Home of the Carrick Family Website
Thursday, October 1st, 2009
Maxine arrived safely in Singapore yesterday morning to much squealing and shrieking! She did really well getting through the airport. She called once before boarding just to make sure she was in the right line, and then again to let us know she was on the plane. Apparently she was first off the plane and her luggage was first out, so she was very happy to make it to her friends even faster! Turns out the one friend she was supposed to stay with today and tomorrow has swine flu so she staying with a different friend. Thank heavens they figured that out last week and not when she'd arrived! She went to school with her friends yesterday and today she had birthdya parties for two friends to go to, and then on saturday they're doing something for her birthday. It's going to be strange not having her here on her birthday, even though we had a "pre-birthday" celebration before she left.
It's been a change not having an Ayi around the house first thing in the morning. I've been able to wander around in my pj's till 10:30! I feel a little more secure knowing there's a bell on the gate and that people can't just walk straight up to the door. That all came to an end though yesterday morning when our new Ayi, Wang Yi, started. We're very glad to have her though….believe me, I'm very pleased to see her! She speaks good English and we can actually communicate very well. She achieved more in one day that the other one did in 2 months! She even went and did some shopping for me this morning, for cleaning supplies that she needed. I figured she'd know what to get better than I would since all the labels are in Chinese. Mr. Muscle is still a caucasian on the label though! She's removed everything from the kitchen countertops and is scrubbing them and the tile backsplash down - I mean 'SCRUBBING"!!! She even emptied the jars that I have my cooking utensils standing in, and is scrubbing them! I don't think I've ever washed one of those things! Yikes, am I supposed to admit to that??? My kitchen is going to be * * sparkling * * Lord alone knows what improvements are in store for the rest of the house. I'm already wondering if she'll consider relocating to Dallas! Waaaah!
Staying with Chinese….I've asked my Chinese tutor to take a few of us to the grocery store to translate some of the labels and tell us what some of the dozens of different types of leafy greens are, so we can actually use them! I'm quite excited to learn about some new ingredients. I know you can get fresh spinach here by the arm-load for next to nothing - I think an overloaded grocery bag full is about 20 cents! I could make spinach enchiladas, spinach quiche, spinach & cheese stuffed chicken breasts….
You can get every type of mushroom imaginable as well. I've tried the long skinny ones, Enoki mushrooms, but I don't really care for them. The shiitake mushrooms are good though and you can actually buy them in huge bags, dried. They taste good in recipes that call for regular button mushrooms. You just soak them for 30 minutes before using. There are some mushrooms I've seen that look like they belong on the bottom of a moldy door mat!
I actually found bunches of cilantro at the market the other day. I had to buy some just because it smelt so good. When I'm at home I can think of all the great things I could make with everything I see at the market, and then when I get there my mind is a total blank! And, yes, I do have a list! It doesn't help! I think I have a mental "veggie" block! I'll have to make a visit to AllRecipes.com to get some inspiration.
I'm not feeling so great today. Started feeling awful yesterday afternoon. Seems I've got a bad cold of sorts - no fever so I'm hoping it's nothing worse. Just bunged up sinuses, headache, feeling totally grotty, look even grottier! So, I'm going to have some ginger tea, Sinutab, and to bed. Hopefully I'll feel a little better tomorrow.
Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Still not feeling well today. Sydney and I watched a movie and made her pillowcase out of the nice fabric we got in Dallas over summer. I've taken all my white plates out of my cupboard in anticipation of my new cabinet arriving this afternoon. I found a few that had been broken, by the previous maid, and stuck back together with toothpaste or something! Yet another reason to justify my firing of her! Turns out she'd also broken Sydney's make-up set - the whole thing just fell apart. Half the cleaning supplies I'd bought for her were still in their packets in the cupboard when I went to show the new Ayi where everything was kept. No wonder she's been scrubbing like crazy since she arrived. While I'm ranting….
