Buon Natale!

I know it's December, which alludes to twinkle lights, tinsel, mittens, and blankets of snow allover, but just for today I'm dreaming of Italy.

The beautiful Mediterranean coastal views

are whispering my name...

Venice... Florence... The Cinque Terre

Hope you're having a lovely December!

Let there be Anthropologie!

Probably my most favorite scarves ever.

From Anthro 2009

I have the cobalt blue and beige.

So cute. Love them.

The ruffles are thick and can be twisted and stretched and worn in so many different ways.

Pretty Enough to Eat

The Best Local Cupcakery

and one of my favorite little places to stop by

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Allow me to introduce you to

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The Lemony Snicket
... i just like saying the name :)
lemon cuppie with the fluffiest whipped lemon buttercream icing

The Sass-a-Frass
red velvet cuppie



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How cute are the names?!? Other favorites of mine are the seasonal Bibbity Bobbity Boo (pumpkin spice cuppie + cream cheese) and the Mary Poppins (strawberry with the sweetest strawberry cream cheese). And I've been dying to try the seasonal Return to Oz (cranberry poppyseed + almond glaze mmMmmm) & the Mint for Each Other (chocolate & mint icing, with crushed Andes mints) they sound amazing.

I think I may work out all season just so I can make a dozen trips to Cuppies & Joe during the holidays.

The Blog needed a holiday makeover

"Peace on Earth will come to stay

when we live Christmas every day" -Helen Steiner Rice

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The tree is up! The garlands, wreaths, and stockings are hung!

New holiday dvds have been bought. The baking has begun.

And the house is filled with Christmas music.

I love it all!

Gift lists have been made. I have post its, and notes all over my phone. My trusty Christmas planner is out. {truth be told, my tree's been up since early november :D} And I'm ready to go look at lights! I was lucky enough to start the Christmas season the best way possible! Saturday after Thanksgiving, I had tickets to see...

And it was A M A Z I N G ! ! ! !

The sets, the costumes, the story, everything was incredible! The music & singing of course were amazing!!! I had to get up early, after only 4 hrs of sleep, to drive about 3 hrs to Tulsa. So I was regrettably tired, and now all I want to do is immediately go see it again! I really wanted to see it in New York, but the last time I went, we were pressed for time.

The merchandise case was sooo cute. Everything on the wood was carved and so pretty. I'm such a nerd, I know. And they had so much stuff I want! Defy Gravity tshirts, and bright green embroidered Wicked track jackets. Even charms. I've always wanted a charm bracelet. I bought the umbrella, and when opened, it reveals a little message:

. . . . . . . . . "Careful my dear, you mustn't get wet" hehe, I love it.

The Emerald City costumes were my favorite!

Above is a poster outside the Civic Center,

& the stage before it started.

It's a map of Oz, with a bat up above.

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If you ever have the chance to go, you must!

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And go green! With Elphaba :)

Lunch dates

I love Pei Wei

Love it.

Luckily, I have a handful of friends that Aren't picky eaters

and jump at the mention of Pei Wei for lunch,

over a deli or burger&fries.

I think every time Melissa and I go, we say

this time we'll just eat a little, and get to-go boxes.

But then we leave, painfully stuffed.

It's just not the same microwaved. :)

Yep, I stuck my phone in the air and took random pics of my favorite rainy day restaurant, while I waited for my chicken pei wei spicy, or thai coconut curry, or teriyaki, whichever I ordered that day. I can't remember. It's all so good.

I've never seen the place so vacant. We're usually crawling over people and waiting for a table.

I always think it'd be fun to get some pei wei to go, and eat in a park. It's so crowded in there, you feel a bit rushed when 20 pair of eyes are waiting for your table.

This picture always makes me smile.

Two little asian women playing Mahjong.
Reminds me of my aunties around the kitchen table for hours.

I never learned the game. I always played gin.

Hello again!

Little Blog, how I've missed you! I think in the fall, the days just seem to whiz by at warp speed. I'm always trying to upload pics to post, or projects I intend to put on the top of my to-do list, but my days have gotten gobbled up by moving houses, homework, the holidays, and one thing after another. Half the time I don't know what day it is. When I do sign in, I check out my blog feed and scroll forever, checking out hundreds of amazing posts. I don't want to miss a thing, everyone has such good ideas!!
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September was the big move. Packing up the entire house, in what felt like 15 trips, to unload everything 3o mins away was tedious. Especially with my little convertible, I was at the mercy of my dad and friends when it came to all the big stuff. And my dad threw out his back, while I rolled my bad ankle, so every night was icyhot packs & a lot of hobbling around.

