LEKKER!
Saturday Afternoon
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Labels: home life, vegetables/salads
I had a very pleasant lazy afternoon today. Hubs and Brother-in-law #3 had taken their respective male heirs to a nearby children's farm for a visit leaving me a couple hours of quiet time.
So followed by a bracing, light salad,
Salad of assorted greens, goat cheese stuffed peppers, feta and boiled eggs drizzled with lemon olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
and a couple of rows to a vest I'm knitting, I proceeded up to bed for what would become a two and a half hour nap. Bliss!
Quite by coincidence, the children's farm was celebrating World Animal Day today. They had games, people dressed up like animals and animal face-painting for the kids. Hubs, who left with a perfectly cheeky boy came home with an even cheekier looking dog, complete with lolling tongue.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 6:21 PM
Mercedes-Benz F1 TV Advert
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
We, meaning Hubs and Sonny-boy are Ferrari fan(atics) so I feel abit of a Judas posting this Mercedes-Benz ad here. But a good ad is a good ad and this left me in giggles. I especially enjoyed the surprise appearance of Mika Hakkinen at the very end. Nothing like reminding the next generation they are still earning their stripes to put everything in perspective. And if you are into behind-the-scene stuff, there's the "Making Of" video which comes directly after. Labels: just for fun
Credit to Brenda for first putting up the video on a parenting forum. Some mums there are big F1 fans but not necessarily over the racing cars per se... what cars ??!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 7:04 AM
Subscribe To Lekker!
Labels: here and there
I've gone and added an RSS thingamajig in my sidebar, just under the email me bit. Subscribe and you'll get updates when I make updates here. At least that's what my technically fuzzy brain made out of all that jargon in Feedburner. I could be wrong but, be a doll anyways and still subscribe, won't you?
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 6:24 AM
Home Sweet Home
Labels: home life
It's like we never left and the previous nine months never happened.
I know we have to return to Beijing next Friday but in the meanwhile, it's good to be home.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 6:19 AM
Gone Fishin'
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Labels: home life
We are leaving for home tomorrow! *happy dance*
Hello clean air, goodbye melamine! For the next ten days, at least.
I hope I don't forget myself and start speaking in Mandarin instead of Dutch at the supermarket!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 1:34 AM
I Bought On Ebay...
Labels: just for fun, retail therapy
I love online shopping (just ask Hubs!) but for the most part, shun ebay. These days, the only things I purchase from ebay are craft books and only because they are not available elsewhere online. That's because i) I hate paypal who's always messing up and freezing my account and ii) I hate having to bid for anything. I don't have the time or patience to monitor the product I want in question so more often than not, I just click on the buy now option and have it over and done with. It's all about instant gratification.
Here's a little something for ebay addicts everywhere - you know who you are!
I almost fell off my seat from laughter, thank goodness I wasn't eating or drinking at the time either. Credit to Pam for putting it up on her blog from where I got the video from. Completely unrelated but I met Pam for the first time at a gathering earlier this year in Singapore. She has a wonderful doll-like complexion which reminds me of silken tofu. And yes, Pam, we also love Discovery's Boom-Di-YaDa song the first time it was aired on the channel. Sonny-boy can sing every word of it while Hubs and I have it for our mobile ring-tones. I know!
Have a good weekend, everyone!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 1:08 AM
The Kind Emperor
Friday, September 26, 2008
Labels: Beijing, home life, retail therapy
So Sonny-boy plants himself in front of me, arms akimbo, not unlike Yul Brynner in The King And I. Facial expression too, not unlike Yul Brynner in said movie. In a word - imperious.
As a stay at home mum, I'm impervious to my offspring's perceived imperiousness. If anything, I squash it like a fly. But this time, I thought I'd humour him. Besides, I was busy counting my stitches and didn't want to lose my place on the pattern.
Me: Yes?
Sonny-boy: I'm the Emperor!
At which point I drop my knitting and give him my full attention.
Me: Is that so?
Sonny-boy: I'm the kind Emperor. I say 'Please'!
Me: And...?
Sonny-boy: So I command you to please give me an ice-cream!
Me: ???!!!
*****
I wonder if it's got anything to do with the purchase from the city of Yichang some two months ago when we went on our Yangtze cruise. We had a few hours to spare before boarding the flight back to Beijing. Our local guide suggested a silk embroidery gallery to while away the time. We said, sure, why not?
You must understand that Hubs and I are not impulse buyers. Well, not really. So when I tell you we had to have that particular piece of work the minute we laid eyes on it, it must be something special.
