Can It Really Be Done?

I've been reading these incredible blog entries by women getting $380 worth of groceries for something like $20! And spending only $50 a week for a family of four!! Can it really be done? I'm determined to find out.

For the month of February, I'm going to keep a running list of all the money we spend on groceries and other items too, such as gas, utilities and clothing. My goal is to get them as low as we possibly can and see how much money I can save.

Wish me luck!

OKU's toilet at Gurney Plaza, Penang (New wing)

Well….

After showing you the baby care’s room in Gurney Plaza, Penang, I will be posting the OKU’s toilet in Gurney Plaza, the new wing side…

Not much comment from me as I would prefer the judgement from you guys this time….

Please look at the photo below and rate them…

Come back for my next post.... (:

View from outside the toilet...

The internal view of the toilet....

Erm.. I think it's the door of the store... (I took it in the OKU's toilet)

There's a hand dryer....

Closer look to the basin and the bin....

Why not they have a large mirror until the floor?

Higher cost???

cute gadgets (part 1)

1. USB duck Fan
Buat klo lagi kpanasan main komp atw laptop,tgl dicolok ajah di usb port. bwt on/off tinggal digeser2 deh bebeknya. hhe. harganya $12 atau 100rban. mahal yah..
2. Hello Kitty Toaster
ini c makannya juga sayank x, abis di rotinya ada muka hello kitty gitu. hhe. lucu bgt.

Random talk....

Hihi…. I am back again to my own blog to update it…

I think I am updating it twice a day once as I really do not have that much info to update daily…. Hehe….

Well…. Did you see the right hand side of my blog, there’s a gadget written as my fellow mates’ blog….

Do support them too as they are taking the same subject as I do and we need support from various parties…

Go check out what topic they are on and I found out some of them really have interesting facts on it…

Check out my next post and do visit my blog as often as you can and please leave down some footprints on my blog… lol… haha….

And lastly....... Now is still Chinese New Year… Do grab this golden opportunity to grab as much ang pao as you can…

Good Luck to all… ^.^

 
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IMPORTANT: Blog gw pindah ke http://www.sierli.blogspot.com mulai 3 Feb 2009!
(biar lebih gampang ngetik di addressnya.. hhe)

How do you like the new format??

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Mandy for creating my new blog layout!! I think it's simply fabulous. Let me know what you think!

If you need a new look for your blog, you can get one and make a difference, too. Mandy will redesign your blog if you sponsor her in Bike MS: a 150-mile bike ride from Frisco to Fort Worth to raise money and help end Multiple Sclerosis (which her mom lives with). For more details, go to the site here!

ultah kele

oiaaa. gw lupa pengen crita ttg ultah kele. kele ultah kmrn tgl 29.
dy dikerjain sm pak dede. hhe.
dsuru nyanyi slamat ulang taun pake o bwt dirinya sendiri,
disuru nyanyi potong bebek angsa pake lyrics hepi bdae,
disuru baca puisi dgn judul "pemanfaatan radioisotop",
trus disuru kliling lorong bawa bendera.hho.
gw agak iba mlihatnya. abis kele udah kya mau nangis gitu mukanya.
hha. jng nangis dun kel, kan ultah. hahaha.
ni foto kele pas persiapan pawai keliling.
hho.
hpi bdae kele!

jng liat fotonya, ini bukan brita. ini kebegoan, hha.

A few years ago, Prime Minister Mori was given some Basic English conversation training before he visits Washington and meets president Bill Clinton... 

The instructor told Mori Prime Minister, when you shake hand with President Clinton, please say 'how r u'. 
Then Mr. Clinton should say, 'I am fine, and you?' Now, you should say 'me too'. Afterwards we, translators, will do the work for you.' 

It looks quite simple, but the truth is... 

When Mori met Clinton, he mistakenly said 'who r u?' (Instead of 'How r u?'.) 
Mr. Clinton was a bit shocked but still managed to react with humor: 
'Well, I'm Hillary's husband, ha-ha...' 
Then Mori replied 'me too, ha-ha.. .'. 
Then there was a long silence in the meeting room.

