This isn't a very good picture, but the whole wall has a lattice roof on the other side which right now is just covered with these beautiful, purple, fragrant flowers. Aren't they called wysteria? 

I thought the color of the blossoms on this tree was just beautiful. 

The tree just to the left is a pear tree and was all in bloom just the week before. It reminded me of the pear tree we had in our front yard growing up. A little wind on a spring day brought the only snow we ever got in sunny California. 

You can tell it's spring by the confusing clothing. Is it cold enough for long sleves or too hot and you gotta wear flip flops? You can see it was one of those rare days in Chengdu when you can see shadows.
This cart used to be one of the kids favorite toys 'til I decided it was too dangerous and put it back by the service area. They still like to climb on it when ever they get the chance. 

This is a cool tree. 

Popcorn popping.... 

Oh he's so cuddley! 

See our cute little beans and corn coming up? 

Time to check the garden. 

One of those weekends...

Friday the kids had a 1/2 day for teacher development. A friend of
ours organized a trip to a beautiful park called Stone Elephant Lake
where they are currently having a tulip festival. We met at the
school, got the kids and were on our way. We hadn't been in the car 10
min. (it is a little over an hour drive to the park) when Marlo got
sick. I couldn't pull over because I didn't know how to get there and
we were following the group. She must have thrown up 5 times or more,
and she was that ghostly white that just isn't good. We got there and
I figured the car sick would wear off. She threw up some more by a
tree and we carried our things to the picnic spot . Marlo slept on the
blanked while we ate. Zoe was doing fine. She was chasing other kids,
playing soccer, eating her lunch, no problem.
After lunch we packed up to head on a walk through the tulips down to
the lake. Marlo still wasn't doing well, so I left her with Ayi and
Teac (who had missed his nap). We hadn't been gone 5 mins when Zoe
started complaining about her stomach. Then the phone rang. Marlo
needed me. We headed back past all of the Chinese school groups who
thought we were more interesting than the sea of tulips, and got to
Marlo. I carried her to the bathroom where she lost it on both ends,
again. I cleaned out her pants and used the hand dryer to dry them.
Meanwhile, she, and now Zoe, are both throwing up in the toilets.
These are public Chinese toilets, sunk into the ground, and poor Marlo
doesn't have any pants on. Luckily it wasn't that crowded.
I called and got our friends who rode with us there another way home,
and we packed up and left. Zoe threw up about 5 more times on the way
home and Marlo was feeling great by the time we got to the car. Zoe
slept for about 2 hours after we got home and then she was fine. Very
strange.
Saturday everyone was up and ready for soccer. We got there on time
but 3 out of my 6 players didn't come. They also just happened to be
the more experienced players so practice and our games were not very
fun. The kids were just as frustrated as I was.
We got home from soccer and after a short rest, I started making food
for Sunday's lunch when everyone would be eating at my house after
church. I cleaned up the house, put the leaves in the table, put the
meat in the crock pot, and beans on the stove to simmer. At about 5 I
suggested we go to IKEA for dinner and the kids could play in the ball
pit area while I walked around. In spite of taking the wrong elevator
down so that we got trapped in the maze while trying to take the kids
to the play area, we had a very nice time. 10 cent ice cream cones and
we left. On the way home, I realized I forgot to turn off the beans.
We came home to a smoke filled house and beans that were blackened and
hardened to the pan. I am just thankful the sprinkler system didn't go
off. People in the building came down to check if the place was on
fire. I opened all the windows, turned on all the fans, and thankfully
it was a pleasantly cool night and the kids were able to sleep in
spite of the throat burning fumes coming from the kitchen and from the
pollution outside. It has taken 3 days to get most of the smell out.
Sunday was pleasant and the kids played outside for a few hours after
lunch. Lunch was delicious, and the second pot of beans was much
better than the first. :)
That night we all slept well.
I know Monday is not technically part of the weekend, but last night
at 3 am Teac decided he should be up to play, and at 3:30, Zoe had a
bad dream. Between the two of them no sleep was possible and by 4:30
they were out in the living room with a 3 hour disk of Dora to keep
them busy. It worked and when I got Marlo up at 7 for school, they
were both sound asleep. In fact, it is almost 9 am and they are still
asleep. Luckily I went to bed before 10 last night.
I still need a nap.

