My first drawing

    Since it very cold outside today and it is getting close to christmas, I'm going to give myself a break and some free time to relax. I very enjoy my note book specialy writing and drawing. Finally i have one little skatching that I did. I love bird, all kind of birds even cartoon bird I like them too. Your grandma Lott & grandpa Don, they used to raised birds & their name are; Mai lucy & Mar ne sie.  First Grandpa brought a male and he name is , Mai lucy. He name start from grandpa asking grand mom "what do you want to call him ?"  Well, grandma replied back in Thai language by saying "mai lucy" which means, I don't know. Grandpa assume that's his name. Ever since then grandpa kept calling him,  mai lucy. A few month later grandpa went and brought a female bird, again grandma called the birds to come to her by saying, "ma ne sie," mean come here, grandpa like how it sound and so it became her name. They are a very smart and friendly birds. Grandma would let them out out of the cage and they would stay around us and sat on their shoulder. They hardly made any mass in the house, only in their cage. They are great pets and leave good memory in the deep of our heart. We very enjoy having those birds.

Here is another grateful heart to You oh Lord. I give You all the thanks and glory back unto You
                                 

I don't know how to turn the picture around in my note book, as for now you have to look side way...sorry

"Herbs Garden"

    I been working in my herb garden for sometime now. I don't have much time to work on it duing to my busy  nursery work, only few hour after work if I have left over meal to eat. I used to planted all my vegetables and herbs on the ground inside my green house. Ever since we raised chicken, its got inside of my greenhouse, and damages many of my herbs and vegetables and also we have low land. It will take so much bark to fill the green house to build it up higher. So this past summer i planted most of my vegetables and herbs in the bucket.  Some of them on the ground but raised bed by using old broken cups and bucket.  I stacked them together and created into edging around certain area that I wanted. It looks a lot better than before. My papaya trees are loaded with papaya. I picked a lot at Thanksgiving time and brought to my sister to share with her and her friends.

      In very part of Asia, papaya tree grows every where.  It is a tropical fruit. Here in US, most of Asian family planted papaya tree around their house for harvesting green fruits in the summer and fall. The papaya tree will die in winter if it is not plant inside greenhouse. But if you cut the tree down and leave about 1 foot stem above the ground and cover up around the stem with thick blanket or heavy sheet of plant cover and when spring comes the new shoot will grow from the stem of the tree and you will have a new papaya trees. My old papaya tree that I cut down grew out 4 stems. You can cut thee tree off from the stem in order for your tree to have larger fruits, but I like them as it is. Papaya has many benefits you can read more info on these site;

http://www.traditionaloven.com/articles/124/papaya-sweet-pawpaw-answer-to-well-being-and-health

http://www.znaturalfoods.com/Green-Papaya-Powder-5-lbs

              Here are my papaya trees, protected from the cold inside of the greenhouse

My papaya trees during the summer

   Thai and most Asian people love to eat spicy papaya salad called som tum. Som tum can be eaten by it self in hot afternoon as something to snack on or it can be serve as side dish.   It is great with sticky rice, fry fish and Tom Kai gai- Chicken in coconut milk with galanga root soup, and many more. Some like to eat with boil noodle or stir fry noodle.

Every arrangement flowers herbs are edible. These are all my collection

Som Tom are great with sticky rice 

    I collected many different herbs and spices. I love gardening, it is very relaxing to me. Ever since I were a teenager I enjoy working in my mom's garden. Mom always make her garden every spring and Iwill always go in her garden, pulled weed and water vegetables' for her. I love the feel of the dirt in my hand and every time I shovel and dig the ground I kept hearing the small voice inside of me saying "you are the good earth".  The story of the Good Earth comes back into my memory. This was one of my favorite book when I were a teenager. It is an award winner, by Pearl S. Buck published in 1931.

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1. Justicia gangetica, the young leaf are edible (เบญจรงค์ ๕ สี) with many benefits. It is very easy to root and it had beautiful purple flowers all year long.   2.   Passion fruit brushes

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1. I have Asian sugar cane I used it in certain soup for nature sweet, 

2. Yaa Naang for chlorophyll, this is one of best healing medicine in Thailand, very popular for many of years. The juice is use in cooking certain food.

3. I have 2 coco trees that I purchase online  and cash crew nut tree, dragon fruits, black pepper tree vine, vanilla plants and many more.

