My Future

It has been a long time since I shared my thoughts in this repository. 

Truth is, time slips by so quickly. Especially when you are having fun. 

The girl and the boy are blossoming and are now their own little indie selves. 

 I am forever grateful and blessed.

Whaddup?

It has been a while.

Without realising it, 2013 has come and almost a quarter gone.

Exp and I have grown. Together. And yet separately. We both have husbands to cook for. Sons and daughters to chase after. I'm glad that amidst our busy schedules, we did have time to check in (incessant odd hour text messages - we never talk on the phone after all this time knowing each other!), rambling emails, meet ups with our brood. Lovely. I love catching up with Exp.

I'm looking forward to 2013 and what it has to offer. 2012 was tough on me personally. Health-wise. Domestic help issues.

This year - I am raring to go. For one, I am FINALLY taking driving lessons. But still a few months away to actually getting my license. Woo hoo! Who wants to have a ride in my car once I get my license? At your own risk of course. Ahem.

So here's a toast to 2013! New challenges. New possibilities.

But always, friends for life.

i'm slowly making myself back to blogland... the holidays are around the corner.  and this year, i feel that i'm a changed person.  this is the cornerstone year.  a watershed year.  i still see the holidays with the same starry eyes, however, it feels different.  this year, i truly appreciate the ability to remain starry-eyed despite the some less palatable side of life.  growing old, i suppose...

now, back to that video.  my burning question is... how do i get hold of that marker?

xo,
exp

a wonderful little video, makes my day!
via L.A. in Bloom

xo,
exp

Birdie

I went all mental 2 months into delivering the lil' guy. 

I decided that I was going to paint a huge tree on a wall of the lil' girl's bedroom. With leaves in different shades of green. Then I kopped out. I took the easy way out and just cut leaves out of green patterned scrapbook papers. Easy peasy.

10 months on and there's still no sight of the birds I originally planned to "plant" on the "tree".

These from Graphic Spaces are heirloom pieces in my opinion. And they go so well in the girl's bedroom.

 

(Images via Etsy)

DKNH

He's a cutie pie - the lil' guy. 

DKNH (you are doing a double take, I bet). 

It's Danial Karim Noor Huda.

As in the family tradition, the kids' first names have both Hebrew and Arabic meanings. It's "intelligent" in Arabic. 

And he is living up to his name in his young life.

Plush

I am slowly purging Nadine's collection of plush toys. Only because, she has never shown any inclination towards it. Give her building blocks, toy cars and she will play happily. 

Trawling etsy has its "dangers". I love these plush toys from Sleepy King . . . but I am afraid they will have to remain as visual treat for me:-

Rainbow

In a blink of an eye, the new year is...well....not so new anymore.

I'm finding myself clawing my days in the office, returning to a warm home to 2 pairs of hands ready to pounce at me, at the slight jingling of the keys turning the lock. 

The bebes are growing. Fast. I am recording every single bit of their lives, albeit mentally. Forever etched in my mind. 

This mind. It's not young anymore. I've been straining to remember bits of information. 

Which brings me to this wonderful repository. 

I have to jot down my thoughts. Somewhere. My captured moments. 

Like this of a cake. I baked with the girl helping me with the swiss meringue buttercream. 

heimess rattles

i can't help but love these. eco-friendly and baby safe.

{Heimess, at the better toy store}

i almost couldn't believe it but am beginning to accept it...
we might be re-modelling once again.

this time, the floors. in the hope that we'll soundproof the apt.

i'm hoping for herringbone wood floors.

or herringbone tiles where the kitchen is concerned (*sob* i do like my faux-limestone flooring)

{those indigo tiles are so gorgeous, i feel like ripping my kitchen apart. good thing they are not available in singapore. tiles from Made a Mano}

Menagerie

I am in love with this child's furniture set by Paloma's Nest available here:-

Baby Honey

I don't normally like honey. 

Nor I normally use it in cooking or baking.

But the packaging for this particular brand designed by Ah&Oh (what a cute name!)  is too adorable at first glance - I just can't simply ignore it. :-) 

(Images courtesy of Packaging of the World)

black and white

from skona hem

dreamy alphabets

i really want this.

from holli via papier mache

coyuchi

so lovely...from coyuchi

the city breeds devils

sometimes, the complaints this city makes cause the most unpleasant heartburn and makes my skin crawl...stroller-haters<--so.not.cool.

very hungry caterpillar

so want to make this... by pure talent via this

paul smith's ark

i've always been intrigued by tapestry and when E and i were at Bayeux some years ago we were indeed quite blown away.

i'm inspired by this paul smith ark needlepoint not only by its beauty but its price tag has me seriously wanting to make my own version of it... as usual martha to the rescue...

yo gabba gabba!

we listen to the yo gabba gabba! soundtrack in the car. i always like this song by the roots and now there's a print to go with it...as my son would say "schwwwweeet!"





C likes this dance track a little too much...



and Anthony Bourdain looks so fish-out-of-water in this one, it's hilarious...

chez parnisse

love this menu.

blabla

so, i'm still thinking about this suitcase... think i found the perfect doll for both the boy and the girl. Blabla's dolls and mobiles are designed by Florence Wetterwald and handmade by Peruvian artisans. i love how cuddly they look.

i heart taro gomi

i was at a day care facility the other day. the purpose of the visit was part of the domestic-affairs-contingency-plan that i had mapped out for my own peace of mind. and ever the alert mom, besides NOT paying attention to what the principal (who, curiously plays the role of a tour guide) was saying, i was scanning the day care center's library to see what books they stock. i have to say that i'm pretty impressed with what they were reading to the children, but this book, "My friends" by Taro Gomi (五味 太郎), caught my eye. the author's name sounded mightily familiar and as soon as i got back to my office, i googled it. aha! we have one of his books, "Everyone Poops" but little did I know he's Japanese... I can't wait to get hold of his books in Japanese now... dreaming of that vacation to Japan...