random bits

Hey ho everyone! I trust all of you are doing happy and well. I'm just writing a quick post while my mother is over cuddling Jacob! This post is really Rebecca's work; these are all her pictures (except, of course, the ones I took of her). They were taken on one of our regular walks to the beach (with my little old camera, I might add); I'm always fascinated by the way children perceive and interpret their surroundings. The picture above though is of Rebecca getting ready for ballet class :)

This is a picture of a sunbird, a bird that does bear some resemblance to the hummingbird. Rebecca got some neat pictures of this little fellow, which can be seen on her blog, along with some interesting info.

This mangrove swamp leads to the sea. It used to be substantially wider in area, and teeming with wildlife such as snakes, monitor lizards and mudskippers; sadly, this has been greatly affected by rampant human encroachment and development.

Many of the trees have been here since I was little (which, trust me, was a long time ago). They have the lush quality of the trees which used to surround our home; thankfully, these ones are still surviving.

These offshore structures are called kelongs. They're made largely of wood and are supported by tall wooden beams buried several metres into the sea bed. They're used mainly for fishing, though fishermen do live in the larger ones.

There's Ro scouring the shore with her specimen-collecting bag.

Rebecca had some interesting things to say about crustaceans in her blog post. She found a study that confirmed what I always believed -- that crabs and other crustaceans do feel pain. I've always been very much against the whole boiling them alive thing, and never accepted that crap about them feeling nothing.

The seaside version of that cow skull in desert thing.

Seeing this picture made me think of Blake's Auguries of Innocence, in particular the stanza that reads: "To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour".

Now this thing. We've been seeing it out at sea for days now, bobbing about and looking increasingly weird and gladiatorial. The kids have taken to calling it "the head" and rush down to the shore every time to see if it's still there (it is). Despite looking at it through binoculars -- which Rebecca made a point of bringing for that very purpose -- we still can't tell exactly what it is. I keep saying that since no one's been reported missing, it's ok. The kids keep saying he's the lone survivor of a water-treading competition.

This is a picture I took of Becky looking thoughtful and melancholy. She's been having quite a bad bout of flu, poor thing, but is on the mend now. I look at her here and marvel at how fast she's growing.

And finally -- a quick one of Jake. He's a month now, and becoming increasingly responsive; there's nothing quite like a baby smiling at one in recognition or delight -- well worth the thumb splint lol (from which I'm recovering, praise the Lord). Do drop by Becky's blog for more pictures (bigger, better ones!) and deeper insights :)

Have a blessed, peaceful week everyone!

lookie-look

Hi everyone! I'm taking advantage of my mother-in-law being here to share with you more awesome happy mail! The super talented Cynthia of Antiquity Travelers sent me this veritable trove of goodies -- adorable beaded fishies for the girls, and gorgeous gemstone earrings for me, as well as the cutest bracelets -- possibly for me, but which the girls quickly commandeered.

Just look at the details on these memory wire wristlets!

And check out the amazing beadwork on these fishies -- how does one even start to make these?? The girls were thrilled of course, and I'll be using my earrings at the next posh do I attend (some day... soon... ). Thank you soo much Cynthia! That quote on the back of your card is the perfect reminder to all of us :)

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Sojourn

Well, one thing I just had to do while my mum was helping with Jacob was a bit of crafting! I love Jakey to bits of course, but I've been quite "art-deprived" for awhile now. I'd actually been thinking about this stop-motion experiment since the last weeks of my pregnancy, but then I was just too big to get on my hands and knees and futz around with little dolls and props. So as soon as I had a free afternoon, I rushed to give this a go!

Unlike my other stop-motion efforts, this one was an experiment in fitting images to music, rather than the other way around. Well, I realised soon enough that it wasn't that easy or straightforward, but I rushed to put something together anyway while I had the opportunity! Certainly it was a good breather to have that me time. This is a song that has served as a lullaby for Jake, so hopefully you'll enjoy it, if nothing else :)

Have a peaceful, blessed rest of the week!

a little update!

Hi everyone! It's been awhile hasn't it? I trust all of you are well and happy, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind words, good wishes, and generous support of Becky's guest blogging efforts.

My mother's over to be with Jacob today, so I thought I'd grab the opportunity to quickly write a post! As you might imagine, I'm rather a zombie at present and haven't had many spaces of personal, private me time to speak of. I've injured my thumb and wrist too, and have to keep them immobilised in a splint for now. Please pray for me, not just in terms of healing -- which I'm certainly trusting God for -- but in terms of my attitude -- that I bear up with good cheer and fortitude!

