My Love

I haven't taken many photos with my actual camera in a long time. Probably because I don't feel that our lives are special or exciting enough to lug around a bulky DSLR

But this year, I am making it a point of trying to take more and share more

Cue our first photoshoot (complete with hair and wardrobe) in years, to get into the Chinese New Year mood...

And one can tell that I am Isabel is out of practice, because it took an eternity to get the shots that I wanted...

But I had lots of goofball ones...be prepared to be bombarded...

Wait...let me think of how to pose...

Is this good?

Is this better?

   

Oh, snaps! This is hard!

   

How about... 

 

 

Are we DONE, momma?!

  

 

I did manage to get some precious gems...though they are not the type that will make it to the short list of the "acceptable Christmas card photos", they are probably my favorites

 
 

 

 

 

 

I'll Have Some Toast With That, Thank You...

Made kaya for the first time ever, despite having intentions for years. It was simpler than I thought, and I finally found a use for the gula melaka that has been sitting in my pantry forever...

Recipe taken from here, although it came out a tad sweet for my taste. I shall probably reduce the amount of gula melake to 2 tbsp rather than 3.

Ingredients:

- 4 egg yolks at room temp, well-beaten 

- 45g palm sugar/gula melaka, or 3 rounded tablespoons

- 45g white sugar, or 3 rounded tablespoons

- 200ml undiluted coconut milk, fresh or canned 

- 4 fresh pandan leaves (I used a few drops of pandan essence instead)

Directions:

Beat 4 egg yolks thoroughly with a handwhisk 

Add the palm sugar, white sugar, coconut milk and pandan leaves in a pot over medium heat. 

Stir constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon until the mixture begins to simmer. Turn off the heat. Slowly pour 1/2 of the coconut milk into the egg yolks, stirring at the same time.

Pour the combined mixture back into the remaining coconut milk in the pot, turn on the heat back to medium-low / medium. Keep stirring for the next 10-15 minutes. 

The kaya will thicken gradually over the next 10-15 min. Remove the pandan leaves and transfer the thickened kaya into a clean sterilized glass jar, leave the jar lid open to cool down completely.

When it is completely cooled, close the jar and keep in the fridge.

 

 Meet my harshest critic...
She has developed quite a taste for kaya and butter toast from our recent trip back home to Malaysia

   

It met her standards. 

Phew

The Many Faces of Isabel

Apparently getting older leaves Isabel with mixed emotions...

Stage 1: Disbelief that she is getting that old

2) Shock as she finally acknowledges the fact that she IS getting older

 

3) Acceptance --- with a touch of humor..else she might end up crying?

 

 

The cake was a surprise -- baked by a good friend (who is crazy and sets the bar so far up that I can't even see it)

 Grateful for all the family and friends who turned up (most who met Isabel for the FIRST time, which is crazy...and makes me kind of sad)

Elf-ette on the Shelf - Day 13: Birthday Girl

Happy birthday, Isabel! 

My baby turned 5 this year...

 

Birthday, Part One

It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that to kick my butt into high gear to finally tackle the half finished projects in the house, there needs to be a very definite deadline to get things done.

So I threw a party.

Isabel is turning five this year.

(HOW DID THAT HAPPEN??)

 

And since the big party will be in Malaysia this year, I had a small one earlier at the house.

And invited some of her closest friends from her daycare whom she has not seen much of since starting kindergarten this fall

It makes the heart warm to see all of them together again

And something to note, almost 5 years olds are VERY noisy when they reunite.

Especially when they are all girls.

All in all, it was fun.

The guest list was small enough for me to have time to pay attention to the presentation details and DIY crafts and decorations that I have seen on the web and thought, "Oh, that is such a fantastic idea!"

The study/library worked exactly as I envisioned it when I was planned the room -- it was perfect for hosting a sit-down meal. 

 

2014 resolution: If my friends and family lived close by, I am sure that it would be a frequent occurrence, but I need to break out of my comfort zone and invite people over for meals (although I may want to leave the actual food cooking to the experts!)

Lets Go Picking!

Welcome to my little square foot garden!

(LOVE my little harvest basket)

Tomatoes are doing well -- I was under the impression that tomatoes should be in abundance in the middle of summer...If that is the case, my tomatoes (and eggplants, for that matter) are late bloomers

My Japanese (Ichiban) eggplants are doing well -- it has yielded quite an abundance (to me, at least) of fruit.
Whereas the regular eggplant has had 2...one of which is still in the mid-stages of growing.

It currently has about 4-5 that should be ready for picking in the next week of so, with some tiny little babies still growing (looks like a little Christmas light bulb!)

