Happy Birthday @meLia

Many happy returns of the day
and a
happy birthday!!

lots of love,
XoXoX
Sher & Pete

Baking 101

Plenty of use of the oven tonight... after baking up some sun-dried tomato crusted tilapia and seasoned pork loin for dinner, it was time to make some muffins. I have these adorable, no-fuss and user-friendly Wilton bakeware siliocone bear muffin molds which I was very eager to try out. And since its almost the weekends... TGIF and also a birthday to celebrate at work tomorrow, all the better to whip up some sinful treats to start off the end of the week! So looking forward to the warm weekend - we are expecting temperatures in the mid 70s!

Here are my double chocolate chocolate chip muffin beauties...
just out of the oven and cooling off...

Proud "mama" baker... resisting hard not to take a bite!

Where'd all the muffins go?!!

Final product = my double chocolate chocolate chip muffins with icing and sprinkles. And they are all ready and packed for work tomorrow. I made them for Amy's birthday :D

Earth Day

Standards by Steve Tyrell

Chele and I have been waiting for quite a while now for this week to arrive. Once again, we got tickets to see Steve Tyrell this Friday at Buffalo State College's Rockwell Hall Performing Arts Center. If you are a frequent reader/follower of this blog - you would know that I enjoy listening to Standards and Steve Tyrell is one of the standard crooners whom I follow religiously.

If I have not already converted you into a fan - then please enjoy several of my favorite selections by the man of the hour himself on this blog :P

Easter 2009

This year at Easter...

Husband made me a beautiful Tiffany blue dyed Easter egg...


And here's our Easter egg-ies labor of love...

Created with flickrSLiDR.

Allergist's Verdict

To the allergist I went today...

Blood work came back all negative. This is good - I am healthy as can be according to my blood. I am on day #5, also the last day of me completing the Z-pack (antibiotics). I have already cut back on the codeine so I am no longer a groggy zombie!

So this means the chronic hives I have are idiopathic and I should keep Zyrtek close to me a all times.

My allergist did a skin allergy test on me - this is the part where I had about 40 tiny needles with 'stuff' on it injected onto four sections on both my arms. I survived but then the tingling, itching sensation began. Nurse said no scratching or rubbing of any kind for 10 minutes for the doctor to see.

Not even a few minutes... I can see tiny mosquito bite size bumps appearing and redness around certain test areas. You know what this mean... I am showing positive reactions to the 'stuff' they are testing on me.

Verdict from the skin allergy test, I am allergic to the following:
1. Cats
2. Dust mites
3. Weed (the ones sprouting dandelions not the other kind :P)
4. Trees.... TREES?? Which one?! In our northeast region, there's oak, hickory, birch, syacamore, cottonwood, walnut, ash, beech, maple, elm to name a few - so which one??

All of them!!

Most people are of the above...

I, on the other hand....

So it's continue on with Benadryl and Zyrtek plus some newly prescribed cream to sooth any itchiness from the hives and the mentioned allergic reactions.

Two year anniversary!!

Happy Anniversary to US!!

Bronchitis go away!

So the cold that started two weeks ago - which I have been suppressing with all sorts of home remedies, western and Chinese medication had led to bronchitis. The doctors finally prescribed me some antibiotics and some fancy-smancy medication with codeine in it (that's pretty much Robitussin in layman's term). The codeine stuff knocked me out instantly and while I slumbered, I did not get enough rest - if you know what I mean. So in addition to fighting some idiopathic allergy of chronic hives - the cold and now bronchitis, they were really no help at all in my fight to just feel normal and healthy again.

Day #3 on the antibiotics - much improvement. The coughing and funny nose have lessen and no more pressure on my pressure points and t-zone. Thank you all for the get well wishes and you stay healthy too!!

Ayu & Kyle's Wedding

Last week, we celebrated with Ayu & Kyle as they exchange their vows. Here are pictures from my camera.

Congratulation newlyweds!
Wishing you both a lifetime of adventures and happiness.

P.s. - We captured your entire wedding ceremony on our camera - let us know where to send it :)

Created with flickrSLiDR.

Meeting up with friends...

While in Chicago, last week, Peter and I managed to meet up with several old friends...

We met up with Meera who used to attend University of Illinois-Champaign with Peter. They met in their freshmen semester and have not seen one another for a decade now.

Peter and I picked up Claire and Dan from the airport and its straight to a lunch date with another couple from our college days at KDU, Penang. Here's Hui Chin who is glowing with happiness, just like Claire, from her very recent civil marriage.

And here are the men in our lives.... our husbands! Don't they look handsome?!! One has to give them credit for all the patience they have :P

Congratulations to John and Hui Chin on their civil marriage and we look forward to the end of year wedding celebration back home!

And here is our beloved 'Uncle' John with his girls... wife and two tag-alongs from home. And it only took us 10 years to get together all at the same time!!

My 2010 Mazda3

April's Fool or not... we picked up my car today!! It came all the way from Japan by way of California with only 3 miles on it! It has so many features and add-ons on it! I love it!!