Skyscape

A collection of few pictures taken on different occasions from our backyard. It made us in awe and lost for words as we looked at what the sky had brought us. Most of the pictures were caught after the kids who were playing in our backyard brought my attention to and convinced me to grab my camera. They are great nature lovers like me and always get amazed of the wonders that nature has brought us.Last year's Good Friday

One Spring day

Late Spring afternoon

Last summer late afternoon

(David calls it "the fingers cloud")

Early autumn 2009 late afternoon

Penmanship Tag

Got this tag from Dhemz . Thank you so much for this. As you see, my permanship is not quite good and hubby sometimes complains he cannot read it..hahaha.. well, those were only the times when he was not wearing his eyeglass.. lolzz
Rules:
1. Write down who tagged you in white paper and your answer in number 2 and 3. Take a photo of it and upload the photo in your blog to share us how your handwriting look a like.
2. Answer these:

- your name/user name/ pseudo
- right handed or left handed ?
- your favorite letters to write ?
- your least favorite letters to write?
- Write " The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. "
3. Tag five persons.

I am going to break rule #3 for I am going to tag everyone in my blogger list. Have fun guys!

Autumn Bloomers

Just some of my early autumn bloomers.

lily
lily

yellow rose

dahlia

crucifix orchid

A Day in the Wildlife Park

It was another great opportunity for my kids, Dorothy and David to get up close and personal with Australian native animals. The moment their Auntie Ethel announced the news to them that they're gonna take them to the Wildlife park on the weekend , they were right in heaven and yipped for joy. Dorothy's thoughts wandered around of the great chance she always looking forward to, touching and spending some time again with her most favourite animals in the whole wide world . Whilst with David, he was merely excited at the thought that it was another chance for him again to feed the kangaroos, emus, wallabies and the farm animals.
It took them two weekends after the scheduled date before they were able to visit the wildlife park because the weather was refusing to cooperate with them. Dorothy grew a bit anxious and disappointed. She seemed she had already the fill of her waiting for the right weather and even thought that it would be unlikely to happen. The wildlife park, Featherdale Wildlife Park is one of the best around Sydney and it is just about 10 minutes drive from where we live. The kids had been there many times and never get bored every visit. They always come home with different and exciting stories with their face to face encounter with the Australian animals.And obviously, part of Dorothy's itinerary on the visit was to spend sometime with the python snake and the tawny frogmouth . These were the highlights of her visit that she cannot afford to miss otherwise she will be so disappointed to go home without it.

Waratah

National flower emblem of New South Wales

Amazing Blog Award

I received this award from DavidFunk and Sedona who are some of the kindest and generous bloggers I've met on-line as well as my new good friends. I recommend checking their sites out if you haven't yet, and they will gladly return the favor. Thanks again guys, DavidFunk and Sedona for the mention and I do appreciate it.

Uber (synonym to Super) Amazing Blog Award is a blog award given to sites who:

• inspires you
• makes you smile and laugh
• or maybe gives amazing information
• a great read
• has an amazing design
• and any other reasons you can think of that makes them
• uber amazing

The rules of this award are:

* Copy the badge and put the logo on your blog sidebar or post.

* Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!

* Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.

* Share the love and link to this this post and to the person you received your award from.

* Come back and comment here so that your link could be added to the master list of awardees.

I'm going to pass this award to all my friends in my bloggers list. Please grab it if you can get a chance. You all deserve this wonderful award.

Our Homemade Mini Pizzas

It was hubby's idea to try making homemade pizza when he spotted Pita wholemeal bread in the shop. I haven't tried making one and so I thought why not give it a try. I agreed with him right away without further inquiries of how to make it. I was thinking also it was a great opportunity for the kids to make pizza according to their liking of ingredients available in the kitchen and besides, I know it would be a great fun for them as well. I was able to prepare whatever available in the fridge and good to see, I had enough of the ingredients needed to throw into our mini pizza. We had, slice bacon, green capsicum, onions, olives, fetta cheese and tomato paste. The kids had a great time decorating their own pizza with my supervision, of course, with slice bacon few onions and shredded tasty cheese for topping while hubby and I had all of the ingredients except the shredded cheese and see what we had for our dinner.

Anniversary Lunch

Despite hubby's busy time both at work and home, we still managed to spend quality time together without the kids as part of our anniversary celebration. Just us alone, reminiscing memories and talking something else. We had a good time together even if it was just for a short time . We had lunch in one of my favorite club in Penrith. It was a surprise from hubby because I didn't know it, that he was really into a plan of taking me out for lunch. Thought we will just have lunch at home. I was really in heaven the moment he said that, thinking of their delicious seafood platter. I love it and the thought made my mouth waters . The seafood is cooked just the way I want it. I devoured everything in my platter and its a no surprise to hubby because he knows that is happening always every time we come there.

No photos of us as i was so shy to ask someone a favour to take it coz it seemed everyone was busy ordering and eating for it was lunch time.

A Perfect Blend of Friendship Award

I got another award from my friend Maria. It is a Perfect Blend of Friendship Award. My big Thank you for this wonderful award of friendship and thank you too for your friendship to me. So sweet of you to include me always in your list even though i am always late in posting it.

