Today,

- is my last Friday at the office. I have to work until Thursday next week. After that I’ll be putting on a totally different hat. One I’ve been dreaming of, waiting for, praying for, but at the same time one that makes me excitedly nervous.

- 2 of Shahril’s uncles are going for Hajj. Bila dengar Talbiyah, hati rasa bergetar, air mata terus mengalir. Semoga Allah menjemput kita menjadi tetamuNya dalam masa yang terdekat ni, InsyaAllah. Perkenankan lah doa doa kami, Ya Allah. Hanya Engkau lah yang mengetahui isi hati kami.

- Bibik’s going home for good. Kids have been told about this since last week as to prepare them. They are also told that they’ll be going to nursery starting next week. What they don’t know yet is, they will only go to the nursery for a week. We’re keeping it a secret still, until I don’t know, maybe tonight?

- Going for lunch with the girls at the office. I’m touched and honoured. Rasa perasan glamour sikit pun ada that some friends have asked to ‘book’ me for lunch next week. Thank you girls and guys! :)

 

I’m having mixed feelings. Ada rasa sedih, ada rasa happy, ada risau. Sending the kids to nursery makes me worry. Afiq & Mariessa can InsyaAllah cope. I’m not too sure about Adreena though. Muiz lagi lah. Itu lah yang paling merisaukan. Deep down I know (I hope), they’ll be fine. But i’m a mother. Worrying about my kids is what I do.

5 months old now. How time flies.

My thoughts are jumbled up at the moment. Apart from finishing whatever work I still have, I can’t stop thinking about the million things I want to do at home. Have to start planning. Have to start making schedules and lists for me and for the kids;

 

1. Daily activities with Adreena & Muiz while Afiq & Mariessa are at school.

2. Activities with Afiq & Mariessa when they’re home.

3. What to cook for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At least for the next 2 weeks or so. So we can shop accordingly. (I have to get that 1 hari 1 resepi cookbook).

4. Those new recipes I’d like to try but never had the time to.

5. My own schedule. – What time to wake up, how often do I iron (excited to try our new vertical clothes steamer – I take it as a ‘resignation’ gift from Shahril), how often do I mop (this, i dread. I don’t like doing it. Can anyone suggest a really, really good mop? Saw one at Cosway, quite fancy, not too sure how good though). Also to “include'” Shahril in the chores. Sidai baju has always been his favourite task, so let’s leave that to him among other things, of course. :)

6. Where to go on weekends. Hehe. I’ll be home 5 days a week now kan, so I have to go out to widen my horizons on weekends lah, ye tak?

And the list goes on and on. Do wish me luck, guys.

 

I hope I can be istiqamah and be the kind of wife and mother I’ve always wanted to be. InsyaAllah.

A friend wrote this on  her FB wall, taken from another FB wall. I like it a lot, so I thought I’d share it here.

 

1. Make peace with your past, so it doesn’t spoil your future.

2. What others think of you is none of your business.

3. Time heals almost everything. Give the time, some time.

4. No one is the reason for your happiness, except for yourself.

5. Don’t compare your life with others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

6. Stop thinking too much, it is alright not to know all the answers.

7. Smile – you don’t own all the problems in the world.

 

I googled and found a lot of other variations too. Among the ones that I like:

 

1. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

2. Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.

3. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

4. If you know GOD, you will always be happy. So, be happy.

5. Don't take yourself so seriously; no one else does

6. Forgive. Don’t ruin your present happiness

7. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

9. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: In five years, will this matter?

10. Forgive everyone for everything. Don't hold grudges against anyone. It only hurts you.

11. Remember GOD heals everything. Prayer can change things when nothing else will

12. The best is yet to come. You will reap what you sow.

Baked this Marble Cheese Brownies last weekend. Got it from a friend. Apparently the recipe is all over the internet too. :).

