100 days Thanksgiving Day #32 to #61

100 days Thanksgiving Day #61:
Last day of November 2014! Thanked God for His grace and mercy over the past 11 months!
Today after church, we came back home and pretty much just relaxed at home. Weather was good and we also decorated the house for Abby's birthday party this coming Sat! A simple decoration made Abby so excited and happy. December is gonna be a joyful month as we will be celebrating our very first Christmas in a Western country, and most of all, it's Jesus birthday! Oh, which means Summer is here too! Pray that the weather will not be humid and hot! (I didn't want to be 'barbecued')

100 days Thanksgiving Day #59 & #60:
We had an eventful day. In the morning, we went to Sunnybank Plaza for the Santa Parade and also to watch the movie 'Penguins of Madagascar'. Somehow, I felt 由洋人扮成的圣诞老公公特别地亲切！There were also a small group of choir singing Christmas carols. The movie was very entertaining and funny.
At night, we went to CG. Thanked God for the 3 new friends tonight and also thanked to one of the CG member who is a GP for sharing with us information on skin cancer. Indeed, living in a country like Australia, chances of getting skin cancer is there and must consistently remind ourselves to apply sunscreen protection especially during Summer! And, another CG member gave Abby a doll as present. Abby was so happy that she named the doll 'Kayla'!


100 days Thanksgiving Day #58:
Today around 5pm, we experienced the second storm in Brisbane. And this round was golf ball sized hail stones, followed by strong wind and rain! Severe damages in the city. I really want to thank God for His protection as our area was not affected. No power shut down, no damages on window glasses/car. I continue to seek protection from God especially praying for my husband on his working days! Amen!

100 days Thanksgiving Day #57:
It has been an eventful day. Firstly, Happy Birthday to my hubby Mark Lee. I baked a simple Mango Cheese Cake for him. Abby & Ian bought a box of Guylian chocolate for him (using their piggy bank money) and I gave him a massage voucher.

Today, we brought the kids to the dentist for check up. Doctor praised them for beautiful and healthy tooth and gave them a toothbrush each as a reward. Then, we went to Hakataya for dinner, as Hubby got a free bowl of noodles on his birthday! But we missed out the free Boost juice coz the shop closed when we went there! Also, another BIG thank you to my sister, AiHoi Lin for shipping over a box of Mr Men Miss Little dolls for Abby! She loved them so much! 

100 days Thanksgiving Day #55:
A pleasant surprise from Malaysia! Abby received her very first mail from her aunties AiHoi Lin AiLee Lin, Grandma, Grand aunt Hoom Lun Tan Tan Hoom Tong and MeiYi Lim JieJie - a very creative and nice birthday card! Earlier I told my sister that Abby always complained that she never receive cards from anyone. (coz she likes to send cards to all on special occasions) So, when the postman passed the mails to her, she jumped in joy, shouting "Mum, looked, I've got a parcel!" Thank you all for this gift that made a small girl so so happy!


100 days Thanksgiving Day #54:
Today, choir took a break, no presentation, so I accompanied Abby & Ian to Sunday School. I was very happy to see Abby enjoying herself during praise and worship and in her class too. I remembered the first time Abby joined SS, she was so shy, always standing behind the lines and dare not even talk to anyone. But now, she stands the first row, close to teacher and always smiling! Thanked God for this transition period. And now, with Ian attending SS, hopefully he will 'blend' in soon!
After church, we went shopping. Both children were very happy coz they got to buy their favourite toys! Thank you Hubby for working hard to provide for the family!
 
100 days Thanksgiving Day #53:
Phew, now only I have the chance to sit down and relax! Since morning till 30mins ago, I was busy baking, washing, cooking, washing, cleaning! Thanked God I finished 60+ mini cupcakes, cookies, 4 dishes and one soup! Had a great fellowship with church members who came to our house for dinner! Oh and not forgetting the 15 mangoes, 10 peaches and 15 oranges given by them! I told Hubby, for the coming week, we will just munch on fruits as our meals! 
 
