Christmas in Singapore - House Tour

My calendar says December 23rd or 23 December as it's called here. Really. It does. Except that it doesn't feel like December at all.

Sure, the tree is up and the Christmas carols are playing, but goodness, I feel like I'm stuck in July. I guess that's what happens when you move to Singapore.

For the very first time ever, we didn't get a real tree. And we decided that if we going to go fake, that we'd go reeaaally fake. Andrew calls it the reverse Christmas tree. And we love it. White tree, green garland. Friends say, "Oh, you must really miss the snow!"

 And we do. I miss being cold. Strange I know. But it's true.

But here, the snow shows up only on the windows with palm trees peeking through the background.

Or in the jam jars turned candle holders. They smell like Christmas. So good. A sweet gift from my kids. I've caught them smelling the candles over the last few days. The smells remind us of home.

 Before we left, we purged, paired down and brought very little with us. But some favourite Christmas decorations did make it across the ocean. And thankfully all in one piece.

 There's not much room in this tiny place for big Christmas displays. Just enough to spread a little Christmas here and there.

No fireplace for stockings, but stockings none the less. Including one for little Sneakers of course.
The presents are wrapped. Mincemeat tarts baked. Tomorrow we pick up the turkey and make some yummy cookies. Just in time for Christmas.

Our First Long Weekend

So here I sit, on a Tuesday afternoon. Trying to dry out from my quick dash to the store for some milk. And yes, I had an umbrella. I waited until there was a break, or so I thought! I made it there dry, coming back was another story. The rain just seems to come down sideways here. Seriously! I watched as sheets of rain moved sideways. I took a deep breath and made a run for it with the milk in one hand and my umbrella in the other. Things were going fine until I stepped in a puddle that was wa-ay deeper than it looked and lost a foot-flop. One foot-flop retrieved. One jug of milk bought. One drenched person. And to think that I walked under shelter most of the way. Thank goodness there's a small grocery store in our complex!

Yesterday, much to everyone's delight, was a public holiday here in Singapore. It was the celebration of Hari Raya (known as Eid in Canada) which marks the of Ramadan. Those who are Muslim celebrated with feasts, but for us the long weekend was simply some much needed down-time. We are slowly, but surely getting settled in. It's taking awhile. We knew it would. It's not a surprise or even unexpected. But oh do I wish the process would speed up! I think Andrew described the last couple of months best -- a bureaucratic nightmare (you can click on the link to read more). Tons of paperwork. Tons of sorting out. But we're getting there. The kids are now both in school. Andrew loves his job. Our stuff arrived. Our stuff arrived! I'm slowly, but surely making this place into a home and will soon begin to hunt for a job.

It was not an exciting weekend. And that is just what we needed. We hung out around the complex. Read, napped and watched TV. It allowed us to rest. To breathe. To feel renewed.

 We ventured out on Sunday to try a new church. St. George's. The inside was even more beautiful than the outside. The people were quite friendly and we found ourselves invited out to lunch afterwards.

 We ended the weekend with an evening swim. I don't think I will ever get tired of swimming under palm trees.

This weekend is just what the two homebodies and even the two adventurers needed.

Memories and Cleaning

Today and probably tomorrow, I am cleaning out closets. I really don't like it, but it needs to be done. And people are coming on Saturday. No, I'm not afraid they will look in my closets, it's just that I have stuff around the house that needs to go away - in those closets - and there is no room. The one good thing about cleaning out all the crap is that you find a few things.

Like Little Miss' baby book. Truth be told, I'm terrible with baby books. There's a page, maybe two filled out. That's it. It's just not my thing. This blog is more my thing. A place to keep memories. Finding this book reminds me that I love blogging. I love recording our lives here, in this medium, not in a book. Blogging just resonates with me. Baby books don't. It also reminds me that I don't have to be good at everything or do everything. I am happy to love Little Miss and tell her all the things that make her special. But please don't make me write down things in a baby book. And poor Mr. Man. I'm not sure if he has a baby book. If he does, I've never written in it.

