The BIG adjustment... welcoming LEAH ALEXIS

oh... it sure is good to squeeze in some time in between feedings, diaper changing, cradling to blog!
the past month has been a whirlwind of events and even thought it's the 2nd time around, i'm still getting the hang of things..

the first few days were quite overwhelming.. as we started luke on his first day of school which happens to coincide with the birth of the baby... was doubtful if we made the right decision to send him to school then as he had to cope with both the prospect of welcoming the new baby into our lives as well as entering school... indeed quite a big adjustment for a little 4 year old...

with a newborn that needs my total attention, the lack of sleep, night feeds & cries, & prep talk every night & morning in preparation for school, i was beyond exhausted... don't know how i survived the first week but am glad that God is faithful.. being reminded that indeed His mercies are new every morning.

we're grateful despite several days of crying, he seems to be doing well now.. phew...
it's a good thing i was house-bound... otherwise i would have sent him to school and seeing him cry like that, i would have cried along with him!

our new bundle of joy, Leah is doing well... there were couple of times she cried for hours on end (could be due to colic) and it was totally nerve wrecking seeing her in pain/discomfort and being alone with her all day and following a routine day in day out, it was no fun... other than those episode or two, she's a sweet baby.

to keep my sanity after those hard times, i go to PINTEREST to destress!
i've never quite been addicted to any social medium but this you must check out! It's a virtual pinboard that lets you organize & share all the beautiful things you find on the web.

it really keeps me inspired & cultivates creativity... and that's also where i found this really cute How to Really Love Motherhood which i like to share with you.
you can go to the site below to view the clearer version, download & print this out.

http://www.ohmyhandmade.com/2011/what-we-know/how-to-really-love-motherhood/

Mission UNaccomplished: Nursery

wasn't able to strike this out from my to-do list BEFORE the delivery... but instead of lamenting over on the lack of time, i'll just spend whatever little time i have now looking at pictures of nursery that inspires me..

from colors, to deco, to furniture etc..

...someday soon, hopefully, i'll be able to transform the study room and dress it into a nursery/bedroom for leah. at the moment now, she's bunking over at the kor kor's room.

here are some pics to whet your appetite.. and mine!

love the simplicity & lighting in this room

via marieclairemaison.com

love the display shelves & open clothes rack concept

via simplyvonne.blogspot.com

love the wall sticker & display of shelves

via etsy.com (kinky wall studio)

love the alphabet block & dresser

via brooklynlimestone.com

My Vice...

With a million and one things to pay and save for, I hardly spend my pay cheque on myself.
But once a while, i splurge on these... my only vice... uhm.. apart from my craft gadgets ;)

They contain pages after pages of inspiration and ideas ... you'll be on cloud 9!
eg crafts, stuff you can do with your kids (some practical and others not so unless you have an angel with a perpetual halo for a kid) ;) but i enjoy the colors and layout of the magazine, it sends me to a frenzy!

From Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, i "graduated" to Martha Stewart Kids & Babies.
Unfortunately i can't get them here on our shores (also because they've seized publication some time back) so i go into ebay and bid for them. Postage is crazy so i try to get some kind soul to bring it back for me. Thank you ladies ;)

Early this year, i came across Donna Hay's special issues of kids magazine.
Major bookstores here in KL doesn't carry them and the new issue was out last month in Australia!

Any kind soul coming back from Down Under soon??

Life between trucks, bicycles, balls & commando

Question: Most of my after work hours are spent between doing chores and mostly filled up with trucks, bicycles, balls, and commando, building blocks, bedtime stories...
How do you find time to indulge in your love for crafts or some handmade stuff when you have an active toddler who delights in hovering over you every single moment you find yourself doing something?
Answer: Get him/her to be PART of it!

I found myself asking this question time and time again.
It seemed that when you have a bouncy energizer tod who relishes his time with you, there's not much personal stuff you can do while he's within your midst.
So one fine afternoon while i was doing the dishes, it dawned upon me i could actually find craft ideas or activities that i could include him in. It's bound to be messy but the pros (as i found out) would definitely outweigh the cons.

1. He'll have FUN while i get to do something i enjoy too!
2. He'll LEARN and probably develop a love for arts or pick up some handy skill (at this moment, realistically, i think he's developing a love for MESS!)
3. We'll get to ENJOY each other's company and it'll be a wonderful mom & son BONDING session.

