In Suzhou, China: Making pumpkin puddings!

Hey mom!

 

Today we made pumpkin puddings! It was interesting.

 

First, we washed a lovely pumpkin and cut it into square.

Then we cooked the pumpkin and grinded it. It was quite difficult.

We mixed pumpkin with milk, sugar and egg.

Finally, we put them into two cute bottle and stewed them.

 

Wow, they smelled sweet! We love desserts! :)

 

Love,

Stella & Luna

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived in China!!!

Hey mom.

We have arrived in China safely! We cannot wait to travel in here.
Host-sister lives in Suzhou. Suzhou is her hometown, and also the city she studies in university.
We will enjoy our new year holiday here in China :)

Love,
Stella & Luna.

Saying Goodbye to Maine...

Well, I guess the time has come where we are leaving our host family here in Maine .... but guess where we are off to now!?

CHINA!

We are super excited to get there and meet are awesome new host family!!

Ready or not, here we come!

Goodbye, Maine, USA!  We loved being here, but we must keep traveling!!!

Love Always, 
Stella & Luna

Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  Yes, Mom, that is what today is here in the United States!  We have learned a lot about Thanksgiving in the USA, why it is celebrated, and it's typical traditions!  Did you know it all started here in New England, where we are right now!?  Awesome, huh!??

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens", to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26. As a federal and popular holiday in the U.S. , Thanksgiving is one of the major holidays of the year. Together with Christmas and New Year, Thanksgiving is a part of the broader holiday season...

The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in 1621.  The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days, and was attended by 53 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans.  The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating "thanksgivings"—days of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought.

Awe, Mom, there was SOO MUCH food!  There is a "traditional" menu, but each family is different.  But, if you want to stick to tradition, most Thanksgiving meals consist of the following items, in some fashion:

Our only problem was which one of us was going to operate the fork and which would handle the knife!  LOL!  

:: burp ::

Ooops!  Excuse us!!!

Autumn Is Here!

New England is said to have some of THE BEST fall foliage anywhere in the world - and all we have to say about that is WOW!  Maine is amazing!  The colors, the leaves, the crisp air!  It's wonderful - you really have to experience it for yourself!

The great foliage over here in Maine even has it's own website: http://www.maine.gov/doc/foliage/index.shtml.

How about that!?

Can you believe that people come from all over the world to Maine, and New England in general, just to experience the Fall Foliage!?  The locals even have a name for people who come here to see the leaves - they are called LEAF PEEPERS!  Hahaha!

Here are some more images of the Fall / Autumn season up here in Maine, USA!

Cooking and Baking!

Hi again, Mom!  Thought we would check in and let you know what we are up to here in West Newfield, Maine in the U.S.A.!  Our host Mom looooves to cook, so we promise we are being well fed!  Know what we made today??  Poppycock!  It's an awesomely sweet, salty, nutty, toffee popcorn treat!  Oh it was soooo good!  

Here is the recipe if you are ever interested in making it at home - we wouldn't object if you wanted to!!  Just make sure to share!!

POPPYCOCK RECIPE

It's not always sweets and treats though!  Did you know that our host Mom has a little Aerogarden in her home??  It's real neat; she can grow lettuce, tomatoes, and even herbs like basil or oregano!  We sometimes like to lay under the lights and catch a little tan - heheee!!

The fall is coming, Mom!  Pretty leaves are going to be starting to fall from the trees!  We are excited!!

Love,
Stella & Luna  xoxox

The Nephews!

Hey Mom!  Though we would take the time and introduce you to our host family's nephews: Jake (16) and Zach (11).  They hung with us often when we did things!  We also tried to help out as much as possible too! For example, while at a restaurant, Zach was discussing a Math problem he was having trouble with.  Of course, we tried to assist in the equation.....but then decided just to eat more French Fries!  

Mom, we are in love with Heinz ketchup, by the way....we need to make sure we have LOTS at home!  hahaa!

With Jake, we love to watch Basketball games with him on the BIG 70" TV and also just sit and relax playing games on the iPad.  Regardless of what we do, the nephews are fun to be with!

Talk to you again soon!  Love you, Mom!!!