Name this tune!

At the hotel in Taiwan, a violinist serenaded us during breakfast. It was Rain Dragon's first experience with a violin and she was fascinated--so much so that she watches this video over and over again. Because of this, the Sasquatch and I find ourselves humming and singing this tune all the time and it is driving us a bit mad that we don't know what song it is.  Do you know it?  If you do, please tell us as then we could start the new year without losing our minds!

on my desk monday

On my desk are an assortment of lovely holiday cards from friends and family which have shamed me. Despite my best intentions, I didn't even make Christmas cards, much less send any. But there's always Chinese New Year, right?

post for posterity

It was the first Christmas at our house! Please excuse this indulgence as I post this for posterity:

Our living room was clean for the first time in 8 months:

Menus for the dinner were planned:

Dinner was served (we were very proud!):

But no family pictures were taken...we forgot! Next year!

critique

The creation of a masterpiece:

Ah! My creation! My masterpiece! What will my public think?

hmm, how can I say this?

I like what you did with the roof pattern,

and the taste and texture is not bad...

but if you remove some of this...

and maybe add something...

Ah! Voila! See, much better, no?

new home for the holidays

It's almost Christmas! This our first Christmas in our new house in our new locale. We've been traveling so much that it still feels new. But we are settling in, putting out little roots and starting new traditions.  This year, for the the first time ever, we cut our own Christmas tree:

Rain Dragon was a little confused (and cold):

But we invested in some non-breakable ornaments:

 and she got into the holiday spirit:

So we've decked the new halls:

And now our home is (mostly) ready for the holidays! Hope yours is, too!

fortune cookie friday

"A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another."
-Buddha

on my desk monday

Hey, I'm back! In between computer break downs, school visits and holidays I took an unplanned hiatus from the blog! But it looks like I'll have to do the big bunch belated blog posts after Christmas because right now I've got a bunch of prints from my etsy shop to mail. Yay! I hope these make some lovely gifts!

fortune cookie friday

"If heaven drops you a date, receive it with an open mouth."
-Chinese Proverb

fortune cookie friday

"Thousands of candles can be lit from single candle and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases from being shared."
–Buddha

newsletter newsflash

The blog has been forced to take a short hiatus as my computer is in the shop (hmm, perhaps carting it across the ocean in a carry-on crammed next  diaper cream, crayons, and cheerios wasn't the best idea). It's a bit of a bummer as I have so many Taiwan adventures to share. But I was promised it would be fixed soon.

However, before it acted up, I was able to put together my holiday newsletter! If you don't receive it, you may wish to take a look--I'm offering a free gift for those who order my books for the holidays and my etsy store is open again! Also, this Saturday I'll be at the RISD Sale selling prints, books and more at book #337.

 Read all about it HERE and feel free to sign up to be on my mailing list for future newsletters.!

fortune cookie friday

"No banquet in the world never ends."
-Chinese Proverb

on my desk monday

From my last morning in Taiwan!  It's Pocket Pacy, a wax apple (my favorite fruit in Taiwan) and my ID from my week of visits at the Taipei American School. The time flew by! I have so many photos and thing to post about...stay tuned!

fortune cookie friday

"If one eats less, one will taste more."
-Chinese Proverb

hello from Taiwan

We made it! Rain Dragon was a trooper on the 22+hour airplane ride(s) and customs didn't decline our entry even though we did brought 3 gigantic suitcases, a stroller and...well, let's just say that I'm not good at traveling "light" anymore.

However, the jetlag was a real challenge. The Sasquatch and Rain Dragon met their match with that. But the upside to being awake while everyone else is tired it that we were quite alert for the night market, even pocket pacy:

Does this look familiar to Dumpling Days readers?

I meant to take more photos but pocket pacy was so busy playing games:

she didn't win one! 

and hanging out with souvenir friends:

that I forgot! And, eventually the night market became the goodnight market:

and it was time to get some sleep!

fortune cookie friday

"Laughing in full abandonment is very good for your health."
— Dalai Lama

on my desk monday

This is my breakfast in Taiwan. Isn't it cute? I almost didn't eat the bunny bun...but hunger (and curiosity eventually won).

And see who came along for the trip? A Starry River of the Sky Pocket Pacy!* She's very excited to be making the trip. Stay tuned to see where else she goes!


