Cultural Diversity Parade

Recently, Aira's class hosted a parade to celebrate cultural diversity. The children had constructed floats that represent things that are special about them as individuals and things that are special about their families's cultural heritages.

I just love to see all the children with their floats. The floats were different from one another even though some of them came from the same country. Each float was truly unique. 

And the best thing was seeing how proud each and everyone of the children with their own float.. 

Admittedly, I was pleasantly surprise with Aira's float. She managed to build her own float without my help! I cant believe it! Oh, my baby girl is not a baby anymore..

She got the Petronas Twin Tower, miniature girl wearing a pink kebaya with a pink button. There was also a pink button hair clip (super cute!!) on her float. I could see that she really enjoyed this activity.

Everybody is super excited.

Aira is wearing her kebaya dress

Papa is also excited for the parade

Aira is very proud with her float that she made by herself 

The children wore their special clothing that celebrates their cultural heritage.

And then we headed back to the classroom so that all parents could get a closer look at the miniature parade floats.

She also made a Malaysian flag collage

Aira is explaining about her float to others parent

Aira has been developing and promoting her self-esteem rather swiftly for the past few months. I really love how this project create a self-concept based on interactions with other people. Aira is now more confident to express and interact with others. She is more comfortable in social settings and really enjoys group activities compared to before.

We are the proud parents!

My Super Yummylicios Hanging Quilt (English Paper Piecing)

Bonjour!! Bonne journee avec yummy cupcake.... This cupcake wont have any effect on your weight!!

I just really cant help myself when I see a real cupcake, so when I was ready to make a quilt, I decided to use the cupcake pattern.

This is my first quilt, and I'm sooo happy with the result. Its look so yummy and I really love it.

I got the pattern and a helpful tutorial from Ellison. It uses the English Paper Piecing (EPP) technique.

One of the best thing is, I only used left over fabric from my stash to make this quilt. It is currently hanging on the door in my daughter's room.

I really love this techniques as it suited me who is still a beginner in quilting. The technique is also best used for creating small patterns. I'm also pleased that I'm able to utilise my fabric stash to make a multicolor quilt.

These are some pictures while the work was still in progress:

The first block.

I hang them up one by one for motivation... :-)

The Super Yummylicious Quilt

Biskut Butter (Butter Cookies)

It was a fun day... kami beraktiviti masak-memasak atau dengan lebih tepat lagi aktiviti bakar-membakar.

Aira and Aisya were super excited. Biskut ini sangat mudah dan sangat sesuai dijadikan aktiviti bersama anak-anak. Rasa biskut ni pun simple je, kanak-kanak memang suka.

Saya suka beraktiviti bersama anak dara saya di dapur. Pada saya, biarlah bersepah dan masa memasak jadi lebih panjang berbanding kalau mereka asyik leka dengan gadget ( TV, tablet, game) masing-masing.

Walaupun masa saya seharian memang penuh dengan aktiviti-aktiviti sendiri, melayan baby kecil (Alya) dan baby besar (hubby), tapi sekali-sekala buat sepah macam ni adakalanya bagus untuk break the monotony. Anak saya pun masih ada tablet dan tengok TV. Kami hanya jalankan aktiviti bersepah ni sebulan sekali atau pada cuti sekolah.

Untuk biskut butter ni kami menggunakan resepi dari buku  "Mummy and Me Cookbook" oleh Annabel Karmel. Buku ini adalah hadiah daripada Aira dan Aisya sempena Mothers Day tahun 2012.

Resepi Biskut Butter

Bakar pada suhu 180 C/350 F/ Gas tanda 4

Bahan-bahan:

250 gram butter / mentega ( suhu bilik )

140 gram gula caster

1 biji telur kuning

2 sudu kecil esen vanilla

300 gram tepung gandum

1/4 sudu kecil garam

Cara membuat:

1. Kacaukan butter, gula, telur kuning dan esen vanilla di dalam bekas sehingga rata.

Aira tekun mengadun bahan-bahan

\

2. Ayak tepung dan masukkan ke dalam mangkuk tadi. Kacaukan lagi sehingga rata.

3.  Gunakan teknik meramas untuk mengacau adunan tadi dan bentukkan adunan kepada bentuk bola besar.

Ini masanya untuk comotkan tangan!. Aira dan Aisya paling suka part ni.

