Puppies' Big O-N-E!!

What a fun 4th of July weekend party the puppies had! We were hoping for good weather as it had been raining all week. We took the dogs to two different dog parks over the weekend and boy were they all tuckered out!



On the first day we took them to the William R Davie dog park and then the next day we took them to the Ramsey Creek Park. The first was a big 5 acre piece of land, with lots of shade and swimming tubs for dogs to splash around in! The dog park is divided into two - 20lbs and under for small dogs, and 20lbs and over for big dogs. Scuffy borders between the two so he followed his brothers to the big dog park!

The puppies loved mingling with the other dogs. The largest dog in the park that day was a Great Dane named Friday. Sadly, Scuffy was one of the smallest. He was a little intimidated at first, when other dogs came over to sniff him out. But after awhile, he was having a riot running around with the rest! It's Scuffy first time ever visiting the dog park. I think I will continue to take him on a regular basis. It's good for his socialization!



Then their birthday presents arrived! We bought NFL jerseys for the puppies to get them ready for football season. It's also Scuffy's first time wearing anything other than his harness. He's a little squirmy in it, and in this picture he actually looks kinda miserable. But it pleased his Papa to no end that his boy is wearing the Bears' colors!

I am so glad that Scuffy's brothers went to our friends, so we can always meet up for play dates and gatherings. It is a joy to see how different their personalities are, and to watch them grow! I hope you had a 4th of July celebration too!

Happy 4th of July!

What are you plans for this weekend? I hope all my American friends get a nice long weekend even though Independence Day falls on a Thursday. Me? I have to work Friday, so I'm going to make the best of my Wednesday night and all of Thursday. My holiday weekend started out perfect -- I come home to sunflowers!!!

Most of them look like this, but I have three sunflowers in full bloom! 

Just waiting for those finches to come feed on them! *birding heaven*

Today is also very special for another reason. This is the day my puppy turns the big ONE! 

We had plans for a grill out at one of our friends'. She is the owner of Scuffy's brother, Buddy. 

But she had a last minute trip to Florida, so we're watching Buddy instead! This afternoon, we're heading out to one of the biggest dog park in Charlotte to meet up with Scuffy and Buddy's other brother, Beckham! It's a dog playdate birthday party!!!

I can't believe how much Scuffy has grown. I know it sounds silly, but I never thought i was capable of raising this little munchkin from 8 weeks to now! What with all the potty trainings and spankings and snuggling and cuddling, this little baby stole my heart completely!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and beautiful weekend! 

We're off to the pet store to get some birthday treats for the puppies!

June 11 : Something funny

Here's a card I picked out for J's dad for Father's Day this year.

J's dad is a funny man, he says things like "Oh no, the Browns are going to the SuperBowl!" when he needs to use the bathroom. Or he turns abruptly to ask you "you know what?" And when you answer "What?" he says "I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy" totally dead-pan and serious. *Face palm*

I think J inherited a lot of that silliness and light-hearted banter that I love. He has certainly made me take myself less seriously, over the years that I've known him. It's pretty apt, because in my daily yoga reading, the entry today says
"The ability to laugh at yourself is a sign of mental health" (in a good way, i suppose!)

June 2 : A moment ...

A moment, please. A moment of quiet and rest for our little Scuff-ster.

He's recuperating from a wild weekend of fun with the others at the farm. We were there around the same time last year (sans puppies), but it proved to be a little challenging this time, with 3 dogs and a cat all under one roof! Mayhem!

Which explains why he looks at the camera pleadingly, "Mama, no more pictures pleaseeee".

May 12 : Mother (Happy Mother's Day)

Waiting for breakfast from their mama!


To my dearest mother, thank you for all that you've done for me these 30 years. You have given, and will never stop giving your love and strength and help in every possible. I know it's tough having to deal with the distance between us and I thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank goodness for technological advances, I see you and talk to you every week. Now that you're on the iPhone, all the various apps make it possible for us communicate within a matter of seconds. I still appreciate the times when I can come home to visit. I love you, even though words cannot adequately convey my love for you.