So what activities do i have up on my sleeves?
First up is...

BAKING - bought this adorable yellow duckie cookie cutter.
I think cookie mixes are brilliant... particularly the biscuit mix i get from Guten Braun @ Seapark.
So simple & saves you $$! Just mix in the butter and chocolate chips, cut it with your cookie cutter and just put them in the oven and you're on your way to enjoying delicious choc chip cookies!
One bag of this can churn out approx 6 jars of cookies so with the extras, i like to package them into plain paper bags, top it up with a pretty bow or write down the kids' name to make it more personal and given as treats to the kids at church or from the neighborhood.

And Luke loves the idea of giving these out!
For some reason, he has no problem sharing and giving out something he's gotten his hands into as opposed to something he hadn't.. such as the lollipop he bought off the grocery store!

Hope to share more activities with you in the coming weeks.
Got to space them out so mommy has some time to breathe in between!
Hope you'll have a blast with your lil' one too!

WHITE Fever!

No... it's not one of those new strain of epidemic that has found its way to our modern world... i'm referring to a medical condition characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range when one comes into contact with the color WHITE. 
I am now officially diagnosed as having white fever.

Well, it seems that one in 10 has it... and you may very well be one of them.
Very simple, here's how you know if it's in your blood system.
Feast your eyes on the photos below which has tinge of whites here & and if your heart begins to beat rapidly and you feel you're transported to wonderland, chances are, you have it!

images above extracted via Dreamy Whites

Is your temperature rising?

When i was just a little girl, i asked my mother what will i be?...

Back in school, every year, students were asked to fill in a form which asks you to list down 3 occupation which you would like to be when you grow up.

My list changes from year to year.
From children storybook author to an architect (i actually had 2 books; one for me to compile stories from my imagination, and another; sketches of my house drawings), a piano teacher (didn't work out unfortunately as i lacked the important virtue of a devoted teacher = patience), a flight attendant (mainly driven by the opportunity to travel the world) and one that have stuck with me since... to have a store of my own...

somewhat like this for the exterior...

 

and this for the interior...

images extracted from summertime market

I'm thankful to my parents for giving us the freedom to choose what we wanted to do when we grew up. They've always been supportive and nurturing.

I won't say i'm far from doing what i've dreamed of doing. In fact i love what i'm doing now.
Of course, i have my fair share of work stress but I'm blessed with a wonderful boss & a great team so it makes up for it... and i get to delve into my creative side amongst my other job description and oh yes, there's the fabulous view of the lakeside right at the doorstep of my current office.

It still feels like not too long ago since i first stepped into our former office in the form of an old english colonial bungalow. I told myself i NEEDED to get myself a job here!

image extracted from covershots

I wrote in to asked if there were any vacancies and was so excited when they first offered me to work part time during college break. And a few months later, i was offered a full time job and i was ecstatic.
Time flies... and i am into my 8th year now...

So, do i still dream of someday opening my own little store? The answer is still yes... a quaint little shop by the countryside perhaps... selling wares that i love... friends & customers occasionally dropping in for tea... (ha! i foresee it's not gonna make me money!) but yeah, that's the idea of my dream job!

What's yours?

ps: i came across this dainty store and i have to say it's a little of how i envisioned my dream store to be ;)

pictures extracted from LARK

Dressing Up my Workspace

pictures extracted from going home to roost and the farm chicks

I can't downplay the importance of dressing up my workspace to keep my inspiration level at a healthy notch ;)
Being stationed at home in front of my computer for practically the whole day, and since my work requires a large extent of writing (and i can't write if my heart's not there), i need a great doze of inspirations.

And to do just that, i need to surround my work space with beautiful things.
And the wonderful thing about this is i don't need to spend a bomb! Just a little time & effort.
Just look through your stash... it could be anything... from items you've kept aside in a box eg sweet handmade cards sent by friends, a  collection of pretty ribbons, a small huggable soft toy that reminds you of your childhood, a patterned fabric that you can simply throw over you dull worktable. You'll be amazed how it'll instantly and inexpensively brighten up your space.

