God Made Me Another Year Older Today

Happy Birthday to me!

Woke up on this special day to my little Isabelle humming away her Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Then, a hug and kiss from DH. And knowing I need not hurry off to finish any chores like any other day... heavenly. Then a text message came in and it was from Dad. Dad is a man of little text messages yet he never failed to do so on my birthday every year since the invention of SMS. And every year when I receive it from him, I go all teary and emo. :) Then, I adjourned to sending a thank you message to Mom and she replied me and I go all teary again. Somehow, birthdays are meant to be emotional.

Then, DH took Isabelle and told me he wanted to go down to the minimarket and get newspaper. Nothing sounds fishy here. Then they came back with a present (DH hid in the car) for me :) It was a present and a lovely card from Isabelle (with Daddy's handwriting). The present was a white tee from Isabelle. I have complained to DH several times that I have run out of tees to wear during my 'working hours'. So this gift was just perfect. :)

No special agenda and no extravagant celebration. We are just going to go out for lunch and just spend time roaming the shopping centre. Shopping always sounds like music to my ears.

We had wanted to start the day early but since DH had to attend to few urgent calls and emails before we leave for my birthday excursion, I slowly made my coffee and enjoyed my breakfast at home while we wait for him.

Ready to go

Reached The Gardens just in time for lunch. I have mentioned to DH few times I wanted to try the food at Kyung Joo Korean Restaurant but I changed my mind and opted to lunch at Yogitree instead. I have seen in some blogs reviewing about their desserts and it made me drool each time I look at the photos they shared. The crowd in the restaurant was busy but we were so blessed that we managed to get a secluded corner at the mezzanine floor all to ourselves. It was good because if Isabelle were to be cranky, it will not disturb the other patrons.

Yogitree Restaurant (The Gardens). This restaurant serves healthy organic food with no additives

Here are the yummylicious food we had:

Ribeye steak

Rice with fish curry served with ulam & sambal

y

Coffee & Eastern Surprise

Pineapple Upside Down Cake with icrecream

Apple pie with icecream

After lunch, we took a stroll and Isabelle fell asleep for her afternoon nap. The latest LV flagship store just opened in The Gardens last weekend and I couldn't resist but to walk in and take a peep at all the goodies. DH asked me if I wanted to get one. I was so delighted and tempted to say yes but I don't really need such a luxury bag right now. The bags in my closet will last me another 2 decades at least and with proper care, I can pass it down to Isabelle.

We headed home when Isabelle woke up. It is still early to leave but I did not want to get caught in the mad after 5 traffic. The rain would not make the traffic smoother either. c

That was not how my birthday ended. DS came back from work in the evening with a big cake in banana chocolate flavour for me!

Isabelle in action and caught :)

There... my birthday.... nowhere near to a grand celebration. Just a day spent with loved ones and receiving all the lovely messages from friends near and far. Nothing beats that.

And I will be redeeming a birthday present from DH this coming Saturday... a facial and a whole body massage and well deserved time off! Counting my moments to that!

P/S: Very lengthy post I know but this day is so special and I didn't want to miss out any single important details :)

The Meaning of Birthday

Birthday is more than just a number and getting another year older (and wiser).

Birthdays are for...

* Thanking our moms and to honor this day to our moms because we owe her our lives

* Counting God's blessings for the number of healthy and joyful years

* Feeling blessed we get to spend the day with our loved ones no matter how simple the agenda is

* Remembering all the important milestones and all the people that walk through it with us

* Remembering what have we done for the past year(s) and how to do it better and be happier

* Enjoying the warmth and feeling special when we receive beautiful messages from family & friends. A message is just as exciting as getting a present :)

I am off for my celebration today and I shall share the details with all of you soon!

♥ Till then, here's wishing you & your loved ones a very happy day ahead ♥

Cooking ~ Thai Basil Minced Pork

I have 2 more stems of fresh basil standing pretty in a vase on my kitchen top. But it doesn't look like it is going to survive another day. So I had to quickly use it. Yes, another basilish day :)

Today, I made my favourite thai dish. Thai Basil Minced Pork.

Ingredients:

1. Minced pork (you can use this recipe for chicken, seafood and beef)

2. Minced garlic

3. Sliced onion

4. Red chillies

5. Spring onion

6. Red capsicum * optional

7. Basil leaves

Sauce/Seasonings:

1. 2 tsp fish sauce

2. 1 tsp sugar

3. 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce for color

4. Dash of pepper

5. Water

(No salt needed as the fish sauce is salty enough)

Method:

1. Saute garlic and red chillies

2. Once fragrant, add in minced pork and separate the minced pork with the back of spatula. Saute till golden.

3. Add in sliced onions, spring onions & red capsicum

4. Add sauce mixture and simmer 2 minutes

5. Add in basil leaves and give it a quick stir, dish up.

Cooking ~ 3 Cup Chicken

My 3 cup chicken (San Pei Chi)

This is one of the most unforgettable dish I have ever tasted during my last trip to Taiwan. Since falling for it at first 'taste', I decided I have to try to cook this at home.

