Journey of Happiness

H ere is my quick glance over year 2009... I remember it started badly with a chronic eczema all over my body, which resulted in many different things happening after that: First is me being so depressed and messed up. Second is where a decision to take a 3-months suspension on my study was made, giving me 3 months to be at home with my family (without Lan there though *sob*) Third is where I was so discouraged that I almost called it a quit on my study! What a year, huh?! It was a year full of process for Lan and I. Our marriage was much better than the first year (Thank God for that!). I got to learn being much more patient than I used to be, he got to learn about the 'reality' of marriage! LOL! We both got to learn to cling to The Lord more each day of our lives that He gives the best (and always the best) for our family. He blessed us abundantly this year; Lan got his paper accepted to a conference and published in a journal, he also got to go to Montreal, Canada. Halleluja...

H ow was your Christmas day, friends? Some people are actually very relieved that Christmas is over together with all the festivities and the business that went along with it... Well, for me, Christmas is not over, Christmas is everyday, all year long... because, every day I need Jesus, every day I live for Him, through Him and because of Him. :) Last week had been a relaxing one. We've stayed at home and I liked it. Resting and taking my mind off from study for a bit. I did get quite sick for a few days, though... I got an ulcer, which painfully locate itself on my jaw! I had migraines for 3 days non-stop, swelling on my left cheek and difficulties to eat. It was kind of having a little diet! I had to eat porridge, simply because I couldn't chew! Phew... Thank God, with a huge amount of orange juice, fruit and veggies, I am much better now. The weekend was tiring, because we had a fight. Nope, it's never good when we fight... Exhausting mentally and physically for both of ...

I am so so HAPPY today! I feel so blessed both by The Lord and Lan today! :) It has been a day full of surprises and blessings. This Christmas, I knew I got my very first book of 40 scrap-layouts printed out from Lan. However, somehow, the book, which had been sent a month ago, has not yet arrived at our door post! I am quite upset about it as I was so excited and looking forward to getting it in my hands very much. I am so glad though, that the printing company has been very generous by reprinting and re-sending it again. My husband, with his so kind heart, saw me upset and gave me nice surprises today. On the way to Tesco to buy grocery today, he picked up some treats for me. I got some nice orange juice, some all-butter shortbread cookies and this new baby that I've been wanting! 1TB hard drive, isn't that sweet? With all the scrapping that I do, my laptop was getting crowded. So, I've got this new baby sitting on my table now :) Thanks, Honey! Then... you know what? Th...

G osh, this year has flown so fast... I cannot believe it is almost the beginning of a new year already! Time rotated around me like a breeze. To think back on this year, I can only smile and smile... It was a year of God's provision in our little family. I've seen many unbelievable things happened in our lives and for all of those, I can only give thanks to The Lord. He's been more than just GOOD. I am so thankful that I was shown how The Lord takes care of my family and that His Hands never fail to sustain us. The way He teaches Lan by Himself (sometimes I am amazed by the words that Lan says by himself!), the Grace that brings our family even closer together, the holiday wishes that came true (Dubai!) and many little but so-sweet things that came into my life. And above all, I am grateful for his guidance on my study; how I once felt like quitting and He encouraged me through my beloved ones. How He provides, oh how He provides... not just financially but in everything H...

This story is not mine, but I am glad my best friend shared it with me... It brought tears to my eyes when I read this. It's so so true. (Sorry, to my non-Indonesian friends, that this is written in Indonesian) B iasanya, bagi seorang anak perempuan yang sudah dewasa, yang sedang bekerja jadi perantauan, yang ikut suaminya merantau di luar kota atau luar negeri, yang sedang bersekolah atau kuliah jauh dari kedua orang tuanya... Akan sering merasa kangen sekali dengan Mamanya... Lalu bagaimana dengan Papa? Mungkin karena Mama lebih sering menelepon untuk menanyakan keadaanmu setiap hari, tapi tahukah kamu, jika ternyata Papa-lah yang mengingatkan Mama untuk menelponmu? Mungkin dulu sewaktu kamu kecil, Mama-lah yang lebih sering mengajakmu bercerita atau berdongeng, tapi tahukah kamu, bahwa sepulang Papa bekerja dan dengan wajah lelah Papa selalu menanyakan pada Mama tentang kabarmu dan apa yang kau lakukan seharian? Pada saat dirimu masih seorang anak perempuan kecil... Papa biasany...

