cute enough to eat! Hopefully the latter has never happened to you, but one can never be sure.

Saturday, we decided to have a pizza party. You should never have to have a reason to eat pizza in our house, but this Saturday was special. AISG was hosting the first volleyball tournament of the season for the juniors; it provided a much needed break from cooking for Kelly, Bethany, and I; and it meant that our children could play together while we dined on Papa John's finest! Could there BE a better reason than that? I didn't think so either.

Meet the crew. You all know Angelica, since I post her pictures everywhere, but the handsome boys in red belong to our friend, Kelly. Zach is the quarterback and Luke is crawling in the background. He's the best big brother anyone could ever hope to have! Both boys adore Angelica. Luke is always giving her hugs and kisses, and Zach thinks she's good enough to eat: Clothes, hair, skin - if it fits in his mouth, in it goes! The funny thing is that Angelica doesn't seem to mind. She just takes it all in stride in her usual calm way.

Did you notice that all the kiddies are wearing red, white, and denim? We totally didn't plan that!

Zach is 7 1/2 months and he loves to sing! "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee," he bellows.
Should we tell him his zipper is down? Shade your eyes please! Poor little fellow. Fortunately, when you're cute, you can get away with anything!

Like I said, Angelica just takes everything these rambunctious boys do in stride. She loves them and the feeling is mutual.

Our First "Canadian" Family Christmas

2009-01-17T22:14:00.000-08:00

After 4 long years of living overseas, we finally made it home for a Canadian Christmas. It was our first Christmas in Canada together as a couple, as a family, and it was Angelica's first Christmas celebration - period - so, it was high time to make a trip home.

It was certainly an arduous journey just getting there. Our flight was delayed 3 hours due to bad weather (as if our flight wasn't LONG ENOUGH), and it felt like we spent most of our time waiting in airports. Before we left, I had joked with my mother-in-law about praying for snow . . . that's the last time I'm going to joke about being delayed! Whew! Ah well. For those of you who know me well, then you will also know my email just HAD to be written in VERSE! Here it is:

It's Karen's fault, she prayed for snow
She's very naughty!
She said, "Dear God, I WANT THE STUFF! Please send a lot-ty!"
The snow came through, God listened great,
But now we hope her plane ain't late!
It's Karen's fault, she prayed for snow - it's true!
And that's the tale I have to tell to you!!

Well, we made it home to c-c-c-cold Canada . . . a terribly long journey to make for only 2 action-packed weeks . . . but it was worth it. Hopefully our family felt the same way . . . although some may be breathing a collective sigh of relief now that we're gone . . .
"'Dem dern Jacobsen-folk! 'Dem dern critters eat up all ma cheese!!"

To that, I only have one thing to say: Life in Guangzhou ain't no picnic. If you've got cheese, Imma gonna git me some! What's that got to do with Christmas, you ask? Absolutely nothing . . . except that I wish I had packed my suitcase full of cheese to take back . . . sigh. I'll know better next time. What's that? You're on to me, you say? Well, all right . . . but let's keep it between us that I REALLY go back for the cheese once a year and not the visits . . . shhhhhhhhhhhh. It'll be our little secret.

"Yes, I'd like the Creme Brulee with breast milk, please."

Angelica loves to make funny faces . . . I wonder who she could have learned that from?

Hangin' with Uncle Derek . . . "I'm not so sure about this guy, Mommy! He wants me to do WHAT?! I ain't walkin' out there!"

As you can see, she was very impressed with me for taking this photo . . .

Preparing for the winter wonderland that awaits . . .

"T'was the night before Christmas . . . "
Actually, the photo was taken on New Year's Day, but THIS talking bear says otherwise . . .

3 months pregnant and you can already see the baby bump . . .

This is the only shot we could get with my mom's eyes half-open.

I just LOVE to be silly with Daddy!

We're NUMBER ONE!

The Announcement

2009-01-07T04:57:00.000-08:00

We were 23 in all, seated around a very long table. Gray, the gentleman you see on the end, was the recipient of the Lindor chocolates . . . and the fabulous reciter of my poem.

If you thought 3 Jivin' Jacobsens were enough for this world...then, I've got news for you - now there'll be 4 rockin' this world!! That's right, Glenn and I are expecting our second child in July. The expected due date is July 16th, but we all KNOW that ain't gonna happen. Since it's a Jacobsen, it'll come when it wants (and I mean that in the most endearing way... remembering back to our little Jelly Belly. She was the early bird who graced the world 2 weeks early... and it would have been sooner than that if she had had her way).

