JulesRules

Sneak peek at the new JulesPreciousness BabyBagPack...

2012-01-31T19:10:00.012+08:00

I had ordered two reversible cotton tote bags from the fab Nadhrah, quite some time before my otitis media. And last week she sent them to me...AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! I was SO excited. I had been planning for them to be part of JulesPreciousness' gift packages for newborns, as the fab totes make great baby bags. Though I keep telling myself my hiatus is to ensure I get enough rest, I just couldn't resist working on this special project.

I've had to work rather slowly, firstly coz I don't drive much yet, and secondly coz I am really taking things easy this while and not running around like I normally do :)

These are the original totes from Nadhrah's Sew Sweet Designs...thank you dear for these photos :)

After some addendums by Jules, voila!

Jules Contemporary ...for GIRL

When complete, this whole package will contain baby towels, blanket, toiletry, grooming set, baby book, with Jules tins & boxes (the set shown here is not yet complete)...

Jules Classic ...for BOY

When complete, this whole package will contain baby towels, blanket, toiletry, grooming set, baby book, with Jules tins & boxes (the set shown here is not yet complete)...

When I was in KGV (form 2-5) I made my own school bags! I remember my very first quilted tote in black&white polka dots, I gave it a red pocket with white lace trimming and red handles too. Then there was my black&white (yes, my passion for black&whites started that long ago) checkerboard cushioned tote with black handles; my yellow&white gingham bucket tote with yellow string handles; my cross stitch pullstring knapsack, I cross stitched my initials against an abstract design that was popular during the 80's; my purple&white striped messenger with purple satin strap, I loved the huge purple button that was on the front flap; and my white duffel with orange trimming, orange zipper, orange handles and orange strap. And I had different files to match each bag, hehe, each one I decorated myself. Oh yes, those were the days :)

I bought a piece of cotton fabric and a pair of bag handles from Anna Patchwork some time back, and my mom gave me a fabric with a cool black&white houndstooth motif, all with the intention to make bags under JulesAddiction Bags. But, they've been in my storage for more than a year now, woopsie! Hehe... Okay, Nadhrah has given me the inspiration, so yes, I shall soon start Bag-ging again, InsyaAllah.

Till then, I will continue to take it easy, and focus towards getting back to my 100% (or more) soon, InsyaAllah :)

JulesFudgyliciousness On A Hiatus

2012-01-17T18:25:00.010+08:00

Salam everyone! Hellooooo!

Well, I've been back home for almost a week now, but since the myringotomy, my life hasn't gone back to its normal routine yet. As much as my will and spirit feel able, my flesh proves that I am indeed in need of a break. Most importantly, I must make sure that my right eardrum heals itself properly, so that everything else will start functioning properly too.

Generally, I would brave through a bad gastric, a bad flu or a bad PMS, but in this case, I can't risk not regaining my full hearing and balance. So, as much as it irks me, I have to take it easy, and I'm limiting my movements to just chauffering the kids and the occasional massage and grocery trips.

Yes, I've been amplifying the reflexology and body massages, just to help my system stay alert. Taking it easy needs some getting used to too; I don't suddenly jump up and run in and out of the house anymore now, instead I take my time standing or getting up, get a hold of something, adjust my bearing and secure my footing, then I start moving. It's quite funny actually, coz I used to remind my mum to do this all the time, else she may risk tumbling all over! Heeeee...and now it's happening to me!

But the doctors did say it'll take 1-3+ months for everything to get back to normal for me, so I'm keeping that in mind and taking it all in stride. Alhamdulillah, the good thing now is I'm no longer in pain. My ear still buzzes, my speech still sounds like that of Sly Stallone's, and I still blink like I'm giving a flirtatious wink, hehe, but I'm positive that things will get better, insyaAllah. Another thing I'm definitely grateful for, Alhamdulillah, is that my overall state of health was good, apart from the otitis media itself, ie. bloodworks and vital stats were good. Hence the myringotomy was able to be performed on me expeditiously.

Hmmm, maybe all this is a precursor to turning 42... :)

Nevertheless, until that time and in my effort to take it easy, I'll sadly have to take a month or two hiatus from JulesFudgyliciousness. I'll truly miss the beautiful smell of butter, chocolate and vanilla baking in the oven, the joy of inhaling the wonderful aroma when the beauties are cooling on the racks, and I'll most definitely miss meeting everyone on my delivery trips. But my brownies and fudge do require a lot of up and down movements and spinning around especially when I'm on a baking deadline, so my body (not my spirit) really needs to take a break from all of that for a while.

As for JulesDelightfulness, JulesAddiction, JulesPreciousness and JulesMD, I will slowly but surely carry on with the projects at hand, pacing myself as I go along. I do realise that there are emails that I have missed; I do truly apologise for this and for any inconvenience caused, I will try to go through them and make up for whichever that I can ya?

My target now is to restart everything by March or April, and maybe introduce something exciting in time to celebrate Mother's Day in May. The plan was to introduce a few things at the start of 2012 and alongside my birthday in February, but since things have taken a spin, I'll be happy if I can meet my March/April target, insyaAllah. I wish I could say that I'll play it by ear, but nope, can't do that now! :)

In the meantime, here are some lovelies which I managed to do before I became Two Faced Mommy!

A Purple Fondant hantaran brownie for the daughter of one of the sweetest ladies I know :)

A birthday brownie filled with lots of love, for a special father...

"Love-filled" brownie bites for a special anniversary...

"Smiley Faces" brownie bites for a young man's 21st birthday bash!

JulesPreciousness' latest project ~ Children's Dresses ~ one of a kind, and lovingly hand tailored with the finest cotton, lace and pretty embroidery...

...makes a simply beautiful gift...

...for birthdays and special occasions...

Baby Cradle for "Cukur Jambul"... the cradle is from Daybab's Shoppe, while the ribbons are Jules' Signature :)... something simple yet sweet for a baby boy...

A little JulesDelightfulness gift box to bring in the New 2012 Year...

Brownie Favour for Baby Dean's Aqiqah...

Thank you again for all the prayers and wellwishes, some really make me want to cry, I am truly very touched. May God bless you and your loved ones too...

It may be a while to my next post, so I wish you all the best for this 2012, may you have much love, good health, good wealth and an abundance of joy.

[You can also find JulesMD on Facebook now, very much appreciate if you would visit and add to the Like, thank you :)]

A Twist In The Tale

2012-01-10T22:35:00.004+08:00

Happy New Year 2012! Better late than never ya... :)

The new year was supposed to start with some excitement. I had planned to introduce some new things in JulesPreciousness and JulesAddiction Tins/Boxes, but the reality of things took a different twist.

I am now writing from my hospital bed in Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur, where I've been for the past 20 hours.

The last week of December 2011, I had suffered a very bad flu and fever. Sick as I was, I still managed to fulfill all my brownie and gift orders that had come in during that period. The flu got so bad on new year's eve that I found myself in the ER of Pantai Hospital Klang at 6am on 1 January 2012, due to an excruciating pain in my right ear. So the doctor there gave me what he thought would help, which didn't help. 2 hours later I was practically crying and crouching on my parents' sofa, until Aunty Mani from next door, a retired staff nurse, came over and suggested I take Arcoxia to relieve the pain. She also compressed hot towel around my right ear and my face, and Alhamdulillah after about an hour, the pain disappeared and I finally fell into slumber. I love you Aunty Mani, I hope you know that already...

By the time my second dose of Arcoxia was losing effect, darling husband was already home from outstation, and we immediately headed for Gleneagles KL, our friendly family medical service provider :) The doctor diagnosed something something something viral infection, which I didn't really bother to know exactly coz I was in so much pain, not that I could hear anyway. She then jabbed me with a super duper dose of painkiller, gave me the relevant antibiotic and meds, and sent me home feeling high and happy.

After 3 days there was no more pain or throbbing in my ear, though I couldn't really say that my ear was back to its normal self, and I was making an appointment to see a ENT specialist some time this week. However, yesterday when I was brushing my teeth and gargling off, I couldn't gargle, meaning I couldn't hold the water in my mouth. I didn't really take much care of this coz I dismissed it as an early morning lazy muscle thing. But later during breakfast I was having trouble moving the bread in my mouth, somehow my tongue and lips felt lame, and a bit lopsided. That too I brushed aside coz I was rushing getting the boys ready for school and then sending Marrakesh off to kindy. Then I carried on with my normal routine and it wasn't until later in the afternoon after the boys finished mengaji that I felt like my face was really not right. I was laughing with my boys about something and I realised that I couldn't feel the right side of my face moving. So I went to the mirror and smiled. That was when I realised that only the left side of my mouth turned up, the right side was just lame. AAAAAAAA!!!!!!!! Only then did I realise that the right side of my face felt rather numb. AAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

So later that evening, my guys dropped me off at the Gleneagles ER while they went on to look for dinner. It turned out that the ER was a favourite spot for the sickly around the Ampang area, coz it was filled to the brim! While it was sad to see so many sick people around, I couldn't help thinking that, hmmm, this place is quite happening, hehe, maybe coz the new Starbucks there closed at midnight :)

When I finally saw the doctor, she very casually said, "yup, you've got facial paralysis, and your right eardrum is still quite inflammed." What? AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apparently, the viral infection in my right ear had been so bad that it had slowly affected my facial nerves and paralysing them, and causing me to be "senget". She wanted to admit me immediately and start me on antibiotics, but I told her I couldn't do that coz I haven't done anything at home, ie. prepared all the boys' school stuff and all. So she let me off with a referral letter to see the ENT specialist the very next day, but if my paralysis worsened I must return and get admitted.

I got home with a heavy heart. I should be in hospital so I can get better, but how do I leave my boys? I just carried on ironing their uniforms and my face was feeling even more numb. So I told darling husband that it doesn't look like I have much choice but to admit myself in hospital. I asked my sister to come over to stay with the boys while darling husband and I went to hospital. All 3 boys were happily deep in slumber and I kissed each one before I left.

