100 days Thanksgiving Day #31:
Time flies, it's already end of the month. And I thanked God for the month of October, that I can persistently write down my thoughts here and thanks to all who read/liked my postings.
Happy Birthday to my youngest sister AiHoi Lin. She told me nowadays we don't receive any presents anymore, just birthday wishes over whatsapp or FB. I find this sad. I still believe in sending birthday cards (Abby wrote a birthday card and mailed to her aunt few ...weeks back) and presents. I hope my next generation will carry out these good practices on and on.
100 days Thanksgiving Day #27:Time flies, it's already end of the month. And I thanked God for the month of October, that I can persistently write down my thoughts here and thanks to all who read/liked my postings.
Happy Birthday to my youngest sister AiHoi Lin. She told me nowadays we don't receive any presents anymore, just birthday wishes over whatsapp or FB. I find this sad. I still believe in sending birthday cards (Abby wrote a birthday card and mailed to her aunt few ...weeks back) and presents. I hope my next generation will carry out these good practices on and on.
Baking of the day: Chocolate cake coated with thick chocolate ganache and decorated with icing+strawberries. I shared some with friends and they enjoyed eating it!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #30:
Today, we had our very first Halloween experience, organised by one of the shopping mall here. It was a very happening night, with all the kids dressing up the Halloween costumes, holding their trick or treat bag, going around the shops collecting sweets. There were also haunted house and free family photo booth. Both Abby & Ian had so much fun. And of course, we as Christian, we do not believe in celebrating death. Jesus Christ came to earth, to die for our sins, and resurrected on the 3rd day. He ruled over death. I explained to Abby about it and hopefully, she will understand and grow up to be children of God, together with Ian.
100 days Thanksgiving Day #29:
Today I made bacon and egg muffin again, but with a bread basket. It looked so beautiful! Also, I bought an expensive mango,, $3.99/each!! What to do, too tempting! But, it was not as sweet as what I expected, perhaps I cut it too early, should have let it ripe for 1-2 days. Then, also wanted to thank a church friend for sharing with me the Coral Trout fish. The meat was very fresh and smooth! Oh, about the cupcakes yesterday, my friend told me that the kids loved them so much! Happy me!
Ian fell asleep again, half way finishing his dinner (around 6pm). He asked Hubby to carry him and dozed off in his arm after 1min! He is still sleeping now, and I hope he will continue to sleep soundly until the next morning!!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #30:Today, we had our very first Halloween experience, organised by one of the shopping mall here. It was a very happening night, with all the kids dressing up the Halloween costumes, holding their trick or treat bag, going around the shops collecting sweets. There were also haunted house and free family photo booth. Both Abby & Ian had so much fun. And of course, we as Christian, we do not believe in celebrating death. Jesus Christ came to earth, to die for our sins, and resurrected on the 3rd day. He ruled over death. I explained to Abby about it and hopefully, she will understand and grow up to be children of God, together with Ian.
100 days Thanksgiving Day #29:Today I made bacon and egg muffin again, but with a bread basket. It looked so beautiful! Also, I bought an expensive mango,, $3.99/each!! What to do, too tempting! But, it was not as sweet as what I expected, perhaps I cut it too early, should have let it ripe for 1-2 days. Then, also wanted to thank a church friend for sharing with me the Coral Trout fish. The meat was very fresh and smooth! Oh, about the cupcakes yesterday, my friend told me that the kids loved them so much! Happy me!
Ian fell asleep again, half way finishing his dinner (around 6pm). He asked Hubby to carry him and dozed off in his arm after 1min! He is still sleeping now, and I hope he will continue to sleep soundly until the next morning!!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #28:
Few days ago, I joined two Facebook group page Baking's Corner and Baking Beginner Recipes, recommended by one new FB friend. And soon, my FB newsfeed were all about postings on baking! It was quite interesting and exciting to see different recipes and masterpieces by so many bakers! I learnt a lot from them and will definitely try out their recipes.
