31 Ways to Pray for Your Children

This list of 31 Ways to Pray was done by Bob Hostetler.  I first received it as a prayer card at my church quite a few years ago.  I will be a workshop speaker at the upcoming PWOC Asia Regional Conference and will be handing this prayer card out to those in my class.

1 Salvation "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory"

(Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10).

2 Growth in Grace "I pray that they may 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ'"

(2 Peter 3:18).

3 Love "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to 'live a life of love,' through the Spirit who dwells in them"

(Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22).

4 Honesty and Integrity " May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection"

(Psalm 25:21, NLT).

5 Self-Control " Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be 'alert and self-controlled' in all they do"

(1 Thessalonians 5:6)

6 A Love for God's Word " May my children grow to find your Word 'more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb'"

(Psalm 19:10).

7 Justice " God, help my children to love justice as you do and to 'act justly' in all they do"

(Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8).

8 Mercy " May my children always 'be merciful, as [their] Father is merciful'"

(Luke 6:36).

9 Respect (for self, others, authority) " Father, grant that my children may 'show proper respect to everyone,' as your Word commands"

(1 Peter 2:17a).

10 Strong, Biblical Self-Esteem " Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are 'God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus'"

(Ephesians 2:10).

11 Faithfulness "' Let love and faithfulness never leave [my children],' but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts"

(Proverbs 3:3).

12 Courage "May my children always 'Be strong and courageous' in their character and in their actions"

(Deuteronomy 31:6).

13 Purity "'Create in [them] a pure heart, O God,' and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions"

(Psalm 51:10).

14 Kindness "Lord, may my children 'always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else'"

(1 Thessalonians 5:15).

15 Generosity "Grant that my children may 'be generous and willing to share [and so] lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age'"

(1 Timothy 6:18-19).

16 Peace, Peaceability "Father, let my children 'make every effort to do what leads to peace'"

(Romans 14:19).

17 Joy " May my children be filled 'with the joy given by the Holy Spirit'"

(1 Thessalonians 1:6).

18 Perseverance " Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to 'run with perseverance the race marked out for [them]'"

(Hebrews 12:1).

19 Humility " God, please cultivate in my children the ability to 'show true humility toward all'"

(Titus 3:2).

20 Compassion " Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion"

(Colossians 3:12).

21 Responsibility " Grant that my children may learn responsibility, 'for each one should carry his own load'"

(Galatians 6:5).

22 Contentment " Father, teach my children 'the secret of being content in any and every situation. . . . through him who gives [them] strength'"

(Philippians 4:12-13).

23 Faith " I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them"

(Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40).

24 A Servant Heart " God, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, 'as to the Lord, and not to men'"

(Ephesians 6:7, KJV).

25 Hope " May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit"

(Romans 15:13).

26 The Willingness and Ability to Work Hard " Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, 'as working for the Lord, not for men'"

(Colossians 3:23).

27 A Passion for God " Lord, please instill in my children a soul that "followeth hard after thee," a heart that clings passionately to you

(Psalm 63:8, KJV).

28 Self-Discipline " Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire 'a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair'"

(Proverbs 1:3).

29 Prayerfulness " Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to 'pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests"

(Ephesians 6:18).

30 Gratitude " Help my children to live lives that are always 'overflowing with thankfulness,' 'always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ'"

(Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 5:20).

31 A Heart for Missions " Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples"

(Psalm 96:3).

Blessings

Happy Fall!!

I am so excited that fall is here!  This is one of my favorite seasons.  I love everything pumpkin, roasting marshmellows over a fire, cool weather that requires a cozy sweater and a good-smelling Yankee candle.  It's the time for apple picking, hayrides and corn mazes.  And jumping in the leaves on a clear, sunny day. 

While living in Korea, we still get to experience fall weather, Yankee candles and even pumpkins, which are for sale at the commissary, but I still miss the other aspects that make fall....well FALL.



Every morning I wake up, light a candle and open the window above my kitchen sink.  The cold air reminds me that fall is here.

