Friday, January 28, 2011

Jan 27th'11 : St.Paul Nursery School - Open House




We went to St.Paul Nursery Open House last nite, just to give idea how it looked like. Ronnie,Mom & ML liked it.Me,too... :D

Thursday, January 27, 2011

God Answers Another Prayer :D

Thank you, Lord, for Your blessings. The prayer that we've been longing to.

Finally tonight we had found the answer. We went to St.Paul Nursery School and saw the atmospher, the parents and the students-to be. How enthusiastic they were! Ronnie,Mom, ML and I like the place. It's a very nice place.And the more important thing, it's based on Christian system.

A day before, I went to College Hill Presbyterian Church.It has pre-school,too.Which gives me more option to choose the days.The same fee,but seems we like more St.Paul better. Both places are close to Mom's house, indeed,Mom's house is right in the middle!

Mom asked me to hurry and register.LOL.She said she'd love to drop and pick up ML to the school. Oh my... so glad to hear that!!!!!!!!

So,without any hesitation, I registered ML right away. It's  Parents-Co Op,which once every 4-6 weeks, parents would stay in the class and volunteer to help the teacher and bring some goodies ( I can do that! )

Anyway, on the way home, Ronnie found out the school's not started till Sept! He's surprised..LOL. Yeah, tonite was the Open House only.

So, Mom asked if there's any other place that starts earlier. I said CH Presby Church has a program called " Taste of Pre-School",it's an introduction for kids before entering the school. Every Friday, 2hours, for 8 weeks in March. Mom and Ronnie said," Let's do it."

Guess, we'll do it, since we really want ML learn how to socialize and get more friends, so she can speak fluently

Above all, we're so happy tonite. One by one, our prayer's answered.

God is good....all the time!

 

"Devil" in the Morning

Early in the morning, I was " tested ". A lady came to my desk and asked for " COFFEE CUP ".  I told her that employees have their own cups here.No more " free coffee cups" available.

She was really mad at me,and said " THIS IS CRAZY". Sorry.... I'm not a " COFFEE CUP POLICE".

She talked to another guy and kept saying" CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY". I wonder who's crazy.Because right by the coffee machine it clearly says " Coffee is for EMPLOYEE only."

Definetely, she's not employee from my building, and she should've READ it ( if she could read ).

And, there's no signs that says " Mei-Mei KEEPS the Coffee Cups".

I feel sorry for you, lady. Ruining your morning for being a "devil" and yelled at someone.

I won't even let anybody ruin my beautiful day,where I can see more nice,lovely smiling and lots of " HIs" from lots of people

 

Monday, January 24, 2011

Jan 21st'11 : "SURPRISE" Bday Party w/ The Lee's




The pics from my blog" Hujan Berkat".

We had awesome night. Thank you so much, The Lee's. Thank you,God, for Your lovely blessing :)

Hujan Berkat

What can I say ? Lord keeps blessing us wonderfully.

Last weekend, got a phn call from my friend's husband.He asked what we'd do that evening. I said we didn't have any plans. Actually, I had boiled chicken for dinner. I thought they'd love to join us, but he said," Would you like to join us this evening,please? We'd like to give Rini ( his wife ) a bday surprise. We'll ride a LIMO to Downtown then have dinner there."

I told him," I will let you know. Ronnie just took his car to auto shop, he hit something yesterday and is being repaired."

I asked Ronnie about the invitation. He said," Let's take the car first,and we'll talk."

So,we took his car and it drove OK. So, we decided to go and I called David. I said we'd be there by 5.30pm.

When we got there, we saw the limo on the other side. As we walked in, Rini was surprised! She looked confused. She asked me how we knew about her bday. I didn't tell her

Still, with thousand questions in her mind, we rode the Limo to Downtown Cincinnati.

There, we had fine dining at Palomino resto, facing to Fountain Square and the ice skating rink.

It's lovely night, lovely dinner, lovely moments. Then, the limo took us to the hill. There, we could see the top of Cincinnati. IT'S BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Beauty of Cincy!

We didn't stay that long,and drove back to Union,KY.

We chitted chatted for awhile,and drove back home.