Happy Mother's Day, 妈妈我爱你！

May 10 : Stars

Star- shaped almond jelly with longans! My mother always made these on special occasions. This morning, she made it as a dessert to take to my sister's boyfriend's house. Our two families are celebrating Mother's Day together. Too bad I wasn't able to join them. What are your special Mother's Day celebrations! I hope you have a good one!

Happy Chinese New Year (of the Snake)

I have been busy spring cleaning the house for the new year. And also baking pineapple tart goodies because that's about all the Chinese New Year festivities I can get here in Charlotte. The picture above shows my mother's masterpiece. The food I miss most during Chinese New Year food is her pineapple tarts. She would stand by the stove, stirring and boiling the pineapple pulp for hours. Now she buys the ready made jam from the store. Still, they taste just as fantastic. And somehow she always manages to get the pastry just right, so it looks glazed and pretty, but instantly crumbles and melts in your mouth.

She is my inspiration to make picture perfect yummy-licious tarts. I'm getting the hang of it. I need to get those pretty cookie molds to press my dough into. Right now I cut my dough with round cookie cutters and they look like this.

I'm just happy they taste pretty good. I'll work on the presentation bit next year!

If you celebrate Chinese New Year, GONG HEI FATT CHOY! GONG XI FA CAI!!!

Boston Terrier + Mini Schnauzer + Beagle =

Here's Scuffy and his band of brothers! Clockwise : Scuffy, Beckham and Buddy!
Don't you just love their faces!! I want to squeeze them all!! Looking forward to playdates!

Celebrations : Merry Christmas!

Ho! Ho! Ho! Scuffy wishes one and all a Merry Christmas!
This is his first ever, so he got one of his gifts early!




Our gifts are all wrapped up and ready to go!!  We're spending Christmas at J's parents this year, on the horse ranch.  We hope everyone has a wonderful time this special season,  and hope to see your posts soon!



May you have a blessed Christmas with your loved ones,  and a great 2013 ahead!!

Crafting : Martha Stewart's Christmas Stockings

Martha Stewart sent me an email. Oh-kay. Martha Stewart DOT com sent me an email, with a tutorial on how to make Christmas stockings. And just in time too, because this is Scuffy's first Christmas, I wanted to make stockings for our little Russell family.


This is the tutorial for her Christmas stockings. But I decided that I didn't want to make mine out of felt, so I hopped over to the craft store to get some pretty Christmas fabric and trimmings, and they were on 50% sale!!



I also added batting to my stockings, just because i like soft squishy ones.

And some pom-pom trimming to make it fun!



Ok, so the stockings didn't turn out to be too spacious, i think we can only stuff it with candy canes and perhaps gift cards. But, they look pretty neat on my hat rack!

Yay for quick and easy Christmas crafts!

Recipes : Strawberry Pretzel Salad

We spent Thanksgiving with J's family up on the mountains, at his grandfather's house. I love it up there. They have no internet access, or cell phone reception so it feels like we're escaping from reality, getting away from civilization.

Instead, we spend our time playing board games, catching up with one another, cooking and preparing for the Thanksgiving dinner.

This year J and I are tasked with desserts, so he made a pecan pie, while I tried my hand at Strawberry Pretzel Salad. I don't know why they call it a salad, but it was pretty easy to make. I'll share the recipe with you today!



Via

For the crust / base, you need:

2 cups of crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 tbsp sugar


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Melt the butter, add it to the crushed pretzels and sugar. Mix well.
Spread mixture into a 9 by 13 inch pan and bake for 7 minutes.
Set aside and allow to cool.



For the cream cheese layer you need:

1 8oz tub of whipped topping
1 8oz package cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar


In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with the sugar.
Fold in the whipped topping evenly into the mixture.
Spread over the cooled crust, making sure there are no holes in the layer of cream cheese mixture. (This is ensure the next layer of jello/ gelatin does not seep through, into the bottom crust layer)
Refrigerate until well chilled.



