Printing Out Fun

MrL and I have discovered a way to keep the girls quiet over the past few days.  Here's what to do; (As I suggest you do this too.)

What you need is one computer, connected to the internet.  You also need one printer.  Go to one of the (hundreds) of children's websites.  The majority of them have pages to print out for the kidlets to colour in.  Young children can find printers fascinating.  See the example below.

And then enjoy your ten minutes of peace and quiet whilst the youngsters colour in the printed pages.

Anyone else have any tips on keeping children aged 1 and 6 nice and quiet for 10 minutes?

Abu Dhabi Skirt

After my so-called success on the Eiffel Tower skirt, my mind overflowed with ideas of what I could sew onto skirts. I've got many ideas but I got excited by the thought of perhaps designing something that represents where I live.  And when people think of Abu Dhabi they think desert, and when people think desert they think camels.  (At least, I do!)

Then when I spotted this colour fabric I thought 'perfect', so I have whipped up a couple of skirts that now look like this; Introducing my Abu Dhabi Skirt.

I'm hoping I'm onto something with this design.  What do you think?  I know a lot of my Facebook friends gave me the thumbs up.  *Love* encouragement.

The Apprentice Makes Pancakes

You may remember last week I got Monet to do some baking and cooking. We have declared 'Tuesdays' the day when she is taught to make something in the kitchen.  She wanted to make pancakes.

Pancakes. Easy peasy with one egg, 1 cup of SR Flour, 1 cup milk and a teaspoon of sugar. Whisked together, left to rest for 15 minutes and then cooked in the frying pan laced with melted butter. I did the cooking but Monet did the pouring and the (attempted) flipping.  During the step of measuring and mixing, my apprentice gained her own apprentice, but the littlest apprentice just got in the way and was only in the kitchen for a minute for me to snap a photo...

Monet served up the pancakes with some yummy and sweet pancake syrup (aka cheap maple syrup)  Ooo delish....  We were most impressed that even Lily woofed her little teeny weeny pancakes up.

And the verdict?  Happiness all round!

Well done Monet.

Production Line

It was 'production-line' central here today. Just a pity my two girls are too young to give mum a helping hand in putting the skirts together, but truth be told, I actually really enjoyed sewing, sewing, sewing.  It is a bit of 'me' time and a good outlet for me.

I whipped up three skirts, all in the same fabric, two size Large, one size Small (though still need to make myself a Medium size pattern, but all in due time!)

I actually found it easy to do the three skirts all in a row - doing side after side, zip after zip, hem after hem.  Very satisfying and did not take me as long as one might expect.  Here is one (of the three) finished skirts, now waiting for an owner.

MrL deemed it 'bright', so did Monet, but I love it.  Just as well one of the skirts were for me. *wink wink*

Tweeting a T

I had some material lying around the place and also a spare white t-shirt.  (The past two t-shirts I have acquired from H&M came with plain white t-shirts and since I don't wear white tops in general, best to do something with them!)

So I laid a big strip of the spare patterned material down the center of the t-shirt.

I pressed the material in place using some 'magic tape' I had purchased from IKEA about 6 months ago.

I then did a straight black stitch along the material edge, a double stitch just to be sure, and here is the final product.   Pretty sure it'll go nicely with my green skirt and actually positive that my mum will love it.  (Not that it is for her, it is mine after all!)

What do you think?  Personally, I think I'm getting a bit too clever. *heehee*

Cup Holder

Do you know how nervous this can make me?

Cheeky chops.

 As soon as we leave the gate to the kitchen open, Lily is in like Flynn, grabs a cup (there is usually one hanging around for Monet to use), helps herself to the water cooler (we don't have the 'heat' section of the water fountain thing on) and proceeds to wander around, cup in hand, sipping as she pleases.  It's not the fact that she can now drink out of a normal cup, it's the fact that she fills the cup up to practically the brim, spills half of it across the floor and then she starts the whole procedure again.

Cheeky chops.

A Bit of Black Goes a Long Way

A few weeks back now, I sewed this skirt;

After I sewed it and wore it, I deemed it was lacking something - probably because it is a pretty bright 'be safe, be seen' kind of blue.

Today I was busy sewing two skirts to put into my pile of skirts to sell. Then it hit me as I sewed a red Eiffel Tower onto a black skirt (like mine here) - how about a black Tower sewed onto the bright blue skirt?.... So that's exactly what I did.

I'm wearing it now and don't feel so "look at me, look at me" in it.  Somehow the black has drawn away from the brightness of the blue.  Worn with a white t with thin blue stripes, I'm pretty sure I will wear it more and I may just make some skirts similar to this to sell.

A Sand Storm, A Butcher and The Three Sheikhs

We took a drive today to the Port section of Abu Dhabi. Of course the store we wanted was closed (we had a sneaky suspicion it would be, being a Friday (equivalent to a Sunday) and also it too being some public holiday (a Prophet?). But anyway, we drove down into the city through a mad sand storm. Disgusting. Not sure what the visibility was today, but surely it was close to no more than 50 metres. Yuck.

Down at the Port, we finally found the 'Butcher' section - yeah, not for the faint hearted I'd say, nor for vegetarians and probably not an ideal place for a woman with two daughters to be.  So I sent MrL in to find a particular South African butcher we had been told about.  And, once again, being a Friday, he was not open so MrL will visit him perhaps during the week.  (Apparently he sells Corned Silverside!)  Whilst we waited in the car, I was fortunate enough to see another butcher/helper/assistant picking his toe nails outside our car. *belch*  I'm actually pretty 100% sure he has nothing to do with the South African butchery so we're on the safe saide there. lol

Hey nice legs reflected in the window. ;P

There is a section of the Port called 'The Mina Center', which houses a few odd stores and a massive Co-Op supermarket, probably the cheapest supermarket in the whole of Abu Dhabi.  One thing I really like about the Center is the massive portraits of the Sheikhs that greet you when you walk into the 'old school' place.

I've been wanting to share with you those portraits for ages and now I have.  They are 'everywhere' in this emirate and I've told MrL that when our time comes to leave, I am buying all three portraits and they will be displayed in our abode back home.  ;-)

The guy on the left (Sheikh Khalifa) is the current ruler of the country and of the Abu Dhabi emirate, the middle guy is his father (Sheikh Zayed) who died quite a few years ago but they say he was the true founder of Abu Dhabi and had the vision of what the city is today, and the guy on the right is Sheikh Mohammed, the Crown Prince. It is really confusing who is who, who does what, who is whose son, who is in charge etc.,  I get confused who is the ruler of the Emirate and of the UAE but I do know I have the names right! lol

Another Friday. ;)