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 1. parsley, Jewels of opar, hot chili pepper, 2. asian small cherry tomatoes, 3. bay leaves tree

This herb is a gift to me my my friend's mom,    sweet basil

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Butterfly Pea Blue Pea Mussel - Shell Creeper ดอกอัญชัน   single and double flower         thai vegetable (Angled gourd)

Red long bean, in summer are loaded with hanging.  You'll find  long bean in many Asian's home, either green, purple or red in colors. I have 2 buckets. 

I am going to redoing this area for my aloe Vera  plants, whenever I have time. I want it to grow alot more than this  because I eat them almost every day, for health. There are many benefits of Aloe Vera that you three should know about and I hope that you all will be interesting and wanted to learn how to a good care  take care of yourself for better of your health. If you don't take care of yourselves then who would???  Do not neglected your body.  There are info about Aloe Vera on this site that you can read and learn about

http://www.naturalnews.com/021858_aloe_vera_gel.html

Wadee special chicken, and he name is Hansel. He is the only chicken that let Wadee pick him up without trying to escape at all. He is always be around us.

Our lemon trees from last summer

I have five trees and it loaded with lemon every years and it has us so much juice . Every year I cut the lemons and give it away to family and friends and keep only just what I need. I squeezed the juice out and put it in zip lock bags and freeze it for  many use. I loved lemon I like to add slice in my drinking water or make lemon green tea. Don't like lemonade because it load with sugar.
Here are 16 Health Benefits of Lemon that you can read and learn
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/16-health-benefits-of-lemons.html

Dear Lord, I thank you for my land and I thank you for every herbs and plants that we have for they are healin to our body.  Thank you for putted in my son heart to be interesting in herbal medicine and Your plane will be accomplish in him.

Our Frist Young Chef

Stir fry vegetable with tofu
      Wadee just turn 12, little over 2 month ago. Last year I taught her how to cook pepper steak and stir fry vegetable. This afternoon she wanted to cook this dish for me since it is our favorite. She cut the vegetable and chopped garlic, but I fry the tofu for her. Well she cooked the whole dish by herself, and it turn out very good just little salty, but it's ok.  I'm glad that she is interesting in learning how to cook. She baked some cake before and icing it with homemade cream cheese icing that i taught her. I hope that she will be a great cook like her aunt Timm ~♥~
    Thank you Wadee for a delicious dish. We very enjoy it ...the boys are working today, they didn't get a chance to taste our new chef cooking....but I leave you boys the pictures to see...we missed you....

 

Dear Lord, I thank you that  for our young chef today, Thank you for the food that she cook and I pray that you will bless her hands and in very things that she touch will turn to prosperity in physical and spiritual for  her life and the people around her that she will live her life to bring glory back to you... with all of grateful heat to You. 