**note : ini kisah nyata lho. gila bgt. hha

mae makan bekas orang (fani)

kmrn sa yudith crita ttg ultahnya vitto. di ultah vitto di solaria, sekelas diundang. termasuk mae. ktanya mae makan paling pertama, pas ud dpt makanan dy lgsg makan tanpa nunggu yg lain.
pas yg lain baru mulai makan, eeeeeh.. dy udah selesai. wakaka.
spanjang perjalanan makan, mae yg udah gx ada makanan liat2 makanan org lain trus.


tb2 fanny ngom :"duh, kenyang nih" dan berhenti makan.
mae dengan sigap langsung menengok, n ngeliatin makanan fani.
ada sisa daging, sm saladnya, kentang juga ada. hhe.
diliaaaatiiiiiiin trus sm mae.
gr2 itu yg lain nanya " kok lo liatain mamnya c fani mulu mae? mau yah?"
mae : "ah, gx.. upil kli mau" (menuduh org lain)
yawda. smua lanjut makan, trus pas ud pada selesai, ngobrol2 gitu nungguin yg blom.
tba2 mae bikin syok, dy yg masi ngeliatin makanan fani trus tb2 mengambil makanan fani trus diseret2 ke depan dy!

fyi, mae di seberang fani scara diagonal. ngerti gx? hha.
trus yg pada ngobrol konsennya langsung pada buyar memperhatikan mae.
mae pun makan dgn lahapnya. aj gila... gx sopan bgt!
blg ajah mau klo mank mau, eh ini.. blg gx mau tapi ujung2nya diembat juga.... hhahaha.
dasar mae.

krisna dibanting mae

gw crita ttg kelakuan mae (posting bawah) ke krisna.
krisna juga crita2 gitu d ttg mae.hhe.
ktanya wktu sd dy pernah dibanting mae smp nangis.

mae dlu ktanya emosian bgt.
jadi pas upacara, pas nyebutin pancasila, mae tuh heboh bgt.
teriak2 gitu ngucapinnya, krisna blg "mae, brisik nih"

mae marah. padahal upacara lho, tp krisna diangkat trus didorong smp jatoh.
krisna pun ketakutan dan menangis. hha. pas dy blg dibanting gw pikir kakinya disatuin, diangkat terbalik krisnanya, trus dibenturin ke semen.
eh hun, itu mah didorong, bukan dibanting idiot. hha.

gw ngebayangin aja gitu, org kya krisna, dibanting oleh mae.
lucu aj ngebayanginnya. hha.
tp ktanya c dy udah balas dendam sewaktu smp, dy brantem sm mae.
sayangnya mae gx nangis tuh. hha.
tpi dy udah gx pernah banting krisna lagi. horeeee. hhe.

Adoption Update

It's been a while since I posted about our adoption journey..and that's for a very good reason! We decided to put it on hold for a while, while we figured out how to afford an adoption (as some of you may be aware, adoption is NOT inexpensive!). But, the time has come to move forward as we're very anxious to expand our family and we found an agency that is at least a little less expensive than some of the others we had looked at previously.

As of today, we have completed and submitted our adoption application (which was a nightmare to fill out--TONS of documents!) We have been contacted by the agency to begin working on our background checks: an FBI check, a local check, a state check, a CPS check and a sex offender registry check. Those should take about a week and then we'll move forward again. I believe our next step is to begin meeting with the adoption social worker and begin our classes, then on to the homestudy.

With any luck, we should be approved for an adoption in mid-February and waiting for a birthmother to choose us. We absolutely want to adopt a little boy (so we'll have one of each!) and we're open to any race.

If anyone knows of any potential situations, please leave me a comment or contact me via email at the email address on my blog. We can put the birthmother in contact with our attorney and move forward. Otherwise, please keep praying for us that we'll find our son soon!

Gurney Plaza in Penang, Baby care room

There’s a baby care room in Gurney Plaza, the new wing….

It’s actually not clean (could say quite dirty)…

When I open the door, I saw all the tissues on the table and the workers there were so frighten that she quickly came in and clear off the tissue paper before I managed to snap down the photos…

Her action was very very fast… like lighting… (She saw that I was holding my camera phone.. I was snatching the logo of the toilet just now and she knew what’s my intension on… )

p/s : means if I am not holding any sorts of electronic gadgets to snatch down photo, they will rather not care about the cleanliness of the baby care room????

Hygiene is very important as the mom the feeding their baby there…

Please look into this matter… please….

Plaza Gurney

Sign to lead you to the toilet...

The light.. A flower design...

The place where change the baby's napkin...

Place for feeding baby...

With a curtain attached...