And here I am now, IV line in hand, bored stiff, the overhead TV showing "Stealth" on Fox Movie, and I can't sleep coz I just feel compelled to write. The meds made me very nauseous and dizzy earlier, and I've had 3 doses. In the next bed, the nurses are prepping the lady for her surgery tomorrow, to remove a cancerous growth and to insert a chemo-port. So who am I to complain, right? Thank god for Starbucks, I could at least have an hour chill time over latte and cappuccino with darling husband just now.

Another 3 doses before the doctor can tell me if I'm clear to be discharged or not. He's allowed me to be on hospital leave to see to my boys, but I'll have to return for the next doses via IV, so my line will have to stay on till then. If the meds don't settle my ear inflammation and facial paralysis, he'll have to poke into my eardrum to rectify the matter. AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... :) I pray it doesn't get to that, InsyaAllah.

Imagine going swimming and getting water trapped in your ear and it remains perpetually that way with occasional sharp prickling pains, your face feeling numb on one side and your drink involuntarily dripping out of the side of your mouth so you should only drink with a straw, and the worst kind of nausea 2-3 hours after meds. Compare that to everyday frustratingly screaming at 3 goons annoyingly brawling over who gets the Ninjago first, nagging at them to pick up their dirty clothes and not chuck their smelly socks on the sofa, yelling at them to keep their room clean, and perpetually picking up their scattered stuff in the futile effort to keep the house neat and in tip top condition.

I'd take the latter anytime... :) Good night.

New Year, New Blessings...

2011-11-27T18:20:00.011+08:00

Muslims celebrate our New Hijri Year 1433 today, 27 November 2011...Alhamdulillah :)

Circa this celebration and long weekend, many also rejoiced in nuptials, engagements, birthdays, school graduations, etc.... :)

For my dear Lileen who tied the knot with her sweetheart last Friday... May they be blessed with happiness, beautiful children and everlasting love, Insyaallah...
...For Lileen, it has to be sweetness of course...colourful Agar-agar Kering, in the wedding's Brown&Cream theme...

...And for the special guests, something Sweet&Savoury...Agar-agar Kering alongside Crispy Anchovy/Prawn Chilli...

Selamat Bertunang Azreena...

When Ayah & Baby love MU!

Amidst wedding favours and brownies, I was also busy preparing for Damascus's and Marrakesh's final year concert; skinny jeans, hoodies, hip hop pants, and loops of Justin Bieber, J.Lo and Gym Class Heroes! But the more emotional part was, Damascus was finally graduating, and next year he will be in Standard One! After 4 years of kindy, he's finally joining the "real" school. It was a wonderful concert and all the Krista Taman Nirwana kids put up a fabulous show yesterday; they dikir-ed, shuffled, and locked&popped, and they presented the cutest Jack & The Bean Stalk! Damascus has thrived well in Krista Nirwana, Alhamdulillah, and I'm sure he will miss all his friends and teachers...

A special gift for all his K2 friends, cookies, candies and a cute pencil, kids can never have too many pencils :)

...And to all his teachers and caregivers, lots of love...from potty training to "never say never"&"everyday I'm shufflin" and "Mommy, the latest planet in our solar system is Sedna!" You guys are the best! XOX... chocolates in a cute assortment of wrappers...

...and of course, Mommy's signature ribbons... :)

So now I'm left with only Marrakesh still in kindy, but that too will go by very swiftly. Well, it's a new year, and so I pray for new strength, wisdom, courage and peace, and of course, new blessings for all of us, InsyaAllah... :)

Esfahan's 10 Birthday

2011-11-20T11:45:00.008+08:00

Esfahan had earlier asked, if for his 10th birthday, he could hangout and chill with a few of his close friends from school. Hangout and chill...hmmm... Oh no, it finally hit me, my eldest son is all grown up!

I then asked him how many friends he had in mind. He said, just a few, eat, chill, maybe hangout at the arcade or catch a movie. Sigh... My eldest son has indeed grown up, he doesn't ask for a birthday party anymore, he just wants to hangout with his friends. Oh, how time flies. Before I know it, he's gonna be going to college, work and then move out and move into his own pad, then get married and have children! Hmmm, am I going to be the fab grandparent like my mom is? Hmmm... Ek, oh no, I shall not think of all this yet. Let's just take it one day at a time, let's just settle this matter at hand first, which was his 10th birthday :)

Well, exams were over, and he'd been working very hard at all his VO jobs, so I figured, let's just give him what he wants. So, on his actual birthday, 16 November 2011, he went to school with 10 invites for 10 of his closest classmates to celebrate his birthday with him on 19 November 2011. Why 10 kids? Err, coz I figured 10 was the only number I could manage! Hehe... I mean, let's face it, I'm not Nanny McPhee, and neither am I Oprah Winfrey, so, 10 seems a manageable enough number, and including Esfahan himself plus his 2 younger goons, there'd be 13 children, 13 energetic, active and fun loving kids for mommy and ayah to entertain and chaperon. Good enough, right?

So, anyway, the food and arcade parts were easy, but the trick was in firming up on the movie time. I couldn't finalise the movie 2 or 3 weeks earlier coz the schedules weren't out yet. Only during the week of his birthday did the schedules come out, and he really wanted to watch Puss In Boots. So, in his invite we put in the itinerary as starting at 12+pm, to catch Puss In Boots at 12.20pm, then lunch, then arcade then home. But as it turned out, most of his friends on his invite were involved in their school's Prize Giving Ceremony that day, where they were receiving certificates and trophies of achievements, so as much as they wanted to join Esfahan, they couldn't. Err, might I say that Esfahan was not selected to receive any certificate or trophy, hehe, but his ayah and I and he himself were happy with his overall grades and results; considering that he scored all As amidst his hectic schedule of voice overs, fardhu ain, horse riding, music, etc., it was okay, Alhamdulillah :)

So, I told Esfahan that if he wanted his friends to be with him, he will have to make some changes in his plans, which meant settling for another movie, ie Happy Feet 2, and shuffling his itinerary around. He thought for a while and said, okay, I want my friends more, we can watch Puss In Boots another time. And he said that since we were starting at 2pm instead of 12, then we should have lunch first, then arcade, and then movie at 4pm, so by 6pm his friends' parents can come by to fetch them home. Waaa, my son can figure all this out own his own?! He has indeed grown up.

And what fun he and his friends had! They were so cute! Well, Esfahan has told me not to call him cute, a girl can say he's cute, mommy cannot. Believe that? But I don't care, I spent 10 months walking around like a house carrying him, so I'll say he's cute whenever and wherever I want to, hehe... Anyway, only 7 of his friends were finally able to make it, and they enjoyed lunch at Popeyes, digging into the birthday cake, and just hanging out and chillin' at the arcade and movie. And I can definitely confirm that handling 350 shareholders and the media at a company's AGM is far easier than handling 10 kids on a birthday outing! :) ...Might I also add that Marrakesh fell into the shallow pool outside Popeyes, hehehe, luckily we had change in the car!

He wanted Jules Brownie for his birthday cake, so I decorated it with all the things he loves : Monopoly, The 39 Clues Janus Branch, jelly beans and jelly dinosaurs...

...Party pack filled with his favourite goodies too, Oreos, Mars bar, Skittle, Hersheys, Marvel Comics candy and a party popper. He wanted to date it as 16 instead of 19 November, so his friends will know his actual birthday :)

Sweet, sweet, sweet...

2011-11-17T16:15:00.012+08:00

So much sweetness was going around these past few weeks...

An all white 3 tier wedding cake for Wanie's all white reception...

...the top and bottom are dummy cakes with fondant, while the middle tier is actual double recipe brownie fondant...thank you Wiz for the tip! :)

...And a simple all white single recipe brownie fondant for her akad nikah...

On the birthday front, it was a lovely, lovely Pastelicious Party for little Miss Aireen...

...top and middle tiers are brownie fondant, and the base is plain butter cake...

...Thanks Liza for this photo, your whole setup was pasteliciously lovely!

A special batch of personalised brownie bites for Nur Syaida's birthday with her classmates...

Specially for her students sitting for the SPM this year, from a devoted teacher...

She had wanted Power Puff Girls, but Aunty Jules was not able to make it since it was a very last minute request, so it was a simple birthday brownie with her school friends...but her mom promised her PPG for the family celebration :)

For a special lady who LOVES cats!

Thank you all who continue to love everything Jules, your kind support and patronage mean so much to me. For all those requests that I wasn't able to meet, I am truly truly sorry, hopefully Jules can be of service next time... :)

Celebrating Goodness!

2011-10-19T11:59:00.004+08:00

Birthdays, graduations, some of the many goodness in our lives.

Most times it's easy to decide how to celebrate : JulesFudgyliciousness Brownie of course! Hehehe... On the other hand, there are times you just seriously do not know what to present someone with, especially if that person is one who basically has everything already.

But if we really look deep inside our hearts and give it some sincere thought, the right gift will just simply materialise...

A special request from my dear friend Tessa; she decided to give a meaningful contribution to a group of much deserving people at Kafa Integrasi Al-Insaniah, in honour of TSH, as his birthday gift; as the sweetener, Crispy Anchovy Chilli that will go well with TSH's favourite ulam-ulaman. Since Kafa Integrasi Al-Insaniah is among the charitable efforts undertaken by some of my dear friends at TM Bakit Helwa, Mysunshine2u & Mysunshine cupcakes, Ummiku Sayang, I told Tessa that it is my honour to make the Hadiyaa Azul gift box complimentary from Jules, in the spirit of sharing and spreading goodness all around :)

And in the season of jubilant convocations, JulesFudgyliciousness Brownie Bites in Red&Black, for a fab new grad :)

Gedix Gedix! Bling Bling!

