Spring – 春天 – chūn tiān
The temperature is rising, and Spring is finally here!
The Northeast had a major snow storm this weekend, we had about 11 inches of snow here. I am not going to talk about the headaches here, including the traffic, canceled flights, shoveling, and slippery roads. Our family used this snow storm as an excuse to relax a little bit during this busiest time of the year. I wrapped some presents, but not too motivated. The boys played in the snow, super cute. (Am I a bad mom for dreading the marathron winter suit prep session?) Husband was the busiest of us all, painted a room, and working on putting up molding. But honestly, it was such a relaxing weekend. We cancelled all of our parties, and didn’t have to run around like crazy. It was definitely an unexpected treat during this time of the year.
I was inspired, and found some beautiful snowy pictures, one of them is NYC of this weekend, courtesey of the New York Times, and of course, some of the most famous places in China. Enjoy!
“Trick a treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat. . .”
My kids have been chanting these words for almost a month now, and I’m happy to say, Halloween is finally here and hopefully that means the end of these words. . .or at least until next Halloween! Halloween is definitely not a Chinese holiday, in fact, most Chinese people are extremely superstitious, therefore, any mention of the ghost is a sign of bad luck. 
Here in the US, however, is a different story. Our neighborhood is bustling with Halloween decorations for the past month, and we’ve been to 2 different Halloween parties already this year! The picture to the right are the 2 jack-o-lanterns my kids did with some help from my husband. I know I’m biased here, but I must say, they look pretty darn good!
It’s also exciting to see the cute costumes on the little ones, usually lots of princesses and super heros. This year is no exception. In fact, parents and kids are getting more creative every year. Some of the best costumes I’ve seen so far this year for the kids are GI Joe’s, personal chef, and a doctor and 2 reckless driver patients.
What’s your favorite Halloween costumes this year? We would love to hear from you!
Yes, we love Grace Lin as much as you do. Besides her beautiful artwork and books, there are more reasons to love her. Every month, at Small Graces, she auctioned an unpublished, original painting of hers and the proceeds will benefit the Foundation of Children’s Books. All 100% of it! The Foundation of Children’s Books is a small non-profit, educational organization in Boston to help children develop the love of reading and learning. Here’s the August picture to give you a little peek. I think this is really cool!!
While I spent a few days at my parents this weekend, they made a nice pot of congee for the boys and me. I always love congee, and even though I make it myself for the boys at home, I still love the kind I grew up with. There’s something really comforting and soothing about it.
For those of you who are not familiar with what congee is, it’s basically rice cooked in a lot of water with various ingredients. Congee used to be for the poor, it was served in times of drought where food are hard to come by. And now, it has become a popular breakfast food for many Chinese people. There are so many ways to cook congee, some with pork, or with beef, or with duck eggs, or with vegetables, or with fish. Maybe I will write my recipe to share with you next time. As for now, let’s just enjoy some mouth watering pictures.
Beach – 海灘 – hǎi tān
I was never a beach person, but more of a pool person. However, now that I am a mom, I really enjoy watching the kids playing on the beach. There’s something really tranquil about that. I am planning on taking the kids this week, will this picture inspire you to do the same?
Rain – 雨 – yǔ
Here in NJ has been pretty rainy last month. The good news is this weekend should be pretty rain free and beautiful. Rainy days also remind me of something beautiful though, just like this picture, showcasing some beautiful Chinese umbrellas.
Found this Flickr group that dedicates to Hong Kong food. Check out the sticky rice shu mai, they make my mouth water. However, nothing beats my all time favorite street food. These rice noodles are the best, and they definitely bring back childhood memories. Enjoy! Even if they are just pictures.
I would love to take the credit but can’t, this is from my high school friend, Wendy. A live cam for those cute pandas at the San Diego Zoo. Too cute. I think my favorite is Su Lin.
