Cupcakes for the weekend...

Was busy since Monday preparing for an engagement ceremony cupcakes for Nur, & Melissa for her party.

Nur has requested for a brown / gold / bronze colour theme for the gifts exchange & her guests.

The butterfly toppers are edible, which is made from sugar & wafer. And it fits perfectly on my small Double Chocolate Cupcakes, although they are quite costly for a tiny butterfly. I would reconsider using these butterflies in future; gotta source out for a better deal next time.

Anyways, as for the gifts exchange, Nur has asked for 15 pieces (each for both sides) to be specially decorated and to omit the topper since she'll be using non-edible butterflies instead.

For the gift exchange

As for Melissa's, I didn't manage to snap a picture before she collects the Christmas-cum-New Year-party themed cupcakes. But she's kind enough to send me an MMS of my cupcakes displayed on her nice tier trays.

P.S: Oh I forgot to mention that it wasn't Nur who's getting engaged, they are for her sister. ; )

Hari Raya Haji & Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Last week, managed to get my orders out despite me being maid-less & managing the kids especially.

It was stressful, attending to the kids & baking / decorating the cakes at the same time. Now I know what it's like to be a home-maker... I really wonder how a fellow online buddy, Annie, does it. But she sure does a very good job in handling all 4 kids on her own.

So I received a request from Kynn for one and a half dozen of Chocolate Hazelnut Cheese Cups for Hari Raya Haji, to be shared with her family members. She had initially requested for Blueberry Cheese Cups, but since the fruit is not in season now she decided to have chocolates instead.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cheese Cups

Then I did some Christmas-themed Cupcakes for Nur, who has been my loyal 'fan' during my leave. I truly appreciate her support & trust in my work (so far).

Christmas-themed Cupcakes

This week will be another request from Nur for an engagement ceremony. It's an important event for her, so I truly hope that I won't disappoint her. And I apologise for not being able to take one more order from you Nur, cos I'm really......tight on schedule. Much as I want to, I just can't.

My busy week starts tomorrow; that's when I start to prepare my stuff for the 29th December orders.

I hope to update some more stuff before the year ends. Can't believe it's just another week before 2008...

Happy Holidays!

Update

Congrats to Hady Mirza for being the winner of the first Asian Idol. Although it was unexpected, because there's Jac (Malaysia) & Mau (Philippines) with very strong vocals, I guess having 'the package' plays a part too. It really came as a big surprise.

Then the match between Liverpool & Man United.... gosh I don't even want to talk about it. Dear hub got so frustrated with Liverpool's loss.

Tomorrow our dear Ghazi will turn two months' old. He's grown so much now (weight, I mean) & have recognized his ummi & her voice. He stopped crying & often smiles whenever he sees or hears me. Dear 'Ufairah has helped a lot during the hols, keeping an eye on Ghazi & taking care of (more like entertaining) dear Zinedine. She'll be in K1 next year & it'll be more stressful for me juggling between work & getting her to learn phonics, reading, spelling etc...

This week there's a Christmas cupcakes request from Nur. And I have to settle dear daughter's school stuff (ie: books, uniform) as well. Plus, all preparations for next week's engagement cupcakes request has to be organized since it's more than a hundred. On top of that I've a New Year cupcakes request for Melissa.

It's going to be very busy for me these two weeks with cupcakes requests, daughter's school & settling my maid's issue by end December. I hope that by the beginning of 2008, I'll be free from all stress & get my mind prepared for work (sigh!).

I just hope everything will turn out smoothly.

More Cupcakes

Finally my website is done. Phew! For the latest pics, details & pricing, you can visit sistabrownie.com.

After bothering my sister-in-law & changing the theme site so many times, the website is finally up & running. And my heartiest thanks to my sister-in-law, Ruzana, for being so patient and helpful for assisting me.

Spent the weekend shopping at the expo JL sale. Thought of going into the SITEX exhibition, where I saw a lot of people buying LCD TVs, but dear hubby decided not to as it was so crowded. Told him if we were to go in there I'd most probably come out with a VAIO notebook, which I have always eyed on. Well, maybe the next exhibition... (this is what I've always said to myself everytime there's an IT or electrical exhibition. I don't know why I just couldn't bring myself paying for a notebook).