2011-10-12T10:01:00.005+08:00

The darling Miss Gedix finally transformed herself to "Mrs" Gedix recently. Well, I'm sure she's still the happy, bubbly, ever so cute girl she used to be, only now she is officially someone's wife. And I'm also very sure that she is gedix-ing to a slightly different beat now, one that befits a more grounded, more settled yet no less exciting, no less adventurous and definitely no less vivacious life as a happily married woman.

Congrats A & K! :)
She wanted 4 tiers, pinkish and BLING with fireworks...
...the base is plain butter cake with vanilla cream frosting, then came JulesFudgyliciousness Brownies with vanilla cream frosting too, and the 2 top tiers were strawberry butter cake with strawberry cream frosting...

...the corsages...

...Their official wedding backdrop, brilliantly created by Tangerine...

As with any weddings that I have a little bit of hand in, I remind the bride and groom that what's most important is the marriage, coz the wedding is more for the parents, family and friends, to rejoice and make merry. So when they tell me they're nervous and they desperately hope the event will go well and smoothly, my 2 cents would be that they need not worry so much, they need to just feel happy and blessed that they're starting an exciting new life with their soulmate, that their guests are praying and wishing only the best for them, that it's okay if the dessert runs out towards the end of the wedding coz most often we Malaysians always proceed to Mamak or Starbucks for post khenduri teh tarik/coffee, and that if something really does go wrong it isn't really that bad after all if they still end up getting safely and officially married, and that they can always scream at the event managers afterwards!

If you really look at it, nothing actually really goes wrong on such happy and blessed occasions. Perhaps there are discrepancies between our expectations and what actually materialises, and perhaps the Divine power poses some pre-happily-ever-after tests/trivia when the darling little nephew accidentally spills Ribena all over the bride's dress! But most of the time these things always work out for the best, as true as our faith and intentions are in the marriage itself, insyaAllah...

On the brownie front, it had been a while since I made my FudgyTin with BrownieBites, so it was indeed a pleasure to create one for Diana, especially for Him...

I quote Tun M from his "A Doctor In The House" ~ "To be happy, one must learn to make compromises with grace".

We do not live alone in this world. I want my house to be neat and tidy all day and all year round, but my boys feel that it's no fun without mess; so I give them their own space to mess up upstairs, and I turn a blind eye when I pass that way. I ask darling husband WHY oh WHY can't he not dump his t-shirt everywhere around the house? Then he goes and does all the dishes in the kitchen and gives me Tun M's autograph for our anniversary. I used to go OCD when it came to punctuality, but my 4 B+ves (I'm O +ve) would look at me with the expression, "Why is mommy freaking out?" So now I tell people, "If we're late don't wait for us, just carry on first." When I scratch and knock my head trying to figure out how to ever live completely debt free, or why aren't we bestowed with great richness so we would never have to worry about money ever again? Then darling husband presents me with free admission to Il Volo's showcase with an up close and personal meet and greet, and my 3 goons hug and kiss me goodnight and tell me sweet dreams, I love you.

How? Not possible not to be happy, right? :)

It has been a jolly good Syawal!

2011-09-27T16:37:00.019+08:00

Alhamdulillah, and I've been feeding myself very well, everyday Raya cookies, every open house a carbo load, and everyday at least another inch on my waist! Hehe, so as I look forward to finishing what's left of the Raya cookies (so sayang not to eat them, right? tak baik membazir, right?) and going back to a healthy balanced diet, here are some photos of what's been happening...

One of our latest photos from our official 2011 Family Album, all taken at El Campo Equestrian, by the talented Azha Bakar @Che Ad...

Our first Raya at home in KL...

Roses & Brownie for a beloved Ibu from her wonderful daughter...

Ramadhan favours for Mr Bob Dzuan...

Something chic for Cynthia's 3-in-1 Birthday Celebration ~ "Hey Julie, it was super seeing you again after all this time. Thank you so much for the beautiful cake, even the bites were so prettily packed. We loved them."... Thank you Cynthia, it was simply fab meeting you again after almost 20 years!

A little twist in the Raya tale...

"Kak Julie, Yasmine loves it and my staff too. Thumbs up to you. Will order again soon..Thx Kak" ~ Alhamdulillah, and thank you Zeti :)

And finally, something blue...the total sales proceed from this has been channeled to Rumah Titian Ashraful Rohaniah :)

The best part of my Raya this year is meeting up with family and relatives, from near and far. I still miss Raya in Kelantan though, it has indeed been so long since I've been back. So, I must plan to make a trip back there soon, insyaallah.

To all Jules family, friends and patrons, my most sincere gratitude for your undying support towards everything Jules; may you be blessed with lots of love, good health, good fortune and pure kindness, always :)

Spreading Jules further...

2011-08-19T22:59:00.006+08:00

Phewh! It's been very hectic! Amidst teaching and encouraging my 2 younger boys, Damascus and Marrakesh, to fast this Ramadhan, and in between colds, coughs, fevers, sleeples nights, deadlines have been met thus far and everyone is happy, Alhamdulillah.

This year, for Hari Raya, though I haven't been promoting my JulesFudgylicliousness and JulesDelightfulness, they are still very much available of course, and I'm well underway producing them for my darling patrons. This year I've been more promoting my latest collaboration with Kerepek La, which is Hadiyaa. So far the response has been quite encouraging, so I'm feeling quite hopeful.

At the same time, I've created Hidangan Seperah, a venue that offers a wide array of local dishes. It all started when I had to create recipe cards as part of the contents of a very special gift pack. And who do I turn to for superb local recipes that have been vouched for and acknowledged for over 30 years? Mother-In-Law of course :)

She has been cooking for so long, says darling husband, for school canteens, for weddings, for khenduris, and these days she caters to the demanding palettes of some very colourful people at the Astro Cafe. Her catering service, Dapur Semanggol, also provides a wide array of local dishes to corporate functions and meetings. I for one love her Soto Ayam, and her most popular tea time offering is the famous Cucoq Kembong + Sambal Ikan Bilis, which is a northern favourite. But the one she's singularly loved for is her Rendang Masak Hitam.

There is also the famous Roti Jang by Signor Del Mundo and friends. I had their Roti Jang Luarbiasa for buka puasa yesterday, and it was simply amazing! The beef had tomato ketchup on it, while the chicken had chilli sauce; the combinations were just brilliant. What impressed me most about Roti Jang is the genuine passion that goes into making them. You should hear how Del Mundo, or Fahd, talks about his Roti Jang; of course he may have developed that passionate flair when he studied the Italian language in Perugia some years ago, but anyone can see that he has great faith in his Roti Jang. I surely do.

I'm still building my contents for Hidangan Seperah, and I believe that Dapur Semanggol and Roti Jang are a good start. I look for things that are purely local, be it Malay, Chinese, Indian or Dan Lain-Lain, and most importantly they have to be "Sedaaaaap!" :)

So, as I spread Jules' reach further with the creation of Hadiyaa and Hidangan Seperah, I also intensify my relationship with Kerepek La and The Tangerine Group, as I strive to produce better things and create greater impacts, InsyaAllah.

I sincerely thank all Jules family, friends and patrons for your undying support and for always believing in everything Jules.

When Things Don't Go According To Plan...

2011-07-28T06:38:00.006+08:00

...I cannot ask for more hours in a day, or more limbs on my body, so I just do my best and keep the faith, InsyaAllah :)

I've been meaning to follow up on my Raya 2011 Offerings with photos and details, but so many things have come up in between and it's just not been possible. The kids have been having fever one after another, a close relative fell gravely ill in Penang, the cars broke down and most shockingly, my 2 younger goons got head lice! AAAAAAAAAAA!!! So, for the past week, mommy has been treating them with anti lice shampoo and keeping them away from the general circulation, and Alhamdulillah, they're now lice free! Phewh! Having to cut their hair "primary school length short" was actually the most heart wrenching for me.

Anyway, there is a Raya 2011 project by Jules, apart from Fudgyliciousness and all that's on Jules' list. My Kerepek La friends and I are continually working together to create new and exciting things. This year we have created "Hadiyaa", our new co-branding effort, which offers festive hampers and gifts. For this Raya, we are producing a gift box that contains a variety of sweet and savoury delights; the box is still running in the production line, but here's a quick look at the logo and motif...

Hadiyaa Logo

The box - The basis of the motif is the "Persian Rug", and I had chosen one that is typical of Esfahan, where the highlight is the traditional Persian flower. I will eventually introduce it as the "Esfahan Box" under my Jules listing :)

On the everyday Jules front, here are several projects... :)

This was for Faisal, the sweet young man who requested for that perfect "Black & White & Pink" brownie for his engagement last year... and for his wedding he wanted a Damask motif in "Brown & Blue"...

...wishing you two lovebirds all the best in your wedded bliss :)

This very special 3 tier birthday brownie+cake was for the one and only Princess Muna Mariel...

...The base is the basic butter cake, where I used my mom's "sacred" recipe, sacred because it's my boys' most favourite butter cake; the middle is the devilicious Red Velvet cake that my friend Puteri made, she intentionally didn't make it too deep red because she wanted to minimise the red colouring; and the top is JulesFudgyliciousness brownie...
The theme was "Polka Dot + Pastel + Flowers" for this feisty little girl, so I hope Aunty Jules got it right for you ya... :)

And last but least, the recent "Ride with PRIDE" project... I prepared everything "Pink" in my Jules offerings, just to get into the "pink" spirit...

