Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Wordless Wednesday: Wii Fit Mom


Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes For Moms
Ia m also using this post as my first entry to
Fitness Friday at Wii Fit Moms.
More posts on Wii Fit Mom to come :)

All I Ever Have To Be (Sung Acapella by Amy Grant) I Love This Song!



When the weight of all my dreams
Is resting heavy on my head,
And the thoughtful words of health and hope
Have all been nicely said.

But I'm still hurting,
Wondering if Ill ever be
The one I think I am.

I think I am.

Then you gently re-remind me
That you've made me from the first,
And the more I try to be the best
The more I get the worst.

And I realize the good in me,
Is only there because of who you are.

Who you are...

And all I ever have to be
Is what you've made me.
Any more or less would be a step
Out of your plan.

As you daily recreate me,
Help me always keep in mind
That I only have to do
What I can find.

And all I ever have to be
All I have to be
All I ever have to be
Is what you've made me.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Tackle It Tuesday: Miscellaneous Tasks

Sometimes I find it amusing that in the blogworld, the days are a bit "advanced". For example, I have to make sure my Tackle it Tuesday is done and posted on Monday night. The same goes with the other memes and carnivals like Wordless Wednesday which I post on Tuesday Night, etc. etc. Anyway I thought I would mention that before going to my actual post which is a lot of rambling ;)

So here's my tackle it Tuesday which are the things I tackled today, Monday:

1. Went to work (on my way, dropped off N to a friend's house)
2. Worked on a task assigned to me by my boss
3. Went to Safeway to get the ingredients' for tonight's dinner
4. Dropped off G to Taekwondo lesson
5. Cooked dinner
6. Loaded dishes in the dishwasher
7. Loaded dirty laundry in the washing machine
8. Tweetted and then Blog

For more Tackle It Tuesday posts, visit 5 Minutes For Moms

Saturday, December 27, 2008

I Believe

Sunday Scribblings' prompt this week is "I Believe". Two memories immediately popped in my head when I read it. One is the Apostles Creed, which I had memorized in my childhood and still know it by heart to this day. Second is the song by Tom Jones titled "I Believe". I must have listened to that song a hundred times while I was growing up. My parents must have liked Tom Jones because I remember we have a "record" of that at home and it gets played over and over again. Along with the Apostles' Creed, the lyrics of this song is also engraved in my brain. Just for the fun of it, I googled the words "I Believe By Tom Jones" and I actually found a You Tube video of it!

Before I share the video, I just want to testify that I am a believer. Are you? The chorus in the I Believe song goes like this:

Every time I hear a new born baby cries
or touch a leaf
or see the sky
then I know why I believe.

This coming year 2009 is a year of challenge. With America's economy being as unstable as it is, it is easy to be discouraged and depressed. But let us not be discouraged. I believe that we will get through this hard times. It will teach us important lessons we would never have learned if we're always on affluent state. I believe the hard times bring something good. I believe. The bad times will not kill us - it will make us stronger.

And so, here's the song for us:



This post is also my entry for Then Sings My Soul Saturday.

Friday, December 26, 2008

The Need To Focus

It's the morning after Christmas. How was your celebration? We had a relaxing one - something I requested. Instead of inviting a lot of friends, we opted to celebrate as a family. Later in the afternoon we invited our close friends to our home, the Naks, who are like a family to us. It was a very simple Christmas celebration and I needed that. On Saturday we will have the "party" at our house - a gathering of friends, and I like that too. It just helps that it's not on the actual Christmas Day because I get a little stressed hosting a party on a Christmas Day.

Now that the new year is coming, I feel the need to step back and "re-group". FOCUS - that's the thing I am working on. I need to focus. I have a thousand and one plans and ideas, but I need to focus. I need to prioritize, and focus on doing the most important one, lest I get too busy accomplish nothing on the long list of to dos.

FOCUS - sometimes it is really hard. One culprit is the "tyranny of the urgent". There are many of those in my life. The "I have to do it now" projects that cannot be neglected even though they are not as important as the other things I need to so.

FOCUS - I really need to exert an effort focusing. I think that's the message for today. FOCUS.

So... in the next few days you might find me using this blog as my thinking board as I plan and set my goals for the next year. I will also plan on how to accomplish these goals. Yeah, blog as my thinking board - that might work :)

Now I am excited. Next to Christmas, I like New Year. I like it because it brings hope, freshness and opportunity to start or re-build. I know sometimes we tend to get discouraged when we see that we've been writing the same "new years resolution" over and over again without accomplishing much of it - but it's not the reason to give up. It's the reason to be challenged - to say that this year it will be different! This year will be the day I will accomplish more!

Yes, this will be my year! Yeah!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Happy Birthday Jesus



Happy Birthday To You
happy Birthday To You
happy Birthday Dear Jesus
happy Birthday To You.

Happy Birthday Jesus
I'm So Glad Its Christmas
all The Tinsel And Lights
and The Presents Are Nice
but The Real Gift Is You.

Happy Birthday Jesus
i'm So Glad Its Christmas
all The Carols And Bells
make The Holiday Swell
and it's All About You
happy Birthday Jesus
jesus I Love You!

Thank you Lord for coming into this world Lord Jesus. Thank you for your gift of Eternal Life. Thank you for the big and little things you do in our lives throughout the year. Thank you for loving us. Thank you.

For more thankful hearts this Christmas day, jump to Grace Alone.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Carol Of the Bells - Merry Merry Merry Christmas!

The Message of Christmas: For God So Loved The World ...


It's Christmas Eve morning and I am sitting here in front of the computer wondering why I still feel so "hectic" when I know I shouldn't. This year we have decided not to host a Christmas gathering in our house, and host a gathering of friends on December 27 instead. That helps alleviate some of my worries and stress because I know I would not have to "clean our house" before Christmas. That made a lot of room for me to be able to think about "cleaning my mind and heart" instead...

