What's with girls and shuz?

CROCS Malaysia had their warehouse sale starting yesterday till 3rd May 2010. Z managed to grab 2 pairs for Kyra since she loves wearing her Crocs super much. So I asked him to get Kyra a RUBY RED Alice (1st pix) in size M1, and PINK Mary Jane (2nd pix) in size M2! The usual prices for Kyra's Crocs are between RM119 to RM129 depending on design, and for these, we only paid RM35 per pair! Yeap, amazing discounts huh! Over 70% mark down :O So totally worth it!

Hehe...some of you might wonder, "What about Maia?".....
Well, I just took out Kyra's old Crocs and washed em...there are currently 1x BLUE Gabby, 1x PURPLE Alice and 1x PINK Sketchers (also the same kind of material as Crocs), strangely, all these 3 are of more or less the same sizes....and all are still looking new and in pristine conditions! Now why did we get so many pairs for Kyra last time? hmmmm......I can't remember.....

So, that's why, no more impulse buying! Haha! Maia's now wearing Kyra's 1st pair of Crocs which is a LILAC Cayman...and once she outgrows this pair, she will have the Gabby, Alice and Sketchers to choose from! Imagine that.... (Guilty to say, on top of these Crocs, both babes still have their dress shoes from Chinese New Year and sandals to boot! Pun intended...hehe!)

Okie, gotta continue my spring cleaning....sorting their outgrown clothing and shoes to be donated to the Salvation Army.......

These below are the ones we didn't get coz I usually don't buy things that are not so classic and will bore me over time.....Hello Kitty Crocs are discounted to RM50 per pair, Polkadot ones too!

"Mummy I will tell you how to bake it later"

This afternoon, after the two babes got back from school, as usual, I will go to the kitchen to get ready their lunch. At that time, I was actually watching a baking program on the Asian Food Channel, 'SUGAR'. So I guess, seeing that I have to go away from the TV and all.....Kyra shouted from the living room in a serious, very enthusiastic tone:

"MUMMY MUMMYyyyyyyyyyy!!!!! I HELP YOU WATCH YOUR SHOW, LATER I TELL U HOW TO COOK IT, okay!?"

ME: "You sure?" *while chuckling away by myself.....and smiling in my heart....LOL!

Just the fact that she meant it so sincerely yet innocently.....ahhh.......cuteness!!!! I hope she'll get to read this when she's all grown up and be as amused as I am! STILL AM!

Kyra & Mummy's FAVE Cupcake!

Yeap, just shy of a year ago, I wouldn't even try baking carrot cupcakes. Yeap, silly me! Just the 'vege' name in it turns most people off I think....but thankfully I shared a good slice at BING's early last year with lil bro, Ivy, WK.....and immediately fell in love.....

Even better is, Kyra the fussy picky eater, loves my carrot cupcakes! She, the one who does not wanna eat black chocolate cupcakes, because it's dark in colour....yeap, SHE! Haha.....

This carrot cupcake seen here, is frosted with LITE cream cheese frosting....unfortunately, the LITE version is a bit runny especially if it's not chilled, but it's absolutely yummy I had 3 standard sized of these for breakfast these two mornings.... :O (psssttt!!! I am having my 2nd one now....with a cuppa hot earl grey....yeap, call me crazy....crazy in love with carrot cupcake and cream cheese frosting that is!)

Learn2Bake Club April Challenge: Butter Cake

Okay, plenty of sewing done, now it's time to EAT! I remembered I am owing the CLUB my April assignment, and since mum's gonna cook dinner for us + Godma's family + themselves and eat here yesterday (Sunday), I quickly took out my mixer to whip this up! It's a basic butter cake recipe from WILTON and I merely added raisins and white chocolate chips into it, topping it with rum flavored frosting! I honestly think the RUM-RAISIN combo is sooooo right! So right I put THREE of these cupcakes into my belly after dinner.....sigh! LOL!

Well, enjoy! (the photos, I mean... :D )

POCOYO's in town, mine!

Tiered MAXI Dress!

I can't wait to show you guys this dress I made in the morning while the babes were in school. Saw the new arrival japanese cottons in store the other day, could not resist the beautiful vivid prints and smooth 100% cotton.......and while blog-hopping two days ago, came across
MODA BAKE SHOP featuring a spring/easter dress and that's where I got inspired to do this! I think the 'summer-like' weather plays a part in my urges to make comfy (& stylish of course!) dresses...somewhat.....

