Tee-pee weekend!

I know I haven't written bout Kyra's 5th birthday and many others, but pleaseeeeee.......lemme start with whatever that's on top of my head now, okie? :D Thanks!

So, last weekend was another long weekend since 1st May aka Labour's Day fell on a Sunday, Monday became a public holiday here! So, the Thursday before weekend arrived, I suddenly got inspired to finally get down to making the TEE-PEE that I've planned since 2010! So, off I went to the hardware store to get 5x 8' long wooden dowel (that were later cut down to just 7'). The other 'ingredients' were ready-stock @home anyway.....hehe....

I was determined to get it done in time to kick off our long weekend with lotsa 'faux-camping' fun with the babes....coz I knew they would be thrilled.......so, spent the whole long afternoon measuring, planning, cutting, sewing.......assembling...............Tadaaaaa!!!! DONE on time.....PHEW!

I remembered we have their now-unused baby cot mattress in the storage room....complete with comfy soft jersey fitted sheet :O oooooooo.........so, I pulled that one out of hiding......and quickly put together THIS "scene" below......right before the babes got back from school that Friday afternoon!
Wooo...I tell you, they were excited alright! And I thought, might as well do an impromptu family 'BBQ cook-out' that evening itself! So we took out whateva food that's BBQ-able from the fridge, set up a last minute BBQ pit using a wide and low flower pot (BAD BAD idea I tell you, I think the heat cracked the pot a little...LOL! but other than that, the BBQ was a success I tell you!)

These 'grilled' tomatoes were SUPER yummy!!! So yummy I didn't have to persuade Kyra to eat her matoes!!!! Ok, here's how you do it........season the tomato slices with salt, pepper and Olive oil! That's it......BBQ it a little....and you'll get these very sweet, tasty tomato slices!!! MUST TRY!
And that night, we really 'camped' in the tent! But of course, mid sleep, I had to transfer myself to the daybed coz Gosh! It was kinda horrible sleeping without a mattress...LOL! But what's important is, the babes, especially Kyra really enjoyed the whole tee-pee & cookout weekend!

Sorry Blog! I've neglected U!

it's been months since I last found time to write here.......and all the while feeling guilty, somehow I still couldn't find time to stop by......SHORRRYYYYYY!!!! but hey, I am BACK! (hopefully for good?!)

There's actually tooooooo many things I wanna record down HERE, for sharing, for memory-safekeeping purposes.....no, I'm not losing my mind yet......It's just that when you have a family, especially 2 wonderful babes that are growing up sooooo fast day by day......with so many chores in hand to do, you tend to forget details.....especially details of small cute things.....such as funny innocence spoken by the babes for example......it's the little things really......and that is actually the main reason I started this blog!

Anyways, I'll try to keep up with the MANY MANY backdated UNposts.......(I 'posted' em in my head....but my head is not linked directly here....so, there goes....) :D

ok, BRB! lemme compile, and prep the photos before I start typing away.......you know I love having loadsa piccies in my description of anythings........who doesn't?

Case of Danielle: the child who was 'broken' by an 'unlucky' mother?

Just last week, I (yes, I, me) heard from mum about a fren's baby who was left crying non stop upstairs at the babysitter's place, till a nebor had to call the babysitter up to 'alert' her! gosh, i fear for the baby, man!

Read it here: Child found living like an animal!

read paragraph 9 from the link above, OMG! and her mother FEELS she's a victim of BAD LUCK! HUH!!!! being a responsible parent requires no good luck, just love and effort, some people are just so full of sh*t!
(sorry, but i really can't stand ppl who blames things on bad luck!)

On Oprah, the story here!

Reading the articles is nothing compared to watching Danielle on video, the way she eats? she stuffed her mouth full with food coz she doesn't know when will her next meal be.....and she's functioning like a toddler when she should be doing what a 9 year old does!

Random Rat!

when Z was a lil boy, he carried an umbrella to shade a rat (that was trapped in the cage) from dying under the hot sun. N this a.m, while driving, he suddenly swerved his car to avoid running into a rat who was running past the road! I looked at him with disbelief, then broke laughing when i remembered the umbrella story that MIL told me about! (coincidentally, he was born in the Rat year too!) :P

Surprise Vs Shock

i personally think life with surprises are more colorful.....it gets routine and bland when there's no more surprises, doesn't it? By surprise, I mean good ol surprise, coz I don't call a bad surprise a surprise, I call it "shock"...LOL!

But the worst thing would be, when an incident that's supposed to be a bit of a shock to me didn't even shock me at all....ahhh......that's a pretty bad thing, I'd say!