The other day I baked pumpkin muffins and later in the week I think I'll make a pumpkin pie.  YUM!  I hope the commissary keeps the canned pumpking stocked up. 

What is your favorite season? What makes that season special to you?

Dragon Hill Lodge

This week my husband did a Marriage Retreat at the Dragon Hill Lodge in Seoul for the soldiers and spouses from his unit.  Since the three day event was down in Seoul, the girls and I decided to join him for these few days. 

I was able to attend a few of the sessions he was doing for the married couples and individuals (those who are assigned to Korea for one year without their spouse or family).  At this retreat he presented the video series "Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage" by Mark Gungor.  I'm not sure if you have seen this before, but the parts I saw were really good.  And of course, you are laughing most of the time, knowing how true it is.

I learned something new about my husband, or even men in general.  They have a "nothing box" and they like to go there frequently.  No wonder my husband seems disengaged at times.  It all makes sense now.

Since I missed a few sessions, I'll have to borrow his video and take a look at the rest of the portions that I missed.  Overall it appears that those who atteneded had a good time.  My prayer is that is individual who attended, walked away with something new and fresh that they can apply to their marriage. 

Happy Birthday!!

Today is my second daughter's 11th birthday.   Boy how time flies.  Due to one of her friends moving, we celebrated last week.  She wanted a Red Carpet Birthday party, so red carpet we did.  The girls had lots of fun and my husband played the role of a bouncer.

Today, as a family,  we had a special dinner and cake to wish Katelyn a happy birthday.

Where were you?

There are a handful of dates that are stuck in my memory.  I will always remember where I was on those specific days.  Some of them bring happy memories, like my wedding day or the birth of my children.  Others bring to my memory times that are not so happy, like 9/11.

I had just started a new job at the local hospital. Even though my job would be working nights, I had to train for a week during the day.  I was sitting in my office entering data in the computer when a supervisor came in to say that a plane hit one of the World Trade Centers. 

My first thought, was how strange!  Wasn't air traffic control doing their job.  Did we know anyone who worked in the WTC?  Since my husband was from New York City, there was a good chance that we knew someone who worked there.

Then minutes later, we heard that another plane had gone into the second WTC.  I knew it was no accident at that point.  I picked up the phone and called my husband, who was at home with our almost four and one year old daughters.  I told him to turn on the TV right away.

For awhile, my co-workers and I went into the Same Day Surgery waiting room where the TV was on to catch the latest news coverage.  It was unfathomable what was taking place.  Too crazy that it didn't seem real.

That day will be forever in my memory.  By the end of the day, too many innocent lives were lost in the United States.  War came home and on our own soil.  If ever, a nation needed the Lord, this is one of those times.

Free Kindle E-books

I love to read!  And a free book makes it even better. Recenty I downloaded the Kindle app for my computer. Don't have a kindle?  You can get a free reader app here.

I have noticed that the prices change often and what is free today, might not be free tomorrow.  So hurry up and download these books today!

The Preacher’s Bride  by Jody Hedlund

A Hope Undaunted by  Julie Lessman

My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogal Sawyer

No Place for a Lady  by Maggie Brendan

A Daughter's Inheritance   by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller

Craving God   by Lisa TerKeurst

Photos on our drive to Yongsan

We live about 25 miles north of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. There is a larger Army post in Seoul that we drive to on a regular basis. Some days it can take about one hour to get from our home to Yongsan, while on other days it can take up to two hours on more. Yesterday we drove down there to drop off Marissa at a friend's house. I took along my camera and shot a few pictures along the way.

Electricity in Korea

I might have posted about this last year but my mind is being refreshed again. It has been hot and humid here and we have been running the air conditioning more that normal.  We do not have central air in our Korean apartment but free-standing units that supply ac to the room in which they were installed.  We only have two AC units for our three bedroom apartment, so not every room gets cooled as nicely as I would like.

Electricity in Korea is not too bad...if you don't use much.  But, the more  you use, the more you pay.  You would think that if I used 50K and my bill was $70.00 that I would be able to use 100K and my bill would be $140.00.  Not so true!! 