There's this lady in the complex that walks her Siberian Husky every day, twice a day, on one of those retractable leashes. Every single time she comes past our house she lefts her dog stick its head through our gate and go nuts at our dogs. Of course our dogs are going to go nuts in return, protecting their domain. This afternoon she lets her dog stick his head through, again, and it grabs hold of Frisco's face! Buster's going nuts at the other dog and I realize what's happening so I go running up to the gate, meanwhile she eventually gets control of her dog (and her leash), pulls her dog off Frisco and just walks off! Frisco's got a nice gash above his right eye, a chunk or two out of his nose, and was shaking like a leaf; I was surprised he didn't just drop dead he's that old! I can't believe she just walked off - it's not like I don't know her - she's the mother of Sydney's only friend in the development - as luck would have it!!!
I need nap….uuugh, I feel horrible. Not in a good frame of mind to be writing today L
Saturday, October 3rd, 2009
Happy Birthday Max!
Happy Birthday Danielle!
Rory spoke with Maxine this morning to wish her a Happy Birthday. She had a full day planned with her friends. Haven't heard from her since so I'm assuming they're at the water park having a lot of fun.
I'm feeling even worse today, so only Rory and Sydney went to one of our neighbors for a barbecue lunch with the rest of the Celanese neigborhood crowd. I was so mad that he didn't even bring me home a single piece of chicken! All he could say was how they'd made sooo much food and soooo much was left! I had complained last night about how tired I was of cereal, that it's all I've eaten for two days because I couldn't face anything else, but that now I have an intense craving for meat :( He's gone out now shopping with Sydney. I threatened him within an inch of his life that he'd better bring me back a Starbucks latte as compensation!
A while ago, the same neighbor called to say that their 18-month old had managed to open the front door and wander off. They were looking for Rory and Sydney to help them search for her. It must have been terrifying since there are two large lakes within easy walking distance. As I was pulling on clothes to go and help look for her they called to say they'd found her wandering, really close to the one lake, near the tennis courts! I think I might be shopping for some child-proofing door knobs for her when I go back to Dallas in a few weeks.
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Beautiful blue skies outside today. We've been able to have the windows and doors open everyday for over a week now because the temperatures have been so comfortable and the humidity gone. The lack of noise from the workmen in the neighborhood has also been nice.
We gave the driver the day off today since it's the only day of the holiday that his wife is not working. So, It'll be a lazy day at home enjoying the sunshine.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Rory had the day off work today. Turned out all his staff worked in a day so they could take today off. So, since Dallas will only be getting up and going to work at the end of our day, he decided not to go in to the office too.
We did some running about this morning, found some yarn for Sydney's pom-pom makers - we're being overtaken by pom-poms! Had lunch at Gold and Silver - I think it's Chinese name is Jin Yin. It's a real "hole-in-the-wall" restaurant that makes awesome Chinese food. Rory and Syd had never been before but I'd been with the lunch crowd. Anyway, the menu is in Chinese and English so we knew what we were ordering! They have over 300 dishes on their menu!
Later in the afternoon, Rory took Buster to the vet to see about his eye - he's had a cold in it, and got some meds. Once again, very broken English, which is better than nothing at all.
We've been catching up on all the series' that we've missed over the last year like The Office, Dexter, and all the CSI's. Yesterday we started watching Hero's since we managed to get all the seasons on DVD. It was a series that we never got into at the actual time it started. I think we missed the first few episodes so we never quite knew what was going on. We've had quite a marathon of Hero's this weekend. I told Syd that we're going to be feeling very frustrated tomorrow when Rory's back at work and we can't watch it during the day! I think she's got some homework to do tomorrow, before Maxine get's back tomorrow night, and before we go to Beijing on Thursday. Hopefully I'll be feeling better by Wednesday and we can do some of the sightseeing and shopping that I'd promised we would do during their break.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Another beautiful day in………...China. Sunshine and blue skies, a gentle cooling breeze, birds twittering about outside. It's so nice to be able to be able to open up all the windows and doors, even if you do get bombarded by the occasional jack-hammer or drill. The young boys next door and their neighbors across the road have been playing "pirates" all morning. It been quite fun listening to them charging around in their capes, wielding their guns and swords.
Sydney has taken Buster for a walk - I'm not sure who enjoys it more.
