Family Fridays: Fun We Had with the Grandparents

I'll write more in depth later about some of the things we did, but for now here is a lot of random fun things the grandparents and grand kids did together. They sure had a lot of fun. We hope to see you again soon, and enjoy Skyping and visiting with all our family.

Yea for McDonald's!

Aaron building a train with his new blocks.

Andrew fell asleep on Papa.

Building at Toys Я Us

Making apple and pumpkin pies with Grandma

Cutting out sugar cookies

Knocking Grandma down

Grandpa throwing Aaron up

Thanksgiving chase around the table

Reading with Papa

Visiting the big Thomas at Toys Я Us

Waking Papa up

Walking with Papa

Holiday Fun with Kids: Cutting Out Sugar Cookies

One of my favorite holiday traditions is cutting out sugar cookies with family. I can remember making cookies and gingerbread houses with my mom and grandmas as a little girl, and now it is fun to make them with my own kids. So I really wanted to make sugar cookies when my parents came to visit for Thanksgiving. I think everyone had a lot of fun. I found a great recipe, and the boys had fun cutting out cookies for a while. We used all the shapes we had, mainly shapes from their shape sorter toy that we thoroughly washed first. Grandpa John even got really creative cutting out Christmas Tree shapes free hand.

DIY Sugar Cookies

We made this sugar cookies when the grandparents were here. It was a lot of fun, and this is a great sugar cookie recipe. I am pretty sure it was the real butter that made them the best sugar cookies ever, but the original recipe said to use margarine, so you can use that if you prefer. I also added Grandma Shirley's secret sugar cookie ingredient (nutmeg) which rounds out the flavors nicely.

Homemade Roll Out Sugar Cookie Recipe

• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup butter or margarine softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp nutmeg

1. Cream together butter and sugar.
2. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3. Add dry ingredients, incorporating flour about 1 cup at a time.
4. Chill in the refrigerator a couple of hours or overnight. I did find that with all real butter though I had to let the dough soften up a bit after chilling it overnight.
5. Roll small sections of dough at a time to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
6. Bake at 400F for 6-8 minutes, until edges just begin to brown.
7. Remove from cookie sheets immediately, and cool on wire racks or clean counter top.

DIY Stocking Stuffers: Chocolate Covered spoons

I started filling the boys stockings on December 1st and let them open one present each night until Christmas Day, when they can open the rest of their presents. So I've already been working on small treats for them. These small chocolate covered spoons are a great tiny chocolate treat for little kids who love to lick the spoon. They are also great to include in a gift basket with coffee or hot chocolate, as chocolate stirring spoons that add extra richness to the drink. If you could find inexpensive mismatched teaspoons at a second hand store that might be a beautiful non-plastic option for drink stirrers, if you are worried about plastic leaching into the hot drink.

To make these, you simply melt some chocolate, dip the end of the teaspoon in, and let dry on a baking pan on parchment paper before wrapping in cellophane or plastic wrap and tying with a pretty twist tie, ribbon, or string.

DIY Christmas Decorations: Jar Candle Luminaries

When we moved around the world by airplane, we decided not to pack non-essentials, like our Christmas decorations. So this year, I have been having fun making our own Christmas decorations with things we already have, items we found, and things from nature. My goal is to have a few simple, beautiful Christmas decorations to decorate our house with for free. I used recycled jars, re-purposed ribbon, broken tile we found and washed, an tea light candles I already had to put together some festive candle luminaries.

Homemade Jar Candle Luminaries

• Clean Glass Jars
• Non-flammable decorative filler for the bottom (tiles, marbles, sand, Epsom salts, etc.)
• Candles (tea lights or votives, small holders optional)
• Ribbon
• Extra embellishments to tie on (optional)

Fill the bottom of the jar to the height you desire, and then place the candle inside. Tie a ribbon around the outside of the jar, and add any extra embellishments you like.

 

 

DIY Christmas Decorations: Pine Cone "Chandelier"

When we moved around the world by airplane, we decided not to pack non-essentials, like our Christmas decorations. So this year, I have been having fun making our own Christmas decorations with things we already have, items we found, and things from nature. My goal is to have a few simple, beautiful Christmas decorations to decorate our house with for free. I have seen blog posts where people decorate their dining room lights with candy or other things, and I thought I try it with some pine cones that Nate and Aaron gathered for me.

Homemade Pine Cone "Chandelier"

• Pine cones
• Thread or fishing line

Simply cut lengths of thread or fishing line, tie one end to the pine cone, and then tie the other end to you light. Vary the height of the pine cones for visual interest.

We're not super fond of the actual light fixture here, but it is functional, so we haven't bothered to replace it. But I really like how the pine cone look in our dining room though: simple, natural beauty. And Andrew (our soon to be two year old) loves it too. He keeps saying, "Cone, cone, pretty."