At home, I couldn't stop thanking God for His blessings. I told Ronnie,"  I couldn't believe we did that." LOL

He said," That's a very nice evening. I enjoyed it."

I went to bed with questions, but yet, went to bed and smiling and I said to Ronnie," I'm gonna dream about the limo again." Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Thank you,Lord, for the lovely blessing. And of course, we thank The Lee's  who's been so generously inviting us and treated us for dinner

 

Ayam Penyet ( Smashed Fried Chicken )


Description:
I use Cornish Hen, perfect size for me and Ronnie.

To make the meat tender, and juicy, and fall off bone, I usually boil the chicken first, then fry it. It turns out better!

I chose " BBQ & Grilling" category, since there's no category for " Frying " :D



Ingredients:
1 whole cornish hen
turmeric powder
garlic powder
salt
pepper
lemon grass powder ( optional )
coriander powder

Sauce :
Red Chilies (as needed, boiled )
tomato ( boiled)
sugar
salt
Terasi ( shrimp paste )


Directions:
1. Boil the whole chicken about 30 minutes ( just to make it tender )
2. Cut the chicken right in the middle, into 2. ( each side has wing, breast and tigh ).
3.Smear the chicken with tumeric powder, lemon grass powder,coriander powder, garlic powder.
4. Marinate about 5-10 mnts.
5. Heat some oil and fry ( you can SMASH the chicken gently, that's why it's called PENYET ( SMASHED ).
6. Fry the chicken till it's golden brown.

In the other hand :

7. Blender the chili,tomato,terasi all together.
8. Optional, you can fry this " SAUCE/SAMBAL" to keep it longer in the refrigerator.
9. Add some Iceburg, or boiled veggies as you like ( Lettuce, Kangkung, Bayam ect )
10. Add Kerupuk ( crackers ) for additional.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Working Extra Hours Due to Snow

What a bless! This morning I woke up, had bfast with ML and watching Dora. I grabbed my cellphone,checking just in case I missed a phone call or got sms. Yes, there's 1. It's from my supervisor. She texted, " I can't get into the Passage Point.". Oo... she didn't know my password. I checked the text, it's 8.01am. Meanwhile when I read it was 8.34am.

I called her to my desk and said," The password is in the blue book." She said," I got it.Thanks."

I wondered why she sat there. I assumed Lynn must have been late.Usually Lynn sits at my desk on Fridays.She said," Lynn couldn't make it today. I am sitting here."

Then she asked," Do you wanna work today,Mei-Mei?" I said," I could!" She said," Well, then come here."

I said I needed to drop ML first at Mom's. She's OK with that.

So, I left home by 8.54am, and got work at 9.27am. The traffic was so slow, since we had big snow last nite, up to 6 inches!

Thank God, I made it safe. Now, I'm working extra hours today and make extra money. Thank you, Lord :D

When I got at work, supervisor said that Lynn was trying to go to work, but she had her go back home.

For me, the snow is not that bad today. Yesterday was worse.

Supervisor said, " There're many excuses for people not to go to work.The snow is not that bad anyway. Oh well.."

Oh well.. I guess it's my blessing be able to have extra hours


God is good.. all the time! Another way to bless me

 

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

God Is Good

Yes, God is good!

I just called a billing dept for Ronnie's medical expense today.The lady, Pam, said, if I would like to pay full amount, she would give me 20% off from the FULL FEE. I said," Yes."

So, as I paid, we got good amount of discount. God is so good!!!!!

Another " amazing work " He has done to us.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Don't Give Up

I'm tired, physically, but I want to rejoice in the Lord.

ML's has been coughing early this morning, sneezing,too. Gave her some syrup and said," Thanks, Dora ".. She called me " Dora".LOL. Guess too much watching Dora at home.

Still got problem with the car, got some quotes, varies quotes from 473 bucks up to 1,050 bucks. Wuihhhhhhhh........

I need to sink my head in a cold water for right now.LOL. Shopping for car and home insurance,too, at the same time. Double headache.

But, I won't give up.We'll do some other thing. Hopefully can save some money and fix my " old" car

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Follow Up : Talking to My " Angel"

Last nite, I decided to call Dominic, the " ANGEL " that God had sent to help me days before. He answered the phone ( it was a cellphone no ). I said that I was sorry not to call him right away and thanked him, since I was using my time writing about my " testimony".