Maxine returns this evening. I'm sure we'll hear about her trip for days, if not weeks, to come!
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
Autumn is definitely here - the leaves are falling by the thousand. Now if only I could find a pot of mums and a pumpkin or two to put by the front door. For now my big spiky pot plant will have to do.
This morning we went to Skyways for a croissant and coffee for late breakfast, so we could miss lunch. I forgot about ordering my cappucino and got iced tea. The tea was super hot, with a few melted ice-cubes floating at the top. Icky, icky, icky. We also went to Golden Bridges to browse around. We got a few things but Sydney had a sore tummy and wasn't really enjoying herself so we came home a little earlier than planned. They got some earrings though. I shopped for a new bag but didn't find anything I simply had to have. I did find a green one, with a very pretty sky blue lining, which I really did like except it didn't have any smaller pockets on the inside or outside so all my "stuff" would be floating around! So, sadly it didn't come home with me. I think I'm destined to wait for the "fake" market!
There are workings busy gutting the house across the road from us. They've been throwing all the stuff into a big pile on their front lawn - luckily we can't see it from our house! But, yesterday they were going nuts throwing stuff out the second floor window and threw out a big appliance - I'm not sure what it was - it was just very big, and white! Well, it came flying out the window, hit the pile of crap, bounced off, took out the wrought iron fence and bounced down to the middle of the road! I was sitting at my desk and watched it all happen. They all came running out to see the damage. Once again, a lot of head scratching, shouting and then a lot more when they tried to figure out how to repair the fence! Just about all the time there's a car parked outside their house - probably the owners or contractors, so they were darn luckily it wasn't there otherwise there'd have been even more shouting going on - that car would have been flattened!
We went out to an Indian restaurant for dinner. It was really good! Another "hole-in-the-wall", but what isn't in Nanjing! The food was very tasty without being too spicy hot - another "keeper" on our restaurant list.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
We're off to Beijing for a long weekend this afternoon, back on Sunday evening. The weather forecast is in the upper 60's so it should be really nice in the sunshine during the day, dropping to the 40's at night. I can't wait! Wang Yi is coming in every morning to feed the dogs and a friend will come over during the day to walk them. No hamsters, no fish, no birds to farm out - phew!
Sunday, October 11th, 2009
Back from Beijing. had a great time. Will write update tomorrow...off to bed now!
Monday, 12th October, 2009
Our trip to Beijing was wonderful! We hadn't planned it as such, but our timing was perfect. National Day was the previous week so all the decorations were still out as well as thousands of flowers in elaborate displays. Since it was the 60th Anniversary it was quite the celebration with a huge parade as well.
We got there Thursday evening, after an almost 2 hour flight. Our guide, Ping, met us at the airport with the driver and took us to the hotel. She said the hotel was a perfect location, not on the busy shopping street, but just around the corner, still within easy walking distance of all the attractions and shopping. She knew the location well. Her parents-in-law live just around the corner.
On Friday morning, after a good nights rest and an adequately "International" breakfast we headed out to see The Great Wall. On the way we stopped in at a Jade Factory where we were given a short tour, in very broken and heavily accented English, and shown all the different colors and types of jade, how to tell real from fake, etc. We saw some beautifully dainty pieces that were about 99 thousand rmb! I bought a few Christmas gifts, definitely no where near the 99,000rmb range!
From there we continued our drive to the Badaling section of The Great Wall, about 40 miles north of Beijing. Built to protect against the northern Mongolian people, it is the most preserved section of the wall. It's very picturesque in that it follows the line of the mountains and valleys. The scenery was beautiful with the leaves just starting to change color. We had perfect weather for our exhausting climb, but it was a little hazy which was not ideal for picture taking.