Mandarin Mondays: 再见

My parents came for about two weeks, and we had a great visit together. We were very busy and did lots of fun things that I'll write more about soon. But the one thing that is always hard is saying "goodbye" at the end of the visit, and I've been thinking I should learn a lesson from the Chinese on this one. Perhaps instead of saying "goodbye" we should all learn to say as the Chinese do "zài jiàn" (再见). Literally this means "again see." Saying "until we see you again" seems more positive to me.

So, remember how much we love you (wǒmen ài nǐ, 我们爱你), and we will see you again (zài jiàn, 再见) soon, even if it is just on Skype for a little while.

Mandarin Mondays: 石林

On Sunday, we took a little site seeing trip to see the Stone Forest (Shílín, 石林). Here are a couple of pictures of this cool place that is about an hour and a half outside of the city.

Family Fridays (a few days late): The Grandparents are Here!!!

I haven't posted for a few days because the Grandparents are here! They did arrive safe and sound on Friday though, and we've been having lots of fun ever since. Shortly after they arrived, they were reading books to the grandsons again. The night they arrived turned into an early Christmas celebration. The boys got tons of Thomas things at once. They were so excited about all their new Thomas clothes they wanted to wear them all at once. Aaron even donned an extra pair of underwear on the outside of his pants for good measure.

DIY Christmas Gift Ideas: I Love Grandma Button Apron

The year of Aaron's first Christmas, I made these simple aprons for grandma gifts. They are pretty similar to these tote bags. I simply used an apron that I already had as a pattern and cut two pieces of fabric for the body. I sewed the right sides together, leaving a small opening for turning, turned it right-side-out and top-stitched around the apron. I made simple ties and a head strap out of lace, ribbon, or fabric pieces sewn together, again using the apron I already had a a guide for the length. I sewed these onto the body of the apron after it was completed, but you could also position them before you sew the body and sew them into the seams (like with the straps on this baby carrier). To decorate, I printed out the phrase "I Love Grandma" (or "mom," or "great grandma," etc.) on fabric transfer paper (remember to do it in reverse) and ironed it on.  Last, I sewed on three buttons in the shape of a heart for decoration. These were well received handmade gifts that were fairly quick to make.

Mandarin Mondays: 洗手间

We're so excited that my parents are coming for a visit really soon. They'll be here on Friday! They are spending a couple of days first touring famous sites on their own, so we sent them some phrases we thought would be useful to know. Nate made a pronunciation guide for each one trying to approximate how you would normally read it in English as much as possible. Since Chinese pinyin uses English letters as a phonetic guide (but certain letters are often pronounced quite differently) this will give you a better idea how these words are supposed to sound. We thought we'd share it with everyone in case you'll be traveling soon and want to impress someone or teach your mouth some new tricks. If you are ever coming for a visit or planning to tour China, at least learn the first one. Even if you don't like their bathrooms (xǐshǒujiān, 洗手间) because of the squatty potties, it's better than the sidewalk. You'll thank me later.

Useful Mandarin Phrases

"Where is the bathroom?"
she show jen zai na lee
洗手间在那里

"Where is this place?"
jigga dee fang zai na lee
这个地方在那里

"Excuse me, can I ask you a question?"
ching when
请问

"How much does this cost?"
doe-a shaow ch-yen
多少钱

"That is too expensive!"
tai g-way la
太贵了

"Can you make it cheaper?"
pi-yen e di-yen
便宜一点

"I want the police!"
woa yaow jing cha
我要警察

The last one was by special request; I've never had to use it.

DIY Christmas Gift Ideas: I Love Grandma Button Tote

The year of Aaron's first Christmas, I made these cute tote bags as gifts for the grandparents. They could also be used as reusable shopping bags, for people you know who would like a green gift. I kept these really simple. I just sewed a rectangle together on three sides, boxed the bottom a little to give it more shape, sewed a simple finished hem on the top, and added ribbon or fabric straps. Then I printed out the phrase "I Love Grandma" (or Grandpa) in fabric transfer paper (remember to do it in reverse) and ironed it on.  Last, I sewed on three buttons in the shape of a heart for decoration. These were well received handmade gifts that were fairly quick to make.

Family Fridays: Christmas Photo Shoot

We did our family photo shoot for Christmas pictures this past Sunday. Here are the highlights of just the boys. More pictures to come.

Brothers!

Awww, hugs.

Both sitting nicely.

Andrew is about to run off.

Seems we can't have a photo shoot without at least one of these.

After he calmed down and then ate a piece of candy, he was happier.

Aaron in his bamboo hat.

DIY Slab Pumpkin Pie

I wanted to bake a pumpkin pie that would last us a little while, so I made a large rectangular pie. This makes a delicious 9x13 pumpkin pie, so you have plenty to share or enjoy for several days. Although it didn't last as long as I had planned, because it was really good. If you don't want a rectangular pie you could use two regular pie pans.