Iron CupcakeEarth Voting

The time has come everyone - the voting has opened for this month's ICE challenge. Here is a quick recap of my entry:

The theme ingredient was wine, so I decided a light champagne-infused cupcake would be a good place to start. I paired that with a bit of bakeapple syrup, but could not decide on a good frosting.... Then I got to thinking, what is delicate enough to pair with champagne, but rich enough to give the cupcake some weight - white chocolate!!! I added some booze to the frosting, just for good measure :)



Head on over to http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com/ and cast your vote!

My Late Night Trip to Wally World

Tomorrow is pajama day at preschool. That meant that I had to run out to Wal-Mart tonight after the kids got in bed so I could get him some respectable pajamas. Scott won't let him go out in his current pajamas because they are getting too small. Unfortunately, all Wal-Mart had were short-sleeved pajamas in his size (5T), so Caleb will have to wear a shirt underneath his pajamas tomorrow.

The other reason I went to Wal-Mart tonight was to get some Cascade. Word to the wise: don't ever try Palmolive Eco+ dishwashing detergent!! Oh my gosh, that stuff has ruined our dishes. I bought it because I saw that it was phosphate-free, which is good for the environment, and it was cheaper than Cascade. But I admit that I did not read the back of the bottle well enough! When Scott started using the Palmolive, I kept asking, "What's that smell? Something smells like bleach." Surely this "eco-friendly" detergent didn't have bleach in it! But oh yes, it did.

I decided to live with the bleach smell until the bottle I bought ran out. But then after a few loads, I noticed that all of my black serving utensils have white film on them. And today, almost everything that we pulled out of the dishwasher came out with food still stuck on it. I'd had it! It's time to revert back to good ol' phosphate-laden Cascade, and Palmolive will be getting an email from an unsatisfied customer!

Potty Training, Day 13

Caleb really is doing well with the potty training. The first few days were hard. We started on a Friday, and it was Sunday before he actually used the potty. He'd sit there forever and do nothing (except say, "Read that story again, Mommy!"). I guess he slowly learned that we meant business and we were going to keep trying, no matter how long it took. He started to pee in the potty 2-3 times a day.

Over the weekend, on day 8, Caleb pooped in the potty. He did it again 2 more times on Sunday, and he's been fairly consistent about it ever since. (I can't believe I'm blogging about Caleb's poop, but...hey, it's a milestone!) Today, he used the potty (pee and poop) 6 times. He did have 2 accidents, but that's good progress. I'm encouraged.

Our biggest problem is preschool. I thought that he'd actually do better at preschool than he does at home, but it's not working out that way at all. The potty at school is one of those miniature toilets, so it's kid-sized, but it's not Caleb-sized. He just doesn't fit on it quite right. So, he's not comfortable on it, and he doesn't want to sit there. On Tuesday, he didn't pee at all from the time he left here at 8:45 until he got home (early release due to the ice) at 12:15. He held it so he could go on the potty at home. The bright side: at least he's learning how to hold it!

CHA and SEI

Oh how I have come to love the collections from SEI and they have done it again. My two favorites were Mimosa and Bridgeport (both shipping in February). Here is a picture of the Mimosa collection. I love the pinks, corals and oranges so much. I can't wait for this to arrive! Yes, that means we did order it. I will share pics of Bridgeport next.

hugs,

OOOOPS!

Sorry guys! I somehow managed to get ahead of myself! Baking Day is actually scheduled for tomorrow so I'll be posting all of the great recipes and maybe even some photos too! (Btw, welcome to the blog Lorraine!! I'm so happy you found me!)

In the meantime, I just have to brag a little about how great my daughter is. Lately, I get a ton of kisses and hugs and songs sung to me by my little Cuddle-Bug every day. She's so easy to talk to and every day says something new that stops me in my tracks and makes me just stare at her in awe..how does she know these things?

Or she'll say something that will just make my heart melt into a tiny puddle of mommy-love. For instance:

Reagan: I have a baby brudder.
Mommy: You WANT a baby brother?
Reagan: (nodding) (holding her arms like she's holding a baby) I want to rock him.
Mommy: And give him a kiss?
Reagan: Awwwwww, sweet. Read him story books too.

Can we say LOVE??!?!!?!

Gurney Plaza in Penang

The next place that I will bring you all ------------------> Gurney Plaza in Penang….

Well… I will be showing you the logo of the Plaza Gurney’s toilet first…

Below are the logos for the toilet in Plaza Gurney…

It’s at the new wing…

Male

Handicap

Baby Care Room

Female

Confections winners!

