umm - suggestion

On that tuna sandwich recipe?? Make sure you eat all of the mixture up as soon as possible - if it sits in the fridge -- the cashews go soggy - ewww!

something new :)

A new recipe for a tuna sandwich - even if you don't like tuna, ya gotta try this just once - promise me!
Tuna (in water-drained) mayonnaise (to taste) dried cranberries, salted cashews, pickle relish (if you like it) - mix it all up and put between 2 pieces of good bread - YUM!!!!!!!!!!! enjoy! (recipe from Trish Harline - my best friend in Singapore!)

well, ya know

Sometimes life can really stink! Sometimes we let life get in the way of our best selves, and get all angry and mean and.......stuff............Well, ya know, all we can do is feel sorrow for our bad actions, repent, and try to move on and try to do better next time. To continue to be negative and put ourselves down and hate ourselves because we aren't perfect is not only self-defeating, it's one of Satan's greatest tools (and to feel that way about another person is wrong, too, and goes against the Gospel teachings) Sometimes bad days just happen. So ... just remember who we are - we are children of a loving and kind Heavenly Father who wants us to return to Him someday. He gave us His Son so we can return to Him. All we can do is to try our best - go run around the block, say a quick prayer and allow the Atonement to work in our lives - and remember that it is enough.

It's even worse!!

Well, daddy brought home the offer from SGH and they didn't put a single thing that we asked for in the offer! Not enough money, not the US medical insurance we required and the rest of it was structured in such a way that we'd like to throw the whole thing out and start over. The only thing that came from this is that Maccine is seriously re-thinking how to keep daddy. With contract revisions and additions that weren't in the last contract, we will stay here - if they accept what we require. Gosh, are contract negotiations always this hard! My jaw is aching from all the teeth clenching I've been doing.

Not Acceptable

Ok, well... the new business, SGH, that daddy applied to has finally come through. So this is the package -- they will give us less money per month, a small bonus at the end of the year (a set amount) and another 'gratuity', also at the end of the year, but no promise on the amount. Well............not acceptable. We can't live on what we are making now, month to month, and they offer us less ?? That's why he applied to SGH in the first place; Maccine couldn't afford to keep him. Daddy is detailing his CV for OSU and will send it in over the weekend, online. We will work with the SGH and Maccine, bargaining, trying to fine-tune a contract to our needs and see what they can do. Then if he gets accepted at OSU (he is the senior applicant) and SGH nor Maccine doesn't come through for us here, we will work here until end of August and move home. We really would like to stay here, though, for a while longer. Obviously, if he gets accepted at OSU we will be making vastly less money than we do here, but then the cost of living is vastly less, also. We have to go back to the bargaining table - augh! Don't start sweating too much right now, but prayers and fasting would help a lot.
That's all for now, folks !

Miss Blossom and Pals

Today I went washer and dryer shopping with my friend Trish at the newest mall in Singapore - it's called VIVOcity and it's huge and NOT user friendly ! But it's pretty and bright. It sits right next to one of the other biggest malls in Singapore, called Harbour Front Mall and these two malls are connected by a couple of tunnels/walkways. In one of the access walk-ways is a new store that opened on December 1 2006 - BUILD-A-BEAR !! yep - Singapore has one now, and because it's soon the Chinese New Year, and in honor of that, Build-a-Bear has a cute pink pig and a VERY Chinese outfit for it.........so............I "built-a-bear" today, dressed her in her Chinese costume and named her Miss Blossom. She is cute! I am sad about one thing, though, and that is - while Chacon's were here, we could have gone over to the Build-A-Bear shop if I'd realized that there was such a shop here in Singapore! I am so sad, 'cause I would have taken the girls over there and let them each make a bear for themselves. I will do that for Blake - they have TaeKwando outfits! So far, for each Chinese New Year that we have been here I've had a monkey, Dr. B. (2004), a dog, Seahawk(2006) and a pig, Miss Blossom (2007) made in honor of this holiday. The only place that had the rooster 'bear' (2005) was Japan, and I never could get access to that store, so I missed that year ;( Anyway, to finish the day, Trish and I found the washer/dryer she wants (the condo owner will buy it for them as replacements), ate lunch, bought HagenDaas ice cream and brought it home and talked for another 4-1/2 hours! All-in-all ........a very nice day! And one other thing I did today was purchase Mandy's and Blake's airline tickets to come visit us here in February - 7th-21st - YIPPEE!

See, see, see :)

When you're nice and sweet and beg really nicely - people will come around to your way of thinking :) well, ok, maybe not always, but sometimes and THIS TIME is got Sayah and Marlon to add their own blog..... And it's so funny and soooooooooooooooo Sayah! I love my family and I love my life!

Yeah!

Well, as you can see, George and Lynnette have joined my list - and it's a nice page, too :) Now all we have to do is get Sayah and Marlon to create a blog, too, and we can keep up on everyone's news.

From Bryan to Laurie for Christmas 2005

Just a little piece of nostalgia I found while cleaning off a table for the Aircon man coming to repair the aircon --- Bryan wrote this last Christmas - hope you enjoy it!! The Days Before Christmas (adapted from "The Night Before Christmas") ~~~ 'Twas the days before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, 'cept George, his bird, and those things that might chase a mouse (if they're not late for a nap); The garbage was burned up the chimney with care, Since Mom and Dad Ogden soon would be there. George moved out of his room to give them his bed, Moved into his office to sleep there instead. And Mom with her luggage and Dad with his crap, Arrived on the 15th from far off the map. When Mom came to town there arose such a clatter, She sprang to the malls, her credit to batter. Away to do shopping she flew like a flash, Tore open her wallet and threw down the cash. She had months worth of shopping to do in 1 week, Like the bird gathering worms for her chicks in her beak. She got them some kits to make them be ready, And for filling their stockings, some fruit and some candy. But nothing for Momma, her shopping was done, She'd bought her own present before she had come. So Papa was left with no choice but to say, "That machine back in Asia must do for the day." So while others are opening gift after gift, She'll have only this poem to give her a lift. As the kids pick up presents, we'll call them by name: "Now, Mandy, now, Livvy, now, Georgie and Timmy! On, Blakie, on Julian, On Tristan and GG! From the bottom of the tree! And back down the hall! Now unwrap away! Unwrap away! Unwrap away all!" As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with that obstacle, mount to the sky, So wrapping will fly and pile up, too, With the floor full of toys, and e-kits and food. And then, in a twinkling, we'll hear them say "thanks", As they straddle their gift piles stacked all 'round their flanks. And the thought will occur that the pile is small, 'round the flanks of the Mom who'd spent days at the Mall. But she'll smile and confess that her gifts have been great, From the sewing machine, to the food on her plate, To the poem from her husband, such as it is, To the squeals of her grandchildren, mother and kids. And we'll hope that there isn't a twinge of regret, That her adamant charge to her husband was that...,"No more giving to me, I insist, it's been given!". And we'll hope it's enough that this poem has been written. And we'll hear her exclaim, ere she flies out of sight, "That was a really good Christmas." Hope this brings a smile to your face and a little tear to your eye - isn't Daddy great!

I think we're done........

.......well, six movies in 2 days was a killer! But so much fun - besides the first 3 movies (Charlotte's Web, Eragon and Night At the Museum), we also saw "The Queen", about England's Queen Elizabeth, during the time around Princess Diana's fatal car crash and the aftermath; "Flyboys", about Americans during WWI going over to France, and learning how to fly the 'new invention' - the airplane - for the war effort; and "Flag of Our Fathers", about Iwo Jima, during WWII, and the famous picture of the American flag being raised in a battle on that island, and the push for 'war bonds' using this picture. These are all 3 excellent movies, so if you get a chance...... There is another movie that we will eventually see, again about Iwo Jima, but from the Japanese perspective (the critics liked this 2nd one better - tho' praise both movies). We missed "The Nativity", very sad about that! and are choosing not to see "The Holiday", a 'chick-flick' ; just too tired and I can rent/buy it on video.
Pray that we will actually find out about our job situation tomorrow! I'm not holding my breath ;)
And hooray - USC won the Rose Bowl against Michigan! And BYU won their Bowl game as well! :)