♥Turkey Sandwich♥

Quarantine food for dinner. :-)  Turkey sandwich plus chicken soup, and a side of pickles.
Simple and easy! One of my kids favorite easy meals.

We always stored a bunch of different kinds of soups and other basic foods
for quick grab. Luckily my kids are not too picky especially if their daddy is in-charge of making a quick meal.


Here's what you need to make the Turkey sandwich:

4 slices butter bread
2 tablespoons soften butter
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoon ranch dressing
4 slices Swiss cheese
8 slices deli turkey

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.
Lightly coat one side of each slice of bread with butter; lay out the slices, oiled side down, on a plate.
Spread  mayonnaise and ranch dressing mixture on each slice.
Top two of the slices of bread with a slice of Swiss cheese.
Arrange the turkey on the other two slices of bread.
Bring the two halves together.
Brown the sandwiches in the preheated skillet until the bread is golden brown on both sides and the cheese has melted.

♥Putong Balanghoy♥

Putong Balanghoy is one of the Bisaya's morning or afternoon snacks.
It's good to go with tea, coffee, or even soda. My late mother used to make the Putong Balanghoy and sell it to our village.

It was only a few days ago when I thought about making putong balanghoy, and on my first attempt it turned out perfectly! I was tickled that my daughter loved it, and she even ate the leftovers the next day for breakfast. 😀

This recipe is easy to make; especially since we can buy the grated cassava and grated coconut ready from the Asian store.

Here's how you make it:

Ingredients:

2 cups grated cassava
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup shredded young coconut (optional)

Procedure:

- Using a cheesecloth, squeeze the grated cassava to dispel juices until dry.

- In a bowl, sift through the cassava using hands to break clumps and remove any hard fibers.

- Add brown sugar and shredded young coconut, if using. Stir together until well combined.

- Sprinkle brown sugar in the tin molds.

- Put cassava mixture into the tin molds.

- Arrange the molds in a single layer on the steamer.

- Steam the puto for about 20 minutes.

- Remove from the heat and allow to slightly cool down.

- Invert the puto to release from the molds. Serve warm!

- Enjoy snacking!

Note: You can put toppings like grated coconut or sugar if desired. I just like the old recipe of puto and the simple look of it. Yum yum!!

Tips:
I used clean empty  condensed milk can and make holes in the bottom as tin molds.

Happy birthday, to the most amazing mother in the world♥

I made this birthday card for my mother who celebrated her 77th birthday last week. It was sad that I didn't get a chance to greet on her birthday due to the bad weather and bad telephone connection.

 She's the best mother I could have asked for. I miss her!

I can't wait for her to come visit us again so she can spend time with her grand children. Happy birthday, Nanay! We love you so much.........

Spooky Hallow♥

My kids had a great time attending the Spooky Hallow trick or treat at Camp Humphreys, last Friday. It was an event Camp Humphrey’s community organizes every year for the children and family. It was fun and exciting to wear different costumes!

My 7 year old boy wore a pirate costume and Marianne, my 9 year old girl was dressed up as a witch. It was a clear warm night with a crescent shaped moon in the sky, much different from last year as I remember.

We met some friends and we sat and talked on the ground while watching the Charlie Brown “The Great Pumpkin” on a outdoor movie screen. The kids we’re running around having fun and getting treats from the different booths. The booths were run by soldiers.

Some soldiers dressed up as zombies and did the Michael Jackson,“Thriller” dance. I thought that was awesome! They also did the Gangnam Style dance with the children. It was a fun night for everybody! ♥Happy Halloween everyone♥

 

Our Life Here In Korea:

 I don’t remember the last time I posted my blog! Hmmm Busy - - busy - - busy!!!! Life is beautiful as I always believe.♥ I must say we’re already adjusted our life here in Korea. I am glad we survived - - it’s already one year since we moved in. It seems like yesterday!  

We still have 2 years more to go here in Korea before we’ll decide to go back to the US or go where hubby’s work will be. Yea, we live all over the place!!!

 

 Korea is an interesting country and it is a good experience to live here. ♥

 

 

My daughter’s First Communion.

Today is my daughter’s first holy communion. She is very excited. We got up early getting my children ready for church. This time our church service is earlier than usual for we also celebrate the Easter Sunday.

I know my daughter is getting big, I can’t help looking at her.   She looks so beautiful wearing her communion dress and we are very proud. Good luck sweetheart, for your first communion.

Ipad 2 Apps.

 I thought it is hard to play around with the Ipad2, but it isn't. I’m enjoying it. My kids  love it also. It is very useful, especially when doing their homework.
It is very light and handy. I bring it to bed and surf online, my hubby complains because it keeps him up. Too bad, "you bought it, live with it." Lol. I would say he started to enjoy playing with it and even downloaded a bunch of applications for the kids, educational apps. It’s a fun toy alright.

