Little Miss Sneaky

Elyssa can be such a sneaky / cunning little girl sometimes.

3 recent scenarios:

Scenario 1 – Ipad

She loves watching utube on the Ipad. One day, she was watching Barbie – Princess and the Popstar music video. 

Me :  When you finish this video, time to stop ok?

Elyssa : OK!  

BUT once the video clip reached almost the end, she used her finger to slide the slider to almost the beginning of the video so could watch again. She did this OVER and OVER.

 

Me : Elyssa!!  Time to stop!

Elyssa :  But video not yet finish.

Me : ????!!!!! 

Scenario 2 – Time

I was trying to force her to nap in the afternoon. She kept coming into my room every 5 minutes saying she “finish sleeping already” 

Me :  You haven’t even slept at all yet. You must sleep until 4 o clock.

Elyssa : OK!  

5 minutes later (only 3pm) 

Elyssa :  I wake up already.  4 o clock now.

Me : Not yet, see it’s only 3 o clock.

Elyssa :  But that’s YOUR clock.  MY clock is already 4 clock.   You come and see :

 Me : ??????!!!!!! 

 Scenario 3 – Hair Cut

Few months ago, my mum gave a hair cut to all the kids.  

Elyssa : Ah Mah, next time I don’t want you to cut hair for me.  Other people always say “Not Nice” wan.

Ah Mah : ok lor.  

The next round of hair cut:

Elyssa : Ah Mah, I want you to cut my hair.

Ah Mah :  Eh, I thought you said don’t want?  You said not nice wat.

Elyssa : No.  Ah Mah, I said Other People say not nice.  But I didn’t say not nice. I say nice. Ah Mah cut for me ok?

Ah Mah : ?????!!!!!

 

There are other scenarios as well, where she goes around the issue/ forbidden item. Or she will talk and talk to justify her actions.

Like when I scolded her for not sharing her new toy. (unacceptable behavior). I threaten to never buy new toys for her again bla bla bla.  She talked and talked and finally explained that she didn’t want to share the toy on the first day.  She said after the first day, she will happily share with others. (well, this doesn’t sound so unacceptable eh?) 

All this is sometimes annoying especially when just talks and talks until she comes out with a good reason. But hubby said at least we know this girl can survive in the sneaky corporate world !  

2012 Big Bad Wolf Sale

We braved the Big Bad Wolf Sale 2 weekends ago.  

 

Reached there around 7pm on the first Saturday of the sale. It took quite a while to reach place (when we were almost there, there was a Rela policeman blocking entry to the sliproad. He just asked us to "u-turn kat Petronas" but there were no signs at all when we reached Petronas. Blindly followed a few cars and thankfully they were going to the same place. Phew!)

 

Once there, we were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't too crowded -  

 

 

We decided to drop Erin off at the play area with our maid (Elyssa was in Singapore that weekend). Not cheap at RM10 per hour. Erin LOVED it though!!  I checked in on her a few times and she was just so engrossed with the play equipment.   

 

 Without any kids tagging along, we could shop in peace. Yay!! 

 

Graphic Novels (fancy name for comics!). Hubby's FAVOURITE section.

I think about RM20 each but he said it's sooo cheap cos normally it can go up to RM100.  

  

The stroller came in handy  :-)

I didn't really go crazy like previous years since I'ld rather use my precious free time to sew rather than to read. And Elyssa's book cabinet is already full of lovely books bought previously. (Popular Warehouse Sale, Big Bookshop Warehouse Sale, Big Bad Wolf Sale, good deals from Book Excess etc etc). Why do I even bother going to this sale???  Err....kiasu I suppose since everyone also went. He he.

 

Mummy, buy this book for me ok?

Easter Egg Board Book for only RM3  :-) 

  

Not really clear from the picture above, but the red cones shows the empty payment section. We didn't even had to queue at all. My colleague exclaimed in envy when I showed him the photo.  Why? Cos he went on Friday night around 11pm and had to queue up more than 1.5 hours to pay!!! He said the queue was from the payment counters right up to the END of the huge hall. At around 3+am onwards, no one could even browse for books cos the standing area was occupied by people in the queue. Yikes.  Somemore, just when it was his turn, all the credit card terminals became offline. Double Yikes!

 

 

ps: Dress looks familiar?  Yup, that's the dress I made for Erin. She refused to take off the dress after I tried it on for her that morning.    :-)



Sewing Project #7

Another sewing project to update :)

 

Dress # 2 for Erin

Tutorial from here: http://prudentbaby.com/2010/05/baby-kid/snappy-toddler-top-free-downloadable-pattern-2/

 

Back View of Dress

 

 

OMG....... I am pretty pleased with myself!!! Yay Yay.  *dance around in glee*

Even hubby couldn't quite believe I made this! 

