HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY HUSBAND!

Happy 41st Birthday to my LOVE, my LIFE, my Soulmate, my Confidant, my Shoulder to cry on, my Light, My Lover, my Handyman, my Honey Bun, and My Wonderful HUSBAND! I am soooo happy to have spent the last 15 birthdays with you and pray that we many many more years to come!!!

 

We were only a kid when we met…I remember throwing you your 26th birthday just like yesterday…here we are after 15 long but short years….now married with two beautiful kids….. Happy 41st Birthday my Love….here is to many many more birthdays!!! hmmmm..after 15 blissful years together…you are definitely a “keeper”! 😛

H.O.P.E

It has been an extremely devastating and depression week….not to mention the heartache, anger, fear of  hundreds of parents, families and friends affected by the South Korean Ferry accident. The ferry had more than 400 passengers where  majority were high school students. Some 174 passengers were able to jump out to the sea and got rescued as the boat started to lean and sink. But what about the others?? As a parent with two young children, my heart breaks and tears as I watch the parents sitting by the dock overlooking the endless sea for days..longing and waiting to hear the rescue of their child. As the rescue team returns with bodies of an unknown…each parent rushes to verify if that is the body of their child. I just cannot imagine what they are going through, a living nightmare that you just cannot wake up to. Every minute, hour, day must feel like eternity. Hundreds of parents who just days ago had high hopes that their child will be rescued and brought back is now growing tired day after day as the number of death toll rises. It is now day seven and yet no word on any additional survivors. I cannot help to feel guilty for just living my “normal life”, doing the simple thing as laughing, eating,  enjoying time with my  family and kids……IT HURTS and DON’T KNOW WHAT I NEED TO DO BUT PRAY…PRAY THAT WE DO NOT LOSE HOPE….PRAYING FOR A MIRACLE!

 

In HIS Time……

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Psalm 118:6

I have been distracted the last few weeks with hospital visits, procedures and…..just dealing with the plain discomfort of a physical pain. It is very annoying!!!! How much longer do I have to go through this??!!!!  I often get shout those words in my head ……but refuse to say it out loud….because that makes me weak…….. As I start to feel a bit better today I walked over to my bathroom and saw piles and piles of supplies I left with the last time I was at the hospital. Saline syringes, tapes, gauzes, …… sooooo depressing! This is what I do everyday….use saline syringe through my biliary tube twice a day, place new gauze and tape it everyday after a shower. I have certainly learned to accept my routines…as IT IS the road  to my recovery and that this isn’t forever, just 12 months, BUT good heavens!!!!! I need to vent a little and trust me I do, whether that is through my husband, sister, friend, or simple a prayer…it helps, but gotta tell you the truth the physical discomfort and pain is something I will never get used to. ^^

I’ve decided that I need get myself busy by finding something I enjoy to do. I drove myself to a craft store and just started browsing through. Then I came to find some canvas painting supplies….it was something I’ve always wanted to do. So bought few packs of paint brushes, acrylic paints and small canvas boxes…..just picking these up at the store was therapeutic. As I unloaded all the stuff I bought today I started one right away. It was fun and I think this is something I can really commit myself to do…and even make it into a project  with my children ^^

So here it is…what started as a very stressful morning ends with a smile and feeling great to have finished my first canvas painting! 🙂

“If God placed me at this place…HE will get me through it too” ^^

I want to share this quote from Daily Inspiration:”Someone once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift.”

“Someone once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift.” Mary Oliver – Poet

Darkness comes in many forms. It may be a source of sorrow caused by divorce, infidelity, death, physical or emotional illness, job loss, abuse, disappointment, betrayal, addiction, abandonment, etc. If you were dealt with any one or more of these packages in life, the human reaction is automatically to fill up with despair, bitterness, and gloom. The sooner there is a shift from a negative mindset into a more accepting one, the less damage occurs to the body, mind and spirit. By viewing these sorrowful life events in this manner, you are truly receiving a gift. This gift can be woven into a blanket of love that not only impacts you personally but wraps your loving influence around others . This impact could potentially improve an entire community. Shift and give a gift . . . the gift of a healthy body, mind, and spirit to yourself and others.