Last month we used 350K and our bill was about $60.00. Hey, I can handle a bill like that.   This month our usage is around 740K and unfortunately our bill will be about $300.00, and that is just for electricity.  This past fall there was a rate hike on utilities in Korea and the chart that I am posting may be off a little bit, but at least it gives you an idea of how it works.

We are a frugal family as it is and I would say that we had one or two days that we had the air on for more than 5 hours.  The other days, we would turn on the AC in the late afternoon or early evening, just to cool down the house so everyone could fall asleep.  I have heard of people spending almost $1,000 a month just on electricity.  They are probably running it most of the day and /or evening.  I'm just glad I don't have to pay their bills.


Here is the electricity usage chart.

Quick and Easy Meals

I wanted to share this video with you because this is exactly what I do, when I'm not living in Korea that is.  Here in Korea, we can only get frozen ground beef or frozen chicken breasts.  We can choose to buy the fresh meat at the local Korean grocery store but meat here are VERY expensive.  I think this video that Jen made says what I would say, if I was doing a video.  I like reading her blog too!  Check her out at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Love this song!

Homeschooling for High School

This coming school year, my oldest daughter will be starting her freshman year of high school. Wow, I can't believe she is that old already.  It seems like just yesterday that we were beginning our homeschool journey with kindergarten.  Things were easier back then.  I only had one child to teach.  I didn't have to worry about transcripts, high school credits or a diploma.

When we were in the United States, we would follow the homeschool laws of the state where we lived. Even if we had residency in Pennsylvania but our family was living in South Carolina, we were subject to the laws of South Carolina. 

But things aren't that easy here in South Korea.  Since we don't live in a state, what homeschool guidelines or rules do we fall under??  I have been very concerned about making sure Marissa's high school years count or that she can get a diploma after we leave Korea next year. By the time she graduates high school, we could be living in at least 3 if not 4 different locations or states.  I don't want her to be at a loss because I didn't do the right thing.

So because of our unique situation, I have been researching accredited schools that she could attend.  My first choice was a local International Christian School here in South Korea.  It's a great school with electives and it's accredited  BUT it costs over $15,000.  Not quite in the price range I had been hoping for.

My search then took me to online Christian schools.  And there are a lot of them.  Some are all computer based, while others send you everything you need to complete their coursework.  Some are accredited, while many are not.

We finally decided on a school that was recommended to us by a retired US Army Colonel.  Our choice for Marissa for this fall is NorthStar Academy.   In the dealings that I have had with the school thus far, I am very pleased.  Marissa doesn't officially start school until next Monday, but we are looking forward to a good year.

I know that I probably could have just taught Marissa myself and not have worried about finding an accredited school, but I had to make a decision that was right for our family right now. 

Maybe you are in a time of making decisions for your life or those in your family.  Let me encourage you to seek the Lord.  He will give you wisdom when you ask Him.  Trust Him to lead you and your family today.

Back in Korea

Since the end of May, the girls and I had been in the United States. We had a wonderful time reconnecting wtih family and friends, while also making some new friendships too.  While I was not eager to return to Korea, my husband and I made the decision to keep our family together.  So last week, we all came back to finish the remainig 8 months of my husband's tour here.

As we returned, Korea is in the middle of it's monsoon season. Just the week before our arrival, the area where we live, received over 22 inches of rainfall in just over 36 hours.  Needless to say, there were mudslides and flooding.  Many businesses near one of the local Army posts were badly damaged. 

Again, we are looking at getting more rain from the remnants of a typhoon that is in the Yellow Sea.  I guess the 5 inches we are expected to get is nothing in comparison to the storm that hit over a week ago.

I am hoping to get back into a blogging routine.  To be more consistant than I have been previously.  I don't know how some woman, who homeschool, cook everything from scratch and have more than 7 kids, keep up with blogging.  Maybe when we get back into the states, I can attend a conference on blogging to better understand how life in cyber blog space really works.

Until then, I will try to be faithful with the little, so that I might be faithful with much.