Made a matching flower hairclip/brooch to complete the look too...hehe....but I am most glad coz my estimation of Kyra's height and size is right.......PHEW!!! (Don't you hate to do alterations!?) It has smockings at the back so the dress will fit nicely and comfortably! Now, I am very tempted to make one for myself :P

It's a BIRD! It's a DRESS!

yeap.....modified from my black short-sleeved shirt that's now shrunken too short and tight for me.....(or am I the one who grew taller and fatter? LOL)...no, I believe it's shrunken too short and I have grown more than I was 8-9 years ago..... :O Oh yes, I usually donate things and clothes when I spring clean, but somehow...this very old shirt managed to sneak out of the DONATION BAG! Now I know why.....'it' has its purpose...... :]

Btw, the LITTLE BIRDIE was unplanned. I accidentally TORE the shirt at the back...thus.......

Then later, I decided to cinch the waist to give the shirtdress more shape, and this is the final outcome.

My Blouse = Her Shirtdress

I was googling on what you can do with shirring...yes, I am madly in love with shirring lately after learning it......and I found this interesting and useful idea HERE! And since I do have a couple of adult shirts/blouses laying around my closet since forever, I figured this is what I should do about them....instead of letting them collect dust!

Here's the outcome.....it took me approximately 30-40 minutes to do this, and I am really very happy with it :D even though the only shirring involved was ONE LINE, on the elasticized waist.

I made it a sleeveless dress so Kyra can wear it during the daytime....believe me, the weather is really turning mad on us.....@34+C degrees (used to be 29C), I figured she won't wanna be drenched in her own sweat! (or worse, she might not wanna wear it if it makes her uncomfy!)




Now lemme go and spring clean the closet for more shirts.......you have one? :D

Old Bohemian Navy Dresses

I did these yesterday, it only took 45 minutes for both actually and anybody who can sew straight lines can do it too really! The TEE is an Old Navy V-neck snug fit tee that I bought for RM5 each, from factory outlet....meant to be used for our TEE SHIRT PRINTING project with the babes, but because it's not really the white plain tee I had in mind, I hesitated on it for many weeks....and finally yesterday, I found an old fabric remnant from my youngest sis' bohemian skirt that she shortened! And tadaaaa!!!!

These dresses are super stretchy and lightweight, perfect for our scorching weather, and besides, I never like to dress them up in big boyish tee and shorts and then look sloppy, even at home! Don't get me wrong, I am not those mummy who shops endlessly for the lil girls' dresses, I hardly do that actually....I just like to see them in decent presentable play clothes that's also comfortable with a hint of style :D

Batik Print Shirred Sundress

Made this just now using a half piece of batik printed sarung for Kyra. The good thing about this fabric is that it wears very well with age, the more you wash it, the softer it becomes! This is why it's actually very good for our super hot weather too. OMG, I am in love with shirring....LOL! (Newfound skill, for an amateur sewist, it's a big deal okay...haha)

My 1st Shirring!

Maia's recovered from HFMD, and her asthma cough is better too! Kyra's cough is still persistent though, sadly. And after weeks of not sewing, I finally have the mood to do it! YAY for me! Coz I finally learnt how to do shirring, something I've always wanted to do but dared not! Thanks to PRUDENT BABY, I successfully shirred my 1st paisley print sundress for Maia!
Now this 2nd experimental shirred dress is inspired by KUKY IDEAS. Here I used the leftover fabric from Maia's quilted blankie project (seen here on her bed). It's actually a very narrow fabric, but good thing is enough to let Maia wear it for now...at least.... :D I obviously love this kinda green.....that's her in her shared bedroom btw!

Well, if I find time to sew today, I'll make a shirred sundress for her big sista Kyra! If not today, it will definitely be SOON! It's just so much fun, I am grateful there are generous peeps out there who took time to compose tutorials on these....or anything for that matter!

HFMD down, ASTHMA to conquer!

As mentioned previously, we spotted HFMD symptoms on Maia and Kyra on Saturday. After tons of chinese medicines, today, Maia's ulcers seem to have shrunken, the blisters on her right palm are also drying. Thank God both babes didn't have to suffer the pain of multiple mouth ulcers! I can't imagine the pain, coz I usually am truly frustrated when I have just ONE ulcer in the mouth.....imagine FIVE or SIX in Maia's mouth! The chinese medicines must have helped suppress the progression of her ulcers...coz Maia didn't complain much about pain throughout! PHEW!!!

The only problem from this incident is, both babes started coughing badly on Sunday evening.....and so, we brought them to the child specialist, Dr Tan. I am so thankful we went, Dr Tan said that their coughs relapsed most probably due to the HFMD virus attack on the lungs. She prescribed antivirus pills and other cough medicines.

