Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Haystack Cookies brought by PW

HAYSTACK NO BAKE COOKIES
Image borrowed from Hershey's Kitchens

1 c. butterscotch chips or chocolate or peanut butter
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. peanuts
2 c. chow mein noodles

Into 2 quart dish microwave at 50% power. Melt the chips and peanut butter (3-5 minutes). Stir in peanuts and chow mein noodles. Drop on wax paper. Put in refrigerator for faster set or let sit overnight on counter.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

SAND TART COOKIES brought by PW

Sand Tart Cookies

Image borrowed from Real Food Whole Health

1 c. butter
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 c. pecans (chopped)

Mix butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add flour and mix well. Stir in pecans. Roll into crescent shape and bake at 300 degrees until lightly brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while hot.

Chocolate Swirl Japanese Cookies brought by AV

Ingredients Plain Part: 100g Butter Pinch of Salt 80g Power Sugar 1 Egg yolk 150g Flour 1/3 TSP baking Powder TSP Vanilla Cocoa Part: 100g Butter Pinch of Salt 80g Power Sugar 130g Flour 1/3 TSP baking Powder 20g baking coco TSP Vanilla Directions (Do for plain and cocoa) 1) soften butter 2) add salt 3) gradually while mixing put in powder sugar 4) add egg yoke and vanilla 5) sift flour and baking powder into mixture 6) flatten dough with roller and then place coco dough on top of plane dough. 7) Now roll the plane and coco dough together into a swirl wrap in saran wrap and place in fridge for over 1 hr. 9) cut into cookies and cook at 170 Deg. C. for 17 minutes.

Japanese Cookies brought by AV

Ingredients 60g Butter 60g Powder Sugar 60g Flour 2- egg white TSP Vanilla extract Yield: 15 - 20 Cookies 1) Melt butter 2) Mix all ingredients adding vanilla last 3) let sit 30 min at room temp. 4) place on wax-paper in spoon fulls. 5) 170 degree Celsius oven for 12 min

Chinese Almond Cookies brought by LK

2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup shortening 3/4 cup white sugar (can add up to 2 more tablespoons, if desired) 1 egg 2 1/2 teaspoons almond extract 30 whole, blanched almonds (one for each cookie) 1 egg, lightly beaten Preparation: 1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (162.5 degrees Celsius). 2.In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter or margarine, shortening, and sugar. Add the egg and almond extract and beat until well blended. Add to the flour mixture and mix well. Note: The dough will be crumbly at this point, but don't worry - that is what it's supposed to be like. 3. Use your fingers to form the mixture into a dough, and then form the dough into 2 rolls or logs that are 10 to 12 inches long. Wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours (this will make it easier to shape the dough into circles). 4. Take a log and lightly score the dough at 3/4 inch intervals so that you have 15 pieces and cut the dough. Roll each piece into a ball and place on a lightly greased cookie tray, approximately 1 1/2 inches apart. Place an almond in the center of each cookie and press down lightly. Repeat with the remaining dough. 5. Brush each cookie lightly with beaten egg before baking. Bake for 15 minutes to 18 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and store in a sealed container.

Candy Cane Pudding Cookies brought by NM

Candy Cane Pudding Cookies adapted from Mom's Crazy Cooking: Which Chocolate Candy Cane Pudding Cookies 2-1/2 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 3/4 cup butter 3/4 cups brown sugar 1/4 cup sugar 1 (3.4 oz) package Candy Cane Pudding Mix 3/4 cup yellow, white or vanilla cake mix 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 package (12 oz) peppermint chocolate chips 1/4 to 1/2 cup crushed candy canes, on top of cookies Preheat oven to 350. Stir together flour, salt and baking soda and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together. Add in pudding package and cake mix and beat until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add flour mixture slowly until well incorporated. Add in the entire bag of white chocolate chips and mix. Scoop out 1" balls onto a greased baking sheet. Flatten and sprinkle with candy canes before baking. Bake at 350 for 10 - 12 minutes.