Anyways, made some more cupcakes today. This time it's for Melissa, as samples. She saw how bright my cupcakes are & got so excited all over them that I offered to make for her some. Since she's not doing anything, she came over to pick the cupcakes up. I hope the cupcakes will make her day, since we've been talking about nothing else but cupcakes whenever we chat.

Cupcakes for Melissa

Anniversary Cupcakes

Finally settled the maid's issue. I went to the maid agency to clear the matter as time is crucial for me. Interviewed the new one, who is expected to come into Singapore in about 2 weeks' time. If the new one is enthusiastic as she sounds on the phone then I'm sure the kids will like her.

Spent the whole of yesterday afternoon & evening concentrating & finishing up Nur's request - 1st Wedding Anniversary cupcakes, which is of butterfly theme. I hope it will be an enjoyable celebration.

1st Wedding Anniversary cupcakes for Nur & her friends

Since I'm free for the weekend, time for me to update my website & maybe do a little shopping. Have a great weekend people. Cheers!

Hectic & Stressed

It's been a hectic & stressful week for me. Not because of goodies requests but more to my maid issue.

I've sent my maid home & currently training the new one. Never did I expect that she didn't know a word of English, after she had failed her test the first time. This is a problem because dearest daughter speaks English & without knowing & understanding the language means my daughter would not be able to tell the maid what she wants (eg: eat, drink, pass motion etc) when both hubby & I are working.

I have tried countless times contacting the agency located at Tanjong Katong Complex of the problem I'm facing & looks like I have to wait (again) for new biodatas to arrive. The thing about this agency is that since I've been attended by this one person, other staff who answered my call would refer me to this one person only. That is so frustrating cos the person that I'm supposed to talk to is always, "engaged on the line" or "talking to a customer". If that is the case, why can't the other staff attend to me??

I spent one whole day on Friday trying to 'nail' this particular staff (since they want only this person to attend to me). Of course I understand that I am not their only customer, but I thought my case is urgent as I want ample time to train the new maid before I resumed work in January. By the time I get a new one, I think I would only have one month to train the new maid instead of two months. I hope the new maid would be able to learn fast & have experience at least to take care of very young kids & a baby. The rest ie: housework & cooking can be taught over time on a day-to-day basis.

The agency have given 3 bios to look through. Of which only one completed her contract in 2003. 'The staff' wanted to replace a transfer maid, whom I rejected because I have bad experience (more to a nightmare) before. So I hope the agency will expedite to contact this maid & have her come here as soon as possible.

The English language is not the only problem I'm facing with the new maid. Both my kids doesn't like her. They just don't click. When we went grocery shopping, both my kids do not want to walk with the maid. And I have Baby Ghazi to carry in my carrier too. Since that's the case, the maid will just have to carry the groceries then. It's very tiring for me too cos whatever the kids want, they ask me instead of going straight to the maid. It's like I'm doing all the work in the house. And I really thank God for giving me the physical strength to go through this.

I know I have no luck in having a good maid, even after years of having one. I really really hope that this time (the replacement) I can depend on her. Someone who is responsible & enjoy playing with kids.

Anyways, enough of the stress issue. The more I talk about it the more stressed, frustrated & worried I get.

Last Thursday had a little meet-up with an old friend Melissa, who accompanied me to the bakery supplies stores for me to stock up my goods. Although it was a few hours meeting, we caught up on our secondary school days & I really enjoyed the company. Too bad another friend of ours couldn't make it cos he's down with fever. But I hope to get all of us meet in early December, before Melissa leaves for her Taiwan holiday on her birthday & Azmi to Hanoi for work & holiday (somewhere).

Since I've already bought a lot of stuff, I decided to try a new recipe - Lemon Crumble. It's a combination of shortbread (at the bottom) & lemon filling on the top. First time trying & definitely needs improvement.