Today also marked my second cake order. One of my church friend ordered 30 cupcakes for her daughter's birthday party in school tomorrow. One problem I faced here was I couldn't get the same brand of whipping cream I had back in Malaysia. I could only use the thickening cream and hence, the cream wasn't nicely done, a bit watery (I added yoghurt into the cream). However, my friend praised me for the cute cupcakes and I think, her daughter's friends are going to enjoy it!
Few days ago, I joined two Facebook group page Baking's Corner and Baking Beginner Recipes, recommended by one new FB friend. And soon, my FB newsfeed were all about postings on baking! It was quite interesting and exciting to see different recipes and masterpieces by so many bakers! I learnt a lot from them and will definitely try out their recipes.
Today also marked my second cake order. One of my church friend ordered 30 cupcakes for her daughter's birthday party in school tomorrow. One problem I faced here was I couldn't get the same brand of whipping cream I had back in Malaysia. I could only use the thickening cream and hence, the cream wasn't nicely done, a bit watery (I added yoghurt into the cream). However, my friend praised me for the cute cupcakes and I think, her daughter's friends are going to enjoy it!Firstly, Happy Birthday to my sister AiLee Lin!
I usually vacuum and mop the floor every Mon & Thurs. And, today, I also washed the car. In order to reward myself for the hard work, I went to Malaya Corner (something like Old Town in Msia) for lunch with the kids! Though the price was not cheap but at least, the portion was big! I had my Hainan Chicken Rice before 12pm and I skipped dinner because my tummy was still full!!
Today's weather was very very HOT and HUMID! But thanked God for the rain in the evening. Hopefully we can survive through Summer!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #26:
Had a fruitful day. Morning-church service, Noon-busy baking and Night-church service again!
Today was my first time preparing refreshment for church night service. I was quite excited and happy to be given a chance to serve Him with my expertise. I baked 60pcs of Hokkaido cupcakes and also one 8" Blueberry cheese cake. It took me about 3hrs to finish the task. (preparation time is short but baking time is long! Moreover, I have a mini oven, so gotta baked in 4 batches!) I was very happy to receive positive feedback from the church members about my cakes! All glories to God!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #24 & #25:
Yesterday I accompanied Abby & Ian watching a cartoon - Barbie and the Pearl Princess, quite entertaining. I liked all the Barbie songs.
Yesterday I accompanied Abby & Ian watching a cartoon - Barbie and the Pearl Princess, quite entertaining. I liked all the Barbie songs.
This morning, I tried making bacon and egg muffin for breakfast. It was pretty easy. And, also made the no-baked blueberry cheese cake (homemade blueberry filling) for church service tomorrow night, in addition to the Hokkaido cupcakes. (To be baked tomorrow). I thanked God for the opportunity to serve Him in preparing refreshment.
100 days Thanksgiving Day #22 & #23:
I was busy learning how to file our first GST submission. Seemed liked it was not so straight forward as I thought it would be. But, I want to thank God for the accounting knowledge I had and also helpful tax accountant to help me understand the concept.
I was busy learning how to file our first GST submission. Seemed liked it was not so straight forward as I thought it would be. But, I want to thank God for the accounting knowledge I had and also helpful tax accountant to help me understand the concept.
The avocado tree is so fruitful. I water the tree every morning and counting the days for the fruit to ripe. Perhaps, I will be an avocado lover soon, who knows!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #21:
Tonight during choir practice, our Pastor came to give us a short sharing. Sometimes when we receive praises from others, we shouldn't be boastful or proud about it, but to remember to give glories to God. This reminded myself that when people praised me for my delicious cakes/puffs/tarts, besides saying 'thank you' to them, I also need to give glories to God for blessing me with the gift of baking!
Tonight during choir practice, our Pastor came to give us a short sharing. Sometimes when we receive praises from others, we shouldn't be boastful or proud about it, but to remember to give glories to God. This reminded myself that when people praised me for my delicious cakes/puffs/tarts, besides saying 'thank you' to them, I also need to give glories to God for blessing me with the gift of baking!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #20:
Today, I tried making Char Siu 叉烧肉, using pork butt but the result wasn't what I expected it to be, though the taste was good. So, I wrote a note to my 'Sifu' and hoping to get a favourable reply from her soon.