Scallion Kim-Chi AKA (Pa Kim-Chi) over White Rice

I went to the Korean market the other day and saw freshly picked scallions on sale. Unlike the green onions we often see at the grocery store, these the roots and leaves of these scallions are lot more soft and tends to be lot more spicier. The scallions are not found everyday, these are sold randomly so when I find them I usually buy few bunches and keep them refrigerated. They make great Pa-Jeon, Korean style pancakes made with scallions and seafood (I”ll post that later this week)

What you will need:

• Several bunches of scallions (I bought 6)
• 1 Small yellow onion
• Thinly sliced carrots (to add a bit of color to the kim-chi)
• Pickled shrimp
• Fish sauce
• Minced garlic
• 2 Packets of sweet’n low
• Hot pepper powder (go-chu garu)
• Little bit of salt

How to:

• First wash the scallions well. These scallions have the roots attached and are very muddy so you’ll need to cut the roots and wash the scallions very well. Repeat the washing until you don’t see any more dirt. Drain the clean scallions. If the scallions are too thick, cut in the middle of the top part.
• In a large bowl, add all the ingridients. It should look like a red pepper paste. Taste and add salt as needed.
• Add the scallions and make sure the pepper paste in blended well into each of the scallion.
• Put in a plastic container or a jar and press down firmly. Leave at room temperature for 1-2 days, then put in a refrigerator.

Personally, I don’t care for “unfermented kim-chi” I like to eat my kim-chi few days after it’s been made. But those who truly love Pa Kim-Chi likes to have it right after it is made over a hot white rice! For my husband and sister to taste, on a spoonful of rice & and topped with a scallion kim-chi. Ohhh soooo yummy~~~ ^^*

I want to share this quote from Daily Inspiration: “Happiness”

“Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself”

Ralph Waldo Emerson – American essayist, lecturer, and poet (1883-1903)

It’s ironic that happiness materializes for the giver when we give it away to others. Happiness spreads like wildfire when its given with enthusiasm and sincerity. What would it look like to give happiness to others? An unexpected, outrageous tip to a service worker, showing up to give someone with needs a helping hand, spending time with a lonely, elderly person, writing a letter of commendation to an unsuspecting employee. Choose an example or make up one of your own to encourage someone. Could you bring happiness to someone tomorrow? Watch out you may get sprinkled! ^^*

Have a lovely Thursday!! <3<3<3

Sweet & Spicy Cold Buck Wheat Noodles

I love buck wheat noodles, called “Naeng-Myun”

Naeng-Myun is a Korean noodle dish.The noodles are cooked in 2 ways. The first way is called “Mool Naeng-Myun”, cold noodles topped with egg, meat, vegetables, and a savory, ice-cold broth.  Mool Naeng-Myun is a dish to have in the Summertime. The second way to prepare the noodles is called, “Bibim Naeng-Myun”, it is the spicy version of the noodles made with spicy red chili sauce called, “go-chu-jang” I love  Mool Naeng-Myun and can have it all year long. But since I did not have the homemade broth in the freeze, I decided I would make the spicier noodles for lunch today.

It is one of my all-time favorite comfort food. Every time I have Naeng-Myun it reminds me of my Dad, it was his favorite dish and He made the best Naeng-Myun!! It was a great afternoon today, I had my favorite noodles & also had a sentimental moment of remembering my daddy~  <3<3<3

Nice Supper at Home for the Family~

I’ve had a really hectic few weeks….so didn’t get chance to cook a nice meal for the family.

My husband really enjoys fish. I can get a fresh whole fish, like flounder or mackerel from the market and grill it with salt and pepper. I love Bul-Go-Gi, korean style rib-eye. To twist the dish a bit, I used endives and topped each leaves with Bul-Go-Gi. It’s pretty to look at and oh so easy to eat! With our usual 2-3 sides dishes, it makes a perfect, fulfilling meal~ ^^*