What is a friend? You search on Google and you will find hundreds of different meaning of Friends, or Friendship. While searching through google search, i found many meaning but this is the one I like most.

"People who love you, people who you love back, people that will always be there for you through the good times and the bad, they make you happy when you are sad, they are angels that have yet to earn their wings, they are your dearest friends"

Now, It is my time to pass this wonderful award of friendship to all my friends in my blogger list. Please grab it if you have time.

Marie Antoinette Award

Thank you so much Cacai for this award. And I am so sorry for the late posting of this because I was kind of busy for the past few days. I am not sure if I deserve this award yet i am grateful and feel honored. How nice of you to include me in your list. Thank you so much again.

Queen Marie Antoinette was born on November 2, 1755 in Vienna, Austria. She was the youngest and most beautiful daughter of Francis Stephen I and Maria Theresa, Emperor and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire. Marie Antoinette was brought up believing her destiny was to become queen of France. She married the crown prince of France in 1770. Four years later she became queen when her husband was crowned King Louis XVI (House of Bourbon ). The short story is cute and inspiring, right?

I am passing this award to all my friends in my blogger list. please grab this award if you can get a chance . you all deserve this award.

Fish escabeche

Thought to make escabeche for I had two medium size silver bream fish which I bought from the fish shop last Saturday . I haven't cooked escabeche for a while now and it made me to search the recipe for fear that i will be missing out some of the basic ingredients.While searching in the internet, I found many recipes with slight variation of the ingredients and the cooking process which are also interesting to try. However, since, I was just looking for a simple recipe with the ingredients are available around in my kitchen, I didn't bother to copy or bookmark them. The recipe I chose is more likely similar to the way we do it back in my hometown.
I had it for lunch with a friend and we ate it with boiled jasmine rice.

Our 11th Wedding Anniversary

How years fly by quickly and we are counting,
Seems it just happened yesterday,
The day when we said vows to ourselves,
That the two of us became as one,
In front of witnesses, family and friends,
That was our special and most wonderful time,

Can't believe that we have gone this far,
With the ups and downs that we've been through,
We both worked it out with our LOVE and TRUST,
With God's blessings and guidance, we make it,
After all these years, our love never fade away,
Yet, it grows, stronger and stronger with each passing day,

Today, is the start of another year of our life,
Another year for our love to increase as we go,
With faith, hope and trust always remain in us,
What we have in the past is already part of our life,
With memories to remember and cherish forever,
To my dear husband, Happy Anniversary!

Sisterhood Award

My big Thank You to my good friend, Brigitte for bestowing me this wonderful award. It 's kinda late posting this . Sorry about it, for I was quite busy in the past days with some personal things that need my quick attention . I didn't forget it and, however, I am making it up now.Again, thank you so much for this.

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

I am tagging all my friends in my blogger list to please grab this award if you can get a chance. You all deserve this award.

The Moon

at around 6:45 pm (March 06,2009)

It was still daylight with clear blue sky
And no traces of cloud anywhere
The sight and glow of the moon simply captivated my eyes

Bag/Purse Tag

I got another tag from Dhemz . This is all about Bag/Purse tag. At first, I had a feeling of not to do it at all . You know, I didnt feel making an inventory list of what are inside my bag and show them to everyone...lolz.. Anyway, since I was not doing anything , I managed to convince myself and gave it a try. My big Thank you to Dhemz for including me in the list.
Here are the rules:
1. Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying as of late. No, you can't go into your closet and pull out your favorite purse! We want to know what you carried today or the last time you left the house.
2. List how much it cost. And this is not to judge. This is for entertainment purposes only. So spill it. And if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, we’d love to hear it.
3. Tag some chicks. And link back to this post so people know why the heck you’re showing everyone your bag.
I love this purse so much and we've been together for quite sometime now. It is still looking good.I bought it from the local shop here on sale price which I cannot remember anymore. I love it because it has enough pockets where I can put small things I want to carry with me all the time. Here are the things that I have found: hubby's lotto entries, my eyeglass, face powder, lispstick, eyebrow pencil, eye shadow kit, body spray, hand lotion, sunscreen lotion, mobile fone, hairbrush,2 chargeable batteries, my wallet, keys, pen, USB, dental floss, sanitary napkin and panty shield, dorothy's hand-held fan, small note book and few dockets.Now, I am tagging again all my friends in my blogger list. Come on, it is your turn to do it, guys. And have fun!

Friendship Award

I received another award from my good friends Clarissa and Melod's .
Thanks a bunch to both of you for including me in your list.

"I may never get the chance to win the lottery. I may never get the chance to go on vacation. But I have the chance to be your friend, that chance I'll take."

by Thomas Pustay

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

I'm passing this award to all my friends in my blogger list. Forgive me for breaking the rules again but you all deserve this wonderful award.

Friendly Blogger Award

Well, here is another award from one of my sweet blogger friends, tammy . Thank you so much for this wonderful award. It is always nice to get something from fellow blogger.


