Ag May ...

I love to travel.   I travel to experience different cultures.   I travel to see new sights.   I travel to meet new people.   I travel to catch up with my friends and family.   And I travel for the food.   Actually, I really travel for the food and everything else is a bonus.   But, you know… don’t tell anyone, especially my relatives. One of the foods that I discovered while overseas in the U.S of A was the soft pretzel.   And the soft pretzel, still warm, lightly salted, served with a luscious caramel dipping sauce.   Thank you Auntie Anne’s. Ok – so I would travel to the States just for Auntie Anne’s and In-an-out Burger and for the “biscuits with gravy” and for the pastrami sandwiches.   And for the ribs.   And for the chicken wings with buffalo sauce.   And to be able to eat raw broccoli dipped in ranch without anyone pulling faces!!! And yes, I would travel to Hong Kong just for the mango with sago in coconut...

We've had a small spate of birthday parties for Little Miss M to attend in this past month.  And it's always a bit of a guessing game to figure out what her friends might want for their birthday.  What Little Miss M would like to give to her friends. So far Little Miss M is still quite happy to give her friends something homemade.  And so far, these have been a hit with both Little Miss M and her friends (well, according to their mommas anyway).  And I think these little ones still get a kick out of seeing their names on things.  What do you think? And the best thing... I've heard how Little Miss M's friends show how they treasure their presents - favourite doll's sleeping bag; magic cape; a bag for treasured things.  And how they don't want to sully it by getting it dirty on their bed if they use it as a pillow!!!! Little Miss M has been helping with the designs.  I'm hoping to start her on sewing them up herself with a bit of practise :) ...

DIY – Gingham Shirt Oh - and please excuse the less than flattering photos... Another foray into "sewing for me" – a pink gingham structured shirt. This is another pattern from Vogue.   What can I say – I like familiarity . The pattern offers multiple variations, which was appealing as well as it being the style that I was looking for. And here is the finished product (*sigh* back to setting up the camera for selfies).   Ok, it’s not my favourite pair of pants but I’m working on that. Onto the shirt.   I like it.   It’s not perfect, but it has potential. On the finished product... I like contrast cuffs and collar.   I like the shape.   I like the fit in the front.   I like the circumference of the sleeves. I don’t like the slight tightness in the bust.   I don’t like the length of the sleeve.  To get to this point, these are the alterations that I had to do to the pattern - Shorten to cor...

As in a Winter Wrap Up – thanks to MyLittle Pony. I am currently obsessed with the Frozen soundtrack and My Little Pony soundtrack.   The songs from My Little Pony, the creation of which is headed up by Danial Ingram are so good; so appealing; and dare I say sophisticated enough to be enjoyed by appreciative adults.   Just call me a Brony! Seriously, give it a go.   You might be pleasantly surprised.   Anyways, there’s this song about a Winter Wrap Up.   Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up – cos tomorrow Spring is here.   So we’re doing a Winter Wrap Up Par-tay! Any excuse to get the cousins together and the adults joining in, really. And so, with some Winter decorations, and an extensive menu, we celebrated the coming of Spring. And part of the menu was this scrumptious Blueberry Custard Pie . For some reason, we don’t seem to have a lot of pie down in these parts.   Café offerings seem to trend towards cupcakes, cakes, c...

But it was definitely inspired by one... I do love me my Picnics .  Wafer with cream, covered in caramel, surrounded by peanuts and smothered in chocolate.  Oooh, baby! I have no problems with buying these deliciousness, but I can't bring it home or share them with my girls due to the peanuts.  (Ironically, we do have PB in the house... but we're talking about Picnics here, not my sense of logic!) Here's my breakdown of this love affair.  Cream wafers - always a good start.  Caramel, yes please.  Peanuts... hmmm, I like the bite and the salty counterpart it offers to the rest of the confection.  Chocolate, which *gasp* can be a bit too much, but still a necessity. So... this is what I came up with.  My homemade deliciousness (although the wafers are store-bought)... Store bought wafers - I haven't found a recipe for these babies.  So, store bought for now. Buttercream - simple American Buttercream, but I get to control...

I love our little set up at home.  Cozy.  Tiny.  I'm currently in love with small-space living and I'm constantly thinking of how we can make our set up work better and better for us. One of things about our small space is that it can feel a bit dark.  I'm not entirely sure why.  The place is not constantly flooded with light, but the lighting is usually quite pleasant.  I suspect it's the flooring and possibly the walls.  And our furniture... So I thought I would do something about our furniture. And I turned this, our table and chairs... Into this... Hmmm... Looking at this photo, I think I might paint the sides of the table top a brighter white.  I was going for a rustic look, but this might be a bit too unfinished for me. Originally (as in pre-kids), I wanted sleek and dark and elegant.  And then I moved onto sleek and white with chrome.  And then, skipping the whole white and natural wood (although that still appeal...

Apparently, this is what you are if you serve these snacks to your kids... So, I'm not because I don't.  However... In a bid to get more ideas, and to make sure that Little Miss M enjoys her school lunches, I asked her to look out for foods that her friends are eating that she might like to try.  And she described this to me. Don't get me wrong.  I love my junk food.  But if I can (and it's cost effective), I try to make our food and snacks.  So, I came up with this... See... I give my kids junk food.  I just make it myself.  And this is junk.  Melted marshmallows and butter is the glue that holds this snack together.  Yum! Melted marshmallows and butter.  Stir in Rice Bubbles until all is evenly coated and not too much glue to spare.  Stuff it into a muffin tray, sprinkle with other toppings if you so desire, and leave it to harden a bit before taking out and storing in an air-tight container. It's a "once-in-a...

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Dear Husband.  This Is Your Life!! Clockwise: Rare time of girls playing happily together. Your twins - A Ram Sam Sam Climbing out of reach, Little Miss M Three in the Bed and the little one said... Face stuffing - a not so rare occasion Rumball cake!

I love Pinterest!  I will not deny the many hours spent on the site, or the million pins that I've marked.    It sure works better than my overcrowded and never referenced bookmarking. So, here's my toast to pinterest with a pinterest-inspired party.  I've tried to credit all of the inspirations accordingly but some have gotten lost in the thousand boards that I've got! Thank you pinterest! Mini Cupcakes for Little Miss M's classmates. Transport box inspiration from here A welcoming archway Very loosely inspired by this Containers to put the completed decorated cookie Inspiration from here   Fruit Cones - an ice-cream substitute (and, save for the crunching, the only time it was quiet during the party!) Inspiration from here   The girls decorated cookies... Recipe from here Other goings on at the party... Ribbon Piñata - a gentler version of the stick piñata Inspiration from a Peppa Pig episode Our Thank-You par...