4. Sejukkan adunan untuk 30 minit di dalam peti sejuk.

5. Ratakan adunan diantara kertas pembakar yang dilipat dua. Ratakan sehingga tebal agak-agak dalam 5mm.

Sila ambil giliran untuk ratakan adunan.

Ini pun kesukaan anak-anak saya.. masanya untuk  meningkatkan skill psychomotor masing-masing.

6. Potong adunan menggunakan pemotong biskut yang pelbagai bentuk. Tekan pemotong biskut dengan kuat dan pastikan bahagian cutter yang tajam berada di bawah.

Aisya tetap dengan semyuman manisnya.

Support their effort and creativity..Biarkan bentuk yang anak-anak buat walaupun tak cantik. They'll appreciate it even more.

7. Angkat adunan yang telah dibentuk menggunakan pisau nipis dan susun diatas non stick tray pembakar.

Sambil buat kuih, sambil main. Aisya tolong jagakan Alya.

8. Bakar dalam oven yang telah dipanaskan selama 14 minit.

Mmmm.. Freshly baked cookies!!!

Crochet Presentation

Aisya is in Pre Kindergarden at ISD and this month the class is studying about clothes. They explore about how to take care of clothes, where do we get our clothes, how do people make clothes and more...

The teacher also asked parents to share their knowledge on clothing such as sewing, knitting, weaving and tie-dyeing.

I do a bit of sewing and crochet! So I've volunteered to share my knowledge about crochet, yeay!!

I explained to the students about tools and materials used in crochet such as types and sizes of the hooks and types of yarns. I also showed them the diagram of crochet, how the simple stitches that we combined, can turn into a beautiful patterns.

I also showed them what I had made so far and the children enjoyed it. And of course, I was nervous and SWEATING! Pheww...Alhamdulillah, all went well.  They really love the amigurumi cupcake and the little monster.

Aisya with my lace shawl

Showing the diagram

Time for group photo

I also made a colorful crochet bunting as a gift to the be hanged in the classroom.

And the best part of the day was when Aisya told me "I'm really proud of you, Mama".

My heart melted... I love you, my princess. Love you so much!

Work in Progress

I have a list of unfinished projects. Yes the heap of  crochets may look like abandoned projects, but they are far from it. I''m just keeping them aside for a while (or a long while...haha) as I'm also juggling with house chores, the baby and of course, Pinterest! 

Here's the list:

1. Crochet Table Runner
This is my crochet table runner. For the time being I only have six motif blocks. A complete table runner should have 55 motif blocks!

According to my master plan, I should make one block everyday that would enable me to finish it in one and a half months. But of course, I have been lagging behind for the past two weeks!!!  At the moment, I'm concentrating on my crochet baby's toy project.

2. Crochet Amish Puzzle Ball
Yes, this is the baby's toy that I'm talking about. I'm making a Crochet Amish Puzzle Ball for Alya. I'm almost done making all the pieces. Just need to assemble it one by one....

3. Kitchen Appliances Cover
When we moved  into our home in Dakar, I was unhappy with the size of  kitchen. It is just to small compared to the one in Bahrain. There is just ain't enough space for me to put all my kitchen appliances.

To solve this problem, I decided to put some of the appliances on a table at the corridor leading to the hall.  I came out with an idea of making a cover for every single kitchen gadget that I put on the long table. I had done one for the toaster and the electric pressure cooker...Yeay!!

I also had made cover for my mixer. Unfortunately the cover that I've made was too big. I have to revisit this again later to give way for my EPP Quilt.

4. EPP (English Paper Piecing) Quilt
This is the first time I'm trying out to make the EPP (English Paper Piecing) Quilt. I decided to try out cupcake patterns first as I love cupcakes! I found a very good pattern tutorial from Ellison Lane. I'm going to share the finish project later, yes, I will!

