Happy Anniversary to me

Today is our 10th wedding anniversary and my sweet husband wrote a very nice post for me. You can read it HERE.

Isn't he sweet? :)

My Aunt & Uncle on YouTube

Last week when the fires were ravaging Kelowna, BC I found a couple photos of my Aunt & Uncle being evacuated on Kelowna.com. I contacted the site and told them who the people in the picture were and asked who the photographer was. I just felt like people should KNOW who those faces belonged to! The photographer- John McDonald - contacted me and asked for their names and then he contacted them for an interview.... here is the result...


You Tube Video:



Isn't that amazing?

My sweet Aunt & Uncle are coming to visit me next week and I am SO SO SO excited!!! I continue to be incredibly thankful that they are safe and sound and their home is ok- covered in ash, but ok :)

Wordless Wednesday- cool dudes

Jungle Gym Fun

These aren't the greatest pictures but here are a few shots of my kids playing in the super fun jungle gym/ ball park thingy at the hotel yesterday...


The boys LOVED it when the soft balls fell from "the sky".
Aiden loved playing with the ball "shooters".
Even Olivia was able to climb all over with no help from me! I didn't even have to enter the structure at all. Amazing.
I LOVED how safe the place was... I could just sit and enjoy hearing my kids laugh!
They had SO much fun! Brilliant!

We arrived home this evening and now I have to catch up on life :)

delightful

We are in the big city right now for doctor's appointments... which is not very thrilling I know. BUT we are staying in the BEST kid-friendly hotel I have EVER stayed in! Right now I am sitting here blogging at a table in this huge atrium type thing while my kids play in an ENORMOUS ball park/ jungle gym type dealy. It's brilliant. There is also a great pool. And to top it all off we have a pirate themed room that my kids LOVE. I am very pleased :)

Unfortunately we have more doctor's appointments tomorrow... and since the one today was TWO and a half HOURS I am not looking forward to the one tomorrow. Yeesh. We are seeing the asthma specialist so it is worth it but have you ever tried to entertain my three kids in a doctor's office? Less than fun.

Hence the ultra fun hotel. Pure bribery my friends.

I'll post some pictures once I get them off of my camera :)

Bouncing Fun

Olivia + trampoline = STATIC

Best. Hair. Ever.
tee hee.

Kai-Lan's Great Trip to China

I was recently sent Kai-Lan's Great Trip to China DVD to review and we have really been enjoying it.

Synopsis: Join Kai-lan and her friends Rintoo, Tolee and Ho Ho in an adventure-filled, fun and educational trip to China in this exciting double-length feature episode. Kai-lan gets a phone call from her favorite great aunt (and YeYe’s sister), Gu nai nai, inviting us to come to China and meet a baby panda! During their journey, Kai-lan and her friends are amazed by all the new things that they see. This playful and upbeat show introduces Mandarin Chinese in a fun, interactive way, also helping children to develop emotional and social skills.

I really like Kai-Lan and so do all three of my kiddos! It has been fun listening to them try and repeat the Chinese phrases Kai-Lan teaches. The DVD also has some great lessons like trying new things and considering the needs of others. The point is always very clearly made so it is easy for kids to understand. I would definitely recommend Kai-Lan!

Wordless Wednesday- What I learned from my brothers

sham-what?

Here is a conversation that just happened during a commercial for Sham-Wow on TV...

Owen: We have GOT to buy Sham-wow

Me: ignoring him completely

Owen: Mom, can we PLEASE buy Sham-wow?

Me: maybe someday.

Owen: well you can cut it in half you know.

Me: bursting out laughing

Husband: yes, that IS a very interesting selling point (grinning)

Me: howling with laughter

My sons: why is mommy laughing? what is so funny? (walking over and looking at my face in confusion)

Me: still laughing

Aiden: I like it when you laugh mommy.

Owen: ya, me too!

Aiden & Owen: start tickling me to keep the laughter going

Me: laughing and thinking I should really laugh more :)

Conversation with my son Owen

Owen: Do I have school today mom?

Me: no honey, it's summertime. There is no school during the summer.

Owen: It's summer??

Me: yes

Owen: but summer is s'posed to be super hot!

Me: ya, it usually is

Owen: but it's so cold now

Me: ya, this summer has been a little weird

Owen: I guess summer got confused.

Me: ya, I guess it did :)

UPDATE

This is a picture that was taken of my Aunt & Uncle being evacuated from their home in West Kelowna on Saturday. Looking at it even now brings tears to my eyes. It was taken by John McDonald and I downloaded it from the Kelowna.com website.

I just wanted to share an update with those of you who have been praying.

My Aunt & Uncle are perfectly safe in a neighbouring community. Friends of theirs have given them a place to stay. Today my Uncle was able to see their home briefly and a miracle happened- their home is fine! Everything around them is completely incinerated and black. Their neighbours homes were destroyed. They are both so very sad about the devastation around them but thankful their home was saved.

During the evacuation a 4 year old little girl told my crying aunt not to worry because the angels were taking care of her house- and apparently she was right :)

So thank-you God for sending your angels to protect my family!