Lemon Crumble

Today, went for 'jalan-jalan' to deliver Effa's goodies - Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecups & M&Ms Brownie. Despite having her address, we got lost & drove all the way to Jurong East heh... Thanks Effa for the requests.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecups & M&Ms Brownie

Zinedine's 2nd Birthday

Yesterday we celebrated Zinedine's 2nd birthday with the family. Since my aunts have not seen Baby Ghazi yet, they came to join the occassion as well.

My mum on the right in blue with both my aunts

I was lucky to be able to place a last minute "Thomas & Friends" cake order, with my mum's help. And of course Polar Cakes to be able to accept the order & do it within such short notice (order should actually be placed 2 days prior). Hub also managed to order 200 pcs satay from Jumain Sataysfaction, which was delivered at 7pm (no pics as I was busy attending to the kids, especially the birthday boy).

Cake-cutting started at 8pm, which by then Zinedine was already getting cranky because he was sleepy. Hub & I tried to keep him awake so that he could see his favourite character on his birthday cake. Even I was impressed...

Zinedine's birthday cake

I was also busy the whole day as I've cupcakes request for 21st Nov '07. Since I'll be baking the cupcakes for Nur, I made extras for the birthday celebration as well.

One cupcake gone...

While all of us were feasting on the satays, Zinedine wanted milk & dozed off immediately. At least he saw the cake...

Since there were a lot of leftovers, packed some for everyone. By 10pm, everybody left as it was also raining heavily.

I was actually feeling very tired but somehow I just couldn't sleep last night. Perhaps too many things on my mind.

Anyways, started off the day thinking of design ideas on Nur's fun-themed newborn baby girl cupcakes. I hope Nur will not be disappointed with what I have come up with.

Nur's fun-themed newborn baby girl cupcakes

A month has passed

How time flies... It's been a month since baby Ghazi was born. And now I'm left with only 2 months of Maternity Leave to spend / bond with my dearest.

Anyways, amidst the busy schedule I somehow agreed to take in a very last minute order from dear Shirhaini. I thought I would be meeting her this Wednesday for a fun-themed cupcakes request and never did I expect her to SMS me on Saturday afternoon to request for another fun-themed cupcakes for her uncle's open house today.

Despite having to juggle between taking care of baby Ghazi & training my new maid (just arrived yesterday) thank God I managed to finish up the order in time.

I really hope Shirhaini & family would be happy & satisfied with the look & taste (especially) of the cupcakes.

Fun-themed cupcakes for Shirhaini

Zinedine's birthday's coming up this Tuesday & I still have no idea of what birthday cake to buy for him. Currently he's into Thomas the engine & friends, so maybe I'll buy that one for him. I just hope to spare some time to order it.

Mee Betawi

The other day, I mentioned that I will post the Mee Betawi recipe. Well here it is: (sorry no pics for this one)

Yellow Hokkien mee

For the soup
Blended ingredients:
Onions
Garlic
Ginger
Chilli padi
Ground white pepper

Fishcakes
Prawns
Beef (need to be stewed in advance; do not throw the stock as it will be used for the soup)
Chye Sim

Sweet soya sauce

1. Stew the beef in advance as the stock will be used for the soup.

2. Fry the blended ingredients until fragrant (including the ground white pepper). Then pour in the beef stock (only). Add water if required & sweet soya sauce.

3. Once the soup starts to boil, you can start putting in the stewed beef & chye sim stalks. By this time, you should get a somewhat sweet & spicy taste. If the soup is too spicy, just add in more soya sauce.

4. Finally add the fishcakes, prawns & chye sim.

5. Serve with yellow hokkien mee & fried shallots.

Note: No other seasonings are required as the taste comes from the sweet soya sauce & beef stock.

Ayam Roast Berempah

I've run out of ideas of what to cook that I've decided to try something new. There's meat, fish, prawns & chicken in the freezer. So what should I cook today?

Mum mentioned about a steamed fish recipe on Suria's Dapur Mami segment, which uses cili padi & soy sauce. Great combination isn't it? So I logged on to the Suria site to check the recipe.

I finally decided to try "Ayam Roast Berempah". The recipe doesn't require much ingredients so it should be quick. I hope it will be tasty as well.