100 days Thanksgiving Day #52:
Busy day! It was Abby's school orientation (Prep 2015) today and we walked to the school early in the morning. (About 10mins walk) Altogether 8 classes (about 20/class) next year. Abby was very excited and happy to meet her class teacher and new friends. Then, baked a mango cake again for tonight's church bbq gathering at a very luxurious club house. Tomorrow another busy day as I need to bake 50 mini cupcakes, 20 blueberry cheese tarts and also prepare dinner for our guests. But I really thanked God for all these wonderful events!
And I wanted to say Happy 78th Birthday to my Dad who is now in Heaven with our Lord (7 yrs ago)! Will bake you a cake when we meet! 


100 days Thanksgiving Day #51:
Got to know that one of my friend is expecting her second baby. I felt so happy and excited for her. Pray that God will take care of her throughout the whole 9 months process.
Lately, I see much improvement in Ian's vocabulary and sometimes, I am amazed to hear "bombastic' words from him. Now, we are trying to teach him Mandarin and not so successful. Hopefully, Ian will be more willing to speak more mandarin soon.

100 days Thanksgiving Day #50:
Wow, already day #50, 50% accomplishment! I wanna thanked God for He is good! Yesterday marked the 6 months of our life here in Brisbane! Time really passes fast. There were so many things happened and God never failed us.
1. Bought a 2nd hand car within one week.
2. Found a house to rent within 2.5mths (with a very reasonable price and strategic location)
3. Started our own business within 3mths.
4. Found a loving church community, met so many nice and caring friends.
We really experienced God's guidance and protection since Day #1 we moved over here. I trust and know that God is always taking care of us. Amen!

100 days Thanksgiving Day #49:
I am in-charged of refreshment for Sunday School this coming Sunday. So, today I tried baking mini cupcakes with buttercream icing and it was so cute and colourful. Need to bake at least 50 cupcakes this Sunday. I also tried baking cake in the egg shell. Hubby commented that such a tedious job but I enjoyed it! I wanna thanked all my baking friends, especially recipes shared on Facebook.

100 days Thanksgiving Day #48:
God answered our prayer. Today's weather was much cooler than yesterday. Hopefully it will be the same till Autumn comes.

100 days Thanksgiving Day #47:
What a hot hot Sunday, just as the weather forecasted, 42C! Free sauna! Right after church, we went to the mall for free air-cond and also drank bubble tea. But, it was still HOT! Thanked God that the old fashioned air-conditioner at our house still working! At least, it helped to cool down the weather!
Today was Ian's first official Sunday School class. I dropped him in the class and went for service 'in peace'! The teachers all praised him for being so obedient in the class. Ian even made best friend with a 2yrs old gal! Funny boy.

100 days Thanksgiving Day #44, #45 & #46:
Thanked goodness the internet connection is back to the normal speed!
These few days weather was very hot and it will be 42C tomorrow! Pray that we will not fall sick under the hot weather and the children will learn how to keep themselves cool!

Today, we went for our very first lunch buffet here. (Groupon voucher) Food was satisfying. All of us skipped dinner tonight as we were too full! Moreover, there will be light refreshment at Cell Group tonight. Thanked God for the opportunity to serve in CG tonight - led P&W.

100 days Thanksgiving Day #43:
Yesterday, I baked mini sponge cake with yoghurt cream. Abby & Ian were so happy to have the cakes for snack time!
I want to thank my Hubby Mark Lee for his thoughtfulness and bought this small gift for me. Also, not forgetting to thank God for sending an 'angel', ie the dentist, to help solve my Hubby's toothache problem. The dentist even gave a discount - buy one free one! ( Filled 2 tooth for a price of one!)

100 days Thanksgiving Day #42:
I received a notice few days ago, informing us on the water supply shut down today (but, water supply is normal! Thanked God!). So, I suggested we have Domino's pizza for dinner (thought I won't be able to cook and wash). Abby & Ian were so excited since morning till Hubby went to collect the pizza in the evening! This was our 3rd time having pizza here and it was satisfying!

100 days Thanksgiving Day #40 & 41:
A brand new week! Yesterday at church, we got to know a couple who have just migrated here, around the same time as us. We had a good chat, sharing each other experiences here. After the church service, we went to check out this board game event at Woollongabba. Most of the games were too new to us. But, we had fun time playing Zenga with the kids. Ian was pretty good at it, fast and steady. On the other hand, Abby was a bit timid. Guessed we are going to buy a set of Zenga soon!