A regular harvest for me

Sometimes in the span of a few days, a week, or longer than that -- it really depends on the plants - I do not treat it with fertilizer. I don't do much other than water them occasionally, to be honest.

Seems pitiful in comparison to serious gardeners. But it is sufficient for this household of 1 1/2.

Even with these meager pickings, I am at a loss of what to do with them sometimes, as there are only so many eggplant/tomato/basil cravings I get.

For today, it shall be a simple omelet type mash



In other parts of the garden, my lavender in the side garden is going into second bloom...love my lavender!

 

And a random picture of Isabel as she went to school this morning --

She looks like a skater girl/tomboy.

Rarely does she ever dress like this - it's the baggy jeans that gives that impression. Again, another outfit courtesy of her dad. 

They aren't really my style, but whatever floats her boat. She is still cute as a button 

(with a little hooligan hiding within that cuteness)

5 Random, Mundane Things #1

1) Obsessed with this song:

The church I have been attending have had a turnover of their choir/singing group (with a fantastic new lead/guitar player) and they have been introducing a lot more contemporary songs -- this one was played with a strong drum beat (like the march of an army) and is sing-at-the-top-of-your-voice FANTASTIC

 2) Still awed by the fact that I am actually GROWING food. It is a humbling and amazing experience. And quite fool proof as I have basically been ignoring my plot, except for random watering and weeding.

3) Books I recently finished and loved

The One and Only Ivan

Tears fell, my heart ached, I wondered about the cruelty of humans and I don't want to go to a circus ever, EVER again

 It is a children's book, which I have a soft spot for. 

Edenbrooke

A historical romance, my favorite kind. I read a lot of these, but this is definitely one of my favorites, along with She Walks in Beauty  by Siri Mitchell.

I borrow my books from the library because if I bought all the books I wanted to read, I would go broke and will live in a cardboard box under a bridge.

But this is one I will be purchasing for my own library 

(that sends a thrill down my spine---"my OWN library")

 Some of my old friends and I are trying to form a book club where we will read and talk about books. We all live on different continents, with probably very different tastes in reading materials (I prefer to read those with a hopeful air, happy endings and basically something, that at the end of it, will make me have a new perspective on life and hope for the future. One of my friends prefer sad books -- She loves Wuthering Heights..I wanted to smack Heathcliff, and shake Catherine)...so it shall be interesting.

I am excited.

4) Since I love historical fiction, it is probably a given that I like period movies and shows as well. I don't watch much TV, but PBS has made available fantastic shows

Call the Midwife

via

Set after the war in the 1950s, it follows the life of midwives in London's East End.

The second season is still up for viewing here

Downton Abbey

via

Also made available via PBS, it is about lives of aristocrats (the Earl of Grantham and his family) in the post-Edwardian era

I have recently signed up for a trial of Amazon Prime and to my delight, they have made this series available for free (All THREE seasons)

Whereas Netflix has taken down Season 1 (the one and only season offered on streaming) from their online selections. 

Boo Netflix.

5) Trying to be super fantastic mom and make inspired lunches for Isabel as she starts her new school. Japanese containers rock.

Sunflower butter sandwich, hard-boiled egg, fish nuggets and a tomato FROM MY GARDEN

And I don't know how American kids can survive (and actually LIKE) having some form of a sandwich day after day after day for their lunch. 

And So, A New Chapter Begins

Her bag was packed, and she has new shoes to boot, courtesy of daddy (Actually, her whole outfit is almost all courtesy of daddy)

Her new adventure was about to begin.

We woke up early and had breakfast

(That's not really Snapple -- it's orange juice in a Snapple bottle)

I packed her lunch...

We snapped some pictures...

And it was off to school!

We got there a tad early (a rare occurrence, and will probably never be repeated again...we are never early. We are never on time either), so we snapped more pictures

I am usually not in pictures with Isabel, so this is a field day for me!

And the teacher came up, called her students and whisked them away.

John and I were like, "Is that it?!" and stood around at loose ends for awhile.
It was very anti-climatic.

I don't think that Isabel even had a chance to say goodbye before going off into the classroom.

A few hours later, I came back to make sure she got on the bus (and really, it was to familiarize myself with her new routine)

 

And it is goodbye again.

I can just gobble her up, she is so stinking cute (and yes, I am probably overly biased here)

Her verdict?

She loves her kindergarten

But dislikes the afterschool place.

The bus ride was apparently "HORRIBLE", as she loudly exclaimed.
In public. Strangers were amused.

All in all, she had a good day because: