I say "Coco", You Say "Nut"!

What's "odd" in the picture below?

There's a coconut tree in my kitchen!!

I can't say that it's any more flattering on her than the pigtails!

At least it keeps the hair out of her eyes though

Breakfast, Malaysian Style

I want Isabel to have a connection and knowledge of all the things I did as a kid growing up in Malaysia. And what better way to start than with the food?!

I remember going to the Sunday market and lined across the sidewalk in front of the "corner shop" were vendors selling different types of appams...this one was the 20 cent "thing"

Mine obviously turned out different looking than what it's suppose to be as I didn't have a small wok...but work with what 'ya have

It tasted pretty similar though

Little piggy here hogged a whole piece

And of course, when there's food, there's Buddy

But leave it to my husband to ask: "So...what goes with it?"
 He was probably hoping I'll say "ice-cream" since he thinks it tastes like a waffle cone.

Summer Blues

And to continue on the curtain trend, here's another dress that used a discarded curtain as the bias strip and the piping (oh yea..I got my mojo back!)

This was from Oliver + S' Popover Sundress (Amanda -- this is one of their free patterns). It's pretty much like a pillowcase dress, with an A-line.

Tried my hand at making my own piping using this tutorial

This dress reminds me of summer - kids having fun by the pool or splashing around with the garden hose

However, I'm not sure if the sizing is on the small size, or if I made a mistake when sewing the sideseams...but it's a little difficult to put her arms through, and it's definitely a snug fit on the top.

And it's way too long for my liking...

Will definitely be shortening it by about 2-3 inches just so she'll be more comfortable when running around...

And for when she's trying to do her handstands.

The Hills Are Alive...

With the sound of music.....Was there an Isabel in the Von Trapp clan? Cause there's something that they have in common...

Picture from pbtm.files.wordpress.com

Or maybe even with Giselle from Enchanted.

Picture from caroline-ho.blogspot.com

Mmmm...McDreamy...

Anyway...the common thread? They all have clothes that used to be curtains!

This jumper pattern is called the Vivienne from Burda Style, although currently, it's long enough to serve as a dress for Isabel. It was a fairly easy pattern, once I stopped over-analyzing the instructions.

The shell is made out of the remnants of the coral fabric used for the nursery's curtains

It's home decor medium-weight twill, so it's perfect for now and spring, layered with a long-sleeved tee and jeans or tights.

I added a pocket for some visual interest using this tutorial (Do you know what that means? I'm now an "Intermediate" sew-er! =D)

The reversed side

Definitely brings some cheer to the dreary cold days that we have right now. Spring, where ARE you??!!

 

New Do...

Her hair is long enough to "style".

I don't know...I'm not sure if it's particularly flattering...Perhaps a little tweak to soften her head shape features...

Her daddy says that she looks cute no matter what...

Now, that's love!

Pardon Me?

I'm sorry, sweetheart, did you want something?

Milk? Banana? (By the way, in case anyone is concerned...she does not touch the dishes and stuff that we have on the island's shelves. Yes, we have a good girl. Somewhat)

Oh...the crackers

Rather than actually eating it, she's found greater joy...

Crushing it into a million little pieces.

Joy.

Joy indeed for Buddy...

This is why he loves Isabel. Have you ever seen a happier face?

Rut

I'm in a sewing rut. Probably because my house is in a mess. I WANT to make stuff, but the motivation is lacking. Because I should be using my time to straighten up the pigsty that is my abode.

But, I'm trying to get back into crafting. Because it's my stressbuster. So, starting small, I made myself a little pincushion - something that's a little prettier than the crap plastic container that the pins were sold in.

I used Heather Bailey's pattern, but modified the way the ribbon is sewed on.

Short Track...

Who else watched the finals for men's short track speedskating? Was that a crazy fluke or what for the US team?!!

The Olympics are pretty much all we watch this weekend, whenever we are home

It is made infinitely more interesting because my husband actually knows some of the Team USA speedskaters.

Yep - my husband used to skate competitively. Pretty wild, isn't it?! And he's even won some stuff - all his trophies and medals are in a box down in the basement somewhere. I have to figure out a way to display them somehow...

Longing for Spring

I'm quite, quite tired of the snow and the cold. Spring, where are you?

These tulips bring the hope of spring into our house

This year, I vow to cure my black thumb. Or at the very least, try. I have grand plans for a garden this year - both flowers and vegetables.

January To-do List Recap

I can't believe that it's February.

I figured I'll state my monthly big to-do's to ensure some accountability - and for some of these, lets just be honest, I need all the motivation I can get.

However, January was a doozy. Being sick for 3 weeks didn't help. This didn't help either:

Yep - our basement flooded. Neighbour's pipe burst. They live in a different state. Great fun. Not that I was personally involved in dealing with it...I was sick in bed from a stomach bug and taking care of my kid who had some kind of flu. Poor hubby.

The January List:

1. Bake muffins for neighbour as a TQ gesture  Revised - invited them over for breakfast instead. It was nice to have interaction with other people

Those ham & apple puff pastry quiche bites were the best thing I've ever made - the recipe was from the Stocked Kitchen cookbook I got for Christmas

2. Work on Baine's quilt  Did not start. Why? Because my study/impromptu sewing room looked like this:

Why? Because it was better that, than have my guest room look like this:

3. Add floor trim to base of LR stairs Did not even attempt

4. Flip guest room mattress Completed

5. Thank You note and picture to A.Cindy - Isabel's godmother  Nope

6. Organize linen closet  Revised - redid the guest room closet instead. Which should probably get me bonus points since that closet had it way worse than the linen. And do I love that beautiful dark gray...Can't believe that it was a mistint.

  

7. Have 1 good outfit per work week  Eh

8. Replace LR window trim  Nope

9. Return recalled IKEA roman shades 28.57% completed. 2 down, 5 more to go

10. Finish nursery's curtains  A big fat YES!

10a. Work on LR roman shades  Key word here is "work on". So yes.

So far, February ain't looking so good either....=S

Da's The Word...

To tide you over until we get our Skype all set up and established...

For those who wondered what her first few words were..."Da" is pretty much the fave.

 This was taken around Father's Day, 2009.

 

Happy V-day and CNY!

This year, Chinese New Year falls on the same day as Valentine's. And I was prepared for neither.

 But my husband was.

A red packet for Isabel

And I even got Valentine presents! Can you guess what it is? The hint is in the picture...

Here's another...

He gave me a fisheye lens for my camera  =)

And my favourite gift of all...

He raided my sewing box and whipped up a love note just for me...I thought that's the sweetest thing ever.

Happy Valentine's, HM! And Happy Chinese New Year to all back home! Enjoy your yee sang, while we have our ketchup meehoon...