To get ready for halloween, my friend and I went to a pumpkin patch right outside of town. Took pictures with snoopy and the gang! There was a corn maze, a hay ride, and ponies. It was really cute. School has kept me pretty busy. I'm so thankful the holidays are finally here. I get a couple days off for Thanksgiving, & half of December for winter break, which will undoubtedly be spent soaking up the holiday festivities! A much needed break from anatomy tests, math formulas, and the human body's integumentary system. Yay!
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I'll be celebrating the big 2-5 next year with a fabulous trip to Italy! Woo Hoo!! Good friends, new stamps in the passport, and 2 weeks of leisure... what more could a girl ask for? So excited!
I bought a new 3 piece luggage set, and I'm dying to break it in :)

It's the charcoal leafy Stockholm fabric from IKEA, but I found the set at Marshalls.

No more waiting around the baggage claim in a sea of black suitcases. I'll be able to spot this one coming around the carousel :)
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was amazing! Go see it! I just heard HP 7 made like $125million on its premiere weekend in the US alone. I can't believe I've been reading these books for 10 years. And that in 10 yrs, all 7 books have been put on the big screen. That's crazy! I love it.
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For now, I'm off to bed. I have a long day tomorrow of hangin out at my mechanic's studying, while he replaces my exhaust pipes, and then making my way thru the crowds to get Thanksgiving groceries. Wish me luck!

Baby Girl Onesies

Miss Madison is almost here!
Been meaning to get these pictures up forever, I'm a slacker. But my friend & sorority sister Whitney is almost 43 weeks pregnant, so baby Madison hasn't made her debut just yet...

For her shower, I sewed up a few girlie onesies, but the gift wrap was especially to please her daddy :)

I love the ruffles on the tush. I think they're cute :)

For a little Zeta baby, a crown is a must :)

I posted about the black & white one here...
Wrapped like so, just for Jake :)

She may grow up to hunt & fish with her daddy

But she can have touches of pink and frill too!

I had to Baby-fy this box as soon as I saw it

Used a cricut carriage cut out,

Inked it with hot pink, and stamped an "M"

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Baby Madison's sweet mama has been having contractions the entire month of August, but her doctor doesn't like inductions. :/ So prayers for Whitney, hope the baby comes soon! We're all antsy, waiting for the call to run to the hospital.

Malaysian Independence Day

AUGUST 31st - aka - 31st Ogos

I'm half Malaysian & half American

so I celebrate the 4th of July

as well as the 31st of August

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A Little History:

1957 was when Malaysia got its independence from British rule. Making us 53yrs old. We have 13 states, hence the 13 point star.
Here's a little video from the travel channel on the Independence Day parade, the royal family, and festivities. Bring on the fireworks and good food!

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From far my friends don't notice what's in this picture, but I'm standing under the Malaysian flag at Rockefeller Center, NYC 2009.

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I'm from Kuala Lumpur, the capital. Here are pics from KL. The Petronas Twin Towers, once the tallest building in the world (built in 1998), now I believe is the 4th tallest. Dubai is in the lead(2010).

Random fact- The Sears Tower -Chicago is on the list at #5, and The World Trade Center Twin Towers -NYC would be #7 but is being replaced with the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center(2011) staying at #7.

This is without counting what's currently underconstruction and being proposed in Hong Kong, Korea, etc.

Malaysia in August? We're talkin' brutally hot weather.

Better eat some A.B.C. Ice Kacang

And this is just a pretty picture of Tioman Island,

one of our many resort destination beaches.

Here's a link to a current article on holiday travel to Malaysia

with a few pictures of different popular vacation spots.

* All pictures from Google Image *

I'm in love...

Are these not the prettiest pillows you've ever seen?

Simone @ Beach Vintage, uploaded pics of her new store she's about to open and I'm in love with every little thing!!! The whole store looks fantastic! Enough to leave me drooling for a plane ticket to Australia just to shop here! Check out her pictures .
I would love this punch of color on my couch, and throughout my entire space. I've been thinking: while I'm single is this best time to have an ultra girlie space, right? I mean when you live with boys it's like nothing pink can make it through the front door! Boo....