When we moved into our present home 3 years ago, i wanted to keep things practical, minimal & no fuss as we needed to keep the place child-proof and clean. I kept all the knick knacks away but over time, things became really boring.
Since luke is now more receptive in taking some (not all) instructions, some of my knick knacks eg candles has found its way to my shelves, work space and different corners of our home just to add a little more color to keep me going! 
Do you know little simple details like tying a nice bow around your reserved toilet roll can make all the difference in your washroom!

Here, Bonnie from www.goinghometoroost.com shares some really useful tips to keep your creative space inspirational.

And this does not limit to just your computer workspace, it could be your kitchen, laundry or ironing room... or any other space you spent most time working in!

Even if you're not working from home and you're feeling the monday work blues, you know you have one of those nice mugs given by a friend... it's so nice that you've left it seating in your kitchen cabinet all this while?? Now is the time to take it out, give it a good wash, and make yourself a nice hot chocolate. Put that cup on your work table in front of you, switch on some music on your comp and hopefully you're off to a better work day ;)

Meet Constance the Vintage Caravan

photography by Hilary Walker

You know how i wrote here about wanting to find a campsite and rough out with the boys, setting up tent by the waterfalls, cooking by an open fire or more realistically with our mass can and bunsen burner? Well, no..  i've yet to find a suitable spot but hmmm... the alternative would be to rent a caravan but then again, where do you find the perfect spot to park one! For that matter, is it illegal to drive one here?!
Sigh.. back to square one.. will continue searching...

Meanwhile, i'll leave you here with Constance the Vintage Caravan.
Retro fever! Could jolly well have a 60s party in there!
Ahh... wishing & dreamin...

Putting on my dancing shoes... FINALLY!

As a little girl, i remember twirling & swirling in my parent's room imagining myself as a dancer.

In primary school, a group of us came together and formed an all-girl dance group and we learned through dance moves from MTV (which was all the rage back then in the 80s) by popular boy bands eg NKOTB... (well if you grew up in the same era as i did, you'll know what this acronym stands for ;)


It's strange how i never thought of taking dance lessons back then.
I never gave it much thought but i remember every time i listened to music, it sort of makes you wanna break out in a dance even though you don't necessarily know how to!
I was never exposed to the club scene... except for that one time when a few of us went to party for christmas eve but good thing, blinking lazer lights and loud music ain't really my thing.

When i was in my early 20s, a good friend introduced me to Jazzercise and we happily went for classes together.
Then there was a time back at church when we formed a group to do a dance presentation to the song, Shackles. My sis and another friend did the choreography and we had so much fun practicing the steps at a friend's father's gym/studio. And the whole group of us, i don't think anyone of us had any form of dance lessons between us. They just whipped up the steps and we danced!
In the gym, i wasn't interested in the weights or the running, i simply love the dance classes.
I've not done any form of dance exercise for some time now but i've harbored the dream of taking proper dance classes since then.

So enough of dreaming and procrastinating. I'm not getting any younger and since i have a little wee bit more of free time compared to luke's early first 2 years and before  babe no.2 comes along,  i'm gonna put all the trepidation aside and am more determined than ever to just do it!

So here am i just waiting for tuesday to come bcos that'll be THE day for my first official dance class! Yay! Time to burn off those extra calories and have myself some FUN!
*Fingers crossed i don't come back with broken bones ;)*


picture extracted from Gina Maxine Photography

Head over heels...

I accidentally bumped into this incredible blog by Amy Moss and am now head over heels with it!
There's so much to LOVE about this blog... and i really don't know where to start!
So i'll let these pictures do the talking =)

..and the best part of this is she offers free darling stationery printables for parties & entertaining. How awesome can this get!

...and  then there's her surprise wedding that she personally styled that you just have to check out... makes you wanna get married all over again ;)

see... told you i didn't know where to start!
life is beautiful!

all pictures extracted from www.eatdrinkchic.com

It's a Beautiful Day!

I woke up to a glorious Saturday morning, greeted by swaying trees, cool breeze, fluffy cotton clouds, blue skies. Awesome!