Nope, no pink Ferraris, just superhot, supercool, superfab SuperCars!... Oh, be still my heart... The best part of this event was, I got to meet my darling old friend Azrene. There was also Azrene's baby sister, Pial, whom I remember as that chubby little girl who spread body lotion all over herself and finished a whole bottle! And she's like a foot taller and 10 sizes slimmer than me, not to mention she's also a fab mum now... :)

I would like to express my deepest and most sincere gratitude to everyone for your undying support towards everything Jules, especially Hafiz and the Tangerine Team for meeting all those rush deadlines. We always have our "when things don't go according to plan" days, but I believe that we've all persevered, and I wish everyone the best of health, the best of success and the best of happiness, always... :)

Sneak Peek ~ Jules Raya 2011 Offerings

2011-07-14T21:21:00.003+08:00

It's that time of year again, and everyone's getting busy with so may exciting things. This year has been quite hectic, with the kids especially, that I haven't really had the time I used to have to plan and create for Jules. It's been the same case for my friends at KerepekLa too. But as always, a quick touching base and chit chat with them over some fab cookies and coffee finally got us started on our usual things again - Raya Goodies!

I hope to post more pictures and info of Jules Raya 2011 Offerings by next week, but in the meantime, here's a sneak peek ~ my darling ribbons! :)

Till next week, InsyaAllah...

And I do hope that you'll also join me and the fab folks of Pride at the "Ride With PRIDE" event this Sunday, 17 July 2011, where I'll also be showcasing some samples of Raya 2011 Offerings.

More Love Jules' Way....

2011-06-21T11:38:00.003+08:00

...For the "Fabulously Gedix" Aina and her fiance Khairrul :)

...For Linda's friend's cream, white and orange themed engagement...

May their love grow from strength to strength, as they look forward to their upcoming nuptials, InsyaAllah :)

Sharing A Smile, 18 June 2011

2011-06-21T11:07:00.007+08:00

Alhamdulillah, the event was a blast! Thanks to the fab organisers;the children had sumptuous meals, got sweets and goodies and money packets, did sand art, got their faces painted, tumbled topsy turvy on the trampoline and the inflatable castles, were entertained by Chacha the Clown, mingled and sang with their favourite Rocker Amy Search who also distributed money packets to each child. Most importantly, the wonderful children from the various homes were showered with lots and lots of warm smiles, hugs and kisses, and they simply had awesome fun, that's what matters most :)

All Night Long!

2011-06-15T07:51:00.004+08:00

The theme of the party was black, but Wanie wanted a dash of red and orange too...

I heard that Wanie had a fab time celebrating her birthday with her friends and colleagues, cool! I remember when I was 25... :)

This coming weekend I'll have 3 fab events to look forward to, and some more JulesFudgyliciousness to spread around. So, till then...XOXOX :)

Perfectly Crazy!

2011-06-14T07:37:00.007+08:00

I SO love it when friends and patrons ask me to tailor something special and quirky for their loved ones. This one was specially made for the molto bella Heska, who always asks for nothing less than unique for her besties :)

When 2 friends fall in love and marry each other, it can be a bit crazy, coz you actually know maybe a little bit too much about each other! But, it can also get excitingly spicy, coz you know each other so well and need not have any inhibitions. Hence the chilli milk chocolate on the brownie and the sparkler candle arrows that shoot through it, to remind Ani & Loko how sweet, intriguing and hot everything is. Trust me on this, coz I married my best friend too :)

Jules' latest personalised brownie bites...

2011-06-03T19:38:00.004+08:00

A New Reach To Jules

2011-06-01T09:33:00.004+08:00

After much thought, I've decided that it was time to separate Jules business matters from Jules ramblings, mainly to provide a clearer and cleaner path to all valued family, friends and patrons of Jules.

Now all Jules products and services will categorically reside in Jules. All the story times on the other hand, will remain warmly in my blog, and I've decided to go back to JulesRules, how it first started.

While I continually strive to make everything better and more comfortable for everyone, I would like to thank all you kind Darlings for your undying support towards everything Jules.

Molto grande bacione...xoxox... :)

Work In Progress

2011-05-23T17:17:00.004+08:00

I'm sitting here with Esfahan and Marrakesh; Esfahan is halfheartedly revising for his Matematik 1 & 2, Kajian Tempatan and Kesihatan, while Marrakesh is diligently doing his homework, writing, colouring and drawing the Wilayah Persekutuan flag. I am trying my best to get all my WIPs done, intermittently, coz most of the time I'm telling Esfahan to stay focused, helping Marrakesh with his flag and yelling at Damascus upstairs to keep the TV volume down.

Fortunately for my boys, my sister and her daughter are here too, so they (my boys) have a buffer...! Hehehe...

Anyway, my WIPs are journals and albums which I'm gleefully decorating with some fab decals, fancy paper, stickers, ribbons, etc. These journals can also be used as scrapbooks, where one can happily add photos and memorabilias later on.

I SO love all those wonderful, wonderful scrapbook materials that can be found in so many places these days. They are just to die for! I also love all the fun things I keep coming across at various hobby and art shops. So, I normally mix the materials I use, which means that while some of them may be acid and lignin free, others may be plain untreated materials.

It has been told that it is best to use acid and lignin free materials for scrapbooking as these materials are known to stand the test of time, ie. they don't turn yellow or become brittle. There is also another point of view where it is considered to be nice and romantic to have your memoirs and keepsakes take on a naturally rustic and antique appeal over time. Well, I guess it's all a matter of preference, and perhaps also one's budget, whether one chooses to go all the way acid and lignin free, or to have a little of both, ie. treated and untreated materials.

Generally, I use a mixture of both categories in my creations, mainly because I aim to satisfy different needs. Bottomline is, I do my best to meet all my clients' requests and specifications.

As for me personally, I have no qualms about using untreated materials. My old scrapbooks from Zainab School and KGV remain dear and precious to me; and as in all things precious, I kept them very, very carefully. So, although they have somewhat aged, they are still very much intact and the memories will always stay fresh in my mind and in my heart. As much as I appreciate modern technology and use them to continually enrich our lives, sometimes I just like to let things run their natural course... :)

Happily Belated :)

2011-05-22T14:00:00.007+08:00

It's always better late than never, well almost always. And some things are deliberately postponed or deferred so they can be meaningfully enjoyed with greater ease and peace of mind.

For Sara's Prefects' Teacher's Day makan-makan... If I were a teacher, I'd so love to keep all the pretty dessert forks as bookmarks, or if I were marking a pupil's either very good or very bad homework ~ the whites for good, the reds for bad! Hehehe...

For the fab Mum who had to defer her own special day to make way for what's important for her children, always... :)

One day late, but still I follow...

And finally, my star album is complete! I was so overwhelmed with my own emotions after I looked upon the end result of what had been deferred for far too long. My 3 most precious treasures in the world, my very own bright stars, now shining upon me everytime I sit down to work, radiating love, warmth and joy all around our home. Alhamdulillah...

Some things are best kept for later... :)

Happy Days Are Here Again!

2011-05-18T19:39:00.010+08:00

We shall start with teacher's day, the special day when we celebrate those fab individuals who guide us so caringly, without whom we would be lost; Happy Teacher's Day! Though I am late in saying this here, I had timely mentioned it on my Facebook status update. My boys went to school and piano class that Monday 16 May 2011, with big hearts, carrying "Love & Hope", specially for their beloved teachers. Both Esfahan and Damascus had made all the origami hearts and cranes all by themselves. While Esfahan's turned out perfectly well aligned and very colour coordinated, Damascus' displayed bumps, creases and assymetry with some interesting colour combinations; but he'd insisted on not getting any help from big bro or Mommy coz he wanted to give his teachers something that was his very own hard work and which came truly from his heart :)

Happy Teacher's Day!

...from love comes hope, and with hope we shall be able to move forward assuringly...

Then there is the joy of New Babies :) ...JulesPreciousness adoringly embellished scrapbook/album/journal that Mommy, Ayah and the whole family can joyfully fill with photos and memorabilias...

...the pink and blue are Jules Contemporary, while the green and yellow are Jules Classic...

Baby Ashraf Aidan...

And surely something for Aidan's proud Big Sister...

There's also a new Baby Girl in town...

...the canisters contain baby towels, baby clothes and a basic scrapbook kit, while the pouch contains a herbal eye pad for Mommy...

This new Baby Girl's very sassy Kakak deserves something special too, where she can have fun with cool stickers and colour her heart out :)

...this package comes with a basic scrapbook kit too...

The grownups had their parties too :)

For Lisa, The Fabulous...

...while Heska celebrates her cousin's new launch! :)

I love happy days, they make us overcome all the rottenness we've had in the past days, and remind us that life IS wonderful. And with that in mind, JulesPreciousness keeps in store some wonderful gifts for those wonderfully surprising moments :)

Scrapbook/album/journal for the little princess, in Jules Contemporary...

...for the little hero in Jules Classic...

Fab Girls' Parties!

2011-05-09T11:13:00.011+08:00

Being a girl is SUPER FAB!!!

For Ms. Q's "Spa Party"... only lovely things for this lovely girl :)
The exclusively personalised party favour...

The glam party hats...

Each of Ms. Q's guests received a special party box containing an exclusively personalised canister with goodies, a glam party hat, a simple photo scrapbook kit and candies...

Ms. Q got a party box too, but with a special glam party hat...

The party goodies :)

And since it was a fab all girls Spa Party at the fab Feffy Kids Spa, I was thrilled to create a truly all girls party setting with my "Lipstick Girls" series tableware... :)

...the yummy food was arranged by Ms. Q's mommy :)

And last but not least, the birthday brownie...Thanks for this pix Ms. Q, Razwan & Han!

My dear Ms. Q, thank you for letting me be part of your fab celebration :)

Another fab girl having a fab party is Tara Jade...
This little princess had her "Make Your Own Pizza, plus Cupcakes and Crafts Party" with her friends in Hong Kong; the moment she saw the tiara on her party favour when I sent them to her before her departure, she was already thrilled :) ...Hope the little bakers had a blast!

The Glam Girl Chef with Tiara, for the girls...

