salsa time

What could be more freshening than a homemade salsa sauce dip to snack on late in the afternoon? Here's the recipe:

- 3 red ripe tomatoes, remove seeds and chop finely
- a quarter of a green pepper
- 1 red onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- salt and pepper

Chop all ingredients finely then mush all together in a bowl. Season to match your taste then let it rest more than an hour to allow all the flavors to combine. I prefer to chill the sauce in the fridge and eat it cold. I find it more refreshing with those plain salty corn chips. 

terrarium task

 

when making, i got a little help from my two-year-old and Elmo

 

I thought I had to start the new year with something fresh. And greenery in a jar is no exception. So when I remembered this rather large abandoned fish bowl in my mother's kitchen rack, I thought I should give it a go. Moreover, since all the tutorials and steps in creating a terrarium seemed quite doable. So I collected the tools: succulents of my choice, rocks, pebbles, soil for cactus and succulent plants and educated myself through this how-to video. 

Caring tips for your terrarium:

- Place them in a space where they can get sunlight and far from a dark place or near the heat of electronic devices.

- Water once every ten days using a spraying technique, spraying only to the sides of the glass letting the water drip by itself. Spray until the whole aquarium glass is wet but not too wet so that the water is evenly distributed around the edges of the soil.

- Once in a while I let the whole terrarium sit in the sun. I think they like it!

- Wipe dust out of the glass once it gets dusty or dirty.

having a sun bath due to the gloomy weather these past weeks

 

 Not bad for my first try. I promise you don't need a green thumb to do this!

 

shrimp & chicken siomay

My first attempt in making siomay looked like this and tasted real good. I must say that the peanut sauce wasn't as successful but at least now I have learnt the lesson. I reviewed several recipes and then ended up with this recipe but substituted the fish to chicken and shrimp. Until you try, you will never know that making siomay is that easy. Go have a try!

trick or treat!

Yesterday two munchkins got dressed up....for like 10 minutes. They attemped to go Halloween style as Steve Jobs and a wild mushroom. Looking at the results always crack me up. It was a fun dress up! And here's more photos just for fun.

 

 Wild mushroom from the back.

 Sharing one of Steve Jobs famous inventions.

COSTUMES

Mushroom: Ikea mushroom hat, Carter's plokadot onsie, black leggings, ugg boots.

Steve Jobs: Zara black turtleneck and light blue jeans.

 

someone is turning one

My baby girl is turning one year old this November. Though I embrace every minute of seeing her grow, it quite breaks my heart to realize that this year has passed so quickly. We're planning to throw her a little party, a pastel themed one. Why pastel? Coz I like the sound of it - Pastel Party- and I can just imagine how cute she would be in a pastel colored costume ;) Here are some inspirations I found around the web. The first picture was my pastel themed photo shoot I styled for CosmoGIRL's September 2013 issue. Just loving pastels!

Penny Bank

Here's a DIY article I did for Bunda Carrefour's blog. It's an easy-peasy project that your kid would like to help you with, and love to use in the end. All you need is a used potato chip tube package and fun paper. The photos tell them all. Let's recycle and get creative!

 

Items needed

newest obsession: red lipstick

Okay, I might be a bit behind this trend, but doesn't trends always repeat itself? So, I needed something to freshen up my look, especially after having my second child. Looking like a dead-momma is not appealing at all. And what works better than red lipstick? It's almost like magic. Who needs eyeshadow and blush anymore? I'm talking about those dates when you just have 5 minutes to get ready and go, with your baby in one hand and toddler in your other. It has been my savior for the last month and I'm loving it to bits. After a few try-outs with the red lipstick I have stacked but have only used to attend weddings, I finally found the one that I like the best - Bless lipstick in Cherry Red. Now, I wear it everywhere - on play dates, outings, even to pick up my son at school :) Bravo red lipstick! Now I get how you brighten up someones life :) Oh, and doesn't Olivia Palermo look gorgeous?

Photo: Google Images

hello 2013!

Too bad the holidays have ended... but the new year has come! That means, it's a new start to plan all those little things you never got to do in the last year. Note to self. Last year of course was one of the best as baby Mikaela arrived and that just doesn't beat anything. Even our long-planned-booked-flights family vacation got threw out the window since I was 8 months pregnant by the time the departure date came and obviously was not allowed to fly. You see, I didn't know I was pregnant when I booked the non-refundable flight tickets. No regrets though, we can do it this year!

