Play date for 3-yr-old Mackenzie

This morning in the car...

Mackenzie: "Anay and Gedeon are crying because they want to come to my house to play..."

Mommy: "You invited your friends over to play?"

Mackenzie: "Yeah."

Daddy: "咁邊個煮 Mum Mum 俾佢地食呀？" ("Then who cooks for them?")

Mackenzie: "Me!"

Mommy: "You can cook? What are you going to make for them?"

Mackenzie: "Hotdogs."

Mommy: "Really? 你識煮 hotdogs 咩？" (You know how to make hotdogs?")

Mackenzie: "假㗎！" ("Fake ones.")

My Favorite BB Creams So Far...

Ever since I started using BB creams in the Summer of 2011 I find that I cannot live without them anymore.  How I managed to live my life without them before Summer 2011 is beyond me; but now that I know about them, they're here to stay for good.  I've tried many BB creams since then: Skinfood Peach Sake Pore BB Cream #1 and #2, Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream #21, Skin79 Absolute Total BB Cream, The FACEShop Clean Face Oil-Free BB Cream, Dr. Jart+ V7 Beauty Balm, and my latest acquisition: Etude House Collagen Moistful BB Cream.

Out of all the above names, the brands that I would not buy again are Missha and Skin79 mainly because their BB creams are too rich and creamy for me.  They make my skin glossy soon after application which gives off the impression of being too oily (Not to mention that I pumped over 100 times trying to get the cream out of that brand new Skin79 bottle ~ I was going to give up when finally the cream came out!  Worst packaging ever!).  So that leaves: Skinfood, The FaceShop, Dr. Jart+, and Etude House.  I will now give a very brief pros and cons regarding each one, hopefully that may help readers decide which one is most suitable for them.

Skinfood Peach Sake Pore BB Cream

What I like about it:
- Comes in shades #1 and #2 (I prefer #1 as I tend to believe that my skin tone is more on the fairer side.  #1 brightens up my face much better than #2.)
- SPF 20
- Wonderful scent of peach; very pleasant, unlike most products selling on the theme of fruits where you get a strong sugary scent of artificial fruits
- Reasonably priced (I would consider it to be lower middle price range)
- Easy to blend onto the skin giving off a flawless look
- Very natural skin color after application

What I don't like about it:
- Being of combination skin, I still find it could be a bit oily during the warm Summer months; leaving me to blot my nose a few times during the day.  (But it is not a problem for me during the Winter months)

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The FACEShop Clean Face Oil-Free BB Cream

What I like about it:
- Oil-Free!!! Need I say more?  It basically gives a "matte" finish on the face.
- Nice natural skin color
- Easy to blend onto the skin giving off a flawless look
- Reasonably priced (again, considered at the lower middle price range)

What I don't like about it:
- Does not have SPF

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Dr. Jart+ V7 Beauty Balm

What I like about it:
- Oil-Free (doesn't say so on the tube, but that's what I felt when I use it)
- SPF 30
- Whitening
- Anti-wrinkle
- Includes 7 Vitamins (A, B3, B5, C, E, F, H)

What I don't like about it:
- Due to it's whitening properties, it may seem too fair for the skin when first applied.  The sales lady told me that it takes a few minutes for the cream to adjust to the natural skin tone of one's face, but at times, when I look into the mirror, I can't help but think that my skin tone is fairer than normal
- Oil-Free and perfect for the Summer months, BUT comes Fall and Winter, it may seem too drying on the skin. (This is really confusing, as The FACEShop Clean Face Oil-Free BB cream is also Oil-free, but does not have this problem.) ~ I cannot use this Dr. Jart+ cream once Fall arrives
- Price is on the upper middle price range

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Etude House Collagen Moisful BB Cream

What I like about it:
- Gives off a very moist / hydrating impression on the skin
- Feels Oil-free, but as the tube suggested "Moistful", your skin will have this lovely dewy look (my cheeks look very elastic now... so happy)
- Easy to blend onto skin giving off the flawless look
- SPF 30
- Reasonably priced (lower middle price range)
- Your skin looks more made up (like as if you  used foundation instead of just BB cream) after application.  I guess this means that it gives a very good coverage.  I judge this based on how I look in the car's rear view mirror.  I don't put on foundation after BB cream ~ BB cream is all I use ~ and I found that with this brand, I look like I have foundation on (in a positive way) whereas with the above brands that I reviewed I would still think, 'Gosh, I should've put on some loose powder as well'...