The Italian Pizza Chef, for the boys...

Oh, I so love being a girl! And though I don't have a daughter myself, just 3 smelly, sticky, monstrous boys, I tell everyone that I'm not missing out on anything. One, coz it's nice being the only girl in the house, hehe; secondly, I have gorgeously fab nieces who I can share with my siblings and in-laws; and then there are also all these lovely princesses out there for whom I can create wonderful party and sweet stuff!

I have a good feeling that all these lovely young ladies will grow beautifully into strong, mature, independent and successful women of the future :)

How does Mommy love?

2011-05-06T20:17:00.007+08:00

Unconditionally, and in my case, with lots of high pitched melodies! Hehe... :)

Every year Mother's Day becomes more meaningful to me, coz every year I learn more about being a mother. The special gift I received this year was a meaningful and funfilled outing to the Butterfly Park with my 4 darlings! Damascus and Marrakesh had been learning about insects at their kindy the past week and they'd been pestering us to go see butterflies and insects. So, we did!

On the Jules front, my special project for Mother's Day 2011 was "Love & Hope", where I collaborated with my darling Esfahan to make origami hearts and cranes. Though I didn't get any orders for "Love & Hope", which was quite disappointing coz I didn't manage to sell my concept, my concern was not really my own feelings, but more of Esfahan's, coz he was so excited about the project, and it really broke my heart having to disappoint him with the truth. I guess this is one sucky aspect of being a mommy, that is educating your children, teaching them about real life. But fortunately, his disappointment didn't last long, coz almost immediatetly he just casually shrugged and said to me, "It's okay mommy, we'll make hearts and cranes for all the mothers in our family, Tok Mama, Tok, Maklong, Makngah, Maklang, Makteh. And we can also give our 'Love & Hope' to my class teacher and the Krista teachers for the coming Teacher's Day!" ....Yayyy! And the sky remains bright and cheery! Oh, thank God for kids! :)

So, this was for TokMama, something she now carries with her all the time coz she can gaze upon all her darling cucu-cucu whenever she is away from home; all the blank spaces are intentional, to make room for more projects with each cucu personally whenever they visit. Tok's is not quite ready yet as we're waiting for more pictures :)

I actually have my own project too, as a gift to myself, something that has been keeping in my cabinet and too long overdue. It is my Star Album. I'd bought the album from Nadhrah some time back and last night after coming home from a long day out, I decided it was time to immortalise my darlings, my brightests stars, in the star album...

As I start work on my star album, here's sharing what my fab sister said : "There is a Mother in each one of us: in the singles, in the childless, in the man - the part of us that nurtures and gives, that feeds and protects, that stands behind those we care about, and that shares the pain and joy of another. Salute the Mother in us, and to the Mother who gave that to us, wherever she may be..."

I hope everyone had a meaningful Mother's Day :)

Love in Peach and Blue...

2011-05-02T10:30:00.002+08:00

Beautiful dresses, fabulous hats and lots of love went around this long weekend, in all the colours of the heart, and it wasn't just in London... :)

I truly hope that all my JulesFudgyliciousness sweetness can help to add more love, colours and meaningfulness all around, insyaAllah... ;)

Celebrating with the Kins!

2011-05-01T20:47:00.004+08:00

It's darling husband's birthday today, so we had both families over, and like all kins' get togethers, it meant loads of carbs, sugar and fun laughter! And, Damascus got to have another round of birthday candles, this time with all his cousins :)

For this round's celebration, Damascus had specially ordered his Tok Mama's butter cake. Initially he had wanted a "Generator Rex" birthday party, but he changed his mind yesterday and asked for "SpongeBob" instead. So, when Tok Mama arrived with her butter cake this morning, mommy improv-ed and somehow turned it into a "SpongeBob". For Ayah, it was mommy's simplest brownie, mainly due to sugar issues; but as simple as it may be, it was made with loads of love nonetheless :)

Ayah's party favours were Jules' favourite cheese stix and SinarFM's stickers, hehehe... :)

And for the kids, always something special, of course :)

Food was Arabian, from one of our favourite restaurants nearby, and the hottest on the menu was my guys' favourite lamb mendy and lamb samosa, and mommy's hommus tahinah of course.

Alhamdulillah, it is always a blessing to have the families together although not everyone could be there, and nothing beats seeing all the cousins playing and laughing together :)

Love & Hope for Mother's Day 2011

2011-04-20T06:50:00.023+08:00

My eldest son Esfahan loves origami. I don't quite remember when it started, but it was quite earlier on, when he was about 4 I think. His favourite is the crane; he told me that if he made 1000 cranes, then he could make a wish and it would come true!

So when I told him that I've decided to showcase the ancient Japanese art in my 2011 Mother's Day gift, to pay homage to the victims and survivors of the recent Fukushima tsunami and to show our greatest support in their rebuilding efforts, he couldn't be more thrilled. He quickly took out his great big book of origami and started showing me all the objects he could make for me.

The Fukushima tsunami was one of the greatest natural devastations the world had ever seen, and it impacted not only the people of Japan, but also the entire world. And it wasn't just about another tsunami, it was also about how a nation stood strong, unified and composed in dealing with adversity.

As a mother, I want my children to make an example of the valour and optimism shown by the Japanese people, that they (my sons) must learn to address life's great challenges with courage and dignity, always keeping their faith in the Almighty. As a daughter, this is a chance for me to express gratitude to my beloved mother who has selflessly given me love and hope, with courage and dignity throughout my whole 41 years.

So I told Esfahan, let's make it sweet and simple, let's just make the heart and the crane, and our gift concept for this year's Mother's Day shall be "Ai To Nozomi" (pronounced Ai Tok Nozomi), or "Love and Hope" ... :)

Handmade journal/album ~ the perfect gift for Mum, to immortalise her most cherished thoughts and memories, @RM50.00. Upon confirmation of order, I will personalise the journal/album with recipient's name and simple deco that best suits the recipient.

Petra canister ~ a therapeutic eye mask to help Mum refresh and rejuvenate, @RM28.00.

Jordan canister ~ a wonderful eye cushion to help Mum sleep better, @RM25.00.

I use Japanese origami paper to cover the journal/album, while my Petra and Jordan canisters are altered using wrapping paper with a Japanese feel. All the origami hearts and cranes are made by Esfahan using Japanese origami paper. And since it's basically about Japan and our support towards its rebuilding efforts, what better than to complete the whole packaging with dainty plastic bags and ribbon I found at my favourite Japanese store, Daiso. Last but not least, a signature Jules gift card, with a little touch of Japan and a brief writeup about Jules' "Love & Hope".

I hope you will like "Love & Hope" and share them with the special people in your lives. Mothers, Aunts, Sisters, Friends...a Mother need not be biological to be the best Mum, it's all about the fab Love & Hope that she pours unto us all. And, it's always the simple things that make life most meaningful, insyaAllah... :)

Note : Please email to julesmdaud2@gmail.com, preferably before 10am 2 May 2011, to order your Jules' "Love & Hope" Mother's Day gift/s. Available while stock lasts.

It's All About The Kids...

2011-04-19T00:23:00.005+08:00

Last Saturday, 16 April 2011, Han and her team successfully organised their annual party for the kids ~ super fab patients and ex-patients of P6 ward of the Pediatric Oncology Ward, University Malaya Medical Centre. Jules was blessed to have had the opportunity to do her little teeny weeny micro mini nano bit for the kids... Alhamdulillah :)

JulesDelighfulness gift boxes, containing mango chocolate, coconut chocolate, pineapple chocolate and Jules handmade journals/album

Thank you Han for the opportunity, you know how I feel...It's all about the kids :)

3 pushes for Damascus!

2011-04-17T10:37:00.007+08:00

I will never forget that Friday, 15 April 2005, when Damascus came into this world. I was 100kg and seriously could no longer fit behind the wheels of our kancil and kembara. And that Friday I was ngam-ngam 38 weeks, which was why I had made the appointment for induction.

Carrying Damascus was fun. The first few weeks I was binging on buah kedondong, 2-3kgs at a time and I just wanted salad, salad and more salad. But in the following weeks, I was gulping down 1-2lits of fresh milk everyday, spending my afternoons watching Sanay Wala Nang Wakas! And I loved cheese, meat, cakes and all good things. So, I really couldn't blame anyone or anything for my 100kg at fullterm! My vitals were all good, alhamdulillah, no sugar, no high blood, so I carried on happily.

I was nervous and anxious and scared that Friday, everytime thinking of the baby I'm about to deliver and about Esfahan, who was at home waiting for mommy. I remember telling darling husband, that if anything should happen to me during chidlbirth, he must take good care of Esfahan and this new baby, and tell them I love them. I wasn't scared for my life, but for the lives I wouldn't be able to care for...

I was induced at 7.30am and my contractions started within an hour or so. About 1.55pm Dr Jean Woo walked happily into the labour room in her scrubs and casually said, "Okay, it's time to push now." Oh sweet angel, Damascus was a huge one; we had known this from the ultra sounds, and though I was nervous, I just kept the faith. And true enough, drug free and gas free, pushing him was wuuuuuheeeeeee!!! At 2pm sharp, his head finally came out, phewh! Alhamdulillah... Then Dr Woo said, "Erm, please push again, coz his shoulders are stuck." Huh? What? Oh no! But yes, I went on again, with all the might I had... And voilah! Damascus was completely out, all 4kgs of him and all was well, alhamdulillah...