It strange... on days like this, my "dream mode" kicks into full gear... inspiration juices flow and i find myself wanting to do something creative. i just "baked" my first official diaper cake as a gift to the new baby on the block! still needs a bit of tweaking here & there... hopefully get to share some photos with you soon :)

Anyways back to the beautiful weather... am enjoying the whole breeze thingy while listening to wonderful music... i now so want to make my way up to sg palas boh tea plantation @ cameron highlands for a cup of hot piping tea, just to enjoy the cool air & scenic view.

Want to leave you with this cute little print i found from pen & paper flowers' post available at vol25's etsy shoppe

... and this beautiful song by Jesus Culture aptly entitled Happy Day!
Oh Happy Day.. You washed my sin away.. forever i am changed.. by Your love, by Your grace...





Happy, Happy Saturday!

A Gem...

I think the internet is a fantastic medium to learn, discover and to see the world.
I particularly love the world of blogging and once in a while i chance upon really good blogs and i get really excited!

I recently had the privilege of visiting marlene's blog. I first saw her work of a silhouette frame for a friend and i thought, "wow, the person who made this must be really talented" and yes, this gal is really one talented lass... hmmm "talented" is an understatement.. let's see what's a better word? i looked into the thesaurus and quickly found the words "artistic, brilliant, gifted..." yes! that's better... gifted is THE word!

Her writings in her blog are inspiring and at times humorous... her passion for people, life and God is contagious.
Some of her post are written in chinese.. as much as i would like to figure out the contents, i just have to make do with the pictures she captures and try figuring out and do my own story-telling. LOL!

I personally adore handmade stuff and Marlene's handiwork is incredible. She makes beautiful cards and pressies for her dear friends and you can see from her work that she gives a lot of thought to it.
Those who know her personally must be really fortunate :)

I can imagine the many lives she has touched, the smiles that she brings to people around her... it kinda makes me ponder, "Am i using my God-given abilities well enough? How can i channel my passion into something really worthwhile?"

The world will surely be a happier place if everyone of us has a little touch of marlene in us.
You can visit her blog at www.marlenelo.blogspot.com or purchase her work at www.marlenelo.com.

May we bring a smile to at least one person each day =)
Happy weekend!

picture extracted from www.marlenelo.blogspot.com

6 skills i like to pick up before i die :P

You know how they have the tv program 1000 Places to Visit Before You Die... i have my own List of Skills I Like to Pick Up Before I Die.
I don't have a a thousand, just 6 that i would like to work on for now ;)

Here it is... in no particular order:

1. Cooking/baking - i love having guest come over for dinner but would love for once to be able to cook a full spread decent meal rather than catering or worse, tapau-ing!


2. Sewing - 1st project to tackle would be the apron. First things first, need to get the sewing machine up & going!


3. Dancing - looking for a reasonable good dance school around the area... really can't find one. Help!

4. Picking up a 2nd musical instrument - seeing learning the harp is virtually quite impossible, the flute would be my next bet.

5. Speaking/reading Chinese - main motivation: to sing Chinese songs... hmmm maybe this would not be so far fetched after all... seeing that we're probably gonna put luke through a chinese medium school, i probably have to learn the spoken & written language with him ;) then again, there's huan yu ping ying but it's nothing like doing it the right way.

6. Photography - my work revolves me working alongside talented photographers for the past 8 years and still no idea how to capture a nice still shot. sigh...


I know... there's like 101 things to juggle as a mom, wife, daughter, employee, friend, teacher, musician but hey a girl can dream right? It'll probably take me years but dreams start with a vision. I'm looking to striking them off one by one.. I did say... before i die mah... never say i have to do it all one shot =p

Perfect Pallette

This caught my eye.. and i can't get enough of it!
I've been loving the happy rays of the color yellow and when combined with soft dusty pink hues, i think it makes the perfect combo.

So when i came across this post by pen & paper flowers, my heart skipped a beat! (no, make that 2 beats!)
It's everything i dream of.. from the frozen treats to the favor buckets, the tin cans with freshly cut blooms to the wrought iron chairs.. ahh...

Simple everyday items like the vintage glass jars, when given a little loving touch does spice it up a whole load!
Rustic, old fashioned, girly... my kind of party.
Now, just to find the right excuse to whip this up.
Hmmm.. on second thoughts, who says we need to have an occasion? after all this weekend does look good ;)
Will start rummaging through my collection of fabric scraps and vintage glasses/bottles.
Care to join me?


photos extracted from pen & paper flowers

Cotton candy clouds

Ever woken up to one of those beautiful days and be greeted by
powdered blue skies and white fluffy cotton candy like clouds?