Anyway, we spent the last days of 2012 at Sentul, West Java - a lush green area just before Bogor that wasn't just a refreshment to the eyes but also the soul. We stayed at a resort on new years eve and spent the first day of the new year entertaining my first child - riding horses included. Here's some of the pictures if you'd like to see. I hope you too spent new years with your loved ones.

meet mikaela

Our newest member of the family. We welcomed a healthy baby girl last November and named her Mikaela. She weighed 2,7 kilos and measured 48cm at birth. She is everything we imagined. Now at 1 month, she's already cooing and starting to smile in response to us. It's a whole new experience again, like I almost forgot how it is having a baby. I and husband and Fabian are thrilled to have her and can't get enough of her. Grow happy, healthy, and wise, Mikaela. We love you!

Big brother loves little sister :)

season greetings

 So it's Christmas! Happy holidays and season greetings from me here to those who celebrate. I hope you had a merry one with laughter, family, and friends. I'm having fun enjoying the holidays with my family chillin' and adapting with our newest member of the family. Love.

ullen sentalu

 

 

  Lush gardens in between areas of display at the museum

 The View from Beukenhof Resto

 

 Classic colonial interior at the Beukenhof Resto

The holidays are here and many of us in Indonesia tend to spend them at their home town. Mine is Jogja. So, incase you plan to head there, please do visit this place - a museum of Javanese art and culture, named Ullen Sentalu. The museum is located far north in the tourist area of Kaliurang where it holds carefully chosen eclectic artifacts. A tour guide will lead your group and explain the wonderful display. The building itself is like a castle and is dominated by the beautiful architecture that aims to harmonize human with nature. At the end of this tour, you will also reach Beukenhof Restaurant that is also located in the area where visitors can dine in a building designed in the style of colonial architecture. Also their boutique selling a variety of beautiful batik clothing and other lovely ornaments and handcrafts. 

This was my second time to visit the museum and was surprised by how the area has expanded since the last time. I personally think this is a great place to visit with family. Even my toddler enjoyed it! The ticket entrance for adults is IDR25.000 and free for children under 5 years. Seriously, highly recommended. Above are a few pictures of only areas we were allowed to capture at the museum.

hello, i'm still here!

Alive and breathing. So it's obvious I've been blog blocked for months now but finally back to blog land. Reaching the end of this year, many things have happened since my last post (including welcoming that cutie in my left arm) and I have many posts on hold at the back of my head.

Meanwhile, I want to shout out a Happy Mothers Day, as it is here in Indonesia, to all you awesome moms out there. I myself couldn't be happier to be the mother of these two darlings of mine.

cisco's smart device

  I replaced my old Wi-Fi Router to the Cisco Linksys EA4500 by recommendation of a friend. It’s only been up and running for a week now but I can already tell you how charming it is.

First of all, the sleek design is pretty made to be shown off and be part of interior decoration. That’s why it sits nicely on my new desk rather than hidden underneath a shelve.

Secondly, it really is super easy to setup – even for a novice like me. Honestly, it didn’t take more than 15 minutes to setup.  

Third, and the best…other than router settings is the Cisco Connect Cloud solution it offers. This concept offers a great set of features and a completely new home networking experience. So, once you are connected to your router, simply sign in for an account at www.ciscoconnectcloud.com to enable you to use the Apps to your home network using your laptop, mobile device, or iPad. Better yet, you are then able to manage and change settings to all these customized features from anywhere you are aka when not at home. Fancy, eh?!

Long put short, the Connect Cloud allows you to 'play God' in your home network as you can monitor and filter traffic. As paranoid as it sounds, it actually has a plus. I can now limit guests who want to share the network at my home. Then, I can use the Parental Controls App to block certain websites I don’t want my kid to be seeing later on. Right now, my kid is only three years old and can’t access the internet yet, so I’m safe for a while. I can also set speed priority to streaming sites or real-time media services, on any device I chose to use, for best performance using the Media Prioritization App. Cool? I know!

Now, what more can I say? All I know is that I’m happy with this change and the connect cloud is a right on real solution for home networking. Go here for more info on this smart device. It’s a keeper! 

Photo: TheJotPot

 

orilly cookies

Look what I ordered for a sweet treat. Oatmeal Dark Chocolate cookies from Orilly Desserts made by an old colleague of mine. They are dead delicious! Other than oatmeal cookies, Corry, the baker, also makes chocolate chip cookies. I personally am in love with the oatmeal cookies. They come in milk, white, and dark chocolate for your choice.

 

I ordered the medium jar, but they do come in mini jars and hampers. Willing to try for yourself? Order at orillydesserts@gmail.com. I guarantee you won't regret it's scrumptious taste!