On a brighter note though, I wanted to share with you some awesome happy mail I received! One of the sweetest things about blogging is the unexpected friends you make -- really rare, thoughtful people who go out of their way to make you feel extra special! Well, these gorgeous works of art are by the lovely Stacy, a prolific artist with a penchant for crows! Aren't they beautiful? Stacy sent me this gift of not one, but four, wonderful pieces -- three ACEOs for my kids, and a canvas plus display easel for me!

Rebecca and Ro squealed with delight when they saw their gifts (Jacob couldn't quite appreciate his yet!). Becky brought hers to school to show her friends, so I couldn't include hers in the photo. Thank you soo much Stacy -- you know how I've always loved Baby Crow!

Have a lovely week everyone!

curiouser and curiouser

Hello! It's me, Rebecca, from My Amazing Days! How are you? Mommy says her hands are literally full with Jacob and it's too tiring typing with one finger haha! Luckily, I am here! Today she wanted to share with you this picture she saw posted on Facebook! It shows Franco Banfi, a diver and snake enthusiast from Switzerland, with an enormous anaconda in Brazil. Isn't it awesome??

"Anaconda" is a name that actually refers to a group of snakes, but it is used most commonly to refer to the green anaconda, one of the largest snakes in the world. Green anacondas can grow to more than 29 feet, weigh more than 550 pounds, and measure more than 12 inches in diameter! Also, the females are much larger than the males -- yay!

Anacondas become so big by eating wild pigs, deer, birds, turtles, capybara, caimans, and even jaguars! They are nonvenomous constrictors, which means they coil their muscular bodies around captured prey and squeeze their victim until it asphyxiates. They can swallow their prey whole, no matter what the size, because their jaws are attached by stretchy ligaments. After a big meal, they can go for weeks or months without food. Though they are heavy and awkward on land, they move in a smooth, stealthy way in water. Their eyes and nasal openings are on top of their heads, allowing them to lie in wait for prey while remaining nearly completely submerged -- scary!!

You can see more incredible pictures of this anaconda and Mr Banfi here. But another reason Mommy wanted to share this FB post with you was because she was sooooo tickled by all the comments that people on FB left for it!

For example, Dennis wrote: "I would choose a zoom lens from waaaaay over there".

Amy wrote, "Oh yeah.... let's get real close to it  ...said no one ever".

Michelle wrote, "I would choose a massive zoom lens... from SPACE!" Hahahahaha!!!

What about Ronnie, who wrote, "Diver better be careful -- dat conda didn't get that size smelling the roses!" Or Greg: "THIS is why sawed-off 12 gauge shotguns were invented. And machine guns. And grenades".

Edwin wrote:"Why in all that's insane in this world would anyone get that close to that??" And Sharon: "Pictures of him being squeezed to death coming soon".

From Thais: "Aren't they usually thinner? It must've just ate a family... of bears".

And Alicia, who commented right after: "Looks like he just ate a small tribe.... and 3 crocodiles.. for an appetizer" Hahahahahahaha!!!!!

Mommy was laughing and laughing as I read her this stuff. She says it's hilarious the same way the comments on Is It Normal are. But her absolute FAVOURITE was this one by Gdora. The person didn't write anything, but just posted this picture:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!! Maybe you could use it to comment when words just aren't enough HAHAHA!!!

Have a super awesome rest of the week everyone!! See you again soon!!

posy pin!

Hi everyone!! It's me, Rebecca, from My Amazing Days! How have you been? As you might guess, we have been pretty busy with Jacob! Mommy was looking after him every day round the clock, plus taking care of Ro and me since school had started, and she got quite tired so that she finally caught Ro's cold. But she says she is very thankful that God watched over her all through her pregnancy, so that she never fell sick the whole time, even when she had to look after me and Ro every time we were sick.

So of course, she hasn't had much time to do any crafting, or anything of her own really. But she did manage to put together this pin whenever she had a free moment. She calls it a "posy pin" (actually, she wanted to call it a "corsage pin", but obviously "posy pin" sounds a lot better)! As you can see, it is like her other collage pins, made with thick board and other recycled elements.

It's made with lots of gorgeous flowers and even has a cat thrown in! It's just like a real corsage, except it won't wilt (and there's a cat)! Mommy hopes to make more of these for the shop when she has more time, which means not any time soon. But this pin might get listed if anyone is interested over the next couple of days -- just email or convo her (now sold; thank you :)!