My bloggy friend Lizzie posted a quote the other day that really struck me. It was from Billy Graham, and it says:

One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper was not hostile; he was not opposed to them, but his inn was crowded; his hands were full; his mind was preoccupied. This is the answer that millions are giving today. Like a Bethlehem innkeeper, they cannot find room for Christ. All the accommodations in their hearts are already taken up by other crowding interests. Their response is not atheism. It is not defiance. It is preoccupation and the feeling of being able to get on reasonably well without Christianity.

That quote is true. But I want to take it further ... It's not just the preoccupation and the feeling of being able to get reasonable well without Christianity... it is that Christians are so preoccupied of the preparations for celebrating the birth of Jesus, but we are preoccupied with matters that are not of importance to him. In our desire to make the celebration special, we tend to neglect the simplicity of first Christmas. Jesus was born in a manger, not in a fully decked out house or an extravagant hotel. The magi's gave gifts to Jesus, not to each other. It was a silent night, a holy night ...

I really am preaching to myself and no one else. I still can not understand why there is a lump of stress in my chest when it ought not be. The burden of "unaccomplished to do" is wearing me down. I need to lighten up... to be childlike...

Well.... dear Jesus ... I am sorry there is nothing special I can lay on your feet today - only these worries and stress which I do not even know exactly what they are. You said "come to me all of you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest". I lay my heart down at your feet Lord Jesus - with all it's stress and worries, together with all my love and devotion for you. Take it, and do with it as you please ...

Liza



Tuesday, December 23, 2008

At Real Life Today

Sarah, my bloggy friend at Real Life, invited me to guest post and share about some of our Christmas memories and tradition. Visit Real Life and read what I had shared. feel free to leave a comment there if you can ;)

Thanks Sarah for the opportunity to share one of my most cherished Christmas memory :)

Liza

Monday, December 22, 2008

Breath of Heaven - A Worship Experience

Buddy Lauer led the worship yesterday. I made sure I was on time. I made sure I was on my usual spot (front, second row on the center right). I was anticipating an awesome worship - and awesome it was!

I knew the worship would be more intimate than usual. Buddy is the brother of Kit, our pastor who is battling cancer at this time. We don't know how long he will live, could be days, could be years. The whole Lauer family is trusting God. And when we are in the midst of a crisis like this, we know that our cries to God are deeper, louder, and more heartfelt than ever.

And so we worshiped. The song set included many of my favorites, like My Savior Lives, and Overflow. I was enjoying the worship, yes with raising my hands and dancing. By this time, people at church is already used to me doing this. It's really between me and God. My usual introverted self turns extrovert when it comes to worship.

The last song of the set was "Everlasting God". Buddy dedicated it to Kit. I closed my eyes while singing this. I was having a blast worshiping God.

Then ...

With my hands raised, my eyes closed, standing up worshiping, singing at the top of my voice, I felt a soft gush of wind just passed by me. I opened my eyes to see if who it was who passed by. No one.... No one.

Then the Spirit of the Lord whispered in my heart "Breath of Heaven".

I cried. I cried so hard I had to sit down while others are still standing up singing Everlasting God.

Breath of Heaven ...

The Spirit of God just passed me by ...

God allowed me to experience His "breath" during worship. It was an amazing experience. God didn't have to do it. He is God, and I worship Him by faith. I was not asking for a sign ...

And yet he let me experience his reality, and confirms to me that "when two or more are gathered in His name, He is there in the midst of them".

Amazing worship experience indeed!

Thank you Jesus ....

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Breath of Heaven - Video and Lyrics - Sung by Amy Grant



I have traveled many moonless nights,
Cold and weary with a babe inside,
And I wonder what I've done.
Holy father you have come,
And chosen me now to carry your son.

I am waiting in a silent prayer.
I am frightened by the load I bear.
In a world as cold as stone,
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now.
Be with me now.

Breath of heaven,
Hold me together,
Be forever near me,
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven,
Lighten my darkness,
Pour over me your holiness,
For you are holy.
Breath of heaven.

Do you wonder as you watch my face,
If a wiser one should have had my place,
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of your plan.
Help me be strong.
Help me be.
Help me.

Breath of heaven,
Hold me together,
Be forever near me,
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven,
Lighten my darkness,
Pour over me your holiness,
For you are holy.

Breath of heaven,
Hold me together,
Be forever near me,
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven,
Lighten my darkness,
Pour over me your holiness,
For you are holy.
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven.

I Need A Silent Night by Amy Grant



I've made the same mistake before
Too many malls, too many stores
December traffic, Christmas rush
It breaks me till I push and shove

Children are crying while mothers are trying
To photograph Santa and sleigh
The shopping and buying and standing forever in line
What can I say?

I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night

December comes then disappears
Faster and faster every year
Did my own mother keep this pace
Or was the world a different place?

Where people stayed home wishing for snow
Watching three channels on their TV
Look at us now rushing around
Trying to buy Christmas peace

I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night

What was it like back there in Bethlehem
With peace on earth, good will toward men?

Every shepherd's out in the field
Keeping watch over their clock by night
And the glory of the Lord shone around them
And they were so afraid

And the angels said fear not for behold
I bring you good news of a great joy that shall be for all people
For unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord
And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace

I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night
To end this crazy day with a silent night

Friday, December 19, 2008

Silent Night ...



I am almost falling asleep, but this rendition of Libera of the song "Silent Night" is soo soothing... I want to share this with everyone at Then Sings My Soul. With the busyness surrounding us this holiday season - it's good to find some quiet time and enjoy a Silent Night. I am preaching to myself, and sharing with you :)

For more music for the soul, visit Signs, Miracles and Wonders.