Gingerbread Cookies brought by NM

Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies adapted from No Special Effects 3 cups (425g) all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup (150g) firmly packed dark brown sugar 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon table salt 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1-1/2 sticks butter 3/4 cup molasses 2 tablespoons whole milk By stand mixer with a paddle attachment: In a small bowl, combine the molasses and milk and stir together; set aside. In the bowl of the mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Mix at low speed until combined (about 30 seconds). Scatter the butter pieces over the top and mix at medium-low speed until it resembles very fine meal (about 90 seconds). Reduce the speed to low and drizzle in the molasses mixture with the mixer running and mix until the dough is moistened thoroughly (about 20 seconds), then increase the speed to medium and mix for 10 seconds more to combine. Cut out at least 4 parchment rectangles to fit the bottom of your sheet pans. Scrape dough onto a work surface and divide into 2 (I used a scale to be accurate: I divided it into 2-502g masses). Place each dough half onto its own parchment rectangle and cover each with another parchment rectangle. Pat out each with your fingers through the parchment into a rough rectangle, then roll each into an even 1/4-inch thickness sandwiched in between the 2 parchment sheets (one way to get an even thickness is to use magazines of the appropriate thickness on both ends of your rolling pin as a guide-- Bon Appetit is one such magazine). Stack the dough sheets (still intact in their parchment sandwiches) onto a sheet pan and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes, or refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Place a rack in the upper and lower-middle positions of your oven and preheat to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper (I just used the ones on my dough sheets, to conserve paper, no problem). Remove a dough sheet from the fridge and peel off the top parchment sheet, gently lay it back on the dough and put another sheet pan on top. Flip the whole set-up over and peel off then discard the other parchment sheet. Using a 3- or 5-inch gingerbread person cutter or a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut out shapes and transfer to the lined sheet pans, leaving 3/4 inch space in between. Bake the cookies for 8 minutes (for 3-inch people, which is what I used), or 8-11 minutes (for 5-inch people or 3-inch cookies), rotating the pans front to back and top to bottom halfway through. You're looking for set centers and for the dough to barely retain an imprint when touched gently with a fingertip. Don't overbake! They will set some more while cooling. Cool the cookies for 2 minutes on the pans then transfer with a wide metal spatula to a cooling rack. Gather the scraps and repeat the rolling and cutting, chilling the dough again if it's become too soft. I was able to juggle all my rolling and cutting in advance so I can bake them consecutively. The yield is 25 3-inch people, 20 5-inch people, or 30 3-inch cookies. Best if eaten within a week.

Cherry Cordial Chocolate Cookies brought by NM

1/2 cup shortening 1/2 cup butter 1 cup light brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon of cherry extract (I didn't have any so I used 1 tb of cherry flavored Torani) 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1 (10 ounce) package Hershey’s Cherry Cordial Kisses, unwrapped Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened butter, shortening, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, extract, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and combine. Fold in chocolate chips. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes to avoid cookies from flattening. After your dough has chilled, drop by rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes or until set up but the centers are still soft. Let the cookies cool for 1-2 minutes. Top each cookie with an unwrapped Kiss. Allow to cool long enough for the Kisses to harden.

Santa Surprise Cookies brought by EW

2 sticks softened butter (aka 1 cup) 1 c. creamy peanut butter 1 c. brown sugar 1 c. sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 3 1/2 c. flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 pkg. Snickers (R) miniatures 1. Combine the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Use a mixer on low/medium if you want, but I use a spoon because it's good to burn as many calories as possible before these cookies are in your house. 2. Slowly add eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined. 3. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda and add them to the butter batter. 4. Cover and chill dough for 2 - 3 hours. 5. Remove dough from fridge and pull off 1 Tbsp. sized piece. Roll up and squash the dough wad into a puffy disk. 6. Place a Snickers (R) miniature in the center of the disk, then smoosh the dough around the miniature. Roll that glob in your hands until it's smooth, then place it on a greased cookie sheet. 7. Repeat steps 5-6 about a bazillion times. 8. Bake cookies at 300 degrees for 10-11 minutes. 9. Let cookies cool on baking rack or wax paper (says the recipe -- I cool mine on brown paper like you use to wrap packages for mailing) 10. If desired, spruce up the cookies by sifting a little powdered sugar on them and drizzling them with melted chocolate. (The recipe says to use melted Dove (R) Brand chocolates, but this recipe is trying to sell you things. Any nice melted chocolate is fine.) My hints: A. I actually use the "fun size" Snickers and cut them in half, they seem to melt a little better that way. Otherwise your cookies sometimes look like flying saucers. (Tasty flying saucers, but still.) B. For chilling, I divide the dough in half, wrap each half in saran wrap, and take out one half at a time when assembling. That way not too much of the dough gets warm while you're smooshing, wrapping, etc. Overly warm dough also contributes to the flying saucer effect. C. To drizzle melted chocolate, dip a fork in the melted goo, then whip the fork back and forth, sideways, across 2 - 3 cookies at once. This is best done fast. Being slow and careful here makes the chocolate end up all globby on the cookies. Which isn't the end of the world, but doesn't look as fancy.