What I don't like about it:
- Hmm... sorry, can't think of anything for now (Today is only my second day using this product; if I find its flaws later on, I will update.)

Evergreen Brickworks

This past Saturday, we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and visit the Evergreen Brick Works again.  We arrived around 11am, which in our opinion, is not too late, as we had to make a little detour to the weekend garbage dumpsite to dispose of our 3 bags of garbage which we forgot to put out last garbage collection day (note to self: Civic holiday does not count as statutory holiday, and therefore garbage collection does not postpone).

Anyway, we arrived at the Brick Works at 11am, and already the parking lot was full, with many cars parked in wrong, non-designated spots.  I was going to suggest to leave and go somewhere else, but Kenneth was determined to stay and try out their food for real this time.  So, I went to line up for parking ticket while Kenneth circled around for a parking spot.  Around 11:30am, we found one, and a legitimate one too (we were so tempted to park illegally, like many others; but we were afraid to be ticketed or towed).  So with a legitimate parking spot in hand, we parked our car and walked to the food market with a peace of mind.  I bought the maximum time limit (12 hours), so we could basically park until 11:30pm that day.  Think about it, $1 for 30 mins, and Kenneth was planning on staying for 3 hours (as there were many fun things to do there besides EAT, EAT, EAT!), the $6 (for 12 hours) deal is just too good to pass.

The food and farmer's market.

Our first stop was to get lunch.  We chose the busiest stall there was: Tim Clement Crepes, which specializes in "Crepes, quesadillas, burritos".  Kenneth lined up at the burritos line (which moved pretty quickly, as the flat bread was ready made, just need to be reheated), while I got the snail-paced crêpes line, where each crêpe was made from scratch.  In all, we bought an Egg burritos, a grilled veggie crêpe with an extra free-run egg, and a breakfast crêpe, all for a little under Cdn$30 (which in my opinion, is quite expensive... but everything there is expensive).

The line moved very slowly even though there were two people working on crêpe and only one guy at the burrito stand (I think crêpe and burritos shared the booth).  But as the crêpes are made fresh from scratch, we really can't complain.

The Wong's lining up for food!

This is the breakfast crêpe.  It has ham, free run egg, carmelized onions, green onions, and cheese; and finished with a Hollandaise sauce.  Yum!  (I asked them to take out the onions because the girls don't like it, but I can imagine it tasting even better with it.)

The lady is make my grilled veggies (eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, carmelized onions) crêpe.  It's finished with a roasted garlic sauce.

Here's the roasted garlic sauce being added to my yummy crêpe.

After our "main course", I also went to another booth that sells Chef Susur Lee's "Singapore Coleslaw".  It was something special for Kate, because of all the crispy, deep fried yam slices and edible flower petals.  She had half and I had one and a half (because Kenneth didn't like it... he thinks cabbage has no nutritional value, and probably he did not like the dressing as well).  But Cdn$5 for a small stryofoam bowl of salad is again, quite ridiculous.  It's probably a one-time thing for me.

Susur Lee's Singapore Coleslaw

We also bought other food items from other stalls; like a strawberry, basil & ginger popsicle Cdn$3 (for Kate), lychee and cactus pear popsicle Cdn$3, gingersnap cream filled cookie (for Mackenzie) Cdn$2.50, a raspberry ice-cream cookie sandwich Cdn$4 (shared by Kate and myself), and an Iced green tea infused with blueberry juice Cdn$4.95 from Oikos Tea, which according to tea lover Kenneth, sells very expensive tea (because it was grown by the owner himself, in Ceylon, Sri Lanka).

So here's the end to the food portion of the outing.  I may write the outdoor version later when I have time; but in conclusion, what would I do differently next time?  I'll probably park the car at park and ride at Finch Station (should be free on weekends, right)?  Take the subway to Davisville, and then the shuttle bus to Evergreen Brickwork.  This way, we don't have to worry about parking, and the girls LOVE riding the bus and subway.  That's like hitting THREE birds with one stone... FOUR, if you count the eco-friendly factor too.  

