House Plants.

I remember when I was a little girl in my late grand mama’s house she had many flowering plants inside her house as one of her decorations or ornaments. She place it everywhere she thought it looked good. It surely gave a stunning look in the house. Live plants helped freshen the air and also add beauty. My folks back home (Philippines) are fond of adopting different kind of flowers. They use tin cans to plant their flowers; examples include, paint cans, coffee cans and any tin can they can find. Now in my time I found some of the house plants that my late grand ma had in her house. I thought I would get some plants to help me remind of her love of flowers. I have been adopting the ones she loved for about a year now and they are still very healthy. I placed them everywhere in my house and I am hoping they will live a long time. I water them once a week or just feel the dirt and I will know if they need water.

Cucumber Kimchee.

A Korean dish that hubby introduced me to when we live in Alabama four years ago. I’m not that adventurous when it comes to different types of food until I met him. He took me to the Korean restaurant near to our house and I was a little hesitant to step in because I know I’m a bit picky. Anyhow, we got in and not too many choices.

The restaurant was an old converted small wood house. I was not sure what to eat and this kimchee dish caught my eyes. I know hubby has eating kimchee before and he started to like it and he wants me to try it. Yea, I did, but boy it was not good- - - the smell was horrible, plus so strong and spicy. Not my taste.

Then, sometime later we go back to the restaurant and I became brave and try it again. Hubby has the same experience when he first ate cucumber kimchee and now we are crazy about it. The more you eat it, the more you like it. Hubby makes a bunch and stores it in the fridge and that is where the taste gets better. He tried to make it before but it tastes different till he found the Kimchee base in a local Asian store and it is much easier to make, and it tastes a lot better. 3 medium Cucumber.
Kimchee Base ( we bought it in Asian Store).
2 tbsp. Brown Sugar
1/4 cup shredded Carrots for garnish.
2 tbsp. salt.

Procedure:
- Slice the cucumber lenght wise and de-seed with a spoon, cut into half moons. Sprinkle with kosher salt, set for 15 minutes and wash thoroughly.
-Mix  the cucumber and the kimchee base.
-Marinate over night and it is good to go.

Lucky Peak Park.

What a beautiful morning with bright sunshine and a cool summer breeze that comes off the mountains. Oh yea, better get ready because in an hour we will be heading to the ‘LUCKY PEAK STATE PARK’ popular for its sandy beach and clear cool water. It has a fountain in the middle that shoots water high in the sky and that is where the kids love playing in the sand. I suggested the idea to my friends to have our get together in the park since it is summer at least we can get out of the house and enjoy the quite days of summer with all our families.

Some of them haven’t been to this place so they are excited. Like every get together we have a POT LUCK dinner, in that way none of us will not be cooking the whole day. Since I organize the gathering it seems that I have responsibility to make sure that we have all we need. Sometimes it ends up over bringing which usually happens. Anyhow, Hubby is done packing the stuff, he got it ready last night. I can tell he is more excited than me. :-) I made my famous pepper steak, cassava pie, pork fried adobo, and of course RICE, the staple food of Pilipino. Better not forget it. And also the sunscreen for protection otherwise my children skin will be turning to fisherman skin like in the Philippines which is healthy looking. Have a Blessed Weekend Everyone!

Kids Behavior.

It amazes me how the kids behave better since hubby has returned. They are good children but I admit it is a little bit hard to discipline them without a man’s presence, especially my boy. Children are always pushing their boundaries when it comes to discipline. As a mother, I love my children and have a soft heart, easily giving up when they want something but not to the point where it leads to spoiling them. In most cases the father will not put up with their bad behavior. That is why they are more aware and watchful how they act when father is around. I am hoping my boy will be over on his terrible 4’s soon.

Hubby's Cooking.

It has been a long time since hubby has cooked because he has been away. When he first steps to the grill he’s worried about if he can do it right. He knows that I am very particular in my food . . . it should be done to it’s perfection. And he also knows that I will be mad if he doesn’t meet my expectations. But, luckily the first time he grilled turned out good the way I like it. The juicy steak and grilled sweet onions with cucumber kimchee as our side dish, so good. Plus of course, we always have steamed jasmine rice as our staple dish. My hubby was happy seeing his family enjoying the food he had prepared.