He said," That's all right,dear. Thank you for calling." I told him I had testified to some people at work, their reactions were varies, one lady got teary eyes, one guy was surprised and said," keep it shine!", the others said," BEAUTIFUL TESTIMONY, I wish I could write like that",etc etc etc.......

He laughed out there and said," Oh my!!!!!!!!". Yes, I told him the impact after that, that brought lots of joys and happiness for those who heard.

He said," Could you hold on for a minute,please?" I heard he's talking with some people. I said," If you're busy, I can call you next time. Just wanna say thank you."

He said," Wait. Here, my wife is here. You can talk to her."

So, a lady over the phone said," Hi, how are you ?" I said," Hi, I'm wonderful. My name is Mei-Mei.What's yours?"

She said," My name is Lashonda.It's nice to meet you,Mei-Mei."

I told her how I was thankful the day he helped me. I asked if she knew about that.She said," At CarX? Yes, he told me. I'm so glad to hear that. And, more gladly to know that you are a believer. Isn't that amazing how God works?"

So, we're talking quiet awhile. I told her I would send them a thank you card and the print out of my testimony. She said," Yes,please, I'd love to read that."

I got their name and address ( which exactly the address I found from white pages). Glad I got the right person.

I told Lashonda, we'd like to meet them personally, with the baby Immanuel,too.She said she'd love to do that one day.

What a relief!!!

But, my duty's not done yet. I have another " pay it back" to others. Someday,somewhere,someone will need my help, and I will help within my power.

To God be the glory!

 

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Dec'10 : ML - Singer Wanna Be :D




ML has passion in singing. She loves doing it.Everytime Daddy plays music down in the basement, she will come down and join him.She grabs the microphone and starts singing " I don't know... I don't know.. no no no...I don't know..." Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Keep it up, girl!!!!!

My Living Testimony : The Heart of Stewardship

 

It was started in the beginning of this year. I am longing for God’s love. I didn’t spend much time like I used to before.

 

The pastor’s preachings also strengthens me. He’s been talking about the heart of stewardship. How some people in the Bible DID listen to God, did what God wanted them to do,and God poured them blessings miraculously.

 

When I heard about these “ magic” happened, I was asking myself, “ When would I experience that WONDEROUS, FANTASTIC, AWESOME, AMAZING thing ? “  I was assuming only certain people would experience it, I will never. I was dreaming!

 

Sunday, Jan 9th’11

 

The pastor was talking about TITHE. Yes, we do give tithe, every week.But,this time was interesting and changed my life!

 

Pastor was talking about “ giving 1/10 from everything you have”. Yes, I did that before, yes I was blessed. But, I stopped doing it,since the economy was bad, we have a baby, I went home for my Dad’s funeral, we bought a house, pay bills, and it’s not enough, sometimes we have to take the money from the savings.

 

I was challenged.God says,” Test me! I will open the windows of blessing and give you more.” I had prepared my tithe with 20 bucks. When God spoke strongly about giving more and “ testing”, I grabbed my checkbook,and wrote down another amount, $ 100.00.

 

As I put the check in the envelope, I was trembling. I said,” God, You know what we need. You know our condition.I am giving you more,and I would love to do that.Forgive me for not giving more last couple years. As You said,” TEST ME “, no,God, “ TEST ME,GOD…TEST ME.” Test me to go through these weeks. Test me how to live by faith.I know You will provide.”  Me and Ronnie walked to the altar and dropped the envelope.

 

When we went home, I was getting ready to cook for lunch. Ronnie said,” I want to go to Home Depot, need to buy something.”  Then I turned back and said,” Ron, I think you’ll be mad at me.” He asked me why. I told him, “ I wrote down another check for the tithe. I gave 1/10 this time. I’m sorry.”

 

Out of my expectation, he said,” I knew you did that. I saw you wrote 100 bucks. It’s ok. It’s for God. I’m not mad. But, I want to tell you this : don’t be mad if within 2 weeks we don’t have enough to pay  or buy this or that.Because we know how much we have now.”