My first note book

     Finally!!!!..... I got my fist note book, Samsung galaxy note 10.1. Actually I got it on black Friday for little cheaper price, but didn't think about posting it up. Having a blog is like keeping journal of your life, things that you are interest, travel, art & craft, recipes, books, ministry and..etc... So I desired to posted it up in that way I will be able to remember when I purchased my note book. For many of months I have been using Ned's laptop  my dell laptop had expired :-[ I love that laptop it been with me for13 years.  I enjoy my new notebook, I download a drawing app, pro sketchbook,  for $4.99....love it...... You can draw, design and color as the way that you desire. It is soooo cool. Wadee and Ned been drawing and playing around with it, i just let them enjoy the new item first before I take it back.. he he...
     In my younger age, I used to draw and paint a lot, art class is my favorite hour beside math. My family side we have many artist.  My uncle Noung, he is a painter. He can draw and paint beautifully and it is a gift from God in his life for he never attended school. God rest his soul, he pass away this past summer  My sister & her older son also have the gift, she can sow and fruits craving beautifully and her son can draw, paint and take beautiful pictures. My step dad, Don, can also paint beautifully in his younger age.
     Every Wednesday we would be in town most of the day. We leave the house at 11:30,  her piano class is at 12:15, voice at 2:00 and violin at 2:45. She finishes around 3:40 -3:45. While I am waiting for her I would read or knit if there one one to chat with.  But now with my Samsung galaxy I can draw...alright!!!, write blog, keep recipe and do much more when connected online ~♥~  and the price is lesser than the laptop, it's smaller and it is easy to carry around and bring along every where I go, even sit in the bathroom.... and the best thing is.... I don't have to carry my drawing pad, pencil, paint brushes and of course paints. Yes, this still can not be compare to the original paint of art with real hand paint on the canvas....mmm, I loved the smell of paint and I do missed the smell of it : (   Ned and Wadee love to draw anime. Me, ever since I got marry I put all my art work in the box, haven't pick it up ever since... nursery work kept me pretty busy. The work are never finish.  It always something else to do, one after another. The kids also kept my schedule full. Now that the boys are older, work and in collage, only Wadee left. She's home school and taken three music classes it make my scheduled busy still, not complaining, but glad that she enjoy her music lessons. Learning how to play music instruments will enhance her character life. This is my gift from me to her.  I always wanted to learn how to play piano & guitar ever since I were young but never have opportunity during our financial. I try to put both of the boys in music school when they were young, but they have no interesting before, now they do. They learn how to play piano from Youtub and did very well.  So when I have Wadee I desired that she have to take piano and when she was 5 years old, I enroll her in with the Yamaha music education group with Mrs. Eline. She took her class for two years and I have to pull her out during to economy low and financial crash for us. Thank God now we able to put her back in music school and she been taking piano for two years, violin and voice for a year.
    Perhaps when I'm retire from my nursery work..that will be long years to go for me to be able to do some paint on canvas....opps...forgot, by that time come I might be struck with grand kids...lol....Oh well...I will teach them how to paint.  As for now, I'm getting back my talent that God gives me ever since I were small and put it on screen... Thank You Lord....


                                                       Wadee experiment with new note book

Pictures of sunset that she took

On the way back home from her music lesson

country side....lonely road....no traffic to battle...we love the ground that we stand

     Father, I thank you for you blessing with big and small, spiritual and physical and everything that we have. Lord, teach us how to manage the time that we have left on earth wisely with well doing. In everything that we do let it bring glory back unto you great name, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Candy's New Boots

     Wadee and I we went to Walmart right after her music lesson and we brought Candy a new sweater and boots. We been having her ever since 2006. She only attached to Wadee and me. She doesn't like dad. She always growls at him when he walk into the room. We put on her new boots right of way  when we got home, she so scare to walk with it at first, but she kinda breaking into it. Oh how we love our Candy, she is our little darling
     Afterward we ate tacos and watch Bourne Identity Legacy...it was awesome... ~(=^~^=)~♡♥
Dear Lord, we thank you for every pets and animals that You had put them in our care. We love everyone of them even the one that have past away, we hold them dear in our memory, for they are great pet to us. With all my grateful heart to You. ♡♥♡

Fishes Tonight

      Your dad went fishing other night with Dora at the Indian creek and he caught 49 big white perch. Dora love to ride in the boat with dad.  For over two months now he been catching alot of fishes. We love white perch, their meat is softer and sweeter than bass. I cleaned fishes everyday, before I start my work. We have freezer full of fishes whole and filet. Some of them I made into Thai dry fish. I marinated with fish sauce, little bet of sugar and mushroom power season and leave in fridge over night and dehydrated for 6 hours. I quick fry my dry fishes and we eat them with sticky rice with spicy dipping sauce or spicy papaya salad, Tom Yum Chicken or Gang Nao Mai - spicy bamboo soup... mm.. You and your dad love them. I gave a lot of fishes to our family member and my friends.  The female are having eggs in their stomach..mmm. I like fry fish eggs, it have a nutty taste to it. At first Wadee doesn't wanted to try, but after I make her try a little piece of it with rice, then she ate most of the fish egg on the plate ; p   At the end, the fishes is completely clean, we waist nothing, only the head and the bones left.  Another day another meal. Thanks be to God. Tomorrow is another day to think...what to cook?????

We have some left over foods from last nigth...from the left to the right are; grill chicken lab (chicken spicy salad), bamboo soup (gang nor maai), mustard green with pork ribs soup(tom guchi), stir fry spicy chicken with sacred basil or holy basil leaves and last fry fishes with garlic dip with spicy and sour dipping sauce. 

Wow!!!!  49 big white perch in this cooler.....

getting ready to clean....this is just a part of it..still some more in the cooler..

