Spring Cleaning! The Kitchen...

Cobby took a day off so that he can finally help me with the spring cleaning! So that afternoon we brought Jolie to my Mom's place so that we can clean in peace. Imagine our surprise when we drove pass this!



Hoho! We think that the driver must have reversed too far back and rolled down the little slope. Thankfully no one was hurt. In the end the dude got help from some foreign workers, pushed the car back and he still managed to drive off! Amazing...

Anyway, after lunch, we went home and got to work. The aim was the store room and the horrible kitchen. We took everything out from the store room, threw out what we didn't need and put everything back in again.

Next was the kitchen. We bought a steam cleaner this year, hopefully it would make cleaning the horrible grease easier.



It wasn't as good as I hoped it would be, but it definitely helped with the really tough stains. The most horrible part was the kitchen hob, with it's thick layer of grease on top. That we had to combine both the POWER "Easy Off Bang" detergent and the steam cleaner in order to get it clean!

After hours of scrubbing, steaming and cleaning, we were finally done. We had to throw away several washcloth as it was so dirty, we called it "the point of NO return". It was quite stressful as we had to keep checking the time as we had to pick up Jolie in the evening. So we keep saying, "3.00pm!", "4.00pm!", "5.00pm!", "Oh shit, 6.00pm!" We finally finished around 6.30pm.

Luckily Mom said that she didn't cook our dinner, we didn't have much time, so we just settled dinner at the Macdonald's near my Mom's place. I had the DOUBLE quarter pounder as I was SO HUNGRY!!!! We just wolfed down everything like we haven't ate in days. Haha...



On the way to pick up Jolie, I was suddenly hit by the realisation that my spring cleaning has come to an end! Parties have been arranged, CNY decorations put up, CNY goodies baked and bought, everything has been cleaned. I'm DONE! At that moment I felt SO HAPPY! NO MORE CLEANING! YEAH! Now I just have to relax and enjoy my CNY holidays!

The next day, when the morning light hits the kitchen, I was so overwhelmed! My kitchen haven't looked so clean in years!!! It almost looked new!



Can see reflection somemore...



The "brand new" kitchen hob.







I told Cobby that I'm not going to cook all the way until after Chinese New Year, so that my kitchen can stay this clean for a longer period of time! Happy Lunar New Year everyone!

CNY Reunion Dinner 2011

Time for reunion dinner again! I just love this time of the year where the family get together and stuff ourselves silly. Kind of like Thanksgiving isn't it?

As usual, since I'm a married woman, the actual reunion dinner date has to be reserved for my husband side of the family. So we agreed to meet one Sunday earlier for our side. This year, Sister's in-laws were visiting her in Hong Kong for the Chinese New Year, so she would have to be the gracious hostess and spend the holidays over at Hong Kong. Too bad... check out the spread that my parents made!!!!



Everything looked so delicious, Jolie just settled herself onto one of the chair, and started eating the rice all by herself. Haha...



And now for our chefs!



They said that they slaved for almost 12 hours for this meal!



Group photo!



The meal was absolutely decadent! After the meal, Cobby brought out the mini cornettos that he bought and it was a hit with the kids!



Erm, it was a hit with the adults too!



My Sister-in-law her 2 nephew and niece, a family friend brought 3 of her kids, plus my Jolie, there were 6 children that night. It was mayhem! There were children everywhere, cartoon was blasting away, the noise level was mad! Thankfully Jolie had enough toys to keep everyone happy!









I think the favourite must be the swing set that Dad bought for Jolie.



After awhile Bro invented a game of kiddy basket ball, and the boys had a fun time.



I was in the living room, watching the kids, when I suddenly realised that Mom was missing. Apparently she was busy watching her favourite TV drama, 爱.



Jolie having fun with her dad.



Cobby offered to take over from my bro so that he can take a break. The kids were relentless!



Soon after EVERY kid wanted to toss the ball. Cobby was overwhelmed.



My god, it was like a childcare centre who has lost control of their kids! That night when we got home, I just sat in our quiet living room while Cobby showered Jolie. Whoa the silence was so soothing on my ears, which were ringing from all the screaming and laughing children.

While at my Dad's place, I said that this mayhem could be a reality for him if every one of his children had a couple of kids. So perhaps this is a blessing in disguise to have not too many grandchildren! But everything aside, it was a great meal and fun evening with the kids. Hopefully next year we'll have another! :)

Ang Pao Goldfish : Video Guide

My Ang Pao Goldfish seemed to be one of my most sought after entry, especially around the Chinese New Year period. Unfortunately, many people find my instructions a little vague. So, if a picture says a thousand words, a video would say millions!