Today, I went to the market for grocery shopping with my most helpful two lil helpers. Though they could only help to carry light stuffs, but I was really happy and thankful for them, especially watching Abby holding Ian's hand (I asked her to take care of DiDi) and walked side by side. Praised God!

 

100 days Thanksgiving Day #39:
It's mango season now! $2 for one mango, Australian produce (I think the price will go down some more for the weeks to come) . Very juicy and sweet. It has been quite some time since I last baked a Mango Cake. Glad that my CG members liked it, some even thought I bought the cake from the bakery shop! A great sense of achievement!

 

100 days Thanksgiving Day #38:
A normal day. Tonight, we had dinner at one of the kids' favourite ramen restaurant. One good thing about this place is that you get a free bowl of noodle (just noodle) for each noodle set order. So usually, I will order a bowl of Char Siu Men , then share some of my pork and soup with Abby & Ian. They were so happy to have their share of noodle and I liked watching Ian enjoying his food. He always ensure he finished his food, till the last drop of soup! Kids are so easily satisfied!

100 days Thanksgiving Day #37:
Yesterday I baked blueberry muffin, with the leftover blueberry fillings. The muffin was so good. The beauty of home baking is the healthy ingredients that you put in.
Thanked God for the rain. Though it was short but its cooling.

Tonight I cooked vegetable curry, with all my favourite ingredients..yummy yummy! Also gave some to my neighbour.

100 days Thanksgiving Day #36:
Thanked God that Hubby's toothache problem has been solved. Managed to find a dentist that charged reasonably. (it is not CHEAP at all to see a dentist here, and Hubby kept telling Abby & Ian to become dentist/doctor in future!)
Today, I taught Abby a short poem in Mandarin, with easy words. She couldn't remember the words despite many trying. I got a bit angry and I raised my voice. I asked her to pay attention and read the poem repeatedly. She bowed down her head and wept. (I pretended I didn't see that) Then, she continued reading again and again and thanked God, she didn't give up, and finally, she remembered the whole poem.

100 days Thanksgiving Day #35:
Thanked God for the weather. These two days, weather was quite windy and cooling and it is already end of Spring. Hopefully our first Summer will not be too hot and humid.
Thanked God for choir practice every Tuesday night. Actually I was quite tired today, Hubby suggested I should stay home and rest. But I didn't coz I really enjoy singing songs, especially all the nice Christians songs. Abby and Ian always follow me to the practice and thanked God that they knew how to entertain themselves and didn't make much noise.

100 days Thanksgiving Day #34:
Today, both the children really made me mad. One minute, they play happily together. Another minute, they fight over small matters. Then both cried! Argh....Once scolded, they came to you with innocent faces (most powerful weapon) and said, "Mummy, I am sorry!" @_@
Tonight, my church Reverend and his wife came to visit us (previously, both the church pastors and wife came too). Really grateful to God for sending His faithful servants to care and pray for us. May God continue to use them in His ministries and God bless them abundantly.

100 days Thanksgiving Day #33:
Almost completing 1/3 of this 100 days thanksgiving challenge. Loved the song that the choir presented today.
I forgotten to thank my sister AiHoi Lin & my cousin MeiYi Lim for their effort in getting the Mcd toys for Abby. I shown Abby the picture and she was very happy. Wait till she sees the toys in person, she will be even more excited! 


100 days Thanksgiving Day #32:
Happy November to all!
Tonight, I was given the opportunity as one of the representative for our CG to join the church bible quiz on the book of Hosea & 1 & 2 Peter. There were 6 of us (all girls!) and we had only one week to prepare. So, we divided the books and each handled around 3 chapters. Guessed what??!! We were the champion! It was a fun night and through this activity, I got to know more about my CG members. All glories to God!

 

Mango Sponge Cake

8.11.14 (Sat)

It's mango season now! The Australian produce mangoes are very juicy and sweet, $2 each. I believed the price will go further down for the weeks to come.

It has been quite some time since I last baked a Mango Cake. Since there is Cell Group tonight, so I baked one and glad that everyone liked it. Some even thought I bought the cake from the bakery shop! A great sense of achievement!