OK, that's all for now! Mommy says hugs to everyone who wrote her such nice emails and left such kind comments on our last post. We hope you are all doing super!! See you again real soon!!

just a quick one!

Hello everybody! Just a quick little post today! First, a picture I took of Jakey at five days old! Hello little cutie!!! I LOVE him! He is such a good baby :D

Here he is sitting in the Boppy pillow Ro and I used when we were babies! Hello Jakey!! I love you!! Mwah mwah mwah!!!

And second, a little movie I made of my sister and me singing to Mommy in the hospital! (She was eating properly, but we wanted to sing her the song anyway).

Mommy says thank you so much everyone for your kind words and good wishes!! Have a super lovely day!! See you again soon!!

take my advice...

Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late, by Mo Willems

While Mommy was sitting with Jacob, she read an article in a magazine called Junior and asked if I could type parts of it out to share with you! Of course I said OK, because I love typing! (There are some bad swear words, but I know they're bad and not to use them).

The article is a regular feature in the magazine called Ask Katie. The subhead says Everyone has an opinion when it comes to raising children -- just make sure you keep yours to yourself. Mommy says it is funny and well-written -- and she says OF COURSE no one we know is like this!!

"[We] just carry on looking after our children with a variety of techniques ranging from military-style regimes, to barely-coping strategies. It works. Aside from the odd wobble -- when your child comes up with something totally left-field -- we know what we are doing. It's just a pity that other people don't believe us.

"You may get an inkling of what you're in for before your child is even born, as an avalanche of unwanted advice, ideas, opinions and crackpot theories is proffered. And it gets worse after your baby is born. Why won't people just shut up? Having been subjected to interfering family, friends and complete bloody strangers since I started to show a slight bump, I have formulated my own crackpot theory on this.

"Despite what they might say when under the influence of alcohol, most people don't know how to end world poverty or solve the economic crisis. They simply don't have the necessary experience. But hey, everybody has been a child, which they think makes them perfectly qualified to tell you how to bring up yours.

"So, while powerless to do anything about sub-prime mortgages, they will sound off at great length about how you should put your baby to bed, what you should give your child to eat, wear, play with or think, how to impart discipline and why children today are so spoilt and badly behaved.

"Ask yourself this -- how many times have you been told -- unsolicited -- how to bring up your child and what you are doing wrong? And how many times has anybody told you: "My, aren't you doing a good job"? Exactly.

"Of course, not everyone goes on at great length. But wordless condemnation is just as bad. The accumulated sighs, harrumphs, pursed lips and significant looks that a mother is subjected to can be enough to send her completely off her rocker... Mothers themselves are particularly good at doing this, so take a vow right now NEVER to do it yourself when the grandchildren arrive.

"There are times when we could all do with the odd word of kindly encouragement, but I fail to see why people take it on themselves to tell you how to do your job with such wearying regularity, when you haven't asked their opinion.

"When my daughter was a baby, people told me what she should wear (that is, they didn't like my taste in clothes), when I should pick her up (because that's how they treated their own children)... I even had a complete stranger in a lift criticise the shape of my pram (don't know what her bloody excuse was).

"They just never stop. And they never, ever will. So all you can really do is let all the criticism wash over you and do as you damn well please. Just don't start telling other people where you think they're going wrong" (extracted from Junior magazine, issue 162).

Have a super weekend everyone!!!

hello Baby!

Hello everybody!!! How are you? It's me, Rebecca, from My Amazing Days! I'm so excited!! See the picture above? Yes! My baby brother has been born! His name is Jacob and he is sooooooooooooooooooooo cute! This picture shows cards that Ro and I made in the hospital room. The one in front is by me, and the one behind is by Ro!

Mommy let us stay with her while she was in the hospital. Let me share with you some pictures! Here you can see me waiting outside for her while she was in labour. I was really sad that they wouldn't let me go in with her. They said I was too young and would be scared. That was really dumb. Sometimes grown-ups don't get kids at all.

The hospital room wasn't very big, but it was quite nice. We could almost pretend we were on a hotel staycation. Well, almost. Here Ro and I are watching Monster High on Daddy's tablet.

We read and watched a lot of TV because there wasn't much else to do. Mommy's bed was too small to fit Ro and me in beside her, so Ro had to sit facing us.

We did a lot of drawing too. This is from a book Ro made for Mommy and our brother.

I have discovered that hospital food can be quite blah.

But not always. This was my breakfast.

And lunch.