After roasting the chicken for about an hour (to dry the ingredients up), it does taste good. Goes really well with hot white rice. This is a tried & tested (read:tasted) recipe, so you might want to give it a try. It's easy & tasty.

Ayam Roast Berempah

What's the latest, sista?

Since I'll be on long break (3 months Maternity Leave) & starting work in early January 2008, I thought I'll get my website done. But since I'm not an IT expert in the complicated areas such as uploading the design, I've sought the help of my sis-in-law.

However she will be busy in the next 2 weeks, so I'll have to be patient & wait. Meantime I'll get everything else organized like the logo, tagline, pics & description. I really hope to get the website done this time, else I'll just give it up & use the current Multiply site.

I'll also be busy packing up all the stuff in the house as I'll be moving soon. Where to? You'll just have to wait. Will keep everyone posted once the paperwork are done & completed. I'm excited & can't wait to move. Of course there'll be a lot of work to be done once I'm in the new house but I'm willing to unpack slowly on my OFF days. By end of the year I'll have a new address.

Besides the new website & house, I've been planning new goodies to introduce. I'll use the time I have now to experiment the few new goodies. The new ones will still belong to the existing 'family' - Cheesecakes / cups, Brownies & Desserts. Nothing totally new; I'll stick to my niche. Once I regained my energy, I'll make my way down to my favourite stores to stock up on the ingredients. I just can't wait.

For today, I made a dozen Chocolate Hazelnut Cheese Cups for Shirhaini. She had called me directly to order for some cupcakes in December. Although I'll only 'reopen' & 'reheat' my good oven in February '08, she had somehow managed to persuade me to take in an early order. But I didn't expect her to contact me again for 3rd Nov order of Choc Hazelnut.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cheese Cups for Shirhaini

Since it's been about 2 months I last whipped up something, I took this request in. Moreover she will be collecting them tomorrow. (Mampus kalau mak aku & laki aku tahu. Belum lepas hari dah sibuk-sibuk). Dear hubby is not convinced that I can do Shirhaini's cupcakes in December as we will be very busy moving. But I guess with proper planning it can be done as long as I am given my own time & space to do it (that is no disturbances from the kids).

I shall not update this request in Multiply as I have not officially open. I wouldn't want to tire myself unneccessarily. If I do have the urge to bake something, I'll do it for myself & family. So dearest friends & contacts out there, be patient (winks!)

Hari Raya & someone new...

Much as I wanted to update my blog after Hari Raya, I was unable to as I was just too busy with other things. I've even forgotten to take pictures of the dishes I've prepared - Sambal Kacang, Sambal Goreng Pengantin & Ayam masak Merah. The Sambal Goreng Pengantin by the way was a success for a first timer.

Hari Raya went on smoothly on Saturday 13th October with us visiting the seniors - parents & parents-in-law, 2 grandaunts (we had skipped another 2 grandaunts this year) & dear hub's grandmother - despite me having Braxton Hicks along the way. I was hoping that I won't be having any major contractions while visiting. We finally ended our visiting at 6pm. I hoped to visit my eldest aunt in Tampines on Sunday for her open house, after I knocked off work.

I didn't know why but I was in high spirits going to work on Sunday. I was early in fact. Maybe because I'm starting my leave on Wednesday 17th October. Despite having a few problems at work on Sunday (with a number of passengers losing their passport), I was somehow calm in handling the situation. I was not stressed. I believe it's the power of going on leave.

On Monday I was ready to hand over my pending work to my colleagues. Not that the pending job was my fault. I tried to get it done before I leave but somehow some people have to screw it up at the last minute. At 6pm, I left the office with a light heart. Tomorrow was my OFF day & then from Wednesday onwards I'm gonna rest, enjoy & prepare for my delivery, which could be anytime.

Wednesday - I prepared some dishes for dear hubby to bring to work. He & colleagues are going to lunch in. He brought Chicken Curry, Sambal Goreng & Sambal Goreng Pengantin. Woke up at 5.30am to heat up all the food before he left for work at 7am.

After taking a short rest, I cooked Mee Betawi as my sister-in-law would be visiting (Will post the recipe for Mee Betawi soon, though I don't have the pic to show how it looks like). By the time I was done, I was exhausted.