Bought some nice and fresh basil from market last Saturday and it is just right to use it to make this dish.

The 3 cup doesn't necessarily mean 3 real cups of the main sauce ingredients but the portion and ratio of cooking wine, soy sauce & sesame oil.

Here is how I made it:

Ingredients:

1. Chicken pieces (I used 5 chicken drumsticks chopped into smaller pieces)

2. Minced garlic

3. Spring Onion

4. Ginger slices

5. Red chillies *optional

6. Basil leaves *optional

7. Sesame oil for sauteing

Sauce:

1. 2 tbsp soy sauce

2. 2 tbsp chinese cooking wine (I used Shao Xing)

3. 1 tsp sugar

4. Water

Marinade (for chicken) *optional

1. Cooking wine

2. Sesame oil

3. Cornflour

4. Pepper

Method:

1. Saute ginger, garlic, chillies & white part of spring onion in sesame oil till fragrant

2. Add in chicken and fry till skin turns golden

3. Add in the mixture of sauce

4. Simmer for 10 minutes or till chicken is cooked and tender

5. Add in spring onion (the green part) & basil leaves.

6. After adding in basil leaves, quickly stir a little and do not cook for too long as it will wilt the leave.

7. Dish up and dig in

* serve with white rice

My Baby During The Weekend

As usual, weekends are always fun but always too short.

One of the highlights of the past weekend was attending a friend's baby's 1st birthday party. Isabelle get to play with all the cute little children and we, get to savor the delicious food. Not forgetting, the company at the party was great too.

Unfortunately, my camera forgot to tag along with us and I had to wait for photos taken by a friend's husband on that night. So, as for now, no photos from the party.

Sunday school ~ looking very focused

Isabelle's first time at the famous Kayu Kandar restaurant

Have a happy, jolly and lovely week ahead!

Almost Green

I know I should be more green and I am trying to do more by doing less. So, here is the quite green part of me.

# Tiffin carrier instead of plastic bags/containers when I go ta-pau food (take away).

My tiffin carriers

Left : Carrier for soup, Right : Carrier for less soupy dishes

# Reusable bags instead of plastic bags

# Read news online

# Eco friendly biodegradable laundry detergent - I am using Natural Origins currently and it is good. No odour even if I soak Isabelle's cloth diapers and napkins with it for few hours compared to normal detergent. And a little goes a long way. Thank God for this because it is not cheap.

My favourite laundry detergent ~ eucalyptus & pine

# Cloth diapers - Isabelle is cloth diapered 80% of the time (daytime) except when we are out or if I need her to take long naps. We still use disposables for her during bedtime but we hope to retire from this phase soon as we potty/toilet train her.

Couple of cloth diapers from our collection. Magenta being my all time favourite color.

# I try not to cook extra food (except for Isabelle's) to minimise wastage.

# No disposable water bottle - I bring my own water tumbler with me when I go out unless I let my forgetfulness take over and left it at home.

# Energy saving bulbs

# Gift wrappings with ribbons and plain paper bags instead of some fancy gift wrappers bought from store. I like it because the receiver can reuse the ribbons and the paper bags. My Little Buttons' customers should be well aware of this too because all the apparels sent to them were not packed in plastic bags but some pretty ribbons. Some nice customers even reverted that they like the ribbons and use it to tie their little princess' hair. Nothing go to waste.

Gift wrapped for a friend's baby's birthday party we are attending today

# E-Billing - I am a proud e-biller!

Till the next green post, I hope to be able to add more to this list.

Stay pretty, joyful and be green! Have a happy weekend!

Thank God It's Friday and....

I thank God even more for...

* a roof on top of my head

* providing us our comfy little condominium unit and not a bigger house because He knows I will be stressed out chasing after Isabelle in a bigger space.

* making me a SAHM & giving me a chance of enjoy the privileges of being one.

* my understanding, kind & loving husband

* food on the table every day without worries

* my average cooking skill (am still learning & improving) and with that, I can make good home cooked meals for my family

* enough clothes to wear

* occasional splurges and pampering

* my health and I am so so thankful since I had Isabelle, I have only fell sick once. With no help nearby, she only have 2 of us to rely on and our health is very precious & crucial.

* Isabelle's health. She too had been really sick once in her 16 months of life (which I am going to blog about soon)

* DH's career because God really provides according to our needs

* my parents' unconditional non-expiring love and for still loving me like a little baby

* Isabelle have so much love not only from Mummy & Daddy but also grandparents, uncles & aunts, cousins & Mummy & Daddy's friends

"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever"

~Psalm 30: 11-12 ~