I may have mentioned about my current hobby briefly but today's the formal introduction.
These days, when I'm not cooking, baking, reading or tending to the kids, I'm probably playing with fabrics - matching colours, cutting, at the sewing machine, hand-stitching or flipping through quilting magazines and books. I've taught myself the craft of patchwork and quilting and am creating quite a few pieces of handicrafts to call my own.
About one or two years ago, back in S'pore, I was into beading necklaces and accessories. Although people have said I should sell them, I've never done so, except for once to a friend. I've mainly worn the chains myself or given them to family and friends as gifts. I've also not published any pictures although I might when I find time later on.
However, after moving over here, I find myself not too interested to continue my beading hobby. There are 2 reasons: 1) Beads are very pricey here and after all the materials and effort, I may be better off buying one off the shop. 2) Since I've stopped working, I don't need to wear fancy accessories to match my outfits anymore. These days, I'm more at home with a pair of jeans and t-shirt. On cold days, these chains are lost under the jackets and scarves anyway.
On the other hand, quilting supplies and reference materials are readily available here. Fabrics are also not cheap here but the variety is great. I love going to Spotlight to browse for good bargains and to the library to borrow some quilting books when I find time. Like my beaded necklaces, I probably wouldn't sell any of my creations. Somehow, after all the personal attention and the amount of effort and time spent on it, I find them all too precious to sell. I've learnt that good quality quilts can become an art piece and be passed down in generations to come. This is one motivation for me to make some 'heirloom' pieces for my sons so that they'll remember me long after I cease to exist. Quilts also make nice gifts so I hope to be stitching something for all my family members and good friends in time to come.
Details of my crafting journey will be blogged about in my new blog: Threads, Beads & Thots.
Here's the link: http://www.threadsandthots.blogspot.com/
Do drop in to take a look!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Gymnastics (Video)
This is a video of XX at the gymnastics class. These last 2 weeks, he is in a better mood and is more enthusiastic in attempting the various exercises. The coach even commented that he's "come out of his shell".
These tumbling, jumping, swinging, hanging and walking exercises may look fun and simple but I realised that they take courage and strength to accomplish. XX still has not mustered up confidence to try some of the activities, like the 'bear crawl' (crawling on all fours on the parallel bars, 1.5m above ground). Therefore, being active is not the same as being agile and atheletic. By running around the house or even playing catching (called 'Tikki' here), the boys are burning up calories but not neccesarily training up their muscles or motor skills.
KK has shown a lot of interest in his gymnastics class and enjoys the session every time. After coming home, he'll continue to practice some pushups, somersaults and handstands. Gymnastics also trains the kids in balancing and endurance. KK is still not able to do an unassisted handstand now, but with continual practice, I believe one day he'll get there.
These tumbling, jumping, swinging, hanging and walking exercises may look fun and simple but I realised that they take courage and strength to accomplish. XX still has not mustered up confidence to try some of the activities, like the 'bear crawl' (crawling on all fours on the parallel bars, 1.5m above ground). Therefore, being active is not the same as being agile and atheletic. By running around the house or even playing catching (called 'Tikki' here), the boys are burning up calories but not neccesarily training up their muscles or motor skills.
KK has shown a lot of interest in his gymnastics class and enjoys the session every time. After coming home, he'll continue to practice some pushups, somersaults and handstands. Gymnastics also trains the kids in balancing and endurance. KK is still not able to do an unassisted handstand now, but with continual practice, I believe one day he'll get there.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Apple Pie
I never thought I'll bake my own apple pie. Afterall, they're so readily available in supermarkets, so affordable and so yummy too! Just pop them into the oven as you start dinner and 1 hour later, dessert is ready!
However, my mum bought a bag of 8 apples (that were on the verge of rotting) for $1. I was under pressure to puree them for XX but as he still had a jar in the freezer, I decided to steam 4 apples for him only. I decided I could perhaps try to make an apple pie, if it's not too difficult, since the oven will be heated up for baked potatoes. I hurriedly searched the internet (my favourite source of recipes these days) for an apple pie recipe. There were plenty.
Many recipes also teach you how to make the crust as well but I did not have one important ingredient - shortening. To be honest, I have no idea what that was, plus I was also lazy lah. What I do have are frozen shortcrust pastry and puff pastry. So I took 1 of each out to defrost.
For the apples, I soaked them in some water and lemon juice. Then I mix together:
Method:
The result was a nice and warm, sweet and soft apple dessert. However the crust didn't hold up very well. Not sure if the apples were too little or the crust too soaked by the apples. It collapsed as soon as it was cut and the apple sauce started oozing out.
