- Erma Bombeck (American newspaper column humorist and author)
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| Gustav Klimt's Mother and Child |
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Quote of the Day
"Some women are lucky. They gave birth to babies. I gave birth to teenagers."
- Erma Bombeck (American newspaper column humorist and author)
- Erma Bombeck (American newspaper column humorist and author)
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Are You Ready For Toddlerhood?
Read this article in a baby magazine some time back before Baby O was even one! Managed to find this piece and thought I would share it with you. Baby O is now 17 months old and I see some signs of what's to come!
Shopping with toddlers
Go to your local supermarket with a goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goat out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys.
Getting used to messes
Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains. Hide a fish finger behind the stereo and leave it there all summer. Stick your fingers in the flower beds, then rub them on the clean walls. Cover up the stains with crayons.
Getting used to messes in cars
Buy a chocolate ice cream bar and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there. Get a coin. Stick it in the CD player. Take a family-size bag of chocolate biscuits. Mash them down the back seats.
Getting ready to go out
Wait outside the toilet for half an hour. Go out the front door. Come in again. Go out. Com back in. Go out again. Walk down the front path. Walk back up it again. Walk down it again. Walk very slowly down the road for five minutes. Stop to inspect minutely every cigarette butt, piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue and dead insect along the way. Retrace your steps. Scream that you've had as much as you can stand until all of the neighbours come out and stare at you. Give up and go back in the house. You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.
Getting ready for arts and crafts
Take an egg box. Using a pair of scissors and a can of paint, turn it into an alligator. Now take a toilet paper tube. Using only sellotape and a piece of toil, turn it into a Christmas tree. Lastly, take a milk container, a ping-pong ball and an empty box of cereal and make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.
Taken directly from the Pampers Village Magazine UK (Month 8)
Shopping with toddlers
Go to your local supermarket with a goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goat out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys.
Getting used to messes
Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains. Hide a fish finger behind the stereo and leave it there all summer. Stick your fingers in the flower beds, then rub them on the clean walls. Cover up the stains with crayons.
Getting used to messes in cars
Buy a chocolate ice cream bar and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there. Get a coin. Stick it in the CD player. Take a family-size bag of chocolate biscuits. Mash them down the back seats.
Getting ready to go out
Wait outside the toilet for half an hour. Go out the front door. Come in again. Go out. Com back in. Go out again. Walk down the front path. Walk back up it again. Walk down it again. Walk very slowly down the road for five minutes. Stop to inspect minutely every cigarette butt, piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue and dead insect along the way. Retrace your steps. Scream that you've had as much as you can stand until all of the neighbours come out and stare at you. Give up and go back in the house. You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.
Getting ready for arts and crafts
Take an egg box. Using a pair of scissors and a can of paint, turn it into an alligator. Now take a toilet paper tube. Using only sellotape and a piece of toil, turn it into a Christmas tree. Lastly, take a milk container, a ping-pong ball and an empty box of cereal and make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.
Taken directly from the Pampers Village Magazine UK (Month 8)
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
This Mama ♥ Mila's Daydreams!
Stumbled upon this site one of those days. Adele Enersen is a genius! She comes out with these daydream scenarios while her baby naps and captures these precious little moments in such an original and creative way! Some might think of her work as bizarre but I think they are so sweet! If I am baby Mila, I would love a little daydream book featuring myself too! View more pictures here.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Rachel Allen’s Lemon Cupcakes
Found out that it was a friend’s birthday yesterday. That meant opportunity to bake! What was next on the list? Rachel Allen’s Lemon Cupcakes of course! Inspired after watching her programme on AFC. Since the Madeira Marbled Cake was a success, the Lemon Cupcake should be good too!
The recipe I found online says this yields a dozen cupcakes. To my dismay, there was just enough batter for eight cupcakes! Even then, I had to scrape every single last bit out for that eight! So, instead of giving nine to our friend, I had to cut it down to just six and the balance two for ourselves.
The cupcakes were for a guy. I didn’t wanted to just present the cupcakes with just lemon buttercream spread on top as it may seem too feminine. So I incorporated a simple, fondant design and this was the result!
Wished the chocolate was of a darker shade but it was getting late...
Oh, and the Lemon Cupcakes tasted light and lemony but I would go for the Madeira Marbled Cake anytime!
p.s. I also read a tip earlier - make a hole in the middle of the batter in the case to prevent cakes from cracking at the centre like mine here.
The recipe I found online says this yields a dozen cupcakes. To my dismay, there was just enough batter for eight cupcakes! Even then, I had to scrape every single last bit out for that eight! So, instead of giving nine to our friend, I had to cut it down to just six and the balance two for ourselves.
