The Frontyardigans - Patio and Garden Makeover

How to have BBQ area at the front yard? exclaimed Maklang over the phone to mama. Yeap, normally people have their BBQ area at the backyard but we have a small backyard  ,mama has to take advantage of our long front yard as our terrace house is 22 x 100.It is not impossible to have BBQ at the terrace house and it is okay to have it at the front yard as long as you do it properly.Mama has seen many in the magazines especially houses in Europe as Americans, they are pure backyardigans:)With a small budget and a little bit of creativity and research you can have a cosy patio with nice BBQ area, plan you project properly and try to recycle as much possible.It is always nice to have makeover at your house but when it involves renovation especially if there is painting works the mess is horrible! Your birthday is coming up tomorrow and this year mama decided to have a very small and close celebration at home only(jimat mode actually..haaa..haaa). Since the workers completed their work yesterday only, mama had to clean the messy area last nite until 12.30 am, it was a pure buruh work,had to dig the ground to take out pebbles,angkat the batu,cabut the rumput,move all the big old pots etc.Having said that, it always worth it when you see the result and satisfaction is maximum when you do it with your own hands.Okay girls peek a boo at the makeover,let's see before and after.

The patio and garden before.The pergola sitting got to go off as it had been hit by termites, once taken down we have more space there and we recycled the lattice screens from the pergola.

The maximum mess shown yesterday, the overall area is worst than this view actually,the maid didn't know where to start,so last nite mama took a plate of big bukhari rice,singsing lengan and cleaned the area,papa upon reaching home at 8.00 pm with his neck tie stilled on,put down his bag and helped mama too.

The Result!- Yeaahhh after spending two hours papa managed to put together this "Out Back Bounty Gas BBQ",it is quite cool because you have a hot plate next to the grill,you can do you omellete,sunny side up etc there:) The white peek a boo lattice is  from our pergola,mama asked the worker to paint it white and used it  as a feature and also screen.

We ve got licence to grill now:) The feature tiles on the wall are leftover from the Monterez house.

The Patio furnitures are the old ones ,the original colour was dark brown and mama painted it white to match the lattice.

Mama got the floor tiled,before this it was soil with pebbles but once you have small kids,the pebbles become bullet and kite. Now we have shaded area to sit and gossip.

Mama rearranged the garden bench under the tree..boleh main dam ular kat situ:) When we have extra money mama will fix white picket fences to the existing pagar besi.

Kena tanam rumput baru..ni rumput 6 years ago,masa mula2 duduk,kena ganti bunga2..banyak kerja lagi..tapi at least mama dah kemas malam tadi..nampak bersih kan..no more horrific view.Nanti balik kemas2 lagi,esok mama cuti, we tunggu Kak Ayan bawak Pingu cake and kak ikin datang pagi nak tolong2 mama:) Mesti syok kan.

Nice & Pretty Things I See Today.

Uhhhhhh ..the beautiliciousss Donashi for Tia Mia:)..sink your teeth into it and the cream will jump out,lick your mouth and close your eyes:)

 

My kitchen super pan crust pizza for beakfast..see the crawling cheese..they are yummy yummy.

My " No mamak can beat" mee goreng mamak..haa..haaa they are heaven too:)

My "just the way i want it" outdoor handwash basin at the BBQ area..nearly completed.

Peek a boo at my BBQ area..coming soon.

The horrific view(small picture only okay) : the maximum mess in my garden due to the works..Arghhhhhh Tia Mia's birthday is coming up this Thursday 24/6..i have to skip sleep tonite to clear the area.. hopefully the workers manage to complete the work today.

Papa it is your Day!

Happy Father's Day to our Papa,You are the best,we give you loves,loves and loves-signed Tia Khadeja & Mia Ayesha.

No fancy restaurant celebration,just a warm note with love aroma filling the kitchen:)Hmm mama got too many things in her kitchen:)

No steak at the expansive restaurant for our papa but a healthy "Mee Suah Soup" cooked by our mama using all the best ingredients for our breakfast.