I had just finished dinner but could not resist having a slice immediately. Neither could my dad. Surprisingly, KK liked it. He liked the apple pies from MacDonalds, but didn't really fancy those baked pie types when I baked those from Sara Lee. However, this time, he actually competed with XX to eat it. That's great!
The omission of the cider vinegar did not seem to affect the taste. I just find it too sweet, so next time, I'll reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup or even 1/2 cup. My mum also commented that the base of the pastry don't seemed too cooked. Perhaps it'll help if I baked it a little first before putting the apples inside. Anyway, not too bad for a first attempt and ridiculously simple too.
However, my mum bought a bag of 8 apples (that were on the verge of rotting) for $1. I was under pressure to puree them for XX but as he still had a jar in the freezer, I decided to steam 4 apples for him only. I decided I could perhaps try to make an apple pie, if it's not too difficult, since the oven will be heated up for baked potatoes. I hurriedly searched the internet (my favourite source of recipes these days) for an apple pie recipe. There were plenty.
Many recipes also teach you how to make the crust as well but I did not have one important ingredient - shortening. To be honest, I have no idea what that was, plus I was also lazy lah. What I do have are frozen shortcrust pastry and puff pastry. So I took 1 of each out to defrost.
For the apples, I soaked them in some water and lemon juice. Then I mix together:
- 1 cup of sugar,
- 1 tsp of cinnamon powder and
- 2 tbsp of flour.
The recipe also asked for cider vinegar but I don't have that, so I skipped it.
Method:
- Drain the apples and mix the sugar mixture over the apples.
- Line the base of a pyrex baking dish with the short crust pastry and trimmed the edges.
- Put the apples into the dish.
- Before putting on the cover, dollop a few spoons of butter over the apples.
- Seal the pie by pressing the puff pastry onto the short crust pastry with a fork.
- Cover the edge of the pie with aluminium foil. This will prevent the edge from burning as it bakes. Remove the foil about 10 mins before it's done.
- Bake at 200C for 50 - 60 mins.
The result was a nice and warm, sweet and soft apple dessert. However the crust didn't hold up very well. Not sure if the apples were too little or the crust too soaked by the apples. It collapsed as soon as it was cut and the apple sauce started oozing out.
I had just finished dinner but could not resist having a slice immediately. Neither could my dad. Surprisingly, KK liked it. He liked the apple pies from MacDonalds, but didn't really fancy those baked pie types when I baked those from Sara Lee. However, this time, he actually competed with XX to eat it. That's great!
The omission of the cider vinegar did not seem to affect the taste. I just find it too sweet, so next time, I'll reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup or even 1/2 cup. My mum also commented that the base of the pastry don't seemed too cooked. Perhaps it'll help if I baked it a little first before putting the apples inside. Anyway, not too bad for a first attempt and ridiculously simple too.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Sour Cream Banana Cake
Bananas are not very cheap here in Australia. They are usually priced at $3.99 per kg or more. So when I see bananas at $1.99, I know I have to buy some.
The main reason I'm going bananas over bananas recently is because of XX. This boy is a real 'Cookie Monster'. He loves cookies and biscuits. Over the Chinese New Year period, I have been baking and he has been eating, a lot of cookies. He especially loves Pineapple Cookies, just like me, and can gobble down 4 - 5 every time. As a result, he was experiencing some 'technical difficulties' with his bowel movements. He used to 'go' easily but suddenly one day, he became very reluctant to go to the toilet. He would stain his diapers or pants but yet when we suggested going to the toilet, he would vehemently resist. I remembered one day, he was struggling to get off the toilet bowl and as I struggled to hold him there, I heard a 'thud' sound. We knew, and he knew very well, that he needed to 'go' but for some reason he was so scared to sit on the toilet. I suspected his stools were hard and he probably felt pain every time he passed motion, so that's why he's scared. The problem is, XX is a fussy fruit eater. The only fruits he eats now are apple puree, raisins and bananas. Nothing else.
The main reason I'm going bananas over bananas recently is because of XX. This boy is a real 'Cookie Monster'. He loves cookies and biscuits. Over the Chinese New Year period, I have been baking and he has been eating, a lot of cookies. He especially loves Pineapple Cookies, just like me, and can gobble down 4 - 5 every time. As a result, he was experiencing some 'technical difficulties' with his bowel movements. He used to 'go' easily but suddenly one day, he became very reluctant to go to the toilet. He would stain his diapers or pants but yet when we suggested going to the toilet, he would vehemently resist. I remembered one day, he was struggling to get off the toilet bowl and as I struggled to hold him there, I heard a 'thud' sound. We knew, and he knew very well, that he needed to 'go' but for some reason he was so scared to sit on the toilet. I suspected his stools were hard and he probably felt pain every time he passed motion, so that's why he's scared. The problem is, XX is a fussy fruit eater. The only fruits he eats now are apple puree, raisins and bananas. Nothing else.