Santa’s Whiskers brought by EW

3/4 cup (6 ounces) flaked sweetened coconut 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons whole milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla or rum extract 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3 ounces red candied cherries, coarsely chopped 3 ounces green candied cherries, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup (4 ounces) coarsely chopped pecans 1. Arrange two approximately 12- by 12-inch square pieces of wax paper on a work surface and spread half the flaked coconut in the middle of each. 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and vanilla or rum extract and beat until fully incorporated. With the mixer on low, add the flour in 3 batches, followed by the red and green cherries and the pecans, and stir until just combined, about 2 minutes. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a 10-inch-long log, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Transfer each log to a sheet of wax paper and roll to coat them in the coconut. Once the logs are completely covered in coconut, roll the wax paper around each log, cover in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. 3. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and a second rack in the lower third then preheat to 375°F. 4. Slice each log crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick cookies and arrange on baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between cookies. Bake, switching the baking sheets between the upper and lower racks about halfway through baking, until light golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Continue baking cookies on cooled baking sheets. DO AHEAD: The cookies can be baked ahead and stored, in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies brought by HK

1 c. sugar 1 c. peanut butter 1 egg Hershey's kisses 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Combine sugar, peanut butter, and egg together. 3. Form 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 to 3 inches apart. If it is too sticky to handle, put into refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 4. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and push a chocolate kiss into the warm cookies.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chip Pretzel Cookies brought by LM

Makes 24 cookies Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour 1/2 tsp. of salt 1/4 tsp. of baking soda 1/2 cup of butter at room temperature 1/2 cup of tightly packed light brown sugar 1/3 cup of granulated sugar 1 egg (beaten) 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup milk chocolate chips 1/2 cup peanut butter chips 1/2 cup broken up pretzel pieces Preztel Salt or Sea Salt Directions: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). On low speed, slowly add the beaten egg and vanilla extract. Beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture and beat just until there are no more streaks of flour. Stir in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and preztels. Cover and refrigerate for an hour. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out well rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Leave about 2 inches between each ball. Bake for 10 minutes. If you prefer crispier cookies increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing.

Chocolate Mint Tree Cookies brought by MA

Chocolate Mint Tree Cookies 2 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder 2 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp salt 2 tsp vanilla extract 4 eggs 2 tsp instant coffee granules 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 16 ounces semisweet chocolate- melted and cooled 10 ounce bag Hershey's Mint Truffle Kisses, unwrapped Mint Drizzle: 2 cups powdered sugar 2 Tbsp milk 2 Tbsp cream cheese 1/2 tsp mint extract Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla, and coffee granules In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in the egg mixture until incorporated. Beat in the melted chocolate. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly and the flour until fully combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit until a scoop-able, fudge-like consistency *about 30 min. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Centers should be soft and puffy. The cookie may look undercooked between the cracks. Let cool for 5 minutes before placing one Hershey Kiss in the center of each cookie. Cool 15 minutes more. While cookies cool, make the mint drizzle by beating together the sugar, milk, cream cheese, and mint. Drizzle over cookies.

Bacon Oatmeal Cookies brought by AM

Bacon Oatmeal Cookies Original recipe makes 1 1/2 dozen 1/2 pound bacon 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats 7/8 cup confectioners' sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons water, or as needed 1 1/2 tablespoons real maple syrup Directions Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. When cool, chop the bacon, and set aside. Beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl until fluffy with an electric mixer on medium speed, then mix in egg, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a bowl, and stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Gradually stir in the oats and bacon, about 1/3 cup of oats at a time, and cover the dough. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Thoroughly grease baking sheets. Scoop about 1/3 cup of dough per cookie, roll into balls, and place the balls at least 3 inches apart on the greased baking sheets. Use a fork dipped in water to flatten the balls slightly. Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies are golden brown with slightly browner edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheets 3 to 5 minutes before removing to finish cooling on racks. To make glaze, whisk confectioners' sugar, water, and maple syrup together in a bowl until smooth. Let the glaze stand about 5 minutes to slightly thicken; drizzle onto the tops of the cookies. Allow glazed cookies to stand about 20 minutes to set up before storing

Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies brought by KP

Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients --1/2 cup of Quinoa 
--1 3/4 cups flour 
--2 1/4 Teaspoons of baking soda 
 --1 1/2 teaspoons of salt 
 --8 oz butter 
--1 cup plus 2 Tbsp of sugar 
 --1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 
 --2 large eggs 
 --1 1/2 cups chocolate chips Directions 
 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees 2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside. 3. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy then add eggs beat well. 4. Gradually add in flour and quinoa* to mixture then stir in chocolate chips. 5. Drop by rounded teaspoon or tablespoon depending on how big you want the cookies onto ungreased baking sheet. 6. Bake 7-10 minutes until golden brown 

*How to cook the quinoa: Soak the quinoa for 15 min - 1/2 hour in it's cooking pot (soaking helps quinoa to cook evenly, and loosens up the outer coating of saponin, which can give a bitter taste if not removed). If you don't have time for a longer soaking, use hot water and soak for five minutes. 

Stir the quinoa with your hand, and carefully pour off the rinsing water, using a fine mesh strainer. Drain quinoa well in the strainer, transfer to the cooking pot, add water in a ratio of 1.5:1 & salt if desired.

 Bring to a boil, cover with a tight fitting lid, and turn the heat down to simmer. Cook for 15 minutes.

 Remove quinoa from heat and allow to sit five minutes with the lid on. Fluff quinoa gently with a fork and serve.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Stir-fried Kimchi Chicken

I find it difficult to cook for just two people. It is still much easier than cooking for one but my husband doesn't like to eat leftovers. I experimented with some things and found it to be very good. It's not difficult and super easy. 2 boneless chicken breasts 1 tablespoons of sesame oil 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil 1 onion chopped sliced (I think green onion would taste better but didn't have it) 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes 1.5 cup of chopped kimchi with juice 1 tablespoon of soy sauce .5 teaspoon of minced garlic .5 cup of mushrooms Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Mix everything into ziplock bag and marinate for at least 30 minutes. I marinated it in the morning and cooked it in the evening. Pour the chicken and mixture into a wox and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with white rice. Yum.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

November in Okinawa

It doesn't feel like November. The weather here is averaging in the low 70's. It's just weird because it's dark by 6pm. I expect it to be colder. MJ has been spending his time at the wood shop trying to create shelves and tables. It's keeping him busy and I had no idea he was talented. It's going to the point where I am going to start taking orders for MJ's Custom Furniture. I have been getting ready for my Christmas Cookie Exchange Party. This is the first cookie exchange that I have ever hosted so I hope it works out. I have actually only been to one and it was so long ago that I forgot how it works. I have found some great resources at The #1 Cookie Exchange Website. The author of the website has even published a book since her site is so popular. I am a little nervous about it all but I have some great friends here. My friends have invited MJ and me to their house for Thanksgiving. It will pot-luck style. I will be making Puerto Rican Pernil, Lechon, and Arroz con Gandules. Yum!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Okinawa life

It has been an insane first few months. We got here and hit the ground running with trying to find a house. We found a perfect house, paid a holding fee, and then the fee was returned to us after 3 days due to someone else getting the house. We are not quite sure how that worked, but we have had bad luck with housing in Korea too. We ended up going through six different realty companies and finally found a place! We moved in the end of August and then we had to wait an entire month to get internet. I keep telling myself that we are not in Korea anymore. The balli-balli culture is not how the Okinawans roll. I have promised myself I will start writing once a week. On Friday nights - I love my class full of crazy kids. They are so different from my Korea-kiddos but I still love them just the same. Here is a picture of our new house. It still feels really empty inside but we are working on making it a home.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Flying with Raja

