Taco soup

1 pound of ground beef

1 can corn

2 cans of ranch style pinto beans

1 can of red kidney beans

1 can ROTEL (diced tomatoes and green chiles)

1 - 8 ounce can of tomato sauce 

1 package taco seasoning

1 package ranch salad dressing powder mix

1 chopped onion (yellow onion)

3 cups of water

*top with fritos and shredded cheese

 First you brown the meat with the onions.  Make sure there is no pink in the meat before you drain the grease away.  Drain the grease from the meat mixture.

Add all other ingredients to a crock pot or large pot for your stove.   Stir well and add meat mixture.  Cook on low for 30 min to one hour.  You can let simmer for longer if you want.

At the square

We went to the square and saw the lights.:)

Some pictures of Jamaiya

 Smile

 Biting my nails

 Painting a mug

Acting cool

Just some pictures of my little sister.:)

Possum

We found a possum on the side of our house.   We found out that the dogs had cornered it and Alexander found it when he was trying to get water for the dogs.  The possum growled at him and that's how he found it.  After we all looked at it the boys Zachery, Alexander, and Christopher got a shovel and put it in the woods over our fence.

Wet Cement Days

A little wet cement lovin'

Princess Maiya with her Prince Jasiah

You going to take me for a walk?

We are taking a break from Wet Cement until the end of Christmas.  I miss my little friends Jasiah, Nut and Aiya.  Wet Cement is like "school" for little kids.  We like to play with them, read them stories, and make them laugh.  I like to feed them and I'm really good at changing diapers.  See you in January little ones!

I'm not ready to be a mom!

Today I woke up to Joaquin crying.  I got him up ,changed his diaper and watched him walk around and play. Guess what Mom said? She said, since I nanny him I need to take care of him and she wants me to know what being a mom feels like.  Let me tell you it is a lot more work then I thought.   You have to change there diaper's every once in a while and feed them at lunch time. Then you put them to bed after lunch for a nap. When they wake up you have to change there diaper again and let them play tell dinner.  Then you feed them at dinner time  and put them to bed.   

Potter's House Christmas Party

Potter's House is where we hang out with alot of people.  I will explain later, with my mom's help, what Potter's House is all about.

Potter's House had their Christmas Party last night.  I got to sing at the Potter's house Christmas party. The song that I sang was Silent night.

When I got there I helped set up for the big party.  We put tables out with candy all over them.  Then the party started.  I played with my friends and we ate chicken and mashed potatoes and  corn as well.

I sang my song at dinner and others sang with me.  There were also people who danced.  After the party, we cleaned up the party room and went home.

I had a really great time. 

Christmas Already???? yes!

December 4, 2010
This year for Christmas we celebrated early because my cousins who are from MN are coming to AR for Christmas and my brother Zachery will be gone on Christmas.  Zachery will be with my sister Katie sue and together they will travel China.  They will travel with friends.

The night before we celebrated Christmas we had slept under the tree.  This is a family tradition.  After waking up we cooked a ham dinner.  I made the mashed potatoes.  I read the story out loud about Mary giving birth to baby Jesus.  After I read the story we opened our presents.

It was kinda neat celebrating early.  We all had a bunch of fun.

Baby sitting

Today I went to my school unteil 12:00.   Then my Aunt Susan picked me up and we ate lunch together.   Then she dropped me off at my cousins house and I baby sat her child tell 4:00 and got 30 dollars.  After babysitting, Aunt Susan  took me home and I ate dinner early and went to bed early cause i was so tired.

The car ride home

Today we got packed to go home.  After we were all finished packing we said good bye to our cousins that were also leaving.  Then we went down to the craft shop to get mom and Karina who were packing our stuff we made.  Then we were on our way home.  On the way we stoped at mcdonalds for lunch and saw our cousins Amy and her children and Amy's sister Julia.  We finully made it home and got finished unpacking.  Then daddy, Isaiah,Nicholas,Jamaiya, and I went to go get pezza and pick out a christmas tree.  Then we came home and ate dinner.  After dinner we put up our tree and decorated it.

Thursday November 25

Today it rained all day until dinner so Sally drove me to the craft shop because she also wanted to see it. We got there and the place was packed, but we made a lot of stuff. Soon I was ready to go back to the room.  I said good bye to Sally,mom,and Alex, our cousin, and walked back to the room. I stayed in the room until 1:00.  That's when we got to have Thanksgiving.

For Thanksgiving we had many wonderful things to choose from.  We had turkey, ham, potatos and gravy, salad, and rolls.   After I was full I went back to the room and went to bed until 4:00; I was not feeling well. After my nap\ I walked to the craft shop and it was not long until the craft lady said we had 10 more minutes until it closed.  After it closed I left the craft shop and went to have dinner.

