Whipped & Creamy

My heart was set on making Shaun some 4th of July cupcakes today.  In the midst of chicken soup brewing on the stove top and a fussy little cranky but handsome baby at my feet I realized I failed to buy butter cream icing!?  Instead, I bought whipped and creamy =( BIG MISTAKE!

So instead of....

I was really looking forward to trying this! Perhaps I should take a
cake decorating class prior to attempting this!

 ...it was...

There was no way my whipped and creamy icing was going to do
anything but look whipped and creamy :)  Lesson learned!

Goals for July

Considering today is the last day of June I thought it would be nice to have some goals for the coming month.  So here they are...

July Goals

1. Finish reading A Tiger in the Kitchen: A Memoir of Food and Family by  Cheryl Lu-lien Tan.  This book has been such a great read for me.  I first read about it in the Houston paper.  It has helped me in understanding as well as appreciating the Singaporean culture just a little bit more. 
2. Get both Shaun and I vaccinated against  whooping cough (pertussis). According to the CDC, "pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection. Although it initially resembles an ordinary cold, whooping cough may eventually turn more serious, particularly in infants. Whooping cough is most contagious before the coughing starts. The best way to prevent it is through vaccinations. The childhood vaccine is called DTaP."
3. Organize what ever mess I have hidden under my bed over the past couple of months. 
4. Take a cake decorating class at Michael's craft store.  This one is pending the approval of my CFO. ;)
5. Utilize and follow my new little menu planner in which I have made in order to prevent me from stressing out about to cook over the course of the next month.  Hope to alleviate impulsive and rushed trips to the grocery store. 
6.  Complete my online self defensive driving course.  Enough said.  =(

As you can see my intent is to cook 3-4 times a week.  :)

With Great Pleasure and Joy

The last two days have been out of the ordinary compared to the norm.  Shaun has been homesick.  Those of you who know my husband very very very well know that he very rarely gets sick and hardly stays home as a result of being sick.  When he called me yesterday during the late morning to inform me he was coming home early (4pm) because he was feeling ill, I knew he was going to come home with more than just an ache or a sore throat.  Yes, your read right, 4pm is way early by his standards.  Well, it just so happens that today I too have joined the sickly crowd.  Thank you Eve!?  For those of you who understood, I appreciate your sympathy. Nine months ago I would have taken my "woe is me" little self and jumped right into bed with my heating pad and a bottle of Midol. Not the case today!  By God's grace alone I rose up out of my warm and comfy side of the bed to nurse and care for my wonderful husband.  It was then that I was reminded of how during my single days I held a strong desire and urge to be to a loving wife to a godly man.  God in His perfect plan and timing delivered me to him. In our talks about our future together we agreed the plan was for me to stay home once babies joined the Tan clan. I can recall being at work as a newly wed daydreaming as I stared out my window wanting to do nothing more than being at home supporting my husband.  Whether it meant folding towels, preparing dinner or making a bed my desire was for my husband.  There are many wonderful ways in which amazing wives support amazing husbands, but this was the way I desired to do so.  To some these tasks may sound menial, but to me it was and is still a sweet offering not only unto my husband, but unto the Lord.  I now stay home with our nine and a half months old son during some of the most influential years of his life.  I cook, clean, wash, dry, iron and change diapers, but I also witness some of life's most precious and beautiful moments as well as receive into my arms an amazing and hard working man at the end of each and every day.  Therefore, today while my husband is home ill and my adorable little son is hungry and cranky it is with great pleasure and joy that I serve both them and my God.

ML

Spanish, Mandarin and English???

Spanish, Mandarin and English???  I've come to realize that becoming a trilingual family has to be intentional! Speaking Spanish around Zachary has not come as natural as I thought.  With our primary languages being English, both Shaun and I often forget to turn on the switch and speak in our native languages while Zachary is around. Though, we're not quite sure how this will all work out, we feel confident that it will.  During my alone time with Zachary I attempt to speak only Spanish to him.  As Zachary and I make our way around the apartment I find random topics fur us to talk about.  Our conversations may center around the platano (banana) he has smothered all over his high chair to the secadora (dryer) he loves to bang on as we spend time in the kitchen. As I wake in the mornings I find Shaun speaking to Zachary in several different languages.  Whether it be Mandarin, Cantonese or Hokkien, both Zachary and I share the same confusion. Fortunately one of us will eventually understand.  While my efforts may seem futile at times, I try to remind myself that there is no better time for Shaun and I to share with our son the languages that have become our avenues of communication with some of our most dearest loved ones.   