For the strawberry gelatin you need:

2 pack of 3oz strawberry gelatin dessert mix
2 10oz packs of frozen strawberries
1 8oz can of crushed pineapple
2 cups boiling water

While waiting for the frozen strawberries to thaw, bring water to a boil
Dissolve gelatin mix in the water.
Allow to cool slightly.
Add the strawberries and pineapple to mixture.
Pour over the cream cheese layer.
Refrigerate until it is time to serve!!


Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture when I was done. But here's a picture of J's pecan pie. It's a pity I don't like pecans, so I couldn't tell you if his turned out great. But according to the family, our desserts were awesome, so yay!




If you celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you had a great one! Next up, Christmas!! Can't wait!

Celebrations: Wedding at the Alexander Homestead

Congratulations to my brother-and-sister-in-law!!!

J's brother got married over the weekend. And the reason I went MIA was because I was busy making pomanders for their wedding!!

As usual, I waited till the very last minute (nobody but myself to blame!). But i have also reconciled with the fact that although a procrastinator, I get the job done! And pretty darn well!!

So yes, I did finish my wedding gift to the couple! Here are some pictures of the beautiful wedding at the Alexander Homestead in Charlotte!



Note the pretty pomanders that flank the sides ! *lol*



The cosy barn where we had the reception, and all that dancing!



R for Russell!
Cupcakes galore!!




Exchanging vows that are FOR-EH-VUH! Love you both!


Will share with you the (tedious) process of pomander making in the next post!

Puppy love : Dog-sitting for a week

J's parents are out of town so we get to babysit little Daisy for a week. The happiest kid in town has to be Scuffy, because he now gets a playmate to play with.



Scuffy completely adores Daisy. He follows her wherever she goes. He lets her have his treats and wants her to play all the time. Daisy is, however, more chill. She likes to have her peace and is annoyed when Scuffy gets into his playful moods.

But it has been five days, and Daisy has begun to accept Scuffy's presence. They're so cute together. Although Daisy is two years of age, Scuffy is heavier, and almost bigger in size.



Besties forever!

Celebrations : My sister's wedding

This is the reason I went home. My little sister is all grown up! Check out her lovely cheongsam, a traditional Chinese dress typically worn during Chinese weddings. The dress belongs to my mother, who wore it to her wedding! Best of all, my sister didn't have to alter anything , it was a perfect fit! Amazing, right?





Here is one of my favorite bits of Chinese weddings : the suckling pig. It is one of the groom's gifts to the bride. This, and the gatecrashing in the morning, before the tea ceremony. The groom has to overcome a series of obstacles / games before he can enter the bride's home to pick her up. My sister and her bridesmaids were very lenient towards the groom and his groomsmen. They only played ONE game - the groom and his groomsmen had to drink glasses of (really sour) lemonade, before the girls would open gate to let the guys in.




Not that easy, as it would seem...




Here is another picture of the lovely couple.

Congrats, my little sis! May you two share a blissful blessed life together!

Latest Addition to the Russell family

Remember this?

Well, in short, my friend Gwen's dog had given birth to 3 little puppies. I went over to visit and fell in love with them, only to find out they were all spoken for...

A week later, Gwen sent a text to say that my favorite puppy has not been picked up! She asked if I wanted to have him. Hell yea! Whoever didn't pick him up is missing out! This has gotta be the cutest thing alive!

Well, so we went and got the puppy. We've been potty training him (not easy), teaching him to sit (relatively easy) and leaving him in his crate when we're not home (VERY TOUGH!) This little guy has got the saddest whine ever.

To make things worse, we found fleas on him. So we gotta take him to the vet's tomorrow for his first round of shots and to de-flea him. But he has been such a good doggie. He let us give him a bath, and sat so still when we flea-combed him.

Did i mention that his name is Scuffy Nuts Russell III? J had 2 male dogs when he was young. Both were named Scuffy Nuts and Scuffy Nuts Jr. So naturally, this little pup is the third.

As for his Chinese name, we call him Xiao Bao Zi 小包子。He is 1/2 miniature schnauzer, 1/2 boston terrier, also known as a mini boz. We felt 'Boz' sounded very much like 'Bao Zi' in Chinese, which means "Bun", and reminded us of our time in China. So he was thus named.