Sketchy Internet and Update

Since returning from my aunt's house in Indiana, internet has been sketchy at my parent's house.  I could not get pages to fully load, let alone trying to upload pictures.  I am happy to say that it looks like things are back to normal, at least for now.

We have now been in the states visiting family for the last eight weeks.  Wow, has it really been that long?  I can't believe how time has flown already.  We are drawing near the end of our trip and in just under three weeks, we will be heading back to Korea for the rest of my husband's tour.

BUT not before my husband comes to the states for a few weeks of R&R.  He has been trying to get out of Korea for the last day and a half.   There was suppose to be a promising flight today, but it appears that it has now been delayed.  I am hoping only for a few hours and not a few days. 

There is also another possible flight that is heading CONUS (Continental USA) that he might be able to jump on.  We are just waiting things out and I am hoping that by the time I wake up tomorrow, I will have some good news.

We are all anxious for Angel (aka Daddy) to get here and join us.  Most, if not all, of us are not looking forward to returning to Korea.  We like living in the USA too much.  I pray that this next year flies by quickly.

Our trip to Indiana

Last week, early on Sunday morning, my parents, the girls and I loaded up in two cars and headed out for a 10 plus hour trip to Indiana.  My dad's sister lives in Fort Wayne but also has a lake house not far from there in Columbia City...and that's where we were going. 

For the most part the trip was uneventful.  We stopped a few times for potty breaks or to switch passengers and/or drivers along the way.  We were more than ready to get out of the car and when we arrived to the lake house, the adults were left standing at the cars while the kids had taken off in search of some fun.

My sister and her family had made the trip west a few days earlier and were already enjoying lazy days at the lake.  It was a nice time to get away from Pennsylania and to visit with family that we have only seen once a year for the past 10 years.  My aunt and uncle were gracious hosts and we enjoyed ourselves at their lake home.

Happy Indpendence Day!!

As I drove around my parents' town this weekend, I saw an large number of flags.  Some where waving from peoples porches, while others were stuck in the ground, put there in honor of someone who gave their life for our freedom. 

So many times we take for granted our freedom in the USA.  We wave our countries flag around without taking into consideration the cost to obtain those stars and stripes....the ultimate price that was paid for our freedoms....lives have been lost. 

In the same way, Christ willingly gave His life so that we might be free. 

It is for freedom that He (Christ) set us free.  Galatians 5:1

May we live our lives not held in slavery or bondage to the things of this world, but  may we live as one who is free.

Thank you to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our nations freedom.


Thank you Jesus for the freedom that we have in a relationship with you.

No internet

This past week I was in a location that did not have internet.  We are back at our "base camp" (aka, my parents' house) so I will be able to upload my posts regularly now.

Reconnecting

This past week has been all about reconnecting.  On Tuesday, I got together with three of my good friends from high school and their children at a local park.  Everyday this week I have taken my girls to VBS at the church where Angel and I were married.  And on Wednesday, I met up with my college roommate's parents, who were in Pennsylvania for a Car Show.

It has been over 18 years since I saw my college roommate, Pat and her family.  After she left school and moved back to South Carolina, we kept in touch for a few years.  I ended up switching colleges and getting married and somewhere in between we lost touch.  With the rise in social networking in the recent years, we were able to reconnect via Facebook.  It has been nice to see what path our lives have taken over the years.

Nicole and Pat at Elim  (1990)

One of my fond memories of her mom is the "Care Packages" that she would send to Pat and I while we were in college.  The donuts were always a hit and homemade for us with love!  Pat and I shared a lot of memories during our time at Elim.  It is always funny to look back at our big hair!  We had lots of laughs, especially during Study Time, shhh, don't tell the RA (resident assistant).  Ha, ha...I think she already knew.

After visiting the Extreme Makeover site, the girls and I were off to the Olive Garden to meet up with Pat's parents, Paul & Edith and two of their grandchildren.  We had a nice dinner and great time reconnecting after all these years.  I think everyone, from young to old enjoyed themselves and made some new friends.

Extreme Makeover: York County PA Edition

About a month ago, I heard a rumor that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was coming to York County PA, where I grew up.  The location of the York County build was not completely revealed until this past Sunday when the Keefer Family of Etters, PA was chosen.