Late

Oh my gosh - what a relevant prompt we have at Sunday Scribblings today!

You see, today I was very sad to find out that Boomama closed her "Christmas Tour of Homes 2008" linky this morning. I want so much to participate on this, but my "perfectionist" tendencies got hold of me and I did want to create a rushed post (like my first year) in the midst of a busy week. So I thought I would create a beautiful Merry Maui Christmas Tour (better than last year's) post this weekend and link it up on Sunday morning. Duh! Too Late :(

So thank you Sunday Scribbling for giving me a chance to "vent my disappointment of missing the Christmas tour" because I was late.

And guess what? if I don't get off the computer right now ... I mean right now ... I will be late for work. Oh, that would warrant a whole new Sunday Scribblings post on late.

Seven Quick Takes Friday

On this overwhelmed morning of mine, I have decided to join Jennifer and do a "7 quick takes" post to unload stuff in my brain, as well as try to get some pity, encouragement or "kick in the okole reality check" from some of you...

1. Overwhelmed - I am officially announcing that I am overwhelmed. As I mentioned on my post at A MAUI BLOG today, this working mama is stressed out. Balancing work and family on regular days is hard enough, throw in some holidays and I go crazy! Breathe.... I should stress on Christmas right? I am supposed to enjoy it, right? Right! So, I guess I forget that I have still have our Christmas Cards sitting on our kitchen table, etc. etc. After all, I folded 7 loads of laundry last night until 10:30 PM, I should be proud of myself.

2. Running? What Running? - My dear brother Joseph left a comment on my blog the other day and asked if I am still running. My first thought was "running? what running?" My last run was on "Day of Hope" and never "run" since then. Not that I don't like running - I actually love doing it. I just can't find the time. Oh... i should stop making excuses. I really need to run again. I need exercise. I will run ... this weekend I will run. And to hold myself accountable, I promise to post about it this weekend ;) Thanks Kuya Joseph for checking on me.

3. About My Job - still not sure. I need to do my resume this weekend and upload a profile on LinkedIN. I will.

4. Baking Cookies - N was invited by her friend to a "Cookie Exchange". Actually our whole family was invited. They are going to have a "pupu party" in the afternoon - we are supposed to bring a platter of a dozen cookie, then we leave with a dozen variety ones. That's what a cookie exchange is. This reminds me of N's Hula Halau Christmas party. During the planning stage, my dear daughter volunteered to bring cookies, as in home made cookies. I intended with all my heart to bake some fresh hot chocolate chip cookies that day, but I ended up working late, and so I stopped by the store to pick up those Chips A Hoy Chocolate chip cookies. I thought of taking them off from the package, heating them up quickly in the oven and putting it nicely on a platter to make it appear homebaked. But I felt guilty of my planned deceit so I left it on the package and brought it to the Halau potlock. Of course there were a lot of yummy homemade goodies there. My special cookies made by Chips A Hoy was a "nice" addition to the "spread". When we were leaving the potluck, we said thank you to the Kumu, she kindly said "Oh N, thanks for bringing the cookies, that was delicious!" - OUCH! (I don't know why that comment hurt. I knew it was because I wanted to bring the nice homebaked ones and I brought the store one. Oh well...).

5. I miss my family on Christmas. I often wish I can take my kids to the Philippines on Christmastime for them to experience the joy of Christmas there. especially with our family - cousins, grandma, grandpa, aunts and uncles, . Maybe next year ... hopefully (though considering our financial situation right now, I doubt it).

6. Thankful. I just want to mention that I m thankful to God for out health. With all the cold viruses roaming around this season, our family is staying pretty healthy. Thank you Jesus.

7. Seven already? actually I need to start brewing some coffee. So it's good that it's now number 7. I will link this on Jennifer's "Conversion Diary" blog and and I am excited to visit the other participants to see what's going on with them. Blog carnivals like this is a fun way to meet new bloggy friends.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Christmas Photo Memories

And this is why I love taking family photos on Christmastime:

Christmas 1998



Christmas 2001




Christmas 2005


Christmas 2007


It document how fast our kids grow!
Oh, they grow so fast!

And one more fun memory photos here - don't miss it :)


To see more nostalgic photos,
go to "Sincerely Fro Me To You"

Desert Song (I Will Bring Praise) by Hillsong



Desert Song (This is Our God album version)
Written by Brooke Fraser
Performed by Brooke Fraser & Jill McCloghry
Key: D (CAPO 2)
Am G F C Am G F F

VERSE 1:
Am G F C
This is my prayer in the desert Am G F C
When all thats within me feels dry
Am G F C
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
Am G F
My God is the God who provides

VERSE 2:
Am G F C
This is my prayer in the fire
Am G F C
In weakness or trial or pain
Am G F C
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold Am C/E F
So refine me Lord through the flame

CHORUS: C G
And I will bring praise, I will bring praise F C
No weapon formed against me shall remain
G/B G Am
I will rejoice, I will declare F G Am
God is my victory and He is here (play intro)

VERSE 3:
Am G F C
This is my prayer in the battle Am G F C
When triumph is still on its way
Am G F C
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
Am G F
So firm on His promise I'll stand

BRIDGE:
Csus4 C Csus4 C
All of my life, In every season
Am
You are still God G
I have a reason to sing
F C
I have a reason to worship

VERSE 4:
Am G F (C)
This is my prayer in the harvest Am G F (C)
When favor and providence flow
Am G F (C)
I know I'm filled to be emptied again Am G F
The seed I've received I will sow

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Works For Me Wednesday: Christmas Letter and Blogging

Every year we are faced with a dilemma on whether we should write a Christmas letter or not. We love getting them, but it's hard to write because we are always careful not to make it a "brag letter" but we also want to highlight our "joys" and share it with our loved ones.