20.10.2010

today is my little pipo's 3rd birthday.....and yes, I do realize I haven't been able to post a single word for the past 35 days or so! *GASPSSSS* yesh, time do fly by FAST when you're super busy. No doubt about that!

Ok, I will write about the past happenings in the last month after this post (ie. if I can still recall them at all), but today is special....a very beautiful date..... 20.10.2010, Maia's birthday, so, I told myself I MUST MAKE TIME to write....
Obviously that's the birthday cake I made for her...you can see the details here! :) This one's for her to celebrate it at school with her classmates. And this (below) is the 'Goodie Cup' for em! Those who know Z and I would already knew we wouldn't serve kids junk food or the usual party packs.....And I decided to do PERCY instead of THOMAS (from Thomas & Friends?) coz I think Thomas is just overrated....just google...and you'll see every Thomases imaginable! LOL!
Anyway, back to the birthday babe.....well, all I could sum up is, I'm very thankful to have her...she reflects me in many ways, the good and the badssss, of course. When my youngest sis saw her birthday cake photo today, she commented in my FB saying: "she's only THREE?????"
Coz honestly, her acts, attitude and speech, way supercede her tiny age! She speaks like a granny most times! And she started talking since err.... 10 mths old? Yeap, she's been talking for that longg.....I guess that's also why we felt she should be older than just THREE! Haha!

She's very naughty, unlike big sis Kyra.....she's also more demanding and bossy, not to mention dominating! Hmmphh!!!! She can melt your heart with her grin and flick of words 'tailored' to please and win you over! That's why she's the popular one with our relatives and friends.... :P

tbc tomorrow....sleepy germs attacked!

The SURPRISE is this!

Above: Berita Harian weekend copy, 2nd section, published on 12th September 2010 (Sunday)

Alright....yeap, that's the surprise I've been waiting to reveal....ahh....it's really just a 1-minute-fame kinda thing to me honestly, but it's just strange and exciting to see your own things (and yourselves) printed in a national paper like Berita Harian. I mean, seriously, when I got the copy 1 day late (coz I couldn't get it on the day it came out) on Monday, I even missed this front page (of the 2nd section) coz I didn't think they would feature our home on front page most definitely....so I went right to the middle and saw those photos and article of us in the centrespread. Only hours later, when I retrieved the pages out to keep, that I saw the cover!!! LOL! Well, that was really exciting...and weird......to see my bed, our bedroom...right there! LOL!

But one thing though, I wasn't surprised to find out they have decided to feature the babes' room as the biggest photo in the article itself.....I've mentioned this before....(I think?), it's my favourite room in the whole house!
And you see the tiny family pix there? Yeap, you've seen this before...in my previous 3rd post.


Sorry, I am just too lazy to scan the pages out....so here.....read it online, while it's still available.
But then....sorry to those peeps who can't read nor understand Malay.....the paper is a Malay paper, LOL!

From JUNK to RETRO FUNK!

Alright...for those of you who knew....I am trying to convert my unused guest room to a studio for me to do sewing, designing, painting.....crafting....everythingggggggggg!!! Well, I didn't have a budget for this personal project (of course, as usual....necessity is the mother of all my inventions LOL!)...now, seriously.....not kidding! And coincidentally, while my Godma is in the midst of house-moving, she's throwing and leaving a lot of stuffs behind....I mean, A LOTTTT!

One afternoon while at her place, I spotted this very rusty metal desk....from the look and shape of this desk, I already knew its fate.....Godma's definitely gonna dump this one for sure....so I adopted it....coz I saw loadssss of potential in this little guy......
So, with a little sanding down....a new coat of matte white paint.....some simple stitching and gluing.....here it is......the nipped & tucked metal desk! It was truly a piece of junk at 1st....and now, it's so retro funky and I really can't help but smile everytime I look at it coz it's just sooooo bright and happy! Doesn't it give the same effect to you as well??? Yes? :D
The Green Polkadottie wooden stool is also a 'throwaway' that I adopted and make-overed! Now I am thinking of upholstering all my wooden stools at home to look like this! LOL!

Here's my new 'workstation'......see the two cute 'containers'? They are practically almost FOC as well.....
Those containers came from THIS (below)!
Some of you might have noticed the matchy-matchy wall clock on my new desk eh? My youngest sis customized it for me......she's now selling handmade notebooks, clocks and such in her FB 'store' too!!! With just RM18, you could have your clock customized by her too!