I gave XX one banana a day but with quite a bunch of bananas, I decided to make a banana cake, at the same time using the left over sour cream in the fridge. This recipe that I randomly choose claimed that this cake doesn't last 5 mins in her family so I decided to give it a go. It turned out to be a winner. The texture is moist and soft and the smell of banana is so fragrant. The kids don't really fancy it but Hubby and my friend gave it the thumbs up. Even after putting in the fridge for a few days, the cake still tasted soft n good. My parents had some when they came and they liked it so I've baked it again this week.
Anyway, I'm happy to report that XX's bowels are back to normal already. The bananas really worked.
Catching Up
My parents arrived 2 Mondays ago and since then, we have been playing catch up. They are busy catching up on the developments of their grandsons, marvelling at how tall KK has become and how many words XX can say. They also now physically experienced for themselves how cold and windy Melbourne can be and how there are all kinds of Chinese groceries readily available here.
In the meantime, I have been catching up on some of my mother's cooking. Already, I have had my fix of cantonese desserts like beancurd barley soup with ginko nuts and sweet potato soup. (Red bean soup is coming up this Friday.) Not to mention my mum's 'famous' fried rice and homemade Lotus root soup.
Grocery shopping here can be a fruitful outing, as we sometimes discover genuine bargains. The savvy 'marketer' in my mother immediately picked out fresh beef, pork and chicken here that cost much less than those in S'pore. The other day, they went to a vegetable and fruit seller and brought back bags of red chilli/peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, apples, potatoes and sweet corn, all at $1/bag. These items were all for 'clearance' as they were either very ripe or does not appear beautiful. We turned the tomatoes into pureed pasta sauce, apples into apple pie and the potatoes, we've still not finished them after 2 meals of baked potatoes and stewed potatoes. Hubby was so delighted to buy back 2 kgs of grapes at $1.99/kg. Another night, we also could not resist buying a big watermelon from Coles at $0.95 per kilo.
I've learnt a new way of cooking eggplant from my mum. I don't normally buy eggplants because I don't know how to cook it. But now I know one way and it's very yummy too! It's a simple, yet complete dish, in that there's meat and veg all-in-one and goes well over plain rice. I love all-in-one dishes! Would like to share this recipe with people who love all-in-one dishes too!
Here are the ingredients:
Eggplant with Pork in Oyster Sauce
Method: (as described by my mum)
In the meantime, I have been catching up on some of my mother's cooking. Already, I have had my fix of cantonese desserts like beancurd barley soup with ginko nuts and sweet potato soup. (Red bean soup is coming up this Friday.) Not to mention my mum's 'famous' fried rice and homemade Lotus root soup.
Grocery shopping here can be a fruitful outing, as we sometimes discover genuine bargains. The savvy 'marketer' in my mother immediately picked out fresh beef, pork and chicken here that cost much less than those in S'pore. The other day, they went to a vegetable and fruit seller and brought back bags of red chilli/peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, apples, potatoes and sweet corn, all at $1/bag. These items were all for 'clearance' as they were either very ripe or does not appear beautiful. We turned the tomatoes into pureed pasta sauce, apples into apple pie and the potatoes, we've still not finished them after 2 meals of baked potatoes and stewed potatoes. Hubby was so delighted to buy back 2 kgs of grapes at $1.99/kg. Another night, we also could not resist buying a big watermelon from Coles at $0.95 per kilo.
I've learnt a new way of cooking eggplant from my mum. I don't normally buy eggplants because I don't know how to cook it. But now I know one way and it's very yummy too! It's a simple, yet complete dish, in that there's meat and veg all-in-one and goes well over plain rice. I love all-in-one dishes! Would like to share this recipe with people who love all-in-one dishes too!
Here are the ingredients:
Eggplant with Pork in Oyster Sauce
- Minced pork (about 200g or less will do)
- Garlic (chopped)
- Onions (chopped)
- Eggplant (sliced)
- Red Pepper/Capsicum (cut into strips or squares)
- Oyster Sauce
- Dark Soya Sauce
Method: (as described by my mum)
- Lightly fry the sliced eggplants and set aside.
- Heat some oil and fry the onions and garlic until fragrant.
- Add in the red pepper and fry for a minute.
- Add in the minced pork and fry till cooked. Add in the eggplant.
- Stir in some water and allow to simmer for a while.
- Add oyster sauce and dark soya sauce to taste.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Lessons
School's started for about a month and school work's finally on track. I mean, there's finally story books to read every night, homework and spelling! I know, I need more time to adjust. While Singapore parents will be doing the opposite, complaining of too much homework, tests and stuff, I find the pace here ridiculously slow and relaxed. In the first week, we were kind of surprised that KK never brought home a timetable. Grade 1 is the equivalent of Primary 1 so it's time for serious learning, right? So what are they doing everyday? I pushed Hubby to ask his teacher for a timetable and her reply was she'll "do up one". Huh?
