handmade soap

I did what mama Ade taught step by step... except the glitter part. Looking around my limited resources and time, i replaced with pandan leave inside the soap, at the very last minutes of thought.

Outcome is, the small little piece of pandan leave smell is stronger than the lavender essential oil.

credits: paper from Amy Sumrall & Michelle Coleman, present doodles fr Angelica, stamp fr Heidi Williams (W&W).


Ingredients: glycerine soap, food colouring, surgical spirits, lavender essential oil, pandan leave

Thank you mama Ade for her kind sharing:).

simply Christmas

Hy and I simply enjoy this Christmas. She learnt and had fun...

credits: paper fr Bohemian Art, frame fr Joanne Bain Designs, alpha fr Heidi Williams & brush fr Heidi Williams(W&W), christmas tree fr Michelle Coleman (LDD).

Thanks to Mama Ade and 4malmal's inspiration, we made soap as gifts to my colleagues and she painted her own Christmas tree for our new house this year.

I am nailed the image as stingy mum, i know. but in both do-it-yourself way of welcoming a festive, I see a pure childhood of my old days in her, simply fun, interestingly, creatively. I believe so, jolly. And I think I manage to reduce shopping (again) and hopefully earth friendly as well.
I wish I can repeat this simplicity to her again in next festive, next Christmas.
anyhooo... I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.
credits: paper fr Angelica E., embellishment fr Lori Barnhurst & brush from Heidi Williams

(to be continued...btw, im sorry for late posting of this entry, i thank & love the comments in my previous entry and just realise that i have been posting food for this whole month, unbelievable...)

Happy Winter Solstice

21 Dec, Dongzhi of 2008.

Something meaningful to me as a daughter who being apart from my parents. I didn't like glutinous rice ball until... 4 yrs ago.

A Dongzhi that Hy was born and discharged from her 2 months incubator.

A Dongzhi that family traveled to kulim to visit us & brought the glutinous rice flour for me.

A year that I learnt to do yummy glutinous rice ball with full hearted.

[this year's tang yuen wasn't nice as expected... nevertheless, sis is here with me:)]

Related post: http://pcli.multiply.com/journal/item/37/tangyuen_after_winter_solstice

Little Food Adventure

I'm not a vegetarian. None of my family or close friends are. Its all began when a TCM advised Hy not to take chicken, fish, heaty stuff which nailed us down to only vegetarian cuisine. Though we are lucky in the sense that, Hy loves vegetables, she hardly resist green leafy dish since she can munch her food.

But I have limited knowledge on vegetarian dishes. I also find my self a little bit hesitate to try new things and to go beyond my own comfort zone (of cooking & eating habit), and acquire new taste in my mouth. Until... Mama Ade borrow me this book: New Asian Traditions Vegetarian Cookbook, by Susan Amy, Kiran Narain, George Jacobs.

I then realised that I have soOooo lack of knowledge about food i eat & prepare for Hy everyday. Hence, interest begins...

It is a very good vegetarian cookbook for novice like me, especially with certain mindset and aging brain of mine. The book not only giving recipes but also information on food & nutrition.
Lets talk about Rice first.
All carbohydrate we eat eventually ends up being broken down into sugar. Refined foods such as white rice and white flour break down quickly and raise the blood sugar rapidly, but there is also a rapid slump shortly afterwards, making us feel lethargic and even hungry again.
Brown rice still has the bran intact, it has more fiber than white rice. One cup of brown rice has 3 1/2 grams of fiber while the same amount of white rice has less than one gram of fiber (source: About.com:Nutrition).

If you find brown rice is unpalatable, try Basmati rice which is soft and delicious. (New Asian Traditions vegetarian cookbook)

So, I started with Basmati rice, mix into our regular white rice. Then my Nepalese colleague is kind enough to introduce & bought me Moong Dal, so I add in a little bit to try as well.


The result? Hy didn't resist it, and yummy-licious for me:)... though SC isn't quite enjoying it.

Anyhooo... I decided to learn more about vegetarian and definitely try other recipes in the book.

inadequacy

i confess...
my inadequacy on her

inadequacy at work

inadequacy in myself

credit: nanine

seek guidance badly.

breakfasts

Another Sunday afternoon (quick) scrapbook.

I actually eat breads/sandwiches most morning. But due to fussy little one, I start fry meehoon, at least once a week, with different ingredients every time. And thank goodness everyone loves it. They said, breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper. I say, it is a blessing to be able to prepare meal for family.

Mind share with me your kind of breakfast?
credits: QP from Gunhild Storeide, brush from Katie Pertiet, ribbon from vicki_parker.

And inspiration of documenting food from Jatz1Blog.

first bento for papa

I asked before, for once, about making him bento to work, and he doesn't fancy about it at all.

However, due to rushy morning, he decided and ask me to pack his breakfast to work today*grin*.

We were in orientation this morning. Hy's 1st day in NTUC childcare centre near our block... after a month plus of 'spoiled' home-stay with grandma and grand-uncle LOL. She cried when seeing us leaving the place, but MIL stays on to observe and comfort her in new place.

Wish everyone merry December and peaceful year ending.