Driving Around Town.

We had been driving around town since hubby gets back. He wants to find out what is new while he’s gone. It has been very busy going to one place to another and visiting local markets that we love to go and get fresh veggies. We have few arrangement that had changed since he’s home like, being our chauffeur, and this scared me.

I should know that he is been driving most of his life and I should feel safe and comfortable but this wasn’t what I feel. I was terribly scared when he drives, it seems like he just started. I was driving around since he left so maybe I was used to be in control of the wheels and now he’s here, it is kind of new that somebody else is driving.

Meeting Old Friends.

I called my friend this morning to find out what time they will come by so I can prepare something for them. They were on their way and in hours they arrived in town. The last time we saw each other was 4 years ago when we dropped by their house on our way to Boise.

It was nice to see old friends. I was excited about thinking what to cook for them. I know they are not picky but a good meal that will impress them is what I was worried about. I started cooking about 1pm and hoping it will be finished by the time they arrive. Everything was set when she called and they were in our house in 20 minutes. Hubby was outside making sure that they were not lost; and there they are. We had a good time talking and eating. Too bad they couldn’t stay longer because they had to start driving home in two hours. But it was wonderful visit; I am hoping next time they can stay longer.

Having a Great Time.

It seems like the 4th of July had gone quick. We really had a good time and the children also. My friend didn’t arrive on the day I thought, because it was so late when her hubby returned from his fishing trip. I feel kind of sad but what I can do?

Anyhow, our 4th of July celebration was a blast, we have our own shows and the kids are having a ball. Hubby grilled hotdogs and hamburgers as we usually do on this event and later was the fireworks. My kids were having a great time popping those small fireworks and they were surprised by our grand finale, it was two giant sparklers that fizzled out. We don’t get the ones that shoot in the sky since our kids are not old enough, but to them it was awesome. I heard my little boy said to his daddy that next time he wants fireworks that will shoot in the sky with a lot of different colors. They can’t wait till next 4th of July.

Happy 4th of July America.

Today we celebrate the American independence , since I come to the United States we have traditions like cook outs, fire works, America's birthday,and putting up the dusty flag from it's resting place in the garage. The family will gather and decide where we going to celebrate. Hamburgers and hotdogs are popular this time of year . . . and of course it would not be complete without the 4th of July fireworks. This is a lot of fun and I remember the first time I experience this celebration; we all went to the firework store and I cannot imagine that we spent more or less 300 dollars all in all for fireworks. I know some people spend more than we do. It was fun though. We enjoy watching the fireworks and eating juicy hamburgers and talking with the family. This time we will celebrate it with my friend. They will stop by from their trip and celebrate the 4th of July with us. I'd better get ready for the big cookout later this afternoon. Hubby and children will get some fireworks for tonight. I already heard a lot of fireworks two days ago and my kids can't wait to have our own fireworks. Happy 4th of July America!

My man is back in Town.

I cannot describe how happy I was when I learned that he was already in the country. The children and I are excited and cannot wait to see him after six months - - - it feels like he’s been gone for six years. We still had to wait for hours before he finally arrived home. Since it was a holiday weekend all the flights were filled and he got a late flight. I put the kids to the bed early and they struggled to stay awake, I know they were eager to see him.

It was midnight when he arrive safe and sound, thanks goodness. The kids woke up right then when they heard him and we didn't go to bed till morning. We are all tired but we still try to get up. We went to IHOP, our favorite place to go for breakfast. The children told a lot of stories to Daddy of things he missed when he’s away. We had a wonderful breakfast together. It will take a few days before they will get use to each other again. It was kind of new adjustment for the kids and my boy is a little bit shy. I know this will happen when a man of the house is gone a lot. Right now we are so happy knowing that my man is back in town and we are enjoying every bit of it.