The cupcakes were for a guy. I didn’t wanted to just present the cupcakes with just lemon buttercream spread on top as it may seem too feminine. So I incorporated a simple, fondant design and this was the result!
Wished the chocolate was of a darker shade but it was getting late...Oh, and the Lemon Cupcakes tasted light and lemony but I would go for the Madeira Marbled Cake anytime!
p.s. I also read a tip earlier - make a hole in the middle of the batter in the case to prevent cakes from cracking at the centre like mine here.
Chocolat Chaud
Dear hubby wanted to pay a visit to the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Gurney Hotel, Penang branch along Gurney Drive after dinner last night. Since it was late and I didn’t want to lay in bed with eyes wide open, I ordered a cup of Hot Double Chocolate (with marshmallows) instead. It has been ages since I last had a cuppa yummy hot chocolate (with marshmallows!). Ahh... divine.....
I think I realised last night that I actually love chocolate. Not just any chocolates, but good, dark, rich chocolate. That’s why I also went for the chocolate cake at the cake counter. Yikes! And earlier, I was looking at all these chocolate cake recipes online!! Hmm...
Anyway, I bought a 454g tin of CBTL’s Special Dutch Chocolate Powder since it is now on offer at RM36 instead of RM45. I can make quite a lot of cups with this tin vs having them in the shop!
And the best part of it:
Hmm... time for another cup??
I think I realised last night that I actually love chocolate. Not just any chocolates, but good, dark, rich chocolate. That’s why I also went for the chocolate cake at the cake counter. Yikes! And earlier, I was looking at all these chocolate cake recipes online!! Hmm...
Anyway, I bought a 454g tin of CBTL’s Special Dutch Chocolate Powder since it is now on offer at RM36 instead of RM45. I can make quite a lot of cups with this tin vs having them in the shop!
And the best part of it:
Hmm... time for another cup??
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Rachel Allen’s Marbled Madeira Cake
I was watching a bit of tv yesterday and have fallen in love with Rachel Allen! She makes baking seem like a breeze and explains everything so simply that even if you are a first timer, you are bound to get it right!
The Marbled Madeira Cake she made yesterday looks divine and so easy to make that I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I jumped out of bed this morning and started baking. The result: an absolutely gratifying soft and aromatic cake that goes very well with a cup of hot tea! Even dear hubby who is not a dessert fan ate what seemed like a quarter of the cake at one go! The only thing I probably have to improve on is probably the marbling effect. Would love to see more swirls on the cake. Well, good enough reason for me to bake this cake again!
If you would like to try this marble cake yourself, here is what you have to do:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 20cm springform pan.
2. Beat 225g soft butter till creamy.
3. Add 225g caster sugar and beat till soft and light.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together 4 eggs and 2 tsp vanila extract.
5. Add the mixture gradually into butter and sugar and mix well.
6. Sift and fold in gently 225g plain flour and 2 tsp baking powder.
7. Add 50ml milk and stir the mixture gently
8. Take half the batter out.
9. Sift and fold in 50g cocoa powder into one half of the batter.
10. Put a spoonful of vanilla and a spoonful chocolate batter alternately into the greased pan.
11. Using a skewer, swirl cake in any order for marble ripple. Don’t over swirl or you will lose the effect.
12. Pop into the oven for 45 mins or until skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
13. Remove from pan and indulge when cool!
Now next on the list, Rachel Allen’s Lemon Cupcakes!
The Marbled Madeira Cake she made yesterday looks divine and so easy to make that I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I jumped out of bed this morning and started baking. The result: an absolutely gratifying soft and aromatic cake that goes very well with a cup of hot tea! Even dear hubby who is not a dessert fan ate what seemed like a quarter of the cake at one go! The only thing I probably have to improve on is probably the marbling effect. Would love to see more swirls on the cake. Well, good enough reason for me to bake this cake again!
If you would like to try this marble cake yourself, here is what you have to do:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 20cm springform pan.
2. Beat 225g soft butter till creamy.
3. Add 225g caster sugar and beat till soft and light.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together 4 eggs and 2 tsp vanila extract.
5. Add the mixture gradually into butter and sugar and mix well.
6. Sift and fold in gently 225g plain flour and 2 tsp baking powder.
7. Add 50ml milk and stir the mixture gently
8. Take half the batter out.
9. Sift and fold in 50g cocoa powder into one half of the batter.
10. Put a spoonful of vanilla and a spoonful chocolate batter alternately into the greased pan.
11. Using a skewer, swirl cake in any order for marble ripple. Don’t over swirl or you will lose the effect.
12. Pop into the oven for 45 mins or until skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
13. Remove from pan and indulge when cool!
Now next on the list, Rachel Allen’s Lemon Cupcakes!
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