On Christmas Eve, when all of Glenn's extended family were gathered for dinner, we decided to share our big news in verse. I had made the place setting cards for the elaborately decorated tables, and inside one of those cards, I placed an origami Christmas tree. The person with this tree was given a flute of Lindor chocolates, but first they had to read my poem aloud.
This is what I had written:

Christmas comes but once a year
Bringing forth great joy and cheer;
Snow-topped trees and twinkling lights;
Family, friends, and chilly nights.

We're thankful for this time with you
And hope you feel the same way too
'Cause in 6 months we'll be one more!
The Jacobsen clan will soon be four!

The reactions were priceless and since I was pregnant, I had to choke back the tears. It was certainly a Christmas to remember, and one I will treasure always.

Angelica enjoying a few quiet moments with her favorite Uncle Don.

Santa Visits Guangzhou

2008-12-12T06:22:00.000-08:00

Is it just me, or is Santa cuter this year?

Is that for ME???

Hey! Where did everybody go?

Two Front Teeth....

2008-10-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

Angelica cut her first two teeth on Friday. I can already see two little pearly whites poking through her bottom gums, and she is not afraid to use them! She likes to test out their "strength" during feeding time....I bet she spends her napping HOURS sharpening them! OUCH! As always, she continues to drool, gnaw, and lick anything and everything ....even arms of complete strangers. Here is her story:

On Wednesdays I have my ladies' bible study group in the afternoon and my Home Group in the evening. Of course, Angelica comes with me to both. At my ladies' bible study she usually sits beside me on the couch, and plays quietly with her toys.

Shelley, another lady in my group, sat beside us this past week and Angelica was very playful with her. She thoroughly enjoyed all the attention she received. Halfway through the study, however, Angelica's centre of gravity eventually started to work against her. That's right! My leaning pillar of baby started inching her way, closer and closer toward her new companion. So what did she do? She gently put her hand on Shelley's arm, braced herself, and then proceeded to lick her! Overcome by shock, I apologized and gave Angelica her teething ring to gnaw away on, yet in that same moment I had to laugh. Talk about acceptance! It's not everyday a baby thinks you're good enough to eat! That's her way of saying, "Savoury, but sweet. Yes....I think you're OK!".

The other ladies enjoy having a "younger" member in the group, and I am so thankful for that. Angelica loves being in the spot light, and I enjoy being able to share her with them.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr - International Movers!

2008-10-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

It was SUPPOSED to be Christmas in October. We had waited 3 whole months for our shipment to arrive from Suwon, South Korea to Guangzhou, China. When the day finally arrived, we were beside ourselves with excitement (Well, mostly just me!)! Finally!! After months of waiting, I would be reunited with my ceramics! My cookbooks! And toys for Angelica to play with!

Well . . . it certainly WASN'T Christmas when I opened up our boxes and found this:

My heart was broken when I unwrapped this one. I had to put it down and walk away. I know it is just a "thing" and things are not important, people are . . . but I was livid! Let's just say, it's a good thing I don't believe in, or practice, voodoo . . . or there would be A LOT of movers with pins sticking out of them!

Tong-In International Movers was the company we used in Korea. I was shocked and appalled by the level of incompetence. I expected more! If you are living in Korea and looking for a moving company, please be wary of this name. I have moved within Asia before, the only difference was that I packed everything MYSELF and nothing broke. Why? Because I didn't just throw things in a box and hope for the best! I took the time and effort to ensure that things were packed carefully - ESPECIALLY IF IT WAS FRAGILE! Since Glenn and I did not have our stuff insured, they will not reimburse us for the things that were broken. So . . . I have taken it upon myself to advertise on their behalf.

This WAS an unbreakable plastic frame. "It will not brrrrrrreak (knock, knock) . . . it brrroke."

Fortunately, I can glue this one back together.

This one is so intricate that I CANNOT glue it back together.

This was a bamboo bowl. The foot of the bowl was shoved up through the middle.

One of my favorite pieces of Korean pottery purchased in Icheon. It WAS a work of art . . .

Again . . . the evil moving company! SCOUNDRELS!

Glenn's Nativity Stable purchased this past Christmas as a gift. The result of shoving all the items down so the box would close (I actually watched them do this . . . and prayed for a miracle that didn't happen).

Fortunately, I was able to put it back together.

The morning they came, I drank out of the mug belonging to this tea strainer. They had the audacity to tell us WE broke it and just taped it back together. First of all, NOTHING on my countertop was broken by ME THAT morning. Second of all, I would NEVER "tape" ANYTHING back together.

And the list of breakables continues to grow with each box I unpack. They even ripped the covers of some of my school books. The level of incompetence is rising at an alarming speed!