We had the choice of going to one side which is less steep and consequently had more people and a somewhat less impressive view, or the steep section with good views. We decided that we'd come this far - we might as well get the best view possible so we went for the steep part! For the most part it was just a steady climb, still tiring though, but at the top it got very, very steep, somewhere near a 75 degree gradient. I chose not to climb the whole thing J already battling with vertigo, and still fighting off the cold I'd had all week. There was no way I would have made it. Rory and the girls went up though and I think Rory just about died by the time he got up there! I called him on his cell phone - I thought it would be fun to do the "can you hear me now" on top of the Great Wall of China, and he was puffing like crazy! He managed to hold onto a shred of dignity and pride - another American couple turned back half way - and they were in their twenties! So many locals asked the girls to pose with them. We joked with one group of Chinese teenagers that we were going to charge them 50rmb each. I'm sure the girls will come across their pictures on the web on some Chinese site! We even saw a Flat Stanley! He had been all over the world, even India! I think his caretakers were quite taken aback when we all shouted out "hey, it's Flat Stanley"!! The visit to The Great Wall was a perfect start to an amazing trip.
From there we drove back towards the city, stopping in at a Cloisonné Factory where we got to see how the real deal is made. I was surprised to find out that it takes about 30 steps to make an item of cloisonné. First a copper base is fashioned, be it a plate, vase or ornament. The pattern is then transferred onto the piece. Then a flat copper wire is made and glued to the base in intricate patterns and the whole thing is then fired. After cooling it's painted with enamel, re-fired and re-polished numerous times until the copper pattern is completely filled and polished flat. The colors and patterns were exquisite. They had an enormous showroom and I think we covered every square inch of it! Although I'm not a big Cloisonne fan we did get some very pretty Christmas ornaments. We also had lunch there - a set lunch of Chinese food that Ping had organized for us and most of it was quite delicious. There were a few questionable dishes which we've come to expect.
Even though we were all ready to collapse, put our feet up and enjoy and ice-cold drink, we were not yet done walking for the day! Our next stop was the Olympic Village to see the Birds Nest and Swimming Cube. There were a lot of "local" tourists about which really gave the area a great atmosphere. The Birds Nest is an amazing architectural feat! I have no idea how they would even begin to design that and draw building plans!
After eventually getting back to the hotel and resting a while we headed out to find some supper. We'd asked Ping for a recommendation on where to eat Peking Duck - or Beijing Duck as it's now known. I'm sorry, but Beijing duck just doesn't have the same "exotic" sounding appeal as Peking Duck. Anyway, by this time we'd figured out that Chinese "walking distance" is much further than what we were used to - it was quite a haul and we were very tempted to take a detour into McDonalds en route! The meal was delicious though - thin slices of crispy duck served with a salty-sweet sauce, scallions and small crepe-type pancakes. Even the kids enjoyed it. It was about 9:30 by the time we were done eating and still had to make the walk back to the hotel which took us down the main shopping strip. It's a road that's been closed to traffic so pedestrians and shoppers can stroll along without the risk of being take out by a bicycle or taxi! Looking at the shops and malls you could easily have been in New York. Designer stores line the sidewalks which is quite funny knowing that just around the corner you can buy the knock-off version for a fraction of the price. We got some ice-creams at McDonalds, found a bench, and just people-watched for a long while. It was a very festive atmosphere. The Chinese people seem to always be so happy and relaxed, and just enjoy life. We saw a snaking train of about 30 roller-bladers skate by, lots of very cute little Chinese babies -although I've yet to see an ugly Chinese baby - they're all soooo cute, and lots of tourists which was a welcome sight after being constantly stared at for being one of the few white faces Nanjing!
Just when we thought we were done with all our "serious" walking, Ping informed us that Saturday we would be walking even more than the previous day, but just not as much climbing. Uuugh!
We started out visiting The Forbidden City. The detail and symbolism found throughout the buildings and gardens in staggering. Yellow, known as the Imperial color, is used repeatedly throughout the complex of buildings. Almost all the buildings have yellow-glazed roof tiles, except for the library where black, as a symbol of water, is used to ward off fire. The Cartier Collection was on display at the Forbidden City so we got to see some stunning pieces of jewelry too! Huge cauldrons lined the walkways, raised off the ground a few inches on stone blocks. They were used for collecting rain water in case of fire, and the reason they are raised is so they could light a fire underneath to keep the water from freezing in winter. We're definitely going to have to watch "The Last Emperor" again now that we've seen where it was filmed.