Last Friday, our wonderful facilities guy here found us a nice spot with lots of sun for us to plant a garden- they even roped it off for us and started digging up the grass. My Ayi, who is an area expert on growing veggies (meaning she grew up on a farm just outside of town), helped me dig it out, pull out the grass, and buy the seeds. Zoe put the seeds in the holes and then we covered it up and watered it. I wanted to just do it in pots on my balcony but nothing will grow there because of the lack of sun. I have killed many plants in AZ so I am hoping to have better luck this time.
We planted: corn, squash, green beans, cucumbers, watermellon, and sunflowers. Later I hope to add some lettuce, onions, cilantro, and basil from a friend. Should be very yummy!! 

Speaking of Pancakes

Here are a couple of fun links... pancakes around the world with
recipes. I think pancake day would be fun! Let me know if you try any
of them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/news_and_events/events_pancakeday.shtml

http://www.surefish.co.uk/news/features/090206_pancake_recipes.htm

Michelle

I was being nastalgic and going through some pictures. I found this one and thought I should share. (Marlo at the Gable house) 

This is us with our Chinese teacher, Huang Laoshi, over Chinese New Year. She has some amazing stories to tell. She grew up in Shanghai but was moved with her husband to Chengdu with several other intelectuals. The Chinese people have endured a lot. It is amazing but after being here a while, I can kind of tell what area of China someone is from by looking at them. 

Driver's Test

Can you bureaucracy?

I went and took my driver's test today.... and passed! Phew!

There is only one "DMV" in all of Chengdu (where they get 300 new cars
on the road each week). It is about a 40 min drive from where we live
in the city. Thankfully the consulate sends someone to go with you to
make it through this process. Imagine a giant DMV, with grey marble
floors, steel and black leather chairs, and a big black score board
the size of an enormous flat screen TV with red letters and numbers
cycling through who should go to which window.

When we got there, we first had to go up for an eye and color blind
test. If you fail either of those you are automatically prohibited
from getting a license. Then you have to go downstairs and get a
number. Each person that helps you has to examine and read through
your paperwork. You wait for your number, to get to go to the counter
to talk to someone (just like in the US), you go to a different window
to pay your fee, and then back to the same counter so they can give
you a stamp to go to the testing area. At the testing area they then
send you to your little cubicle with a computer monitor and a mouse.
The test was ok until I got to a question that asked me if the sign in
the picture prohibited driving through... only there wasn't a picture
at all to look at. They just dismissed it and said guess, there are
100 questions and you can miss 9 with no problem. Then I started to
get nervous... 'cause what if I get a 90? Can I fight for that last
point? I shook it off and finally finished. It was ok.

Anyway, after you pass, you take your papers back to the counter to
get a number and wait again. You go talk to someone, then they give
you another number and you wait for them to tell you your card is
ready. All done.

I guess China or the US, the DMV experience is all about the
paperwork. Can you imagine what it would have been like if I had to
keep asking the next person where to go?

Now I can drive to the store or the school or where ever else I need
to go. This will really simplify things.
Michelle

Whole Wheat Flour

So I have been out of white flour for over a week now (I am waiting
for our shipment to arrive.). Since then we have been eating pancakes,
bread, pretzels (not so good- I need to try with the white flour bec.
I think they have potential), tortillas, and even chocolate chip
cookies. You would think the kids would have noticed or said
something... I am even getting a little tired of it- it is pretty
heavy when not mixed with other flour. Not one word. They have gobbled
everything up. I guess that means I can cut down on the white flour we
eat.

Pancakes

Have you ever noticed that practically every culture has some form of
pancake? I wonder if there is a book in that? They even make them here
in China... :)

Michelle

Bagel recipe

A couple people have asked for the recipe I used. Note of caution- it
took me about 3 hours to make them with the kneading and the rising
etc. Plus they have to bake a long time and I can only fit one cookie
sheet in my oven at a time.