Dear hub & I waited for my sis-in-law to come, probably together with my parents-in-law & another sis-in-law as well. But... they never showed up. We waited until 10.30pm before hub gave his sis a call. Apparently they couldn't make it cos our dear niece was feeling cranky. Oh dear, all the food! It was too late to ask hub to send it over to our parents' place. Looks like I wouldn't be cooking tomorrow & Mee Betawi will be seen again in a few months' time.

On Thursday, I found that I couldn't get out of bed. My back was so hurt that I thought it would break in two. It hurt really bad that I cried. Thought I lay down for a while & waited for the pain to subside. I even called my mum in case I really couldn't get up the whole day. Mum volunteered to come but since she's in CCK I felt bad about troubling her. So I decided to call hub instead. Mum suspected it has to do with the baby. I thought I had overworked the day before cooking since morning.

I was fortunate to find the strength to at least get up & shower with the excruciating pain. I was in so much pain that I scolded 'Ufairah for insisiting that I sent her downstairs to wait for the school bus to come pick her up. She finally left for school crying.

Mum called again & asked me to go to the hospital. I decided to call my gynae first to check cos what if I'm not ready to give birth when I reached the hospital. My dear gynae asked me to come to the clinic first for him to assess. Hub rushed back, with the ready hospital bag in the vehicle. I was given priority to see my gynae, given the situation I was in.

My gynae informed me that I was already 3cm dilated! He said, "You are in labour my dear." And so we had to make our way to East Shore Hospital. Oh my, that was really fast. I couldn't believe that I was going to give birth on the 18th of October.

I kept praying that this would be smooth & fast one. I hope the baby would be delivered in 3 hours. (Yeah, fat chance!) Even at 4pm the baby was still not ready. By the time my gynae came over to the hospital (after he had closed the clinic), I was still not ready to give birth, that I decided to expedite the process. In my head I just wanted to get it done & over with, which means that after making this decision I would have to bear all the pain of pushing.

Ya Allah, I thought.. Just give me the strength. Alhamdulillah, my pushing & breathing was smooth & at 6.20pm Syed Ghazi was born. I was so relieved.

As I was not pretty sure if this was gonna be my last pregnancy, I have actually enjoyed the labour part. This time I was more prepared & calm des[ite having a fever during labour & excessive bleeding after giving birth. Ghazi apparently turned blue for a while & he had to be sent to the nursery first to clean & put in the warmer. I had to stay behind due to the bleeding. Half an hour later I was sent to the ward.

By the time hub had to leave the hospital, we (or I) still haven't held Ghazi yet. According to the ward nurse, he had to continue to stay in the warmer as he was still bluish. So I had to wait till tomorrow then.

At night I couldn't sleep well, kept waking up every hour. At 5am when the nurses came to check the blood pressure & temperature, they discovered that I had a high fever. My temperature was 38.9C. The nurses said it could be due to the bleeding. If my fever continued, I couldn't be discharged.

In the morning, hub came over with the kids. I had felt guilty about scolding 'Ufairah before she left for school the day before that I asked hub to let her skipped school today. She was delighted to see her new baby brother but Zinedine tried to stay away. Guessed this will take time.

My temperature finally came down on Saturday 20th October & both me & baby can be discharged together. Lucky for Ghazi that the jaundice hadn't shown yet.

On Wednesday when we brought Ghazi for a check-up, it was discovered that his jaundice level had shot up to 306, which meant that he had to be put under photo therapy. My heart sank that I had to leave him in the hospital. I had a choice to either put him back in East Shore or KKH. After much thought I decided to put him in East Shore for 2 days. At least it's nearer for us to visit him.

On Thursday the jaundice level came down to 188. We hoped it would go down even more tomorrow so he can be discharged. His skin was so dry from the photo therapy session but more importantly the jaundice came down.

On Friday I waited anxiously for the call. At 10.30am the hospital called & asked me to fetch Ghazi. His jaundice has gone down to 142 but we still have to continue to sun him. I made my way there with Mum & Zinedine. Dad will fetch us from the hospital later. Hub can only leave work in the afternoon, as he's got training in the morning. It was a relief to bring Ghazi back home & he slept through 6 hours straight from his last feeding time. Since the weather is not so permitting I can only sun him once a day - either in the morning or evening.