Every year we would start with saying, no - let's not do a Christmas letter this year. But on the last minute we always do. And guess what, every year when I pull out our old letters from the box (or the computer file) I am always thankful that we do write Christmas letter because it is becoming our family chronicle. It's great to look back and see how different each year was. It's interesting to read our ups and downs. It's great to read the letters and look at the photos that go with it. Oh how our kids have grown!

And so this year, hubby wrote the letter. He is a better write than I am because he writes funny letters as opposed to my serious letter. Our family and friends appreciate his humor, I keep telling him he should blog :)

Speaking of blog, that is what my dear hubby talked about, about me. Here's the excerpt for you dear bloggy friends to enjoy. Merry Christmas! :

Liza is a blogging fiend! I’m talking all times of the day and night she’s just typing away… We should have a single bed to save space. She’s got a few blogs going and just recently got into twittering. I must admit that I don’t read her stuff but I understand it’s good from those who know. People come up to me and comment on things that are going on in our relationship and I have no idea who they are and how they know about my marriage… She says just read her blog and I will know how she feels and what’s she thinking. (All I want for Christmas is a conversation)… Liza’s job will be ending this January, or soon after. This will be a new “opportunity” for her to blog more (is that possible?) and maybe actually make money while doing it (Google: A Maui Blog)… I must have prayed and accidentally asked God for more faith and greater trust… See what I get? God has a sense of humor when it comes to me. (I feel a second job in my future.)

So yes ... that worked for me this year! For more Works For Me Wednesdays, visit Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer.

Wordless Wednesday: She Blogs



For more WW go to 5 Minutes For Moms

Monday, December 15, 2008

Psalm 37

Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.

The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.

The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.

Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.

The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.

But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
for those blessed by the Lord [3] shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.

I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.

He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

I Knew Instantly

When I looked at the time on my computer clock, I knew instantly that I once again spent a lot of time on the net.... And I knew instantly that I have one more post to do before I log off.

When I saw the Sunday Scribbling prompt is "I Knew Instantly", I knew instantly that I would have a hard time coming up with a good scribbling ;) So this is it for now.

Visit the Sunday Scribbling Hub, and you'll know instantly that there are many creative writers out there :)

Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep



I stayed up too late last night "developing" A Maui Blog. I feel like I have so much to do to make it a really good travel and culture blog (so that readers will keep coming back). As some of you already know, that's the blog i hope to "monetize" and gain some income when I become unemployed in the next month or so.

I stayed up until 1:30 AM networking with other Hawaii bloggers and twitters. That's way too late for me. Then I woke up on my usual 4:30 waking up time and could not go to sleep. That's when I remembered this song and that I wanted to share this for the "Then Sings My Soul Saturday".

This simple song give me such comfort. Counting blessings enable us to trust God more. (video with lyrics are HERE is if you want sing along)

For more Then Sings My Song sharing, go to Amy's blog at Signs, Miracles and Wonders.

Friday, December 12, 2008

The Unexpected When You're Expecting - Must Read

Tomorrow I am attending a Baby Shower, which reminded me that I needed to write a review on this book "The Unexpected When You're Expecting". The quick summary of my review is "This book is HI.LA.RIOUS! - you should read it!".

When I first got asked if I'd want to review this book, my first thought was "oh, I am not planning to get pregnant again, why should I?". But when I saw the cover of the book, my interest got me and I agreed to read the book. The publisher mailed the book to me quickly, I received it an a couple of days.

It was a Thursday when the book arrived at my doorstep. Because that's the day I take my son to the library for tutorial, I grabbed the book and took it to the library with me to start reading it there. THAT WAS A MISTAKE! Just reading the few pages of this book, I started giggling, then laughing. I wanted to laugh out so loud, but for goodness sake I was in the library and I was supposed to be quiet - so I tried to control my laughter. Oh, you can just imagine me with my hands covering my mouth and I was shaking because I was laughing inside! The people around me probably wondered if I was getting possessed or something. The more I try to control my laughter, the more I laugh.

It really is a fun book to read. It does not matter if you are pregnant or not, single or married, this book is entertaining. I love the sarcasm in it. It's a parody of the famous book "What To Expect When You're Expecting" and boy it sure did it' job. It's sarcasm at it's best ;)

I highly recommend this book. Since I am done reading it, I am going to give this to my friend who is having a baby shower tomorrow and I am sure she'd get a kick out of this. Better yet, we should read it out loud during the baby shower for great fun! We'd probably pee on our pants laughing - LOL!

I was very delighted to read that my bloggy friend, Jamie of the Blondemomblog, was able to interview Mary K. Moore, the author of this book. Go there now to read the interview. I am sure you would enjoy it.

I also suggest that you visit Mary K. Moore's website here. Have fun!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

O Christmas Tree.. O Christmas Tree..




I know I had been posting a lot about Christmas Trees (the Aluminum Tree, the Plumeria Tree, etc.) but when "We Are That Family" announced a Carnival on Christmas Trees, I couldn't help but join!

Kristen spoke about tradition. When I was growing up, it was tradition in our family to put up and decorate the Christmas Tree on December 1. It's my parents' wedding anniversary and it's a very special day. We usually go out to eat on a special restaurant (we only do that once a year, we don't usually eat out). So, December 1st was the traditional Christmas Tree day.

Now in my family here on Maui, we changed a little bit. It started 3 year ago. we put up our Christmas Tree on the weekend after Thanksgiving. Actually, it's a tradition that on Thanksgiving Day, our friend Kenny helps my hubby take the tree out of the storage (yes, we use the plastic tree. And so well see if this tradition sticks - 3 years in a row so far :)

For a gala of Christmas Trees, go to We Are That Family's "O Share Your Christmas Tree"

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Childhood Christmas Memory - How About The Aluminum Christmas Tree?! :)

I have so many childhood Christmas memories. I was planning to put them all in one post but that would be too long! So let's do it one at a time. Let me start with a Christmas tree.