After lunch we visited a Pearl Factory where they harvest the freshwater pearls from the lake of the Summer Palace. I bought a few strands to make some jewelry - inexpensive ones - I could have really splurged and gone for the US$1,000 per strand, uuuuuh NOT, but honestly, I'm not a big pearl fan and actually prefer the more imperfect, irregular looking ones! I don't think the sales ladies were very impressed with my poor selection!
From the Pearl Factory we went to Tian'anmen Square. The previous week we'd watched the 60th Anniversary Parade on television and we were very fortunate in that all the floats were still on display. There were so many people there though that we were worried about loosing each other so we just walked straight through and really didn't stop to look at much.
Still not done for the day…Summer Palace was our next stop. Covering almost three square kilometers, it consists of a man-made lake which in itself covers almost three quarters of the area, the excavated soil from which was used to build Longevity Hill, also part of the Summer Palace complex. It's a beautiful setting with a long corridor following the edge of the lake. It has over eight thousand hand-painted panels depicting Chinese fables, flowers, scenery, etc. At the end of the corridor is a pavilion made from marble, built in the form of a boat. Originally it was very Chinese in design but during one of the Dynasties it was partially destroyed and then rebuilt in a more European style.
Traffic is always terrible in Beijing, and even more so with it being the end of the National Holiday. We always had to walk very far to meet our driver. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Dr Tea for a tea making ceremony. We got to try five different types of Chinese tea but we enjoyed oolong the most, although it was fun slurping some of the others. Slurping is required since it cools the tea to a comfortable temperature and also gives the strange sensation of sweetness to the tea, although no sugar is added. They also showed us how the "pee-pee boys" work. It's a small pottery boy with a strategically placed pee-pee hole. You soak him in water, remove him, and pour your hot tea water over him. If it's the perfect temperature for tea-making he'll pee - ideal distance is 2 meters! We bought some tea just so we could get a free pee-pee boy only to get back to the van to find that our tour guide had gotten us two more! So now we have three pee-pee boys!
That night we had supper at Pizza Hut and walked through the Night Market, which is actually a food market. They sell anything and everything that can be stuck on a skewer! We saw scorpions, snake, sheep penis, silk worms, starfish, cockroaches…..!!! We just took photos and stuck with Pizza Hut!
Our last morning was spent at Heavenly Gardens Park and the Silk Market. We got to the gardens around 9:30 and were able to see hundreds of people who had gathered haphazardly to perform various dances, play games, and sing. There were also thousands of roses on display so the walk through the park was as beautiful as it was entertaining. At the end, as we were about to leave, we stopped to watch a huge group of people ballroom dancing. An old Chinese guy came and asked Maxine to dance and she did, albeit reluctantly. She did really well, and drew quite a crowd!
Maxine and Sydney wanted to visit the Silk Market, which sells everything including silk, but is mostly known for its knock-off handbags and purses. It's very overwhelming when you first enter, especially if you're not used to it. I saw a few foreign tourists just turn around and leave. It 5 stories high and each floor has about 5 corridors. Each corridor is lined with small shops, no bigger than two or three yards wide and deep, filled to the brim with their wares. Each shop has two or three sales people that just pounce on you wanting to sell you something. You have to bargain too, heavily. One girl grabbed Maxine's arm and literally dragged her into her shop. I had to pull Maxine away from her and shout "bu hao" at her which means "not good"! She let go immediately and was very apologetic once she realized I could speak some Chinese. Max got some Converse; no doubt fake, but they cost only US$10. While she was trying them on two salespeople from opposite sides of the corridor were trying to sell Sydney the same shoe! We didn't get either though. Sydney bought a lined winter Abercrombie jacket for 100rmb, about US$15. The starting price was 780rmb, which dropped at least a 100rmb at a time, and we eventually haggled her down from 230rmb to 100rmb! Maxine got a pair of jeans that they started out asking 1780rmb for! She got them for 100rmb also! I bought some beads and stones as well, also haggling them down. If they wouldn't lower their price then I got them to throw in some more strands! Sometimes that actually worked better, for me as well. Amazingly, we didn't get any fake purses or handbags! I was looking for a green one, which is evidently not the "in" color! It's an absolutely crazy place and you've got to go in ready to haggle - they expect it.
