I'm still here

It’s been long.. It’s been long!

The blog sure needs some mowing. I could see not only grass has gone wild in this pasture but cripples too has conquered many parts of it.

So many things and events had taken place for the last 5 months or so, good, bad and the in between. But let’s leave the bad aside and just cherish the good ones because seriously, there're too many good ones that the bad one just seems unseen.

In the big family, we had weddings, engagements, Raya this year which was so much better than last year’s though I was forced to do office work during the break, welcoming new family members … among many more other happy events.

Yeah, I know... the one showing fist is mine....

 At 3.45kg, Zairoul Naquib. My cousin's or more like little brother's son.

 

In my immediate family, of course Nada has the most to tell about which I just do not know where and what to start.

She really talks a lot now – Malay and English equally used. Kelantan dialect, she’s trying so hard to master. Sometimes I just can’t seem to believe what came out of her 5 year old mouth.

On  one Sunday at Ikea, she missed the boat in her queue to enter Smaland by just couple of kids in front her. I told her the next session would be at 7.30PM which really boiled her up that she had to wait for another 1 ½ hour.

In a single breath, she just needed to let the steam out, almost shouted at me :

“This all your fault. Not my fault. Why do you come here late? I am so upset with you and angry. You stay away from me. Don’t come near me!”

… o my.. I almost crawled on my knees hearing she said that.

One night, out of the blue she asked us :

“When Mommy and Daddy were children, you meet is it? Then, did Daddy ask you – will you marry me?”

... like, why would she thought about it?

We celebrated our 9^th year wedding anniversary the night before 20.08.13 at home. Only us, where I bought a Baskin Robbins cake for the tiny celebration we had. 

 

However to Nada, all cakes are for her. Hence, she wasn’t happy that the cake was not meant for her, till the extend she sobbed so badly. I didn’t want her sulking for too long and told her that the cake was indeed for her.

 

You see, she needed an event for herself to be having the cake.

She asked me : “Why do you buy cake for me ? My birthday is in January. Now not yet January”

Clever mom I am, I told her : “O… I bought you the cake because you did well in your spelling bee at school.”

She was delighted with the explanation.

The next night, that is the actual day of our Aniversary, we had steamboat at Johnny’s we called it “NADA’S SPELLING TEST EXCELLENCE CELEBRATION DINNER” instead of Anniversary Dinner. Talking about the extent parents would do to make their kid happy, huh?

 

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Of course, handmade dos that I wish not to miss the blog.

I finally fixed Baby’s OR Ary's leg!

 
 
I also managed to make this cute baby smock romper for Baby Naquib…. And of course, a pair of cloth shoes to match. Owh.. I'm in love with that boy already.

 

I now can cross the ROMPER from my list.

Be wise with time

I was browsing through our photos in the hard drive and found this one captured by my beau.

Totally don’t remember the photo and also don’t remember mending this dress of Nada’s while on a drive – of course as a passenger. Good thing about crafting, it can be done on-the-go, and it sure help to have my girl strapped in her car seat at the back. I have my hands free of holding a kid and could be used to benefit time spent in travels.      

Baju Kaftan

We usually make a trip to Pasar Siti Khadijah every time we return to my beloved hometown, Kota Bharu just before we head back to KL. There’re many interesting buys there. Fruits-fruits-fruits and thousands of nick-nacks. Love!

My girl however, is not so fond of the idea. She complains of being tired, sweating… and I just couldn’t get across her yet that it is how it goes when people go to market. It’s not Carefour or Tesco or Cold Storage for that matter!

The trip during Aidilfitri break last year, I bought her a caftan at Pasar Siti Khadijah. She was delighted, she thought Mommy and her are twins when we both wear caftans at nights.

Just after three washes, her very own first caftan frails. Ugly, Mommy can’t take it. I threw the caftan onto Lady Gaga knowing I would do something about it.

Not only upon four months I did take action, applying self made polka-dots bias at all sides. Frails no more!

Mario Mending

I am a ‘sucker’ of ‘my’ belongings. I don’t have many, but all that I have are equally love. Priorities are to Nada’s stuff, my school books and those that carry sentimental values. Come to think about it, most of our things have stories behind it and like I say, I am a sucker of my belongings. I love them that much.