Yide Lu Market

2008-10-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Glenn, Angelica, and I ventured over to Yide Lu Market to explore a little bit. Actually, we were really in search of the Ultimate CHEESE Block, but we couldn't find it. We took in some interesting sights along the way, however, so I considered it a wonderful outing (even if we didn't bring home any cheese).

In Guangzhou, you can expect to see people biking with loads even bigger and heavier than this one. They are truly hardworking people.

If you are willing to suspend your disbelief, then I can tell you this is NOT a motorized vehicle. It is man-powered.

Of course, no post is complete without a picture of our little beauty.

Sacred Heart Church

I quickly snapped this shot through the window of our speeding taxi (sorry for the glare). This is the Chinese version of Hercules! How many of YOU are able to do THIS on a daily basis? WOW!

Glenn and I had some SPICY Korean food the night before....so we decided to "stock up" (ahem).

Recipe for Laughter

2008-10-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

This is what you will need:

A very well-fed, and I mean JUST FED, little baby, with perfectly proportioned rolls and chub in all the right places

An eager and playful father

A pair of shoulders

A freshly washed head of hair (just enough to grab onto)

Okay Dad, place your little skwirmy-wormy on top of your shoulders and dance around the house. The more movement, the better the outcome! Be sure to stop periodically in front of shiny objects and reflective surfaces for best results. Lastly, tell your wife, "I hope (insert baby's name here) doesn't throw up on me!" And presto-whamo! Your wish will NOT be granted.....but it's guaranteed to send your wife to the floor, rolling with laughter!

Let me just conclude by saying that once you've introduced your little one to the world of solid food, the following changes will take place:

1) Poop will smell and look like poop
2) Vomit will look and smell like vomit

Have fun!

Early Morning Giggles

2008-09-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

Slide Show

2008-09-23T01:27:00.001-07:00

Angelica's New Toy

2008-08-27T15:10:00.001-07:00

Gallant Guangzhou - 10 Great Things About Living Here!

2008-08-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

1) Mangoes!!! The mangoes here are bigger than ANY I've ever seen (not all of us grew up in Africa, you know)! I can make a mango lassi anytime I want - and I DO! Besides, it's totally healthy - no sugar added! The marvelous mangoes do it all!

2) Oatmeal is available in LARGE bags and it is cheap!

3) Cheese exists here! Albeit, it's a bit expensive, but STILL! It's a nice treat from time to time. (If you don't share my love for cheese....then I am sorry....we can no longer be friends.)

4) STARBUCKS! Before moving to Guangzhou, I almost never bought things from Starbucks....but it sure was nice to visit this familiar place in the beginning when we were living from day to day and still without pots, plates, and food! For 5 days, I think I lived on yogurt drinks, water, cherries, bananas, dumplings, and the occasional treat from SB (very yummy!).

5) We live in a great area (and I am discovering more and more things everyday)! We are very close to quite a few wet markets (which sell produce and meat). These are wonderful places to buy your fruits and vegetables (still can't....and don't expect to be able to ..... handle the meat section, though). The prices are very cheap - even if they charge foreigners more.

6) Angelica and I often take refuge at IKEA when we are out strolling! Air conditioned buildings are my friend...and IKEA is AMAZING!! Surely, it is every home owners dream store!

7) We are moving to a new apartment in September (see our new address in CONTACT US section)!! It is cleaner, brighter, prettier, and Angelica will have her very own picture window that ACTUALLY looks OUTSIDE into SUNLIGHT! Score!

8) There is a playgroup that meets twice a week for expat women. I have joined that group and GWIC (Guangzhou Women's Int'l Club), and now I am meeting people from all over the world.

9) We found an AMAZING pediatrician and International Medical Clinic. It takes a very highly skilled and special individual to be able to administer a set of vaccinations WITHOUT making the baby cry.

10) Since we've moved here, Angelica has become a movie star! Everyone ogles over her, takes pictures, plays with her, and she graciously flirts back. Sometimes this makes shopping a real chore (since I can barely move an inch without everyone wanting to touch her chub or try to sell me something at the same time!), other times, I don't mind because people tend to be friendlier when she is with me.

All in all, I am trying to keep my sense of humour about me.

Funny Moments in Guangzhou

2008-08-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

Life in Guangzhou is certainly not without its quirks, but instead of focusing on my frustrations about living in a new country and the challenges its culture brings, I’ve decided to write down the funny stories that happen on a daily basis within our home. Here are my stories!