Ang Pao Bunny : Video Guide

Chinese New Year is coming! As this year is the year of the Rabbit, naturally we should make some Rabbit art and crafts to usher in the prosperous Rabbit!

Note that I cut off the ang pao so that it is a single piece of paper. A thinner piece of paper makes it easier to fold!

Jolie's 2nd Birthday Party

Jolie's actual birthday was on the 3rd day of Chinese New Year, so Cobby suggest that we do the party one week before. So on the 29th Feb 2011, we celebrated Jolie's birthday with friends and family. This year we thought of making it smaller scale, so we do away with the buffet, and did a semi pot-luck, where family from both sides, and us, bring something to the party. My Mom did most of the cooking, she made:

• fried bee hoon
• french fries
• assam chicken wings
• vegetables
• a very 80's mix fruit cocktail with jelly
• a bunny shaped jelly

Mom stuck cherries onto it as eyes...



The bunny was so adorable, no one bare the "kill" the bunny! In the end it was Jolie who "killed" it. :P



my MIL bought the roast duck, roast meat and fruits, and I made the cake myself. :)

Even the decorations have been simplified. Last year we went to a party shop and made it a Mickey theme party, with matching goodie bags and helium balloons. This year, we bought everything from a neighborhood party supplies store and simple balloons we blew up ourselves. Oh and we recycled decorations from last year too. :)

Jolie dancing with joy that the decorations were finally up.



Decorations!



Jolie in her birthday outfit... The top seemed too long for the skirt...



Photo with her Ah Mah!



Changed her top. Better!



Going for a ride while waiting for the guests to arrive.



Guests were late! Hungry! Don't care, eat 1st!



Guests are here! Jolie and her cousins!



Jolie was so excited about the balloons that she would tell everyone who arrived, even adults. Then she would give out the balloons to the kids. So cute. Goes to show that you don't need expensive helium balloons to make a child happy.



Balloon fight!



Thanks Papa for the lovely party!



Wanted her to take a photo with Serene and Benny, but she was so shy to be placed between them. Can't even see her face!



She was unwilling to share her toys initially. But later realized that it's more fun to play together with the other kids.



Grandmas and grandchildren...



Tried to "con" guests to try out my failed Kuih Bangkit. Just as I thought. It was a failed product. But everyone agreed that the bunny design was very cute!



Some tried my Pineapple Bunnies and thankfully, they passed. My Dad super loved them. :)



Seeing that most people have already finished their food, and Jolie was starting to feel a little tired, I quickly got the birthday cake ready. I'm very proud to present, the very 1st birthday cake that I've made in my life.



So happy to celebrate the 2nd year of my daughter's life.



Look at all the kids!



When we started singing the birthday song, Jolie got so shy to be the centre of attention!



Cake cutting time!



Only after the cake cutting did I realised that Zinc has arrived. So glad that she made it to the cake cutting!



Around 4pm, the last few guests finally bade farewell and we called the party to a close. But it wasn't over for us yet, as we had to clean up the house, wash Jolie up and finally, as she couldn't take it anymore, fell asleep on her Dad's shoulder around 5pm.

We planned it as a smaller scale party this year but the turn out was still quite big. Initially I was quite upset when some of my friends couldn't make it to the party, but in the end, it turned out to be OK as many other friends came.

I guess the most satisfying part was when many praised how delicious the cake was. I was on cloud nine! At 1st I was worried that it was too small, but the portion was JUST NICE!

As for the rest of the food, it was delicious, but typical of my Mummy, she over cooked. There were many leftovers, but we kept some and they made yummy breakfast and lunch for us the next day. Definitely better than ordering the buffet, but it has been really hectic and tiring for us all. I think before the party, I was whining and complaining to Cobby on how tired I am. So I asked him to remind me to just order from a caterer next year. :P

Looking back, Jolie looked so different from her last birthday. It's so moving to see how much she has grown in a year. I know it has been rough, many times I want to give up and go back to work. But there has been wonderful times too, and I'm blessed to be there in my daughter's life, witnessing every new thing that she has learned, all the ups and downs. I love you baby, and I look forward to another year with you!



P.S. Thank you all for your lovely gifts and ang paos. Most of all, thank you for your sharing my joy at the party!