 

MARBLE CHEESE BROWNIES – I’m copying it from K.Nor@SecubitGaram

sumber: Rinnchan
sumber : K.Nor@SecubitGaram
Bahan-bahan Brownies :
250g butter
1 cwn serbuk koko
3 biji telur gred B
1 1/2 cwn gula castor
1/2 cwn susu cair
1 1/2 cwn tepung gandum *Ayak dgn BP & SB
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda bikarbonate
1 tsp esen vanilla

Cara-cara:
1. Cairkan butter. Masukkan serbuk koko dan kacau rata.
2. Handwhisk gula dan telur. Masukkan ke dalam adunan butter+koko. Kacau sebati.
3. Masukkan susu cair dan kacau sebati.
4. Masukkan tepung+BP+SB sedikit demi sedikit sambil dikacau hingga sebati. Akhir sekali, masukkan esen vanilla dan kacau rata.
5. Panaskan oven pada suhu 175 darj cel. Alas loyang 10" x 10" dgn grease proof paper. Biar kertas berjuntai pada dua belah yang bertentangan supaya mudah mengeluarkan brownies.
6. Tuang adunan brownies ke dalam loyang dan ratakan. Tinggalkan sedikit untuk membuat marble di atas lapisan cheese nanti.
7. Bakar selama 20min menggunakan api atas dan bawah.

Bahan-bahan lapisan cheese:
250g cream cheese
1 cwn gula castor
1 biji telur gred B

Cara-cara:
1. Pukul cream cheese hingga gebu.
2. Masukkan gula dan pukul lagi hingga sebati.
3. Masukkan telur dan pukul lagi hingga sebati.
*Selepas 20min keluarkan brownies dari oven. Tuangkan adunan cheese dan ratakan. Paipkan baki adunan brownies ke atas lapisan cheese dan lorekkan corak ikut citarasa. Masukkan semula ke dlm oven dan bakar lagi selama 15min atau sehingga cheese masak. Biarkan sejuk sebelum dipotong.

 

*Best to chill it first before cutting.

 

 

The only picture I have.

It’d be better in a square tin but since I don’t have one, bulat pun bulat lah.:)

 

Afiq gave me two thumbs up, so I know this recipe is a keeper!

That’s the title of the email I received today from BabyCenter on Adreena’s progress. I find it really amazing that most of the time they can be spot on like that!

 

What strikes me the most is the fact that Adreena is still a 2-year-old. I hardly think of her as a 2-year-old to be honest. She’ll be 3 at the end of November but I’ve thought of her as a 3-year-old since early of the year and I now realize that it’s really unfair of me.

 

The rest of the email: from here

 

As you've noticed, 2-year-olds are striving for independence. They tend to ignore their parents' no's because they're determined to assert their own will. (Aih, this is soooo true!) Their motor and language skills are booming (that explains her talking non-stop. :P), too, which makes them perfectly capable of both running away from you and loudly proclaiming that they're unhappy with (or simply unwilling to abide by) your request. As frustrating as this may be (very, very frustrating sometimes), take heart in the fact that your child is practicing her new skills on the person she trusts most — namely you (Yay!). What's more, she's still a long way from being able to control herself. So when you tell your child to stop playing with the telephone cord, she may be able to think of nothing but the cord and find it nearly impossible to put down.

When you find yourself in a moment like this — and you will — be patient (Easier said than done..:p). Distract your child from trouble whenever possible, and provide a stimulating, childproofed environment that gives you plenty of opportunities to say yes. Then choose your battles carefully and focus on the transgressions that are truly worthy of reprimand — such as running into the street or pinching her baby brother. When you do say no, make sure you mean it.

Since early last week Shahril has informed me that we were going to his friend's open house on Sunday. It was his friend's first time hosting since he just got married sometime last year, so naturally we were excited to go eventhough this means going all the way to Klang.

Shahril tried to call his friend before we went out to get his advice on direction but he didn't pick up. So, armed with a map which he had given in an email and also with a kadang-boleh-on-kadang-tak-boleh-on GPS navigator, we set out for Klang.

Took the SILK highway, on to SKVE, down to NKVE and then reached the Shapadu's Bukit Raja toll.

Just as we were 7 kilometres (according to the GPS navigator which could be switched on that day) away from the friend's house, he called back.

Turns out his open house is NEXT Sunday!

Obviously Shahril's getting a little too old. :p

But then I realized it's ME who's getting old (although I'm always 3 years younger than Shahril, let's not forget that) because when Shahril turned to me and told me that the open house is NEXT week and that we have travelled FORTY kilometres just to turn back, I did not get upset! In fact I was not even annoyed! (I'm a 'panas' person, for those who don't know me.. And I usually get annoyed very, very easily. So, this not getting mad is new).

We both just laughed, took the next turn and stopped by at the nearest fast food outlet we could find.

The hikmah is, the kids got to have their lunch at KFC all the way in Shah Alam. :)
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