Photos: TheJotPot

fresh work space

My new desk is finally up to use. I posted this months ago wishing for a new workspace and soon ordered a tailor-made desk. The finishing could have been better but for now, I can live with it :) I'm so glad to have new space to work outside my room. I get fresh air and bright sunlight in the morning from this spot. I'm still browsing for inspiration on how to decorate the desk without placing too many things there. What I'm mostly excited about is that some of my favorite things have a decent and nice place to sit now.

The eames chair I bought here. It finally has a good partner in the same color and sits with a lovely cushion I bought for 3 dollars at Mustafa Centre Singapore years ago. Also, the desk lamp from the husband, all out of the box and gets a spot.

My new gadget, Cisco Linksys EA4500 Router, which makes working a lot easier and organized. Actually, there's gonna be a whole post about this router and the things it can do (wait up). It really is a helpful solution for home networking. 

Photos: TheJotPot

ramadhan mubarok

Although it's the fourth day already, it's not too late to wish you a happy month of fasting. My personal excitement in this month: the smell of my mother in laws cookie baking almost everyday during this month and awaiting for Eid since we always head back to Jogja to be with family. I hope in this holy month of Ramadhan, we shall all be blessed by Gods love. The image above is my ideal menu for breaking the fast - tea and dates. Sweetness!

Photo by: TheJotPot
Styling: Sheila
Dates: Medjool Dates

white rattan shelve

Take a look at this post of my rattan finds. I finally found a proper home for my rattan baskets to sit. I ordered the shelve at a local carpenter near where I live and asked him to make an exact model of what I drew. Nothing fancy, but I love how it turned out. It makes storage more fun and prettier than ever.

The little guy insisted to be in photo... but then I realized that the height of the shelve is just right to keep those little hands away from my trinkets on top. 

F is 3!

My little boy turns three years old today! I can't believe it was three years ago I was feeling those mighty contractions :) He might be just three but it seems he has grown so much. Just a month ago he started to attend school and he loves it to bits. His library of songs have grown everyday since. He's my favorite singer and I'm his biggest fan. I guess there's too much to say about this little guy turning three. Happy birthday my little farmer, as your Daddy says, may you keep on sowing the seeds of goodness to others. We heart you!

The Amazing Spider-Man

I just got to see the movie last night and found it really attractive. I personally think it's way much better than the Tobey Maguire series. I'm assuming because the storyline, settings, feels more fresh, and the fact that Peter Parker doesn't look dorky at all or maybe just because Andrew Garfield is such a hottie in this movie :) Here's 5 things I loved most about the film:
1. Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. He gives the character a whole new personality. He already has the perfect built up body, he looks smart, he has the sense of humor, and his gestures just work without him trying too hard. Despite all that, maybe it's just because he looks so much like my all-time-crush, Adam Brody :)
2.  Gwen Stacey played by Emma Stone. They couldn't of found a better person. She has the persona of a smart schoolgirl. And the attire she wears that show off the classic girl of the 60's.
3. The fact that Spidey always brings his backpack with him. It creates the feel that this time Spidey is more a human hero in his suit, also like when he shouts in excitement when swinging around town.
4. The awkward funny scene: 

1. Gwen Stacy: [opens the door to the hallway] No, Dad, I do not want cocoa. Honestly, I'm 17 years old.
2. George Stacy: Okay, I just thought I remembered somebody saying last week that her fantasy was to live in a chocolate house.
3. Gwen Stacy: Well, that's impractical! [she shuts the door, then reopens it] And fattening. [closes the door again]
4. Peter Parker/Spider-Man: Chocolate house?
5. 5. The storyline that portrays more of the background of Peter Parker's parents and the history of his orphanage which, I guess, will be an important point to the sequel.   
6. 
   
7. Image from googleimages

no news is good news

Really? In this case, yes. The absence of my blogging has a reason, and it's because I'm expecting my second child *fluttering still* :) Right now, I'm in my 22nd week but have just felt myself from only for a few weeks ago. Unlike my first pregnancy, this time around, the hormones seem more strong and the body feels easily exhausted, so I'm spoiling myself to bits by taking time to just lay down and do nothing. I really hope that because now I'm feeling less zombie and more human, I can get The Jot Pot up and running again. Hope the energy lasts *fingers crossed*. 

The Garfield Bump picture above was actually my first pregnancy. I always imagined to make those week by week pregnancy photos but my energy just wasn't there. Lets see what might happens in the remaining weeks of baking the bun.