I guess it is very much related to my upbringing when Mok always show excellent example of taking good care of things around her no matter if it is expensive or cheap. Until now, she still keeps her folded kurongs in clear plastic sheets before keeping them in the closet. That meticulous she is at 80+++++ years. Most people at that age, wouldn’t care less I believe. Having a living example like this for more than 30 years of my life, surely I’d taken a streak or two if not much.

For the love to stuffs that we have and meant something to us, sometimes mending works is required to ensure they are well presentable. I created an album in my FB that I call it Mario Mending. Let see what do I have thus far.

Dew came home one day with a torn dress like this.

She told me… “Alisya, sit on chair.. Nada pull shirt. Koyak…”

I was disappointed for it’s Zara Kids dress. But then, what did a then three year old care about Zara Kids, she just thought of getting her way out. I wasn’t at all angry but I knew I would do something to mend it.

And so, here it is.

Simple stuff, but it works.

The mending also went to this appliqué dress. I always have this feel of ashame if Nada wears un-neat outfit. Cheap never mind, but if it frails, lose thread.. ahh can't take it. 

Ugly frail edges of the original bunny applique on the right.

Possibly, the mending is also because I want to keep the dress a little stretch longer. It is one of the dresses I bought in Bandung during Nada’s first abroad trip, when she’s just above a year old.

I earlier posted an entry of Nada’s excitement for her school trip to the Zoo. She reminded me again and again for a water bottle with string to be brought with her to the Zoo. Indeed, I didn’t have much time to survey for one, but more of it I was contemplating to make my own string to be attached to her existing bottle.

It was in fact what I did.

This is Nada’s first water tumbler. Hmmmm, she has her first water beaker, first water tumbler, that’s different by my definition. Harris would never understand, all are water containers to him. J

Broncosaurous to compliment...

 and a pelican..

Excited for trip to the Zoo

One mending project that would probably made Harris proud is this one.

The Shirred Shirt-Dress, inspired by Disney, an amazing crafter.

My baby bump only to show towards the end of second trimester, during my pregnancy. Being anxious to put on maternity clothing, I finally got the chance to do so. Hence, I really was on spree shopping mode for maternity clothing. For someone whom is careful with shopping, I wasn’t at all careful with my maternity clothing. In the midst of getting the clothes for myself, I pitied Harris that he was left behind.

One day during the shopping, we chose to buy him this then shirt…

So,… sayang nak buang.... eventhough it's been off the closet for quite sometime due to frail collar.

Sometimes, my collegues labelled me as ‘kedekut’ for having this habit of difficult-to-let-go-loved-stuffs. I used to carry a worn wallet out to lunches and many times being mocked : “Akak ni.. beli la wallet baru, dah tak de rupa wallet ni…”

Definitely it was a worn wallet, but I told them, my younger cousin brother, GG gifted me with the wallet. In 1996 after his Form 5, he worked part time at Mobil petrol station in Sri Gombak prior to SPM results. When he got his first salary, GG told his Mama, my aunt Cik Ra that he wanted to buy for me something. Cik Ra suggested a wallet and that’s what they got for me in surprise.

It was Bonia and I carried that for about 10 years. The fact it was gifted by a boy whom just finished school, it really meant something for me….. mestila Mek sayang the wallet.

I also have my old pencil case being used in the office which many times being ushered for a change. Man.. I am pissed off!.

That’s my pencil case since I was Form 3. For more than 20 years it had followed me in school, in uni, at work… unless tsunami hits us and drowned my pencil case.. never ask me to let it go.

She may be old but she had done nothing wrong.

 Still have my school friends photos...

Youngsters, I told them..... there is a vast difference between 'kedekut' because you treasure something so much and 'kedekut' because you're afraid you might lose your money. Don't judge a person too quick.  

I have many more in my mending list, which I’ll take every and each at a time. At the moment, there’s one stuck at Lada Gaga.

The next, it should be a pair of legs or new shoes or new boots to Baby whom just changed name to Ary.

She is Nada’s FIRST stuffed DOLL, and she already ‘lost’ her legs for more than a year!

Bad Mommy.

** Today 20.04.12, Nada let go her imaginary friend, also named Baby. I asked her to read (no, she hasn’t exactly read) her Goldilocks and the three Bears to Baby in the car on her way to school.

She told me : “Mommy, Baby not here anymore. She go to rumah dia already..." Sign of growing up..