We'd already checked out of the hotel that morning so from there we drove straight to the airport for our flight home to Nanjing. It was quite the whirlwind trip but we had good weather and were able to see and accomplish a lot in our three days.
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
Feeling kind of blaaah today. I've been trying to string together some of my beads that I bought in Beijing and I just can't seem to get it right. I need some divine inspiration - coffee, books and staring haplessly at countless containers full of beads is not working. I managed to get one necklace made around 11pm last night, but that was after a meal at the Italian restaurant with a glass of wine, a shot of liquer, and a late night cappucino! I can't keep that up! Maybe I need to put in a DVD, for some diiiiivine inspiration, while I'm beading. That way I'm not bogged down in the small details, and a little Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt or Matthew McConaughey in the afternoon can't hurt, right? Phew, it's getting a little hot in here and it's not the coffee!
I met with a few of the neighborhood ladies for lunch at a Korean restaurant today. Andrea and I both decided it wasn't really our thing - we were both very tempted to duck into McDonalds on the way home!
This afternoon I managed to get another necklace made, without inspiration! Rory left for Shanghai this evening but came home early so he got to spend an hour or so with us this afternoon before going to the train station. He'll be back again tomorrow night.
So, nothing really exciting happening....just routine stuff.
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
I eventually got to the market this morning, along with Dawn and Lori. I took my ayi, Wang Yi and my Chinese tutor, Khristy so they could tell us what all those strange looking vegetables are! It was quite fascinating - yes, vegetables can be interesting! Khristy gave us the English translation and Wang Yi told us how to prepare them, or what they're used in. As you can imagine, most are used in soup dishes, or are sautéed. Still, it was good to know which part of the vegetable we should be eating! Afterwards we went to Suguo, the grocery store, where we found out a lot of things that were labeled only in Chinese. I came home and deciphered all my notes, looked up the English names for the ones we didn't know, and found some additional pictures and recipes. Wang Yi also offered to show everyone how to cook the food. So I need to plan an "at home" lunch next week where we can sample all the strange things we found today!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Hmmm, I haven't written for a few days. If I don't have m software open on my desktop it seems that I forget to do it! Hmmm, same goes for a lot of things lately!
On Friday our whole neighborhoods electricity cut off at 7:30am, which means the main water-pump to the neighborhood isn't working either - right when everyone was in the middle of showering! Luckily I'd just boiled the kettle so Rory could finish shaving with some warm water. I had to go to school for a meeting about the girls' excursion trips, so I wasn't home, but, apparently it was off for most of the morning, and then again Friday night I think since everything had re-set in the morning. After the meetings were finished I ended up going to Golden Bridges with Andrea and Wendy to buy supplies for the Halloween party. Wendy didn't know there were beads and crystal stores there so we had to give those a visit too!
Yesterday we did some running around getting things from the sporting and camping store that Sydney will need for her excursion trip. They're staying in a hotel most of the time, but will camp for one night. A few of her friends got together and went to camp last night at Zixia Lake (Purple Cloud Lake) which is on the mountain behind our house. It served as an ideal test run for their trip. There were five kids and a set of parents. I think they all froze! They decided to sleep outside the tent in a star formation, all sharing a pillow, since they had only one! They also went swimming in the lake - CRAZY! Sydney said she was so cold she couldn't feel her feet! They all had lots of fun though.
Maxine was staying over at her friend, Alli's so Rory and I had a date night. We went to our favorite Indian restaurant, Taj Mahal, but they were having a private party so we couldn't get in. So, since our favorite Italian place was not too far away we went there instead. It was packed! We got a table, but only just. They make the best 4-cheese and spinach lasagna. We like getting a window table when we go there since the restaurant is on a back road that is just teeming with pedestrians, so it's always fun people-watching out the window. Just locals going about their evening routines…one lady who owns a small shop across the road was standing outside hula-hooping almost the entire time we were there - 1½ hours - NO KIDDING! She didn't stop once!