I saw this lying on the table and asked Mommy what it was. She said it was the times of her contractions! She said that after awhile she felt that they were real contractions and not fake ones, so she went to the hospital.

Here is a picture of me! Do you know what I am doing? Yes -- blogging!!

I found this picture of me from four years ago. I am sitting on Mommy's bed in the same hospital. Yes, this was when Ro was born!

And this is me now! 

We are all home now. Here I am with Jake. I love carrying him and feeling his soft skin and hair. I love to just sit with him too! Mommy says I can take more pictures of Jakey when he is less sleepy looking. She says thank you so much for all your kind wishes and emails. She says Jakey arrived exactly on his 40-week due date, sparing her the pain of paying for yet another gynae visit. She says her labour and delivery were smooth and easy, and Baby is perfectly healthy and fine, praise the Lord! She also says she has stitches "down there" and pooping is just not fun at all.

I am quite busy helping Mommy with Jakey so I will probably take awhile to post things. I hope all of you are happy and doing fine! Thank you for visiting! See you again soon!!

A few more pictures here!

curiouser and curiouser

Hello everybody, it's me Rebecca -- from My Amazing Days!! This morning Mommy woke up really cranky because she had another achy, disturbed sleep, but she cheered up after her prayers because this was the title of today's devotion: "God's Perfect Timing"!

The Bible quote was "But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1:4). "'Due season' is God's season, not ours," the devotion said. "We are in a hurry; God isn't. He takes time to do things right -- He lays a solid foundation before He attempts to build a building... We may not always know, but we can be satisfied to know the One Who knows. God's timing seems to be His own little secret. The Bible promises us that He will never be late, but I have also discovered that He is usually not early. It seems that He takes every available opportunity to develop the fruit of patience in us.

"Vine's dictionary of Greek words begins the definition of patience as "Patience, which grows only in trial"... Patience is vital to the development of our full potential. Actually, our potential is only developed as our patience is developed. It is God's way -- there is no other, so why not settle down and enjoy the journey?" (from New Day New You, by Joyce Meyer).

I was glad Mommy felt better! Then I decided to show her my little movie that I had been working on yesterday! Do you know what the "twilight zone" is? It is the middle layer of the world's oceans, that part of the pelagic zone that goes down from 200 to 1000 metres below the ocean surface (the pelagic zone is any water in a sea or lake that is neither close to the bottom nor near the shore). According to Wiki, some light penetrates this deep, but it is insufficient for photosynthesis. Animals such as swordfish, squid, wolf eels, cuttlefish, and other semi-deep sea creatures live here. They are adapted to life in near darkness, cold water and high pressure. Also, there is enough sunlight for animals, such as the chain catshark, to be fluorescent!

Mommy enjoyed my little movie -- I hope you will too!! Have an awesome weekend and see you again soon!!

wheee it's a

I know it looks like "Tale", but it's actually "Sale"! Mommy says she will be putting the shop into "vacation mode" in a day or two, so she thought she'd have a little sale before that! You can get 10% off anything in the shop that's already made and ready to ship! Just enter code JUNE13 at checkout.

This discount doesn't apply to custom, made-to-order items, but Mommy says there are some things she could try to make if you really want, like the Guppy pins -- just please email or convo her first! The shop will re-open in a month or so, but Mommy says she probably will take on some custom orders after she's popped.

Thank you for visiting!! I hope you are having a super cool day!!

Paint with water!

Hello everyone! It's me -- Rebecca, from My Amazing Days! I'm guest blogging again! Today I wanted to share with you something my sister and I have been having fun with during the holidays. Mommy says many of you have young kids too and might like to know about stuff your kids might enjoy! So today I thought I'd share with you our Paint With Water set!

In the picture above you can see four of our paintings. The top two were done by Ro, and the bottom two by me! Ro is a good artist isn't she! I like the way she chooses and mixes up colours!

The pictures are from Melissa & Doug's Paint With Water series. Mommy actually got it for Ro because Ro loves art so much, and this series is really for young kids (ages 3+). The front says "Perfect For The Beginning Painter!" But I really wanted to do a few, and Ro was really nice and said "ok"!

So this is what each page inside looks like. Mommy got us the "Ocean" one, because we both like the sea and sea creatures. As you can see, every page has paints at the top. It's a lot less messy than setting up a real paint palette, and it's more convenient too because there's less clean-up. You just wet the brush -- they give you one! -- and start painting! When you're done, you cut off the palette from the top and display your masterpiece!