Before we moved to Korea, it was a ritual in our family to watch Extreme Makeover every Sunday night.  For the past year, we have not been able to see the show due to being overseas but we still love watching it when we can.

I thought it would be fun to go on location where the build was being done and to see it in person.  So on Wednesday, after VBS, I packed the girls up and we headed north.  Red Mill Elementary School is the staging ground for getting people to and from the work site.   It was here that we boarded the Spectator bus to take us over.

Even though we did not see any famous people, it was a neat experience. While we were at the site, they were Tyveking the house and getting ready for siding.  We might even go back again tomorrow to check out the progress.

What shows do you like to watch as a family?

Make New Friends, Keep the Old

On Tuesday, I got together with three old friends from high school...Kim, Kellie and Beth.  They all graduated in the same year but I was two years behind them.  Not only did we attend high school together but we went to the same church growing up.  Our plan was to grab the kids and head out to a park that was located in the middle of where we are all living.  We got a little mixed up as to where we were heading but eventually we ended up at the same park. 

Between the four of us, we have thirteen children.  We were minus one child, who was at camp but we had a great time.   The kids got along very well and the moms sat and talked for hours.  We had a great time catching up on where our lives have taken us over the last 20 years.

My oldest was content to sit with the adults so when it was picture time, we put her to work.  The posed picture with our hands on each other's shoulders is similar to one we took after a Homecoming or Prom in high school. I would have posted the old picture too but since we are in the states on vacation and my pictures are in Korea, we'll have to wait on that one.

Vacation Bible School

Today the girls and I went back to the church where Angel and I took our vows just over 17 years ago.  Not only were we married there but I attended Missionettes and Youth group when I was younger. . It brought back a lot of memories going back to Shrewsbury AG.  And I ran into a lot of people that I haven't seen in years.

The reason for going back to the church was for the girls to attend the Vacation Bible School program.  With our move to Korea last year, the girls have not had an opportunity to participate in church programs for kids and teens, as the chapels where we live do not have anything like that.  Marissa is signed up to be a helper, while the other three girls will be participating in the program itself.  I know they are all excited! 

During this week the girls will be heading back to Nazareth, where Jesus was a kid.  As always, Shrewsbury AG puts on quality programs and I am excited to see what the girls will learn this week.
Here is a sampling from Group Publishing's VBS program, Nazareth.

Will your family be participating in a VBS program this year? 

Does your church sponsor a VBS for your community? 

From the days when my husband pastored, I have seen great results of Vacation Bible School programs.  I pray that the lives of the children attending this week at Shrewsbury AG will be changed.

My thoughts

Since we’ve been back in the states, everyone asks how we like Korea and my response has been, it’s ok.  The older girls are frequently asked, “Do you like Korea?” and their response usually is, “not really”.  I began to reflect on our responses.  Have I in some part been negative?  Am I influencing my children in a way that is not positive?  And then it hit me.

Angel had been home from his yearlong tour to Iraq for one month when he received orders to go to Korea.  His report date was only 90 days later.  And while we he had 30 days leave, as soon as we got back to Texas from our vacation, we were in full force to make an international move.  Appointments to be made, information to be searched, things to be sorted.  We did not have time to reintegrate our family from deployment.

To top it off, I had a miscarriage the week the packers and movers arrived.  The girls and I went to PA to visit family for a month before the big move and then we had to wait for my husband to find housing in Korea before we were able to join him, another month later.

Add to that the stress of a new culture, lifestyle, language and all that goes along with moving overseas.  By the time I was beginning to get comfortable, BAM….culture shock hit.  I struggled with living in Korea and only did what I needed to survive each day.  I stopped the routines that I had established before the move…baking fresh bread, exercising and doing things for personal growth.  I did not have the same support system in Korea that I had while in Texas, such as a strong FRG, chaplain spouses’ group and homeschooling neighbors.  I felt alone.

By this time North Korea was acting up and we did not know whether or not the next day or hour would mean we would be evacuated.  It was a trying time during the holidays.