Tuesday November 23

Today I went to the craft shop and stayed there all day untill lunch.    After lunch we went back into the craft shop.  Then I came back to our room and took a nap.:)  When I woke up it was round up time so I went to round up and then went to dinner.  Here is what I think of everything.

1. I think the craft shop is so much fun.

2. The shooting range was fun even though I didn't hit the target.
3. Archery is so much fun. I hit the target with every arrow I shot except for one.

A long day

Monday November 22

Today we went to a shooting range, archery, and the craft shop.  Then we went to have round up.Round up is where we all get to together and talk and sing.  I told them about China and made them all laugh.  Then we went and had dinner. I thought the craft shop and the shooting range and archery where so much fun.

At the shooting range and archery range, I got to shoot guns and shoot bows and arrows.   I was better at the bows and arrows than the guns.

The long car ride

Sunday November 21

Today, we were on are way to the Y.M.C.A. of the Ozarks for a family reunion.  This reunion is for my mom's side of the family.  We all got in the van except for Eboni and Nicholas.     They will be joining us on Monday.  The car ride was long and boring and I couldn't sleep.  Good thing it was only 5 hours long.  But we finully made it to the Y.M.C.A. of the Ozarks.  When we got there we got cheeked in and got settled.

Reflections......

When the plane hit the ground I was super excited to see my family.   Grandma and Grandpa were there as well. 


The visit to China was very fun but it is nice to be home. 

Here are some of my thoughts or reflections about my trip.

1.   I like our stores like Wal Mart better.  The stores in China have a funny smell.
2.   The sweet and sour chicken in China was the best ever!
3.   We dont have a driver like Mr. Xu in Arkansas.  I liked having someone there to drive me wherever I wanted to go.
4.  Also, at my house, we dont have what they call an IE.  This person cleans and cooks for you.  I want one!
5.  I would love to go back to China when I am older and maybe even live there. 

Last Day...

MOM, AT HEALING HOME

ME AND MR. ANDY

Today we took mom and Karina to Healing Home to hold the babies.  Mrs. Sue also came.  They loved it.  We had Johnny Moos for lunch and walked home.  This will be my last time to post from China.  I will blog again when I touch ground in Fayetteville!

The next to the last day......

HERE WE ARE GETTING A FOOD MASSAGE

AT THE PARK

Today we went to get a foot Massage then to the Century park.   At the park we rode bikes and had a picnic.  Then we went to church.  We had sweet and sour chicken (my favorite!) for dinner.  Then we dressed up for Halloween – I was a cat, Karina was a model, Lindsey was Karina’s paparazzi, Megan was a ninja, and Kelly was Book Face.  We got lots of candy on this day! 

Mom and Karina are back

Today we went to the airport to pick up mom and Karina.  We went to Zhujiajiao, in are language its called the water village and ate lunch there.

We went to the fabric market to pick up my dress and Mrs. Sue's coat.   Then we came back home and looked at Mom and Karina's pictures from India until our pizza came.  After dinner we went to bed because tomorrow we are leaving.

New Dress

RIDING THE BUS TO ZOE AND ABIGAIL'S SCHOOL (WE HAD TO DROP OFF A PUMPKIN)

I TRIED ON A DRESS IN THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD STORE.  I REALLY LIKED IT SO I BOUGHT IT!

Today Mr. Andy and I rode the bus to school.  We took a pumpkin to Zoe’s class to carve.  Mr. Xu came and got us from the school and took us to Care 4 to get some groceries.  We also went out to look at the furniture store where Mr. Andy is having a table made.  The girls had a half day of school so we picked them up before lunch. We ate lunch at home and went to the fabric market and tried on my dress!  They are doing some final alterations so we will get it tomorrow when Mom and Karina are here!  We shopped for Converse shoes for Megan and Lindsey.  After dinner we went to a family worship service.  Now it is late and I am going to bed!

Word from the West

Today Mr. Andy and I Skyped with the Schwartzmans and the Stuckey.  These are friends of ours that I have known since I was very little.  I also got to skype with my family.

In the United States we have Wal Mart, over here they have Care 4.  Care 4 is a lot like Wal Mart.  We went there to get some stuff and  then we went to get a pumpkin for Zoe. 

After we went to have lunch with Lindsey, we came back home and I napped.  After my nap it was time to pick the girls up from school.

I didn't do much today, but I enjoyed Skyping with my friends and family.   

At the book store

Today Mr. Andy and I went to a gym and I did the treadmill for 20 minutes. We had been to this gym before and the gym is not my favorite place.  I do not like to work out!

After working out,  we came back home and Mr. Andy took a shower while I read my book. 