Now the only thing Z and I have to tackle is their continuous super-prolonged coughs.....come to think of it, it's gonna exceed 2.5 months' mark very soon, my goodness!!! They were recovering when HFMD attacked, unfortunately.....so now they are still coughing madly especially in the mornings.

Somebody suggested a direct-selling cactus juice that costs a big bomb (let's just say you can buy 2 pairs of TOD's shoes from factory outlet in the states with that money). I am doubtful. I think I will try HONEY, LEMON WATER, cut down on dairy products for now.....I have googled, I know what I am talking about :) and besides, within this period, we have already spent 1x COACH large handbag on their medical bills :[ and honestly, I prefer something we can maintain daily on a long term basis, not just this week or month!

The only thing both Z and I do not know is, WHAT IS THE TRIGGER for their asthma! I just wish somebody can come visit and tell us the answer......could it be flower dander from our garden? or the labrador at the backyard? or dust mites in the soft toys and mattresses?

For the record, we have:
*Removed all soft toys from their room
*Removed the bedroom rug too (thought it's part of the theme :( )
*Vacuumed and mopped every other day (that's a lot okay....the honorable maid is yours truly)
*Cleaned all the airconds inside out, even with enzyme solutions made for the internal fins!
*Changed their bedsheets super frequently!
*Cleaned their everythings with RAINBOW VACUUM CLEANER! (that can suck out dust mites!)
*Googled so much on this topic, that if Google can speak, it will say: "That's enough!" :P

and still, NO IMPROVEMENTS! We are d.e.s.p.e.r.a.t.e.

Re-PURPOSing The Doors

I remember how the back of our old bedroom door looked back when I was a little girl and still co-sleeping with my parents, with my Sis@2 too! Because of the lack of space, I also remember 'hating' not having my own HOOK! Yeap, hook I said.... :P

But now that I have my own home, own room own bathroom.....strangely enough, I still find myself being overwhelmed by the sheer number of things to organize....to keep NEAT! Having two little babes who own tons of toys and things do not help:( and today, I find myself holding my mini power drill (again!)...and plenty of screws.......you guessed it, to screw things of course!

Here, let's see.....

Clockwise from L-R:
*The 'scene' at the back of the babes' room door, fixed with 2 units of IKEA Molger wooden hooks to hold their bags, diaper stacker, etcetera.....

*Right next to the door is where I 'planted' their huge apple tree....and there you'll find a giant FROG pockets! Also from IKEA, of course......(the source of all things innovative and more or less affordable....)

*The 2 green bath towels now have their own place, behind my bathroom door! Originally there was only ONE hook and I find my towel nowhere to be hung!

*On the same bathroom door, on the OTHER side, I attached 6 Ikea hooks for random items....mostly clothes though! Some of you might wonder why I 'pollute' the front of my bathroom door with hooks, I bet? Well, the entire space that you see here is the walk-in closet actually, so I guess it's okay to make full use of the door as well...since the entire 'thing' is an open concept storage anyway.........well, better than having nowhere to hang my stuffs, I'd say! And AFTER we install the dividing doors (ie. also AFTER we have excess $$$ LOL!), no one will be able to see this door from our bedroom!



*On the same bathroom door of mine....(poor door has to work so hard for me...LOL!), I fixed 2 units of IKEA tie rack that I bought aeons ago onto the door frame to hold my belts, scarves, several accessories......now I can access em easily and they no longer create a terrible mess when they are all over the floor......yay!

In case you remembered I once mentioned we were getting Ikea Stolmen system for our walk-in, right? Change of plan. A good one. Now we plan to DIY something rugged, maximizing the entire floor to ceiling space, probably on HALF of what the Stolmen might have costed us! Will keep you posted on that when it's accomplished.....kinda busy with two babes who've been down with asthma for over 2 months actually.....



Now this (above) is the back of door @ our STORE ROOM. I attached 2 plastic baskets, 1 pencil caddy, 2 stainless steel hold-anythings and a hook to hang the purpose non-woven bag!

*Plastic baskets are removable and they are used to store colour pencils, loytapes, and such!

*Pencil caddy (the wooden thingie) is for the babes' markers and our pens/pencils! Before today, Kyra always managed to locate and sneak the markers for her 'art'! It's okay for her to do that, but not OKAY FOR MAIA COZ ONCE SHE TOOK A PEN AND DREW ALL OVER OUR LEATHER DINING CHAIR...so there you go.....

*The stainless steel hold-anythings, I use em to store scissors, penknives.....you name it!

*Finally, the purple FOC non-woven grocery bag is now proudly keeping all their A3 art papers in check! Before today, this bag held nothing really :D

Well, I still have a little bit of space on the back of this door....but for now, these are sufficient to keep our almost-daily items organized and UN-lost!