This heat is making me crazy

I miss the fall!!!

I'm a fall-winter-spring kinda girl! If I could have just 2 weeks of summer, that would be good enough for me! I cannot wait for the heat to fade out. I miss Not burning in my black car. When it's really hot, I can hear the great Hambino from the Sandlot say "we're bakin' like toasted cheesers" as I sizzle on my black leather seats and wait for the little AC vents to fill the mustang.

I miss cold breezes, and fall foliage, and my cartigans, coats, and scarves that are hiding in my closets. All my boots peek out at me every time I open the hall closet, pleading to be worn, but I'll sadly grab some sandals and tell them, just a lil longer guys. I love the build up to the holidays. And baking. Even Starbucks tastes better in the fall! Ughh September where are you?!? I love when its cold and I dig into my trunk-coffee table for blankets and curl up on my cozy couch with a really good book and hot tea.

School starts this Monday. I'm mildly nervous, but I think that's just a little anxiety before I start something new :) Though I love my art classes, and can't wait to finish my bachelors, I found an associates program at another school I could not pass up. I have 1,000,001 interests, and I want to do everything!

What just came out of the oven

I found this Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe online a while back, and people always love it! To the point where the bowl is scraped clean! So I had to pass it along :)

Click -- here -- for the recipe, it's just like the Applebee's kind. Super easy to make & toss into a little crockpot.
I'm wondering... with tons of artichoke hearts & spinach, do you think it could suffice as my veggie intake?? ;)

Image via http://www.allrecipes.com/

Rainy days

I love the rain! It's soothing. The air smells good. And I have time to post this! I'm onto girl onesies now that the next baby shower I'm going to is for Little Miss Madison, due in August.

Used some black and white fabric for flowers and ruffles on her little baby bum. Also making one with a colorful M on it, and playing with the idea of a green camo, & hot pink. I'm not keen on that idea, but it would please her daddy :) Hopefully her Mama Whitney likes these too

New Favorite Series

I recently discovered a show I never knew existed.

And I'm hooked!!

LEVERAGE

Charming cast, entertaining, very Ocean's Eleven meets Robin Hood. Smart theives, steal from corrupt rich business men. It just started it's 3rd Season, with the first 2 seasons available on Instant View on Netflix. I'm very excited to catch up.

via google image

I'm picky with shows, I get bored with story lines. And I don't like all the Reality TV garb.... but I was flipping thru channels & within 10min of the new premiere episode, I was glued to the tube. Yay for good Sunday night television!

Sunday nights, TNT
check it out

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>>>Also, (i'm all about the plugs tonight, they should pay me)

Hot in Cleveland seems to be off to a good start. It's okay. I really like all the ladies on it, so I had high hopes for it. It's produced by Sean Hayes (Jack from Will&Grace). And it says TVLand Wed 10/9c but I've seen the Pilot episode on at least 3 different channels. So who knows.

Speckled nails

Just painted my nails :) wanted to show 'em off

O.P.I. released a line of "Shrek" nail colors

and they're super bright and fun

Blue- "Ogre The Top Blue"

Green- "Who The Shrek Are You"

I wish I could get a better closer picture,

I had to zoom in here, so you can't really see it clearly,

(and ignore how awkward looking my hand is here)

but it's very speckly & tie die looking.

You could play with layering some patriotic colors,

very fireworks looking :)

Got the idea from here
you just sponge on layers

It's been the best weekend!

Just had to pop in & blog a bit about how ecstatic

I am right now! The week was a little rough,

but once Friday got here,

I received The best news! And I've been on cloud 9 ever since!

Had fun with friends, relaxed, had another wonderful morning in church today, went swimming at a friend's house...

everything's been pretty great!

But Friday was the best! And I can't wipe this smile off my face! :]

The Lord is really opening some amazing doors

for me right now & I am so thankful!

And this week is lookin' pretty good too!!!

Twilight Saga: Eclipse premiers Wednesday 6/30/10

but luckily I have Twilight *Trilogy* tickets in IMAX

for Tuesday's midnight premier!!

Exciting news, fun times, and plenty to look forward to!

Life is good!