We use the kesas highway almost every day and when we're traveling in the car, i love it on a clear morning when i look at the horizon and all i see is this picturesque view of the sky.
It's that feeling of awe... speechless admiration of God's marvelous handiwork.
It gives me such peace.. reminds me that no matter how big my problem may seem, that God is still in control.
That's perfect peace... and that gives me motivation to start off the day.

May you have a cotton candy cloud day everyday!

Picture extracted from The Farm Chicks

Awesome Aprons

For someone who finds delight in eating, it's a pity i can't cook... my repertoire consists only of instant noodles, fried rice, spaghetti, chicken & cheese croissant & blueberry cheese cake.
Well... i'm hoping that my lack of cooking skills will come to an end as i embark on a journey to cook dinner daily.
I've been fortunate to be able to work from home most days. So with the travelling time i save, i'll now invest it into preparing dinner.
Been inspired by simple homecooked meals on blogs and am raring to give it a go till i succeed!
Yesterday's dinner of aglia olio didn't turn out (yeah how can anybody go wrong with a simple spaghetti dish, but i did ;) but my mister was such a sweetie to said it was all good effort and finished 3 quarter of the huge plate!
Am not going to give up that easily... will continue to soldier on till someday i'll be able to share with you my own recipes on this blog.
Here's some awesome aprons to get me in the mood to tackle the kitchen yet again!

photos extracted from www.goinghometoroost.com

Be still my beating heart

As a young girl in my 20s, i spend a considerable amount of my paycheck on papers, wrappers, fancy colored pens and all sorts of materials which i can turn into crafts.
I remember when i first stumbled upon Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, i was totally enraptured by the many wonderful favors and decor ideas which one can easily follow.
Since the magazine is printed every quarter of the year and only available in one or two newsstands back then, i waited in anticipation for weeks for the next issue to arrive!
I found it silly sometimes when i got hold of the magazine, i choose not to flip through the pages, however tempting and excited i was. The first thing i did would be to wrap it up with those plastic protective book wrapper and wait for the suitable free time i had which i can enjoy running tru the pages while sipping a hot cuppa. Bliss....

Now that i'm a mother with much lesser time on hand, this ritual has strangely not been broken.
I get the same butterflies in my stomach, so excited i can do a silly dance right on when i first got my hands on my very own issue of Martha Stewart Babies & Kids! You know the feeling you get when you first held hands with the boy you like (yup! it almost feels like that but i do have to say the latter comes with many ironic blissful sleepless nights ;)

So if there's any one of you out there who feels as passionate or crazy if i can best describe this, do drop me a mail and let me know i'm not alone.
Over the months i've been taken in by many Australian sites which features handmade stationery and goodies which u can incorporate into your kids parties.
I invite you to feast your eyes on these lovely party ideas and colors and do the silly dance with me!

(Images extracted from Hip Hooray Blog given by Sarah from Style Me Gorgeous)

Dream Home

I have this love for decorating a room or a space.
As a teen, i remember moving my bedroom several times within spaces in our home, from the family hall upstairs, to a proper room with a door & finally downstairs to the store room (had to make room for my little brother ;p), i enjoyed all the moving & decorating!
From sharing a room with my sis, i got my first taste of personal freedom when my parents gave me the family hall upstairs to call my own.
There were no doors, just partitions but it was MY space and i loved every corner of it!
I painted the walls, found a piece of unused floral fabric which i hung on a wire and secure it with pastel colored ribbons and Walah i got myself a curtain for the windows. Brought in a carpet for that final touch just to give the room a cozy feel.

Now that i moved to our own home and have a toddler at hand, i can't just move every piece of furniture, color the walls or decorate a display corner to my whim and fancy.
I'll just have to make do with feasting my eyes on some beautiful spaces and until my toddler grows a little bigger (and most probably i'll have to wait a little longer since we intend to have no 2 & possibly 3) this will have to do.

ps: I just love the sunshine coming through the windows

pictures extracted from www.yvestown.com