From our garden... and Excellent blogs

Our tulips bloomed later than expected.

But once they've blossomed, they are so wonderful to look at, each time I step in and out of the house. Particularly when I feel I'm barely done working on something, and out I have to go, again!

Like a lovely reminder for me to PAUSE, and TAKE A DEEP BREATH!

I'm not crazy about crazy schedules, as you probably have some of your own. And like other parents, my time revolves a lot around my children's, and it's not easy to get much else done when our hands are full with them!

The driving to and fro can (still) drive me quite crazy, especially on the three mornings Ben has school, along with errands and/or chores I try to get done in the time in-between. And then, when everyone has had a long day -- think restless kids, and short-fused parents -- we can also drive each other up the wall! =(



This week alone, among other things we're committed to, Jon has three baseball games! It's the coming in and going out, and juggling between the husband's time and my own, to see who can take Jon, without having to drag Ben to everything, that makes me wish our schedule isn't so "xiao!" (crazy in Hokkien)!



Other stuff cropped up. Ben had rashes on his face, that flared up within three days. I took him to the doctor, who assured me it was just a bad case of eczema, and that Ben could carry on with school. This morning, however, his teacher said the "slapped" cheeks (much redder than Jon's flushed cheeks earlier on) looked like the Fifth Disease (anyone familiar with that?) that kids from her other, twice-a-week, class had come down with awhile ago.

From another mom, and what I just saw on the net, I learned that while the virus would normally not be a concern in children, it would not be good for pregnant women to be exposed to it, for the harm it could cause the baby. I'm worried, and am calling my own doctor; meanwhile, praying that none of us, and no one else who has come in contact with that different illness, have caught it. Will you pray with me, too? Thanks!


Delightful daffodils... these always come before the tulips, and have been called the true harbingers of spring!
"Daffodils
That come before the swallow dares, and takes
The winds of March with beauty."
- William Shakespeare, A Winter's Tale

Before I go, and because good things are meant to be shared...

Excellent Blog Award
... I really shouldn't let another week go by, without thanking Stardust and Stay-at-home Mum for including my blog under their choice of the Excellent Blog Award in their posts here and here respectively (if you like to know what are the excellent blogs to visit!). My dear ladies, it's very sweet and generous of you to do so!



And it's with great pleasure now, that I name these bloggers to have the award, and let them pass it on if they wish...

*Drumroll please*

The Excellent Blog Award goes
Back to:
Stardust
Stay-at-home Mum*

And to:
Bookworm
Yan
Kat
Priscilla
Kopi Soh*
Jomel**
Judy**

All these blogs are excellent in their own ways, and not just the blogs, but the blogger themselves -- and that's why it's their names, not their blog names I've listed -- because of the concern they show to those they love and care!

I've been blessed by their kindness, and especially enjoy being part of these bloggers' lives through the things close to their hearts they share, besides a variety of topics their posts cover.



These blogs aside, there are so many more excellent blogs out there, and all those of you I'm getting to know. The friendly note here and there that you drop me, always does wonders to brighten up my day! To those who blog, keep blogging, and thank you for sharing! To those who don't blog, I hope now and then, you get something nice out of visiting this blog!

So it's on this note, that I leave you to have a wonderful weekend now, along with these blooms -- tulips, and daffodils -- on our doorstep... for you to enjoy, too! Do stop and smell the flowers to recharge a bit, before another (crazy? hope not!) week starts! God bless =)

* SAHM and Kopi Soh are taking a break from updating their blogs, but it's always so nice to hear from them when they still do some blog-hopping! I'm sure I'm not the only one who misses them and their updates, and hope they will revive their blogs (or start new ones) when they can!

** These two blogs have gone private, because of security issues, so you may not be able to access them.


Doorstep beauty... I'm enjoying these blooms before they are going, going, gone, quite soon!

And if you've seen how bare, and barren in fact, this plot was in the beginning, you'll understand why my husband would like to keep sowing seeds and bulbs till just before we move out of this place. A home away from home made sweeter, because of his green fingers, and gardening efforts... that extend to the weekly mowing, but it's a man's job, the mowing, no? ;p