And now it's thundering outside my window,

and my cushy bed is beckoning me!

good night sweet world!

Summa time!

In June, I'm hosting a garden party for my girl friends to come over and hang out. It's a Mad Hatter Tea Party theme and it's been several months in the making. I can't wait! I'm a girl on a budget, but I'm gonna make this work!

Isn't this a cute vintage wonderland?Been a Baking Betty today

(any excuse to wear one of my sassy kitchen aprons)

making Lemon Squares & Pecan Tarts, and testing out a few different finger sandwich recipes.

The girls all have their invites,

and everyone seems pretty excited about it.

[ Posting a picture of the invitations I made soon ]

They're texting me about finding new dresses, or digging thru closets and getting their favorite sundresses out, or what foods they're going to bring. I'm still trying to find/make a croquet set.

A true Alice in Wonderland fan.

Trying to turn my backyard into a little Wonderland. But I rent a house in a relatively new neighborhood where every house looks the same and no tree is above 6ft., so I'm going to have to be creative with decorations and shade from the June summer heat. I definitely have a blank canvas. I'm on a constant hunt for baskets, and tea cups, and cute country fabrics/tablecloths.

I found a great little hutch someone was tossing out :)

and yeah... I took it.

[Post a picture of it soon too]

It was a bright orange coral color when I found it,

but plan to paint it either

A) Medium Purple

B) Pretty Dark Turquoise

C) Apple/Lime Green

(a small part of me wants to paint it a hot pink, because never again would I ever have a pink hutch if i had to purchase it)

That's all for now... don't wanna give away too many surprises with some of the girls peeking on my blog ;)

images via Google

It's almost TIME!!!!!

Do you smell World Cup in the air?!?!?

WOOO WOOO!!!!!!!!!!

I've waited 4 long years and

I

am

ready!
It's the ultimate football season!

I wish I were in Malaysia for this so I could watch the games with my family and friends, among crowds full of dedicated football fans! Last World Cup was in Germany 2006, and I was in M'sia loving it! Coffee shops, pubs, and street cafes stay open allll night with big screens showing the games, and hundreds of chairs filled with all eyes on the tvs! I LOVE IT! Hopped up on caffeine, we had games on at 2:00am with the time difference, and everyone was screaming and jumping. I was at Coffee Bean a lot! I liked going to the mamak stalls (street cafes) the most though. It's comfortable there. Where your uncles have known the owners for decades.

All in all

World Cup = so much fun.

Fifty times better than the Super bowl!

Being in the states, we have fans, but I don't think you can quite understand the excitement. It's EVERYWHERE. Walking down any street you can see like 15 screens showing the latest game, or a replay. It's intense. People in the US are asking me "whats the world cup? oh, it's like a soccer game?" Umm no. You see everyone representing their own countries or their favorite teams alike, it's like The international event that's fun and exciting and puts people across the world on the same wavelength. Eveywhere people are watching the same games, and checking in on the scores. Here in the states, people say they're rooting for team USA, and want a USA Bid for the next game. And I'm like, 30 seconds ago you just heard about the world cup for the first time. I think we need to respect the sport a little more, learn about the game a little more, and maybe recognize a few of our own players before we start barking orders for an American Bid on future World Cups.

More Baby Gifts

a chipboard album

There's space for big and small photos on each side of each letter

A Crayon Roll

(not exactly baby-ish, but close enough)

Tucks neatly away :) Happy coloring....

And I made this glass box with twinkle lights around Christmas, but it's a great night light, and could be cute in a nursery or kid's room. You could use whatever scrapbook paper coordinates with their room

BRIDESMAIDS BECOME AUNTIES

So I've been busy making baby gifts for tons of friends, who happen to be mostly having boys.

At first I thought boy stuff would be difficult to find, but it's been quite fun. And I don't typically notice mother's day, but now since I have so many friends that are New Moms, thought I'd post some of these makings... (haha i accidently typed 'new moon' instead of new moms, oooh twilight...)

I made the 5 above for a friend's shower, & wrapped them like so, tried to avoid the typical pastels. I like to paint & stamp brown paper bags, add some tags, & used bold colors in the tissue paper.

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.It was hard to pick boyish fabrics, but here are up close pics
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I tried to sew a little treasure map trail... but then JK! sewing tiny loopy lines is really hard in reality!

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