Say Hi to our new pets!

After a rather long and painstaking process, we finally added 8 happy swimmers into our pond.
They are: 3 Kohaku's, 1 yellow Ogon, 1 Sanke, 1 Showa, 1 Ginrin Chagoi, and 1 Tancho Showa, which is my favourite because of the red blotch on its shapely head, white body and black flecks.

Have a zen & happy long weekend folks!

Sanctuary is where my home is.

my new pets - Staghorn ferns (stags).

and our pond...

...it needs some Kohaku's and Chagoi's.

" A home is built with love and dreams" Anonymous

the most beautiful room in the house

Presenting....


our Little Boy's Room.

Progress of our renovation works:
Paint jobs are complete, laminate tops are installed for bay windows.
We're left with some touch ups and carpentry work.
Tomorrow, the landscape company is coming to install our fibreglass tank.

I'm getting more and more excited by the unfolding of our almost-done home :)

New home, new plans?

As we are edging closer and closer to the Big Move, I can't help but think of what are our logistic plans and our school/work plans gonna be.

First of all, I would like to announce that I have found a new job.

Yes. I'm going back to being a working mom soon. I have been headhunted to join a private O&G practice in a swanky hospital in town, and the doctor is going to be my direct boss. That means, no more serving bed pans, no more working shifts. I will be a private nurse assisting my direct boss only and my clientale base will be those of private paying-class profile. That is all I'm willing to divulge. And my new boss has been very obliging, she let me start work in May, so these few months I've been free to catch up on my school work and shuttle to and from our new house overseeing the renovation works. Is that cool or what!!

I'm really happy to have been offered this job, so yeah, I am really looking forward.

Secondly, in an unexpected turn of events, we now have not only one, but instead, TWO contractors working on our house simultaneously at the same time. Though they are working on different areas of the house, we're just really lucky my Mom is sponsoring one of the two contractors. So yeap, we may have outdone ourselves this time, having 2 teams of people working on our dream home. I've always counted my lucky stars :)

Thirdly, with us moving house and me landed a dream job offer, I am currently discussing with Andy whether to pull Adam out of his current playschool because logistically, it is not feasible for me to wake him up at 6am in the mornings just so I could get to work at 8.30AM sharp. Andy wakes up at 10am for work daily, so by the time he sends Adam to school, most of the school day would be over since Adam gets off school at 12.30pm. It just doesnt make sense for him to carry on in his current school anymore. I'm abit sad, because he absolutely loves school and wakes up looking forward to seeing his teacher and friends everyday. However, I believe this would be the best arrangement for us, for now. He's too young to start a Nursery/Kindy program proper, since he isn't even 2 yet.

So right now, I'm thinking of signing us up for weekend enrichment programs at Gymboree (for play) and Growing Up Gifted. I just realised we still have 2 free sessions at Gymboree which we never got down to utilising. This would be a good time to do it.

So many new things coming up, we're excited!

Hello from Parc Lumiere

I'm now at the new home with Aunt LY checking for defects and testing all the aircon units. It's a tedious process but we're enjoying every part of it as I know it'll eventually be worth it!

Signing off,

V.

edit to add:

Here's Kai checking out his new home..

He said he wants to "you yong" (swim) inside the planter.... -__-

Chose his room and showing it off to Grandma, Daddy & uncle Tony

"Mummy, my new room!"

Sorry peeps if I sometimes take ages to reply SMSes or miss your calls. I've been busy as a bee with the new home, meeting contractors and different people for different quotations. Oh yah, we've given the go-ahead to our landscaping company to install a Koi pond in the balcony just yesterday, complete with Chengal wood decking as Andy & I had originally planned. I'm meeting more contractors tomorrow, and the week that follows. On top of all these, I have to rush for lectures and meet assignment deadlines. So yeap... forgive me for MIA-ing. Checking back soon!

Home schweeet home

Where many more fond childhood memories will form. Not from falling off the slide I hope!

I don't know about you, but I love balconies! BBQs, inflatable kiddy (and doggy) pool-parties, sipping bubblies.... You get the idea.