Today our driver was going to a wedding so not having a car, we stayed home; he just picked Sydney up from her camping trip at 8:30 this morning. We achieved a lot though, getting the garage sorted out and stuff hung up on the walls, like the ladder, tennis rackets, suitcases, etc.
Since it's dropped quite cool I decided to switch out all my winter and summer clothes in my closet. I also got my pantry tidied (why do people leave empty boxes of cereal on the shelves??), I got some laundry done, my desk tidied, my beads tidied, and Syd baked some brownies and put up Halloween decorations!
We also made a start on packing some things into suitcases for excursion week. Maxine is going to Jingdezhen, which is almost a 12 hour train-ride away. Sydney is going to Moganshan, which is a 3-hour bus-ride from Nanjing.
Maxine has a volleyball tournament in Suzhou from Thursday to Sunday, getting back late Sunday afternoon. She'll have time to shower and eat, and then will have to be at the school by 8:30pm to leave on her excursion trip! No time for laundry!
In addition to all that, Rory and I also have to pack to go to Dallas on Monday morning. I can't remember if I said so on my blog, but Rory has a conference in Dallas, for only two days, which just happens to be during the week the kids are away. So, I decided to go with him! We'll leave here and arrive in Dallas on Monday, have Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to shop, get hair done, visit with friends and eat as much Mexican food as we can! We leave 6am on Friday morning, back in Nanjing 8pm Saturday evening and head straight to Andrea's Halloween Party! When asked what I was going to be for Halloween I told her "TIRED"!
Monday, October 19, 2009
It's an absolutely beautiful day today - blue skies, sunshine and a gentle breeze. It would be so nice if I wasn't sitting in the middle of a construction zone! I should tape them and add a sound bite to my blog!
I had a Chinese lesson this morning. I managed to get a cup of coffee in beforehand and a cup of ginger tea during, and it really helped! Boy, its hard work first thing on a Monday morning! I'm sure I've said that every Monday morning!
I made my pearl shopping list for our shopping trip to the pearl market in Suzhou on Wednesday. I've got 2 pages worth and I'm still not done! It's all for Christmas gifts and donations so I don't feel too bad. I've offered to make some pieces for the Hopeful Hearts Bazaar in November.
This afternoon I sewed an apron at last. I'd bought the fabric (and the pattern -thanks to Sharrie J) from Dallas this summer. It looks really cute. Now I'm torn over whether to make the next one with the same pattern or to try a different style. Oh well, I'll just see how the fabric inspires me!
Tuesday 20th, October, 2009
I went to Jinsheng Market this morning to look for some supplies to create an elaborate headband for the "Day at the Races". I got some nice things, but still being a bit wary of whether I could actually make it with the limited craft supplies I have, I went in search of a hat. I found one! Nothing too special but it's pretty and looks okay, and it cost on US$18. I might still try to put together the headband, and then see which looks best! Maybe I'll just add some beads & sparkles to the hat. I suppose I should decide what I'm wearing too!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Our road trip to Suzhou was great. We had a full van-load of ladies - 6 in all. It took a little less time than we expected so we had more time for shopping, and we needed it! Wow! Sooo many pearls, and stones, and finished jewelry. There must have been about 80 shops and then about 150 stalls all selling pearls. I could spend days wandering around there. The shops had a lot of finished jewelry as well as the pearls and semi-precious gemstones, while the stalls mostly just had pearls and shells. I think I spent a little over $100 and got over 50 strands of pearls, stones and crystals as well as some silver clasps, rings and connectors.
