Just keep sewing!

I realize I especially love shutting myself out in my so-so 'studio' to do some impromptu sewing whenever I feel upset or pissed or frustrated, and while doing so (sewing)......I later realized I was humming in DORY's tune (Dory the blue Angel fish from FINDING NEMO?)....."Just keep sewing....Just keep sewing......hohoho...I love sewingggggg!" (Dory sang "Just keep swimming....Just keep swimming" by the way!)

and I made mini oven mitts for Kyra's little hands.....

Family DIY weekend

We started this 'project' yesterday.......it is now almost 8pm on a Sunday evening, and no, it's not finished yet.....probably somewhere around 70% done? But boy........I am super excited just doing it and anticipating the final outcome!

Everybody got involved, Z is responsible in cutting the plywood, Maia is responsible in messing things up and dropping and losing the screws :(, Kyra's helping with sweeping and lending a helping hand when I call for her.....and of course, yours truly is responsible in the design, measurements, assembly, filing (not paper filing mind you, filing wood with metal file, NOT FUN I tell you!), sanding and painting!

Just so happy 4 of us have our weekend well spent!!! Instead of the usual trip to the mall......

Stay tuned to see what "IT" is!!!

Stamping Potatoes!

I've got some extra potatoes that have gotten less fresh, suddenly got the idea to let the babes play with good ol potato stamps!!! (Just like old times...MY old times that is! hehe). Was thinking what to carve for them......finally decided on something super easy but meaningful, their INITIALS!
If you're thinking "Damn! She's nuts to carve out a heart that's so symmetrical!", stop right there!!! Trick is, the heart is easier than my freehand letters K & M actually coz I merely used my COOKIE CUTTER! HAHA! Good trick, and the end result is good and precise! :D
Both Kyra and Maia just love any chance they get to play with their paint brushes and watercolours, and of course it gets messy and dirty every time they are at it, so that's why I never let them do their 'paint job' in the house.....they will paint their masterpieces on the deck, easier for the mummymaid later! hmmmph!!!




Honestly? Maia can stamp neater than Kyra. But Kyra can use the brush better. But as of now, Kyra's drawings seem to have slight improvements....at least now her drawings of MUMMY, herself and Maia have dresses on and a handbag in my hand! Hehe!!! Her drawing of DADDY remains consistent still....5 strands of hair. Period. And according to her, DADDY (the drawing) sometimes has a frown on his face too! (While the 3 of us ladies in the house are always smiling) :D







Kyra *HEARTS* Maia, vice-versa so it shall be!

Rest In Peace Smart Ass!

Mao Mao (aka Maomaobear @home)
June 2001 - 10th March 2010

This is coming from nowhere.....I'm crying now just browsing her photos in my sis' FB. Our family dog that had been with us for the past memorable 8.5years passed away at 1am today 10th March 2010.

This puff ball that I bought for just RM200 and named 'MAO MAO' (mao actually means CAT in Mandarin) because I thought she looked like those Persian cats when I first got her.....(the fur I mean, while the face resembled a cute lil teddy bear back then)...and now you're probably thinking how did THE family dog turned out looking like one? :) Not long after that, I moved to KL, and automatically she became my sisters' pet that they came to love to bitttsssss!

I remember I went with mum to pick one out of 4 pups, somehow she chose me, instead of the other way round. And after we brought her home, Sis#2 even scorned and said: "BUY BUY BUY, BUY FOR WAD I ALSO DONT KNOW!" and this a.m, she was the one to accompany her when Mao Mao breathed the last of her life......

I can't even describe how smart this dog is......I know for sure, she's the smartest dog we ever had this far...and we had many many dogs in the past.....She's so imperfect, and that's what made her sooooo much like us, humans.

Once we brought her to a pet store for a stroll, the lady at the store asked me: "So.....how did u choose this dog?"
ME: herh? I dont know...she just appealed to me....compared to the others.....why?
LADY: She's not purebreed, and she's got crooked teeth! *She went and opened Mao Mao's jaw for us to see the crooked-ness....and we all chuckled.....I felt slightly embarrassed inside coz at first, I thought she asked me the question because Mao Mao is special in a positive way...LOL!

Alright, so we have a dog with crooked teeth.....for a good reason (we later found out), she bites!!! People whom she does not 'agree' with...she bites! So, somehow the crooked teeth made it impossible for a REAL bite.....hehe!

Yeah, as mentioned by my sis#3 (who loves Mao Mao very super duper much I tell u, and vice versa), she loved car rides. Once she followed my family on a super long 6 hour ride to Sibu......now, that's not something any dog could do, and do well. She would bark at Mum when Mum tried to wake little sis up in the morning.....that's how protective she is over my sis.

She's very fussy with food too, and threw tantrum if you hurt her feelings. She complained if she felt like it. I remember how she 'grumbled' non stop when Maia first moved to my parents' home to stay temporarily....she just didn't like knowing her 'spotlight' is at stake...LOL! So human, rite? (And by saying 'grumble', I really mean GRUMBLE.....the way a human would...the sound)
She also loved air conditioned rooms.... :)

Oh, she had a favourite toy too....this IKEA Blund bear, she would fetch it for us to throw. She 'carried' it wherever she went back then. I remember Sis#3 even had to buy a couple of Blunds as STOCK!!! And Blundy bear would get sooooo dirty and smelly I tell you.....