I love my dog. He's a small mix terrier about 6 years old. I have had him for 5 years. I have never flown with him because I have always found someone to take him for the summer or to watch my house. I knew I was going to take Raja with me but I was really worried about taking him in the cabin with me. He is small enough, but a pain who makes horrible noises when I put him into a kennel. Bringing a pet to Japan is a pain. The first thing I had to do was start the FAVN test - the FAVN is a rabies antibody test. I started the process back in March because I didn't know where I was going, but I was going somewhere and Japan was the most likely place I would be sent to since hubby didn't want to go to a boring school/base in Germany. Most the bases are in the middle of nowhere in Germany. With my time in service, I would not likely get Spain, Italy, or Belgium. He will be done with the 180 quarantine by September so we are good to go. To get Raja ready for the 10 hour flight I started with buying an airline approved carrier. I went with the Sherpa from Amazon. I would put him in the carrier for just 10 minutes then gradually move up to two hours. I know two hours isn't ten hours but I felt that it was good enough. I would always praise him and give him treats before, during, and after captivity. I decided it would be a good idea to take him on a trip in the car. It was a horrible experience. Raja had been fine in the carrier at home but he started wailing as soon as I picked it up. He hated moving with the carrier. My flight to leave Korea was in less than a week and I had never taken him on a trip on the carrier. All the preparation and for nothing, at least that is what I thought. I went to the vet and asked for some medication to help with his anxiety. I was given some pills to help him through the plane ride. We decided to try the pills out on our mini-trip to Ulsan. It worked but took an hour to start working as he cried for the first 30 minutes. How is this going to work in the plane? On the train Raja actually did very well. He hated it the whole time and I felt so guilty. I am sure he feels like he will be in that carrier forever. The pills work from 5-10 hours for Raja. I think it's very strange how it can be such a huge difference for such a tiny dog. One try he was normal after 5 hours but on the way back at 10 hours he was still woozy and walking around like he was drunk. I hoped that when I took him on the plane it would be the 10 hour range. After our weekend in hubby's home time it was time for me to leave to the US. I think hubby wanted to stay longer, not to hang out with his family but to avoid this trip with Raja. :-) I wasn't going to give Raja the pill in the cab on the way to the airport because I wanted it to last. He didn't cry or anything. I was really proud of him. 70,000W later we arrived at the airport and went to the animal quarantine/export office. It was easy and cost us 10,000W for them to review our paperwork to have Raja ready for the plane ride. It ended up being an easy trip from Spokane to San Francisco. Most people didn't even realize I had a dog with me. It wasn't until about half-way through when I let Raja poke his head out to drink some water that the neighbor knew that I had him with me. San Francisco has a great pet relief area outside. The only bad part is that United didn't give me a receipt for my dog so when I tried to go through security they didn't believe me that I had paid for Raja's flight even though I showed him all the export paperwork from Korea. I had to go to a United counter to get a copy of the pet receipt. There was a huge line so having elite status was worth it because I was able to get into the first class/elite status line. After 17 hours we finally made it our final destination. It was success. I am glad I had prepared ahead of time because it would have been horrible if I had just assumed that he would do well. Next up - Okinawa, Japan trip

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Getting ready to leave

Less than a month before I leave Korea. It's happening so fast, I don't even know where to start. I have set up our shipments to Okinawa. I have my tickets to the States and Okinawa. Raja is taken care of and will be coming with me to Spokane and with both of us to Seattle and then to Okinawa. MJ will come to Spokane later and then we will fly to Okinawa in early August. My summer is packed with activities and there are two classes that I really need to finish - you know those "do at your own pace" classes? Ugh, I need to finish 8 lessons for each of them but I have been putting them off. My summer activities include: St. Augustine, Florida Washington, DC Eugene, OR Seattle, WA and if there is time the famous hot springs in BC. I forgot what they are called. Teaching these last few weeks have been difficult with so much going on but I have learned if I keep my lesson plans packed with projects and hands-on activities it helps things go more quickly. By now, my 5th graders could run the classroom by themselves if they had too. We have a big play on the 11th of June that is taking a lot of our time.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

New adventure

Last week I found out that I received a transfer to an elementary school on Okinawa, Japan. MJ was hoping for Europe but there will be time for that later. I believe things happen for a reason. There are many advantages to going to Okinawa.

  • Very close to Korea (2 hour direct flight to Seoul)

  • We get a free trip to the US every year.

  • Scuba Diving and other water sports

  • Korean family can visit easily

  • It will be easier for MJ to find work

  • I can wear flip-flops all year long

  • Okinawa was wear I spent two memorable years while in the Air Force


I'll add more as I think of them.

I have requested my orders and I have reserved temporary lodging on Okinawa for MJ, Raja, and I.

There is so much to do and I still have to teach until June!