TGIF

Year of the Monkey ????

No Lil Orchid is just wearing

her silly knit hat that

looks like a Sock Monkey!

It was warmer outside today

and it brought out the best in all of us.....

Here are a few of the
Pillowcase Dresses/Tops I've just finished.

Check out my shop on ETSY....

Tien vo nhu nuoc

"May money flow in like water"

a Vietnamese wish for the New Year.

This I say to all our family,

friends and well wishers.

Great Great made this cute little

fan dress for Lil Orchid two years ago,

and she wore it then.

Check out the busy work my daughter has been doing designing her bows and clips...

I Love all her designs and ribbon choices !!

Chuc Mung Nam Moi

Happy New Year (in vietnamese)

Yes, we are still celebrating the

week long celebration.

After school and before nap time

(sometimes we just chill)

we chose another book to read,

this one we found at a Goodwill.

Wonder if they really make

pogo sticks with dragon heads?

Here is the cute little Tiger face

that heather drew and cut out

as an applique for me to sew.

Year of the Tiger !

Lil Orchid is holding the clay pizza they made at school, sauce(red paint), cheese(yellow yarn), pepperoni(red clay), onion (white yarn), one single green pepper(green yarn) and a single black olive(black bead) (which surprizes me cause she would eat a can of black olives (or green)if we let her.

Fat Tuesday

Sorry we didn't gorge ourselves on food,could barely keep it down.

But, after a miserable day yesterday, President's Day, I am feeling much better. I'm not sure what was wrong but I had a head ache which left me immoveable. I did however, flinch some when a litle girl crawled across my body trying to shimmy herself up to my face to wrap her arms around my neck while whispering "MamMaw I Love You" !(a sweet moment of relief). Or maybe I moved when I felt a faint movement on my mattress as footsteps made their way from the opposite side of the bed, then a small finger poked at my eyelid, raising it up, then giggling at the site and asking "MamMaw are you better inside"? Through my pain, she managed to get a smile from me, much to the same way her mommy and uncle's compassion always gave me strength and a way to feel better:)

If you didn't know, Lunar New Year is a week long celebration(Vietnamese tradition). So Lil Orchid took a book into pre school to share with her friends. I do have to say I love this little dress she is wearing.

Worked hard at sewing some more pillow case dresses and overalls this afternoon.

I also finished an applique my daughter drew and cut out for a sweet orchid pant outfit, Year of the Golden Tiger!! Lil Orchid will wear it this week to celebrate.

Happy Valentines Day & Lunar New Year

Good Wishes to All!!
and
An khang thih vuong
(wishing you security,
good health,
and prosperity)


Tet Nguyen Dan (Feast of the First Morning)
"Tet" for short, is the Vietnamese celebration on
the arrival of Spring based on the Lunar Calendar.

Lil Orchid got two dragons (very important to the Vietnanese)
for Valentines day , the little red one sings "Hot Stuff" she also received
a New Year Kai Lan and a little Kai Lan in a year of the Dog costume
(the year Lil Orchid was born)

Much o my surprise, our weather was not as bad as predicted,
we only got what I call a dusting of snow.

So my son came over this morning, showing off his load of beads (88 strands) from the StL Mardi Gras Parade. He took pictures after he draped Lil Orchid with the beads (she had to hold her arms out to the side because there were so many they didn't fit on her tiny shoulders).
Sorry the pics were on his camera.

We ate a delicious meal of Bun Cha, oranges and ginger cookies to celebrate, and then gave Nathan and Lil Orchid their red envelopes.

Breakfast at .....

Well, last night my son drove into town, luckily it was just a light snow beween here and Ohio. So we met up with him and he bought us breakfast. Lil Orchid greeted him with a very big hug and kiss and had to sit by him the entire time. We took him some of his mail and also his Valentine gifts (it is suppose to start snowing tonight and all day Sunday) so we really don't want him to drive back to see us if it's snowing. He was going over to the StL Mardi Gras Parade (it is awesome, and ranked second to New Orleans. After that he is celebrating with his girlfriend. If he does come in the morning we will celebrate Valentines Day and Lunar New Year (my daughter will be cooking Bun Cha for lunch) YUMMY!

My son holding his Masters Diploma which just arrived in the mail.

Lil Orchid really excited to receive another Valentines card in the mail...

this one had a delicious sucker, flower seeds valentine and a special photo of her NY friends ;)

friendship celebration

Lil Orchids school doesn't
celebrate holidays and stressed
that Valentines are not to be exchanged
while they would talk about friendships
and exchange with another classroom
cards of friendship.
I must be getting senile and
blind in my old age,












Cause, her card sure looks like a Valentine to me...???
By the way thanks Great Great & YeYe
she loved her "real" Valentine card you sent.

Snow Day...

Hey Christi,

heard you were looking for a Snow Day...

why? it's cold outside,

the wind keeps blowing and

is covering up all the work of shoveling..

It's not even good for

snowmen or snow ice cream!

Although the Snow Angels are always Beautiful!!

Sweet Success

Well, we are back home, ate lunch/dinner, and I did have my feet up. Today we had a pretty good day, better than I thought. Actually for being a couple hours north of us and the snow we received Fri & Sat here, they had nothing on the ground, grass or in the shades. If anyone has ever been to the Lodge at Pere Marquette, it is still beautiful with its giant fireplace, vaulted ceiling and the drive up the Mississippi River well worth it. The Bald Eagles were visible although most watchers were saying not as many came back to nest this year.

Didn't see anyone we knew except for a few of the vendors

but met a lot of new customers, and they wanted to be put

on our email list for future shows.

Lil Orchid was, of course, her usual "SWEET" self , and drew alot of attention with the KISS on her backside. I love the browns and pinks. So Yummy!!

Worked hard on making the candy, because vendors were supposed to have it or something related to chocolate in their inventory, so try selling it while the Lodge was giving chocolate away free? Well, for taking things other than our clothes we did well :)

Let's see what's next- Valentines Day....Lunar New Year....Easter

Busy, Busy BOWS...

My daughter has been very BUSY designing her Hair Bows and Clips.

Aren't they really CUTE !!