Ipad 2.

We went to PX one Sunday after church to browse, while the kids attended Sunday school. To my surprise hubby decided to purchase an Ipad 2 and, “I’m what?“ He knows that I’ve been wanting it for so long but I forgot all about it after I got my Iphone.

Okay, he bought the Ipad and handed it to me. Well, thanks goodness it was on sale! He just loves to buy something to surprise me. I have the best husband in the world. What would be the next? Thank you, mahal♥

Healthy Exercise.

5 miles a day is a great accomplishment! We'll see if I can survive. ♥♥♥ Sexy is not just being skinny...but being healthy and happy in spirit♥♥♥. I would say this is my first hard workout ever, in my entire life. I'm loving it!
It surprised me though that my asthma is behaving with my new exercise routine. I think my body is getting used to it as I embrace the workout . Afterward a simple hot bath  and gentle rub down will help me sleep well like a baby.J

Communication Angst

Content by Kyle Lowe
My sister’s company specializes in customized graphics and she has experienced a multitude of ups and downs in the growth of her business. What started out as a physical, pounding the pavement and earning every opportunity, had blossomed into a highly profitable, multiple offices, mega dream. We were so proud of her. But with the growth, comes growing pains & over a family dinner she mentioned how her technology needs were multiplying along with her stress. The need for an Ethernet private line was on top of her wish list. Normally I would give her a confused look but actually had heard of this and I recommended t1internet.net which specializes in products for businesses that need dedicated point to point Ethernet connectivity between office locations. Can you say Sister of the Year? After her research, she found a product to open up the communication between her offices and making her company highly productive. Who would have thought a simple suggestion from me could actually have solved such an incredible communication issue. After all, I know nothing about running a business but I do have shining moments of clarity.

Workout.

It's another day of successful workout. I started going to gym with the motivation of my Thai friends. At first, it was hard but like the old saying says " No Guts, No Glory” so I kept going and I’m enjoying more each day.

Work out is not only for losing weight but it is also a good activity that we all need to keep our body healthy and fit. Of course, it goes with a combination of well balance diet and positive attitude. J

Girl's night out.

I had my first exciting and fun girl’s night out dinner last night. I went to a Korean buffet with the beautiful ladies I meet here in Korea. The fun part started early when we got lost driving around town to find our meeting place. We asked the locals but unfortunately they didn’t speak English. "duh" . So, we had the idea to stopped at the local police station to asked for directions.

Thanks ...God he spoke English and he was very helpful and even took us to the place. It was late and we are starving,, I guess the driving around is worth it because the restaurant food was very good. I found out that if you get too much food and you can’t eat it all you will pay extra. So, we had to sit there and eat until all the food was gone. Hahahahaha! It’s a punishment!

Homebuyer

Thanks to Jonathon Woods

Buying my home was a huge decision but I didn’t do it without help. I had a really great realtor who guided me through the whole process and even my attorney was nice about the fact that I didn’t know what I was doing. The contractor I hired to do some of the small renovations was great and even gave me a small discount (I think so I would want to use him the next time around) and all in all I think it was just a more smooth process than I thought it would be. I went to a cabletv advisor to look into satellite and the guys at the home improvement store have even been super helpful when it comes to things like paint colors and lighting for the interior. I don’t really know how anyone becomes a homeowner without tapping into a great support system – I would have been so lost without all the helpful people around me! Even my mom is great when it comes to giving me home advice!

Rice Puto or Rice Muffins.

This is one of my favorite afternoon snacks. You can also see rice puto/muffins served in some Filipino gatherings and occasions. Below is the recipe on how to make it. I hope you will enjoy as much as I do. 2 cups rice flour.
1/2 tsp. salt.
1 cup white sugar.
3 tsp. baking powder.
2 cups coconut milk.
2 tbsp. melted butter.
1 egg.

- Mix all the dry ingredients.
-Add the coconut milk , butter, egg to the dry mixture and blend well.
-Pour the batter into individual molds.
-Steam for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Animal Channels

Post contributed by Josue Durham
I can't believe all the science channels that are on our Direct tv. My son loves all the animal shows that teach all about some exotic animal. He goes around telling everyone all these random facts about some bat that lives in Africa and how it decides what to eat on how it smells. My favorite was this show my husband and I watched the other night about how the mind works. It was an interactive show where you got to actually test what they were teaching you. They had these dancers on a stage and we were told to focus on there feet and count the number of times their feet stepped in the circles that were on the floor. My husband and I were determine we would be able to focus and count the correct number of times. At the end of the dance, we had counting correctly and we were patting ourselves on the back proud of how attentive we are to details. Then the host said, “you may have counted correctly, but did you notice the giant panda bear that walked across the stage?”. What! There is no way that we missed that detail! Then they played it back and plain as day a giant panda walked across the stage! We had totally missed it because we were so focused on the dancers' feet.