Oil Pie Crust Recipe

• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup oil (vegetable, canola, sunflower, etc.)
• 6 Tbsp or more ice water
  (makes enough for a standard double crust pie, two single crust pies, or a 9x13 slab pie)

1. Mix together oil and flour with a pastry cutter.
2. Add ice water, and continue mixing until firm dough forms.
3. Let rest at least 15 minutes before rolling. 
4. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes to avoid a soggy crust.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Filling Recipe

• 3 cups pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cups (12oz) of cream, half-n-half, evaporated milk, or even plain whole milk for a light pie
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3 whole eggs
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves

1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stirring until well combined.
2. Pour into prepared pie crust shells.
3. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until center is firm.

DIY Pumpkin Bread

My husband loves pumpkin bread, probably because his mom is famous for her great pumpkin bread she makes at Christmastime. Nate says he likes that pumpkin bread is less sweet than the scones and you have room to put butter on it. This it the recipe I used this time to make him some pumpkin bread this time. It turned out really well, nice and moist. You can use it to make great mini loaves or muffins as well with less baking time.

Homemade Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins Recipe

Pumpkin muffins made using this recipe with
spiced glaze from scone recipe

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stirring until well combine.
2. Pour into greased pans.
3. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes for large loaves, 25-35 minutes for small loaves or muffins.

(Makes about 1 large loaf, or 2 medium loaves, or 8 mini loaves, or 12-18 muffins depending on how full you fill your pans.)

DIY Spiced Pumpkin Cookies

I changed the scone recipe just a little to make these pumpkin cookies. They are really quick to mix up and just drop by the spoonful onto the cookiesheet.

Homemade Spiced Pumpkin Cookie Recipe

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup oil or melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/8 tsp (or a pinch) cloves

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until well combined.
2. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.
3. Bake at 400 F for about 15 minutes until just lightly brown
4. Remove from oven, and let cool.
5. Make spiced powdered sugar glaze.

Spiced Powdered Sugar Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Combine spices and sugar, and add milk a Tbsp at a time until a nice consistency. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies. If you want to serve these for company, wait an hour or so for the glaze to harden, but I really have a hard time waiting more than a couple minutes to eat some myself. These are a great with tea, coffee, or milk.

(Makes about 2 dozen good sized cookies)

Mandarin Mondays:交通

One thing that is markedly different about living in a big city in China, instead of the suburbs or countryside of America, is transportation (jiāo tōng, 交通) around town. Kunming is relatively modern and packed with cars (chē, 车). Some foreigners even drive here, although it takes a bit of effort to get a driver's license here and a bit of an expense to purchase a vehicle. However, if you are spending most of your time within the city, you don't really "need" a car unless you just love to drive.

The option we use the most for traveling in the city is public buses (gōng jiāo chē, 公交车), which will take you all over the city for a very reasonable price. Once you learn the bus routes, it feels very comfortable to just hop on a bus and ride to your destination. My husband has even used Google maps to figure out bus routes to and from destinations. If we are going somewhere new, we can figure out ahead of time what number bus to catch, if we need to change buses, and the names of the stops we want to get off at.

Some other foreigners use small motorcycles (diàn dòng chē, 电动车). Motorcycles will probably get you to your destination as fast or faster than any car, but they're not our preferred method of transportation. Regular pedal bicycles (zì xíng chē, 自行车) are more popular and perhaps the most popular method among foreigners. They can get you to your destination on our own schedule quite quickly and have very little fees, other than an occasional very small parking fee.

I think the last option for getting around town is the simplest, although it will take you longer, and that is simply walking (zǒu, 走). We often do this to places nearby, and usually push our little boys in the stroller or use baby carriers to carry them on our backs. This is a great option for things that are close to you. It has all of the benefits of a bicycle, and you don’t have to lock your bike. It will take you longer and you'll be more tired, and obviously it is not a good option for getting all the way across the city, but for a quick run to the store, we like this option best. Walmart, fruit and vegetables markets, and a lot of restaurants are all within easy walking distance from our house.

DIY Cinnamon or Pumpkin Spice Syrup

We are loving all things pumpkin right now at our house, including these delicious pumpkin pancakes. This weekend, I made some pumpkin spice syrup to go with them. I briefly adapted the recipe from here. I really like the combination of spices, but if you feel like this would be pumpkin spice overload, simply using the cinnamon will tone it down a little.

Homemade Cinnamon or Pumpkin Spice Syrup Recipe

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• Dash of ginger
• Dash or cloves

Combine all ingredients in a pot, and stir well. Make sure flour is thoroughly dissolved. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the syrup begins to thicken. Pour over pumpkin pancakes, and enjoy, or cool and refrigerate for later use.