Handmade string handbag

I learnt to make this handbag from Mariko, during crafting club back in Sorowako. I still had the brown string, so I thought it would be a nice birthday present from my mother in law.

If I need more than a month to make the first one,

I finished this one within 1.5 weeks

She loved it!! :)

My Japanese friends want to learn making the same bag too, but couldn't find the string here :( I want to make a bigger, red one ...

5 Amazing Years

Hiro took holiday today, what a nice surprise. He asked me if I wanted to go somewhere, and I quickly said TSUKIJI Fish Market, It's Japan's - oh no - World's biggest wholesales fish and seafood market (according to Wikipedia). I'd been wanting to go there since I was pregnant, so at last, on our 5th anniversary it was just a great surprise!

I LOVE sushi, and there I had the BEST sushi ever. I still could feel them melting in my mouth now.....yummmmm....

Then later in the afternoon this beautiful roses - my fave flower- were waiting for me after got back from picking Iki up.

Thank you, Papa-chan. Eventhough you are a guy with the rudest mouth (well, a good pairing to my mouth too hehehe), you are definitely a sweet guy. Thank you for this 5 amazing years. Love you (^____^)

Tetsudai-san? = pembantu

Ah....over the same thing again.

Yesterday I went shopping with my friend Tomomi and her kids. While she brought her crying baby to the drugstore, I went to the vegetable shop bringing his 3 years old boy. I think it would save time and the crying baby could get his milk sooner.

Aki-kun, Tomomi little boy likes to talk so while I picked up some veggies he talked to the shop owner. And when I paid them all she asked me if I were Aki's mom's daughter. Which I quickly said no LOL. I was quite flattered. Do I look that cute and young?

But then she continued asking: so, are you tetsudai-san? (MAID)

I just looked at her, and answered sharply NO! I'm his mom's friend!

Ah.......

I don't know how to react anymore haha. In Korea, and here in Japan people thought I'm a maid! Even in my own country though in Indonesia I know its just people judgment towards those marrying foreigner - well, am sure not happen to everyone though - and I envy you if you don't :(

I seriously am questioning myself if I do really look like a maid, or its just narrow minded and racist people's judgement over asian living in their country.

I thought taking care of my appearance will help, but now I'm afraid if I dressed up more 'nicely' people will think I work in a bar in Ikebukuro (@_@)

-Happened yesterday, just when I started enjoying myself here, and during my most hateful period of PMS!!! Really a huge kick to my mood-

Wednesday Bento: Bob the Builder

So here is obento for this week: Bob the Builder (^___^)

Couldn't make the crane, I just made the Bob and well, he didn't complain when he saw the result

Bob without the cloth yet ;-)

Final result

Bob's face is rice ball with seaweed filling, cheese, egg, and nori as decoration

Inside the bento: chicken nugget, mini tomato and cheese, cherry

He finished them all, nothing can make me happier than that!!

Wednesday Bento: Percy the Small Engine

It's Wednesday! it's been a very busy morning. Yeah yeah....bento day today!

Not exactly as requested previously because I couldn't get any idea how to make Thomas the Tank Engine's blue color, this time I made Percy the small engine.

The result is not as what I expected :(, eventhough I tried my best to copy Percy's face. Iki's first word once he saw it was: "hmmm....Percy's face is not the same...."

But he stopped complaining once I gave him this very sharp look :))

The Percy is ham and cheese sandwich. I also put broccoli, tomato, sausages and strawberries inside. Hope he will finish them all. Well he has to, or next week he will won't have his Bob the Builder's crane obento :)) ====> don't have any idea how to make it yet though (_ _!)

Our little garden

Its spring now so its time to start gardening again, even without a proper garden hehehe. We bought some pots and prepared flowers, veggies and herbs on our tiny veranda.

We have some pretty orange flowers. Well, don't even bother to ask me the name. We bought it because we love the colors :p. Also tomato, mini tomato, eggplant, cucumber, edamame, and kangkung (crossing my fingers now that they are really kangkung!!!). And chilli, parsley, mint, and rosemary. I am also trying to grow lemongrass and shallot I bought at the asian market last weekend. Hopefully, hopefully they will grow...

We do miss our garden in Sorowako + Paulus the gardener, of course! We wouldn't be able to grow 2 meters sunflowers here, but this little garden would be our little pleasure here (^___^)

Kodomo no Hi

May 5 is Kodomo no Hi or Children day in japan. It was traditionally a celebration for boys, but now it becomes for both gender. Since few weeks before, families having little boys have hung Koinobori flag (carp shapes flags) and display Kintaro Doll, as symbol of strong and healthy boy. More info about the symbols can be read at Wikipedia.

We used to have small koinobori flag, but Iki just broke it long time ago so we didn't bother to buy it again this year. Especially that Iki made his at school. So it was what we hang to celebrate kodomo no hi this year (^___^)

I prepared kodomo no hi theme dinner for Iki too. With sausages koinobori and kintaro head complete with the kabuto helmet. He ate everything!

Happy Children's Day, Iki! Hope you will be a strong and healthy boy ;-)

Mother's Day

Iki made this as a present for me at school. Wrapped in a box with his handwriting hiragana.

It is a pencil stand, he said. With some plates as decoration :))

Written on the pink note:

Mommy,

Thank you for sleeping with me.

Iki

Which is really touching. I actually don't sleep with him. He always asks me to sleep with him in his room before he sleeps. And I always tell him that I'm coming, that I need to take a bath first then brush my teeth before I join him. But I don't come, well he thought I do....

That little pink note....made me cry

Well, doesn't mean that I sleep with him now hahaha

Thank you Iki, very sweet of you. And thank you too for behaving so well today. It's been a perfect mother day to me :)