I was counting down the days until my mom would arrive.  And while I had a wonderful time with my parents, I was wishing I was back in the states.  Angel and I had talked about whether or not the girls and I should return stateside and stay there for the remainder of his tour.  Every day I would go back and forth…it was a good idea, it was a bad idea.

At this point, we have decided that no matter how hard things may be in Korea, at least we will weather the storm together.  I am determined that when we move from Korea next Spring, that my response will not be, “it was OK”, but that I will be able  to sincerely say that we have really enjoyed our time there.

I hope our family reintegrates better during these next 10 months, then we had done the previous year.  I know that God is faithful.  I recognize that it’s the prayers of the body of Christ that gets me through the tough times.  BUT I am determining in my heart that I will THRIVE, not just survive the remainder of Angel’s tour in Korea.

The Space A Experience - Part 1

 Today's blog is for all of those military dependents out there who have ever wondered about taking a Space A flight but have yet to do so.  You may have heard of Space A but never really knew what it was all about.   When it comes to flying Space A, the more information you have the better.

Well let’s start with the basics.  Space A stands for Space Available. There are military flights that go around the world each day.  These flights might be relocating people, moving cargo or a variety of other things.  Sometimes these airplanes are not completely full and that is when the available space is offered to the military sponsor and/or their dependents.  Some flights may have 5 open seats, while others may have over 30. 

Who is eligible for Space A?  Well that is a good question.  On a regular day, a uniformed member of the military along with his/her dependents is eligible to fly.  BUT, there are a few reasons that  dependents can fly without their sponsor.  This includes but is not limited to emergency situations, those with deployed sponsors, Command Sponsored OCONUS dependents,  Non-Command Sponsored CONUS located dependents,  Command Sponsored OCONUS dependents on EML. 

I know this sounds a bit confusing, but let me direct you to a site that explains in detail much of this information that I have shared.  http://spacea.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

I have learned a lot in the last few weeks as I prepared to leave South Korea and fly home Space A to visit my family in the United States.  One of these things is that those flying on Space A are broken down into different categories. Depending upon how and why you are flying, will determine which category you will be assigned to for your trip.

Since I was flying without my sponsor from an OCONUS duty station to CONUS, it put me in Category V (5) of the 6 Categories.   I made the decision to get approval for EML which bumped me up to Category IV.  Here is a summary of the categories:

                   Category I – Unfunded Emergency Leave
                 Category II – AD (Active Duty) on EML and their accompanying family members
                 Category III -   AD and their accompanying family members, House Hunting Permissive TDY, unaccompanied dependents of deployed service members (365 plus day deployment)
                 Category IV -  Unaccompanied dependents on EML or sponsor is deployed for 120 days
                 Category V – Unaccompanied dependents of AD (command/non-command sponsored), Permissive TDY
                 Category VI – Retirees and their accompanied dependents

I must tell you upfront, I am not the adventurous type and doing a trip from South Korea to the United States without my husband but with my 4 daughters in tow, was a big deal for me.  When we moved to Korea, I had to do this same trip but I was on a commercial flight with flight attendants, meals and movies.  From the stories I had heard, Space A would not be the same.  BUT the idea of saving the cost of 5 commercial airlines tickets at $1500.00 a piece is what enticed me. 

Tomorrow I will begin to share my Space A journey from South Korea to the United States with you.  Stay tuned.

March Wrap Up

Where has the time gone.  I can't believe it's already May.  This year is moving by quickly.  Here is a recap of what went on in the month of March for our family.

We celebrated my husband's 43rd birthday.  Wow is he getting old. LOL  At least I can say that no matter how old I get, he will always be older than me :)

My mom (referred to as Mom Mom by my girls) arrived from the states to spend a month with us in South Korea.  The girls were very excited to have Mom Mom here.

We took Mom Mom to Itaewon for a little shopping.

The girls enjoy having "Tea Time" with my mom and being in Korea is no exception.  They asked Mom Mom to prepare a tea party for them to enjoy.