Lets spread the spirit of Friendship to all the blog sphere all over the world.

Here is the rules for this award:

1. Take a Photo or install one now.
2. Do not change clothes,do not trim the hair,the main image is to be captured.
3. Post a picture that is in edit.
4. Post this instructions.
5. Tag 10 people for this award.
This is me today. Picture was taken right after I came home attending my kids school Friday assembly, looking serious in front of the computer.

Now, am very sorry because I am going to break # 5 . i am passing this award again to all my friends in my blogger list. You all deserve this guys so please feel free to grab it if you can get a chance.

Chicken Kebab

Here is my other alternative for a quick and easy dinner. A ready to grill, fry and barbecue chicken kebab, and are available in most supermarket here, marinated in various sauces, barbecue, honey soy or teryaki. Our favorite is the barbecue and the honey soy. We normally eat it with rice, vegetables salad or steam vegetables. And this time we had it with vegetables salad.

The day of the District Swimming Carnival

I was there to cheer for her and the rest of the school swimming team. I can see that she was a bit nervous and so was I. Watching her standing in the heat 5, I can't avoid shedding few tears. Whether of excitement or nervous jitters started to attack, I surely didn't know . I had a feeling that she might drop out and won't be able to make right to the end of the race, a winner or not, I certainly didn't care. Just calm down as I told myself. She hit the water right after the signal and it was a good start for her. She was doing all her best all throughout the race. Unfortunately, she didn't make it to the top three. There were good swimmers in the race and I think they all done good swimming lesson by the look of it while Dorothy, she haven't done any swimming lesson since she was in year 3. Yet, I was so proud of her effort for doing her very best and making it to the district.

Last Friday was their recognition day for all their hard work and effort making the school so proud of them. Both the school swimming carnival and the district swimming carnival winners were presented and awarded with certificates and trophies. She received 3 certificates for her wins in the school carnival and the big surprise came for the first time in her life. It was a teary and emotional moment for Dorothy for she was not expecting this far. She was given a trophy in recognition for being the school swimming carnival 2009 11 yr old swimming champion. Tears were creeping down to my face too watching her walking down to receive her trophy.

(picture will follow as all the trophies awarded were given back to school for instead of 2009, they put 2008..lolz )

My "kalamansi"

While I was in the middle of dead-heading some of my plants, I noticed that my 'kalamansi" has lots of flower for the first time since I planted it. It flowers abundantly. It is not a big tree, merely the size of about 3 feet tall plant. Considering the hot days we had, it is a bit of a surprise to me. This might be the pay off of what i did last spring, I gave its basic needs that will help it to grow healthier, like fertilizer and spray just to get rid of insects that are harmful to it that will last also for a certain period of time. Water everyday is also the main factor.
I planted it in the ground since I bought it from the market for 25$ last 4 years ago. It survives well every winter time without covering it for protection against the thick frost. It is used to all type of weather here now. I am hoping I can get many kalamansi this time. I love making juice out of the fruits. It is good also for flavouring dipping sauce made from vinegar, soy sauce and spices mixtures. I use kalamansi too when I grill and fry fish.

How do I Love my Husband Tag

I was tagged by my good friend Maria. This is long overdue and sorry for taking so long posting this tag. No, I didn't forget this. It is just that it took me so long to make this. And another big reason is below. My big thank you for including me in your list.

I have still another tag to do from you. I have to find time to do it as soon as possible as it is also long overdue.

Since, our 11th anniversary is fast approaching, I would like to dedicate this tag to my wonderful husband ; and tell him some of the many reasons why I love him. And although there are hundreds and hundreds of reasons; And this is my list.

• I love him because he is the most wonderful man I have ever met.

• Everyone knows that we have a big age gap but it doesn't stop us from falling in love and have trust and respect with each other. We get along so well especially in decision-making. He listens my side and I listen his side before coming up to a decision.

• Before we got married, I asked him if he is willing to give me a family, considering that he has already children from his previous marriage, and yes, he didn't fail me. We have 2 wonderful and healthy kids.

• If I want to have time of my own or want to go out with friends for a day , he is always willing to take care of the kids. He always sees to it that my absence would surely doesn't matter to them as he always find something to amuse them and not feeling bored. He is always a good carer.

• When we have a misunderstanding, I simply don't like to talk to him for hours but he keeps on talking to me or even asks me if I need a coffee or tea.

• He is a great Dad to our 2 wonderful kids. My eldest daughter always saying to him that he is the best dad in the whole wide world who knows everything..Lolz. He always sees to it that the kids are always eating healthy foods and always take them to their favorite places of interest.

• He spoils me a lot because he doesn't hesitate to give me everything I particularly need and love provided it is within his reach . I dont work so I just rely on everything to him. Say, if I like a particular food, he always buys it for me or buy as many as he can afford and carry so i have many to stock in the house...lolz

• He granted my biggest wish in my entire life and that to let my parents to come here for a visit, see and explore various places around NSW and Canberra. I know it would never happen without my hubby's big help and God's blessings and guidance. Without them me, my sister and the kids won't be able to see our parents and enjoy the time being together here in OZ .