Ingredients:

Sponge cake

4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/3 cup (35 grams) sifted cake flour
3 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch (corn flour)
1/2 cup (100 grams) plus 1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated white sugar (divided) (you may wish to cut down the sugar portion to 60-80g, which I usually do)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)

Mango dices for decorations 

200ml whipping cream

 

Methods

While the eggs are still cold separate two of the eggs, placing the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another bowl. To the yolks, add the additional yolk, and the two remaining eggs. Cover bowls with plastic wrap and allow the eggs to come to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk the flour with the cornstarch.

Place the egg yolks and whole eggs, along with 1/2 cup (100grams) of the sugar, in your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed for five minutes, or until thick, pale yellow and fluffy. (When you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the bowl in slow ribbons.) Then beat in the vanilla extract. Sift half the flour mixture over the beaten egg mixture and fold in gently with a rubber spatula, just until the flour is incorporated. Sift the remaining flour mixture into the batter and fold in.

In a clean bowl, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Sprinkle in the remaining one tablespoon sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold a little of the whites into the batter to lighten it, and then add the rest of the whites.

 

Bake for 30-35mins in a preheated oven, 170C till golden brown or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave cool on wire rack.

Divide the cake into half. Place one cake on the cake pan. Spread some cream on top and placed mango dices. Place another cake on top and decorate as desired.

100 Days Thanksgiving Day #1 to Day #31

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.

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 #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!
  

100 days Thanksgiving Day #27:
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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

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

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.

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 #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"!

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.

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).

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!

Blueberry Cheese Tart 蓝莓芝士塔

18.10.14

It has been some time since I last baked blueberry cheese tarts. There were 2 packets of blueberries in my fridge, so I spent half of the day baking blueberry cheese tart. Back in Malaysia, I usually just buy the blueberry fillings from the bakery ingredients shop. But, I hardly find any shop specialising in bakery ingredients here in Brisbane, so I got to make my own blueberry filling. As for the pastry, I just used my normal pastry recipe.

Ingredients

225g self raising flour

125g butter, room temperature

55g icing sugar

1 egg, room temperature

Cheese fillings

250g cream cheese

20g butter

1 egg

60g caster sugar

Blueberry fillings

100g fresh blueberries

30g caster sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp corn flour

1 tbsp water

Method

1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and light. Add egg and mix well. Sift in flour in 2 additions, mix well. Knead into dough. Line dough in tart mould. Bake at 160C till half baked.

2. Blueberry fillings: Mix blueberries, sugar and lemon juice, using medium heat, cook till blueberry softened. Combine corn flour and water well. Pour over the blueberries bit by bit. Stir continuously until you get the desired consistency. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool.

3. Cheese fillings: Mix all ingredients well with an electric mixer.

4. Pour some cheese fillings into the half baked tart. Add some blueberry fillings and top up with the cheese fillings. Bake at 160C till cooked. Leave cool on rack. Chill in fridge overnight.

 

Lemon Blueberry Bread

9.10.14 (Thurs)

Finally came the season for blueberry and since Hubby liked the blueberry tart I baked 2 weeks ago, today I baked another blueberry recipe - Lemon Blueberry Bread! I am not sure why it is called a bread instead of cake or muffin, because I find that the texture is more to the cake/muffin. Anyhow, it is a yummy recipe and loved it!

 

Juicy blueberries with citrus flavour!

 

(Make 1 loaf) 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin of the lemon)
1 cup (240 ml) fresh blueberries
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar (I reduced it to 120g)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk

Lemon Glaze:
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated white sugar 

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

 

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or spray with a non stick vegetable spray) the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inch) (23 x 13 x 8 cm).

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Remove 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture. Place the blueberries in a separate bowl and toss the berries with the 1 tablespoon flour (this will help prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the pan during baking.)

3. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until softened (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Lemon Glaze:

1. In a small microwaveable bowl, stir the sugar with the lemon juice. Place in the microwave for about 20 seconds or just until sugar has dissolved.

When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Pierce the top of the hot loaf with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush with the hot lemon glaze. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. This bread is best served on the day it is made, but it can be stored several days or frozen.