Foodie Friday: Banana cake

This is a nice cake recipe made from one of the commonest (and cheapest) fruits here - Bananas!

The recipe is made up of common cake-making ingredients and it is simple to follow. Easy process, easy outcome. The taste is light and yummy, perfect for an afternoon tea. I liked it so much that i made it again last night. For a step-to-step guide, click here.

Structure: The main stuffs; Process: Well, this is the final process (baking) when my hands are quite clean & the boys are away.. heheh;
Outcome: Golden brown with a nice, smooth, even top. Photo credit: myphotorecipes.com & myself :p

Tips:

1. Make sure to use a large mixer bowl (4.6L or more) if you intend to make the whole recipe as the banana mix fluffs up in volumes. Since i work with a mini 2L bowl, i did it by halving the initial mix after about 10 mins of mixing. Takes a while longer, but the result is good, nonetheless.

2. Instead of putting whole / halves of bananas directly into the mixer bowl, i used my fingers to squeeze-squash them as i place them into the mixer since i got small clumps of banana stuck to the mixer prongs after the mix the first time. Probably due to the design of the mixer/prongs (cheap brand) :p

3. The cake cooks much faster than the prescribed 55 mins. I suppose the heat can be moderated so it can be left to cook longer to give it a more toasted brown look, and perhaps a less pale inside.

Enjoy!

Crafting: Making a Fish Tank

So i was excited when i learnt about this creative craft from great blogger, Leonny. And immediately thought the boys would be equally excited as well.

...

Yeah. They were excited. To PLAY with each other! = . =


The time to complete the aquarium was much longer that i thought thou. Partly so as i had to search for the stuffs and chase after the boys. In the end, i owned most of the process as the boys were too spirited and distracted to wait on mom to draw the fishes (what happened to my art skills?!) AND Zac just happened to choose one of the hardest fish to draw - he wanted Lionfish! Grrrr....

I'm cute, right?

But really, it was fun (for me), and maddening (the boys doing a screaming match in the background). 


Yet really, i think kids, especially those who have experienced an aquarium or are into fishes, would find it amazingly fun to build.

Sweet Jem's Seahorse, Clownfish, seaweed; Isaac's Orange Fish, Green Clownfish, Shell, seaweeds & coral.
All the drawings, cuttings, touch-ups, tapings and box: Courtesy of mom.

Happy faces looking at mummy

Tip: If you color your fish on one side of the paper like me, then you may want to attach 2 strings (at head/body of the fish). Then the fish will still dangle neatly without it turning the other uncolored side facing front.

For a guided tutorial, please check here. Thanks Leonny for the great idea!

Ok boys, guess we'll do this another time, ok?

Memories Monday: Chin Sin Sports Day 1 Jul 12

L to R clockwise: Papa & Gab looking on; Sweet Jem clasping his hands in anticipation; And off he goes!; Isaac happily waving back at Papa & Gab.

L to R clockwise: The boys lining up for their poco-poco... heheh; Gab; Isaac's K1 contest.

L to R clockwise: Papa & Isaac in the parent-child game contest;Prize-giving; Gold/Silver medallions; Isaac & partner goofing around in the school's playground while Jem sits in the background.



Gab looking on by the stand while eating his favorite raisins. I will miss your cuteness son, when you're all grown...

Sweet Jem taking his sweet time

A tender moment with papa during the parent-child contest

Well done my boys! =)

*Hugs* Muah...

Psst! Don't forget mummy ya! I may not be in the pictures, but that's because i was hustling away getting all this memoried for you.. heheh.. actually sayangs, i'd rather not have my stoned-weekend look to mess with all your cutenesses... Haha!

  

That's quite like the exact representation of weekends-me.. heheh.
No, that's not Sweet Ah Mi, and no, you boys didn't mess up that wall.. heheh..
Photo credit: dailydawdle.com

Sunday reflections: The Sacrifice... not in vain?

Giggles. A smile. Two beady eyes look up at me as this playful soul test the boundaries. I cast a weary, perplex look.

"Cannot. I TOLD you times before not to swing (on the baby hammock)."

Silence. Gleeful hands and playful mind ignore my plea. And this weary mother lets it go (again) with an ambiguous threat- "... if your father sees you, then you know."

And before long, we all know. A solid thud on the floor. I spin around too late. And i sit there, and see this poor sibling knocked off his feet, the crash resulting in another crash, falling another foot apart from the bed height to the floor.


"Sorry... sorry..." The words come out softly, eyes expressing concern, hand carressing the pain.  But the mother is bent on punishment in spite of it all.

Hard slap on the waist. A thunder of words, and i-told-you-so's. And the chastisement continues for another bit. And when father comes, mother instigates, and a cane on the hand.

Crestfallen.

But wait... isn't he already sorry? Hadn't he learnt his lesson? Could i have handled it better? Should i have given him a chance?

How too soon, in all the swim of emotion, we have resorted to punishment firstly.

And in the aftemath of it all, after much pondering, only then i decided it was a bad choice. How about a better way? Maybe to slow-talk him in the right time, to teach him where it would impact the root cause of the issue:

Change the heart to change the behavior.

"Son, do you now see the consequence of your actions? So, please don't do it again. Remember this, because your brother paid for your lesson with a crack on his head."

And while i was rehearsing through this lost opportunity and regret, then it dawned on me, how this situation rings true for me (and humanity as well).

It's just that my disobedience does not show up swinging in the baby hammock.


How many opportunities have i let go or stubbornly not learnt? How many times must the Lord bear me before i get the point?

God, HIMSELF, paid for my sins with His Blood. His Life.

Am i going to let His death be in vain?

I pray for grace.