Just got this SMS from Z....
"I believe she could sense they are going out for a few days and she can't wait that long. She's a good dog though" (My parents and sis will be flying to KL this afternoon to attend little sis' convocation this coming weekend).

I am gonna have to stop writing about her....else I would have super puffy eyes when I fetch the two babes from school later.....

Mao Mao, if you were a human, you'd make a good sister. Now, Mum would have to get used to not having 'someone' to scold at home....Ling will have to get used to not having you as roomie......and many many people will have to get used to not having you dash out the door barking your lungs out at them (or biting...).......

You've made a permanent mark in all our hearts, trust me. Rest in peace, Smart Ass!

FRESH & RAW food

Just finished watching 'FRENCH FOOD AT HOME' on AFC (Asian Food Channel), now continuing my down time with 'FRESH WITH ANNA OLSON'. (No, I usually never get much chance sitting around in front of the TV to watch these two cooking shows...coz I either forget when it's on, or I'll be busy with other things).

Now halfway through the 2nd show, I realized one FACT, and that is:
Chinese food DOES NOT have fresh, uncooked dishes (as far as I know of ie.) :O

You see, Japanese has their fresh raw sashimis.
French and most other western foods, have their fresh salads and herbs.
Even Malays have their 'ulam'. (raw uncooked vegetables eaten with a certain dip)
Chinese??? I can't think of any raw, uncooked dish, eaten as it is.......can you?

Then again, I also can't think of any chinese dish that is high in calcium too! Strange huh?
(Chinese food do not use cheese, milk, or the sorts....the only calcium-giving element would be broccoli...what else?)

For me personally, it's important I know how to get the best out of the food I feed my family, else, it's a bit of a waste, IMHO :[

Shower-ful of Substance :P

It's just amusing how I always have the most important and full of substance things/topics in my head when I am in my shower......so much so that I always wished that my brain is directly linked to blogger.com via bluetooth or some cool tech!!! :P

I need a favor....

for Kyra's 4th Birthday mini celebration at her kindie....a favor 'packaging' design that is! Most of the parents of her classmates used plastic loot bags, party favor boxes that come from typical party supplies shops.....I'd like something different....but on a budget! It'll be a POCOYO & FRIENDS theme for the celebration with her mates, instead of the PINK HELLO KITTY party at home :)

Still brainstorming......

Most Important Thing A Father Can Do!

My online buddy June who's based in Dubai with her family, will be celebrating what's termed as 'Mothering Sunday' aka Mothers' Day on 14th March 2010. Happy Mothering Day to you in advance, June! :D She put this quote in her FB status today...and it's just so 'WOW' to me that I had to quote her here.....else, it's a big waste of something so true and meaningful!

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."

PART 2: Kyra's 4th BDAY Stufz

Sneak PEEK of the lil stufz I have made/found/prepared for Kyra's upcoming very small-scaled-but-important 4th Birthday Party! :D Have fun wondering.......

Rotten Oranges Up For Good Use!

I'd like to hit myself on the head for forgetting to remind Godma and Mum and Mum-In-Law to keep their rotten mandarin oranges from Chinese New Year! Yeap, ROTTEN, BAD, non-edible ones, so I can make more fruit enzyme out of em! :D

I just harvested my 2nd batch of enzymes.....am making new ones with my few oranges....Mum-In-Law has got plenty of bad oranges coz she bought soooo many cartons of it! Called her a few days too late as she just threw away several cartons! :P sigh....

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Good thing Godma still had some rotten oranges and pomelos left! Used them to start my new batch of enzymes :D, brown sugar is the only 'cost' incurred in the production, use only plastic containers for fermentation, and my 'harvested' big bottles of enzymes ready to be used!

Before you get all grossed up by the word GARBAGE....do enlighten yourself with some light reading on the production and multi uses of this enzyme:

*How to make enzyme

*Uses of these enzyme

In homes, garbage enzyme is used:

- as a household cleaning liquid

- to remove foul odours, molds and grime in the kitchen and toilet

- as an anti-bacterial and anti-viral agent

- to drive away insects

- to clean carpets and remove ticks

- for laundry washing and ironing

- for mopping floors

- for cleaning cars

At the very beginning, I was a believer (since this enzyme is acidic, thus it makes sense), but after using this enzyme solution (I diluted some in my spray bottle) to wipe clean the mirror directly next/behind my stove that was so oily.....I became an even stronger believer!!! Not only that, I have a house plant that never grew an inch since the day I bought it, after watering it with the enzyme solution, I could swear (but not necessary) it sprouted new branches in the next 2-3 days!!!

That itself is proof, strong enough to make me continue practicing this garbage enzyme production for our own home use, at the same time, do my tiny part for the environment.....so, when are you gonna start?

***Sadly, my mum is a non-believer....strangely.....hopefully one day, somebody other than me can convince her :( She'd tell me she's heard about it from her sisters and church friends, but somehow, has zero interest to try.....Well, I guess it's hard to convince somebody who insisted on using 4 scoops of chemically-laden laundry detergent (instead of just 1 full scoop as per instruction) because she said "It's cleaner that way!" :P She won't be able to see the effectiveness of something as harmless, low-cost and chemical-free as the garbage enzyme until she tries it.....one day............