Daddy Dearest!

Today's pretty: Alfred!

"You could read quite a story, in the callouses and lines.

Years of work and worry had left their mark behind. 

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.

Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.

Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle 

But I´ve come to understand.

There was always love in Daddy´s hands."

Quilting quilting quilting... in three short seconds!

Online shoppin' turned online stitching just for a lil while!

Recently submitted a teensytiny lil' square to the BBC's virtual quilt, and here it is in all its teensyweensy splendour!

Spot it? Had to be tiny in accordance to the size BBC specified!

Stitch, stitch, stitchin' away! Thinking of creating an online store for my knits and crafts but oh all the bother and fuss... ;)'

Probably best sticking to gifting them!!! Like I intend to do with the current creation I'm keeping a surprise for Mils :)

Secretly,

Yol

Noontime delight!

I had just settled myself down nice and comfy on the sofa, and flipped open my magazine, warm mug of coffee in hand.

"If only UPS would come by now with that parcel..." I said absent-mindedly, almost wistfully, to Mel, in the manner of a princess willing her knight in shining armour to pop by.

The phone rang. (To completely spoil the cool coincidence, it rang to the tune of 'Banana Phone' by Raffi - thanks a lot, Mel.)

"Hel-lo!" said Mel, "OHHH, oh yes, she was just talking about you. Yes she wants to talk to you. Oh. Okay, she likes you. Hold on."

This could only mean one thing: parcel's gettin' closer!

I grabbed the phone, my heart already beating faster than you could say "NEW SHOES".

Three seconds later, there he was, right at our doorstep - the largest man you'd ever have seen, with the jolliest disposition. (It is only right that he be jolly. He might as well be Santa.)

I was as thrilled as a child on Christmas morning. Pushed Mel out of the door (would've dashed out myself in a jiffy if not for that growling little tigress Chloe...) and awaited my treats!

A busybusy mom's pleasures are simple: a mouse-click away, no worries ;)

So meet my new German friends, Trinidad, Barbados, Akari, Josephine, Kaira, Lucia!

Jolly-yolly-ly
Yol

All's quiet on the Western front... or not!

Hola chicas! Your favourite Mom of the West is BACK! With stories, stories, stories galore! Now just because it's been a lil quiet on the net doesn't mean that the brood's been any less rowdy!

Take lil Nick, for example, happily soaking in all the attention he's been getting at school (and at home)...

Now that's what I call momma's BIG little boy!

So I've left this little online diary a little abandoned this weekend, in my pursuit of greener pastures in the form of.... SHOES!

Oh nothing makes a gal's day better than a pair of brand new shoes!!!

I've been doing a spot of online shopping, and maaaan, am i HOOKED or what!

Check out the first haul, that arrived just the day before yesterday!

Betcha see why I've been kept pretty busy! Been tottering about on needles and pins till the parcel arrived! Busy creating new spaces to display our new pretties! And then, when the parcel arrived, got busy prancing about in new shoes. New Shoes. Those are the two most magical words in my vocabulary!

In the shoe-related spirit...

Feast your ears, folks!

Hey I put some new shoes on

And suddenly everything was right

Hey I put some new shoes on

And everybody's smiling

It's so inviting...

Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine...



Now tell me, oh wise World Wide Web, should I get Milly a pair of those beautiful blue suede shoes I spied-with-my-lil-eye on that oh-so-fab website???

Ponderingly,
Yol

Food, mostly, makes my day ;)

Sunday's Scones, prepared with love by Kimsy, for the pretty new pink sweater Melly presented her with! By the taste of those scones, she reaaaalllly liked that sweater!

Breakfast with the kids is always fun! Taught Mel how to prepare her own pancakes this morning since she's always so crazy for them.

Let me tell ya, she's a natural!

Just look at that golden-brown goodness! Looking at it now fills me with pride. I can still taste that almost-crispy, yet moist and soft circle of pure pure joy!

Kodok, that little aspiring food critic, was all smiles once he caught sight of that plate. Insisted on a picture. Sure thing, greenie! Had to wrestle him to the sink to wash those hands before he tucked in though! Mel, meanwhile, is contemplating her future as a pancake chef.

This brings to mind the day the kids had one too many pancakes over at Pancakes On The Rocks. I received a very flustered text message: Damn, mom, one too many pancakes. Full up, and hardly able to move / take another bite for the day, we fear.

I was later informed that Nick, upon leaving the restaurant, declared, "THAT WAS THE BEST MEAL OF MY LIFE!", much to the amusement of a nearby Old Lady, who laughed and said he made her day, and that he should be in a commercial.

Off for tonight! Ben and Mel have just burned (strange word, burned) a disc to serenade Ben to sleep tonight, and I'm quite looking forward to hearing what they've picked out!