 

I said to myself,” God will provide. God will provide.” This sentence that Ronnie keeps telling me and strengthen me if I am down thinking about money.

 

 

 

Monday, Jan 10th’11

 

I remembered Ronnie asked me to take my car to auto shop, since the steer is not right.It don’t drive straight, instead it will lead the car aside to the left.

 

I called CarX and asked if they would do free check and estimate,the guy who answered me said “ yes “. So, I was planning to go there and printed a coupon * just in case I needed an alligment only, but I forgot to pick up the coupon from the copy machine*

 

I picked up MeiLee after work from Mom’s house.She handed me another auto shop’s coupon. I told her I would go to CarX for free charge, meanwhile the one she referred would charge me 20 bucks.

 

Off I went….. sat in the lobby and waited. A young man,around 30’s walked in with winter hat, he had a bag of food on his hand. He dropped it into the “ Food Bank” tub. He told the mechanic he needed oil changed. The mechanic as if the stuff he brought was for Food Bank or trash. He said,” It’s a trash.” The mechanic said,” Oh,I’m sorry.That tub is for the Food Bank.The trash is over there.” The young man immediately said sorry and moved the “ food bag “ to the “ trash can”.

 

He sat down, and said “ Hi” to me. I said “ hi “ back. MeiLee was busy roaming around and said “ Ice skating.. MeiLee’s playing ice skating “ many times. I asked her to be quiet. He  looked at MeiLee and asked me,” She’s cute. How old is she? “ I said,” Thank you. She’s 3.”

 

He said,” I have 15mo.A boy.” I said,” Oh, enjoy when he’s still a baby. At that age, you can do anything to him. Once he reaches this age ( 3 ), he’ll say NO to you.” He laughed,and said,” It’s true!”

 

He said,” My son’s name is IMMANUEL RAIN. IMMANUEL.” I said,” That’s a BEAUTIFUL name. Immanuel -  God is with us “. I asked him,” Sorry, are you Christian ?” He said,” Yes, Maam. I am a believer. I’m a Christian. I’m God’s child.” Oh.. I was so happy! I met someone that believes in God,too. And the more important thing,we’re talking about the same God, we’re talking about faith, blessings ect.

 

I forgot how it happened, but I was talking about my resolution in 2011. I was trying to reduce my time in FB-ing, trying to loose weight, and more important is to be closer to God. I was longing for God. I was trying to live by faith. He agreed with me, he said “ Faith without Action is NOTHING.”

 

So, we’re talking and talking. I was telling him about Pastor Cortnell’s testimony, how a lady wrote him down a check and handed him without buying a car for her grandson ( which that’s her purpose to come to Toyota dealer to buy a car ). God used this lady to be a blessing to Pastor Cortnell.

 

He laughed and said,” See ? You can’t tell how God works.He works amazingly, as long as we trust in Him.”

 

After we’re talking, the mechanic came in and told me that he had done checked my car. He showed me the lists that I needed to do :

 

  1. Need new tires, since the old ones are really bad.They could blow anytime soon.He wouldn’t drive if it was his car ( I was scared to hear that! ) . The new tires costs 370’s bucks.He hadn’t those that nite, but he could get them by tomorrow ( double scared to hear the price! )
  2. Need to replace the radiator, it leaks so bad. Cost extra money
  3. Protection plan cost 10 bucks
  4. Need alligmant cost 68 bucks.
  5. So, total for these replacement is $521.00
  6. Plus, need to replace water pump, which cost extra 500-700 bucks. WOW!!!

 

I asked him if I could only do the alligment. He said,” it’s useless, Maam.”  I was weak L . I thought it’s a piece of cake.


I said to him, “ Can I just take this list with me and talk to my husband about that ?” He said,” Oh yes, sure “* which I forgot to take it with me later*

 

I turned back and grabbed my purse. This young man who still sat across me, saying,” So, it costs 521 bucks “. I looked at him and said,” Yes “ L

 

He asked,” So, what do you do ? Are you going somewhere else ? What you wanna do ?”


I looked at him and said,” I don’t go anywhere.I’m going home. Let’s go, MeiLee.”