One day when I was in the car, there was a book of things to do in the area.  I saw a bookstore that I wanted  to go to.  This bookstore was near where Mrs. Sue works.  Mr. Andy took me to the bookstore and I got a book on a little princess.  We also went to have lunch with Mrs. Sue.

After lunch, we went to the grocery store.   I thought it smelled like a dead rat.  Otherwise the grocery store is almost like the grocery store here. 

At the Zoo

Today Mr. Andy and I went to the zoo. I saw Monkeys, Lions, Donkeys, and Camels. After the zoo, we went back home and then I fell  asleep.   Then Mr. Andy said it was time to go pick up Zoe and Abigail at school.

We also got to watch Lindsey play soccer.  Lindsey is a good soccer player, but her team lost the game.  They played hard!

After Lindsey's soccer game, we all went hom, ate dinner, and went to bed.  

Here are the Chinese words I have learned:

Dui - yes

Ni Hao - hi

Ni hao ma - how are you?

Hao - good

Peng yo -friend

Wo ai ni - I love you.

Zai Jian! (that means good bye!)

Beijing!

COURTNEY AND LINDSEY.  THIS BUILDING WAS IN THE MOVIE KUNG FU PANDA

I CAN BE A DRAGON!

THIS BUILDING IS CALLED 'THE BIRDS NEST'.  IT IS WHERE THEY DO GYMNASTICS. 

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

We took the sleeper train to Beijing on Thursday night.  Friday we got off the train and walked around to catch a cab to the hotel.  After we got settled into our hotel, we went to the Forbidden City, Tianamen Square, and at night we saw the acrobats.

The Forbidden City was awesome!  The inside gave me a very cool feeling.    There were broken statues from a long time ago and this is where several Chinese Presidents used to live.  There was a lot of history in the Forbidden City. 

Tianamen Square was where we saw the acrobats.  It was awesome and cool to see them because seeing them made me want to be one.  They could do tricks and there was a juggler too.  The juggler juggled 10 balls!  

Saturday we went to the Great wall.  The Great Wall of China is the biggest wall you could ever see.  It was built to separate China from anyone that could hurt them.  We climbed the steep stairs a long time and when I got to the top I was so proud of myself.  Mr. Andy, Lindsey, and I climbed back down and went with our group to Ming Tombs.  This is a place where Buddha is buried.  I liked hearing about Ming Tombs from our tour guide.  After Ming Tombs we were off to Jade Museum.  At the Jade Museum there are more cool things to see like people making bedding, quilts, and pillows.  I got to touch one of the quilts.  Some of the stuff was very silky and soft.

At the end of the day, Mr. Andy got a food massage.  You had to be about 20, so me and Lindsey were not allowed to have one.  We just sat by Mr. Andy and waited. We were so jealous because Mr. Andy would say "AHHHHHHH, I feel so relaxed!".

After Mr. Andy's foot massage we went to have tea.   I don't drink tea at home, so I am not a big fan of it anyway, but I tried it and  it was nasty!

Sunday we went to the Silk Market (where I bought some great gifts!) then to the international church.  Then we went to the airport and met my Uncle David.  We waited for our plane to Shanghai which would take us home to where the Theilman's live.  I think Mr. Xu missed me because when he saw me at the airport he winked at me :)

Healing Home Kids

Healing Home is an orphanage that I visited.   When I was there I saw kids with cleft lips and palates.  It made me feel very sad for them.  I saw smaller babies and even a very brand new baby.  These children are at the orphanage just because of the way their lips and palates look.  The way people think in China is different from the United States.  In the United States we would keep the baby, take it to a doctor, and it would have surgery.  We were at Healing Home for an hour.  I was sad when I left because I felt sorry for the babies.

One of the babies was mischievous.  She tried to get out of the gate and she would go under tables and try to hide from us.  She thought Mr. Andy was hilarious.  I am guessing she was around 1 year old because she was crawling.   Her name was Sombrita (not sure how to spell it).

Birthdays and strange cakes

Today is a special day because it is Abigails birthday.  She will be turning 6.  After we ate breakfast  I went with Mr. Andy and took the girls to the bus stop so they could go to school.  I walked back from the bus stop with Mr. Andy and we did the Bible with each other.  We read in Psalms about how you can hold your anger in and not let it out.  After a short nap, I went on a walk with Mr. Andy.   We walked around the neighborhood then headed to the movie store where I bought a movie for Abigail's birthday.

On this day I also got to have lunch at each of the girls schools.  I felt a little awkward because I didnt know anyone.  The food was some kind of noodles.  Lindsey eats what the school serves but you can bring your own food. 

After lunch we went on a search for a birthday cake for Abigail.  We had to go to four different stores because Mr. Xu thought we were looking for a different kind of cake, like a coffee cake.  We finally got him to understand it was a birthday cake that we wanted.  We finally found a birthday cake but it was different from what our birthday cakes are like here.  It was round with crackers on the edges and fruit on top.  The inside was sort of soft and chocolaty.  