Nightynight!

Yol

Sweet sweet treats when we meet!

Yup, I did mean - quite literally - sweeeet! Hahaha, take a look at Nickyboy's massive, sugar-filled sandwich. Waaay too much jam and butter, insisted Mel and Kim as they watched on in horror. Waaaay much more would've been added if we didn't stop him. He can afford it, I maintained. Growin' boys do need their fill, after all!

Mel was away for a short getaway with her lil frog pal, and returned with TREATS GALORE. We had such a blast with the paper bags and boxes and gifts and ... oh did I mention, PRESSIES!!!

Mimsy's new pal, Jaime, who's gonna swing on her beautiful new backpack that Mel picked out. 

Yup, happy faces abound when pressies are found!!!

Oh the excitement, too much to contain in one post!!!

Be back tomorrow!  Off to hug my awesome daughter(s)!

Yol

A gift a day keeps the grumps away!

Made a furry glasses pouch for Kimsy dearest, since she's recently got her new spectacles.. and it is quite a spectacular pouch too ;) haha! Keep the puns coming, keep the puns coming ;)'

Furry on, darlings!

Yol

Gimme oil in my lamp keep it burnin'!

So it's kinda late, but I take my job as a homemaker very seriously. It's a 24/7 job, with minimal monetary rewards, but more surprises than any job in the world, and we all live for surprises, don't we!

While I burn the midnight oil, working hard on primping up little spaces for my lil imps, feast your eyes on ... the Latest Transformation!

(Transformations occur every day here, be not afraid!)

Ah, can't get enough of this!

Now off to sort some lil corners out by morning! All for the home-critters' comfort and excitement! Noone really knows what goes on at night here, and come morning, noone really knows what to expect!

Awed by magnificent lights,

Yol

Holey moley... look how he's grown!

You've probably heard (or seen): littlest little man came home from camp recently, and boy has he grown! Bursting at the seams (quite literally) with stories and jokes galore! Have you heard about the night Thommy (yes, spelt with the 'H', he insists) fell from the bunk bed, and temporarily disappeared in a cloud of powder?

Oh you're missing out on this lil storyteller's tales!  (Fret not, click here for his blog!)

Couldn't resist taking chummy photos with the chubby lil cub. His bears were missing him, that's fer sure!

Well just got home from a nice dinner out with Mils, Alfred and Big Ben at the nearby Indian restaurant (24/7, and very near home!) ... phew, long day, and imma gonna hit the sack soon... now if only that laundry pile weren't so close to hitting the ceiling!!!

Cuddles and munchkins (and laundry galore),

Yol

Nickkeh's back!

Everyone's fav little pudge is back in da house!

Took him out for some goood steak the other night!

Check out the hungry little monstahs.

Meet Lesley, my little pal!

He goes everywhere with me nowadays, and is constantly sucking on that little thumb of his. Got him freeeeee, but he's ever so cute! (Helps that the bag he comes with is magical - it can fit EVERYTHING in my previously-oversized handbag, with space enough for more!!! Talk about spacious!)

Guess who...

LESLEY!

Smitten,

Yol

He'll be comin' round the mountain!

My boy Nick'll be comin' round the mountain on the good ol' West highway home tomorrow! I can't wait to pick him up from his annual Boys Brigade camp! He always comes home a little braver, a little wiser, and a little cheekier, what with all those little-big-boy inside jokes and new tricks ;)

Nicky's simply amazing. Away at camp, but his surprises never cease! Opened the papers this morning, not expecting a thing, but oh little did I know what I was in for! Right there in the middle of the Home section, was little Nicky's big contribution, and he had his own byline! By golly, I yelped like crazy once I regained my regular train of thought - he really had me stunned there for awhile! I read and reread the article, and the byline 'Nicholas Lam, 11, Rosyth School', OVER AND OVER. And when I could read no longer, blinded by the thrill, (and when I had confirmed that this was indeed my Nick Lam), I shouted for EVERYONE and proudly clipped the little article that brought such great early-Monday joy! Definitely put a spring in my step today!


Awaiting your homecoming eagerly, Nicky my dear! No wonder you kept asking me to keep the newspapers for you! And here I was being silly and thinking it was all for the funnies :P

As much as I'd like to keep this post completely devoted to my Nicky Dearest, I just HAVE to go a little nuts on the new additions to my home!

Had an awesome time with Alfred and Mel today, picking out... LAMPS! Actually, we were eyeing them since yesterday night's shopping spree, but decided to sleep on it.

Oh I couldn't sleep on it! I couldn't sleep at all! Those French lamps had to be mine! Don't call me impulsive, I slept on it (or I tried to).