My Singaporean kiasu-ism is not appeased even when KK brought back homework. He's given 1 week to complete it (so long!) and it's so easy. Just a word search puzzle of about 10 new words and copying each new word 3 times in the workbook. Luckily, there's also spelling every week of those new words. For his spelling last week, Hubby has been patiently practising with him and he scored a perfect score during the test.
This year, we decided to start KK on some ECA. One of them is tennis lessons, held in his school during lunch play time. We figured out he'll be running himself silly at the playground anyway, so might as well let him use this time to pick up a sport. The first lesson, we all forgotten about it. The second lesson, Hubby had specifically reminded KK in the morning and also informed his teacher. He's supposed to make his own way to the indoor gym for the lesson but Hubby was still worried he'll forget, so he made his way to the school at 1.30pm. Sure enough, our dear son was running around the playground when he found him. When he came home that day, KK told us that he enjoyed the lesson and looked forward to next week's lesson.
The other thing we started for him and XX is recreational gymnastics. This is another area we want to expose the kids to - one for exercise and the other, as an outlet to exhaust their boundless energy. We can see from the first few lessons that while KK is active, he is not strong. His arm muscles especially needs more training to do those handstands and parallel bar exercises.
XX is even worse. I realised he's not very agile nor brave compared to the other kids. He's slightly pudgy so that makes him more clumsy. He only likes to jump and bounce and refuses to try those crawling, hanging and somersault activities. For XX, gymnastics lessons is also his first exposure to participating in group play. Initially he was shy but I can see that now he's enjoying the song and dance at the beginning and the end of the lesson. It makes my heart smile when I see him trying to follow the actions and sing along. He's also getting used to listening and following instructions from people other than his parents.
Here's a photo of XX in the gym class. Will try to upload a video when I've edited it.
We also started KK on Chinese lessons every Saturday. This enrichment class was unplanned for and only came about when a friend informed us of this Victorian School of Languages offering lessons for only $55 per year! Since the fees were so reasonable and the location not too far away from our place, we signed KK up for additional exposure to the Chinese Language. He's only been to 2 lessons but he now knows the 4 sounds (声调) of Hanyu Pinyin and another Chinese song (三只老虎) besides Happy Birthday. That's a big enough improvement for me....:-)
My Singaporean kiasu-ism is not appeased even when KK brought back homework. He's given 1 week to complete it (so long!) and it's so easy. Just a word search puzzle of about 10 new words and copying each new word 3 times in the workbook. Luckily, there's also spelling every week of those new words. For his spelling last week, Hubby has been patiently practising with him and he scored a perfect score during the test.
This year, we decided to start KK on some ECA. One of them is tennis lessons, held in his school during lunch play time. We figured out he'll be running himself silly at the playground anyway, so might as well let him use this time to pick up a sport. The first lesson, we all forgotten about it. The second lesson, Hubby had specifically reminded KK in the morning and also informed his teacher. He's supposed to make his own way to the indoor gym for the lesson but Hubby was still worried he'll forget, so he made his way to the school at 1.30pm. Sure enough, our dear son was running around the playground when he found him. When he came home that day, KK told us that he enjoyed the lesson and looked forward to next week's lesson.
The other thing we started for him and XX is recreational gymnastics. This is another area we want to expose the kids to - one for exercise and the other, as an outlet to exhaust their boundless energy. We can see from the first few lessons that while KK is active, he is not strong. His arm muscles especially needs more training to do those handstands and parallel bar exercises.
XX is even worse. I realised he's not very agile nor brave compared to the other kids. He's slightly pudgy so that makes him more clumsy. He only likes to jump and bounce and refuses to try those crawling, hanging and somersault activities. For XX, gymnastics lessons is also his first exposure to participating in group play. Initially he was shy but I can see that now he's enjoying the song and dance at the beginning and the end of the lesson. It makes my heart smile when I see him trying to follow the actions and sing along. He's also getting used to listening and following instructions from people other than his parents.
Here's a photo of XX in the gym class. Will try to upload a video when I've edited it.
We also started KK on Chinese lessons every Saturday. This enrichment class was unplanned for and only came about when a friend informed us of this Victorian School of Languages offering lessons for only $55 per year! Since the fees were so reasonable and the location not too far away from our place, we signed KK up for additional exposure to the Chinese Language. He's only been to 2 lessons but he now knows the 4 sounds (声调) of Hanyu Pinyin and another Chinese song (三只老虎) besides Happy Birthday. That's a big enough improvement for me....:-)
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