Here are some pictures we took the first night we brought him home.
Warning: the following pictures may make you melt like butter.

Birding: Our Pride and Joy

So, a week after taking these birds in, they're still alive and well! They've grown out most of their feathers now, but they have very fine, cute tufts of feathers sticking out the sides of their heads which make them look so adorable. If you look at the picture here you will see how they have grown!

But my, are they LOUD. With each day, their chirps grow stronger and shriller. Every feeding, as I pop my head over their box, they start chirruping in anticipation of food.

I read on some website that starling babies need food that's high in protein and fat, and they recommend cat / dog dry food. So I have been feeding them cat food, pre-soaked in water to soften, and then mashed into pulp. Then I use a pair of chopsticks to feed the mashed up cat food down their throats. In the beginning, I was so afraid they wouldn't be able to swallow their food. Even though i mashed the food up into really soft pulp, they would reach with their necks stretched out, beaks wide open so i could shove food down their throats. It was a little worrying to feed them like this, and it's a miracle they haven't choked, but I guess that's just how little birdies eat!

Over the week, we have gotten to know each birdie a little better. There is a pecking order (pun not intended) even amongst these three. There are two bigger birds who grew faster and stronger. Then there's our little baby, we call it 'Little Runt'. The two bigger birds bully Little Runt during feeding times. They step on her to make sure she doesn't stretch upwards to compete for food. But Little Runt is content to let them trample all over her! J and I make sure she gets enough to eat though.

We have since moved them to a bigger box, but they continue to grow bigger every day. I'm glad we are able to care for them. I don't know what we are going to do, but we'll take things one step at a time.

Memorial Day Weekend at the Chadbourne Farm

How was your Memorial weekend?

I had tons of fun visiting my in-laws at their temporary residence on Chadbourne Farm in Hoffman, NC. Hoffman is in Asheboro, near the towns of Southern Pines and Pinehurst. It's a rider's paradise as there are many trails and ranches. My father-in-law had arranged for some riding lessons for us.



Here's me and my buddy Ace, who was ever so patient with me learning to ride. I don't look too confident in the picture! At one point I was telling him to stop and go at the same time! But he was a very steady and gentle horse who's used to beginner riders, so when in doubt, he would stop when I was giving him crazy mixed signals. Such a well trained horse! I think he's a Tennessee Walker, I'm not too sure. I'm also proud to say I actually saddled my own horse before I rode!




Here's the cosy living area we lounged at.




This was our room for the weekend. Isn't it pretty?



And there are charming little nooks and crannies just like this all over the house. I loved it! It would be such a dream to live on a farm, tending to horses, growing veggies in the yard, crafting and quilting the day away!


Be sure to check out Chadbourne Farm if you're in the area! I'm not done exploring the area so I'll be back sometime soon!

RIP Betty Boops

Our dear Boston terrier of 14 years has just been put to sleep over the weekend. It had to be one of the saddest Mother's Day ever.

Although I never got the chance to watch Boopsy grow up, I spent a short one year with her when I lived with the in-laws. Boopsy was an old soul, the most easy-going dog I've ever met. She wouldn't fuss if I clipped her nails or gave her a bath, or wiped her paws when she came into the house. Although she would lick my face off in excitement when I visited after we moved out.

I didn't realize how attached I was to her until Thursday night I got a call to say they were going to put her to sleep in the morning. It was too late for me to drive over to the in-laws and I had to work the next morning. I felt so helpless because I couldn't say goodbye one last time. So i bawled my eyes out and cried myself to sleep.

Boopsy has been laid to rest in Grandpa John's backyard. I will have to visit soon.

RIP dearest Betty Boops. Your family loves and misses you terribly.

Gong Hei Fatt Choy!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Are you wearing lots of red to usher in the New Year?



Technically, the first day of Chinese New Year was 5 days ago, but it lasts 15 days so i'm not too late!

My New Year 'celebrations' this year included a Skype video call with my extended family on Chinese New Year's eve. My aunts, uncles and cousins came over to my parents' house for a reunion dinner so it was especially festive and noisy during the video chat!