 

The mechanic asked me,” Do you live around here,Maam?” I said,” yes, couple blocks from here.” He said,” Be careful, Maam. Cos I won’t drive this tomorrow,esp. snow.It’s bad.” I said,” Thanks”.

 

I grabbed MeiLee’s hand and walked to the door. All a sudden, I saw this young man stood up next to me. He said,” Maam, take this with you, please.”

 

He pushed his hand toward me.MONEY! I was really surprised! I looked at him and said, “NO!NO!NO! Thank you.” I walked away. He said,” Maam,please. This might help a lil bit. Say hi to your husband.”


I looked at him and said,” I’m sorry, I can’t accept it.I am really sorry.” He said,” Please.We’ve been talking about faith and blessings earlier.This is a blessing. Please accept this.”

 

I kept saying NO and thank you to him. I was standing, looking for the mechanic to return my key. Not long after that, another mechanic came in and said,” Dominic?” He said,” Yes, Sir.” The mechanic said that he had changed his oil,it’s done.

 

Later, my mechanic appeared from the other door and said,” All good, Maam. Your key is in the car.” He had pulled my car in front of the shop. Oh.. that’s great.

 

So, I turned back and saw this “ Dominic” guy’s till talking to his mechanic,I took a chance to walk away quickly.

 

Then, I heard he said,” Excuse me,sir.I’ll be back.” He CHASED me to the door!

He said,” Maam… Maam.. please, accept this. This will help you a lil bit.Please.”

 

I said “ NO” to him. I even was embaressed since someone heard about my car problem and how much it cost. He said,” Please, Maam. God bless you, your husband and your house.”

 

He pushed the money to my hand. Right that moment, I burst in tears! I said,” Thank you so much. I can’t believe it happens!” He said,” It happens. God  helps us in many ways.”

 

I said,” Can I get your name, please? We would like to put you in our prayers ” He said,” Dominic…Dominic Turner.” I asked if I could get his number. He gave me his number.


I said,” Thank you so much, Dominic. Can I give you a hug, if you don’t mind ?” He said,” No. It’s fine.” I gave him a hug and said,” GOD BLESS YOU!”

 

He said,” Say hi to your husband for me”. I said,” I will.”

 

I got into my car and started the car. I started crying! I called Ronnie. I told him the problem and I couldn’t get the car fixed. He said it’s ok.Then he asked me,” Are you Ok ? why are you crying?” I asked him if he remembered about Pastor’s story.He said he remembered. I told him I EXPERIENCE ONE tonite. He was confused and I said,” Someone gave me some money.” He was SURPRISED! He said,” WHO???? HOW???” I told him the story and he said,” WOW!!! He’s very nice!!!!” I said,” Yes. God sent an angel tonight.”

 

How could I know that this guy could’ve get his oil done within minutes, not within 30-40 minutes ?  How could I know that God send Dominic and had him waited and heard about my problem ?

 

The way God works is amazing. Everything happens for a reason! God sent him to the shop and spent time with me, and he learnt my problem and helped me. God is amazing!!!!

 

Yes, I’m so blessed. Like a few days ago, I said to myself, “ Live by Faith. When I pray, the miracle happens.” Which had happened!!!!

 

Ted Williams, the homeless man said one day,” it’s the same feeling like winning the mega lottery”, since his life’s changed within nights for his “ golden voice”, and I would say the same thing “ It’s the same feeling like winning the mega lottery”.

 

I got home, sat in front of my computer, and looked for information about this “ angel”. I found “ Dominic Turner” lives on Highland Ave ( which he said earlier he lived in Clifton ). I found very interesting thing, that Dominic himself and his family live in apartement! He has no house, but he graciously, generously gave me some amount of money, and yet he might need more than I need.

 

When Ronnie came home, I showed him the money, he smiled. I could see his “nervous” smile, like he didn’t believe it happened. He told about this to his friend.His friend said,” I would’ve been mad when she wrote down $100 check for the tithe.” I said to Ronnie,” Thank you,Lord, he’s NOT my husband.” He laughed. He said even his friend said,” Well… next week she will write down $500.” I said,” I would”.Ha ha ha ha ha

 

Ronnie said,” Now, you have a story to submit and to share.”