Asian Snacks:

So I was in the grocery store yesterday picking up a few things and I decided to get some dried fruit.....trying to snack healthy. Today, I ripped open the bag of what I thought was dried mango.....turns out to dried yam. Yup. I thought it would be disappointing, but it is shockingly tasty. Asia is wearing down my taste buds.....

Midnight Concussions:

Glenn and I have a King-sized bed and even with all the extra room we've acquired, he still sleeps right next to me and my pillows.....not in the middle, mind you.....closer to my edge of the bed (his story will be different....you should believe mine) . Anyway, I was dreaming and I had my hands up above my head.....as I am bringing them back down under the covers, I sock Glenn in the eye with my elbow. Startled awake by a rather loud, "Yeeow!" I tried to comfort him, but I somehow managed to poke him in the eye instead, which only encouraged another series of cries.

"What are you doing?! I'm going to have a black eye!" Was his exasperated response.
"I'm sorry. I was dreaming."
"What were you dreaming about?"
Silence....and stiffled snickering.
"What were you dreaming about?!"
"Putting my arms down."

I know. It takes an unusually cruel wife to laugh at her husband's pain....but in my defense, our room was REALLY dark....and what's he doing sticking his eye so close to my elbow anyway!

Shave and a Haircut:

Has your husband ever asked you to trim the hair on back of his neck? Mine does…repeatedly!! And the funny thing is, he trusts me EVERY time. Unfortunately, for him, my job descriptions do not include “Hair Designer”. Instead, I come equipped with the following assets:

Early Childhood Educator & Nurturer
Culinary Artist
Interior Decorator
Household Manager & Maintenance Personnel
Financial Manager
"Budgeteer"

...And so the list continues on with a variety of other feats, which do not include hair dressing. So…it should not have come as any great surprise that the following dialogue took place…and if you’ve ever seen that episode of Mr. Bean at the Barbers…you’d understand Glenn's dilemma.

“Oops!”
“Oops???! What do you mean ‘oops’?” his panic-strickened voice resonated throughout the room.
“It’s okay…I’ll just even it up!” I reassured him.
Meanwhile, my "steady hand" began to falter as my whole body convulsed under waves of stiffled laughter.
“There…no one should be able to tell. What do you think?” (snicker, snicker)
“If I could see back there, I’d tell you.” Came the sarcastic reply.

So let this be a lesson to all you men-folk, out there. If you want your hair trimmed…ask a professional.

"Curry"

Glenn and I were in a taxi on our way to METRO, a German company similar to Costco. I noticed that I had curry sauce on the back of my hand.

“Better get rid of it,” I thought, getting my tongue ready.....but as I was in mid-lick, I suddenly realized something.

“Wait a minute! I didn’t have CURRY for supper! What IS that?!”

FLASH BACK
Setting: Bathroom

Part of Angelica’s bedtime routine includes a bath every evening before bed. Just as I was lifting her out of the water and about to dry her off on her towel…she decides it’s time to “go”. And so she does what babies do best – she poops on her nice, white towel, but fortunately “misses” mommy. Right. So…into the bath water she goes again…and into the bath water my hands are dunked…but I must have missed a spot.

Moral: When you think your hands have been scrubbed and rinsed clean – wash them again and CHECK THOROUGHLY! Or you may end up “licking” something that you should not be licking in the first place! Bleh!

Okay, that's all the silly moments I have for today. This batch of silliness was brought to you by the letter "K".

All joking aside, I have an unusual craving for rice and kimchi......I must be missing Korea!

2008-08-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

What IS this stuff???

2008-08-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

Angelica's First Taste of Food

2008-08-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

"I'll feed her!" volunteered the overly eager father, "I mean, how hard can it be?"

Clearly, it's a lot harder than it looks! When I left, Angelica only had a little rice cereal leaking from the recesses of her mouth. Upon my return…well…it looked like she had gotten sucked into the bowl.

An Olympic star is born!

2008-05-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Reflections on Motherhood

2008-03-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

In my month of motherhood, I have gained weeks of wisdom: cleanliness is overrated and laundry.....is the gift that keeps on giving!

Yesterday, Angelica spit up on me 6 or 7 times (and I don't mean a little dribble here and there - we're talking "clear-the-room-or-I'll-take -you-all-out" spitting power! She spit up more milk than I believed she was capable of sucking back.....down my shirt and into my BRA every time!! Now that's aim!! And it's shocking how such such a pretty, itty-bitty baby can produce such obsene noises....in a waiting room where all eyes automatically turn to mommy.....she puts the gasiest man in the world to shame!.......On the bright side, next time I have intestinal discomfort......"Oh my, Angelica!!" [snicker, snicker])!!