While having dinner just now, Ian suddenly fell asleep on the sofa, with a comfortable sleeping pose! Thanked God for blessing us with two lovely children that always make our life full of surprises and laughter! Today, I tried making Char Siu 叉烧肉, using pork butt but the result wasn't what I expected it to be, though the taste was good. So, I wrote a note to my 'Sifu' and hoping to get a favourable reply from her soon.
100 days Thanksgiving Day #19:
Today was my first time presenting, with the choir, in front of the congregration. The feeling was wonderful, especially with Ian next to me, 为我加油! (Though Ian is already 3yrs 6mths, but he is still a 'koala' to me!)
Again, I wanted to thank Sara Thie for her kindness to pick us up to church this morning. And we also got to know each other more when we chatted in the car.
100 days Thanksgiving Day #18:This morning, Abby and Ian had Hokkaido cupcakes for snacks and looked at their happy faces, you could tell that the cake was delicious! Haha!
Basically, I spent half of the day baking. I baked blueberry cheese tart, with home-made pastries and blueberry filling, for tonight's cell group gathering. Hubby said yummy, and CG members praised me for the tarts. All glories to God!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #17:Looked, the avocado tree in my backyard has fruits! I meant, starting to bear fruit and I am eager to see the tree full of avocados. (though I am not an avocado lover)
Tonight, the chef was on leave so we went to Mcdonalds to have dinner. The children were so excited and happy to have their very first Happy Meal here. Mummy is also happy to have her McSpicy value set, But, Daddy is working hard to pay for the bill. Thank you Mark Lee!100 days Thanksgiving Day #16:
Happy 69th Birthday to my Mother in-law! Ian sang a birthday song to Grandma over Skype call and Abby also wrote and mailed a birthday card to Grandma two weeks ago. May God bless her with good health and joyful life.
Today, Ian got his immunisation jab. (a free immunisation service by the City Council) It's so funny to see his terrifying reaction when he saw the needle on the table. But, he was a brave boy, he just screamed when the nurse injected his arm and stopped crying after 1min. And Abby, dare not went near the nurse, afraid that she too needed a jab. (She had her full immunisation already) Thank God for His protection that both kids are healthy since we came here.
100 days Thanksgiving Day #15:
It's already mid of the month. Today I went to see the tax accountant for GST submission. And again, I wanna thank God for the gift of baking that I can always show my gratitude to others by sharing with them my baking products! I baked egg tarts (something easy and fast to prepare) for this helpful couple that had given us so much advices and encouragements in our business. I also wanted to thank Uncle Caleb Lim for introducing this couple to us.
It's already mid of the month. Today I went to see the tax accountant for GST submission. And again, I wanna thank God for the gift of baking that I can always show my gratitude to others by sharing with them my baking products! I baked egg tarts (something easy and fast to prepare) for this helpful couple that had given us so much advices and encouragements in our business. I also wanted to thank Uncle Caleb Lim for introducing this couple to us.
Yesterday, I chatted with a friend in Melb. I wanted to thank Andrew Chan for his recommendation on the laundry liquid (might helped to reduce Hubby's eczema problem) and also his constant concerns for our new life here. May God bless you and Dorothy too!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #14:
It has been a busy day for me. Bought a kilo of chicken wings and spent 30mins cleaning and marinated them for dinner tonight. While on the way to the market, we passed by a nice scenery with a big tree, full of purple flowers (no idea what is the name of the tree), another one of God's amazing creation!
It has been a busy day for me. Bought a kilo of chicken wings and spent 30mins cleaning and marinated them for dinner tonight. While on the way to the market, we passed by a nice scenery with a big tree, full of purple flowers (no idea what is the name of the tree), another one of God's amazing creation!
