Green Street Fair (05.03.2008 - 05.04.2008)

We went to the Green Street Fair in downtown Plymouth during the first weekend of May. It was a lot of fun trying out different food and beauty products. Whole Foods Market had the whole middle section of The Gathering and offered many tasty treats. Plenty of free samples from Eden Soy pasta, Nordic Naturals supplements, Lush bath bombs, pens / lip balms / bags (yes - literally) of popcorn from Bosch could be had. We even planted trees at a National Forest in Michigan. Lots of great live bands played on stage, too.

While it is great to have an annual yearly event to promote conservation / alternative energy sources / sustainability / organic concepts, I think everyday should be a day where people can make an effort to take care of our great Mother Earth. 'Nuff said - here are some pictures!

The kids wrote down their thoughts on large colourful boards at a booth on the corner.


One of the trees we planted in Michigan courtesy of Toyota Motor Company.

The Family Carnival Sensation Cruise to the Bahamas (04.27.2008 - 05.01.2008)

Minnie's seventh birthday was this past Monday. It has always been a dream of his to "see the ocean and find shells." Well, MJM and I did just that and took the kids to the Bahamas! We flew in to Orlando and was whisked away to Port Canveral where we boarded the Carnival Sensation. As we headed out into the open sea, we saw two dolphins swimming by the ship as well as a sea turtle.

We went to a Junkanoo beach party in Freeport. The kids found five conch shells on the beach, and we brought the best ones home as souvenirs.

In Nassau, we took a small boat to a private island where we swam alongside stingrays and fed them during the day. They were in an enclosed pen off the beach. On another part of the beach, a wild stingray swam up to Minnie and everyone crowded around. We went walking around the town in the afternoon after the stingray adventure.

Of course, we partook in the various activities on board the ship: swimming, animal towel making class, bingo, and of course, live entertainment which included several performances by the kids. Below is a video of the kids singing and playing the piano shortly after we boarded the ship. MJM encouraged them to ask the pianist if they could try to play the piano with fairly good results!

EDIT on 05.13.2008: I'm putting the photos from my little Kodak on Facebook.
Here's a link to the Kodak photos.

EDIT on 05.14.2008: Now, a link to the Nikon photos!

Farrand Poetry Slam (04.16.2008)

The Farrand PTO, Farrand Elementary and Barnes and Noble partnered together for a really cool "Poetry Slam" event. The kids read their own poems, watched magic performances and learned juggling from Mr. Jones (Our principal's husband). Very cool. Even more cool was that all proceeds of sales by Farrand families were given to the school. Below are some pictures of the event. Enjoy!

(L) Anita read her haiku to an enthusiastic audience.
(R) Minnie learning how to juggle with handkerchiefs first with Mr. Jones.


(L) Minnie did not want to hang out in the kids section anymore. I found him in this section.
(R) Thank goodness it was a handkerchief that landed on Minnie's head and not hard balls!


A bit OT, I know, but I thought I'd show you what Minnie made me for my birthday: A broom and dustpan out of tape, cotton swabs and paper. Good lord.

Pack # 863: Blue & Gold Party (02.21.2008)

On Thursday, the troop had its Blue & Gold party that included a speaker who discussed his experiences in Boy Scouts. He also brought the badges that he had earned as a Scout which were neat. Then, after dinner, some of the older cub scouts participated in a ceremony and crossed over to be Boy Scouts. Finally, a magician ended the evening with more entertainment.

The Tigers posing for the Yearbook picture.


The theme at this meeting was Chinese New Year (how novel). Below was our centerpiece. I think a Chinese take-out box won the centerpiece competition.



Minnie & the magician ... the kids with the balloon "fish"! (Minnie asked for a fish, and the magician made a dog instead 'cos he didn't know how to make a fish.)

Lunar Eclipse (02.20.2008)

Wow ... last night's lunar eclipse was spectacular. It was black and clear as night could be here at home. We literally saw it from our front porch and windows. The kids tried to stay up to watch, but eventually fell asleep. We ended up waking them up to see the full eclipse 'cos it was one of those not to be missed events! There were tired, but came down and outside to witness the event.

It was my first time watching a lunar eclipse live as it happens. Thanks to MJM for the heads up ... Otherwise, we would have missed it! We followed the official page on NASA's website and consulted their timetable and the expected path of approach.

We're going to stay tuned to the other scheduled lunar eclipses for the year, too!


NASA's Timetable


NASA's Lunar Eclipse Path


The lunar eclipse above us and the kids!

Apologies for the delay in posting ...

here's a short recap...
1. Labour Day was fun & we had a great time at the cabin. View some of our photos here.
2. Kids are back in school & doing well. We just had first quarter reviews with their respective teachers.
3. The kids were pirates again this year. We also went to get pumpkins and of course, Pizza Pumpkin Night.
4. We went to have dim sum at Shangri-La and then to my parents' house for Thanksgiving Dinner. It was a blast, and we had a wonderful dinner prepared by Fai and Tien. Also, I finally learned how to play Euchere. Pictures here. Wahoo!

... oh and the house?
1. The old boiler has been removed and replaced.
2. Porch is almost done ... looks GREAT!
3. Exterior of the house and garage have been painted.
4. Interior walls have been installed with Georgia Pacific paperless moid and moisture resistant drywall. They are also primed.
5. Getting ready to get floors on the first floor. Obtaining quotes now...