We gave a lot away to my sister in law...she was so happy....female fishes are full of egg right now...

Fry fishes with garlic, our favorite.

dehydrated fish

quick fry in medium heat before eat

this is the spicy dry fish a new recipe that I came up with...Ned favorites

Sweet and little salty dry fishes...Suchol favorites

                             

Dora was so happy that she get to goes fishing with Suchol last night

Dear Lord, we thank you for a good fishing last night that the cooler are full with nice size fishes that we able to share with friends and family. Thank you for all of the fishes in the water and thank you for the times well spent in my husband life to feed his family with healthy meat..I'm glad that he is enjoy fishing now. With all  my grateful heart to You. 

Love To Climb

       There are so many story about me that you boys not yet know.   This story, your sister heard it once before.  She always said to me, "mom, please tell me the story of the time that you were young."  She always seem to be fascinated by it, so I desired to post it down for you to read that you may know more of me.

      As you already knew that my sister and I we lived with our grandma Tongma since I were born.  At the age of 7 and your aunt Timm is 11, your grandma Lott decided that it would be best for us to come and live with her in Takee, Nakornsawan.  At the age of 9, I were in 3rd grade and Timm is 13, grandma couldn't afford for both of us to be in school.  She had to pull Timm out of school to help with work so that I can attend school instead.  It broken your aunt heart, but she understood the reason well.  She always been a good girl.  It seem unfair to her, but the situation that we in is ruff on her life.  Your aunt Timm never complain or say anything about it.  Instead she help out with everything that mom ask of her.  She is the best sister to me.  She always take care of me.  

     Mom rent a old little house right next to the temple property.  There a little community housing there.  Our house was the last smaller house on the block.  It might have been about 10-15 houses there.  Most of the houses have electricity, but our house still has no electricity, because mom can’t afford it.  At least it does had a bathroom, running water from the well.   The floor and the wall on the house is much better than our grandma's house.  Our next door neighbor is family of Thai-Chinese, they don't very communicate with us, I guess because they are wealthy than us, or we just different....lol...  

     I remember one day our neighbor, they went gone somewhere or out of town.  Their fence was lock.  There is this huge fruit tree called ,Manila Tamarind, standing against their fence inside their back yard.  It's an old tree and huge as a size of the water oak tree.  Everyday after school, I sat under my house and looked at all of the fruits that hung on it branches, I thought to myself...wow!!! What a waist of delicious fruits.  Every time when our neighbor is not home, Timm and I, we would climbed up the tree to pick some fruits.

    

 Manila Tamarind fruits, the meat inside is white, had sweet and little sour tasted to it            

      Everyday my mom gone to work and my sister went to do some house work for mom's friend that lived in the community to help mom with financial need.  I was left home alone as I always would as the same of most Thai kids as their parent gone to work....So, on the day my neighbor gone out of the town, the opportunity was open for me.  The tree stood against my neighbor fence.  Because of the tree is so huge that it branches hooves over to the top of their roof, so I got on top of their roof and picked the fruits as much as wanted.  I sat on top of the roof and ate...and ate...and ate until I'm full.  I drop many down to the outside of the fence. 

    Climbing up and down the tree is easy for me.  I'm an expert with that.  But, sadly to say,  oops! I miss.  I step on the wrong branches and it broke and I fell from the tree onto the cement floor at my neighbor back yard inside of their property.  I passed out completely.   I don't know how long I passed out, but when I awake, I got up right away and notice that my angle was injure .  During to my left side of angle slammed  onto 1" metal pole which laid across the side of the fence and the tree and my head slammed onto the cement.  I got up any way, knowing that it is getting late and fear that mom would caught me and I would be in trouble   So climbed up and out of their fence and in which I did painfully.  I went home and never told my mom nor my sister of what happen, fear of getting spank and not allow to go out and play.  I were always pretty tough little girl during to the way I was raised so I have the attitude or what you called a spirit of the monkey ...…lol..