I 've loved listening to the classic Christmas songs for as long as I can remember. And this season, I love listening to the radio, when they play all those Christmas songs. And this year, one song that particularly caught my attention is "The First Noel". I love the lyric, how the song tells the story of the star of the east, the birth of our Lord, Jesus... how the song tells the TRUE meaning of Christmas... These days, Christmas is all about presents, trees, and ornaments to some people. But really, it is all about Jesus. It's a celebration of how much He loves us. Let us remember the First Noel... The First Noel, the Angels did say Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay In fields where they lay keeping their sheep On a cold winter's night that was so deep. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel Born is the King of Israel! They looked up and saw a star Shining in the East beyond them far And to the earth it gave great light And so it continued both day and night. N...

T oday, Michelle has released an essential paper pack, called "baking cookies" ! Isn't that a cute name? And aren't those papers lovely? They are so versatile that they are a must-have! They are on sale for $3.00, but, as usual, it's 20% off until Friday! So go and grab it fast! Here is a double-page LO that I've made using one of the papers in baking cookies . Are you still tuning in? Well, if you do, you won't regret it because we have some goodies for you! Michelle and us the CT have prepared a little fun blog train for all of you to celebrate the upcoming Christmas! It's a Cookie-recipes blog train ! We hope that by sharing all these tasty cookie and treat recipes, we help you to cook up some great treats for this holiday season! Just follow this blog train to collect lots of tasty cookie and treat recipes - HAPPY HOLIDAYS from the DESIGNS BY MICHELLE BATTON CREATIVE TEAM! (Click the images or the download link below to get the recipes!) DOWNLOAD...

T his week I was SO busy. I mean, really... somehow there were so many things to do; tutorials and teaching, a friend's party, and many other things! I feel so tired and exhausted! Thank God I managed to do the things I am supposed to do, including baking the cupcakes I promised I'd do for the friend's party. I am glad everyone liked them (or so they said!). We were glad to come to our friend's (Dirk) farewell party. He's one of our colleagues in the Computer Science Department and he's leaving for Madrid in a few weeks for a new job. We wish him all the best and hope that he'll enjoy the sunshiny Madrid, which is much better than the gloomy Liverpool! LOL! We saw some of our old friends there too. It was nice to have a chat with them and catch up with each other's news. :) Oh well... a new week is starting tomorrow... Gonna be busy again, but I hope I can make more progress for my research than this week. >. I pray that The Lord will strengthen me to...

F irst of all, I am sooooo happy that Amy Stoffel has asked me to return to her Creative Team permanently last week! What an honor! I am absolutely delighted to be in her very very FUN team and she has awesome designs too! So, I say I am totally proud to be creating for her :) Well, this month, Scrap Orchard has a HUGE celebration to welcome Christmas. Each day of this month there will be one designer's shop that will be 50% off! Yep, you read it right, 50% off! And guess what? Today, it's Amy's Shop ! So, go and grab a bargain! This only happens ONCE a year and for ONE DAY ONLY, so you would not want to let it pass :D That's NOT all! Today, she released 2 adorable and stunning kits: Angel Song and I'll be home for Christmas . Here are the previews and the layouts I made for these: Angel Song I'll be home for Christmas Ps. All the images are linked to the shop/the corresponding kits. Lovely kits, aren't they? Well, go and grab your bargain of Amy's go...

O ut of seasons of the year, I love this season of Christmas so much. The festivities, the celebration of Christ, the beautiful twinkling and sparkling lights in the shops and each corner of everywhere, they all warm my heart during the icy cold cruel winter. It's like, although some people don't really take Christmas as a celebration of Christ's birth, they still celebrate Christmas. They gather together and have Christmas dinner; family, love, warmth and happiness is all around Christmas. I love that. And although we don't have a Christmas tree up in our home, we will be celebrating Christmas with a proper English Christmas dinner this year, upon Lan's request. So, there will be roasted chicken, gravy and roasted vegetables! Mmmm... deliciously mouth-watering! The last time I cooked proper Christmas dinner was in 2005, when I went to Brighton the first time to visit my brother. Time flies... We're not having Christmas holiday anywhere except at our own little ...