My way of recycling clothes

Mackenzie is growing up very fast and she is (still) potty training.  This only means that her old onesie type underwear no longer works for her.  I had been buying her big girl tank tops as underwear, but I thought it such a waste to throw out all those onesies when they do still fit... it's just that without buckling the claps on the bottom, the underwear sticks out in front and at the back like she has a tail.  So, I took my scissors and sewing machine and altered them to fit Mackenzie now.  Some of these were from Kaitlyn days, so we're really recycling!  I did not have second thoughts about cutting these, because I do not really want baby number 3.  Two girls already keep us way too busy.

My trusty sewing machine of 8 years helped me with this job.

It all started with a bunch of onesies that are too snug to snap the buckles up at the bottom.

I simply cut off the bottom portion, as close to the seam as possible to maximize the length.

And simply sew it up so that it will not fray.

Mackenzie is happy that she can now show her belly button when wearing this undershirt.  In the past, we snapped the buckles up and she can't play with her belly button freely.

She is happy that mommy altered the shirts.  She thinks these are NEW!

How it looks from the back.  Yes!  No more "tails"!

Another "belly button" pose.  I think she is saying "Saranghae" ("I love you" in Korean).

Happy Girl posing for mommy!

Sungkyunkwan Scandal Cap

I had a long list of to-do things, and the Sungkyunkwan Scandal Cap is one of them.  And seeing that this cap is close to finish (compared to my other projects), I decided to tackle this in the afternoon, while Mackenzie had her lunch while watching TV.  I had been really happy with the results of 3 of the 4 main characters I drew on the cap.  I know that Moon Jae Shin's character (nicknamed Geol-oh) is going to be the most difficult to draw, and that was the main reason why I had been procrastinating.  I finally had to do it and I can't say I'm really happy with the result, but at least I finished the cap, and to me that is "closure".

Top view of the cap.

Cast: Gu Yong Ha (aka Yeorim), played by Song Joong-ki 송중기

Kim Yoon Hee (aka Daemul), played by Park Min Young 박민영

Lee Sun Joon (aka Garang), played by Micky Yoo Chun  박유천 (Park Yoo Chun)

Moon Jae Shin (aka Geol-oh), played by Yoo Ah In 유아인

Here's my rendition of the logo: Sungkyunkwan Scandal 성균관 스캔들

Kaitlyn and her friend from NY

Every year around this time, Kaitlyn will meet up with her friend from New York, Jocelyn.  This year, we had a little playdate at our place.  The girls watched a movie Tamagotchi, the Movie and played in the backyard (it was hot, but I guess young girls don't mind... as for me, I was feeling faint after staying in the sun for a while taking pictures of them jumping in our backyard inflatable playground).  Mackenzie, who was too excited to take a nap, also joined in... but her crankiness (due to lack of sleep) kicked in just about a hour before the playdate ended, so she was constantly bickering and fighting with the girls.  Oh my!  I hope it did not ruin their memory of this playdate.

Kaitlyn and Jocelyn on the inflatable jumping "castle".

The girls posing for the camera.

More posing by the girls.

Little Mackenzie trying to join in.

Taking a break.

Chatting on the swing.

Mackenzie trying to shoot some hoops.

The Girls had another Art Day!

We went to Michaels for more felt pieces to make my latest creation: floral hairpieces.  While we were there, Kate spotted some wooden birdhouses and decided that she'd like to paint one to hang in our backyard to feed the hungry birds (crossing my fingers that we don't get more bird poop with this).  Kenneth also bought a string of wooden stars for Mackenzie to paint so that she doesn't feel left out.  I thought Kate did a wonderful job decorating her birdhouse.  Definitely surprised me that she actually put some images over the background color.

The artist: Kaitlyn Madyson.

Kaitlyn painting the birdhouse.

 

Love the horse and the lady.

Mackenzie also paints too (after her nap).

Her project is to paint a string of stars which daddy chose for her.

As always, painting evolves to playing with paint and water.

But at least she got the main painting done.

Mackenzie showing daddy how dirty her hands became after playing with paint and water.