The nurse put him in my arms and I looked at my bluish, purplish, gooey baby and I saw his big beautiful eyes, looking at me with pure innocence, and all the pain was gone and I was in love all over again... :)

Dr Woo continued to work on me, to get the placenta out. Then she said, "Hmmm, I think you'll have to give me one last push dear, coz the placenta needs some help coming out." OMG!!! At that point I was numb, and starting to be disoriented, but oh heck! I had to do it, I didn't have any choice. So, I pushed again, leaving everything to the Almighty, in my mind were visions of Esfahan and my new baby Damascus, I had to do this for them, I want to be home with them, I want to love and care for them... Finally the placenta was out, about half the size of my baby who had just come out! Aaaahhhh... After that I just fell into slumber and didn't realise anything much anymore...

When I awoke in the ward, I felt like a cement truck had fallen on me. I searched for my hands and legs and phewh, I still had them. I couldn't really get up, it was just the bed moving up, down, up, down. Then my mum came, and my sister and of course darling husband. They were all happy, but somehow they were all looking at me one kind. As exhausted as I was, I couldn't help wondering what was wrong? Then I had to go to the bathroom and that was when I saw my face in the mirror. ..............AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! There were red spots on my face and neck!!! I had spots! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!

My mum casually said it was nothing, just "pecah kedarah" coz I had been pushing so hard during labour just now. U think?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!! No wonder everyone was giving me the look! I must have looked like a clown! Hehehehe... It's so funny when I think of it now!

It took a good 3 weeks for me to recover from Damascus's labour. Before that I had felt so week, braving myself to get up to feed him, and to feed myself. I couldn't eat, I was basically consuming only Milo, and it was hard to even bite into some cream crackers. My baby had taken all my energy out of me. But luckily he didn't have any trouble feeding and sleeping. God is great, alhamdulillah... :)

So, that's how I had Damascus, 3 pushes and red spots all over my face! And now my darling big eyes is 6 and I am yet again 6 years "older". Alhamdulillah... :)

Damascus's "Party At The Fair" birthday brownie, which we brought to his kindy, to celebrate with his friends...

He packed the goody bags and placed all the stickers himself, mommy helped a bit only... :)

Mother's Day is coming...

2011-04-01T07:07:00.003+08:00

...and I hope to share my ideas on special gifts for the most wonderful person in the world with everyone soon, insyaAllah.

In the meantime, there are some days in April that I personally feel are worth sharing and celebrating :
April 2 - World Autism Awareness Day, recognized by the UN
April 7 - World Health Day, recognized by the UN
April 16 - World Entrepreneurship Day (WED)
April 22 - Earth Day
April 23 - World Book and Copyright Day, recognized by the UN
April 26 - World Intellectual Property Day, recognized by the UN

As we enter the 2nd quarter of 2011, I wish to express my deepest and most sincere gratitude to all my family, friends, patrons and the fabulous people out there who have continually supported everything Jules, Alhamdulillah...may you all continue to be blessed with good health, good fortune, good love and loads and loads of good chocolate! InsyaAllah... :)

...A special glam brownie for a glamourous lady... :)

Lights, Camera, aaaaaand... ACTION!!!

2011-03-29T19:43:00.004+08:00

So Heska sent me an SOS last Friday, asking for a molto speciale brownie for her boss, Tangerine Picture's very talented Bobby Husaini. I call him Tuan Bobby, coz I like the sound of it. Heska emailed me some visuals of how she'd like the brownie to look and feel, and though I had this thot in my mind, "Babe, you've got this thing about 0 size timelines huh?", I nevertheless said "A OK", coz I'm sure all the Tangerine folks feel the same way everytime I step into their office! Hehehehe...

So I made a 2 recipe brownie and recommended to Heska something simple yet special, ie. sans fondant, just to keep all sugar levels fairly safe :)

Alhamdulillah, birthday boy was well surprised, Heska was happy and the whole crew was delighted. And Heska, you must know that you're a real darling, your crew should feel so blessed :)

Sugar and Spice, plus Herbs and EXERCISE!!!

2011-03-15T10:21:00.006+08:00

Alhamdulillah, my JulesFudgyliciousness Dark Choc Fudge and Chewies have received such a warm welcome for many, starting from their debut at my recent charity booth in Great Eastern Mall.

Now my fudge is available in a single recipe in normal bites or special bites; I also offer them in single bites which are bites that are individually wrapped, like how I presented them at my charity booth. Chewies will also come in the same forms, and I will soon post the related photos.

While I love everyone enjoying JulesFudgyliciousness' sinfulness, I am also concerned about the amount of sugar they are consuming, as my products do not come with a "how to consume safely" instruction, and both my fudge and chewie have yet to receive their nutritional analysis.

The truth to the matter is I am very particular about my diet and I do count calories. At the same time, I do eat all that I make, brownies, fudge and chewies, and I certainly do keep stock at home coz my 3 goons always ask for them. So to keep our sugar intake in check, I have to balance out everything we eat. Fyi, our staple food at home is mainly wheat and we drink only water, no cordials, syrups, and certainly NO soft drinks. My goons will surely finish about 2litres of fresh milk everyday and apart from milk, it's just water; fresh juices are allowed but maybe a cup each everyday. Then I make sure they have ample physical movements throughout the day so I know their energy is being used. But Esfahan is already in Std 4 and he has access to canteen food and I know he'll have soya bean with loads of syrup from the uncle after school, but I let this slide coz I know he's used up lots of joules during the day. As for us grown ups, we must have our coffees, sans sugar of course, and then it's just plain water. I love fresh juices so I'd have them at breakfast, and since darling husband has to go low on the sugar, he'd just take a sip from my glass.

I grew up with more bread and cereal and potatoes as compared to rice, coz my father naturally favours wheat to rice. I remember always waking up to cornflakes or roti bakar, with milk and cheese, hmmm yumm yumm... ) I love rice of course, but I love bread more, and as I learnt about the nutritional content of various grains, I of course choose to have more of the other grains than rice. And I don't get any complaints from my boys thus far, so everything's good :)

During the charity bazaar I offered samples of brownie, fudge and chewie to those who passed by, and many ladies would go, "oh, no thank you, I don't need the calories", or "ooo, no no, too much sugar and fats". But there were also many who came and scooped a whole bunch away too! So it's a matter of preference and I respect that. But for me, I choose to enjoy what I love, and I know very well that what I love can be dangerous for me in the long run if not kept in check, so I EXERCISE!!! Instead of giving up my sinful indulgence, I do something better for my body, EXERCISE!!! Hehe, ya, I'm simply harping on this word, EXERCISE!!! Coz I know many people out there find it so hard to EXERCISE!!! But the truth is, my body feels best when I EXERCISE!!! Yes, it feels absolutley good after some doses of brownie, fudge and chewie, but it feels so undeniably fabulous after EXERCISE!!!

I'm not thin or slim, but I'm not fat either, and I eat practically everything, because I EXERCISE!!! That and because I make sure I know everything I eat; this needs a lot of good reads of course, I believe I have mentioned some of these recommended literatures in my previous posts. And at my age if one can still regularly go trail riding on horseback, do white water rafting, manage 3 boysterous goons while managing a small little home business, without experiencing any body ache or pain, or without having to deal with diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol, then I'd say that's good living, wouldn't you? Alhamdulillah...

My 90 year old grandaunt in Kelantan lives her life strong and healthy, and her diet has always consisted of ulam-ulam, herbs and spice. She is a rice eater surely and a lover of all Kelantanese desserts, but she is never without her ulam or herbs and spices, and she is always up to something around the house, housekeeping, cooking, gardening, and mostly sewing; she sews almost all her grandchildren's and greatgrandchildren's clothes and all the cushion covers, bedspreads and table cloths! That's my darling grandaunt "Pah". That is why I try my best to always have all these ulams, herbs and spices in my daily consumption, while doing things that I'm passionate about.

This is just my opinion, and my opinion is that one should not blame or penalise all the good stuff out there, just because they cannot or do not make time to eat well and EXERCISE!!! Hehehe...

Life's too precious... :)

PS. Channel 706 Astro offers fab workouts from 6am-9am daily. So if you don't have time or means to make it to the gym, this would be a good alternative. My personal choice is CandiSoo's Barbell Matrix workout, of course :)

Sugar and Spice...

2011-03-13T22:37:00.004+08:00

...and everything nice, that's what girls are made of.

And while I am impartial in creating things for both girls and guys, I must admit that firework comes out when I'm making it per donna... :)

"Burlesque" ~ for a sophisticated lady who knows how to have fun...

...oh I just love love love creating such girlie things like this :)

A "Heart" filled with love, for mom, sister and niece...

Butterfly Fudge (bites) & Brownie (2tier cake) for a princess who turns 9...

Japan Quake...

2011-03-11T19:10:00.002+08:00

...My heart and my prayers go to the people of Japan, the Malaysians there, and everyone in all the affected areas...

Happy International Women's Day 2011

2011-03-07T22:33:00.011+08:00

Here's wishing all FAB WOMEN out there a Happy International Women's Day! May we all continue to enrich and empower ourselves as we grow strongly alongside global progress, may we continue to contribute positively towards our family and friends as well as the needs of our community and society, and may we remain relevant among our piers and the ever exciting opposite sex! InsyaAllah... :)

Oh yes, I SO love being a woman :)

So, here I am again, catching a breather, before I start getting busy busy again...

The past few weeks have been hectic, especially with my sore throat that has been around for about a month! I'm not sick, I don't have fever, no one else at home is sick or coughing or has had fever. And it's not just a sore throat, I've been going around sounding like a rusty old record for weeks now and overdosing on lozenges! Hehe, but apart from this, things have been quite exciting.