Tonight's choir was a bit longer than the usual. And I was amazed to see our Reverend came to give us some vocal training. (something new that I never seen before in my home church) This coming Sunday will be my first time presenting in the choir. Looking forward to it!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #13:
Another usual Monday for me. However, I wanted to give thanks for my bakery page Sherene's Bakery & Cake House had hit 100 Likes in 2.5 mths. Thank you to all friends for your supports and encouragements! I will continue to bake with love and hope to share with you one day!
Another usual Monday for me. However, I wanted to give thanks for my bakery page Sherene's Bakery & Cake House had hit 100 Likes in 2.5 mths. Thank you to all friends for your supports and encouragements! I will continue to bake with love and hope to share with you one day!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #12:
Today, I brought Abby & Ian to check out a new library, located in the shopping mall. (about 10mins from our house) The library is slightly smaller than the one we usually go to, but both of them had fun at the Lego Building workshop. We also borrowed new books (including the Mr Men Ms Little series for Abby) and Dvds.
At night, we attended the service at our church's new preaching point, a new ministry by the church. I heard from a sister in Christ that the attendance are quite encouraging, with new visitors every Sunday. Tonight's message was about giving thanks and indeed, we wanted to give thanks to many people who had helped us in many ways when we first came here to start our new life.
1. YK & Joan: Thank you for welcoming us with open arms and offered us to stay with them as a start.
2. New friends: We are happy to meet many new friends here, mostly are church members and also Malaysian. They shared with us their stories when they first migrated here and encouraged us to stay strong and trust God for His blessings.
3. Our landlord: Thank you for renting the house to us at a very reasonable price. The house is located at a very strategic place with walking distance to the shopping mall, market, bank, school and also near to the church.
100 days Thanksgiving Day #11:
A relaxing day at home. I baked egg tarts again and passed some to our friends, whom we had dinner together tonight at Melting Pot Restaurant -Malaysian food! Abby & Ian enjoyed playing with Aunt Eunice Gan while baby Jeremy just watched and laughed! A good catch-up time with each other!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #10:
I was chatting with a friend whom I knew for less than a month (before I left for Brisbane) back in Msia. She was actually my neighbour for almost 5yrs! I made sushi and shared with her, and since then, I always share my baking stuffs with her. Lately, she has been baking and they were all yummylicious food! What made me even more happier was that she said that I inspired her to bake for her family and it was my pleasure
I also had a great time watching cartoon - Tinkerbell and The Pirate Fairy with the children while Hubby is away for work. Because of them, I started to love watching cartoons and it was fun!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #8 & 9:
It has been a normal day for me. Today I taught Abby Mandarin and glad that she still remembered what she learnt in Kindy previously. As for Ian, trying to teach him recognising alphabets (with some improvements) but he was not serious!
It's blueberry season and I baked Lemon Blueberry Bread! Loved the juicy sweet blueberries with nice citrus flavour. And also cooked Abby's favourite chicken rice for dinner.
100 days Thanksgiving Day #7:
It was not a good day for me as I was still sick and had an argument with Hubby over some matters. Nonetheless, I wanted to give thanks to God for such argument as it taught me how to be patient and reminding myself again, to be humble in accepting other's advices. I also had a good time attending choir practice tonight.
100 days Thanksgiving Day #6:
It's public holiday (Labour Day) and we joined the church group for an outing at Endeavor Park, Redcliffe, about 45mins drive from our house. I baked mini strawberry cheese cakes! The park was just right beside the sea and praise God for:
1. A wonderful weather (hot but windy)
2. Great fellowship amongst brothers and sisters in Christ
3. Safe trip
Today, I brought Abby & Ian to check out a new library, located in the shopping mall. (about 10mins from our house) The library is slightly smaller than the one we usually go to, but both of them had fun at the Lego Building workshop. We also borrowed new books (including the Mr Men Ms Little series for Abby) and Dvds.
At night, we attended the service at our church's new preaching point, a new ministry by the church. I heard from a sister in Christ that the attendance are quite encouraging, with new visitors every Sunday. Tonight's message was about giving thanks and indeed, we wanted to give thanks to many people who had helped us in many ways when we first came here to start our new life.