The end of March brought both joy and sadness.  The same day that we planned to pick up my dad (aka Pop Pop) at the airport, we also dropped off Angel's Chaplain Assistant Annette for her flight back to the United States.  Her tour here was only for a year and she was heading on to spend time with her family before reporting to her next duty station.  Annette, you will be missed.  I pray you are being blessed at your new duty station.

Later that same afternoon at the airport, we picked up my dad.  It had almost been a year since we had seen my dad...unless you count skyping.  One of the downfalls of being stationd overseas...you don't get to see family as much as you'd like.

March was a whirlwind and brought April upon us quickly.  And that to was here and gone before I knew it, but I'll save that for a different post.

Back to Blogging

It has been way too long since I have posted.  With my mom's arrival, then my dad's and our family trip to China, I have not had the time I wanted to blog.  I am hoping to get back into a routine and write about all the wonderful things we did over the past month or so.  To give you a photo glimpse of our adventures, I will share a few pictures from our trip to Beijing.  Happy Blogging!

She's Here

It's been over 9 months since I have seen my parents and our family was getting excited as we counted down the days until my mom's arrival.  Last week we cleaned the house, washed the sheets and prepared the little girls room for my mom's arrival.  On Thursday we headed out to the Incheon Airport to wait for her plane to land.  It took me a while to find out that her plane had landed and at which gate she had arrived. 

The girls had made a sign and could not wait for their Mom Mom to get to Korea.  I finally realized that the plane had arrived early and when I started scanning the airport, saw my mom already waiting for us.  The girls ran and screamed at the sight of their grandmother.

It was non-stop chatter in the car all the way home.  Each of the girls wanted to tell Mom Mom about this and that and everything in between.   They were beyond excited at that point.  We have been busy just spending time together and reconnecting after these last 9 plus months of not seeing her.

Our next countdown has also begun.  This one is for the arrival of my dad, Pop Pop.  He will be here next week and the girls can't wait to see him too!

China Tour

Being stationed in South Korea has it's advantages. ...one of those advantages is that we are much closer to The Great Wall of China than we would be if we were in the states.  Once we had orders for Korea, we began to brainstorm of the things we would want to do during our tour here.  At the top of the list of things to see and do was to see one of the Great Wonders of the World.Well that dream is getting closer to being a reality. Our trip is all planned and I am getting excited for the date to get here.  Our family and my parents will be going to China for five days and four nights.  We will fly from Seoul, Korea to Beijing China. 
We have arranged a private tour to many of the great attractions of the city. 
Day 1 - Dinner and an Acrobatic Show
Day 2 -  Great Wall, Ming Tombs
Day 3 –  Forbidden city, Temple of Heaven

Day 4 –  Summer Palace, Silk Market,

Day 5 – Free Day
I am hoping that the next month goes by quickly and we have a great time on our vacation.  Hopefully I'll have some pictures of our trip to post next month.

Happy Birthday!

The other day I tried to post but something about cookies not being enabled, it would not let me proceed.  On Thursday we celebrated Victoria's 6th Birthday.  I can't believe she is growing up so fast.  When she was five, she was still such a little girl but now that she is six, it seems that she is becoming a big girl.  Since my husband was away for work on her birthday, we are celebrating over the weekend.

Victoria is my 3rd daughter.  She is full of wit and humor.  She gets things that I never would have imagined a five year old six year old would get.  She brings a smile to my face and makes me laugh almost every day.  I love her so much and I am thankful that God has blessed our family with her.

Victoria...Happy 6th Birthday!!!

The Search is On

I am on a quest.  I am in search of a good recipe.  Not just any recipe, but a recipe that will be used as a staple in our home.  A bread recipe.  And it has to be a whole wheat bread recipe.

I had borrowed one from a friend and currently this is the one that I make each week.  It is a solid recipe and for the first day or so, it tastes good.  But I am looking for one that will last a little longer and still taste delicious.


Let me share my it with you.