 

Material is from my previous purchase in Kamdar. RM8+ per metre for the flowery fabric and RM4+ per metre for the plan red fabric. I loved how the colour combination turned out. So bright and cheery :)

 

I'm glad Erin liked it too.  She willingly changed into this dress but when I wanted to take it out later  (cos haven't even washed the fabric yet) she screamed in protest.  Ke ke.

 

"Mummy, enough photos already.  Time to play ball"

 

 Easy Button Collar

Good for beginner like me since I don't know how to sew zips yet.

 

 

I never knew sewing could be so satisfying!! These days, I can hardly wait for both girls to sleep so I can run to my little sewing corner. That's usually around 10pm and I get to squeeze in just over an hour of sewing time on a normal week day. A couple more on weekends but usually there's other stuff going on. If only there's more hours in a day!

Lil Miss Exercise Instructor

Exercise Session Last Weekend:

 

"Daddy, Back Leg Must be Straight"

  

"Knee Position Must be Like That"

 

  " Hold your stretch longer"

 

"Yay....Good Job, Daddy!!!"

  

He he.....who wants to hire this little Exercise Instructor?? 

Elyssa's first weekend without Mummy n Daddy

Elyssa is in Singapore now! 2d,1n trip with my SIL, MIL and my 2 nieces. And from what I heard, she is having a blast & not missing us at all.

He he.... We are enjoying a quiet weekend as well. Shopped leisurely at BBW sale yesterday then enjoyed dim sum this morning.

Got this photo via whatsapp from my SIL. Elyssa with her 2 cousins, taken at Orchard Road:

Sewing Projects

2 more sewing projects  :)

 

 

Project #5 - Curtain Tie Back for Elyssa's Room

We used curtains from our old house but somehow couldn't find the curtain tie backs even after searching high and low! Hubby even went out looking for a simple tie back to buy but couldn't find anything suitable.

I ended up making a simple tie back out of an unused bolster case cover. Added a DIY five petal flower made of Grosgrain Ribbon and done!!!

 

Elyssa requested to add 3 more flowers (2 purple, 1 pink) but won't that be too much??  But see la...since it's her room, I may just add more flowers for her this weekend.

 

 

 

Next project was a simple dress for Erin. This time, I went fabric hunting again. Drove to Yee Button House in SS2.  They have lovely cotton fabric but at RM45 per metre, I thought it was wayyy too expensive. (since I may end up butchering the dress anyway)

I walked over to Kamdar and was pleasantly surprised to find pretty decent fabric at a fraction of the price. Ended up buying 3 pieces @ RM3+, RM6+ and RM8+ per metre only.  Yay.  Cheap, cheap for my experiments.

 

Project # 6 - Simple Dress for Erin

Ta da...... my very first dress!!

 

This is from the RM6+ per metre fabric. I bought a metre but I think I probably used up only a quarter or maybe less. OMG that's less than RM2 for this dress!!!  Ok..mebbe add another RM1 for the ribbon and elastic band.

 

Super love it!!

 

 

Back view of Dress

Tutorial Link : http://www.babyrabies.com/2012/07/a-refreshed-pillowcase-dress-tutorial/

 

Ok gotta admit there's rather atrocious uneven sewing around the sleeve area. Really need to improve on that.  But for now, what the heck - my little model doesn't know how to complain yet  ;)  

 

 

 

I've found another simple dress tutorial that I want to try out.  Hopefully will have time to cut out the fabric tonight after Elyssa & Erin sleeps.      : )

Quinoa Porridge for Erin

I finally discovered Quinoa!

I know, I know it has been around for a long time but I somehow never got round to finding out more info about it.

Got this from the net:

8 Health Benefits of Quinoa:
1. High quality protein with the nine essential amino acids, the protein balance is similar to milk. At 16.2 to 20 percent protein, it has is more protein than rice (7.5 percent), millet (9.9 percent) or wheat (14 percent).
2. Great source of riboflavin. Riboflavin has been shown to help reduce the frequency of attacks in migraine sufferers by improving the energy metabolism within the brain and muscle cells.
3. Inca warriors had more stamina and quicker recovery time by eating these quinoa seeds, making it a truly ancient powerfood.
4. Antiseptic. The saponins from quinoa are used to promote healing of skin injuries in South America.
5. Not fattening! Only 172 calories per 1/4 cup dry (24 of the calories from protein and only 12 from sugars, the rest are complex carbohydrates, fiber and healthy fats).
6. Gluten-free. Since it is not not related to wheat, or even a grain, it is gluten-free.
7. Alkaline-forming. Although it is not strongly alkaline-forming, it is comparable to wild rice, amaranth, and sprouted grains.
8. Smart Carb: It is a complex carbohydrate with a low glycemic index, so it won’t spike your blood sugar.