No big cake at the happening karaoke for our papa but a yummylicious tiramisu papa's all time favourite picked by our mama.

With no make up,no gucci earing we celebrated Papa's Day with our curly hairs and heart fulled with loves- We love you papa,may Allah Sbt bless all of us.Amin.

We took papa to the Hills for lunch and fun.

Mama entertained us so that papa can eat in peace.

We then took papa for an adventure at the outdoor theme park-don't be scared with the rides papa,we will hold your hands.

After the long rides,mama treats us for ice lollies.

It was fun eating ice lollies under the tree.

The lolly was really good, once the ice is gone, we ve got to eat the jelly inside:)

Happy Father's Day papa, we give today to you,we hope you have enjoyed this day like us- signed yours truly- The two curly girls who love you forever and ever.

Mama we want cha..chaaa..chaaa

Yesterday morning both asked for bubur cha cha since the they saw the packet in the cabinet. Cha cha tu kan nak kena rendam biar lembut dulu,so mana lah sempat pagi semalam,mama buat bakso jer,tapi rendam lah chacha tu jugak and keep it in the fridge.Last nite after dinner both dah settled in the room watching vcd, mama went to the kitchen,tak sampai hati tak buat kan,so keluarkan dari fridge buat lah cha,cha ni..tambah pisang nak bagi flavour to suit uwan punya taste.Mama went up panggil both and papa makan kat bawak..Ya Allah anak beranak main sorok2 bawah blanket,bawak torchlight..ketawa mengelekek lagi..rupanya tengok vcd "Backyardigans with ghost":)



Ni dia budak yang nak chacha and ramba tu..duduk makan kat luar malam2 tu happy sangat lah..siap bergayut sana sini..siap pakai gumboots belari kat laman yang masih in a mess lagi.

Both suka lah menarik loceng ni..mama bought this bell from a soveniour shop at Sri Menanti Palace, old bell from the the old palace.

Projeck kecik kat garden dah nak siap..tiles ni mama beli utk rumah monterez dulu nak letak kat outdoor oven tapi tak jadi..so mama suruh worker lekat kat tempat outdoor kita sekarang..nanti dah siap hasil kita tunjuk okay.

My Bakso

Mama has promised auntie Narimah to put Bakso@meatballs soup with noodles's receipe.So this morning mama cooked bakso again since the first reception from people in the house  was really good.It is a case where a Malaysian cooked Bakso and feed the Indonesian,must be really good my bakso as heni terkebil-kebil makan tak cukup:) Bakso is a very simple dish, street food orang indonesia, mama belajar from our very first maid who worked at  our house for 3 months only, she was very young,married,husband tinggal kat Indon,she couldn't bare it every nite mimpi husband,kalau boleh tiap hari lah dia nak makan bakso.Jom belajar buat bakso :

Bahan2

Meatballs
(can do your own meatballs kalau rajin or in mama's case mama used "Marina Frozen meatballs")
Lots and lots of garlic and small onions.
Whole white pepper (guna banyak jugak,if you have small kids use it sparely,keep aside the balance,just add to your own bowl for the hot flavour)
Beef stock ( an option, kalau nak flavour beef lagi rich)
Noodles- mama used beehon without pengawet,read the label.
Spring onions/bawang goreng (an option too)

Cara2
Pound your garlic/onion and the whole white pepper. Heat up the pan,put 3 spoons of olive oil,fry the garlic/onion./pepper until naik bau,add in your meatballs,fry another 5 mins,add in the beef stock (if you have it),add water and let it boil for at least 10 or 15 mins. Boil water, cook your bee hoon,drain and put aside. How to serve- put the beehoon in the bowl,add in the soup with meatballs,spinkle your spring onion,add in the bawang goreng. If rajin buatlah ambal kicap cilipadi with asam limau.Sangat sedap makan panas2..berpeluh satu badan.