I also found this. A Kirby kite that Mr. Man made almost two years ago now. He's too big for it, or so he tells me. He no longer wants it, but I have fond memories of him running down the sidewalk with the Kirby kite flapping behind. It brings a smile to my face. So I guess cleaning out closets isn't all bad.

Thursday

Today (like yesterday) I am getting ready for Mr. Man's birthday party this Saturday. Can you guess what these are going to be?

Today I am dropping off a stack of yummy cinnamon rolls to the school's dessert party.

It's an annual event that's been going on for, oh, 50 years or so. It's our second year. It's a huge event. Everyone is excited.

Today I am searching for socks. Not just any socks. Mr. Man's socks. Currently he has six (probably more) single socks that are in need of their mate. How does this happen, you ask? Um. He takes his socks off in the strangest places. Which means I'll be looking in and under everything.

What are you up to today?

Crate Love

Remember this?

A mess, I know. But I'm working on it. The pile has gotten significantly smaller. Several things have been scrubbed and put to use, including the large crate. After removing a layer of dirt, I discovered that there was writing behind all that white paint.

A little sanding later and I could finally make out what it said.

Millard Brothers Ltd.
Motherwell
Lanarkshire (that's in Scotland)

A little more sanding revealed the contents of the crate. Apparently this crate was once used to ship shotgun cartridges.

I added wheels from the same pile above. Mr. Man was thrilled. Now I'm nervous. He asked me where he could find his skateboard helmet.

I added some white yarn to soften the industrial look. And to prevent slivers. We don't deal well with slivers in this household.

A perfect place to hold blankets. And a perfect fit beside the couch. So much better than just a pile of blankets beside the couch. Now the fort making, sumo wrestling, tv watching blankets have a place to call home.

Sharing here:

Beneath My Heart
   

One Man's Junk is This Girl's Treasure

A few weeks ago, I climbed to the very top of my dad's workshop and came across a few treasures. I know most people would call it junk, but I see something much different. I see a bin for blankets, a bed for sneakers, an organized office, a display for Little Miss' sculptures, shelf brackets for Mr. Man's room, planters and maybe a few more things. What do you see?

Easiest Flower Arrangement Ever

Sometimes you just need a little bit of colour arranged in a fun way to make you smile.

Are you ready for the easiest flower arrangement ever?

What you need:
5 jars - I used vintage milk jugs, but mason jars or jars from the recycle bin would be great
1 box - I used a vintage amo box  (thanks Dad!) but any rectangular box or basket would work
1 bouquet of colourful flowers - thanks Dianne!

What you do:
Put jars in box. Fill with water. Arrange flowers in rainbow order. That's it. C'est tout fini.

Monday, Monday

Today I am enjoying all the sunshine that is streaming through the window as I  clean out the closet in the dining room and plan for Easter (it's THIS weekend - how did that happen?) before heading to work for a couple of hours.

Sneakers is enjoying the sunshine too. Silly little puppy. All eight pounds of furriness

The happy window. Terrible picture, I know, but the kidlywinks had fun drawing spring pictures. It makes me smile every time I walk by.

Enjoy your Monday!

Around the House

Hello, glorious sun! I missed you yesterday. The rain stopped. The temperature dropped. Now we have sun and a dusting of snow. Still not enough snow to make a snowball or go sledding, but it's a start and a welcome break from the rain.

This morning I went on a field trip with Mr. Man and his class. Wow. There's a lot of energy in that class. I am enjoying a few moments of quiet along with my sun, before it's time to pick up the kidlywinks again. As I clean up the house, I see all the things that the kidlywinks leave behind. Like the paint that happily sits in Little Miss' room, waiting to used once again.

 
And the monkey that sits looking out Mr. Man's window.

In between painting (pictures coming shortly), I've also been working on some new items for my Etsy shop. Just in time for Vanlentine's day.

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And some for year round.

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