Source : http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-health-benefits-of-quinoa.html


Ok, definitely something "good", but more importantly, will it pass the taste test? After all, "good" often equals "taste yucky".

Tried it out last weekend.  Prep method - Similar to her normal porridge, just that I replaced half the rice with quinoa. Added pumpkin and carrot. When it was done (double boiled about 20 minutes), I mixed in some banana pieces and low fat milk.

Erin's Quinoa Porridge

Taste test?  Surprise...surprise..... it tasted YUMMY!!  I couldn't resist stealing a few mouthfuls while I was feeding Erin. Reminded me of tinned rice pudding I used to buy in UK.

And of course since it's Erin's porridge, the little boss needs to approve and yup...

Erin liked it!

See how she leaned forward towards the spoon  :)

 

 

I'm happy with this new "discovery" of mine.

 

The following day, I made some for myself too. (for Erin, my fav is Point #1 - high quality protein and for myself, my fav is Point # 5 - non fattening!). Did the same thing but added a little bit of  sugar and an apple, and voila.... I had a complete meal  :) 

 

Sewing Bug

Aiks, I've been neglecting this blog lately. Even my mum said "how come nothing new in your blog?"

 

Reason???  I've been bitten by the sewing bug!!  I find it just soooo addictive. Got myself a new Brothers sewing maching few weeks ago. If you asked me a year ago, I would have just laughed at the idea of me even thinking of using a sewing machine  ;-)

 

And ta daa.....my creations so far -  

 

Fully Lined Zipper Pouch

I went for a class in Fabric Fanatics to learn how to do this. Made this version by myself after the class.

 

Can fit Elyssa's pencils nicely

 

Project # 2 - Little Skirt for Erin

Learned from a tutorial in the web.

Link :http://www.danamadeit.com/2011/04/a-simple-skirt-a-simple-tutorial.html

  

I get such a thrill to see Erin wearing it!

 

 Project #3  - 2 layered skirt with lace trimmings for Elyssa

Similar concept to Erin's skirt but this took me almost triple the time! Somehow kept doing the wrong thing. Happily attached the second tier then noticed it was upside down. Adoi!!  Had to unpick and redo.  First time attaching lace and that took me quite a while too.

 

 

Project #4 - Another Zippered Pouch

Learned from Youtube this time.

Link :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EICadoBCC1s

I had my Ipad next to me to "play, pause, play, pause" the tutorial.

Still got pins here as I'm not quite done with the lace. Made the ribbon flower by myself too :)

  

Polka Dot lining

I'm going thru a polka dot phase!

  

I have already lined up a couple of other projects.  Can't wait to start on them.

Shoes and Socks for Mei Mei

Took these photos a few weeks back.  Definitely one of those "awww" moments for me!

 

Elyssa helping Erin to wear socks

 

 

 

 

Then Shoes....

 

I was surprised that Erin sat down patiently and even lifted up her foot for her jie jie to wear the socks and shoes for her. Elyssa tried and tried pretty long cos she wasn't used to the angle. I ended up helping her (especially for the shoes cos at the end, she was trying to stuff Erin's foot into the shoe!) but was still happy that she was being a good jie jie  :)

 

Good job Elyssa! 

Australia Holiday - Day 9 & 10

Day 9
We stayed in Greenfield Farm, Albany for 2 nights. Love, love the place!  It's run by a friendly elderly couple, Dave & Jeannete. They live upstairs while the guests area is downstairs.

Interior Photos

So cosy! Felt like being in a friend's home. There was even a jar of homemade cookies and various types of homemade jam in the fridge.  Plus an area filled with toys at the bottom of the staircase. The toys kept Elyssa really busy :)

Price : AUD 120. (AUD 50 per adult + AUD 20 for Elyssa)

One point to note is the common area is shared between 2 bedrooms. Luckily, we were the only guests that time.  

Photo of Exterior. Plus check out the vintage cars in their garage!

Jaguar cars. Pheuu Phitttt ;)

On the second morning there, Elyssa woke up in a better mood and wanted to bottle feed the lamb.

 

Drink up your milk, little lamb

She patted the calf as well. Top right is a photo of me with Dave & Jeannete. Bottom right : Elyssa with daddy on a swing just outside the living room.