Honestly, at first, I did hesitate to drill on the doors.....then I reasoned with myself (Yeap, it seems like I have two of me here.... sort of!), and the other ME won! Really, if I didn't drill and make use of the back of these doors....they won't see much daylight too anyway.....and all those ugly messy stationeries will tarnish the look of our living room! So which is more crucial? A few holes at the back of your door, or a messy living room? Obviously, I got the answer already.... :)

Bad news for an Easter weekend!

Yesterday, Maia shouted: "Mummy, look at my hands!!!!" and yeap, 4 blisters on her right palm and immediately I knew that could be HFMD (Hand Foot Mouth Disease), with a dreadful feeling in my chest of course......the minute we reached home, I checked with their kindie's principal if anybody's been down with HFMD the past week....and YEAP! Her own little niece :(

I quickly reached for the torch light and checked both babes' mouths, and off we went to a chinese physician's clinic. Thank God we realized the infection early enough, Dr Lee said that his herbal medicines might be able to suppress the ulcers from 'popping'. FYI, Maia's mouth has got 5 (if not more) ulcers already but they are not reddish and painful YET (I can't tell whether those are painful or not coz she didn't complain till now! Strange, I know).....

So, out of the Dr's office, paid RM160, 5 bottles of herbal meds for both to be taken 3 hourly for the next 3 days or so. Dr said that as long as it's not EV71 virus or Coxsackie, it won't be life-threatening.

Today is the 2nd day both babes are on the medications, so far so good as nobody is complaining of sore ulcers nor developing fever *THANK GOD!*, but I do hope the ulcers will start disappearing tomorrow though....

On top of that, we learnt from a friend about this little green plant that people take for ulcers and many other sickness, called PEPEROMIA PELLUCIDA.

"软骨草" Chinese remedy to heal HFMD(Hand Foot Mouth Disease)
Name: Peperomia pellucida

QUOTED FROM SEVERAL WEBSITES:
"The leaves and stalk of pansit-pansitan (=Peperomia pellucida = 软骨草) are edible. It can be harvested, washed and eaten as fresh salad. Taken as a salad, pansit-pansitan helps relive rheumatic pains and gout. An infusion or decoction (boil 1 cup of leaves/stem in 2 cups of water) can also be made and taken orally - 1 cup in the morning and another cup in the evening.

For the herbal treatment of skin disorders like abscesses, pimples and boils, pound the leaves and/or the stalks and make a poultice (boil in water for a minute or two then pounded) then applied directly to the afflicted area. Likewise a decoction can be used as a rinse to treat skin disorders.

For headaches, heat a couple of leaves in hot water, bruise the surface and apply on the forehead. The decoction of leaves and stalks is also good for abdominal pains and kidney problems.
Like any herbal medicine it is not advisable to take any other medication in combination with any herbs. Consult with a medical practitioner knowledgeable in herbal medicine before any treatment."

Seen here (below), I mixed it with a little honey so that it's easier to coax the babes to take it.

But honestly, luckily it's not bitter to the taste, it smells FRESH, nice scent and has not much 'green' taste.....Maia had no problem drinking it! :D

"Description: Peperomia pellucida is an annual, shallow-rooted herb, usually growing to a height of about 15 to 45 cm. it is characterized by succulent stems, shiny, heart-shaped, fleshy leaves and tiny, dot-like seeds attached to several fruiting spikes. It has a mustard-like odor when crushed.Flowering year-round, the plant is found in various shaded, damp habitats all over Asia and the Americas. It grows in clumps, thriving in loose, humid soils and a tropical to subtropical climate.Peperomia pellucida has been used as a food item as well as a medicinal herb. Although mostly grown for its oriental foilage, the entire plant is edible, both cooked and raw. The analgesic properties of the plant seem to be related to its effect on prostaglandin synthesis. Anti-inflammatory, chemotherapeutic, and analgesic properties have been found in crude extracts of P. pellucida. It may have potential as a broad spectrum antibiotic, as demonstrated in tests against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and Escherichia coli .Chloroform extracts from dried leaves of P. pellucida have been shown to exhibit antifungal activity against Trichophyton mentagrophytes."

It's Truly Bloomin Brilliant, Jamie!

I've heard from a friend that this recipe is very good.....and decided to give it a try since all the ingredients are in my kitchen anyway....and most importantly, we all love chocolate-anythings!

Hubby: This brownie is really good, man! You can really sell this!!!

So, in case you have not a clue of the title of this post.....this brownie is from Jamie Oliver, one of my favourite cooking guy...for his spontaneity and simplicity of course!