And the winners are:

Jon picked Kristi B. as the winner of the Confections. Kristi, e-me and I will get your goodies in the mail to you.

And the winner for the most referrals is: Sandyh50 Sandy e-me as well and I will send you a little something also.

Thanks again everyone for playing. This was fun and I don't think I will wait so long to do it again!

hugs,

Jennaa's Look for today! Simple and Stunning!

Dress: {Zaara} - "Hansika" This gorgeous gown was at the "winter magic" event at black swan. When I went to watch the show, I knew that I just had to have it. It is simple and yet stunning. This empire length gown with its sweeping trail is entirely hand drawn. Plus the skirts works with nearly every AO! It is now available at Zaara's shop at her fantastic SIM. A gold edition has been added along with the original one in silver. So there is something for whatever your taste maybe. It comes with these layers : glitch (pants underpants), top (jacket, shirt undershirt), flexi skirt. Zaara's shop at her fantastic SIM is an eclectic fusion wear with rich textures and details is what forms the basis of this little boutique. You can also check the {Zaara} blog for updates.

http://zaarakohime.blogspot.com/

Shoes: Maitreya - "Slinky Stilettos" In the shade of Patent Silver. These can have the sounds on or off. Which is great for the runway.

Hair: Maitreya - "Sun" In the shade of Beach Blond.

Skin: Beauty Avatar Couture - "ENEA" Light Skin number 10.

Nails: Laqroki ~ Manicure number 01.

Eyes: Miriel - Standard Eyes, in the shade of Blue Ice.

Lashes: Beauty Avatar - "REGINA" Eyelashes number 05.

Photo By: Gabrielle Sinatra - flickr stream.
Strawberry Fields Photos Studio is Gabrielle Sinatra's photo studio. Gabrielle, was voted in the Vain Readers' Choice Awards 2008 as "Best SL Photographer"! One look at her flickr stream and you can see why. Gabrielle does all types of photography from fashion, mode, wedding, portfolio, book, profile, events and special occasions. Gift vouchers are also available and would make the perfect present to anyone. If you are after high quality images and want the best... look up Gabrielle Sinatra!

Home from CHA

Boy am I tired! I always look forward to CHA every year and this year was no different. There is so much to see and do in such a little amount of time. I took alot of pictures and will do my best to get them sorted, edited and uploaded a little later today. We even had to evacuate the convention center at one point on Monday. Lucky for us, we were close to the door at the time.

I will post the winner of my Confections a little later today. I will be combining the comments from my Nearing 10,000 and Confections, oh sweet Confections posts and put everyone's name in a jar and have Jon pick one when he gets home from school today. I will also be sending a little something to the person who sent the most people my way. I truly appreciate all of the comments I received.

hugs,

Kojot dan Jonyot

pas gw dicritain sm sanusi ktawa ngakak deh gw dgrnya, gx tau y klo bwt lo. hhe.
tw nak ips yg nmanya swandy kn? cwonya yessi lho. dy tgl di harapan indah, jd dlu sd sm jemputan brg.
swandy punya account di viwawa yg namanya JONYOT. hha. freak bgt, biasa mah org maunya
nama yg keren, eh dia jonyot.
trus menurut penuturan om sanusi, swandy is a lil freaky boy.
dy mank suka bkin kta2 aneh.

wktu itu di tempat les dia, ada temennya yg gemeteran gitu dagunya.
swandy blg: "buset, knapa tuh dia? KOJOT?"
geez, apa noh kojot? hha. bikin kata2 sendiri nih ye. hha.
bgi yg dket sm yessi, blgin, klo punya anak ati2, tkutnya swandy ksi nama aneh. hha.

Baking Day!

I was inspired by Crystal of Money Saving Mom to have a "baking" day! Today, Reagan and I will be making the following *AND* sharing our recipes with you!

Whole Wheat Bread
Chicken Pot Pie
Baked Oatmeal
Waffles
Chicken stock
Mini All-American Apple Pies

Yea, Mommy!

On Sunday night, I was running late to Awana. Yes, this happens often! Sundays are just jam-packed for us. We are at church in the morning from 9 until a little after 1, then we come home, eat, try to get Caleb to take a nap, try to get Isaac to take a nap, make sure I have everything ready for Awana, etc. Before we know it, it's time to leave for church again! Don't get me wrong, I love Sundays and I love serving at my church. I just always end up trying to cram too much into one day!