I sat this evening a laid everything out so I could see what I would need to complete any of the projects. What I need mostly are silver clasps, spacers, and balls, as well as some copper and brass colored findings. I might have to get some new tools as well - I think these might be worn out by the time I'm done making this lot!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
We got a crazy few days coming up….today Maxine left for her Volleyball tournament in Suzhou; she returns Sunday afternoon. Today I had a birthday lunch for one of the neighborhood ladies who turned 40. We went there for 12 and got home at 3! This evening I have to bake cupcakes, and decorate them in a Halloween theme, as requested! Tomorrow morning I'm meeting a friend of a friend who is moving to Singapore to give her some "insider info". Then tomorrow afternoon and evening I'm helping at the Halloween party (yes, it's a week early because the kids are on excursion next week) handing out candy and helping with the cake-walk. Saturday night we have a farewell dinner for some expats that are returning to the USA. Sunday we have the neighborhood barbecue where I've been enlisted to make a salad and a cake. Maxine arrives home on Sunday afternoon, and then leaves again for excursion week on Sunday evening. I suppose I'll be doing laundry and packing for her, and Sydney, Sunday afternoon. And, I suppose I have to fit in packing for Rory and myself sometime too! Aaaargh! I'll be glad to get on that plane and do nothing for 24 hours - uuuuuuuh NOT! I'm planning on taking some beading to do - something simple with not a lot of supplies. It actually helps pass the time really well. A few good books, and a bottle of headache pills and we'll be in Dallas in no time!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Happy 16th Birthday Erik!
I made some "mummy" cupcakes for the Halloween party this evening. They look quite cute, but I'm in no rush to start baking again. Uuuugh. I hate mixing icing.
I'd made a strawberry cake mix but I think there was something wrong with the mix because it overflowed all over the place. Not wanting to waste it, I took what was left (not the stuff on the bottom of my oven, I promise!) crumbled it, mixed it with some leftover green icing. I rolled small balls and stuck them on sticks and wah-lah…Brains on a Stick! It looks just like brains! Perfect for Halloween - I'm sure some little boy will choose them!
Saturday, October 24th, 2009
The Halloween party was a lot of fun. Thye had an incredible turnout - estimates are over aa thousand people - kids and adults. I was working on "Treat Street" handing out candy to trick or treaters. By the end of the evening, I felt like I'd given every single one of the one thousand people a candy! My feet were killing me! There were lots of very cute little kids though - plenty of transformers, skeletons, wizzards, and princesses! A few Dorothy's and ghosts too. My Brains on a Stick (well, not MY brains!) got nabbed by someone!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Last night we went to Tairyo Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant for the farewell dinner. We had a group of 19 people. It's always such an interesting meal with the chef cooking small portions of many different items right in front of you. We started with sushi, then had prawns, steak, asparagus, rice, leafy greens, chicken, lamb, cod, salmon, and to finish….fried bananas and ice-cream. Yummy! It takes quite a while to get through it all - about 2½ hours!
We're busy doing laundry and packing for Maxine. She's got a cold so isn't feeling so great. It's sounds like she enjoyed her volleyball tournament. They didn't do very well but I think the whole experience was a lot of fun. This afternoon we went to the neighborhood barbecue. We had wonderful weather which I think encouraged people to get out. They had a great turnout and we got to meet a few people that we'd seen around but hadn't officially "met" yet. It's a nice opportunity for the husbands to meet the neighbors because the wives always get together during the week anyway.
I'm having problems again with my email. It won't send or receive, but my internet will work - grrr! Oh well, maybe it's overworked and will appreciate the break next week!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Waaaah! Everyone's sick! Maxine's got a bad cold - sent her away stocked up with various meds. Rory's had a cough for days - I'm moving him to the back of the plane! And now Sydney is starting to cough too - I gave her what we had left after sending most of the stuff with Maxine!
We're almost on our way to Dallas…but, the highway from Nanjing to Shanghai is closed because of fog! Yup, they just close the whole highway! Our driver came to take Sydney to school to get her excursion bus this morning and told us. He was also late so we figured something was up with the roads. Sydney was pacing up and down the driveway! So, we're having to ditch our extra suitcases and catch the train! Nothing like a last minute change of plans. At least I get to experience the train! I would have preferred it under less stressful circumstances though.
This morning, Andrea's son had to be at the school at 5am to go on his trip. The driver didn't show up so she called him - he was still in bed! Luckily her neighbor has a car and could drive him to the school. Thank heavens for good neighbors!
It's been a CRAZY, CRAZY Monday morning.
By the time I get to write again it'll be NOVEMBER, can you believe it? Now that's CRAZY! Where has the year gone?
