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The crowd and the crowded May 29, 2009

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : The Fairer Sex, Thoughts & Scribblings , comments closed

 

This was the very long queue outside the Coach factory outlet on the Saturday of last weekend’s memorial day sale.

This is what happens when you move around a crowded Coach outlet pushing a stroller and at the same time wearing your baby in a sling:

And this is what happens immediately after you pass your sleeping infant to your hubby and walk around the crowded store on your own:

Doesn’t really matter either way, as long as you get yourself a sweet bargain, yes?  Oh yeah, if you were wondering, there was an additional 10% off everything that day. :)

A lil’ bitty stitch at a time May 28, 2009

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home , comments closed

Yesterday afternoon, the door bell went “ding dong” and when I answered the door, I found a brown parcel addressed to me placed in front of the door.  On it were the words “Fragile.  Do Not Bend”.  I’d already knew what it contained before I opened it, because I had been waiting for it for several days now.

 

Truth is, I have been yearning to be able to crochet beautiful stuff like wool longies, shorties and skirties for my kids, and maybe something nice for myself too… :)

I’m hoping this kit will help me learn the basics.

So yesterday, I browsed through the instructions, and referred to an easy-to-follow tutorial online, and so far, I am pleased to say I have learnt the single crochet stitch!  Not bad, huh, for someone who has to learn crochet in between doing other things like caring for baby and housework?

Here’s my somewhat small and pathetic achievement thus far…I know it’s nothing yet, but I am very proud of myself :)

 

I am SO tackling the double crochet stitch today, if the situation permits…

Oops! It’s the error again May 27, 2009

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Blogging , comments closed

 

Why is it so hard to access my blogs?  Is anyone facing the same problem?

I am getting these error messages so frequently, it is increasingly frustrating even to just moderate my comments or login to publish a post.  I have to refresh and refresh countless times before I get to my destination.  By the time the “Write Post” page loads up, sonetimes I can’t even remember what I had wanted to post.

I’ve tried changing browsers, defragmenting my PC, closing other programs, but the problem is still there!

Is it just me or is everyone else seeing this issue?  Pray tell…

I’m hangin’ in there, babe May 22, 2009

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Parenting & Motherhood , comments closed

 

I found 10 minutes yesterday evening and managed to flip through an adorable little book which my good gal pal Audrey presented to me recently (thanks Aud!).  It’s called The Wit and Wisdom of Mothers.  While I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful pictures of animals in the book, the accompanying (witty) phrases sure did strike a chord within me as well.

So how do you think I have been coping with my current job as home project manager aka SAHM?  I would think I am doing pretty okay.  All it takes is some practice, some time and a whole lot of patience obtaining certain skillsets I like to call the “Mommy Multitasking Skills”:

These include, among others, the ability to:

As you can see, my life now is never with a dull moment, and I foresee even more exciting things happening in the near future!

My colorful, magical beans May 21, 2009

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Drooling & Cooking , comments closed

Look ma, these are my magic beans!!

 

I got these from Safeway upon the recommendation from my son’s daycaregiver.  The beans are labeled “12 beans for soup”.  Don’t they look colorful?

 

Boiled them in the pot for a while, and then right before serving, I brought the soup to a boil, added sliced tomatoes, 1 red bell pepper (if I were blogging this from Malaysia, I’d say “capsicum”), chopped scallions and some salt to taste.  Then I sprinkled some Italian seasoning.

 

The result is a colorful-looking soup which we had for dinner last night.  It’s perfectly healthy and it’s great for vegetarians too.  Hubby didn’t really like it though, but I did :)

So no…I didn’t check if the beans would grow into a giant beanstalk, but they sure make a splendid soup!  Now I wonder if I can get these from Malaysia…

I’m now an aunt to a niece May 19, 2009

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home, Relax & Celebrate , comments closed

 
Scrap Credits
Choukette Designs – Sugary Summer QP freebie from Biancka
Bohemia Alphas from Sweet Blossom Designs

Welcome to the world Phoebe!