Tukang makan sangat happy,makan soup duduk kat meja wet kitchen lah..sebab akan tumpah bagi,so duduk kat meja ni makan lah sampai basah badan..tak kisah.Pagi ni breakfast bakso with rock melon,simple and healthy.

This girl is a bit greedy when it comes to food but she is very good at reading:) Yesterday mama bought two books for both : "Where is My Mummy- Little Polar Bear is  looking for mummy" and "Where is My Mummy -Little Duckling is looking for mummy". Mama read twice and she can read the whole book,walaupun she summarized it. The page that reads " Little Duckling is looking for mummy, she saw a horse on the field eating grass and she asked 'are you my mummy", the horse replied "No, i am not your mummy, i don't have feathers like her" Tia will read like this " Little duckling looking for mummy,are you may mummy? Nooo.. i am a horse" She will read the whole book until the final page that says " Little duckling saw a duck " Are you my mummy'? "Yes little one.. I am your mummy,come hereeeee i hug you". She read in a very sad tones...macam anak itik yang betul2 hilang mummy..so kesian. Since dua orang girls ni memang suka tiru meniru and compete,bila Tia baca, Mia pun sibuk jugak lah membaca.Wahh mama so happy and really proud of you both:)

Shallow and Vain.

My House front area is in a mess now. It is nothing big, a very small budget works, we have asked our old contractor to help construct a small area for bbq and instal an outdoor basin.Some of the tiles were brought from the house form Monterez, we used it here,at least we can have some memories. Tia Mia are getting bigger and we need more activities together.Building a new house will take sometimes especially if you don't have big money ever ready in your account..So we are going to stay at Sepah Puteri for long,where ever we stay i want us to be cosy and  have an place outdoor  where we can gather and have fun. I always love the idea of eating under the moon:) since terrace house area is restricted i ve got to be creative, with a very tight budget i ve got to think how to teach the contractor to do it my way so that there will less work,less complication but at the same time a cosy place to hang out.But .ada orang tak senang hati,showed her "Penicilin" face to me,I thought i never want to talk bad about people, i don't fancy it, it is a total waste of time but some people is so good at driving your blood to the moon and bring eclispe to your summer day. It is not that i am scared of her or do not know the word "sarcastic"..i can be a fighter cock too, i can be sarcastic, i can a bitch...i can be very good at all those "qualities" if want too..but again that is not the way i was brought up and i don't want to waste my time,.life is too short i want to live in harmony. You may flash your gold bracelet as big as  the log,you may show your collection of plates, you may brag about your living in US.. sorry ..i will not have the perasaan dengki, i so bersyukur with watever i have. If you are gorgoues as Miss Universe(which is not in this case), if you wear Prada to do gardening, carry Gucci to market, use Royal Doulton as your kitten bowl..i will say you are so fortunate.I love to see fellow ladies look beautiful,take care of themselves, their homes,up todate in social life, educated and live a good life. Sometimes susah nak predict hati orang ni..mulut manis,hati tak manisWell those are cabaran kecik2 that we have..kalau tak life tak colourful pulak, tak der lah bahan gossip nak bual dengan ikin,kak nur maklang bila dia orang datang.

This is our messy area..buat sikit pun bersepah banyak.

Tutup sikit jer this area nak letak portable bbq stove kat sini..Tiles kat dinding tu from Monterez..hopefully bila dah siap it will look nice.

 

Ni lah tempat nak letak outdoor basin, tak kacau area sesiapa pun....hmm cepat2 lah siap kan Alvin,boleh bersihkan semua..tak sabar nak buat bbq ni.Hai hati jangan lah kau berdengki..kalau kita rasa aman dalam hati,wajah pun jadi cerah dan ceria...

Entry Fashionista Ngengada sikit..tapi sikit jer.