View from our balcony

The place where cooking misadventures will begin.


Welcome home.

YES!!!!

Whooppeee!!!
I wont be able to sleep tonight :)

Our new home update.

Our new pad is ready anytime now, just awaiting key collection. I'm sooooo excited!
The aircons/ wardrobes/ cabinets are all up the last time we went to see with some future neighbours.

The balcony is gonna be my favourite hangout place in the house.
I want some Balinese outdoor furniture, rattan ball light, bird-nest ferns, safari plants, and water feature with koi fishies plsss!

We went choosing wallpaper with Kai the other weekend, finally had some headstart in the deco.
We're gonna paint a rainbow in his bedroom!

New pad is ready!

Received a letter from Sim Lian informing us that our new pad will T.O.P. in Feb 2011.
Key collection will be in March 2011. YAYNESS!

This must be the best piece of news I heard all year! *beams from ear to ear* :D



I've got a list of household purchases already:
The 1st on my list is our Nespresso.



and a water feature plus outdoor furniture would be terrific :D


Home designing and shopping is fun max!

What Little boys love

Was a fruitful day in town today, because by the end of the day, our car boot and passenger seats were loaded with our shopping!

Kai at The Better Toy Store:

Then we went furniture browsing again.. What do little boys love? Is it a cool Ferrari bed?

Or is it F1 Racing bed?

At the Robinsons sale... we found these cool little gadgets!

Do the boys love their personal Popcorn maker when being couch potatoes at home?



Or do they love our awesome new gourmet coffee maker which took a month to arrive?


This machine is so easy to use, and so fuss-free. Just pop a capsule into the maker and out comes your piping hot coffee. Comes in many different flavours ranging from Intenso to Light.
I was happily making cups of coffee for my in-laws and Hubby.

I am not usually a coffee-drinker, but after getting this brilliant new toy, I'm a coffee convert!
If anyone wants to try the coffee I make, do feel free to swing by our home yah?

So the boys got their toys, what does Mummy love?
Well, she got her new Chanel loots.... shoes and a long wallet to match her flap and diamond CC earings *swoon*
Photos coming up soon ;)

Bed browsing

In between my hectic schedule and the weekend, we managed to squeeze in some furniture browsing.
Went to different places to try their beds etc.. and Kai took the honour of testing the bounce factor of the mattresses.

After breaking a vase at Simmons showroom and running into Robin Leong & his partner bed-testing, and all the hooha of sweeping the showroom floor, we kinda decided that we want this!



Bling bling bedframe with hydrolic storage facility and soft mattress with plush pillow-top.

Okays gotta go!
In classic Aussie fashion, it's POETS Day (piss off early tomorrow's Saturday)!
It's Gymboree, picking up our newly arrived Martello, going around browsing more furniture and family time :)

Ciao people!
V. yummy mummy.

GSS Shopping~

Can't wait for our KL trip, Andy & I went to do some GSS shopping for Baby Adam and our new pad.

More board book for Adam's bed time reading


Bright-colored and (quite) destruction proof

Some long-sleeved clothes for KL trip.


Our new toy from Robinson's: a Martello gourmet coffee machine! in Fire-engine RED

came with many freebies such as the frother, lots of free coffee capsules and a capsule display-box.


We saw the demo by the sales rep and were sold. Really cool lah!
I'm gonna learn how to make heart-shaped froth like the below picture for our guests.

Imagine popping by our place for some nice gourmet cuppa, relaxing on our outdoor lounge set and talking cock or simply reading magazines. Cool ain't it?


Next on our to-buy list includes furniture for our "Little Prince's Room":
- Easel (using the vouchers from my sisters Meena & Charm)
- Mammut bookshelf
- Little Tikes Roadster toddler bed

Now I can't stop thinking of buying furniture for our new home. Bank-breaking but fun! :D

More update about the new pad

Paintwork up, and they even tore down the fencing.
I'm so pysched up. If I have to wait any longer, I might have palpitations.

I want Kai to have his own room and our planter to be filled with veggies he planted plus a water feature with fishes he rears, and our living room to be filled with toys so I can organise playdates and gatherings!
The kids can play while the yummy mommies sip some Nespresso. Grand idea isn't it?

