Halloween Scoop

Around three, my daughter went to her room to get ready for the Halloween. She was excited and calm at the same time, knowing it will be a fun Halloween trick or treating neighborhood. She chose this fairy looking costume, all fairies look alike anyway, attached a button switch to turn on blinking lights to brighten up the night and it changes color as well. It was beautiful and perfect for her. Guess what, the costume was an old one, maybe a year or two ago. I can't even remember. Just lucky that she still fits in that costume, thou it was a little tight and had to squeeze herself in. As it is a light blue color, a sparkly purple leggings match it up, knowing the cold fall season can break through into her tender skin during the night. She did it all by herself. What a proud mom I was on Halloween night!.

October 31, 2012

Har wii scaary?      

This will be the first time my daughter will go trick or treating with a friend and that makes it more exciting, I guess. She was quiet but blend in with the other girls just fine. It was a little awkward since she will be the only one who doesn't live in this neighborhood, going with kids who live here. She met one or two from previous acquaintances through her friend's birthday party but the rest are strangers to her. Off they went, all eight of them and it was a blast. It did not matter where she lives. They were like they came from the same neighborhood with one same goal - to collect candies. From one corner to the next block, they swept all the candies from the homeowners' hands, check out the neat Halloween decorations in some houses, showing disappointed faces from houses with lights but nobody is home to open the door for candies. They run as if they want to make sure there is enough candies for them. They knocked on doors, alerting people to open their door. One house in particular prepared them to be cautious when the sound of a chainsaw machine blast on a backyard to scare the bad spirits away ( am not sure if that is their purpose) but it did scare some of the kids. Their eyes look in awe at the decorations and admire the creativity of the homeowner's artistic side. After an hour of going from house to house, something's shifting into the Halloween mood on that Haloween night. One by one, they admit defeat of walking tirelessly when the sack of candies start to feel weighty, legs feeling weak, they just want to go home and rest. On the very last house they knocked, who apologize for running out of candies and end up with apples instead! These kids are persistent!

We went inside her friend's house, drop all candies on the floor to pick and throw. Well, we didn't really throw the candies away but will be using it for giveaways to share with other kids someday. It was fun to see them share their favorite candies, kind of knowing who likes what and giving the candies to the right person. The chocolate ones disappeared the most in each basket. The cheap candies and not so famous ones end up in a big bag to share with others. It was peaceful and no whining at all, as if they know what to do to make this halloween night less scary and brighter.

As we were walking to the car, her dress light up! She totally forgot about the blinking lights on her dress until it reminded her by making it happen without any help from her. So unforgettable! Her dress blinking madly all the way home.

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Reuse broken pottery and vase

Cheap old vase, looks better now

With all the broken and unused pottery around the house, my mind was racing against throwing them away or reuse them. They have been laying here and there for months, ready to leave if I pick them up and move towards the black trash can waiting by the driveway.

Pen holder turn to herb planter

A gift from someone who cares

Some are stack up together and some, isolated and hidden by weeds. With all the potteries laying around, I line them up and look at them to envision what would be best for the wasted potteries, who were all begging for attention and be the next one to be chosen. Some are cheap, some are cute and some pricey, thou not really pricey as I am frugal.

Unused vase, now adds beauty to my kitchen

 So, while staring at them and brain raking for ideas before decisions are to be made and regret it! I have the bright light on, making sure I'd see every details with my keen observation as if I am auctioning it for the best price, errr, actually ideas. At the end my inner desire to be frugal hold on to my sane mind and decided to keep them and eventually reuse them to beautify any boring corner of my house. This time, they will look more alive with any living creatures in them like green plants, green plants with flowers and green plants that travel. Yes, they are going to be use as house pots! Like a vase, just the way they use to be. So, here comes the old, unused and broken potteries - the new look. All of them became a home for some of my plants. And it's good Feng Shui for my house.



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A 6 year old in China left to care for himself.

Six years ago, Ah Long's parents built a house on a hilltop until they passed away and left Ah Long orphan. Last year,   his mother died when he was only 5. She got so sick, was really bad and got so skinny. The once robust father showed the same symptoms and passed away after a year.  At an early age, Ah Long discovered life's hardship with his mother gone. But life is not only hard but cruel for less than a year after his mother's passing, his father followed. He also died of AIDS. It was heartrending for a child so young to become an orphan.

His parent's family took pity on him but were all scared of being infected. In fact, someone was willing to to adopt him.  Before the adoption process,  Ah Long  went through a series of test and the doctors diagnosed him with AIDS. It is for this reason that the couple who wish to adopt him no longer want to proceed for concern of getting it. He was ready for school but was refused because the parents were against the idea of him in the school because of AIDS.  He end up staying home, like a hermit, like a prisoner of his own home. It was like a life nobody wanted. A person nobody wants to be part of.

His grandmother who is 84 years old comes to visit when she can and check on ah Long. It takes a 15 minute walk to get to Ah Longs house. She planted some vegetables close to the house for him to eat but that is all she can do for him. He learned to cook to take care of himself. He learned to read and write. He lived by himself, alone and surviving.

Upon hearing this true story of a 6 year old, I ask myself what kind of a life would that be? 6 and alone. How can he survived loneliness? How is he going to learn love when no one is there to love him?  So many questions in my mind, with no answers.  He must have a heart of stone. He must be tough...