 

     I believe that Dominic himself had proved that he has the heart of stewardship. And, I would love to be like that.

 

Yes, I am longing to have the heart of stewardship. God help me to do it. By God’s grace, He will make my by the time.

 

     It is not the ACT of giving that is important but the   HEART of giving.

 

At night, me and MeiLee pray, like our ritual. We mentioned names in our prayers, and I prayed specially for Dominic and his family, may God bless him abundantly, whatever he does, may God bless him, wherever they live, may God protect his family. I prayed for my car, if the mechanic said it’s only survive shortly, I prayed that God would let me keep it working for awhile so I still have transportation to go and back from work.

 

The next morning, I was praying in the car, I asked God to bless me, and others  who’re going to work, bless the people who’re still sleeping, bless the kids who’re going to school, bless the people around me so I could be a blessing to them and them to me. I asked God to protect us and fill our days with joyful and thankfulness.

 

    

To God be the glory. God Bless Us!

Malachi 3:10 (New International Version, ©2010)

10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

Monday, January 10, 2011

All about MeiLee's Silliness :D

My goodness.... My lil one just turned 3 years old last Oct. She has some vocabs that I never taught her how to say.. I bet she got it from her grandma, since she spends during the day with her grandma during weekdays.

One day, I took her to the bathroom * anyway, she's diaper free now,still leaks now and then*. I sat her on the toilet. I gave her a wet tissue

Me : " Ok, time to wipe."

ML : " Wipe my BUCKET".

Me : " Huh??? what is that?"

ML : " My BUCKET"

Me : *confused and looked at Ronnie*

He smiled and nodded his head.

Ronnie : " That must be " Butt." .I think Mom teaches her how to say it politely."

**********

The other day, on the way to church, me and Ronnie were debating about something.Of course, our voices kinda " loud "

ML : " Guys... guys.. calm down!"

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

********************

Another trip,we're talking about something else.

Ronnie : " I don't know if we can make it or not.'
Me : " I don't know either. We'll see."

All a sudden a voice said : " I KNOW!"

It's ML who responded us from the back seat.

*********

It's bedtime. Putting ML in our bedroom, watching cartoon a lil bit.

Me : " Good nite,ML. Let Mommy hold your hand,please."

ML: " Don't touch " mine" hand."

Me : " Gee.... what about a kiss ? Mommy needs a kiss."

ML : " No kiss...1 HUG...just 1 HUG. "

Me : " Oh no...that's not nice."

ML : " Come here... Hugggg...kiss my cheek. Good nite,Mommy. You go sleep" * pushed my head to the pillow*

*****************

Took ML to a park last year, and saw this giant dog.

ML : " Oh my...oh my...oh my...."

*********************

ML : " Mommy, I need some chocolate milk."

Me : " Tell Mommy, you love Mommy."

ML : " I LOVE DADDY"

Me : " Well, sorry.. no choco milk then."

ML : " Mommy, please... pretty please..."

Me : " Then say it."

ML : " I love Mommy."

Me : " Good girl. Here's your choco milk"

ML got a cup of choco milk, and she said," I LOVE DADDY" and ran away!

*************

ML : " Mommy can't drive.Daddy drives."

Me : " What do you mean ?"

ML : " Mommy can't drive. Daddy drives. Gimme keys"

She runs to the car, blocking me from going to the driver seat!.She don't trust the way I drive, I guess. Ha ha ha ha ha

This girl is for sure the " joy and laughter " in our lives.

At night, I keep kissing her face all over and thanking God how precious girl He had given to us.

 

Ikan Cakalang ( Manado Style )


Description:
I've been craving for Ikan Cakalang for awhile, and finally cooked some yesterday :D


Ingredients:
2 Ikan Tuna ( I grilled them )
Oil
Shallots
Garlics
Red & Green Chilies
Pandan Leaves
Kaffir Lime Leaves
Galangal
Ginger
Lemon Grass
Salt
Sugar

Directions:
1. Grill the fish till brown
2.Heat some oil, and add all the ingredients ( all ingredients are cut into slices, thin ones ),stir fry till it's cooked
3.Add the fish ( peel the fish meat randomly )
4.Add sugar and salt