This is the link. I did substitute a little whole wheat flour and use
my regular flour + 2 TBS of gluten and they still came out great. I am
definitely going to try again.

http://www.jewish-food.org/recipes/brea0007.htm

Michelle

Sat night Marlo had me put rag rollers in her new short hair. Instead of the nice long curls she was used to, she awoke to medussa head. After some brushing and spraying, she declared, "I am having a bad hair day" and insisted I let her wear a hat to church. I asked her which one and she found a cowboy hat from the dress-up box. I traded her for this one. She wore it all day, even after church was over. Papi and I thought the curls looked great after they calmed down a little. 

An Inconvenient Truth

Yesterday they showed Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth over at the
consulate and then had a scientist from the EPA there to answer
questions afterward. Watching the film was a very interesting
experience for me. One that I have decided to write down and share.

This isn't a movie review as much as it is my reflections on me as a
conservation biologist. How do I teach my children to love and respect
the earth? How do I help them feel the spirit of the earth so that it
can touch their heart as it has touched mine?

When I was a sophomore in college I came home and told my family that
I had decided to major in Conservation Biology. My politically
conservative family was a little surprised and I think at first it
conjured up images of tree huggers and Seattle grunge. I can't blame
them. The thing is, out of everything I ever thought I wanted to
study, this was never on my list. Literature or physics- or even music
would have all seemed a more natural step... except for the fact that
I have always loved nature.
We were blessed as children to be able to go on many camping trips,
both with the girls and with our family. Visiting the redwoods,
mountains, but especially the beach created an appreciation for the
beauty of the world. I used to walk home from my classes at BYU and
sing the song "How Great Thou Art" as I headed down the hill with a
view of the majestic mountains in front of me. Nature is spiritual.
Several times I have just sat listening to the roaring of the waves as
they drowned out my worries and calmed my heart. Or the whispering of
the pine trees as the wind blows through their needles. The most
beautiful quiet of all is when a blanket of snow falls deadening the
city noise and covers the harsh colors of the concrete and steel with
a beautiful clean blanket of white.
As members of the church we are taught that the spirit testifies of
truth. This explains to me why so many people join other churches.
They have a part of the truth- and the spirit even testifies of that
small part.
Watching An Inconvenient Truth was a spiritual experience for me. I
felt the spirit and knew the truth of it while watching. I have never
been an activist. In fact it is my modus operandi to avoid extremes-
even to avoid doing things that make life more difficult (except
moving- for some reason I can handle that). Watching the movie brought
back all of the truths I learned while going to school and also made
me question my efforts. Am I being a faithful steward? Am I making my
choices based on the information I have- or am I ignoring it because
it might be too inconvenient? I know I will be held accountable for
this knowledge... just as the Lord will hold us accountable for any
other knowledge that he gives us. I pray that the health of the earth
will move to the front of the political agenda. Being here in China
has made me appreciate and miss; clean air, clean water, blue skies,
and our park system. The pictures you have seen don't do the pollution
justice.

Michelle

This shot is by Zoe our budding photographer. 

This is Marlo's new hair cut. It was the first time I have ever attempted to do anything but cut it strait across the bottom. Very scary for mom because if she didn't like it- then what. It could be an emotional disaster. I thought of going to a salon, but from what everyone tells me, that is riskier than doing it yourself in front of the mirror, even if you speak perfect chinese.....Fortunately, she loved it. It definately simplifies getting ready in the morning. 

Marlo just couldn't handle the long hair any more. So we looked online for a haircut that she liked. I made her think about it over night and during school the next day. When she came home she said mom "we really need to cut my hair". 

How many kids can sleep in a little play house? Note Marlo's long hair in the picture :) 

Bagles are a rare thing around here. The only place to buy them is frozen for about $6 for four of them. So, we decided to try and make some.... Despite their deformed shape, they actually tasted pretty good. 

Teac is becoming more and more fun to play with. One of his favorite things to do is follow the big kids around the house. Most recently he tried to climb up on the little kids' table and Zoe tried to stop him. He ended up with a shiner.