What could be the driving force that keep him going on life,  to keep surviving, to keep living, alone?  What about those moments when he needs someone to talk to? Those moments when he has questions and he could not find the answer? Those nights when it is cold and there is nobody to keep him warm? What about if he slip and get a booboo and nobody to comfort him? I am at loss of words for my heart is crying for his pain, for his loneliness and for his health...

I pray that someone, somewhere out there would give this 6 year old boy the love that he needed. That God will send angels to keep him safe, to enhance his earthly life with new discoveries each day to survive and enjoy the heavenly blessings - his surviving power to live with the life given to him. His acceptance of his life prepared him to keep going, I suppose.

My admiration for this young boy made me realize that if he made it, why can't I? And so I pray...

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Cupcake Party

While cruising around Walmart, we passed  by the cart of Opps! we bake too much for the day and saw boxes of cupcakes in different colors and designs.  They are marked down to 70% off  and comes out really cheap. For a dozen mini cupcakes, it would only cost $1.50 for 12 pieces. My daughter was delighted! Thinking her mother would buy her that box of cupcake as it is markdown to just a little over a dollar. She begged, please.

It has been a while since she last have a piece of cupcake and so as a nice mother can be, she agreed to get one box for her. She was estatic with a loud yeyyyyy!

We got home and she forgot about the cupcake. A day passed and the cupcake sat in the top shelf of the fridge waiting for attention. Finally, the mother can not let a day passed with the cupcake begging for attention, told the daughter to try one. And so she did. She eats one a day but there were too many, a dozen would take 12 days to finish, longer when it excludes weekend. The mother could not bear seeing it, decided to deal with the cupcake. Encouraging her daughter to have some cupcakes, a two maybe for today. The daughter sensing the mother's persistence ask her mother if she would like to have some with her with a begging PLEASEeee....

The mother obliged, hoping to get rid of it immediately. But at the back of her mind it was a struggle as she has been trying to avoid sweets to lose some weight. How can a mother refused the sweet please from her dear daughter. So, out the box of cupcakes from the fridge. The mother had one and the daughter had one. As the mother was busying herself from other house chores, the daughter decided to have another mini cupcake. It was at this very moment the magic happens. The daughter cautiously pick one cupcake up with her tiny hand when it slip from her finger and bounce into the box of cupcakes, while her hand tried to save one cupcake from falling to the floor, she accidentally hit the tip of the cupcake container and out flew all cupcakes on the floor. Oh no!!!

On the floor landed all 10 cupcakes, some kissing the floor with their icing and some landed on the bottom paper cups. The floor became colorful with all the sprinkles of different colors and yet the cupcakes all look yummy to me. The daughter's face was sad and wrinkly from the anger and despoilment of the incident, it was bad. The mother seeing the look in her face was quick to come and help pick up all cupcakes on the floor and said : " Well, we might as well have a cupcake party as all cupcakes wants to get out of the box. How about we eat them and enjoy them like having a party?" The daughter was torn between two cupcakes - yummy  but kissed the floor cupcakes. At the end, the only word that matters to her was yummy no forgetting the dirty floor. We both sat on the floor and each have a cupcake on our hands. Like we are only serving cupcakes on the floor party. I had one just enough for my big mouth and she ate one. We divided evenly the cupcakes but end up not finishing it because the word dirty came to her mind and she stop eating the cupcakes. It became too much to eat for her and both made the decision "no more buying of cupcakes".

Both were happy with the decision they made and now aiming for a much healthier snack, no more place to even think of having cupcakes,we threw them all to the trash can. The trash can now happy with full of sugar cupcakes junk food. They belong there!

It was a less than 10 minute party with good result. The daughter promised out loud " no more buying cupcakes for the rest of the year" and the mother happy, silently whispers " no more telling you enough junk cupcakes for the rest of the year".


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Quickie Dinner Rolls ready to roll

Quick Easy rolls

1 cup warm water
2 packages ( tablespoon) active dry yeast
1 stick butter equivalent to 1/2 cup
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 t salt
4-41/2 cups all purpose flour

Combine warm water and yeast in a measuring cup with a little sprinkle of sugar and set aside until the foam starts to build up, like 2-4 minutes, depending on the room temperature. If you kitchen is warmer, it should start foaming in a minute or two.

Mix butter, sugar, eggs ( at room temperature), salt and flour, one cup at a time. Stir the mixture until all flour mixed in and dough start to stiffened to mix. Cover it with a plastic and let it rise more or an hour. Then it is time to put it in the fridge. Keep it in the fridge for  4 days and be ready for rolls when you need them.

If you are ready to make some for a little snack, cut a quarter of the dough and start rolling into into several balls pieces on a lightly floured board to avoid sticking to your hand. Depending on how much rolls you want for the day and return the rest of the dough back in the fridge for next day rolls.

Grease the baking pan and lined the balls of unbaked rolls, cover and let dough rise in an hour or less.

Preheat oven to 375 and back for 10-15 minutes. Brush warm rolls with melted butter.

On my part, I use the portable oven or mini-oven for baking a little batch as it is good for one serving.  It only takes 10 minutes to bake a small batch and doesn't heat the house during summer months.

Most of the time, I would add a mixture of cinnamon, sugar and butter on top for a cinnamon roll taste.



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