     The next day my angle were swelling so bad and it is hurt.  Still...I didn't tell my mom about it.  My sister got up early every morning to cook rice and fry egg for my lunch box, this is her usually daily responsibility for me, egg is my usually lunch because it is cheap and I also loved it.  Once in a while I might have half small fish tail or 1 little Asian sausage.  We do eat better when we lived with mom.  I took my lunch box and walk more than 1 painful hour to school  : (  Usually it will take me 1 hour walking to school daily.  I like to take short cut through old temple property and it kinda spooky, but some how I'm just not afraid.  After pass the temple property I have to go under the tin fence and on the other side would be small community with many old wooden house.  Walking another 30 min. then enter into the small woody area then I will reach the inside property of a new temple property of the monks living quarter.  Each monk have a little up ground hut of the size of the king bed with no bathroom.  After the monks quarter is main temple ground of 25 acres with the the main temple and school.  The monks build the school with the help of the donation money.  Mom would command me to walk on the side of the highway where many people were walking.  She doesn't wanted me to take the short cut, because it is not save to go through the old temple property for their is story of C Oui, Ouija surname Ng, the murder who still loose. It would be saver for me to walked where many people walked.  I don't like to walk by the highway, because it is longer and there is one house that raised many gooses and its like to chase after kids....lol.....so I took a short cut because I can't run fast with my painful angle... 

     Mom doesn't like us to trespassing into other people property, she always teaches us don't ever steal anything or take anything without permission, we may born poor in physical but don’t ever be poor of heart.  This always been taught in my family, even my step dad teaches us the same thing....  so I have to suffer from my desire of eating those fruit with such a great pain  : (    I hope that you won't do the same as I did.  It is not good to trespassing and very badly injury can occur.  As I looked back now, I  believed that if I would ask my neighbor for some of those fruit they would allow me to climb up with open fence when they are there.  The fallen left me with a scar on my head.  I have pretty big den on my skull and every time that I ruff my hand on it, I felt little tingling of funny pain, but it is not hurt.  I thank God that it didn't damage my brain...he!he!  Thank be to God of course who protected over me even before I didn't know Him, but He knew me.  The fallen still didn't stop me from climbing any more tree.  I loved to climb on the top of the tree as high as I can go and I still do wanted to climb every time that I see certain tree.

     As I had noticed, Boue love to climb, at the age of 7, he climbed on top of the counter and show off his karate kick to his brother....poor Ned.  But Ned loved to play Boue game, just standing there being his sand bag with the biggg and gigging smile on his face.  They loved to climb, yes they both climbed on top my my van while I were working in the nursery....Me! oh my!!! looking from the field and saw both of the boys on top of the miniature van jumping on the roof.  I throw down everything in my hands and ran as fast as I can run.  Boy! you scare the heck out of me.....spanking times!!!.  Boue got most of the spanks because he is older, I knew they just kids.  It not of what you can do to the roof of the van, but it the high with the jumping and the cement floor that can hurt you, if you fall...like me.....

     Boue loved to climb, at teenager, he loved to climb up the roof in the middle of the night and lay there to watch the stars above the sky and talking to his girl friend on the phone.  He said that the view is beautiful up there.  Perhaps one evening I will climb up there and watch the stars and write something about it.  Ned also loved to climb the tree with our worker sons.

     Wadee also loved to climb the trees, like mom like daughter.  She ran to almost every tree in our yard and climb up and hang on it branches like a monkey.  One day her friend, Jasmine, came to spent a night they were climbing and hanging on the tree behind our house, broke the branches and fail to the ground and laugh and climb back up again…   When Wadee and I, we drove to town, there is old house that have this huge oak tree with large branches droop down to the ground and up, she would said, "I would loved to climb upon that tree mom,” with a smile on my face as I replied, yes I know baby, I do too.....I felt the spirit of that climbing monkey rush in my vain, “oh how I love to get my hand on that tree...though in my heart....lol”   Here are some pictures of you that I took, knowing that one day you will enjoy looking back on these pictures....another precious fun time spend... hanging and climbing.....

 

This live oak is not as tall as it look.

Wadee and her favorite teddy bear

Our old dumpster truck 

                                       

You boys are not interesting to climb tree any more, and I didn't have any picture of your younger age of climbing and jumping...sorry...but those pictures of you are bury in my memory.

Dear Lord, we thank you for many beautiful tree that surrounded our place.  Thank you for whatever it is You have called us to do, both now and in the future.  I pray, Lord, that You would give us the strength and energy to get it done and do it with spirit of excellency...thank you Lord.  Love You