For I think I was in Grade 4 when we had our first artificial Christmas Tree. Prior to that, my family used to create Christmas Trees from strings, papers, etc. because a Christmas tree was so expensive.

One "a week after Christmas" morning, my mom saw one of our "well to do" neighbor about to put their old Christmas Tree in a trash. My mom asked if we can have it, and she said "yes"! And so the next year, we had a Christmas Tree. Oh, I held off on telling you what kind of tree is was - but you probably already have guessed (the title said it, duh!) - Yes it was an Aluminum Christmas Tree. Oh we loved that tree. We had it for many years! It was just a 4 ft tree but we always put it on top of a dresser to make it taller. One year we placed cotton around it so that it will look like snow :). Oh there are so many memories associated with that old Aluminum Christmas Tree!

When I Googled the word "Aluminum Christmas Tree" a lot of interesting articles came out. !ere's a few good one:

1) There is actually a Museum for the preservation of the Aluminum Christmas Tree. Check it out here.

2) Beyond 50 has an interesting article. It mentioned Charlie Brown and I found that amusing because last night when we were watching the Charlie Brown Christmas, I remembered chuckling when the aluminum Christmas tree was mentioned.

3) And here's another article from Kansas Museum :)

This post is participating on the carnival "Sincerely fro me To You" at We Are That Family Blog :)

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Monday, December 8, 2008

Fear Not!

I woke up this morning with the usual "Monday morning anxiety" in my chest. Immediately I said to my self: FEAR NOT!

"Fear not" that was the angel of the Lord's message to Zechariah when the angel announced that Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth will conceive a child in their old age; (Luke 1:13)

"Fear not" that was the angel Gabriel's message to Mary when he announced that the Lord is with her she will conceive a child and will give birth to the Son of God who she will name Jesus. (Luke 1:30)

"Fear not" is the same message said over and over again in the Bible.

And so as I sit here with my computer, with the anxiety's ugly head keep on popping up in my chest - I react by pounding it with the powerful message which I learned yesterday when I attended the Women's Ministry Conference. Equipped with Kelly Apo's encouraging message from God's Words, this morning I am empowered to battle this anxiety - and everytime it peeks all I have to say is "Fear Not!, for the Lord my God is with me".

Is there anything bothering you today? FEAR NOT!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Congratulations Manny Pacquiao!



Show your support.
Post a shoutout for Manny.


The other night I added a support Manny button on my sidebar and prayed a prayer for Manny Pacquiao. Yes, I got a lot of teasing from my loving husband on that one - LOL! But I thought, why not? The Filipina in me wanted to show support and was hoping and praying that he would win.

Well... he did! God answered our prayers! He won the boxing tournament against all odds!!! Beside the fact that I am Filipino and proud of this Pinoy boxer, what really impressed me was that on his website he was asking for prayers for him to win the fight. "Give Us This Day" is a phrase so familiar because it came from the "Lord's Prayer". Lots of people responded to the requests, a lot of people prayed.

I am so happy he won! I did not watch the fight because we don't have cable, and I was at a Christmas Party - but as soon as I got the chance, I checked it out on the internet and YES! He won! CNN has this report.

Congratulations Manny Pacquiao! To God Be The Glory!

Friday, December 5, 2008

Then Sings My Soul ...

I couldn't choose just one song this week. I just have this overwhelming feeling of thankfulness and love to Jesus, my soul can't stop singing these songs:

I Simply Live For You:



Love You So Much:




For more Then Sings My Soul Saturday posts, visit Amy's blog at Signs, Miracles and Wonders.

Tradition

I could not resist. When I saw that the Sunday Scribbling's prompt is tradition - this song from "Fiddler On the Roof" came to mind. I am a believer of tradition. I think it's important. I think it's beneficial. Sure there are "good" and "bad" tradition but it's all relative. Sure it's not good to be too uptight about it, but to be too loose and not have any tradition is not good at all.



Tradition for me builds a sense of security, a sense of belonging and a connection among family and community. Sure it can be abused and may sometimes be too restrictive - but if we do it "right" we really foster something of value - a priceless experience that no money can buy.

I will come back for more thoughts on tradition. For now I need to drop off my son to a Taekwondo class. In the meantime, I invite you to hop on to Sunday Scribblings' hub for more "views" on tradition :)

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Reality Check and Other Musings

I should be folding our laundry right now ... but laundry can wait. There's been a lot of things in my head lately, I think I better "unload or download" so my mind does not get too crowded...

The other day I received my bonus check which in part is also my "separation pay". It is still unclear when my last day at work would be, and I am not complaining. I am taking it a day at a time, just giving it my best everyday....

On the homefront my husband and I are doing well. Actually, very well in spite of the pending "income cut back". He stopped asking me about finding another full time job, I stopped talking about wanting to be a "stay at home mom". Both of us are trying to understand the other's point of view and I think it's working. We've stumbled upon a great marriage tool which is not new, just hard to apply. At this point both of us are being understanding of each other and that makes the home atmosphere a lot better.

Have I mentioned that we've lost our renter on the ohana we have? (For those in the mainland, an ohana is an attached cottage that we rent to help pay for the mortgage. It's very common here on Hawaii). Our renter found a more inexpensive place (half the price of what he's paying, and it's ocean front I heard). We are praying that a new renter handpicked by God would come soon.