When.can.we.move.in??!

Happy New Year 2010~

Hi goodpeople, how was your New Year celebrations?
Here are some belated photos to share.

On the morning of X'mas, busy boys opening the toy pressies.


Baby Adam's new past-time: peeping at his parents.


"I see you, Mom!"


"Stop taking photos and get yer ass HERE to carry me!"


This also means: no hanky-pankying in front of Baby Adam! since his cot is in our room.

...which leads me to wish for:
Our new love-nest to be ready soon!
Everyday I drive past the site and look at the works in anticipation. I'm glad to announce that our apartment is done! Now please hurry up and finish the rest of the estate, Sim Lian!
It's gonna be so fun being neighbours with a crazy woman who's gonna spy on me with her binoculars. I'll most prob bribe KW to help me walk the dogs Hah!

Andy & I have already thought of a list of household items to buy, including a Nespresso machine! 'though none of us drinks coffee hehehe... but we figured our guests would like having a piping hot mug of Nespresso while staying over.

After staying with Andy's parents for a year, I think I've had enough!
There are times when I feel like snatching Baby Adam and running back to my parents', where I am free to park my 3 prams wherever I like, where Baby Adam is free to roam in the 2 huge living rooms (1 with aircon), where the kitchen is spacious enough to accomodate all his steamer, steriliser, slow cooker etc without jamming up the place.

It isnt to say that I detest staying with my in-laws, but it sure is good to have a house to call your own, and have your own say when it comes to even simple things like where to hang the laundry, and nobody can say No to you because this is your pad... doncha think??

My 2nd wish for 2010 would be to - survive school!
I'll be starting in Feb, God bless me.
.
.
.
If you're curious to know how we celebrated the New Year, well, it's been a boring New Year for us.
Everyone in the family caught the flu bug, so for the entire week we've just been taking turns falling sick, especially poor Baby Adam, who took the brunt of it all because all those stupid adults (Andy, his Mum, his brother) just won't cover their mouths and noses when they coughed and sneezed, no matter how I told 'em to! And Baby Adam's toys, playpen and feeding chair are all over the living room!
Infuriating!
So what did this Mummy do? I stuck to my guns like Meena told me to, and I got my Aunt LY, JJ and his gf Liping to come over and carry Baby Adam, his pram, his food, his diaper bag and head back to my parents'. Hah!
And this time, even Andy couldnt say "No" because Baby Adam is sick all because of them.

And Oh oh! Its's my birthday next month.
Can I wish for a new laptop and a Kate Spade diaper bag? *grins*

OK gotta go now.
Till next time!

Friday

Was supposed to bring Baby A to Ikea with us to do some shopping for our new home but just as Andy drove home to pick us up, Baby A decided it's time for a nap - in the evening.
One thing with kids, you cultivate a wry sense of humour because kids always choose the most inconvenient times to come up with something!

When he finally woke up, it was 9pm. Time for bedtime milk milk then off to bed he goes. By the time we tucked him into bed, it was already 10pm.
Thank goodness for the wonders of staying in the East - you get late night shopping and 24hour food :)


Baby A: all dressed up with nowhere to go.

We tucked our little one into bed and headed to Ikea for a quick walk-around.
We're a social couple and this lounge chair set looks casual enough for our spacious balcony when we have friends over whaddya think? :)
Too plain? Wood corrodes and a metal framed one with glass table is better? So many possibilities!

Furniture shopping with Hubby is fun! We love exchanging ideas on how to do up the deco, and it makes me happy whenever we see something we can both agree on.

Luckily for us, the kitchen department has been kindly taken care of by none other than my Mother dearest. She has already bought us a whole lot of kitchen ware that one can possibly imagine - pots, pans, slowcooker, etc which are all stacked up in her storeroom.

Im really eyeing my Dad's tube amp on which Baby A listens to Nursery Ryhmes in the comfort of his Fisher Price swing Heh heh..


Okays going to sleep now. More of home-shopping to come ^_^