Take a peeeeeek!!!

Introducing Lamp Numero Uno, looking prettysome on Kimmy's workdesk. Adds such sweetness, I just hope she manages to concentrate on whatever she has to instill in her brain. I wouldn't be able to work with such beauty right smack in front of me. Just looking at these lamps takes me straight into an alternate universe. With white-rabbits and mad-hatters, perhaps! Haha...

So cozy!

Milly, who had to get crafty, to get her little ribbon rack! ;) Got it at an out-of-this-world price! And with just a little of Milly's wire-work skills, got a little extra rack done for her ROLLS of ribbons that we got ... real cheap ... yesterday! (STILL CAN'T BELIEVE THE PRICE... We're talkin' CENTS here.) I love Milly, she is amazingly talented, and she could easily be my favourite daughter... but I'm not supposed to have a favourite.

Lamp Number Two, that greets you once you step into our lovely home.

Aaand, featuring Today's Pretty - Amelia 'Mimsy', hard at work at the computer... on MSN with her classmates for an 'important Chinese project'... Glad you're slowly discovering the wonders of the Internet, Mimsy! But stay You!

Notice the glass bottle right there? Handpainted by Mims when she was eight or so. And those frames on the wall? Over two decades old, m'dears! I love them deeply! They're prints of herbs and flowers, with such beautiful teal frames. I haven't managed to get over them, and it's been over twenty years!

So-excited-there'll-be-no-sleep-tonight-ly,
Yol

Monday, Monday!

Monday, Monday, so good to me,
Monday, Monday, it was all I hoped it would be

Woke up to a beautiful, quiet morning, but when you're a Mom, you've really gotta learn how to savour the moment! Because my quiet contemplation of the morning's tranquility was soon interrupted by....

"PAAAANCAKES!!!"

... the roar of four hungry, bedhead kids, still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, and one very annoying frog (who wouldn't stop squealing his need for a warm mug of hot chocolate to go with his Tim-Tams, which I had to remind him that we don't have - had to placate him with offerings of peanut butter pancakes after that, and then he was chuffed).

Mondays mondays mondays, they're normally such hectic days in this home! But being busy is much more fun than sitting about idly, is it not!

So we quickly got to work in the kitchen, Ben and I, amidst a flurry of shouted requests - "I WANT MINE WITH NUTELLA!" "I WANT MINE WITH JAM!" "I DON'T WANT MINE WITH ANYTHING, MOM!"

Then silence. The gremlins were having their fill.

Then the praise. "Oh momma, oh Benji, that was the most perfect pancake!"

The trick to successful motherhood is this: keep your kiddos fed and happy.

... and your frogs.

Serenely,
Yol

P.S. Kimmy just asked me for a patch of grass.

"Mommie, may I have a patch of grass, please? Just a little patch?"
"Sure! Go get yourself a butter knife and carve a patch out from over yonder."
"Yay! Preferably in a bunny shape!"
"Alright! Don't cut yourself!"

You get all sorts of strange requests from my little critters! Monday, Monday :P

Oh Monday Morning, you gave me no warning of what was to be!!!

SH-SH-SH-SH-SHOPPING!!!

There is no sweeter word in the world than this: SHOPPING.

Make that NO-HOLDS-BARRED, GOT A LOTTA MONEY TO SPARE SHOPPING, and you've got me raving!

That's pretty much what we did today, 'cept we didn't need "a lotta money"! A wise shopper's much better off than a rich shopper, that's what I think!

We didn't really set out with the intention of shopping, though, but with Nick off at his annual camp...

There was no time for contemplation! No space for hesitation! It was GO GO GO!

Picked Milly up in the East before we headed off for dinner at the airport. We've been meaning to check out some shops and Mims had to pick up a book, so off we were whisked to mall after mall!

And got pretty awesome buys, too! And I really do mean Awesome.

Who gets reels of ribbons for ... aww man... real cheap! ... to even put the price down here... I can't bring myself to! REELS OF RIBBONS! All for less than... $5??? YARDS AND YARDS OF RIBBONS!


Aww these ribbons would surely look a million bucks on Milly dearest! Can't wait to get snippin' tomorrow, and trying out all the different ribbons!


Oh just you wait, just as we thought we'd made a great buy... oh we had no idea what we were in for!
Check out these tulle tank tops, and amazing bohemian-chic skirts! Perfect for Milly and I when we're feeling like dressing up identically. (Don't worry, we don't do this often! HAHA!)

Lovely silk-cotton-linen combination and detail on the skirts!

Two more tops that we picked up. Perfect for our weather since they're all lightweight and very comfortable! Not to mention, we got them at less than half the usually-exorbitant price they command! What luck!

Such awesome texture! Such great finds :) oooh they make me so happy and excited!

