February Celebrations

February has definitely been a month of celebrations. Here are some of the highlights from our gatherings.

Chinese New Year
On Sunday the 10th, we hosted this year's Chinese New Year dinner. We hung up some red and gold decorations (gold symbolizes power; red symbolizes happiness) and our zodiac banners from China
(Hare = John; Horse = Sheri; Monkey = Nicholas).

Click on the image to see a LARGER view.

We tried to include several foods that held symbolic significance. What gives a certain food symbolic significance? Sometimes it is based on appearance. For example:

Noodles - A long life; it's bad luck to cut them.
Spring Rolls - Wealth (because their shape is similar to gold bars)
Tangerines - Luck (the Chinese word for tangerine sounds like luck)
Chicken - Happiness and marriage
Peanuts - A long life

Our dinner consisted of tangerines, Longevity Noodles, spring rolls, Sheri's Chinese Chicken Salad (with peanuts), Sheri's Kung Pao Chicken (more peanuts), Janet's Ginger-Honey Chicken, and steamed rice. It was a wonderful feast.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!
(Peace and Prosperity!)


Pat's Birthday
In addition to our Chinese New Year celebration, we also celebrated Pat's birthday. Nicholas was very excited about "Uncle Pat's" birthday, so we practiced the Happy Birthday song over & over so he could sing it for him. And, Nicholas did a great job--too cute! I'm not sure if Pat heard him, but I hope so.
















Valentine's Day
What more could a girl really want on Valentine's Day . . .
I got my 2 favorite guys!

And, I got some pretty purple mums that look great on the kitchen sink, but will be able to live on in my garden, too.






















Jim's Birthday
On Sunday the 17th, we celebrated Jim's birthday with dinner at a local German restaurant. Everyone enjoyed the cheese fondue appetizers, which was good because it was a very long wait until our dinners finally arrived. But, as a surprise, the waitstaff brought out a "treat" for the birthday boy. Then, it was back to the parent's house for cake and presents.