Jari Jari jemari ku sakit semua kerna bekerja pagi dan petang!

I am so looking forward to our vacation..so penat:) remember that old song..my emak used to sing it to me when i was small bila she penat..now i  am singing it to my girls:);):) It is quite a challenge to keep the house spotless when you are without a maid..since i cannot live in a messy house  my jari jemari sakit semua kerna berkerja pagi dan petang:):) Tambah lagi dah ada pet ni si Ribbon..huishhh berak dia banyak tak boleh cerita..macam bela kambing pulak..malam after dinner may it be at 9.30 or 10.00 i will go out and sweep, my husband said wait until morning but i just couldn't..nanti tak senang hati.

Hopefully our trip di permudahkan..have another week to go,our flight will be at night,husband already booked rental car..bila sampai we will drive to our vacation rental home..harap2 it will be as nice as in the website.We will be staying 7 nights at Balmain,Sydney vacation rental home and after that we will move to the farm house in Mudgee a 3 hrs drive from Sydney. Mudgee is a very beautiful countryside and September is a Food Festival,there will be many cheese and local produce,we so looking forward to that. The Farm house that we have booked is very gorgeous too..they have acres of manicured lawn,beautiful flower and vegetable garden which you can pick..there is a creek in the middle of the farm,you can have your picnic there. The farm is a self contained but they will provide everything you need, you just have to bring your personal items..as per last two week they already contacted me and asked what type of fresh milk would we prefer low fat or full cream, whole meal,organic or white bread? There's a lot of animals in the farm,Tia Mia can collect the eggs and Farmer Jenny can organise games for my girls.The farm is also a walking distance to the town and we can visit the farmer market.

So.. i am so looking forward to this break..everybody is tired..husband worked hard, Tia Mia played hard too..we will take this opportunity to unwind..having said that i will not abandon my cooking as the first thing that i am going to do when we landed is to visit the local market and buy groceries..i loveeee to do that:):)

Hmmm..as until then i still have to use my jari jemari..let it be sakit for a while ya:);)

When The Maid Is Away:)

I Think Heni is happily frolicking with her husband in Lampung now while eating the kaya with roti and loads of Kandos chocolate that she took back.She has another 7 days to go before coming back here..well that is what she said,she wanna come back and work again and as usual she has her return ticket,so it is up to her.While she is away me and husband become a fulltime retirees..doing work around the house,so much work to do after raya..all the laundry,garden to attend too..extra cutleries,plates and glasses due to ramadhan..all those need to be kept in the cupboard etc.Some how it's kinda fun too..i enjoy it;) so nice to have the house all by yourself and family....i feel excited seeing husband hanging clothes while i cook in the kitchen..i made coffee and toast after he finished his laundry,we sat in the kitchen together with the kids and uwan..everybody washed their dishes after that.Due to this keseronokan i did a lot of things,cleaned up the store,Heni is not good at storing things..she can't sort out between junks and good things..she likes to hide things..i found 6 sets of new brooms in the store hiding under the pile,new serviette,my sets of cutleries,unopened shopping bags etc..i kemas the store until berkilat,bersinar2..i was really impressed..heehh..heeh, i threw a lot of things including my husband golf shoes that he merajuk with me sebab kena korek sampah cari..hahhh..haaa.I cleaned all my drawers in the kitchen and the i managed to make the tiny laundry area at the back become cosy. When Heni is around i can't hardly kemas the laundry area..she was always there..due to my busy schedule i can't really check that area..i kemas it once not long time ago and she said " Puan tempat ini jadi begitu besar ya bila di susun!" in my heart was thinking of course if you are willing to make an extra effort..as to me laundry area is not just a place to stand,do your laundry and dump everything there..i like it to be cosy,it is nice to have a little table there,with chair and flower where you can actually sit and have your coffee to accompany whoever doing the laundry:) and I ve done that today!

The past few days after balik raya i telah godek2 my house a bit,without spending too much money i managed to change the look a bit and that makes me feel good:)

I gave the table a new baju:):) not easy to find tablecloth for 8/10 seaters but i dapat the one i like.