3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup honey
4 tsp. salt
5 cups warm water
3 Tbsp. yeast
14-15 cups flour

Stir the first 5 ingredients together along with half of the flour. Then add the remaining cups of flour. The dough will probably get hard to stir. Put flour on your hands and start kneading the dough. You will have to add more flour to your hands and bread as you knead. After 6-8 minutes, or until the bread is no longer sticky, stop kneading and set it aside. (we usually cover the bowl with a towel to help it rise faster.) Once it has reached twice its height, divide it into five parts before placing them in buttered loaf pans. It bakes at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
I usually cut this recipe in thirds since we usually don't go through 5 loaves that fast.  I have also cheated and use my bread machine to do the mixing and kneading.  I normally use Hard White but have also mixed Hard White and Hard Red for this recipe.

Do you make your own bread?  What is your favorite recipe?  Do you knead your dough by hand or in a mixer/bread maker?

Around Korea Photos

One Happy Child

Last Monday, Katelyn went to meet her friends at the school bus.  She walked her one friend home and then went over to the other friends house.  When she came home, she realized that her itouch was missing.  We searched the house.  We searched the path the she walked.  We went to the guardshack at both our apartment complex and the neighboring one.  No itouch.

I felt so bad for her.  She had saved all of her birthday money and then some to purchase this it all by herself.  She cried and cried.  We talked about the lessons one might learn and she told me that she did not want to learn any lessons.  I encouraged her to pray. 

A few days later, she told me that maybe she was suppose to learn something from this.  She was encouraged.  She decided that she would begin saving money toward a new itouch.  Her piggy bank already had $10.00 in it and she was determined.  She even found $5.00 while on a ski trip with her TaeKwonDo class.

Last night I received a call on my cell phone.  The caller asked if I spoke Korean.  I said no and the converstation was over.  A little while later the same number appeared on caller id.  The gentleman asked again if I spoke Korean.  I said no.  He told me that he didn't speak English.  Then he said itouch.  Could this really be happening?

I said yes, lost itouch.  I attempted to ask him where he lives and told him where I lived.  We live in the same apartment building.  He said...I bring tomorrow.  I did not want Katelyn to get her hopes up, so I did not tell her.  Since I was out for the evening, I called my husband and informed him of the phone call. 

When I got home for the evening, Katelyn ran up to me...her face was beaming.  She told me that a neighbor's wife found the itouch at the bus stop.  The found my phone number in the itouch and that is why they called.

I was encouraged for Katelyn.  God does answer prayers.  Even the little ones.

Quail Eggs

While I am not very adventurous, my kids make up where I lack.  A friend of mine told me about quail eggs and when we went to the Korean grocery store the other day, I decided to pick some up.  They are small, speckled eggs that the kids thought were so cute.  We decided to boil them and try them that way.  The shell is a bit soft but they boiled up well and the girls loved them. They tasted just like a chicken eggs...just much smaller.

Dongdaemun - Shoppers Heaven

Dongdaemun is Korea's largest retail and wholesale shopping district. It is comprised of 26 shopping malls, 30,000 specialty shops and 50,000 manufacturers.  Located within 10 city blocks, this area is home to silks and fabric, clothing, shoes, sporting goods, plumbing and electrical supplies, office supplies and much more.

Fabric building

The Market stays open from 10:30AM to 5:00 AM, with some stores staying open 24 hours a day.  Typically, you will find retail shopping during the day and wholesale shopping taking place during the middle of the night.

Dongdaemun means "Great East Gate".  It was named this because it was a major eastern gate of the wall of Seoul during the Josean Dynasty (1392 - 1897).

My first time in Dongdaemun, I went with friends to "check it out".  I must say, I was overwhelmed and we only went into three different buildings and did not hit every floor, let alone every story in those buildings.   From the picture above, you can see that the stores appear to go on forever.  In the older buildings, which are usually 2 or 3 stories, little shops are crammed in next to each other and the main walkways are usually very narrow and even crowded with merchandise waiting to be put out for sale.

The newer buildings are high-rises and are similar to a department stores though they consist of individually run stores.  They have wider walk ways and better lighting than the older buildings. 

If you ever come to Korea, you need to check out Dongdaemun.