Skip to main content

here comes santa claus

Yep, he's coming very soon so you better be good, because he is definitely watching you. Kinda like living in this country.

Last night the Tompkins came over for supper. I can't believe how much M likes Clinton (their 4 year old). Yesterday morning she didn't want to go to fellowship, "No, fellowship!" she said. "Clinton will be there, Madeleine," I said. Big smile. "Clinton? Okay."

We had roast and veggies for supper. The other day at Market I saw this beautiful cut of beef. I thought, "Now how can Phil not love roast made with this?" Phil doesn't like roast, not mine, not my Mom's, not his Mom's, no ones. So, I have this on going goal to fix the most amazing roast that he will love and will change his mind about roast. But, it hasn't happened yet. He eats them but he thinks, "It's just roast". Last night's was very good. Clinton, who is an extremely picky eater, said, "This meat has no flavor." It made me laugh.

Poor M has a cold and cough. She's still in bed right now but she's got this hoarse cough. Last night it was very bad and at around 12:30am we sat in the bathroom with the shower on for a steam treatment. It totally helped until about 30 minutes ago.

Our plans for this xmas eve are simple. Phil and I are going to a Starbucks that has a fireplace for coffee this morning. Yali is working today. She has the next 2 days off. Xmas eve is not a big deal here so she wasn't expecting a day off. So, we thought it would be nice to have her here. This evening we'll stay home and open one gift (Taylor tradition that we've kept), watch How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and after M's in bed Phil and I will watch It's a Wonderful Life. We've been saving it.

Merry Christmas.

Popular posts from this blog

sourcream

Today I'm making a chicken dish in the crockpot with sourcream. It's actually quite amazing that this is happening. I would never normally have sourcream here because first of all I'd have to make a 30 min trip (not including the prep time to get the bus or taxi) to METRO in HanKou and secondly I'd have to spend a large sum of money for a gigantic tub of sourcream that wouldn't even fit in my little fridge and on top of that Phil doesn't even like sourcream (poor fellow). So how did I get this wonderful gift? The office bought a big tub for a party and they sold the leftovers. So, I'm making something like chicken stroganoff. For those concerned about what Phil will think, he'll like it because it's mixed in the dish. There's a stray dog that's been living on our floor (12th floor apartment) outside of the elevators. She showed up a few days ago. She either walked the 12 flights of stairs or rode the elevator. She's little, blac...
Read more

moving time

Well my house looks like it did at some point when we moved here about 2 years ago. Boxes lying around, no pictures up, hammers, cleaning rags and tape sitting in random spots around the living room. It's a mess. Another move, more good-byes and mixed emotions. I'm going to miss... ..real CH food whenever I want it for dirt cheap, ..a tailor that made all my curtains and waves to me every time I walk past her shop, ..the little boy who's parents own the light bulb shop and yells, "hello!" every time we pass by, ..all the little kids that very politely say, "Ayi" (Aunt) when they pass me, ..our first friend in Chengdu who owns a local shop and buys birds as a hobby - bird guy, as we call him, ..the best dumpling makers, the steamed bread makers, the shopkeepers that deliver our milk for free and know our address by heart, ..the courtyard of our complex where Maddie can play by herself or with her friends while we keep an eye on her from our 4th floor, ....
Read more

thankful

This morning I spent a wonderful time in my itty bitty kitchen with my little girls. We (I) made 2 pumpkin pies while they snacked on popcorn and cracker sticks. It's not often that I find cooking with 2 little ones underfoot wonderful. But this morning before tackling the job I had pryed for strength, patience and for an understanding that my job is one of the most precious ever. I also knew I had pretty much all day to get 2 pies made so there was no time pressure. This year I already feel in the Christmas spirit. There have been plenty of times in my life (adult life) that I didn't "feel" it. I was glad for it but I didn't have that cozy, let's make cookies and crafts, then snuggle on the floor under a blanket and watch It's a Wonderful Life feeling. Today is Thanksgiving. We'll celebrate it with turkey and all the trimmings tomorrow. I'm thankful for: Having all the spices I need for making multiple pumpkin pies. An oven that fits a 12 l...
Read more