Tennis game in the mall!
September! We had a weekend in Shanghai for District Conference and stayed with the Price family! We left early Friday morning since Brian needed to meet up with clients during the furniture show going on there. Brian dropped us off at the Kerry Center and we entertained ourselves by eating lunch at Whole and Pure (a vegan restaurant), shopping at H&M, drinking fresh-juice drinks, playing tennis games in the mall and running around outside. On Saturday Jen and I had an awesome half-marathon run and then prepped for Sunday's dinner. Brian spoke in the Saturday evening session of conference on "Branch Councils". I was in charge of babysitting but was able to come in to hear his talk. I may be biased but it was an excellent talk. Callie and Brock helped me babysit and they all had a great time playing with Will and June.
?? Crazies.
Brock came home from school wanting to make a sock puppet. Inspiration came from his music teacher. Everyone joined in on the fun. It turned out to be a fantastic Family Home Evening activity! Dash and Chael made bean bags out of felt and a glue gun. Sweet mustaches boys!
Callie's 5th-Grade class at soccer day in Shanghai.
Soccer day! I volunteered to go with all of the 5th graders to Shanghai for soccer day. They played four 20-minute games against other international schools. Mr. Chever's class did great! And Callie scored a goal in the first game! It was a beautiful shot. Go Dragons!
Jerry, Natalie Foxwell, Natalie Manning, Yanti, Barbara, Marta and Marcus.
Yanti's fabulous Indonesian lunch!!! It's SOOOO good. Fortunately for me, Yanti counts me as a friend. And I bring the American cookies. :)
Indonesian cuisine that doesn't get any better.
Dandiya Night!
We were invited to join friends for Dandiya Night at an Indian restaurant close by.
From wikipedia: The Dandiya Raas dance originated as devotional Garba dances, which were performed in Goddess Durga’s honor. This dance form is actually the staging of a mock-fight between Goddess Durga and Mahishasura, the mighty demon-king. This dance is also nicknamed ‘The Sword Dance’. The sticks of the dance represent the sword of Goddess Durga.
The origin of these dances can be traced back to the life of Lord Krishna.[1] Today, Raas is not only an important part of Navaratri in Gujarat but extends itself to other festivals related to harvest and crops as well.
Callie and Brock are with friends Ayush, Lakshaya, Anvi and Naina. They had a great time learning the "sword dance." Such cute kids!
Granola Group Granola Bars
These are fantastic! Some friends came over and made granola bars with me. We added our favorite things and came up with this super fab recipe. So delicious and so healthy. I wanted to make these for healthy snacks to send to school with the children. We all love them.
Granola Group Granola Bars
2 cup rolled oats (I do half regular or instant oats so the bars sticked together.)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup flaxseed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1/4 teaspoon allspice (optional)
1 cup wheat flour (or all purpose)
3/4 cup raisins or craisins
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup coconut oil (Can substitute oil for 1/4 cup organic crunchy peanut butter and 1/4 mashed banana or 1 cup applesauce or other oil.)
2 tsp vanilla extract (or half almond extract)
I also add: 1/4 cup chia seeds, 1/4 cup sesame seeds, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup chopped almonds and other nuts, 1/4 cup shredded coconut, 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, 1/4 cup dried apricots, etc. Whatever I have on hand.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes in preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.
