Getting ready for trick or treating...

Family photo (Halloween 2009)

My haunted house...

The halloween food...

I baked the cake and let my daughter write on it.

The finger cookies I baked a few days ago.

My very creative sister-in-law prepared all the interesting food above.

There's one particular dish that nobody dared to try... and somebody's head would be on the platter ...

Back to the 60s...I'm a hippie!

This year, I recycled a red pirate vest I wore in Halloween 2010 and transformed it into a brown hippie vest. I used Dylon Persian Blue color dye and it somehow turned the red vest brown... and that's the color I wanted! Besides, I trimmed it into a fringed vest.

As for the bell bottom, I tried Kamdar but couldn't get the fabric print I wanted. One day I suddenly remembered I had a torn floral skirt that I'd not been wearing for ages. Viola! I took it out and cut it into 2 pieces (front & back)

My tailor sew them into 2 smaller pieces. She charged me RM8. I wish I could sew :-P

With the elastic band, it's easy to wear. (I borrowed the tie dyed t-shirt from my sis-in-law)

Hip...Hip Hippie...Hooray!!

I should have decorated my guitar with some floral print but I was just too busy to do so.

My sis-in-law gave me a batik fabric for my hippie headband.

Glad I found a peace symbol pendant too. Hippie loves peace :-)

Who wants to take a bite of these fingers?

If not because of my 2 beloved daughters, I think I would have never tried my hands at baking.

My elder daughter especially loves baking, so I decided to give it a try. Ever since I learned to bake a chocolate cake successfully (I never baked before), I thought of trying out cookies recipes too (but I had no confidence at all).

Last night marked a "historical moment" for me... the first time baking cookies...

Ready to paint the nails in blood red colour...

For a novice like me, it's more like a science experiment. Before that, I didn't even know what was "confectionary sugar" or "vanilla extract" . I called & consulted my sis-in-law who gave me the recipe before started on this first ever cookie baking experiment.

I was using Martha Stewart's recipe. I kept some egg white as "glue".

The bad news was... my dough refused to firm up even after I chilled it for more than 30 minutes!

"Mam... saya sudah cakap tak payah ikut resipi punya, kita di kampung guna tangan ukur. Itu tepung pun tak cukup mana boleh..." ( "Madam... I already told you it's impossible, back in my village we used hands to control portion size. You don't have enough flour, how can?")

My maid was commenting after seeing my failed attempt...but I insisted to follow the measurement given.

Even so, I later found out it was really impossible to shape the dough. My daughter and I therefore decided to add some flour... and later more and more flour... We were no longer following the measurement given... but our own judgement...

Using egg white to glue the red almond into the finger cookies.

Fingers in different sizes and shapes .... and different portion of flour too.

Ready to bake.

I was so eager to see the result of this experiment. After 12 minutes as instructed, we found it still not hard enough (need to be a bit brownish) and hence baked for a few more minutes (Guess the fingers I made were too big). My daughter refrained me from opening the oven door to check as she said "A watched kettle never boils"

And the result was...

Some fat fingers that don't look real

My daughter's had 6 fingers!!! But very soon one went down her stomach.

Some smaller fingers looked better & ready for a photography session with the spiders.

Now you can smell halloween in the air!

Picture taken by my son.

We scare because we care!

Fixing me & my hubby's "production defects"

I've been delaying my 2 elder kids' request on dental braces for quite some time. Last week, I finally decided to take them to a dentist to fix the so-called "me & my hubby's production defects".

After having the x-ray & mould done, I had a discussion with the dentist on the treatment plans.

The dentist also listed down the risks below:

• Discomfort after the appliance adjust
• Decalcification related to poor oral hygiene
• Pulp degeneration in previously traumatized teeth
• Root resorption especially on anterior maxilla teeth
• Return of the teeth toward initial position
• TMJ problem
• Variation in estimated time

Being a mother, I'm very concerned about the risks, such as the discomfort and ulcers especially during the initial stage, and tooth decay if my kids fail to brush their teeth properly etc. Hence, I had a long discussion with the dentist on that matter. After I'm done, I turned to my son and asked whether he had anything to add on, just in case I've overlooked on something important that he could foresee.

The only question he had for the dentist was ...

.

.

.

" Can I have coloured braces?"

hmmmp....

Only sissy plays piano!

My son used to HATE playing piano. It’s especially intense when he was in standard 6 & during the first few months of form 1. He would say, “Most of my friends (boy) have stopped learning piano. Those who’re still learning are forced by their mothers…only sissy plays piano…” Once he even used his epee to poke the piano as if it was a big black monster!

A piano teacher told me a boy came to her piano lesson with a “pouting mouth”. She later found out that poor boy’s classmate was calling him “sissy…sissy…” after knowing he was going to attend piano lesson after school.

My new Yamaha piano to replace the 30 year old Kawai piano.

Even so, I know my son loves music and he’s a fast learner. But due to peer pressure and being a young boy at that time, he’s lazy & impatient to sit still and practice.

Fortunately I didn’t give up on him (I nearly did)& he didn't quit. Since the middle of last year, he started to change & fell in love with this wonderful musical instrument. Today, he’s motivated to play, just like his 2 younger sisters. Apart from the ABRSM lessons, they're very eager to download & play pop songs piano sheets from the internet. In fact, I think my son is the one who has positively influenced his sisters.

He requested a keyboard in his room. It's a good way to relax after doing some school work. Sometimes his friends will come over with electric guitars for their band practice. I told him keyboard is like a mini pool with jacuzzi, but piano is the olympic size swimming pool.

When I was young, I loved playing Richard Clayderman song. Now my kids adore Bruno Mars...

Instead of reading piano scores, sometimes they'll use this non-conventional way.

My son used to play like chasing a bullet train, but now he plays with expression. And best of all, he has finally realized that playing piano is not sissy but cool.

Toilet Paper Roll Halloween Beauties etc...

My 2 girls had a great time last weekend creating halloween related characters with toilet paper rolls.

TH's toilet paper roll beauties with a 36-36-36 (unit??) figure

TZ was a hawaiian girl last halloween

I rented a Wonder Woman costume for TH on halloween last year.

No one has dressed as the red indian girl...yet.

The sisters' creations.

TZ's creation. She named it "the Recycle Monster".

TH's scary nurse.

TH's peace loving hippie.

I love this pirate! Hey, I dressed up as one last year!

Time flies. These 6 monsters were created 2 years ago. They deserve to be out of the box on halloween season every year.

Hmm... what should I be this year?? Still cracking my head...

Maybe I just dress up as a toilet paper roll...