I changed few wall plates,actually i have many wall plates which i had collected when i was travelling, i ve been keeping many of it for a new house..when impian jadi nyata i will hang all:) insyAllah,moga di permudahkan.The above are blue delf from Amsterdam.

We changed the TV Cabinet ..the old one is really old..bought long long time ago from ikea..as ikea furniture is not really lasting we can see many chips and bends here and there..so we got this white solid wood as replacement..simple but i like it.The old wall clock above the plate got to stay there..i sayang it,walaupun tak mahal tapi bought from far;) it was from a flea market in Pettycoat Lane,London.

This is the new look of my TV/living area..less flowery things but more greenery;) and yes i love to combine white with dark wood i found it to be working but you ve got to be carefull in choosing the items..all white will make area looks boring versi versa if all dark wood too.

I like topiaries..especially this one in a classic base..i ve got a very good discount for the two topiaries.

White roses and baby breath for the dining table.

I changed few throw cushions with country look cover.

The carving at the base of the tv cabinet..it will be nice if i can find a wall mirror that can match this.

This very old kerusi got a new company too..i wished that i can get two of this cushions but only one left after the sales.

Give some fresh look to the garden outside by changing the chair..the old rattan chair is indeed too old..kalau orang lain dah buang ajer.

So uwan got a new place to sit and termenung:)

Inspired by uwan gingham's look at kampung i gave gingham look to my open cabinet at the wet kitchen too.The gingham cost me RM7.90 only and I cut into few pieces,with the tool box within few minutes i managed to get the look i like;)

My beloved lesung batu..came all the way from Kuala Pilah:)

This raya..i tukar style sikit..no more cookies in raya jar..i have a few of this cake tiers..so when people come,i just susun my cookies on this..it looks good and tempting too:) Actually i got bored with my old cookie jars but i don't want to spend money buying new ones;):)

This is the old rattan chair ..i put at the laundry area..but masa ni i tak menghias lagi this area..today baru berkesempatan membuatnya..see budak tia ni seronok pulak melepak di sini.

Our Beautiful Raya- Part 3 Raya pun tiba bersama merdeka boy:)

Raya pun tiba..setelah budak2 kenit sibuk bertanya:) malam raya sangat busy lepas makan tak sedar diri,lepas sembahyang bersama keluarga kena layan jugak budak2 main bunga api..ye lah raya dia orang yang seronok lebih kan.Lepas main bunga api the mama had to gosok baju everybody..dah maid bersuka ria di kampungnya kita pandai2 lah mengatur segala..dulu2 pun tak ada maid aman tenteram jugak:)Lepas gosok baju masuk dapur pulak,buat kuah kacang,buat kuah laksa penang..semua kena siapkan malam supaya pagi raya boleh ke surau.Dulu2 masa bujang and tak ada anak orang dah balik sembahyang kita masih terbongkok2 di dapur comot dalam kaftan macam cinderella..sekarang pandai dah merancang..pagi raya wangi2 melaram:) So gambar entry yang ni tak ada unsur2 pengajaran masak atau sebagainya tapi menggedik bergambar..mintak maaf..macam tu lah raya kan..semua orang seronok bergambar.

Malam raya mesti duduk di atas tangga batu merah uwan ni main bunga api..kalau tak tak sah.

Tia yang main sebenarnya..adik takut;)

Tia bangga dengan pencapaiannya..seolah2 berani bawak roket naik ke bulan tu:)

Malam raya yang seronok tak terhingga:)

Pagi raya dua orang ni dah siap melaram..mandi air sesejuk ais di bilik air uwan pun tak ada yang komplen.

I sayang you..you asayng me tak?

Kiss2 and we forget about tah gaduh2 okay..in 10 mins time we gaduh again okay:)

Tahun ni masak laksa asam penang..guna laksa kanji..alhamdulillah habis tak sempat petang:)

Macam biasa semua ladies bergambar dulu..cuma this year kurang sikit keluarga maklang ada hal di saat akhir so tak balik beraya di kampung.