After my short trip to Bali with darling husband, I got started on several projects right away. Brownies, gifts, wedding hantarans and the Soroptimist Ampang charity bazaar. Amidst all these excitement, there were of course the everyday realities, some of which were very trying, ie. JulesMD dotmy URL was suspended because some rookie who lacks professional communications skill and who chews food while talking on the phone failed to email me the relevant invoice hence resulting in me going back to www.julesmd.blogspot.com (believe me when I say that printing new stickers is more worthwhile than trying to sort this matter out), streamyx went AWOL on me, and so many other stuff...but like most of us often do, all these were dealt with in cool stride... :)

Jules at the Soroptimist International Ampang Chapter Charity Bazaar, 5 & 6 March 2011 ~ funds raised from this bazaar will be channeled to, amongst others, the cancer ward of HKL and homes for the less privileged

The debut of JulesFudgyliciousness Dark Chocolate Fudge & Chewies (Cinnamon & Coffee flavours) ~ both were great hits! Alhamdulillah...

Hantaran boxes, in a maroon theme, for a stylishly hip and edgy Bride, from her equally hip and funky Groom... :)

The traditional sireh as the lead hantaran...

The frame that held the duit hantaran cheque...

The holy Quran...

The sejadah...

The embroidered telekung...

The must have item :)...

The fashionably edgy baby T, that highlights the "love story"...

The watch...

The cool shades...

The fab gladiator shoes...

The cookie box...

And right after the khenduri on the girl's side, mak, the groom's mother, called me simply to tell me that the bride and everyone in her family absolutely LOVED all the hantarans! Weeeeeeeeeeeee...I was on cloud nine! Alhamdulillah... :)

A special "Flying Magic Carpet" for the super fab Nora and her fellow super fab G15 Women, for their Arabian Nights Party :)

Let's Partyyy!!!

2011-02-17T10:03:00.016+08:00

February, needless to say, is special to me as it is my birthday month. And thus far, it surely has been a month filled with lots of love and heartfelt celebrations... :)

Kayla's 10th Birthday Bash ~ Alice In Wonderland!
This is the special project that had me tingling in excitement. I read "Alice In Wonderland" as a child and I believe this was the start of my passion for everything whimsical, not to mention bold motifs and colours, especially the black & red hearts, diamonds, aces and clubs, as well as the black & white checkerboard. I love, love, love everything about this fairytale. So when Nadia asked me to create special tins as favours for Kayla's party, I couldn't be more thrilled!
...it was Jules Jordan Canister in pink that fulfilled this wonderful task...and each favour is exclusive, no two are the same :)

...no one wants to be late for this tea party! :)

...heartfelt JulesDelightfulness gifts for Kayla and mommy who are both February divas ~ a photo frame and a candy tin :)

A special FudgyTinBrownie in my latest Kentucky Derby range for Eila's sister-in-law...

Suba's Brownie Valentine for her beloved...

And last but not least, for my 41st birthday, I decided to throw myself a party. Coz I throw parties for darling husband, for my goons and for everyone else all the time, but I've never had time to do anything for me. So, this year, amidst all that rush, I had my "Royal Purple Party". Yayyyyyyyy!!! Hehe... I felt so blessed coz I managed to have the most important people in my lives with me on my very special day...Alhamdulillah

Jules' Royal Purple Party
The red roses are for my mom, coz she just LOVES red roses... the white and purple are for me :)

The grownups' table... sheer luxury & elegance in royal purple, gold and silver, with Jules' extravagant party favours, which also served as the place cards ~ candy tins for the gentlemen, and photo frame and album/journal for the ladies, all personalised and exclusive, in true Jules' fashion :)

...The dishes served were my personal favourites ~ my mom's nasi goreng, my sister-in-law-Jasmine's tuna sandwich, chicken shakshuka and humus tahinna with Lebanese bread, and of course, JulesFudgyliciousness Fondant Brownie :)

The children had their own "Royal" table, with their very own personalised and exclusive candy tins; Sophia of course had both a candy tin and an album/journal, as she was the only princess among the goons ... oh, Ultraman too had a seating :)

As usual, I didn't have a party favour for myself... But I have something brewing in my mind, perhaps a nice frame to place the photo of the beautiful people I love... :)

Jules at 41...

2011-02-16T12:21:00.003+08:00

...feels very humbled and blessed, and very, very happy! Alhamdulillah... :)

To everyone who has supported JulesMD in every way, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Mere words can't possibly express the gratitude I feel inside, but nevertheless, you should know that you all have a very special place in my heart.

Alhamdulillah, I am celebrating yet another birthday with my family, friends and so many loved ones, and there's really not much more that I could ask for. I do hope that I continue to grow positively so that I can go on to be better and do better things... InsyaAllah...

To all Jules family, friends and patrons, thank you, and God bless... :)

Jules "Heart" Petra...

2011-02-09T11:18:00.007+08:00

This year, in celebration of my 41st birthday, I had initially planned to give away 41pcs Jules "Heart" Petra canisters to my valued clients and friends circa my birthday week, to show my love and appreciation for their undying support towards everything Jules...

However, after my last blog post on Monday 7 February, I received an email from my dear friend Yeanti, which caused me to change this plan of mine.

Yeanti and her gang had recently organised a jumble sale to raise funds for Rumah Titian Ashraful Rohaniah (RTAR). (Picture courtesy of Zar Zailan)
But apparently, the amount they raised from that sale was still insufficient to meet the needs of RTAR, and that is why they are organising yet another jumble sale to try to raise more funds for the home.

So, I decided that in view of this, my Jules "Heart" Petra now has the opportunity to serve a greater purpose...

As such, to show my support towards Yeanti and her team's very kind deed and to help RTAR raise the funds that they so desperately need, I will contribute Jules "Heart" Petra to their jumble sale this Friday, 11 February 2011, 11am-3pm, at Menara TM, Jalan Pantai Baru.

I hereby urge all kind family, friends and patrons of Jules, especially those at Menara TM Jalan Pantai Baru, to please, PLEASE buy at least 1pc Jules "Heart" Petra @RM10.00, and contribute towards this very noble deed. ALL the sale proceeds will go directly to RTAR's fund, and I have given Yeanti my utmost trust to ensure this, InsyaAllah. I have 41pcs ready, so that's a potential RM410.00 for the fund, and I will try my best to make a few more, so that we can all try to do our part for charity.

Jules "Heart" Petra would make a sweet gift for the loved one, whether as a plain and simple gift box, or filled with chocolates, cookies or what nots. Or, you can keep Jules "Heart" Petra for yourself, to store your most precious possesion, or just simply to remind you of the good thing you've done. Either way, I hope it will help to bring more love to all our lives, InsyaAllah... :)

Jules Charity Booth in March 2011

2011-02-07T20:58:00.006+08:00

Halloooooo!

Hope everyone's happily back to their normal routines after the long CNY break :) And I do hope that everyone's well, coz my boys came down with really bad stomach flu that week and we ended up in the paediatric ward! Hehe, they're all fine now, Alhamdulillah, but they had to miss all the festivity, and the worst was they had to be off their beloved full cream milk that whole week!

Anyway, the latest update regards to the scheduled charity bazaar is that it'll be on 5 and 6 March 2011, Saturday and Sunday, at Great Eastern Mall, Jalan Ampang. As per previous years, it is organised by Soroptimist International Ampang Chapter, and they will channel the proceeds from the booth fees to several causes, one of which is underprivileged families.

So, in view of this, and in response to your very kind support towards everything Jules, I am preparing some new items that will be on sale at Jules charity booth, insyaAllah...

JulesDelightfulness Album...in Contemporary and Classic

I finally managed to create my own scrapbook albums, thanks to valuable encouragement from Nadhrah :) The album covers are in either my Contemporary black & white base or my Classic earth tones, and I've intentionally made the pages plain so that one has the freedom to embellish them in his or her own personal taste...

JulesAddictionTins...in Contemporary and Classic

Tin Bondage...in homage towards the fab designer, and also coz I was inspired by my riding buddy, Yus, a fellow mommy of 3 boys, who struts effortlessly in the latest Herve Larue's bondage dresses; I don't have the guts (pun intended!) to sport the fashion myself, so I let my tins do it for me, hehe. In the background are some canisters in my latest Houndstooth design...

Vintage...among my latest Classic tins...

JulesFudgyliciousness Dark Chocolate Fudge

...Alongside my JulesFudgyliciousness Brownies, I hope to also introduce my new Dark Chocolate Fudge, as well as my long overdue Chewies...

I will be posting more pictures of Jules presentations/packagings for the booth soon, insyaAllah. As for now, I am currently busy busy busy with a very exciting project, which I hope to share with you soon too, hehe...

Till then, take care and be safe wherever you are :)

World Cancer Day...

2011-02-05T20:50:00.003+08:00

...4 February 2011 was International World Cancer Day, and I would like to salute all those who have fought and who are still fearlessly fighting cancer, along with their equally brave families. You continually inspire me and always remind me that life is truly precious...

In celebrating life, here are 2 special JulesFudgyliciousness Fondant Brownies for one very sweet lady, as she celebrates being engaged to her beloved, Alhamdulillah... :)

Pink fondant for Lileen...

...and blue hues for her fiance...

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!

2011-02-02T08:54:00.002+08:00

Jules and family would like to wish all Chinese family, friends and patrons a very Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year. May peace and harmony prevail upon your lives this gentle Year of the Rabbit :)

Be safe wherever you are...

What Jules has been up to...

2011-02-01T18:17:00.003+08:00

...Ribbons! Ribbons! Ribbons!

Jules' latest batch of fab ribbons, in true Jules style where every ribbon must have polka dots! All waiting to adorn fab gifts, and looking forward to Jules charity booth scheduled for March 2011. More info on this soon...

JulesAddiction Tins for Nadia...in contemporary, classic and special designs

...For a dear friend's farewell...

...For Nissa's cat lover friend...

This and that...

2011-01-29T20:31:00.006+08:00

Rollerblade anyone? :) ...for Nissa and friends

JulesFudgyliciousness for Qistina's 10th Birthday...

CNY gifts for family and friends...

