First "Real" Day of Summer Vacation

Erwil and I eat Pho (Vietnamese fresh rice noodles in beef broth) at least once a week. I remember when we were dating, we usually went to Pho restaurants. When we got engaged to be married, it became our "go-to" dinner since we admit to being pretty frugal with our spending habits.

There are 3 Pho restaurants that we visit most frequently. I can't really remember the names of these restaurants since they all start with "Pho" and then some lucky number or some sensory loaded adjective. I only know our favorite restaurants by landmarks and cross-streets. Our #1 favorite spot is in Cerritos behind American Seafood Market, on Pioneer Blvd. and South Street. I think it's called Pho Tasty. Then #2 is in Torrance, on Carson Street and Crenshaw Blvd., right beside a liquor store and dry cleaning store. I have no clue what the name of the place in Torrance is, but they have really nice customer service and good food. Our #3 favorite location is in Artesia, near the 99 Ranch Market on Pioneer Blvd. if we feel like eating fresh oxtail and a free bowl hot tapioca dessert.

Today I finally had a real break from chores, so I had some free time to visit my friend Hoa and see her new home in Costa Mesa. She invited me over to her house so that I can learn how to cook Pho. She brought me to a large grocery store in Westminister and educated me on what produce and cuts of beef to buy for optimal soup flavor.

The soup's ingredients like star anise, lemongrass and fish sauce are easier and cheaper to find in an Asian super market. It only took an hour minimal to prepare the beef broth. After watching how easily the soup is made, I figure that this is something that Erwil and I can make at home.

After all the cooking and eating was done, we jumped into the backyard swimming pool. It was such a great day!

Elmer's Birthday

My younger brother just turned 30 today. Happy Birthday, Elmer!

What Do You Consider a Necessity or a Luxury?

I found Catherine Holahan's slideshow poll on MSN to be interesting and thought-provoking. I had to take the survey to find out what other Americans think. The article compiled the results from an interactive survey that compiled 23 of the most common material products used by the average American household on a daily basis.

Many of the items on the list are things that I use now for time-saving purposes. The only item that I still don't have or feel is necessary to have (just yet, at least) in the house is the dishwasher. Growing up, I never relied on using a dishwasher at my parents house. It was the done by hand with Palmolive and a wet sponge, maybe a Brillo pad for the tougher jobs. Old habits probably will never die. Erwil and I still wash our dishes and dry them on the rack the old fashioned way--by evaporation. I guess the trick is to keep the dishes from becoming an overwhelming Mt. Everest of crusty pans and slime stained plates. Whenever we have house guests coming over, we hope they don't mind eating off of a Dixie plate.

The necessity that I do feel grateful for is the washer and dryer. I'm so glad that the washer and dryer are now smartly designed for every piece of clothing. With the amount of clothing we can go through in a week's span, I feel that we deserve to have our own family laundromat. This is not even counting a baby in the picture just yet. Can you imagine having 5 cycles all running simeoultaneously? I would be finished with the laundry in less than 2 hours!

How about some thoughts from our readers: What household products do you consider a necessity or a luxury?

Scriptural Pointers on Being Godly Fathers

We listened and learned from this message given by Pastor Emmanuel Orendain of Calvary Presbyterian Church on Father's Day.

1. LOVE YOUR WIFE
Ephesians 5:28 "So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies."

• You are creating a pattern and model for how your children will live their lives as parents and mates.

2. DON'T EXPECT PERFECT CHILDREN
Colossians 3:21 "Fathers, don't make your children resentful, or they will become discouraged."

• Don't expect your children to fulfill your unfulfilled goals.
• Accept your chldren...acknowledge their imperfections...and love them in spite of their imperfections.

3. ENJOY YOUR CHILDREN
Psalms 127:3 "Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is your reward."

• Have fun with your children.
• The quantity of time you spend with them indicates how important they are to you...don't give them your leftovers.

4. LISTEN TO YOUR CHILDREN
Proverbs 1:5 "A wise man will hear and increase in learning."

• They [Your children] need your undivided attention...be available.

5. PROVIDE FOR YOU CHILDREN
1 Timothy 5:8 "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever."

• Don't rob your chldren of the blessing of wanting, working for, and waiting for material things.
• Providing too much is as bad as providing too little.

6. TRAIN YOUR CHILDREN
Ephesians 6:4 "And fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

• Teach your children boundaries...to respect authority.
• If you don't, then they will become the authority in the home.

7. PRAY FOR YOURSELF
1 Chronicles 16:11 "Seek in the lord and His strength; seek His face continually."

• You need help...you can't do it alone.
  

8. PRAY FOR YOUR CHILDREN
Psalm 55:17 "Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud; and He shall hear my voice."

• Let God do for them what you can't...He loves them too!

9. BE A POSITIVE ROLE MODEL
Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

• You are a role model...like it or not!

10. PREPARE YOUR CHILDREN
Proverbs 23:24 "The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise son will be glad in him."

• Prepare them for eternity...have a Godly influence on the path they take for eternity.
  

Pregnancy Announcement To Be Given To Grandparents

After searching around at Target for a pregnancy announcement card for Erwil's parents, we decided to just make one ourselves.

The first ultrasound was done on June 11, 2009 when the baby was just 8 1/2 weeks in my womb. According to Dr. Steve Rosenberg the baby measured 17mm. Our family will be expecting a baby sometime around January 18, 2010.

Witnessing this new heartbeat means a lot to us since we already lost one early February 7, 2009, just a week before Erwil's birthday. Upon seeing the little beanbag with a small fluttering heartbeat on the monitor, I felt relieved and joyful that everything was going well. Erwil even got a bit misty-eyed when everything was confirmed for us that we have a baby to raise.

Pregnancy life does offer a set of unique challenges, so Erwil and I are learning to trust in God's will by "being thankful in every circumstance" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). We believe that God is the creator of life, as described that "by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible...all things have been created through Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:16).

Bellybump Watch: 8 Weeks

Erwil and I took a short stroll around Norton Simon Museum's garden in Pasadena earlier this month.