On Saturday, got a visit from dearest Effa & family. Although it was a short visit, I appreciate the time you spared. I felt like we haven't finished talking. Perhaps we'll meet & talk again on another occassion.

On Sunday, hub's ex-collegues from the airport & my colleagues came over. Since I'm not so much of a photo/picture person, I didn't take any pictures from their visit.

I truly appreciate all the people who came over to visit. Surprisingly when we are letting go of this house by end of this year, we are now being visited by many people. I hope when we move to the new house, friends will continue to come insya'allah.

Last but not least here are pics of the kids during Hari Raya & the new guy in the house.

Brother Zinedine & sister 'Ufairah

Ummi with baby Ghazi

What's for Hari Raya?

I have no idea what to cook initially, except for the Sambal Kacang. But takkan nak makan Sambal Kacang aje kan?? So I have to cook some other dishes. Asked dearest hub for his wishlist. I hope he won't ask me to cook any difficult dishes.. Finally he settled for Sambal Goreng Pengantin. I have not cooked this before but am willing to give it a shot. I hope it works tomorrow. Another dish that I chose for the kids will be Ayam Masak Merah. So 3 dishes should be enough.

I should have expected that my mum, mum-in-law & aunts will be contributing on the kuih-muih part. I only made 3 - Triple Choc Chip Cookies, Fruitee Cookies & Cheese & Prune Cookies. Now altogether I have 15 types of kuihs & crisps. Can you believe that?! Oh and that's not inclusive of 2 types of fruit cakes.

I guess it's fine cos I'll be giving birth soon & I anticipate that friends & relatives will be coming over. The kuihs will be served as I don't think I'm up to cook anything else for the guests.

Well got to stop here now. Preparing for breaking fast & after that got to deliver Pineapple Tarts to a friend & Rempeyek to in-laws'.

Will update on my Raya cooking soon..

Wazz Up?!

So what have I been up to lately?

Since my July entry, I have taken some orders (despite being very tired) because I just couldn't bear to disappoint some contacts like Yatie, who for the second time requested for 2 dozen Blueberry Cheesecups; Eleaza, who requested for 2 dozen Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecups & a whole Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake; Liyana, who requested for a dozen Oreo Cheesecups, 2 dozen Blueberry Cheesecups & a dozen Chocolate Mousse for a gathering; last but not least Marshmallow Brownie for Siti.

Blueberry Cheesecups for Yatie

Eleaza's Chocolate Hazelnut

Liyana's Blueberry & Oreo Cheesecups & Chocolate Mousse

Marshmallow Brownie for Siti

I continue to receive requests from repeat & new contacts, but so as not to jeopardise the quality of my goodies because I was starting to feel really lethargic, I didn't accept them. I hope they will understand. Insya'allah when I'm better after the delivery I'll take the orders (probably earlier than 1st February '08).

Today, I am 2 weeks away from my expected delivery date (I'm due on 20th October). My gynae has advised me to standby my hospital bag in the vehicle while house-visiting during Hari Raya.

I've not started my Maternity Leave yet, although everyone has been asking me when I'll be resting, why am I still working etc...

Firstly I don't have that much Annual Leave left (although the temptation of taking Unpaid Leave is there). Secondly, what will I do at home if I'm on Leave?

Well for a start, I've made some cookies for Hari Raya during my OFF days. I managed to make triple Chocolate Chip cookies, Fruitee cookies & Prune & Cheese (soft) cookies & given some to both my mum & mother-in-law. I'm contemplating whether I should make my Brownies for them too. I'll decide next week.

I'm glad that I already bought clothes for 'Ufairah & Zinedine. Plus some stuff for the house too.

I've yet to buy tablecloths & flowers for the house. I hope I still have time cos my next antenatal appointment is on Tuesday & I have to go to the maid's agency for my new one; I have to send the cookies over to my mum's & get some from there too; I have yet to decide what to cook for Hari Raya although one is already confirmed - Sambal Kacang, so I need to go to the market to get some stuff & spices. There's like so many things to do in such a short week.