And this......is the 'signage' to my 'polkadot + cupcake' studio.....a temporary one that is....coz I plan to request for Maia to do the POLKADOTS....and Kyra to do the CUPCAKE for me! Coz after all, this label is all because of them.....about them....for them.....to begin with!
Okies, I must go....it's a public holiday today coz it's HARI RAYA (celebrated by our Muslim friends) and we are going to one of the teachers' house in a while...gotta get ready and get going fast!!!! Happy holidays everybody!

SURPRISE AHEAD!

ooooh...btw, as compensation...I just might have an interesting surprise for you in a few days' time....stay tuned!!!! I can't wait for it myself!!!

Hey Blog, still recognize me? :P

I am soweeeeee...Blog! Schedule's crazy...last minute of something...another last minute of another thing......gosh! Okie, nevermind, let me make a summarized round-up....LOL! A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, and ie. being a mummy, wife, maid, chef, baker, seamstress, among others.......... (and not to forget spending real quality time with my two babes!)

I also happened to be the "OFFICIAL" curtain-maker for godma's new house...aduhai....what to do....this is a duty I can't possibly say N.O to.....if you understand.

Then, out of the blue, an ex uni-mate contacted me regarding something VERY INTERESTING that required me to start doing my two huge BLANK canvases.......yes, here it is....that's what you do when you don't have an 8' long easel...lol....two chairs will do!!! This bamboo acrylic painting is for our living room.....

and sketched errrr more 'passionately'.....for our bed room.....I mean, the canvas was meant to be in the bedroom (i've got 2 2' x 8' canvases btw)......but somehow, I never took down time to start any......maybe coz I didn't have much down time to begin with.......???? :D

This sketch is charcoal btw......
Then with the leftover charcoal sticks...I let my babes play....definitely! And unfortunately, because it's BLACK in color....err...duh!!! charcoal , rite? Kyra refused to touch it....so Little M quickly did her version of charcoal art for her mummy to stand in awe looking at every day coz it's now hung in the kitchen's wall of frames....LOL!


"Of frawers n butterfly under the big big sun" by Maia Faith Leong :D

And Kyra did her non-charcoal version of Picasso-ish HEART....and HOME (the one below)....
Honestly, I really love the HEART and HOME she did here.....it's somewhat random but when you look at it, all you see is positivity in her...... (well, at least she's not drawing monsters and scary anythings....hehe)
And because the silly mummy SAT on a photo frame, even though she ain't that heavy, the glass broke into pieces as well....kakakakkakaa!!! And I am just too lazy to go to the glass maker to cut a new one....so I turned the frame into their hairclippies organizer..... It does double duty: to keep their clippies in check and tidy....as deco item in their bedroom! I knew I broke the glass for something........ :P
Feeling very vibrant....I finally got down and made their INITIALS for their bedroom.....something I've had in my head for mths actually.......but you know me....crazy schedule all-time-round.....
And here is the curtains for our apartment that's to be rented out.....it's a loft unit, thus the curtains are 18' long and very very veryyyyyyyyyy wide....... I dread the thought of doing it in my head!!!!
And, Z helped me paint our old but strong IKEA shelf matte black....to match the theme of the apartment.....yeah, neutrals BLACK & WHITEsss.... (black/dark brown lah).....I am loving the matte black so much...I wish I could transport it back here for my humble studio!!! aihhhh!

A lot of DIYs for the new apartment coz we are on a tight budget to furnish it.....but I guess DIY-ing never fails to make us appreciate things around us even more!!! Try it...you might know what I mean here.....
Thennn.......we had an informal family pix taken by my littlest sister who is a photographer and graphic designer and many more.......
And last sunday, the babes' kindergarten launched their 3rd unit which is also in our neighbourhood.....so I made em a CONGRATS mini cupcakes to celebrate!!! I personally love this set a lot!!! It's the colors I think.....
Then....I've got 2 customers who mixed up the bday dates and suddenly, I have a back-to-back last minute cupcakes orders....and here they are......one for a 30 year old guy, the other for a lady colleague......



So, are you getting all dizzy already???? Told ya so! Thus, I refurbished a to-be-thrown-away desk that's still in good condition...and made it polkadotie!!!! I adopted a few unwanted solid wood stools and repainted em......Yippeee! Total cost to do this? Less than RM20.... (USD6+). Isn't it cute?
And these here are my pencil holders.....each costed me RM1++ (USD0.50++), not sure bout you, but I just love the rugged rope-y look! And here I am typing happily albeit headachy (due to a stupid tooth) on my new work desk n stool!!!!
I know I know.....
you must be thinking.....so we shall wait for another 1 or 2 weeks for an update round-up lidis yes? LOL!

I try not to do that to you, Blog.....but you know I don't have much of a choice.....soweeee......