Everything's Bigger

Authored by Raymond WhitneyMy husband and I started a woodworking business last year in Houston and have been busting it to make the big time ever since. Well, not the big time. Is there even a “big time” in woodworking..? We’re just trying to pay our bills. It has been a tough road, but we have finally graduated from a table saw in the dining room to having our own – albeit teeny – shop downtown. We thought we needed a place to show and sell our works since few people were being exposed to the finished products except at art shows. So, we got a real estate agent, found a place, tried to shopelectricityratestexas.com for the best prices since we use LOTS of electricity running power tools, and made the move to finally rid our apartment of saws, drills, and wood glue. It was the best decision we could have made. We have more foot traffic in one day’s work than we had in a month’s worth of craft fairs. People are finally asking for our pieces by name. It’s true what they say, all things – even businesses– are bigger in Texas!

The Hindu Kush.

This is the poem that hubby wrote when he was in Afghanistan. I thought I would share it here.

The Hindu Kush

Hoplites, Tommys, Cossacks, soldiers all,
And now us; our boots, our sweat, our blood, our tears
Challenged the landscape of the Hindu Kush
A century now, perhaps two
Others will come, soldiers all
To harden their youth
And the wind will call in spring,
down from the mountains of the Hindu Kush.

Hard grubbed sparkles;
Rubies, emeralds, sapphires, tourmaline's.
Beneath the solders path now silent of booted echo
Mountains, eternal so
Commenting not on a transit soul
Jealous land, hard bitten and hard bite
Burns bright in summer time,
wind, hot, dry breath
down from the mountains of the Hindu Kush.

Cool winds hint of autumns change.
Flash of fire, echoed thunder not of natures work.
Medics call, tender hands lift broken friends.
Soft cries from those still living.
Carried by the winds from the mountains of the Hindu Kush.

A helicopter came,
The commander’s solitary walk to greet his soldiers.
We in formation, attention, others standing, pausing in the days work,
Just this morning time, my wish, this day to hurry to its end.
Engines shut down , now quiet.
No worries about time coming home from those mountains.
They left the helicopter one by one, carried by their comrades and place upon a flag draped truck.
Quiet.
Except for the wind that comes down in winter from the mountains called the Hindu Kush.


K.W. Pearce 2006/2010

Walking.

It has been awhile since we start walking as one of our healthy family habits. It seems our day would not be complete without it, especially after a cold day. This is one thing that I thought will give us more fun time and bonding as a family. The children will ride their bicycles or scooter and we enjoyed the walking for 30 minutes to 1 hour. It's quite enough.

Daddy is always bringing some treats for the kids like; suckers, candies, water and such just in case one complains. . . you know how kids are, they are easily get tired and bored and with one bribe they will stop whining and keep going. The fun part though is when we stop by a lake and look and feed the ducks and enjoy the beautiful scene and the cool breezes that nature can offer. Along with the greetings of people you meet on the way makes you remember how beautiful life is.

Spring Cleaning

SPRING CLEANING 2011. Last Week I threw out worrying, it was getting old and in the way. It kept me from being me; I couldn't do things God's way. I threw out a book on MY PAST(Didn't have time to read it anyway). Replaced it with NEW GOALS, started reading it today. I threw out hate and bad memories,(Remember how I treasured them so)?Got me a NEW PHILOSOPHY too, threw out the one from long ago. Brought in some new books too, called I CAN, I WILL, and I MUST.Threw out I might, I think and I ought. WOW, you should've seen the dust..PRAYER, HOPE, FAITH and LOVE,Yes... I placed them right on the shelf.
I picked up this special thing and placed it at the front door.I FOUND IT- it's called PEACE. Nothing gets me down anymore.Yes, I've got my house looking nice.Looks good around the place.For things like Worry and Trouble there just isn't any space.It's good to do a little house cleaning,Get rid of the things on the shelf.It sure makes things brighter; maybe you should TRY IT YOURSELF.

BE BLESSED AND BE A BLESSING TO SOMEONE ELSE!!!!
May the Lord open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing thatyou will not have room enough to receive it all.May the Lord bless you exceedingly abundantly above all you could everhope for. Keep the Faith!!!
Via-Email

Environmentally friendly office transition

Guest post written by Bryan Reeves

When I got the office memo (via email) that our office was finally going to start going green, I was really excited. Most office memos were still sent around on pieces of paper, which was really behind on the times, and I was glad to see that the email said that all memos were to be sent via email and not on paper from now on. At least that's one step in the right direction.

That got me thinking about all the other things that the office could to as a means to be green. While I was checking out some ideas online, I came across some green energy service plans, found one that would work for my home and decided to check it out.

I'm really l! ooking forward to see all the other adjustments that are going to be made at work to make it an environmentally friendly office. I'm expecting more rules about printing and limiting the use of disposable cups and silverware in the break room.