I'm only starting my leave the week after Raya, which is the week I'm due for delivery. Maybe I shouldn't get too ambitious in doing so many chores for this Raya. Well, I see what & how much I can do.

Talking about maid, I've 'booked' for a new one to come in after Raya & during my Maternity Leave so I have enough time to teach her what to do, especially caring for the newborn. The current one is due to leave end January while I start work in the early month. After much thinking & to avoid stress in teaching the new maid, I've decided to send the current one home 2 months early. If I were to wait till the current contract ends, I can foresee I'm going to get stressed out not having enough time to teach the new maid & God knows how she will take care of my newborn.

The new maid does not have any experience in Singapore & this will be her first time here. I have stressed that I'm going to be very particular especially in taking care of my children, so I hope she will be able to adapt to my style.

Alright peeps, time to go. Got a birthday party to bring the kids to later (my boss' daughter's birthday). Will update more on the Hari Raya preparations next week.

Selamat Berpuasa!

Update

I haven't been blogging for a long time; probably due to the morning & evening sickness plus my body has been takig a toll on me. I get tired easily nowadays & appetite to eat has just started.

Now that I'm in my 2nd trimester, I have been cutting down a lot on my orders. I do not wish to jeopardize the quality of my goodies if I'm not up to it. But of course there are some orders which I just can't refuse.

I'm planning to temporarily stop taking order between September '07 & January '08. Reasons being:

1) September we'll be ushering the month of Ramadhan & I don't think I can stretch myself to accepting orders for Syawal;

2) Making preparations for my delivery after Hari Raya (in October);

3) Will be recuperating between November & January & bonding with the baby.

Although I feel a little sad that I have to stop taking orders soon, I have to do what I have to do. Like what dearest hubby said, it's only temporary & it's for my own good. Otherwise I'll get too tired for the delivery day itself.

Though this is the 3rd time I'll be giving birth, the stigma of going through labour makes me scared. I'm afraid to go through pain. All I can hope for is shorter labour time, really.

Anyways, for the latest updates on my goodies you can visit sistabrownie site.

Cheers!

Received another order from Nizar for Oreo Cheesecakeon 18th May. Apparently his wife has been taking in orders for me from her contacts & colleagues. Really appreciate it. As he's been ordering quite a number of Oreo Cheesecake from me, I try to come up with different designs. This time, it's Hersheys with choc chips.

Oreo Cheesecake

On the 22nd, Lynda requested for a premium brownie birthday cake for Esman & Fazli, who are celebrating their brithday on the same day. Toppers request - Rochers & Hersheys.

Premium Brownie

After transferring the brownie into the cake box, hurried down to the polyclininc for dear son's final jab - the 18th month DPT jab. After this jab, he'll 'graduate' from all jabs until he's 3 years old for his development assessment.

Although the appointment (at 10.45am) was his nap time, I was relieved that he was very co-operative. The only unco-operative about this whole thing was the polyclininc system, which was so slow. Zinedine had already shown his restlessness while waiting for the payment queue to flash. By the time everything was done it was lunch already. Lucky this is his final jab.

In the afternoon, I thought of preparing for mafiaprinses' order - 4 dozens of cheesecups. But was too exhausted from the polyclinic trip that I thought I should have a rest first before going for my antenatal check-up at 2pm.

The waiting time was short this time. I guessed not many patients like to come in the afternoon. Furthermore, doctor did not have any emergencies at the time.

Baby is now 14-15 weeks old. I was surprised that the growing rate this time is slow compared to the last check-up. But doctor assured me that everything is fine. Will be doing my blood test in 3 weeks. Gender? It's still not clear but I kinda suspect which gender baby is. Even hubby agreed with me.

When we arrived home, I quickly whipped up the cheese mixture for mafiaprinses' orders to be collected on 23rd May afternoon. They were all finally done by midnight, which is not too bad, considering the slow pace.

An array of Oreo, Blueberry & Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecups

Of which, one set is for a friend's birthday....

Coming up will be a newcomer to the cheese family, which I will be 'launching' soon.

Stay tuned.