Happy Tummy = Happy Baby

Play time in the kitchen!

BBQ Cupcakes

I can recall during my preteen & teen years my mother baking on  regular basis.  If she wasn't making wedding cakes, her and I were making classroom treats, cakes or pumpkin pies.  Though I never learned to make Mexican rice, tortillas, or any other dish for that matter one thing I will always keep near to my heart is baking.  Let me not mislead you, I'm no cake boss!  I'm more of a Betty Crocker/Duncan Hines kinda girl-right outta the box!  Since marrying Shaun I've thoroughly enjoyed baking for him. I love to love him this way! I mostly bake for his colleagues more than I do for him.  I love love love sending him off to work with a sweet treat for his department.  Also a good way to win him some favor with the big boss! ;)  Hopefully favor and not disgust! :)  This week I scrambled the web for a Father's Day celebration treat and found cutest little cupcake idea! I failed to take a picture of my finished product :( so instead I've pasted a picture of the one on the web. 

Keeping It Simple

Okay here I go! It's been a while since I've made time to blog.  I've got approximately 52 minutes until our little one is due to wake and demand my attention.  Zachary is a few days away from turning 9 months!  Down below are some tidbits.

Things Zachary enjoys...
1. smiling for the camera
2. watching bubbles float in air
3. taking a bath
4. hitting surfaces from the tub, window sills, TV console
5. hanging out in the bathroom, closet
6. sitting on the kitchen floor playing with Tupperware
7. saying, "ma-ma-ma-ma", "pa-pa-pa-pa", "ba-ba-ba-ba"
8. being thrown into the air
9. eating paper
10. playing with springy door stopper

Things Zachary dislikes...
1. diaper change
2. being prohibited from crawling into a closet or bathroom
3. being put down to sleep

Social Butterfly
We are so thankful that he continues to be a happy baby full of laughter and smiles. We're convinced he'll have no problem making friends.  As of yet he's not hit any major stranger anxiety.  At this time we consider that a major plus!  An extra set of hands is always helpful!  He loves to stare and laugh at other children.  Women go crazy over his one-dimpled smile.

Chomp-Chomp-Chomp
After returning from Italy we were welcomed by our smiling baby and his two bottom teeth.  Two months later Zachary's two front teeth are making their debut.  My do they look big! I will have to take credit for that.

Keep It Simple
Recently, I feel the Lord encouraging me to grow in certain areas of my life.  One area being my possessions.

 For those of you that know Shaun well, you know he is quite simple and cautious with his spending.  You can just imagine the conversations we've had about needs v. wants. Two years ago this would have been the last thing on my list to work on. Recently Shaun shared a story of a girl who only owned 100 personal items. I was impressed but not moved because I knew I could never never ever own 100 items!  "Good for her!, I thought. I later shared this with Shaun and he then said, "maybe you're not the girl who owns 100 items, but 500 items".  I thought, "hmm..that's possible! I can do 500."  I'm convinced this was the Lord's gentle way of saying I was a bit excessive.  Since then I've been filtering through our things and ridding ours lives of the extras.  Please don't be deceived, I'm not keeping count of what we own, our lives are still quite comfy, but I am reconsidering the need for things that simply down make much of a difference.  Some day, if the Lord permits, we hope to move overseas to serve the needs of those in south east Asia.  We're not sure when, where or how or even if.  Well, Shaun is pretty sure about the "if".  :)  We do know that where God leads, we will follow.  When that time comes we'll have to pack our belongings and sell the rest for a fraction of what we paid or to be donated.  This definitely encourages me to consider the cost of what I'm paying and whether I'll be okay receiving a quarter in exchange for it a couple of years later.  More than what we may lose or gain it is the mere fact that the less we take for ourselves the more we are able to give away.  That, I absolutely love!!!

ML