1. YK & Joan: Thank you for welcoming us with open arms and offered us to stay with them as a start.
2. New friends: We are happy to meet many new friends here, mostly are church members and also Malaysian. They shared with us their stories when they first migrated here and encouraged us to stay strong and trust God for His blessings.
3. Our landlord: Thank you for renting the house to us at a very reasonable price. The house is located at a very strategic place with walking distance to the shopping mall, market, bank, school and also near to the church.
100 days Thanksgiving Day #11:A relaxing day at home. I baked egg tarts again and passed some to our friends, whom we had dinner together tonight at Melting Pot Restaurant -Malaysian food! Abby & Ian enjoyed playing with Aunt Eunice Gan while baby Jeremy just watched and laughed! A good catch-up time with each other!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #10:
I was chatting with a friend whom I knew for less than a month (before I left for Brisbane) back in Msia. She was actually my neighbour for almost 5yrs! I made sushi and shared with her, and since then, I always share my baking stuffs with her. Lately, she has been baking and they were all yummylicious food! What made me even more happier was that she said that I inspired her to bake for her family and it was my pleasure
I also had a great time watching cartoon - Tinkerbell and The Pirate Fairy with the children while Hubby is away for work. Because of them, I started to love watching cartoons and it was fun!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #8 & 9:It has been a normal day for me. Today I taught Abby Mandarin and glad that she still remembered what she learnt in Kindy previously. As for Ian, trying to teach him recognising alphabets (with some improvements) but he was not serious!
It's blueberry season and I baked Lemon Blueberry Bread! Loved the juicy sweet blueberries with nice citrus flavour. And also cooked Abby's favourite chicken rice for dinner.100 days Thanksgiving Day #7:
It was not a good day for me as I was still sick and had an argument with Hubby over some matters. Nonetheless, I wanted to give thanks to God for such argument as it taught me how to be patient and reminding myself again, to be humble in accepting other's advices. I also had a good time attending choir practice tonight.
100 days Thanksgiving Day #6:It's public holiday (Labour Day) and we joined the church group for an outing at Endeavor Park, Redcliffe, about 45mins drive from our house. I baked mini strawberry cheese cakes! The park was just right beside the sea and praise God for:
1. A wonderful weather (hot but windy)
2. Great fellowship amongst brothers and sisters in Christ
3. Safe trip
100 days Thanksgiving Day #5:
1. Family movie day at home. Finally, we watched 'Maleficent' and it was quite nice. Abby enjoyed it very much as she was into Disney stories. Later at night, I watched another movie "The fault of our stars" and it was worth watching.
2. Abby & I were down with flu! Not sure if it was because of the swimming class but thanked God, Ian and Hubby were not affected and prayed that they will stay healthy.
1. Family movie day at home. Finally, we watched 'Maleficent' and it was quite nice. Abby enjoyed it very much as she was into Disney stories. Later at night, I watched another movie "The fault of our stars" and it was worth watching.
2. Abby & I were down with flu! Not sure if it was because of the swimming class but thanked God, Ian and Hubby were not affected and prayed that they will stay healthy.
3. Special thanks to Sara Thie for her kindness, to fetch us to church when Hubby needs to work on Sunday morning.
100 days Thanksgiving Day #4:
Weekend is here! It is also the last week of school holidays. Yesterday, the children had a fun time at the swimming school (free trial 30mins swimming class). There were some dramatic scenes happening, for eg, Abby accidentally slipped into the pool, Ian cried because of (a) the water splashed onto his face and eyes; (b) left unattended..All in all, they enjoyed themselves. Swimming lesson for the children is not easy but the instructor was very patient and professional in comforting them, making them feel easy and calm. We might consider enrolling them for the swimming class in future.
100 days Thanksgiving Day #4:Weekend is here! It is also the last week of school holidays. Yesterday, the children had a fun time at the swimming school (free trial 30mins swimming class). There were some dramatic scenes happening, for eg, Abby accidentally slipped into the pool, Ian cried because of (a) the water splashed onto his face and eyes; (b) left unattended..All in all, they enjoyed themselves. Swimming lesson for the children is not easy but the instructor was very patient and professional in comforting them, making them feel easy and calm. We might consider enrolling them for the swimming class in future.