Reality Check. That's the title of the post that Darren wrote on making money with blogging. For those of you who do not know Darren, he's one of the more successful blogger who earns a lot of money from blogs. But he does not want to raise our hopes too high. Making money from blogs means hard work. And so although I enjoy blogging and hoped that it would be my source of income when I get laid off, the truth is I won't make as much money because if I work too hard on it, it would defeat the purpose or my original intent to stay at home to have more time with the kids and more time to be a "homemaker". I will continue to blog because I enjoy it, and I will continue to try to improve my A MAUI BLOG to hopefully monetize it well, but I am not holding my breath on it being a good source of income. If God makes it so then that would be wonderful but ... whatever happens, it's in God's hands...

This post will actually be transferred to my other blog in a few days. Or I might just duplicate it there.

Going back to the marriage secret, here's an example of how when we try to please our spouse, the end result is that they also try to please us:

In an effort to honor my husband, I attended this Women's Bible Study on being a good "HelpMeet". Some (or many) women at church do not like the class because it's almost like the wife is being taught how to be a doormat. The women leading the class are great, but the book we are using is not that great (in fact I would say it's terribly written). I think my husband appreciated the fact that I attended the class to be a better wife to him, that I can feel he's also trying to be a better husband to me. For example, yesterday he fixed our scanner. I had been wanting to fix this scanner (wasn't installed properly when we first bought our printer) but I could not find the time. When I asked him before, he didn't do it. But the other night, he spent a lot of time figuring it out and fixed it for me. (He even knows that I'll use the scanner to scan photos for my blog). Well, that spoke a lot because my love language happens to be "service". So that little service of his told me he loves me. So now watch out, there will be some old scanned photos appearing on this blog soon :)

OK, I think I've rambled enough. Time to check what the Tweeples are tweeting at Twitter :) Til next blog post, aloha!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The Making Of The World's Best Apple Crisp

I told you on this post how my HoneyB volunteered to be featured in my blog. He is known for his delicous home made Apple Pie and Apple Crisp and I was very excited when he asked me to take photos while he prepared the Apple Crisp a day after Thanksgiving. Hubby baking ... definitely works for me!

INGREDIENTS:
8 Apples pared, cored, sliced
* 1 cup sugar (*blend all until crumbly)
* 3/4 cup flour
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 c butter

Place apples in battered baking dish - place crumbs closely over apples. Bake 375 degrees about 1 hour. Serve warm with cream. (Actually, even without cream, it's so yummy!)

This apple peeler is the best! It's such a time saver.
We bought ours from L.L. Bean

The peeler cores and slices too!

Although Coors Light is not part of the ingredients,
it's the secret to success of a yummy apple crisp per our chef :)

Cinammon makes it smells so good!
Smells like Christmas!



I almost forgot to take the AFTER photo ..
as soon as it came out of the over, we devoured it :)

Check out the other participants' tips at Rocks In My Dryer . Lots of great stuff in there!

Mele Kalikimaka Song and Video

A bit hectic, but that's ok - written post will come soon. In the meantime, enjoy this Mele Kalikimaka video especially for you :)



Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a
bright Hawaiian Christmas day
That's the island greeting that we send to you
From the land where palm trees sway
Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun will shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say
Merry Christmas to you

(take it girls)
Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a
bright Hawaiian Christmas day
That's the island greeting that we send to you
From the land where palm trees sway

Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun will shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say
Merry Christmas to you

Instrumental bridge

Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun will shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say
Merry Christmas to you

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a
bright Hawaiian Christmas day
That's the island greeting that we send to you
From the land where palm trees sway
Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun will shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Lalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say Merry Christmas,
Merry merry Christmas to you,
Merry merry Christmas to you

Monday, December 1, 2008

Thankful For Thanksgiving Weekend

This Thanksgiving weekend was filled with family fun. We spent a lot of time hanging out together as a family. The chores were not done but that's ok - the other family activities were much more important. I thought I would just list some highlights for now. Each of these deserves a separate post and each of these has tons of photos that I took but the separate blog posts has to come later:

* Thanksgiving Eve I cleaned my house. I also shared at Hope Chapel's Thanksgiving Service.

* Thanksgiving Day - Celebration at our home. Friends we love came to celebrate with us. We invited a "stranger" to eat the Thanksgiving Dinner" with us and it was a blessing both to him and to us. (more of this later).

* Day after Thanksgiving we went shopping together, the whole family :). A relaxed shopping, not the kind that stressful. The kids had their photos taken with santa Claus (a tradition :)

* We also hiked on a burned site

* My kids cleaned my car, inside and out, and they didn't even asked to get paid for it. It's now sparkling clean!

* Hubby baked Apple Pie on Thanksgiving and Apple Crisp a day after. Both are so delicious they didn't last very long. we are requesting him to bake some more. Photos of the apple crisp with recipe coming up on this blog soon.

* We did another tradition - We assembled our Gingerbread houses. They are so cute! Yes, photos will be uploaded later :)

* Talked to my family on the phone. I don't do it as often as I should or like, so it's always a highlight when I do.

* Our Christmas Tree is up! Thanks to the hardworking elves in the house.

* We went to Coldstone Ice Cream - yum!

Today is Monday. I am thankful that I have a job that earn a living. Now time to log off and get ready :)

Did I already tell you I love the Christmas season? and I love Christmas? Keep checking back!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

I Love My Husband

Last night HoneyB (that's how I call my hubby when I am in a good mood:) was making apple crisp when he said "Hey wifey, take pictures! take pictures! I would like to be on your blog". And he was serious about it :)

In this blog I often talk about my hubby's dislike of my blogging. I also whine sometimes about our differences of opinions (not much, but I know I do). Come to think of it, i don't talk much about how much I love my husband and how I am appreciative of him. At least not much on this blog. And so today i decided I would do just that. Tell the bloggy world that I love my HoneyB. He really is a loving husband and he's the best one for me. We are not perfect as a couple, but no couple is.