Here's a close-up of the jellyfish one I did. Aren't they cute! The paints are watercolours, so they have a nice, soft effect. There isn't a lot of paint in each palette though, so you can't get too carried away. I think you might enjoy doing these even if you are a grown-up!

Melissa & Doug actually have quite a lot of fun things for kids, and Mommy has got us quite a few of them before. One of our favourites is the Make-A-Face Sticker Pad, as well as the Scratch Art Sketch Pad Book! Maybe you might like to try them! Hope you are having a lovely day! We are finally having a bit of rain -- yay!! See you again soon!

Oh, Mommy says Baby is bigger now than we were when we were born. Baby is super happy kicking and punching her like crazy and shows every intention of staying in there as long as possible. We yell "Pop pop pop!!!" at her tummy every night.

Louise!

Hello everyone, it's me -- Rebecca, from My Amazing Days! How have you been? I hope you are enjoying lots of fresh air and cool breezes! Today the PSI is just under the "unhealthy" level, which I guess is a great improvement from the "hazardous" level (find out more about PSI here!). Some rain would be lovely.

Today I am helping my Mom share some craft stuff. This picture shows a lady named Louise Brooks. She was a great actress and dancer in the 1920s and 30s, and was famous for her cute bobbed hairstyle. My Mom says she was a flapper, and very forward for her time.

"Most beautiful dumb girls think they are smart and get away with it, because other people, on the whole, aren't much smarter," she once said. I think this pin is very cool and dramatic, don't you? It looks kind of mysterious too. Mommy says this lady always makes her think of the word "exotic". I think it's great that it's all recycled stuff and OOAK! I've listed this super neat pin in her shop! Thank you for visiting! See you again soon!

Guest blogger Rebecca!

Hello everyone! How are you? I am Rebecca from My Amazing Days, and I am guest blogging today! First, I will help my Mom share some craft stuff. This is a picture of Mommy's Cat Head pins! Aren't they cute? You can wear one on your sweater or your coat or your bag -- no one else will have one like it and you will look super cool! The dark blue Chartreux cat at the bottom is already sold, but the other two are available! I will try to help Mommy list them in her shop soon.

Isn't this cat beautiful! His colours are so lovely and he's really adorable!

I did ask Mommy to make me one if she could, so she did! I chose this little kitten because he reminded me of Ming Ming! This cat is a baby Ragdoll, and he's tiny and super cute and lovable.

OK, now let me share with you something I did! This is a little film I made of my tortoise Shelly! Shelly is solar-powered and can walk, shake his head, and wiggle his tail when you put him in the sun! I bought him at my school's science fair. I hope you like my little movie! I have posted some questions about it on my blog to see if you paid attention!

Oh, speaking of the sun, it has been 35 degrees here every day lately. Worse, there has been horrible smog and haze from forest fires in Indonesia which has made the pollution index here reach the "hazardous" level. The air is very smoky and there is a constant smell of burnt wood, even in our house. Kids and old people, and people with heart and respiratory problems, have been told to be extra careful and stay indoors. It even affects flight visibility!

These annual fires -- from about June to September! -- are caused mainly by land clearing and "slash and burn" agricultural practices in Indonesia, which means they are set deliberately. It is done because it is fast and cheap. I think there seems to be something really wrong when this sort of thing can be allowed to happen annually. The most awful part of it is how it affects the wildlife there, such as the orangutans. The blanket of smoke is so bad here, I can't imagine how bad it must be there! You can read more here :(

Now I will share with you some pictures I found. This is a picture of my Mom and me! We were waiting at a bus stop and playing a game. We always have lots of fun together and she's my best friend!

I saw that my Mom posted some baby photos of Ro and me, so now I'm posting one of her haha! Here she is in her little baby suit. Isn't she cute! She is lying on top of a car and my Grandma is holding her legs. The car looks quite shiny and clean so I guess it was ok.

Here is a picture I found of Ro and Sophie! They are sitting at the window waiting for me to come home. Sophie is one of our cats (we have three). Sophie is a Maine Coon. My Mom rescued her when she was a little kitten (Sophie I mean, not my Mom). Now she is pretty huge (I still mean Sophie haha!). You can read more about Sophie here.

And this photo shows our Baby's changing table. We made space for it in our room. I thought it looked so nice so I took a picture. That little girl is a painting by the Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara. We have had it for a long time. My Mom thinks the girl looks like me and Ro!  

OK, that's all for now! Thank you for visiting Mommy's blog! See you again soon!