I would like to take this oppportunity to wish my family, relatives, friends and fellow bloggers a Happy and Healthy New Year.
I don't really do resolutions since I don't keep them but in the new year I would like to:
Who made all this mess??!!
I caught the culprit leaving the scene of the crime.
The suspect was unaware that a hidden camera has recorded the crime when it was being committed.
Our home has an oil heat heating system. With the oil prices rising significantly in recent months, heating the home has become a huge expense. The last heating oil bill we received was more than $400. This is the most expensive bill we have gotten since moving to this house one and half years ago.
So, we decided to look for an alternative way to heat the home and save money on our heating bill. We came across this website Desa Online Outlet which offers a wide selection of indoor and outdoor heating products.
We are interested in the wall heaters particularly the gas propane heaters. The heaters do not require electricity to operate, are quiet, clean and odorless.
We will be doing more research into the various types of heaters available and hopefully choose one that will heat the home on a lower cost.
* This post is sponsored by Desa Online Outlet*
The malls are closed and most of your friends are spending time with their families. What do Jewish people do on Christmas Day?
This is what they do.
It is true! Since it is also my in-laws wedding anniversary, they go to the movies and then come to our house to have Chinese take out food...LOL.
I am a Buddhist and hubby is Jewish, so naturally, we do not celebrate Christmas. As in my earlier post, Hanukkah presents are small and gift giving is not widespread. In Malaysia, during Chinese New Year, we would give 'ang pow' (red packet containing money) to the mailman and garbage man, quite similar to what we are doing here - tiping our service provider during the holiday season.
This year is Olivia's first holiday season at daycare. She has 3 teachers taking care of her throughout the day so I bought each of them a gift from Bath and Body Works. Last Friday, Olivia received a gift from them.
It is a beautiful knitted poncho! Now, if only I could get Olivia to keep it on......
It is a bit big now but should be perfect in a few months.
I always believe it is better to give than receive. While watching the news last night, this reporter was interviewing a woman who has been waiting in line outside a store for 14 hours in the bone chilling cold so that she can get the next shipment of Wii for her kids. She has 9 more hours to go before the store opens!
Parents would do anything for their kids, but waiting in line for 24 hours in the cold for a game set, I think that is a bit too much. You can buy the game set a week later, I know it would be too late for Christmas but it wouldn't be the worst thing.
There are families in the midwest who go to bed hungry every night. I hope that during this holiday season, they are not forgotten.
So, two days ago, I decided to attempt making amother batch of muffins after my earlier failure. I decided on baking Oatmeal Blueberry muffins. This time, I used a new packet of flour. The flour that I used the last time was old, definitely more than a year old. I'm not sure if the flour made any difference but this time, the muffins came out great.
Fresh out of the oven, the exterior were crispy and crunchy....YUM.
The critique:
My new loaf pan has been sitting on my ottoman for a few weeks now, and with this success, I think my next baking adventure would be Zucchini Parmesan Bread. :-)
Most people in the US own a paper shredder. Before discarding any documents with personal information or address on it, they will be shredded first. This is to avoid any identity theft. Here, people can steal your identity if they somehow obtain your social security number. They can become another YOU. Can you imagine your fate is determined by those 9 numbers? How scary!
As for me, I usually tear any documents with my hands. I know, it's not as efficient as a paper shredder and if the thiefs really wanted to, they can patch back all the paper.
However, recently I discovered that I have a personal shredder with me all the time....ta da....
Her specialty is shredding tissues and toilet papers.....LOL.
*sob* *sob*......I know it needs a little more sugar but I'm not sure why the texture is spongy.
However, I'm not giving up, I will continue to bake until I get it.
For first time mommies, the decision to stay at home or to go out to work is a personal battle. Many of us work because we have to. Depending on where you live, you need two incomes to survive.
This is also a controversial issue among women. Some stay-at-home moms think that it is the biggest sin to let another person other than the parent to take care of their children, while others felt unappreciated. On the other hand, working moms feel guilty because they could not care for their child.
The worst thing is that stay-at-home moms and working moms are at odds with each other about this issue. It is already hard being a woman and a mother, we do not need to fight with one another. We should understand why some women stay at home and some go out to work.
In the most recent issue of Parenting magazine, there was a poll asking readers if they think it is okay for stay at home moms to have a full time nanny or use daycare. 57% say Yes and 43% say No.
Below are 2 comments of those who said no:
OUCH!
This is an example of why I say women are their own worst enemy.
Being a stay-at-home mom of babies and young children is not easy. I think it is one of the most difficult job. I had a glimpse of what it is like during my 12 week maternity leave. Aside from being a mother, we are also human and spending a few hours a week doing something for ourselves is no crime.
If the mother is happier, she can be a better mother and the children will be happier.
Ear infection happens when a child has a cold and fluids that was not drained built up in the middle ear, behind the ear drums. When bacteria infects these fluids, it will cause pain and discomfort. Antibiotics is needed to clear up the infection. 
One of my friends was having trouble getting financing to buy a car. She needed a car to get to her new job but because she had filed for bankruptcy 3 years ago, she could get any loan from any bank or financial institution.
She confided in me and I decided to do a little research online. I was excited when I found this Auto Loans Financing website. They specialized in getting car loans for people with bad credit issues. Their service is nationwide and any information you provide is treated with the strictness confidence.
I immediately told my friend about this solution and she will be looking into the website for more information and possibly getting a loan from there.
*This post is sponsored by Auto Loans Mania*
This morning, we woke up to snow flakes falling and light accumulation all over. It is very cozy to watch the snow fall while sipping how chocolate.
Of course, my little 'kepoh' (busybody) stood by the window watching and wondering what's all these white stuff. She even had her first taste of snow. :-)
Luckily the snow fell on a weekend, hubby didn't have to wake up early to scrap the car or shovel the sidewalk.