5. Crochet Blanket
I have always wanted to make a crochet blanket. I consider it as huge challenge as it requires a lot of yarn (and time!). When we arrived in Dakar, I thought that it would be impossible for me to pursue this project as I would imagine that I wouldn't be able to find yarn here.

However, after weeks of nagging, the hubby finally took me for yarn hunting in Dakar and I was so happy to find out that they have yummy cotton yarns here!!! These are only two out of eight colors that i bought.

Now all I need is to search for a cute pattern.

Wish me luck!

Aira's 7th birthday

Alhamdulillah, 8 March 2014, Aira genap 7 tahun. Tak sangka dah 7 tahun anak dara mama ni... Teringat lagi 7 tahun lepas masa Aira lahir ke dunia ni. Sungguh cepat masa berlalu. 

I'm still trying to digest how fast the time has gone....huhuhu.

Tahun ini, tiada jamuan besar-besaran untuk Aira. Aira meraikan harijadinya sehari awal di sekolah, sebab 8 March jatuh pada hari Sabtu. 

Aira request nak bawa special treat untuk kawan-kawan di sekolah pada hari Jumaat. 

Sempena jamuan kecil di sekolah, kami bake Chocolate Muffin!!!

Circle time.. khas buat ucapan dan nyanyian lagu harijadi untuk Aira dalam 3 bahasa, bahasa Inggeris, Bahasa Malaysia dan Perancis (Mama ikut nyanyi 2 lagu je. Yang last tu mumble mumble je...hehe)

Aira serving the cupcakes.

Mama helping Aira to serve the muffins.

Bergambar beramai-ramai

Crazy faces time!!!

Kad terima kasih untuk Mama serta hadiah istimewa khas daripada Aira. Aira kait Finger Knitting Bracelet khas untuk Mama. Tersentuh rasa hati dengan cara Aira beri hadiah ini pada mama. Aira terjaga tengah malam dan kejutkan mama nak ke toilet. Bila sampai toilet, kat cermin sinki ada kad dan hadiah untuk mama. Erm, memang anak papa ni, suka surprise orang...

Aira kesejukan, mama terlupa nak bawa jaket atau shawl. Terpaksa pinjam kain napkin Alya.

Rupa-rupanya Aira nak demam. Cadangan asalnya kami nak main bowling lepas makan kek, tapi Aira dah mengadu sakit kepala dan seram sejuk. Bowling terpaksa ditangguhkan... Kesian birthday girl demam.

Say Tiramisu!! Kek kegemaran Aira.

Aisya dan kek coklat....tak dapat dipisahkan.

Semua orang menikmati kek dengan sedapnya termasuklah Alya. Dia sedap makan tangan sendiri.

Badan Aira sudah terasa seram sejuk, tapi tetap senyum. Nasib baik ada kain napkin Alya boleh buat selimut Aira.

Nampak gayanya Alya yang geram tengok kek tu. 

New baby, new enviroment

I would like to introduce our newest member of the family Alya Nur. She was born on 11 October 2013 in Malaysia. Birth weight 3.4kg and normal delivery, Alhamdulillah.

 Alya Nur

The sisters are so thrilled and happy to meet their new baby sister

Time flies so fast. Alya Nur is already 5 months old ..yeay!! She can roll over and soon will be crawling (she's not crawling yet but she's on her way) She really enjoy rolling over, grabbing things and sticking whatever she can get her hands on in her mouth....

 This is what I meant..she love to put anything in her mouth

.

That is why I made this cute crinkle blanket for her. I followed the tutorial here. Thank you so much Jules. I used the Hello Kitty flannel and for the noise I used a plastic bag.

Notice that I also added a crochet tag at one of the sides (just couldn't help myself....hehehe).

What I really love about this blanket is that I can wash it with normal laundry. Alya also enjoyed the crinkle sound of the blanket and she enjoyed putting it in her mouth even more.

The crinkle blanket

Unfortunately, I can  sew, crochet or bake during her nap time only. Not that I'm complaining though... Less time for me on hobbies, but more time for kissing, cuddling and dotting. :-)

Mama love you so much..semoga Alya Nur menjadi anak yang solehah dan sayangkan mama, papa dan kakak-kakak.