Little carpark troubles got us all thoroughly tickled, what with Alfred pretending to be James Bond, and getting a real kick out of annoying the mall's carpark security.

Oh, what a kick we got outta that!

Phew! What a day!

Excitedly awaiting tomorrow and its treasures
Yol

P.S. Wow looka that - 3 AM and I'm still at this blog ;) We just laid all our new stuff out on my bed and had a ball of a time taking photo after photo of them, and trying them on and gushing over today in general!!! So much to do, so much to see, before Nick gets home on Tuesday :P

Today's Pretty! Featuring... Cleopetra Joystream!

Our dearest lil ol' Cleo has speedily gone from being the youngest in the family to the oldest in the clan. Damn, do those years go by quickly! Lil Cleo's still the littlest, but if you count her age in human years, she's gotta be ... hmm... well over sixty!

She's been having a fierce cough and last week's vet visit revealed some worrying "patches" in her lungs. No fear, though, cos she's a tough cookie!

Anyway, the ol' dame went for her review at the vet's today, and two very violent protests on the X-ray table later, she emerged beaming. What a champ! Now only another week on medicine before she gets reviewed again, and hopefully she'll have a clean bill of health!

My little pal and I

Off to get Cleo her nighttime 'snackeroos' (a term Mel and lil Ollie coined)
Yol

Nothin' like home-baked lovin'

Had time to spare this morning, since it's an easy-going Saturday. Slept in a lil, and then made sure the kids woke up to freshly-baked bread and pastries, and creamy mushroom soup to boot! With the exams over, lil Nicky was more than happy to lounge about just a little more, and helped himself to a few more buns ;)

Love keepin' them fed and happy!

Just a short post, for speed, there is much to live for today, after all!

Carpe diem, folks!
Yol

Bright eyes

Look at little Tim, our faithful little tiger. He's been with us for years, and though time might have faded his coat just a tad, and scruffed up his paws just a wee bit, his eyes are still bright as ever. Couldn't help but go 'aww' when I spotted him this morning on one of the dining room chairs. Just look at him!

Looking at those bright beady green eyes brought to mind this song by written by Mike Batt. Here's 'Bright Eyes' performed by Art Garfunkel. The video that it's set to is from the movie Watership Down. Mel bought the book for Kim for her birthday last year, because that girl is completely gaga over bunnies. Don't think she's got much reading done though! :P

Is it a kind of shadow,
Reaching into the night,
Wandering over the hills unseen,
Or is it a dream?

A beautiful song, and such beautiful memories come with it! I can't help but smile, thinking back to the good ol' days when boys would dedicate songs on the radio to the girls they had their eye on. And a good many boys took a liking to dedicating 'Bright Eyes', just for me me me! How sweet ;)

Bright eyes,
burning like fire.

Do my eyes live up to that title? Sometimes a little flattery doesn't hurt, eh ;)

Reflectively
Yol

Today's Pretty... Featuring Kimmy!

Today's pretty has got something brand new and prettysome adorning her pretty face!

Introducing my littlest doll, Kimmy!

Kim's just got her new spectacles, and look how ethereal she looks in those lilac frames! They really do complement those big beautiful eyes of hers (my good genes, my friends, my good genes). She does look positively luminous! (Note the beauty mark! Again, my good genes.)

Basking in my doll's prettiness,
Yol

anyone lived in a pretty how town

anyone lived in a pretty how town,
and I live in a pretty pretty house ;)

Well, I try my best to bring beauty and joy to every lil' nook and corner, anyway!

Sometimes it's the little things... like waking up in the morning to...

an encouraging message

"You go girl! Having a good time on planet Earth?"

or...
a happy sight like...
perfect red pencils in a cup, sharpened and poised at the ready!

Sometimes the simplest things make me squirm with delight, and a great deal of effort goes into refraining from bursting into an over-enthusiastic chorus of "Joyful Joyful, We Adore Thee"!

Joyfully Joyous, (Or Joyously Joyful, whichever you might prefer!)
Yol

Big Boy's Toys

Kids today are missing out on all the goodstuff! Benji m'boy had TONS of these Playmobil men. Oh how he raved about them! I still keep them, and they're very well-preserved, for all those years of afternoon playtime! They now grace our music shelf, and really do add a quirky little flavour to it! I sometimes shuffle them about just so they don't get too bored in their little space!

I remember a show on Premiere 12 (again, kids today don't know what they're missing!) that had little men running a train station. That was, by far, Milly, Mimi, Kimmy and Ben's favourite show! It really convinced them for awhile that jukeboxes were run by little men. We had a little jukebox of our own, so this little revelation provided for hours of giggles!

Sentimentally,
Yol