Do the "Making The Apple Crisp" post will be up soon.... Stay tune :)

I'll Be Home For Christmas by Josh Groban

This song is a re-post from last year, but I really want to share this on THEN SINGS MY SOUL meme, so here it is:

Warning: get a box of tissue because this will bring tears in your eyes....

To all the soldiers and military personnel who can't be with their families this Christmas. You're in my thoughts and prayers, including your families....



I'll be home for Christmas
You can count on me
Please have snow and misltetoe
And presents on the tree
Christmas Eve will find me
With a love like me
I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams

Choir Sings: I'll be home for Christmas
There'll be snow and mistletoe

Martina Sings: Christmas Eve will find me
With a love like me
I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams
If only in my dreams

If you want to see the actual news video footage of the little boy who was surprised by his Dad, click here. After watching this, come back here and watch this video of the song again. Pass the tissue please...

If you love this song, I am sure you like the "Does Christmas Makes You Cry" too. Check it out here.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

I Am Thankful For ...

God
B, my hubby
G and N , kids
Extended Family - B's and mine
Friends, all our friends
including Bloggy & Twitter friends,
church friends,
my kids friends.
Hope Chapel
My kids teachers
My employer
our house
our car
Blogs
Filipino food
Salonpas
Living on Maui
Quite and safe neighborhood
Costco
Books
Coffee
Smell Nice Lotion
Washing Machine and Dryer
Frozen Food
Canned Food
and yes, Fresh Food
Ocean
Internet
Music
Funny movies and love stories
Senses
Our health
Our pool
Flowers
Blogging
Rolaids
Our camera
Women's Ministry including Helpmeet Study
Tweens Ministry
God's healing
God's love
God's forgiveness
Missionaries
Laughter
Tears
Massage
Smile

Got the idea from Kristen at We Are That Family, who got the idea from Domestic Accident.

Oh The Working Mom Dilemma

Today is the day before Thanksgiving ...

Yesterday I felt a little overwhelmed. My house is just not ready. I know most of our friends coming over for Thanksgiving are friends who have seen our messy house before; and honestly, they wouldn't mind. In fact, I know they would say, my house is fine. But there's something about a "holiday celebration" that makes clutter around the house, piles of laundry to be folded, and dirty toilets not acceptable - at least not to me. I understand that I am a busy mom, and it's ok to have a messy house, but on holidays? -I would like it to look nice... at least on special occasions like Thanksgiving. I am not even mentioning the food prep (not much prep but still has to prep so we won't be took disorganized tomorrow, yo know what I mean).

So yes, I felt overwhelmed and I decided to take a day off today. I am taking a few moments to "unguilt" though. You see, I feel guilty taking the day off today. I do not know why but I do. I don't like taking day offs from work. Not that I don't like to be at home because I do, but I feel guilty not being at work when I am supposed to be there. I also feel guilty that I had given such a short notice. I e-mailed my boss yesterday if I can take a day off today but it he probably did not get it right away and so i did not get the ok. i took a day off anyway. Not good. I do not like doing that either. Knowing my boss (they are family oriented) I am almost sure it's ok for me to take a day off today - I just feel bad that I gave a short notice. But I was very undecided whether to take a day off or not so it's so last minute. Oh well...

Now that I had gotten that guilt out in the open, off of my chest - I am going to log off and start doing the chores. Thanks bloggy friends - I know I can count on you to listen to my ramblings :)

P.S. I thought I should let you know that I am PMS'ng yesterday and today so I am a little bit more sensitive and tired. Hormones of a 42 year old isn't just too friendly. Sorry for the overshare - I thought that's part of my whole "I feel guilty" dilemma.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Thanksgiving Quotes


So once in every year we throng
Upon a day apart,
To praise the Lord with feast and song
In thankfulness of heart.


~Arthur Guiterman, The First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving puts steel into our patriotic veins. It reminds us of our great heritage. It carries us back with numbing nostalgia to that first dreadful winter at Plymouth where less than half the handful of people survived. It speaks in clear, crisp tones of forgotten terms, like: integrity...bravery...respect...faith...vigilance...dignity...
honor...freedom...discipline...sacrifice...godliness.


- Charles R. Swindoll

***

and for a video, click here for Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)

Monday, November 24, 2008

Dear God

I woke up at 1:00 AM and couldn't go back to sleep. Granting that I went to bed early last night (as in almost 9 PM) it's now 2:27 AM and I need some more sleep, don't I? We are out of Ovaltine and I don't think drinking coffee would be a good idea. Maybe I will just sip some of that Lemon Chamomile tea that my brother Relly sent me...

Is it Friday yet?

Oh, it's a holiday week. I guess I should ask "is it Wednesday yet?"

I am contemplating on taking some time off next week. I'll see. One of my officemate had to fly to the mainland because her dad is sick and not doing well. If she's back this week, maybe I'll take off next week (if my hubby says ok).

OK ... feeling sleepy now and I had not even made the tea yet. I guess I'd just log off and go to bed.

Thanks for Lord for being so accessible, for being just a prayer away.

Love you,
Liza

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Grateful

Sunday Scribblings Prompt is "Grateful"
Oh, where Do I Begin?