We checked out shortly after breakfast. Oh, but not before buying 4 bottles of yummy homemade jam. (2 for us, 2 for my parents - but Erin broke one of theirs recently. Aaargh!).

The main plan for Day 9 was basically the 5 hour plus journey back to Perth city. But of course not without a last stop at a winery.

Plantaginet Winery

View of Yellow Flowers by the Roadside

So beautiful!!! 

We also squeezed in a visit to the Araluen Botanic Park, which was pretty near Perth city already. Check out the tulips there!

Tulips, tulips everywhere

More tulips!

Absolutely gorgeous eh?

 

 

So does that mean that a visit to Keukenhof in Holland is no longer necessary??  Not quite lar..... actually, the area planted with tulips was not that big. No where near the "fields and fields of tulips that can be seen from the plane" like in Keukenhof.  But good enough for photo taking :)

 

There were also other types of flowers at Araluen Botanic Park

Train Ride

We saw the train going around when we arrived, but that turned out to be the last round.  Elyssa was sooo dissapointed! But when we were about to leave, we saw the train parked on the car park. So we managed to take some photos  :)

 

 

After Araluen, our last destination for the day was Harbour Town Shopping Centre,  a branded factory outlet mall. Hubby and I bought 4 pairs of Levis jeans for AUD 40-45 each. Not bad.  

 

Enjoying Gelato at Harbour Town

And that ended Day 9 as well as our Australia trip. All good things must come to an end. *sigh*. 

Our flight  was 6+am on Day 10 which meant we have to leave for the airport around 4+am.  We checked into Confort Inn Hostel near the airport on the night of Day 9. In hindsight, I suppose we could have saved the AUD 110 hostel stay and just loitered around Perth city for that few hours.  

Day 10

On the morning of Day 10, we drove to the airport (luckily got GPS) and dropped off the car at the designated bay (so convenient!).

 

Bye Bye Australia !!!  We had such a good time!! 



Making Ah Mah's Birthday Cake

Elyssa couldn't wait to get started when I asked her whether she wanted to help me bake Ah Mah's birthday cake.  

Helping to Dry Cake Tins with Paper Towels

 

 

Whisking Egg Yolk with Sugar

Isn't the mini apron super cute?? RM4.90 from the 100 yen shop :-)

 

Sifting Flour into Egg Yolk Mixture

 

 

Whisking Flour into Egg Yolk Mixture

 

That was the end of the "disturbing",  oops, I meant "helping" part.  :)

 

I continued the rest of the cake making process myself after that.  

 

Ta Daaa....... The Final Cake  

Best looking cake from my kitchen so far. Yay!!! 

Recipe source : http://nasilemaklover.blogspot.com/2012/10/jelly-layer-cake.html. Love it!

 

 The icing turned out pretty expensive though, as I destroyed not one but TWO boxes of whipping cream. (about RM7.00 each). I watched in dismay when I didn't get the fluffy whipped cream texture I was expecting, but a curdled mess from the first packet. Googled and one of the advice given was the start whisking at low speed first.  Didn't work either. Second packet produced the same curdled mess.  :(

 

I had to wait for the shops to open to buy a third packet. This time, I placed the entire whisking bowl and whisk into the freezer and used Anchor brand. (the same I used for Erin's cake last time). Phew, I did a little dance of joy when it worked!  So happy that I didn't have to resort to Plan B, which was to buy a cake from Secret Recipe to bring to my mum's birthday lunch.

 

The birthday lunch was at Dynasty Dragon. Pretty good!  We gave tick marks it terms of food quality, service, price, environment, restaurant location and ease of parking.

 

Pinched this photo from my sis's blog -



 

At the Birthday lunch

Mama & Papa with Grandkids # 1, #2, #3, #4, #5 and #6. 

Ke ke.....none of the grandkids smiling for the camera.

#6 wants to sleep. #5 wants to get down. #4 looking a bit blur. #3 and #2 not looking at camera. #1 looking at camera but not smiling.

With six small kids, we've give up hope of the perfect shot. he he.

 

 

Inside View of Cake

3 layers of Sponge Cake sandwiched with 2 layers of Longan & Strawberry Jelly  

 

Looks messy here cos I didn't hold the cake properly during the car journey to the restaurant. When I peeped into the cake box halfway there, I was sad to see the cake plastered to the side of the cake box! *sob*

 

 

 Close up view 

I normally prefer rich butter cakes, but this combination of light sponge with jelly was just nice for a cake to be eaten after a full meal.

 

 

 Happy Birthday Mama!!