It is a tradition for families to gather and visit each other during the new year. The older generation (married couples) hand out red packets (little red money envelopes, or "ang pows") to the younger unmarried juniors and children. Children wish their elders by offering a pair of mandarin oranges in exchange for the red packets. My aunts and uncles were waving red packets in the video call, as I 'offered' a pair of nectarines to them. It was hilarious, but heartwarming to participate (albeit fake) in age-old traditions.

On top of that, I miss all the Chinese New Year goodies too, like my mother's pineapple tarts (which I tried to recreate), kueh bangkit, bak kwa (BBQ pork slices) and all that candy!!

My family is huge, so the children's "ang pow" collection is always very substantial. This year I left Chinese New Year wishes on my relatives' facebook pages and i was like "Dang! This family is growing exponentially!"

My paternal grandfather had 2 wives. His second wife (my grandmother) had 12 children. If I am to be the dividing timeline, most of the cousins older than me are already married with at least one child. The photo below is a picture of my cousins who are younger than me. I'm having a hard time catching up with who has which child in their families!





Happy Chinese New year to all who celebrate this joyous familial tradition.
May you have an awesome Dragon year ahead!

On a side note, the Chinese revere the Dragon. So anyone keen on having Dragon babies, you have about 3 more months to make those Dragon babies! :p

The Story behind the Chocolate-Cake-Recipe-for-Dummies.

Tried and tested. And true.

VERY SIMPLE!


So the story begins like this.

Last month, I was home in Singapore for my mother's birthday. I decided I wanted to do something special this year. Instead of getting her a present, I was going to do the un-thinkable -- bake her a cake!

Now, if you know me, or have read my past cooking entries, you know that I dread cooking. I like to eat, don't get me wrong, but I like to have food appear magically in front of me, piping hot and ready for chow. In return, I am most willing to do the clean up, however big the mess in the kitchen. And if you've seen the J-man cook, you'll know I REALLY am game to clean up.

So back to the story. I embarked on this lofty grand plan of baking a cake, but i really wanted the simplest possible recipe. I consulted my long-time food provider P (ie my ex-housemate), i researched the internet and finally settled on this Chocolate Cake recipe. Chocolate. Everybody likes chocolate right? Sure-win formula!

Then came the NEXT obstacle. I have not stepped into her kitchen for years. I had no clue what ingredients or equipment I needed. So i had to concoct a story. I was also going to attend my friend's wedding at about the same time as my mother's birthday. So i told my mother that I was charged with baking a cake for the bridal party. It never crossed my mind she would find it strange why they would ask a non-baker to do that, instead of just buying one.

In any case, she bought the story.

So she got out all her baking equipment, we went out shopping for the ingredients, and she even watched me while I baked!

That night, she invited our extended family over for a family reunion dinner because I haven't seen my aunts, uncles and cousins for a long time. While she was busy preparing a feast, i roped everyone in on the surprise. When dinner was over, everyone gathered in the living room while my mother was busy washing up (that woman never stops for a minute!) My uncle called out to her and told her to stop for a moment to chat. Meanwhile, I hid in my room, cake in hand, candles waiting to be lit.

When she walked out, we dimmed the lights and brought the cake to her!

She stood in front of the cake, surprised but beaming as we sang her the birthday song. When the song was done, we told her to make a wish before she blew out the candles. She closed her eyes, but after a second or two, burst into tears. Actually she bawled rather loudly, and frightened my baby niece in the process.

It was a few minutes of extreme awkwardness for everyone; and for me, it was the hardest thing to see. I tried to give her a hug but had to walk away because I was about to burst into tears myself. It was supposed to be a joyous celebration! I knew in my heart what her birthday wish was -- for me to come home. It didn't help I was leaving in 2 days.

I'm still tearing as i write this :(

But, long story short. This is a really simple recipe! If i can do it, so can you! Thank god for cake mixers! I know it's not the most complicated, mind-blowing, delicious cake, but for me, it's a leap from Betty Crocker's Pre-mix brownies. Although I did use powdered sugar instead of castor sugar at one point.

The picture above was my second attempt at the recipe. Much. Better.