Wake Up and Smell the Cake

Yesterday was my first day at work without pumping. I noticed my breasts weren't full by midday, and at the end of the day wasn't hurting either, so I didn't pump. This could be the start of the stop of pumping at work! That'll save me 1 hour of work time, the hassle of bringing my pumps and ice bag, and no longer need to wear nursing friendly clothes! The joy! Actually I'm already wearing a dress which is not pump-friendly muahahaha. And no ice bags today! :) But I'll still continue to breastfeed at night or when Junior is with me. Need to get him accustomed to drinking milk from bottle with me around.

Tomorrow's the day! After 31 days of waiting, finally. Lots to do for Husband's return! I've already baked him a welcome home cake, his favourite, the butter almond cake. More or less done with sprucing up the house, got some air freshener, did some clearing up, I even ironed 2 weeks' worth of his work clothes hahaha. Oh! Spruced up the car too! Cleaned the carpets, cleared up the boot and seat pockets and what's left is a final car wash tomorrow. Need to pick up the staff cards for sentosa and the zoo tomorrow too for some family bonding time and hopefully the rain won't spoil our fun. I don't know why but I'm more hardworking when Husband is away haha! 28 hours left! :)

It's been ages since I've checked the countdown website! So today, on the last full workday before Husband returns, here's the countdown check! Yay! Soon soon :)

Another batch of rocky road, yes! And even so, I didn't finish my pack of marshmallows and hazelnuts. Sigh. But I did finish my chocolates! Haha I didn't use all of that, I threw away Nips and kept 1 bar of Toblerone back in the fridge hehe. This time round, I didn't use as much too, the first time was overkill. Haha. I used a different recipe for the brownie too, a recipe I've been meaning to use for a long time, best cocoa brownies by smitten kitchen . And it's a wonderful recipe! Best brownie I've made from scratch. Totally love the rich, fudgy deep chocolate flavour. I love that this brownie can be made in a saucepan too! Fuss free and easy. 10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) sugar 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (65 grams, though some brands may weigh more) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process) 2 large eggs, cold 1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour Melt butter in a saucepan, add in sugar and cocoa and mi...

I can never leave Korean strawberries alone when they're on offer. So last Friday's lunchtime grocery shopping I bought 2 packs i.e. 500g. When I was in my second trimester of pregnancy, I ate Korean strawberries almost everyday, finishing a pack of 250g daily. But I couldn't finish them this time round since I have a whole carton of oranges too (yes greedy much) so I decided to make strawberry cake to be brought for the cousins gathering. Junior was very accommodating too, sleeping the whole time I was preparing the strawberries. This is quite rare, I had time to boil them, drain & blitz in the food processor, and used the strawberry water to cook down to a syrup. The whole house smelled of strawberries it was just awesome! I used this recipe by Confessions of A Foodie Bride , for a fresh strawberry cake. It is by far the most moist cake I've ever made! I totally love the texture! The colour of the cake wasn't pink, more of a very pale, brownish pink. Not i...

Good "Monday" to everyone. So glad it's a short work week and Monday Husband is back! YAY! :) I love my colleagues. Last Friday was really TGIF, with a wonderful lunch and grocery shopping included. Haha. What was supposed to be just getting a box of oranges ended up with at least $30 worth of groceries per person. I got the Bisquick mix too, to make pancakes since I've read that it's almost similar to McD's pancakes. I made two batches over the weekend, the first time was really good and the second time was a little runny and I couldn't make thick pancakes. 1 cup of Bisquick (+ 1/2 cup milk + 1 egg) is enough for a hearty breakfast for 2. I still have more left, so I'm gonna make some for Husband when he gets back. I also made strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting on Saturday, and rocky road brownies yesterday but the recipe is different from my clear-the-fridge project last week . This time round I used a best cocoa brownie recipe with mo...

2 more weeks and this misery is over! Had a pretty good weekend, Saturday we were out and I brought Junior to the library while waiting for his grandparents. Geylang East Library is good for kids! The books are still new, and there aren't many kids around. Junior was happily roaming the shelves and the reading areas. Went to Tampines after that and there was a fantastic pots and pans sale I just had to get something! For only $69 I got a 34-cm skillet cum steamer. Yeah now I can make steamed cakes woohoo! I also grabbed a hair dryer which has been on my to-buy list for years and this one cost me only $15! Sunday was spent at home, it was raining practically the whole day. For Saturday's breakfast I made white chocolate raspberry muffins (project clear-fridge #1: raspberries) and mushroom & cheese omelette. White Chocolate Raspberry Muffins Recipe from Best Recipes Australia , but below is what I used: 2 1/2 cups flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 3/4 cups ca...