Ah well....it's a good job she's so cute. Makes me wanna keep her ('cause I wouldn't put up with that from just anyone).

Hope I brought a smile to your day!

Angelica Graces the World!

2008-02-09T15:35:00.000-08:00

Pickles

2007-12-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

I've been up to mischief.

Tonight we ordered pizza....considering it was late and I was tired....Papa John's Pizza sounded mighty good!

Ed was walking home with Glenn and I .... I had been daydreaming (or night-drooling...since it was dark) about what to make for dinner. Yes, I am usually thinking about food....wait until you get to the END of my blog! Anyway, I digress....we had just walked through the door to our building when we spied the delivery man....well !!....Glenn had to stop me from accosting him. We decided calling was better....besides, we invited Ed and his family to join us for a pizza dinner.....we couldn't have them thinking I was "uncivilized". I can see the Korean headlines now: "Pizza Man Jumped by Lanky Canadian girl - all for a taste of Papa John's best!" .....needless to say, the Tennants readily agreed....(to the pizza, not the accosting.)

What a wonderful evening we enjoyed! AND what good pizza we inhaled (we were hungry - much like ravenous wolves)! To top it off, we laughed ourselves senseless watching "Hoodwinked" - a tall fairy tale version of Red Riding Hood. Hilarious! If you don't own it already - buy it now!!

Anyway, back to the subject of my blog - Pickles. What?!? I haven't introduced the topic of my blog yet? Shocking!! Okay then, listen up!

Everybody KNOWS that you just CAN'T eat pizza without pickles! Everybody that knows ANYTHING about pizza, that is. Yes, that's right! We, pizza connoisseurs, all live in Korea . It seems that a side order of pickles is not an uncommon necessity....I mean....service that every pizza delivery guy is EXPECTED to supply......provide, rather. And after a while, one becomes a "collector" of these little tubs of sweetness....did I mention they were no ordinary pickle? We're not talking dill, with garlic and jalapeno.....uh-ah....these are the sweet deal, honey.....and there ain't nothin' like sweet pickles and pizza! Ooo-weee! You gotta love it! Sends shivers of pleasure down your spine, don't it?

Well, that got me-a-thinkin'.....I think a lot! Don't you go rollin' them eyes of yahs! Anyway, like I says, that got me-a-thinkin'. I says to myself, "Self! You have 30 tubs of pickles! How you gonna eat 30 tubs of them pickles?!?" ('cause they NEVER give you JUST ONE at a time!!) Well, my eyes got all shiney-like and I jest about whooped myself into a fit of laughter when I thought of how I could rid myself of these wonders. I would "share" them!! Yes!! That's exactly what I would do!! My heart began to swell and I could feel a poem buzzing from my finger tips ('cause pickles just ain't pickles without the accompaniment of a poem, you know).

So, come Monday, my colleagues are going to find a note and a tub of pickles in their mail box at school. Sneaky, maybe....thoughtful and caring.....WITHOUT A DOUBT and MOST DEFINITELY!!!

Here is what the note reads:

(By the way....it is to be sung to the tune of "Busy, Busy" - by the Veggie Tales)

Pickles, Pickles,

Lots of sweet pickles

You’ve no idea what I have for you . . .

They’re pickles, pickles,

TONNES of sweet pickles

Much more than Karen can chew

Chorus:

Oh, Pickles, Pickles,

Sweet, juicy pickles!

Eat them with hamburgers ~

Hear them go CRUNCH!

Pickles, Pickles,

Hope you like pickles

‘Cause that’s what you’re having for LUNCH!

Refrain:

Yes, pickles, pickles

Eat lots of pickles!

Girkens imported

Heinz by the bunch!

Pickles, Pickles,

Karen’s “fresh” pickles ~
Thought you’d like something to MUNCH!

Tune: “Busy, Busy”, Veggie Tales

Well, that's about all the crazy stuff I have to write for this week.

By now, most of you are probably completely convinced that I have "gone off the deep-end".....and are questioning my ablility to reason.....while others of you, who have a light-hearted nature AND a funny-bone, have been enjoying my silly antics and have interpreted them as nothing more than just that - silly antics. In any event, I hope I have brought a smile to your day.

Love,

Karen

Are you still here?!?!

What are you doing, still reading my blog!?!! I said, GO OUT AND BUY HOODWINKED!!

(the Karen grin)

Saturday Nov 3, 2007

2007-11-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone this is our first post. I am looking to see how it all works.

It is still fairly warm here. I am about to head off to a middle school soccer jamboree at Seoul Foreign School. Karen is working on getting the Potluck ready for Sunday at Life Church