The fire is nowhere near contained- and there are actually 3 different fires burning out of control right now. You can see some pretty intense pictures of the fire on Kelowna.com.

They are not able to return to their home yet and won't be able to for a few days probably but someone was able to get their car to them which is a huge blessing.

Please continue to pray for the many many thousands of people who have been evacuated from their homes. Pray that the firefighters will be safe and able to contain the blaze. Pray for rain. And please pray for my Aunt & Uncle's dear friends and neighbours -the Gorman's- who are now homeless.

Prayer request

This is a picture I took of my Aunt & Uncle 2 years ago (that is Olivia with them) the last time I saw them. Tonight their home in Westbank, BC is threatened by a forest fire. Thankfully they were evacuated and are safe though.

Please pray for my Aunt & Uncle and the others who have lost homes today. You can go here- http://www.kelowna.com/2009/07/18/more-west-kelowna-fire-photos/# - to see pictures of my Aunt & Uncle being evacuated from their home. So scary.

Weekly Winners- inbetween the rain

Bubble chasing at the beach...


Lovely trail...
There was a little girl and she had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead...
Happy boy...

Interesting bloom...
Studying...
Hiding in the garden...



Follow the leader...

rain rain go away

well... our van died... so we might not go on vacation anymore... but we have a good friend from our church who is trying to fix it for us (thanks Don!) ... so hopefully the van will live again...and it is STILL raining and cold and very un-summery here.

I think the look on Olivia's face sums it up well...

aden + anais

I love aden + anais products and so I was super excited when they sent me this gorgeous Organic Damask Wrap to review! It is a 100 % GOTS (Global Organic Trade Standards) certified organic cotton muslin wrap and it is just beautiful.


Olivia is too old to wrap but she has been using it as a blankie for her naps. It is perfect because it is soft, lightweight and not too hot for summer. She is also a fan of the pink flowers :) The wrap is completely free of chemicals and pesticides so I don't have to worry about it irritating Olivia's super sensitive skin.
The aden + anais wraps all come with "how to swaddle" instructions ... which, incidentally, I could have really used when Aiden was born 7 years ago. They are also machine washable and the fabric becomes softer and fluffier after every wash. I love this wrap!!

Wordless Wednesday- one tired Olivia

Guest Post from Camy Tang!!

I've been reading Camy Tang's blog for a couple years and I've read all of her books and I think she is just fabulous! Camy has graciously agreed to do a guest post for me so without further ado- Camy Tang!

I’m so excited to be here on Tara’s blog!

The best part about writing novels is that I get to include little personal things in my books. I absolutely love food, so I always include one or two foods in my books that are special to me.

In my romantic suspense, Deadly Intent, the heroine’s family is having a get-together with friends and family. At get-togethers with my family, my mom will usually make Chinese chicken salad.

It’s a really yummy dish that’s surprisingly easy to make. It’s also not too exotic (unlike some other Asian food I grew up with). As kids, we loved it, and my mom was happy since we were eating our veggies. :)

Chinese chicken salad

1-2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1 head iceberg lettuce
1/4 c. cilantro, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 package won ton skins (optional)

DRESSING:

1-2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 cup salad oil
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
finely shredded celery (optional)

Whisk together dressing, adding or subtracting quantities to personal taste. (Optional) My mom will sometimes soak the celery in the vinegar for a few minutes, then remove the celery and make the dressing. Toss the celery with the other salad ingredients later.

(Optional) Cut won ton skins into strips and deep fry until golden brown. Drain and cool.

Shred lettuce.

Toss all ingredients together. Serve immediately.

I hope you enjoy reading Deadly Intent! Now when you read about the get-together and the Chinese chicken salad, you’ll feel like you were there!

Thanks for having me guest blog for you today, Tara!
Camy




DEADLY INTENT back cover blurb:

SCENE OF THE CRIME

The Grant family’s exclusive Sonoma spa is a place for rest and relaxation—not murder! Then Naomi Grant finds her client Jessica Ortiz bleeding to death in her massage room, and everything falls apart. The salon’s reputation is at stake...and so is Naomi’s freedom when she discovers that she is one of the main suspects! Her only solace is found with the other suspect—Dr. Devon Knightley, the victim’s ex-husband. But Devon is hiding secrets of his own. When they come to light, where can Naomi turn...and whom can she trust?

Bio:

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. She used to be a biologist, but now she is a staff worker for her church youth group and leads a worship team for Sunday service. She also runs the Story Sensei fiction critique service. On her blog, she gives away Christian novels every week, and she ponders frivolous things like dumb dogs (namely, hers), coffee-geek husbands (no resemblance to her own...), the writing journey, Asiana, and anything else that comes to mind. Visit her website at http://www.camytang.com/ for a huge website contest going on right now, giving away fourteen boxes of books and 30 copies of her latest release, DEADLY INTENT.

Thanks for visiting my blog Camy! You can find Camy Tang's blog HERE.

Olivia playing football

Yep, she's a superstar :)