May I present Exhibit A:
It is already beautiful on its own, made even more magnificent because the whole picture is hand embroidered with hair-like strands of silk. I find it particularly poignant and sad. The little Emperor looks lonely to me. He has all the power and responsibility of a huge country resting on those wee shoulders of his when really, all he wants to do is be a kid and just play.
The real reason why we fell in love with it was due to the striking resemblance to Sonny-boy. He has the same facial expression when concentrating on his PSP or whatever he happens to be busy playing with. It was too much! It's as if the stitcher went and sewn his face into the picture.
And here lies Exhibit B as proof:
The toy and clothing may be different, but some things never change - boys will be boys.
Although we were keen, we balked at the asking price. Sensing our willingness to buy, the gallery manager offered us a discounted price of €660. To sweeten the deal, he would also have it shipped to us at no extra cost. It now hangs in our living room:
Sonny-boy has since taken it as an affirmation of his imperial status, after all, it's his face in the picture, is it not? Well, as long as he remembers it's the Empress Dowager who runs things around here.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 2:28 AM
Raspberry Sunrise Bag
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Labels: my other passion, sew gorgeous
I made a mistake at a yarn store the other week. What had seemed like a lovely vibrant mix of variegated magenta, red, orange and yellow turned out to be a hideous combination to wear. And I had bought 300g of the blinding stuff! Argh!
However, redemption came in the form of a tote bag. It was fast work - taking only all of three days to complete.
Redemption
For some reason, while crocheting this, the words 'raspberry sunrise' stuck in my head and refused to budge so I gave in and named it so. It's sturdy and roomy enough for a girl's essentials and finishes off any casual outfit on a cheery note.
A little sunrise on the arm
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 3:01 AM
Dad's Birthday And The Olive3
Friday, September 19, 2008
Labels: home life
My Dad turned 60 on Wednesday.
Because we couldn't be there for such a significant birthday, I was all the more determined to find That Special Something in addition to our usual cake and bouquet combo ordered from wherever we happened to be that year. Ain't the internet grand?
Anyhow, That Special Something came in the form of The Olive3 and here's what I specifically requested - the Duet Surprise Delivery Service.
We had two guitarists/vocalists pay Dad and Mum a surprise visit. At a pre-arranged time, they appeared on my parents' doorstep and presented Dad with his cake and flowers. Dad thought that was it, as per every other year but no, wait, there's more! The two men then broke into not one but two songs: All Shook Up and This Crazy Little Thing Called Love. For the occasion, I picked something upbeat with Elvis thrown in for good measure. Dad's an Elvis fan(atic), you see.
The best part of the whole thing? For an extra S$20 (€10), the whole event will be recorded so you can watch it online. Perfect for overseas customers like us.
I would like to say a special thank-you to Lily, the person who handled our order. She was very prompt and helpful with my queries and seeing how I can be long-winded when it comes to such matters, it was no mean feat. Thanks again, Lily!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 6:52 AM
Flower Motif Top
Labels: my other passion, sew gorgeous
This is a project I completed almost two months ago but didn't have the time to post.
I rather enjoyed this one, even though it meant joining together piece after piece of small flower motifs. Just to keep me on my toes, I had the grand idea of using four different colours.
Birth of a motif top
As with my previous top, I took the basic motif pattern and flew with it. I honestly didn't know how it'd look until it was done but it came out pretty nice, especially the sweetheart neckline. And for fellow crafters who want to know, this was done in a cotton/silk blend yarn. The yarn itself is loosely woven making the garment light and airy to wear.
Voilá!
Next Week: Raspberry Sunrise Bag
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 3:27 AM
The One About Campbell's Soup
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Hubs is away on business.
I, on the other hand, have a crocheting project I want to dig my hook in, so the less time I spend in the kitchen the better.
As a result, Sonny-boy and I had the infamous 30 euro a pop bolognese ragù frozen from last week. And to make it that little bit more substantial, I heated up a can of Campbell's Chicken and Mushroom Soup to be eaten with buttered toasts as well.
Some of you may know I adore Campbell's canned soup, my favourite being the Chicken Noodle. The love stems way back into childhood where my mum would put it on a table once in a while as a treat.
You can't find Campbell's in the Netherlands, at least in the area where we live but it is readily available in Beijing. To carry on the tradition, I introduced the stuff to Sonny-boy this year and he took to it like fish to water. His favourite is the Cream of Chicken with extra pasta thrown in.
Some parents pass on title deeds, jewelry and Patek Philippes to their offspring, I go for manufactured soup.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 4:30 PM