*this pocket pacy is actually one that was returned to me by the postal service as one of the winners' addresses was not correct. Unfortunately, during the move, things got so discombobulated that I lost track of which winner it was....so if you were one of the Starry River of the Sky pocket pacy winners and never received your pocket pacy (and wouldn't mind receiving one that has already traveled) send me an e-mail at gracelin.manager@gmail.com

fortune cookie friday

"Charity is not a bone you throw to a dog, but a bone you share with a dog."
-Chinese Proverb

dumpling days

hmm, did I happen to mention that I'm going off to Taiwan to visit the Taipei American School there? No? Well, I am! The Sasquatch, Rain Dragon and I are on a grand voyage--our own dumpling days! That is, if we survive the plane ride. Wish us luck.

on my desk monday

Finishing up the art for the third Ling and Ting book!  I heart this one, it might be my favorite of the three!

it rained on Halloween...

but it wasn't our Rain Cloud's fault!

fortune cookie friday

"Divide an orange--it tastes just as good."
-Chinese Proverb

this year's pumpkins

So, this was the first year in a while that we did not have a Halloween pumpkin party. We've been so busy that we haven't been able to get it together and connect with friends in our new locale. Also, we just thought a party of sharp knives and small children were not a good mix. So, this year we decided to carve on our own. Hopefully, next year (or maybe the year after) we can start the pumpkin party tradition again.

Rain Dragon was upset that we wouldn't let her carve her own pumpkin so to make it up to her we themed the pumpkins around her favorite friends:

Yes, her toys are wearing diapers. She refuses to do anything unless they do it first. 

I carved her friend "Cute":

bonus points if you recognize where he's from! It's the Sasquatch's fault. 

And the Sasquatch carved Kermit  "Moo-Moo":

originally he was called "Mermit" but then we put a Kermit band-aid on her boo-bo and now he is "Moo-Moo"

Even though she still would've preferred to play with the sharp knives, the finished pumpkins were an acceptable consolation prize:

Happy Halloween!

When Halloween Meets the Moon

From one of the schools I visited in Florida, comes some Halloween fun: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon inspired pumpkins! Here is how Dragon would look if he were made of pumpkins:

Thanks so much, students! Have a happy Halloween!

on my desk monday

Finishing up the last details on Rain Dragon's Halloween costume!

Can you guess what she is going to be?

fortune cookie friday

"It is difficult to catch a black cat in a dark room -- especially if the cat isn't there."
-Chinese Proverb

thanks for a fortunate visit!

And my school visits are now in full swing! Sometimes when I enter a school, I worry how the day will go. But when I recently visited the Hopewell School in CT, all my worries quickly disappeared. 

Because the first thing I saw was a big welcome banner!

And that wasn't all! The whole school was decorated with projects the students had done with books. There was a huge fortune cookie board, in honor of Fortune Cookie Fortunes:

Each class in 4th and 5th (I think) grade wrote their own fortunes:

which were bother flattering:

You have nice shoes!

and encouraging:

You are a great writer!

I was thrilled to see that they also created their own Five Poisons Charms in honor of Starry River of the Sky:

And with the new book now out, I was so happy to see that Ling and Ting was so popular. Some classes had the students imagine they had a twin:

Their little essays cracked me up:

"If I had a twin it wold have the same hair and have the same name...but I am tanner."

my favorite line: "But we have the same allergies."

Other classes wrote how they were similar and different to Ling and Ting:

These were really sweet:

Ling IS kind!

I am  messy like Ting, too!

But the most eye-catching displays in the school were the moon-themed ones; in honor of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Thanking the Moon, of course:

this one spans the whole wall of the cafeteria!

Students wrote what they were thankful for:

"I am thankful for my life because I have a wonderful one..."

"Thank you for keeping Captain America alive..."

I think it's funny that this student is thankful for his/her chickens before his her parents!

Yes, I'm thankful for food too...that death drawing is quite gruesome

a hollow shell without penguins!

But I admit it was their secret wishes that I couldn't stop reading:

"...I hop my sistr gets her handstand today." 

"I wish that I was neat and not messy." ME, TOO!

"I wish I had a giant pancake"

"...to see a unicorn..." I think I had that wish, too.

 But I didn't have to wish for anything more from the school! It was a great visit!

Thanks, Hopewell School!