A very Good Morning:) Sorry pagi ni buat entry mengada sikit..gambar pun mengada2 sikit,tak pernah buat macam ni mama..he..hee..ni saja2 seronok tau.Cerita entry mengada ni inspired by  blog kawan baik mama actually.Mama read in her entry pasal sang suami komen apa baju isteri pakai..kawan mama tu cakap kadang2 dia tengok pasangan suami isteri,nampak berbeza sangat dari segi pakaian dan citarasa,..yang kadang2 buat kita terfikir 'ehhhh....".Hmmm memang betul kadang2 kita fikir "wahhh husband nampak bergaya,isteri pulak selekeh..ehhh isteri nampak elegant,suami macm ni,macam ni..jahat lah fikiran kita..why ada automatic button yang nak fikir macam tu".Anyway,kawan mama cakap pagi tu sebelum keluar pergi beli newspaper dia pakai tshirt and jeans,dia tanya lah sang suami "bang okay ke i pakai ni'..sang suami jawab " nampak macam kakak kerani"...adussss...notty,notty sang suami..anda pun bukan Brad Pitt tau...and kakak kerani ramai yang seksi sekarang..hee..hee.So kesimpulan dia,husband ni memang kadang2 suka cakap tak fikir..apa sebenarnya makna dia..atau yang dia really fikir dalam benak dia kita tak really tahu.Macam papa,bila tanya,semua okay,pakai apa pun okay,nak kerat rambut pendek ke panjang ke semua okay..geram jugak..cuma bila mama nak potong rambut ada bang/fringe kat depan,macam artis hong kong tu haaaa tau pulak tak bagi..saje jer.Apa pun jom kita tengok gambar ngengada ni sikit and see how pelbagai fashion selaur apek.

Ni lah rupa dan pakaian tidur kegemaran mama,t shirt and seluar tidur belang2...sejak dari dulu pilih seluar mesti seluar macam apek yang duduk depan kedai cina kecik kat kampung hisap curut..sungguh nyaman seluar tidur ni..tapi jangan tak tau seluar tidur apek dan t shirt besar no boleh di pelbagaikan tau.

Then...nak kena pi beli newspaper??? jangan risau..anda boleh bergaya,tukar seluar,ambik belt letak kat pinggang..tak mandi lagi tak pe,make up tak ada pun tak pe..sorok mata bengak anda dengan sunglasses..macam artis selalu buat tu..haaaa..dah boleh berlenggang ke kedai surat khabar.

.

Lepas tu kena masak pulak..jangan risau jugak..sila sarung seluar tidur balik,letak t shirt and cardigan simpul di dada, walaupun prefer pakaian yang "berangin " tapi sebab ada a few workers tengah buat kerja kat garden rumah..kena lah tak 'berangin" pakaian anda.

Ha..haaa mengada gambar kan..mintak maap..ni nak bagi tips berfesyen pakai seluar apek jer..dengan sedikit kreativiti..seluar apek boleh pergi ke mana jua.Okay lah jom tengok apa budak kenits buat hujung minggu.

The two kenits pergi makan spaghetti and ice cream with mama and papa...tapi kenits tak pakai seluar apek dia bergaya dengan jacket dia.

Pas tu kenits ikut mama pergi fish spa kat jusco sementara papa simpan barang kat kereta..papa ambik gambar bergegar lah..mia rasa geli ..tak nak dah lepas tu..tia langsung tak mau letak kaki..memang rasa geli sangat ikan gigit2 kaki kita..tapi bila dah keluar wahhh kakai really bersih and berkilat lah:)

Kenits got their first water colour set..they have been asking it for so long..yesterday we bought the Dora set at Toy R rus..suka betul dua orang tu semalam.See..happy..tak ingat apa..sini lah tempat activity dia orang..senang sikit nak kemas..laminated flooring..ada kotor apa..wipe aje.Uwan bersantai bersama cucu2nya di serambi kampung kita.Sebelum berpisah..tips hari ini..item penting di pagi hari utk mengubah penampilan anda..sepasang sunglasses..tak perlu yang mahal..beli jer Mark&Spencer macam mama ni..RM79 terus boleh jadi Ella:)Se baik tak jadi kirim Coach sunglasses kat maklang's friend..ini murah and bergaya jugak:)