Merry Christmas to me :)

Today, I finally bought my very first sewing machine :).  It's so cool...never knew that a sewing machine could do so many nifty things hahahahahaha :). First I went to Toko Tiga Street only to be disappointed by this "brother" store owner...this man asked me to buy TWO machines!! He didn't even understand what I was trying to buy and won't explain a thing!!! So, in the end I went to a shop at Pangeran Jayakarta...I called the shop before (found it from yellow pages) and the owner was nice enough to explain many things over the phone, so I'm very happy to finally bought this Tajima machine at PD. Aneka Mesin Jahit, give Tony (the owner) a try if you're looking for a sewing machine (021-6298525/6), though he doesn't sell high end sewing machine, he has just the right one for a newbie like me - now I need a bigger table to cater my new hobby :D  

O, by the way...the 2 new quilts I didn't like before turned out to be quite good after I washed them :) hahahahaha and the workmanship is actually good too yay yay...

Merry Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas - May your Day be Merry and Bright :)

quit quilt quilt :)

I was so ecstatic when I finally got my white on white quilt I ordered from Cotonnier.  It is a well-made quilt with soft material and most importantly, the filling isn't too thick and therefore just the right temperature for me :).  I wish the same could be said about the quilts I ordered somewhere else :(. I was so disappointed when I received my NOT ONE but TWO disappointing quilts :( one is a double wedding ring design but the filling is quite thick plus the material is not very comfy and since the material isn't wide enough to accommodate a King size, they joined 2 materials and you could see the joint right in the middle of the quilt and the second one is a nine patch, the colors are supposed to be pastels, not BRIGHT...ow well...and I've paid about the same price as the luxurious quilt I got from Cotonnier :( very disappointed.  But at least the wedding ring is white, I could reason myself with white :) and hopefully after I've washed it, it wouldn't be as bad.  I've finally finished the TOP of my patchwork sampler quilt hahahahaha after much struggle, I've finished 1/2 way...now I have to quilt it....so lazy...:(

early christmas presents

Well, it's not exactly christmas presents :) but close enough for me :) my sister, Stephanie, is back for holiday and I got SO MANY things I bought online for her to bring home (almost 1 whole suitcase - no kidding!) :D...I bought lots of quilting and sewing books and some are extremely good, also bought this babycomp for basal body temperature reading, some discounted Banana Republic's shirts and pants for Francis, some cute bibs from DaBib I saw while I was reading blogs, as well as the kimono baby outfit for Emma and the biggest thing I asked her to bring is Emma's new bugaboo bee stroller.  I LOVE IT :) it's compact, cute and striking :)

a new bumper for em

Finally, the bed bumper was done and laundered and ready to be use :) well, actually Emma has been using it for a couple of weeks but I was just too busy to put on a posting. I'm so happy with this red riding hood bumper from Cotonnier, it's thick enough for a very active Emma to hit on :) hihihii, I am no longer worried how she moves about her bed :) and today, Cotonnier called me to let me know that my white on white quilt is ready to be picked up...yay yay...so happy :) and just called my other quilts which I ordered from Bu Nissa and she said, the single sized is ready and my double wedding ring pattern should be done next week..yay yay :) will post some pictures :)

your amazing smile

As I was crying and you were in my arms, you would smile at me and with your little hand, you'd reach up to my face an caress it with your little fingers...as if saying "mommy, don't be sad, I love you" and my sadness would disappear because nothing matters most in this world but your beautiful smile :)...I love u, Em

sling

I was reading my daily dose of blog when I stumbled upon this great finding!! A how to make your own sling :), yes, the one exactly like my bubzilla...so cool and you can do it with your own fabric :) and looks great too!!!! Well, I was going to give the measurement of my bubzilla on one of my postings, so that others could sew their very own sling...but I thought it would be a little troublesome hahahahahaha...so here goes! i think it's great! Might make one for Francis so that he could carry Em in a sling too :).  Here's a direct link to the how to page

where did my tush go?

My whole life my tush have faithfully accompanied me..through fats and "thins" but now, they've decided to disappear!!! I've just noticed that I no longer have them...they're so flat now!! Though I could fit into my old old old jeans but my tush have decided to leave me :'(. I hope they'll be back soon hahahahahaha

em's first solid

I was bored at Mom's house today and since mom had some bananas, I thought I let Emma tried some and she totally loved it :) she even grabbed my hand a few times as if telling me that I was too slow and wanted some more, quick!! :D

busy bee

We spent most of today on the road, looking for a nanny for Emma.  First, we went to Yayasan Mutiara Bunda, which is located at West Jakarta and we met 2 candidates...one talkative nanny who's been working for 12 years with her previous master and the other was quiet and not so talkative.  From there, we went to this Yayasan Meida at Kelapa Gading...we got lost for about ONE HOUR because apparently there are TWO Total Fruit Shops at Kelapa Gading within the same stretch of road (and of course we didn't know that) so we went from one end to the other and back again!!!!! crazy....At Meida, we met this really nice nanny, but we think she was a little too expensive for her experiences, nevertheless she was quite nice...and at our last stop, we went to Yayasan Maria, also at Kelapa Gading and met up with 3 candidates...but we didn't like any of them.  In the end, we took the talkative nanny from Yayasan Mutiara Bunda :D, hopefully she's talkative enough to entertain Emma hahahahahaha...I'll need to test her for Hepatitis B, though...and I'll probably redo her x-ray for TB.  The thing I like about Yayasan Mutiara Bunda is that their office looks professional compared to the other 2, though I must admit that my friends got some great nannies from those two yayasan, I guess it's just people's luck sometimes.  What a tiring day...We were so hungry and when we were finally done, it was around 3:30 pm and we wanted to eat at Angke Restaurant...and when we got there, IT WAS CLOSED!!!!  We were SOOOOOOO pissed and disappointed!  We ended up eating at this crappy Loy Kee Hainanese Restaurant at La Piazza...ow well...enough to fill our hungry tummy :)  