Anway, we were running late. Scott stayed home with Isaac, who was still napping. I finally got Caleb out the door and we arrived at church about 4:50. Awana starts at 5:00, so I didn't have time to take Caleb to his class before Awana started. So I took Caleb upstairs with me, gave him a ball to play with, and told him that Mommy was going to talk to the boys and girls for a few minutes, and to play quietly in the side of the room. I got Awana started as usual--pledges to the American flag and the Awana flag, announcements, and dismissal to their handbook groups. Caleb waited patiently and watched me, holding on to the ball.

When I was finished and the kids were leaving the room, I went over to Caleb. He held my hand as I led him to the back of the room to get his backpack. He looked up at me, wonder in his eyes, and said, "Mommy, you did a good job with the kids!"

Now that is adorable. My son, the encourager. I think I smiled (inwardly, at least!) for the rest of the night.

Duet Mae dan Toni

Hari ini hari yg segar
terutama bagi Mae (M) dan Toni (T).
tdi siang gw mendengar celotehan mreka brg andaru,
smuanya=gx jelas. take a look,guys!

1. T : Cuki lo mae
M : Butter cukis. (apaaa cobaaa)

2. M : R u sleeping?
T : Sleeping beauty. (infected)
M : and the beast.. (haduoh, mae lo mati aj d)
T : Lo tuh beast!
M : Bistik sapi..  
(jeda sesaat)
T : biskuit... (bis.. bisa gx otaklo bner dikit?)

wakakaka..smua udah ktularan virus mae, toni udah sarap!
tolong toni! mae gx usah (ud gx bisa diobatin).

The Business of Play...

I'm constantly amazed by Reagan and her imagination. The ability children have to make up complex stories from the simplest things, and work them out in play is simply beyond me at this stage in my life. Not that at one point, I didn't have a great imagination. I vividly remember building houses and ships out of pinestraw and fighting off Ninjas on the roof of our home as a child. But I think you really lose that ability the older you get and as more of the mundane aspects of life take over.

But not for children. Today Reagan and I were playing with blocks and she grabbed a couple and shouted "triangle!", which they were, good job Reagan! But then she proceeded to make a tent out of them and then make them into a family of triangles with a mommy, daddy and baby. THEN the Triangle Family all went camping together. Can you imagine? Out of the blue, this is what she came up with. Amazing!

Happy Blue Monday!

Happy Monday!
Have a fabulous week!
How many sentences can I start with the letter "H"?
How about a couple more?
Ha Ha.

Here are some pics from out my front door. I just love the snow frosting and the gorgeous blue from the early morning light. No way! Something I like about winter!? Wait a minute! Who am I and what have I done with myself?

Plaza Gama's toilet.... (Part 2)

Plaza Gama’s toilet part 2…..

Well, the previous post was at the third floor, which is tremendously dirty and now I will be bringing you to the first floor…..

Why not the first floor first only to the third floor??

First floor was ‘cleaning in progress’ and I have to go to the third floor first….

First floor is OKU more friendly and there’s a place specially for them…

However, the OKU’s toilet does not smell good!!! (I open the door right after they had finished the cleaning….)

What is this on earth??

If anyone who knows someone who is from the Plaza Gama’s management department, please raise this to them as this should not be happening….

Gama..... :)

Cleaning in Progress.....

They even lock the gate when they are doing cleaning....

Female's toilet.....

(You can peek into the toilet.... haha....)

OKU's toilet..... Sliding door.. Not bad....

Easy for the OKU..... (Who is on the wheelchair)

Female's toilet logo....

OKU's toilet logo....

Male's toilet logo....

This is how the OKU's toilet looks like.....

(No dustbin..)

Any comment on this??

This basin is OKU friendly but do they have enough energy to turn on the pipe...???

(They have to use out a lot of energy by just washing their hand... I afraid that they cannot do the washing.....)

Can they use the mirror??

The normal toilet.. (Kid's friendly.... ) lol....

The tile on the wall......

The door from inside....

The bin without the cover..... Germs must be spreading all over.....

Reminders....

Cleanliness....

Everyone's responsibility.....

Do take care of the toilet when you are using it....

Not only the toilet in your house..... (:

There's another toilet which looks like this in the normal one......

I think this is for the elderly ones....

There's a sanitary bin in it......

The sitting one....

The cover went missing.....

Different view of the basin.....

The toilet overall look like this....

The chinese are busy stocking up goods in Gama.....