Grateful to God for a life that was given
Grateful to Mom and Dad for life nurtured

Thankful for friends who sticks closer than a brother
Thankful for my family, including the extended

Appreciative of the kindness strangers do
Appreciative of the love my husband give

Grateful that I can laugh and cry
Grateful that I can read and write

Thankful for the sense of taste
Thankful also for smell, and touch, and ability to hear

Glad that I have work to pay the bills
Glad that I am healthy to work and play

Grateful to Sunday Scribblings
prompting me to share my gratefulness :)

*** Also grateful to 5 minutes For Moms for hosting a Thankful Post Extravaganza :)

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Liveblogging my De-Cluttering

9:25 AM - Good by barbies - Hello Jonas Brothers - N said we can now donate ALL her Barbie stuff. I am the one having a hard time donating them all. The Barbie purses are sooo cute, nad the dressess...! And while we are de-cluttering, N told me that Joe Jonas broke off with Taylor Swift (is N thinking she now has a chance?)

10: 24 AM Getting a lot done and I have photos to prove it. But hubby wants to go to Costo, so I'd be back in a couple of hours...

3:52 PM Back from Costco. Stopped by Borders so it's PM already. Back to de-cluttering. Can'tpost the photos yet because hubby and son are using the other computer to listen to Harry Potter on CD. Easier to download from there. Photos later. Now back to decluttering while listening to Harry Potter.

will be back for more updates ...

11-26-08 - so much for live blogging this :). I just wanted you to know that after Costco I had to go to Safeway, then cook dinner, then eat dinner, then clean dishes, then do laundry, then read a little and sleep....

Friday, November 21, 2008

From The Inside Out and OneWay - both by Hillsong - Then Sings My Soul ...

I couldn't choose just one video for "Then Sings My Soul" tonight. The song "From The Inside Out" speaks so much of my prayer that I want to share it here even though I know I had already posted this song on my blog before (click here with lyrics). Oh, I am sure you will also like this song - come on - sing along, you'll be blessed. I sing this out loud in my car all the time - that's my concert arena :)



Th next video is "One Way". I am so pumped up about reaching out for Youth because I just finished watching Ron Luce's video on Re-Create. It blessed me to see the young people in this video so passionate in worshiping the Lord. Oh, I dance with them too - in our house! Actually I do that raising of hand, pointing to Jesus (or heaven) while singing this song at church. I just don't jump up and down because our church would "not like that" :) during worship. Well, I guess I can but sometimes (or often) it's good to be discreet. So, I just do the jumping up and down in my head. Watch this and you would know what I am talking about:



For more "Then Sings My Soul" participants, go to Amy's blog - Signs Miracles and Wonders and click the links :)

It's Aloha Friday! And Twit! Twit!

What? my last post prior to this was a Wordless Wednesday post? Well, that's ok. I am just happy that it's Aloha Friday today! Been working a lot this week, need to catch up on house chores this weekend.

By the way, any of you "me dear blog reader and friends" on Twitter? If you are, please leave me your twit address so I can follow you. Better yet, look on my right side bar (lower right sidebar) for my twit updates and follow me from there. Or click on that litttle birdie photo on the left in this post and it will take you to my twitter page. When you follow me, I definitely will follow you. It is quite fun twitting. It's microblogging - great when in a rush :)

Speaking of rush, gotta go. Need to get ready for work!

P.S. dear bloggy friends who gave me an award, I am not ignoring it, I am just hectic this week but will work on my acceptance speech (smile) (ok, acceptance and paying it forward post) this weekend. I do appreciate the awards and was thrilled to see your note that you gave them to me (several of you - I will name you on my acceptance speech :).

Now, I really need to log off.

Update: It's Fri afternoon and when I re-read my post this morning it says "gave mean awards" instead of "gave ME AN award" Yikes! so sorry.. I didn't mean to call it mean :)

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

The Supreme Climb

"Take now thy son ." Genesis 22:2

God's command is - Take now, not presently. It is extraordinary how we debate! We know a thing is right, but we try to find excuses for not doing it at once. To climb to the height God shows can never be done presently, it must be done now. The sacrifice is gone through in will before it is performed actually.

"And Abraham rose up early in the morning and went unto the place of which God had told him" (v. 3). The wonderful simplicity of Abraham! When God spoke, he did not confer with flesh and blood. Beware when you want to confer with flesh and blood, i.e., your own sympathies, your own insight, anything that is not based on your personal relationship to God. These are the things that compete with and hinder obedience to God.

Abraham did not choose the sacrifice. Always guard against self-chosen service for God; self-sacrifice may be a disease. If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; if He has made it bitter, drink it in communion with Him. If the providential order of God for you is a hard time of difficulty, go through with it, but never choose the scene of your martyrdom. God chose the crucible for Abraham, and Abraham made no demur; he went steadily through. If you are not living in touch with Him, it is easy to pass a crude verdict on God. You must go through the crucible before you have any right to pronounce a verdict, because in the crucible you learn to know God better. God is working for His highest ends until His purpose and man's purpose become one.

***

The devotion above is from the November 11 devotion from My Utmost For His Highest. It touched my heart so I would like to share it with you. This devotion can also be found HERE.


Sunday, November 16, 2008

Faith - Jason Upton

Is Blogging A Waste Of Time?

Everyone who knows me knows that my husband is not so thrilled about my blogging. And if I am a wife who would truly want to please her husband, I probably should stop blogging already, right?

Well... I am not that wife. Most of you who know me know I am quite submissive, and much of a pleaser. But blogging is one of the areas is my life where I held my ground and refused to submit to my husband's desire for me to stop or spend less time on.

When I blog hop around my bloggy friends blogs, I sometimes envy the fact that their husbands not only support their blogging hobbies but actually encourages them on it. Some of them, it's actually their husbands who suggested they trying blogging (many of these are the stay at home moms who needs to be connected more outside and have "conversations" with adults - blah, blah, blah).

I really don't know why I writing this post. I think, the issue is not really blogging but something else because my husband hasn't really complained about my blogging for a while.

The real issue is .... well, that's probably whay I am talking about blogging... because I don't want to deal with the real issue.

Oh well...

It's Sunday morning. I wish you all a great day!