love singlets

I love these fitted singlets by Bonds. When I was in Brisbane, since it was winter when Emma was born, the midwives used to tell us to put on a layer of singlet underneath Emma's shirt. I bought Bonds singlets for Emma and I really like them, they're very comfy and the material is light and cool, perfect for Jakarta's weather. So, when Em's grandparents went to Brisbane last week, I asked them to buy some more for Emma, since she could no longer fit into her old ones :)

the best tako yaki in jakarta

I love food and I love Japanese food and there's this really really good tako yaki at Kamome supermarket (I love Kamome too)...I forgot to take a picture of the tako yaki...I already finished those little cuttlefish balls :p and they have just launched a new food, tai yaki...I think it's similar to dorayaki?? but maybe not..they're also delicious...I love the one with tuna mayo but then again...anko (red bean) and custard cream are also good...maybe I should stop by Kamome again today :)

a school in review: BiNus @ Serpong

Today, after putting Emma to sleep and waited for her to wake up again, we were FINALLY ready to visit BiNus new school's open day at Serpong. When we got there, the info session was already over but there were still a lot of people touring around the school. I took some pictures of the school, it's a very nice suburban school, where the air is still unspoilt and the school is nicely designed by a well known local architectural firm Hadiprana.

The pictures above were taken at the ECY/Elementary area...I'd love to play at the playground :)

This picture was taken at the ECY/Elementary gate to the basketball court, track and field.

Take a look at the library! I'm loving it :) specially with those computers.

The following pictures were taken at the middle and high school area

The Canteen is overlooking the track and field court and a picture of Emma and I in front of the library...It'll be a few more years before Emma and I get to choose a school to go to :D

For more information about the school, visit their website at http://www.binus-school.net/

another cool thing from Swanky Moms

Look at this great idea to show off your precious ones (can even silhouette my sausage dog "Cookie"). See the posting at Swanky Moms and for more info about this cool silhouttes, visit their website at http://www.simplysilhouettes.com/.

cool multi-function changing mat

As I was reading Swanky Moms, I came across this cool changing mat. If only this product was available then...I would've bought it for Emma to introduce more tummy time for her. I love the fact that it's slanted (been looking for this slanted pillow previously to no avail) and therefore can actually feed Emma on it. Pre-order them at http://babyangelbug.com/ if you're interested.

recycled mineral water bottle

While I was pregnant with Emma, I noticed some of the big name restaurants in Jakarta are re-using water bottles and just refill them with dispenser water!! I find it very cheap of them to do so and of course very very unhygienic!! What if, the previous drinker actually drank the water directly from the bottle?! That was when I started noticing all these opened mineral water bottle and I've been demanding sealed mineral water from then on!

lucky wang

As I was browsing my daily dose of interesting blogs, I stumbled across Lucky Wang at Babygadget's recent posting, which sent me clicking immediately to the website.  Unable to hold the urge of shopping...I ended up buying a cute Kimono and a Kimono One Piece for Emma :D.  Aren't they just the most beautiful thing?  I guess that makes me a sucker to beautiful fabrics.

waiting impatiently for my ordered quilts to be done

How I can't wait to see my new quilts.  I ordered 2 quilts last month from Bu Nissa, a King sized wedding ring quilt and a Twin sized nine patch quilt for Emma and they should be done some time next month.  I've also been in love with a white on white quilt by Cotonnier at Plaza Indonesia and a few weeks ago I finally ordered the beautiful quilt for ME :) 
along with an order of a Little Red Riding Hood bed bumper for Emma.  Can't wait can't wait...Mommy Ape sure is a great designer :)! Keep up the good work :)

a whole new world of blogging

I never knew that there are so many interesting blogs out there...really! I've posted some of the links of blogs that I subscribe :)

we love obin

I love OBIN...I just noticed that my whole wardrobe is filled with Cita-Shirts...short, medium and long sleeved...you name it :) Too bad I can't wear most of them, since I'm still breastfeeding. Nevertheless, some of her new collections are kinda big and I could start wearing Bin again :). I love the Ice Lemon Tea they would serve every time we go there and I love Obin's staffs, they're so polite and nice and even Obin herself is a very pleasant lady. So, to conclude..I LOVE OBIN! Pictures of us with one of Obin's staff at her Menteng's store.

lucky us

We're so lucky that Francis' brother has 2 beautiful children, and since they're 2 and 3 years older than Emma, they've outgrown some of their toys and Emma get to borrow them :). Which means..we save some money and space (since we'll return them) from buying new toys :D

quilt-o-holic

I must admit...when I like something new, I want to learn and own everything to do with that new craft :D, well, my new interest is quilting! see how long this new interest will lasts me :) I do hope it will last long. So far, I've done a block of nine patch and ohio star, so proud of myself! Though I must admit that I don't sew neatly :p.