Lunch @ L's

We had a public holiday cum Mother's day lunch at Lin's place this year.My sister wanted to cook and we weren't about to deny her the pleasure of showing off her new Kitchen and Island workspace.

First on the menu was scallop. Quite yums, in general I love scallop done in most ways, especially when they are huge! :p

Next was Pumpkin risotto. Hubby commented that this is one of her better risottos, compared to her previous attempts on mushroom, seafood and squid ink. Thanks to the freshly grated Parmesan cheese, which incidentally was laboured by yours truly, the risotto had a rich creamy full-bodied texture.

The lamb shank was a little bit of a 'miss'. But she'll probably perfect it soon to come.

We ended lunch with a carrot cake from Cedele for B's birthday.

10 Things I am So not Going to Miss

As I count down the weeks to T-H-E day, it's time to take stock of the growing pains and the little annoyances a mother-to-be puts up during pregnancy. My 10 Things I am So not going to miss:

1. Not being able to sleep flat on my back.

2. Not eating rare to medium rare steaks, wagyu beef and lamb (because any red meat well-done is just not deserving of any chew)

3. Not being able to indulge in some fresh melt-in-your-mouth Otoro or any sashimi for that matter.

4. The yearn for an ice-cold frozen martini or morjito with fresh mint leaves.

5. The annoying ache on my left upper back just below the rib-cage that just refuses to go away. Oh it kills me everyday.

6. Those late night cramps in the calves that come from no where in the last few days.

7. The unbearable feeling of any waist-band threatening to strangle every lower body organ I have when I sit down.

8. The discomfort of a full bladder every 30 minutes.

9. Being clumsy lumpy Humpty Dumpty


And the mother of all banes during pregnancy:

10. Not being able to fit into my jeans, pants, tank-tops and dresses of the good old days from not too long ago. Banished to rubber-waisted pants, expandable jeans and unflattering tops is just too much punishment.

Any mothers to be want to share their top 10 things and 2 cents worth? :)

Labour Day Breakfast for Hubby

They say when you start finding yourself clearing out the cupboards or not minding frying eggs and ham and making coffee for breakfast for your husband during your pregnancy, you are nesting.

Nesting, well I wouldn't dare jest. But maybe slightly domesticating. Although the thought of having breakfast at home on a public holiday meant for rest was superbly appealing. So off I went on my little mission to fry eggs and spam for my hubby.

I hate smells in my kitchen that linger forever, so this you must be aware is a great sacrifice! I found a small cute frying pan deep within the cupboards and used them proudly to get my perfectly shaped sunny sides.

Add on the perfect blend from his new favourite Nespresso machine, throw on the telly and that's a picture of a perfect lazy holiday. If it started to rain heavily, it would have been heaven.

Noah's Ark for Little Grayden

This is my first official post for LG - Little G. A small family joke, where all the names of the men in the family start with G and hence a hierarchy of order.
My second nephew, the current baby of the family is called BG - baby G. So our little tot gets LG.

Anyway, my parents have been giving me dirty looks to the point of grief that I should add some colour to our black house. "There is no depth, no colour, your baby is going to have problems with colour next time. He is going to be a depressed baby!" so my mom laments.

So HG - Hubby G and I scourer for a nice mural to have on one of the black walls where the cot's going to be. I had initially wanted a nice professionally hand-painted mural but that would take too long and cost a bomb. Plus you couldn't choose what picture you wanted, must go with whatever inspiration the artist was having.

So we went with wall stickers. We bought a picture of the cutest Noah's ark we could find and got a professional sticker printer to blow it up for one of our walls. Printing and installation came up to $250 but the end result is absolutely priceless... a 'H-A-P-P-Y" wall.