100 days Thanksgiving Day #3:
1. I want to thank God for blessing me with the gift of baking. I started baking actively in late year 2012 and since then, I baked at least 2-3 times a week. I remembered for my first few baking experiences, the taste and texture of the products were not really good but after much practices, they just get better and better. Praise the Lord!
2. I also want to thank my Hubby for supporting me in my baking interest, especially in terms of ...$$ (he paid for all the baking ingredients and materials)! Together with my two children, they are my most faithful and loyal "customers"!
1. I want to thank God for blessing me with the gift of baking. I started baking actively in late year 2012 and since then, I baked at least 2-3 times a week. I remembered for my first few baking experiences, the taste and texture of the products were not really good but after much practices, they just get better and better. Praise the Lord!
2. I also want to thank my Hubby for supporting me in my baking interest, especially in terms of ...$$ (he paid for all the baking ingredients and materials)! Together with my two children, they are my most faithful and loyal "customers"!
3. To all my friends who had previously ordered cakes/muffins/cupcakes etc from me, THANK YOU so much for your supports and encouragements!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #2:
1. I loved the library services here. There are libraries in most suburbs and all are linked together, for eg, when you borrow books from Library A, you can return them at Library B! I am happy to see that Abby & Ian like going to the library, apart from borrowing books and DVDs, they can also use the public computers to play educational interactive activities!
2. Yesterday at the library, I asked Abby to take care of Ian (usually, they will go to the kids section and mingle around there) while I went to return the books. When I went to look for them, I saw Abby was standing beside the computers, apparently she wanted to use it. Next I went to find Ian, gosh, no where to be found! I was so worried and scared! A library assistant saw me and asked if I were missing a boy? YES YES! He led me to the counter and PHEW, I saw Ian standing at the coloring corner. A lady told me Ian was crying, and wanted to go out off the library to look for me, luckily she stopped him! Thanked God for the lady and the library assistant.
1. I loved the library services here. There are libraries in most suburbs and all are linked together, for eg, when you borrow books from Library A, you can return them at Library B! I am happy to see that Abby & Ian like going to the library, apart from borrowing books and DVDs, they can also use the public computers to play educational interactive activities!
2. Yesterday at the library, I asked Abby to take care of Ian (usually, they will go to the kids section and mingle around there) while I went to return the books. When I went to look for them, I saw Abby was standing beside the computers, apparently she wanted to use it. Next I went to find Ian, gosh, no where to be found! I was so worried and scared! A library assistant saw me and asked if I were missing a boy? YES YES! He led me to the counter and PHEW, I saw Ian standing at the coloring corner. A lady told me Ian was crying, and wanted to go out off the library to look for me, luckily she stopped him! Thanked God for the lady and the library assistant.
Later, I lectured Abby a bit (though not totally her faults) but being a big sister, she has the responsibility to take care of her brother.And also reminded myself, never ever leave the kids alone or out of my vision in all circumstances!
100 days Thanksgiving Day #1:
1. Thank God that I have the opportunity to re-joined choir (after 6+yrs of rest). I felt so good and happy to be able to sing along with brothers and sisters in Christ and pray that we will serve Him together wholeheartedly and God will bless the choir in numbers!
2. I brought along Abby and Ian to the choir practice and everyone praised them for behaving well! (I let them watched Toy Story 3 on my laptop to keep them occupied).
1. Thank God that I have the opportunity to re-joined choir (after 6+yrs of rest). I felt so good and happy to be able to sing along with brothers and sisters in Christ and pray that we will serve Him together wholeheartedly and God will bless the choir in numbers!
2. I brought along Abby and Ian to the choir practice and everyone praised them for behaving well! (I let them watched Toy Story 3 on my laptop to keep them occupied).
3. I baked egg tarts yesterday and my three loyal 'customers' liked it so much. Both Abby & Ian commented that the egg tarts looked like the shape of a sun and flower!