Susah sungguh nak bergambar satu keluarga..merajuk bagai..tiap tahun macam ni lah:)

Dah nak masuk tahun ke 10 kami kahwin dan dah ada 2 anak tapi memang tak pernah pakai baju sedondon..main ikut suka ajer..yang penting hati kita se dondon:)

Rasa kejap ajer masa berjalan..hampir sepuluh tahun dulu saya tak bagi mamat ni nak datang bukak puasa di kampung saya..kita dah cakap jangan datang dia terpacak pukul 5 petang dah sampai..kerana degil dia tu lah ada jodoh:) But it turns out he 's not too bad..he can do laundry very well and can tolerate my tak sabar and leter:)

The girsl ni merajuk hampir 100 kali sehari..tapi dia lah bawak bahagia kat semua orang di kampung ni..happy rasanya membuat semua kerja kerana melihat kebahagiaan dalam diri dia orang:)

Selalu jugak bergaduh dengan uwan tapi yang pastinya..they love uwan very much..uwan are part of their lifes already.

Dah penat berkebaya pakai baju yang lebih selesa pulak;)

See baru cakap Tia dah siap merajuk..macam tu lah rupa merajuk:)

Model2 di bawah pokok belimbing buluh:)

Memang popular pokok belimbing ni bila nak bergambar di hari raya.

Tia and Mia with their second cousins..dulu terfikir jugak my girls ni ikut rupa siapa actually..bila dah jumpa cousin etc ni baru lah nampak persamaan especially the rambut tu:)

Seronok berjumpa anak2 gadis kecik2 ni..semua keletah bercakap.

Papa is a merdeka boy..so kita celebrate birthday dia sehari awal..ni cake dari kedai soon seng di kuala pilah..di situlah membeli atau menempah cake kahwin,sejak dari zaman maklang kahwin 20 tahun dulu hingga lah zaman saya:) tapi jangan underestimate cake dia sedap:)

Happy birthday papa..we love you very very much.

Ini yang enjoy makan sebenarnya;)

Hari raya kedua time to go back..the girls sangat sedih nak tinggalkan kampung..nanti kita balik lagi ya.

Our Beautiful Raya-Part 2 Mari Buat Lomang!

Sehari sebelum menjelang raya adalah hari yang sangat meriah di kampung2 di Negeri Sembilan:) Sejak dari dulu rumah uwan memang penuh bahagia bilang hari buat lemang ni..jadi walaupun uwan dah tak duduk kampung,rumah tinggal sepanjang tahun,kita berusaha menghidupkan suasana sama seperti dahulu.Alhamdulillah Tia Mia dapat jugak merasa keseronokannya..semua ahli baru yang masuk keluarga kami jugak sangat bahagia dengan cara ini..walaupun penat tapi seronok.Kali ni kakitangan buat lemang adalah berkurangan sebab ada yang lambat sampai dan ada yang terpaksa attend hal2 yang tak terduga dahulu.Kakitangan perempuan hanyalah saya,ikin dan kak ipar sahaja...uwan mandur sahaja:) tapi kami dapat buat semuanya dengan sempurna dan dalam masa yang cepat..itu lah pentingnya merancang:) Jom kita tengok apa yang kita orang buat di hari buat lomang ni:)

Hari buat lemang bermakna bergelumang dengan daging,seawal pukul 3.00 pagi pakchik (my brother) dah keluar ke pasar dengan husband kak ikik..mencari daging segar,membeli santan yang kalau ditunggu cerah nanti berebut macam membeli emas:)

Bila balik rumah,perkara pertama di buat adalah merebus tulang sebab tulang lembu tempatan ni lambat lembutnya..so kena rebus sejak awal untuk dapat sup yang sedap dan nyaman:)

Siapakah yang lebih seronok beraya dari budak2 berumur 4 tahun ni..gembira ria ajer dia orang..malam tidur nyenyak di kampung uwan yang sejuk,kalau di KL mandi air panas pun liat ni pagi lagi dah serbu bilik air uwan yang sejuk..semua menarik dan pengalaman bagi keduanya..tak putus2 asyik bercakap " i love uwan's kampung, i want to stay here long and long";)

Tuan tanah dan tuan rumah duduk berehat2 ajer..memang kita tak bagi dia kerja..dia pun gatal tulang nak buat kerja:)