BIL and SIL embraced parenthood on May 18th as baby Phoebe came into their lives.  Congratulations to them both!  I can’t wait to meet my niece.

Let’s get the grill on, babe May 12, 2009

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Drooling & Cooking , comments closed

 

When I was a little girl, Kentucky Fried Chicken were novelty meals.  The aroma of the fried chicken was heavenly and familiar and it meant some finger-lickin’ goodness was in store.

Last Friday, I tasted Kentucky Grilled Chicken for the first time.  Yup, not FRIED but GRILLED.  The telly has been screening these ads for so many weeks now, and there was only so much I could do to restrain myself from trying this *healthier* option.

In a bid to lure health-conscious consumers back into KFC (incidentally I learnt that it became KFC because the word FRIED in Kentucky FRIED Chicken needed to be dropped), KGC was introduced after two years of testing.  The selling point is that it contains less calories, less fat and less sodium than its *fried* predecessor. 

Original Recipe Chicken (varies per piece):
110-370 calories
7-21 g fat
290-1050 mg sodium

New Kentucky Grilled Chicken (varies per piece):
70-180 calories
4-9 g fat
160-440 mg sodium

(obviously the Hot and Spicy variety we have in Malaysia will have MANY MANY more calories, fat and sodium than the OR ones)

The verdict?  Well, I must say that I was slightly taken aback by how tiny the KGC pieces were.  It was almost as if free-range chicken were used!  I have never seend such minute chicken pieces in the US!  Tastewise, it did not have that fragrant OOMPH KFC always exudes, but it was definitely palatable.  Because it’s grilled, you don’t get that crispy skin though…but it FELT healthier.  However, if you’re talking *grilled* chicken, give me Nando’s anytime!  Hehe…

The set meal I had contained 2 pieces of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, and instead of the bun we have in Malaysia, the set comes with a flaky crumbly buttermilk biscuit, which I absolutely LURVE!

I am not sure if KGC has come to Malaysian shores yet, but I would say it may not be a big hit there, given that people are more inclined to fall back on the comforting reassuring KFC they know and love.  Sure, they’ll try KGC one time at least, but Malaysian tastebuds would probably prefer the fried option.

Have I made your tummies rumble yet?

Celebration in full bloom May 11, 2009

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home, Parenting & Motherhood, Relax & Celebrate , comments closed

If being a mother of one means receiving a dozen long-stemmed roses, what then does a mother of 2 get?

 

I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day.  Mine was a simple yet enjoyable one spent with my family…

Happy Mother’s Day to me, and to all you special mommies out there…one day is certainly not enough to shower Mom with love.  That’s why Mother’s Day should be celebrated every day!

The revelation and promise May 5, 2009

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Thoughts & Scribblings , comments closed

 

My maternity leave officially ended yesterday, the fourth of May.  This time round, the 60 days seemed to pass by faster.  Perhaps it is because I am juggling many more things now, including blogging.

But leave or no leave, it does not make a difference to me now.  True, I had intended to be on an extended leave of absence anyway, given that I am in the States now and have a baby to care for.  I had planned on only going back to work a month after our return to Penang.  But all that has changed now.

The company I worked for recently announced a major restructuring of its organization, and sometime in the middle of my maternity leave, I was informed that April 30th was my last working day.

Yes, it means that I am no longer employed, and no longer bringing in a steady source of income for my family.

It means that as of now, my husband is the sole breadwinner.

It means I will have to use this time to reflect on what I really want out of life.

And it also means I will be able to realize my dream of becoming a SAHM.

…well, for now, at least.

As a couple of my previous ambiguously blogged posts revealed, I will allow myself to be directed by God in a way He knows best.  What the future holds for me, I do not know, but wherever He leads, I will follow… with all my faith and hope, there is bound to be a promise of greatness up ahead.