July Fun & Late Summer Fun

Well, apologies for the long delay between postings, but we have been busy! Fai was home visiting from her Peace Corps adventures in Mali. We have been diligently working away at the house removing the front porch and getting it rebuilt among other things. Fourth of July was way cool. We went up to the cabin and had two sets of guests (Auntie Marilynn, David B, Olivia and Amelia) and then my dad, Tien, Fai, Aunt Lily and Eddie. Sheesh ... It was busy, but fun! Beautiful weather, good company ... you really can't beat that. I posted pictures on my Photobucket site here. I hope you enjoy them!

The kids are still spending their Summer vacation with me which has been interesting to say the least! The Art in the Park where Anita infamously performed for a crowd in 2005 happened in July as well. See below:


The kids decided to make money and use our driveway / front lawn as a make-shift parking lot on Friday and Saturday during Art in the Park. They made $ 25.00 USD altogether for two days worth of work. Not too bad! :O)

Memorial Day Weekend 2007 (05.24.2007 ~ 05.28.2007)

Although our Memorial Day weekend was fun last year (links 1 / 2 / 3 / 4), we also had a blast this year at the cabin!

Here are the kids on the pier by the little beach on Thursday.


The kids found an injured sucker fish that washed up on the beach. It was still breathing, but it did die when the kids brought it back to the cabin. Dad told the kids that they needed to take it back to the lake and let it reclaim the fish.


An annoyed Minnie who wants to catch a fish! We did go fishing on the boat, but alas, no bites.


We saw this swan family a number of times when we went riding in the boat. This is our first encounter, and the male ventured close enough to the boat (not pictured) to warn us to stay away from his family. This picture shows a baby catching a ride with either its mum / dad. CUTE!


We drove the boat to Leland several times over Memorial Day weekend. It's a short boat ride from South Lake Leelanau North to the middle where Leland is located. Here is a pretty flower picture snapped by MJM.

Flower Day @ Eastern Market (05.20.2007)

We went to Flower Day again this year. Like last year, we woke up bright and early to make our annual pilgrimage to Eastern Market to buy our herbs this year. It was a nice warm relaxing morning with plenty of fine greenery and foliage to view and purchase.

We just parked the car and walking into the melee.


This is an eye-catching graffiti piece.


I don't even want to know ...


Cute kids!


The kids with our basil and dill plants so far.


Close-up: Mr. Min


Close-up: Ms. Anita


Poor little piggie!


I can't remember what this flower is called ... but it's quite pretty, don't you think?


A cool shot of this overhang and all of the activity.

Happy Easter! (04.07.2007 ~ 04.08.2007)

It was a COLD Easter this year as I am sure many of you experienced this year. On Friday, we went to the Wayne County Marshmallow Drop where we tolerated the cold temperatures to watch a helicopter drop marshmallows. When the marshmallows hit the ground, the kids ran and picked them up for a prize in three different age groups. It was an interesting experience, and definitely kudos to everyone who all came out to participate and for those who helped put it together.


Here is the helicopter to drop the marshmallows!


Of course, the Easter Bunny was there!


Saturday, April 7, 2007
Here is a dusting of snow looking from our backyard.


The kids are colouring Easter Eggs.


The kids are writing their letter to the Easter Bunny.


The kids have their Easter Bunny letter signed, sealed and delivered.


Sunday, April 8, 2007
Here is what the kids received from the Easter Bunny on Sunday morning. Yummer woke us up at 12.05 on Sunday morning asking us if it was time to wake up and check if the Easter Bunny was there. MJM promptly shuffled her over back to her room. LOL!


The kids with their letter from the Easter Bunny.

Early Spring Fun!

Apologies for the lapse between posts. We've been busy with the house as usual and school. Here are some things we've been doing!

We've been going on walks / scootering around town now that it's been getting warmer. Here are the kids at the base of a statue commemorating Plymouth's war veterans.


Kid Power!


There was a conjoined strawberry in the pack that I bought. We thought it looked interesting. Sorry in advance that it's blurry.

Troop # 84: Cookie Booth Part II and Karate

Apologies for the delay in posting! This past Saturday, Yummers and I went to help sell more cookies at a local credit union. During the hour and a half we were there, we sold out of the Lemonade and Peanut Butter cookies. The only kind we had left were the Caramel Delights and three boxes of Thin Mints. Cool! :O)

After that, we went to get Dad and Minnie and headed over to the kids last Tang Soo Do class. They received their yellow belts at this time.

During one of the exercises prior to the belt ceremony, their instructor demonstrated how to get away from potential kidnappers. When it was Minnie's turn, the instructor asked him, "What will you do if I grab you?" Minnie replied, "I'd punch you in the face." Of course, we were mortified, but inside, we were silently dying with laughter. That got more than one chuckle from the students and parents. Good lord.

In any case, here are the new yellow belt kids!

"I'd punch you in the face."


Yummers!


Minnie (and tummy)!

The 25th Annual Plymouth Ice Spectacular (01.20.2007)

We walked downtown to the Plymouth Ice Spectacular on Saturday night to take in the sculptures. It was crowded and smaller than in past years, but Michael, the kids and I enjoyed it. At least the weather held up (21 degrees) and kept the sculptures from melting which has happened before as some of you might remember - LOL.

Enjoy the pictures and video below!

The kids are all bundled up with snowpants, hats, mittens, scarves and boots.


Here is Team Japan's submission. A team from Japan comes every year to the event to carve out a work of art. They never fail to impress. It was a visit to Japan's ice festival that inspired the one in Plymouth. Apologies for the blurriness!


This team is from Macomb Community College if I recall properly. They are working on a replica of the Mayflower which ironically is kitty-corner from the original Mayflower hotel that now is condominiums and shops.


The Plymouth Ice Spectacular on Saturday night.