He,he me in action..my sister in law called me "ketua tukang masak"..so saya lah yang mengepalai dan menentukan resipi membuat rendang dan sup raya ini..jadi saya memutuskan untuk buat rendang dan sup yang begitu traditional..sama seperti mana saya makan masa kecik dahulu..tiada daun limau purut atau bahan2 tambahan yang lain:)

Ketua tukang masak yang pakai kasut crocs check sup tulang dia dah lembut ke belum..sebab air tak boleh terlebih..nanti sup cair dan tak sedap..air kena cukup2 menutup tulang asaja apabila dah masak..ini tips untuk Tia Mia dimasa depan bila saya dah tua lah..itu pun kalau keduanya minat masak..tapi orang perempuan walaupun breakfast di London,lunch di Paris dan supper di Milan..mesti tahu jugak basic masak:)

Pakcik pulak mengetuai membuat lemang di bantu papa dan badin sambil di teman oleh dua orang kenits ni:)

Daging di potong dalam dulang uwan yang classic ni..cantik kan:)

Kak ikin bergurau senda dgn daging:)

Permandangan dari atas rumah uwan..sebab kita masak di halaman rumah..siapa pun yang baru sampai di bawah kita boleh nampak.

Ini saya nak tunjuk..ini lag daun puding..dulu masa di University bila saya bawak rendang ayam dengan daun puding banyak yang cakap sangat sedap dan tak pernah rasa daun puding ni..orang Negeri sembilan rendang ayam suka taruk daun ni..rendang jadi wangi..sangat sedap rasanya..daun ni pulak boleh jadi crispy..memang tak der tolok bandingan sedapnya rendang ayam kampung berdaun puding:)

Wahhh cik kak ni sangat berminat nak potong daging..tapi kena tengok ajer lah dulu ye:)

Ini pulak proses menyalai ayam..nak buat rendang ayam sedap di salai dulu..semua bulu halus pun hilang dan bau yang tak sedap pun dapat di lenyapkan..rendang jadi sedap,garing dan wangi:)

Ini namanya anak dara di tepi tingkap..masa saya kecik dulu uwan selalu nyanyi lagu " rumah tepi sawah pakai pulak langsir biru,emak jangan marah tak lama lagi nak terima menantu:):)"

Bekas ketupat pun sedia untuk di isi beras..walaupun ada orang hanya rebus ketupat di malam hari tapi we decided to settle as many things as possible during day time..ye lah tenaga kerja limited,nanti malam ketua tukang masak nak buat kuah kacang,kuah laksa,nak teman anak main bunga pai..dan nak menggosok baju raya jugak..kena di ingat maid tak ada:)

Semua bahan rendang telah sedia untuk di masukkan dalam kuali;)

Pucuk puding pun dah dipetik uwan..bila rendang dah nak masak nanti boleh lah masukkan.

Macam ni lah caranya..bila kuah dah kering,,masukkan daun puding dan dikacau lagi hingga betul2 kering.

Wallaaa dah masak..semua di buat sendiri dan sangat berpuashati dengan hasilnya..nampak sangat sedap kan..rendang ayam kampung dgn daun puding,rendang daging N9 dan lemang banyak santan:) semua telah di angkat di dapur uwan menunggu beduk berbunyi nak buka puasa.

Kenits pulak bersedia nak mandi..nanti nak join orang bukak puasa sama2.

Huishhh inilah hasilnya..tak sia2 merebus sejak pagi..sup terbaik dari ladang..daging yang lembut dan manis..di cicah sambal kicap bercili dan limau..tiada yang dapat menandingi kesedpan nya;)

Lauk berbuka sudah terhidang..sup tulang terbaik,sambal udang berpetai,ikan keli dengan kulit rambai:)

Kak ikin dan Mia makan tak ingat orang dah..Mia boleh tahan pandainya makan sup ni..siap taruk sambal kicap berkali2..makan lah sepuas hati adik...Lepas kita sembahyang dan dengar pakcik,papa dan Badin takbir raya..lepas berdoa untuk yang tiada dan mengucap kesyukuran kita main bunga api ye..berani ke? He..heee ..nanti kita tengok ya.