 Once we found our cake, we went and picked up the girls from school .  We headed to an arcade for 1 hour and went home to eat some pizza.  After dinner, Abigail celebrated her birthday with the cake and opening presents.  She liked her movie and she also got a Barbie that she liked.  This was a tiring day.

Babies and Bargains

Mr. Andy and I took Kelly, Megan, Lindsey, Zoe, and Abigail to the bus stop so they could go to school.  Mr. Andy and I went back home and got ready to see some kids at an orphanage.  We saw many cute kids and got to watch them for an hour.  Most of the kids had cleft lips and palates.  I got to hold some of them and they climbed into our laps. 


 Next we went to an under ground market and I got a sweat shirt for 10 RMB, 2 glass dolls for 50 RMB and a watch for only 10 RMB.   I also got a fan and a stand for 20 RMB.  After shopping we went and got some lunch, then Mr. Xu drove us home and he asked me if I’d give him a high five. I did! Then Mr. Andy and I went to pick up Lindsey, Zoe, Abigail, Megan, and Kelly and ate dinner and went to bed.

(Sorry having issues uploading pictures...will try again tomorrow!)

Mr. Andy and Me at the Bund

While Mrs. Sue was at work and the girls were at school, Mr. Andy was a great tour guide. 

Today I went to see the Bund with Mr. Andy.  It was very crowded.  There was a beautiful view from the top of the Bund.  We saw a big river then we saw a mall. We went into the mall and found a sweat shirt for me but we won’t get it until tomorrow.  

I finally got to to see Buddha! I think he is very shiny and its wierd that he has four heads.  He also has a large stomach.  I thought he was ugly.  

We waited in line for 45 min  to see a pearl tower.  There were malls inside the tower and you stood on top of glass.  I didnt like this because I thought the glass would break underneath me and we were up very high. 

After the tower we had lunch and waited for Mr. Xu.  Mr. Xu thinks I’m so funny and we laugh alot together.  He took us home to wait on the girls.  While I waited I watched "The Last Song".  The ending of this movie was very weird.

 The girls got home from school, did their homework,  and then we had dinner then went to bed.

Shanghai Sunday

Today I went to the airport again with Mrs. Sue, Lindsey, Mom, and Karina to drop mom and Karina off for India.  After leaving the airport we went to McDonalds came home to get ready for Church.  Mr. Andy, Lindsey, and I went to a different church and met up with Mrs. Sue, Kelly, Megan, Zoe,and Abigail later at Johnny Moos.   Lindsey and I both got chocolate milk shakes then we walked home which took 1 mile.   That night we watched a great comedian, Tim Hawkins on a movie. 

We're in China

Today mom, dad, Karina, and Jamaiya and I got up and got ready to go to the airport.  We got to the airport, went inside, and Dad and Jamaiya said good bye to us. I was a little sad at this time, but I was also starting to get very excited about the trip.   We got on the plane and right away I met a man named Michael.   He was our flight attendant who I liked to mess with.   Guess what? He put my name on the loud speaker because I was mocking.  He said  "And we hope Courtney Linn has a good flight to China".  Then everyone looked around for me and Mom didn't even know what Michael had said over the loud speaker.  

During this short flight I was able to relax and rest a little.  After the flight I was thankful to be getting off the plane. Once we were off the plane we used the restrooms and went to the McDonalds at the airport.  After breakfast, we waited a long time for our flight to China because they couldn't get the door to our plane open. 

The next plane ride would take us 15 hours to get to China.  I did not sleep well on this flight but there was a movie we could watch.  They also served us meals on this flight.


After a long plane ride we met the Theilman's at the airport.  I was so tired but very excited to see them.  It was good to hear Miss Sue's voice say "hey!" and see Lindsey's smile!


We got our bags, went to the Theilman's house.  Mom, Miss Sue, and Mr. Andy walked to a local restaurant and brought us back some food.  I had sweet and sour chicken with fried rice and it was YUMMY!

Packing my bags . . .

Have you ever wondered what you have to do to take a trip to China?

Well, let me share with you what I've learned. I've learned that you have to get a Passport and a visa in order to be allowed into China. We also had to get shots at the doctor's office. Airline tickets had to be purchased. Then the fun stuff - we got to go shopping for some clothes I needed. I'm going to be stylin' . . .

We've gathered lists of things needed for the people that we're visiting. We've mostly packed our bags.  Four more sleeps and we get on the plane! This will be my first airplane ride. I feel a little nervous about it and at the same time excited. I'm going to try to sit back and enjoy the ride.

I will keep this blog updated during my time in China so you can experience China with me. . .