This year I just want to give chocolates to everyone, the food for luuurrrrve, hehe... In an assortment of flavours, mango, coconut, pineapple, and best of all CHILLI! Now that makes a red, hot Chinese New Year :)

And here's wishing all Chinese family, friends and patrons, a Very Happy Gong Xi Fa Cai! May this new year be prosperous and meaningful :)

"...Bring fantasy to the quotidian..."

2011-01-18T09:42:00.002+08:00

The full quote goes like this, "Lulu in turn observes one of my own little aspirational aims in life, which is to remember to live with imagination; to bring fantasy to the quotidian; to splash what can sometimes be the gray and drab days with a little pink." ~ Helena Bonham Carter, London 2005, in her foreword for Lulu Guinness' 'Put On Your Pearls, Girls!'

That's what I always try to do in everything Jules. And this accompanying song by Lenka, is something we must not ever forget to do. Because, this life IS precious :)

Jules will have a 1 day only stint at Astro (the reception lobby next to the cafetaria, as always) on Wednesday, 26 January 2011, with an offering of JulesFudgyTins, JulesAddictionTins&Boxes, JulesDelightfulness and maybe an introduction of JulesChewies. Part of the profit from this sale will go to : Rumah Titian Ashraful Rohaniah (RTAR), sebuah rumah yang memberikan perlindungan kepada Warga Tua(Senior Citizen), warga terbiar(Neglected), Yatim (Orphans), warga istimewa ( Special/Mentally Challenged) dan warga kurang upaya (People with Disabilities), insyaAllah...

Looking forward to some good vibes... :)

January 2011 thus far...

2011-01-10T21:00:00.003+08:00

Early mornings are pretty hectic coz all three boys must get to school by 7.30am, and though that should allow for more "Me" time until 1.30pm, somehow there seems to be more things to do this year leaving me with less time to myself. For one, I have to prepare more food for the boys throughout the day coz they eat so much more now that they're bigger, hehe. Esfahan's school work and activities have multipled, so I spend more time managing and supervising him, which include chauffering him around. Damascus and Marrakesh also need greater supervision now: indoors, for homework coz they are now in K2 and K1 respectively; outdoors, coz they are more active and adventurous these days.

And with all the other life matters, eg. weddings, funerals, family events, fitness programs, my days are really quite full.

Amidst all this, I have had the pleasure of making some special birthday brownies for some very special people :)

For Jay who loves Harry Potter...

For Min who's a CSI fan...

And something sweet for Yan...

There is one occasion that I would like to share with you here, it was during my recent trip to Kota Bharu, Kelantan, for my sister in-law's "Khenduri Menyambut". After the khenduri, I had followed darling husband to HUSM to visit his old school friend who was undergoing chemo at the oncology ward. It was a very touching moment, as I watched my husband and his friend spend that very precious 15 minutes as though they were at their school reunion party, reminiscing the heydays, catching up and exchanging encouragements; he was very weak and in so much pain, yet he was all smiles and laughs chatting with his old friend...the beautiful power of true friendship.

How blessed we all are for the love and good health that God has bestowed unto us, Alhamdulillah, let us always remember this...

And with your undying support towards everything Jules, which I truly and greatly appreciate with all my heart, Jules continues to contribute towards benevolent efforts, mainly cancer, Gaza/Palestine and world peace, insyaAllah... Thank you... xox... :)

JulesDelightfulness for February 2011...

2011-01-05T12:22:00.004+08:00

Hellooooo... I hope the new year's been good for you so far. January is proving to be a bit busy for me, with family stuff and all, so I'm setting February to start promoting new and exciting Jules offerings, insyaAllah.

I love February! Yes, of course I do, coz every 16th of February I'll be reminded of how blessed my life is :)

My birth stone is amethyst, the colour I so love, so I guess that's why all my life I've always had purple around me. If it were purely up to me, everything would be in purple hues! Hehe...

But I actually also love the earth tones, warm and elegant. So, for Jules offerings this coming February 2011, you will have the choice of Jules Classic or/and Contemporary ranges...

JulesAddiction Tins&Boxes ~ Contemporary

JulesAddiction Tins&Boxes ~ Classic

Wonderful, rich, milk and white chocolates in assorted flavours, Coconut, Mango and Pineapple (white), to be packed in the respective JulesAddiction Tins&Boxes

JulesDelightfulness this February 2011, Assorted Chocolates in JulesAddiction Tins&Boxes Contemporary or Classic, start from RM20.00 onwards. Or, you can just have the tins&boxes and fill them up with gifts of your fancy :)

Please sms or email me at 016-2712114 or juliemd@yahoo.com for more details. Thank you! :)

Buon Anno Nuovo!

2010-12-31T14:28:00.003+08:00

My family and I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year... May you be blessed with lots of good love, good health, good fortune, wisdom and inner peace... InsyaAllah...

Be safe wherever you are :)

[Nora, thanks for the song :)]

A Belated Merry Christmas & Season's Greetings, and updates from Jules...

2010-12-28T15:08:00.037+08:00

Finally, after over a month of streamyx playing yo-yo on me, the busy charity works, my sister-in-law's wedding and Esfahan's circumcision, I can finally update Jules!

Those on Facebook were able to catch some of my updates coz I could update via phone, which was what I relied on heavily during my streamyx turbulence!

Anyhow, since it's still school holidays, and most of my time is filled entertaining my 3 goons, not to mention preparing for the new school year, I can only manage to offer some eye candy this time around...

In the meantime, here's wishing a Belated Merry Christmas, Belated Boxing Day and the entire Season's Greetings!

A special project for my sister-in-law's wedding, 16 December 2010... The overall theme was Black & White for the akad nikah in the morning, and Pink & Silver for the dinner reception. For her hantaran gifts to the groom I created an exclusive design in Black & White, adding a splash of colour with pink roses and white&pink eustoma coz I personally love these two flowers; for her akad nikah bridal hand bouquet I used the eustoma. A special request from her was to have a photography backdrop at her dinner reception, like what you'd find at red carpet events; and thanks to some help from the Tangerine Team, voila! The bride gets her wish... :) Semoga bahagia ke anak cucu, InsyaAllah...

Nadhrah's fab scrap page that she gave me on my 40th birthday, which I finally managed to frame...

JulesFudgyliciousness (in no particular order)

Fondant, hantaran for a "White & Red Engagement"...

Something purple, a hantaran box&brownie for Rita...

For Ayu's purple wedding (box was prepared by Ayu)...

Brownie bites for Puan Faizah...

A special JulesFudgyTin for the 13th Anniversary of a fab couple, Rezal & Noraini; a diehard football dude and a simply elegant lady...

For Irfan who loves photography...(the brownie is placed on a specially decorated photo frame)

For one of Heska's best buds...

For Amyr, a diehard Chelsea fan...

For Ms. Q's favourite tuition teacher...

JulesAddiction Tins & Boxes

Jules Casablanca canister for a baby girl's cukur jambul and aqiqah...

Jules Tins & Box Tower in sexy black lace and red rose...

JulesDelightfulness

Jules goody bags/party favours/wedding favours filled with brownie bites/chewies/chocolates/sweets...

For the fab G15 ladies, an engagement gift...

A special wedding gift for a friend's niece...

JulesPreciousness
A special baby gift request by Tessa...

More stories and 2011 promotions soon, stay tuned... :)

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha

2010-11-17T08:37:00.001+08:00

....Selamat Hari Raya to all Muslim family, friends and patrons :)

JulesFudgyliciousness Brownie Bites and Chewies for Bridal Glam...

2010-11-14T12:29:00.003+08:00

...delivered to Bridal Glam at the Lilies Room this morning...

...What's in the favour bags ~ Jules Brownie Bites and Chewies...

...Chewies for sampling, wrapped in foil and finished in papercup...

...Brownie Bites packed for Jules Casablanca canister, popular as wedding and party favours :)

Jules Chewies... I haven't quite finalised the actual packaging, but I'm planning to have each Chewie wrapped candy style in wax paper, then packed nicely in Jules latest canister with the houndstooth motif. I've obtained approval from my toughest critique, Esfahan, and this morning Bridal Glam and their guests will have a taste, not to mention Lee Kuen's very own sassy little girl. Then it's on to the lab for nutiritonal analysis and certification. Will update soon... :)

JulesFudgyliciousness with Bridal Glam @ Doubletree Kuala Lumpur, 14 November 2010

2010-11-12T18:03:00.006+08:00

JulesFudgyliciousness Brownies will be with Bridal Glam at Doubletree Hotel Kuala Lumpur's weddings showcase, this Sunday 14 November 2010, to treat visitors at Bridal Glam's "Be A Natural Looking Bride" workshop. My latest Chewies shall also be making a delightful sampling :)

Jules' Latest... packaging for JulesChewies and other gift ideas...

2010-11-09T15:58:00.013+08:00

Tadaaa! Here's the latest prototype of JulesChewies packaging, for a 10cm diametre x 6cm height cardboard canister.
The houndstooth motif is one of my all time favourites, alongside fishnet, argyle, lace and the basic polka dot. It brings me back to the heydays of the 50s-70s and to Vintage Dior. My mom once had a black and white Dior houndstooth scarf, that she would wear as a hairband on her omega shaped hairstyle. And when she wasn't using it, I would wrap it around myself and pretended I was supermodel of the year! Hehe... Anyway, I intend to produce JulesChewies in cinnamon (lavender), coffee (tan), mint (green), orange (tangerine) and oatmeal (blue)...

As with many Jules' products and packaging, eg JulesFudgyTins, JulesAddiction Tins & Boxes, JulesChewies would also make attractive doorgifts and favors, and the above are samples of how Jules could work for you, eg. favor for Baby Showers, Bridal Showers, Weddings. And always true to Jules' signature style, everything can be exclusively personalised... :)

As I was going along updating my designs, I realised that I have 2 major inclinations : one for bold black&whites, the other for vintage and rustic gold hues. So, to make things more streamlined, Jules designs will be categorised into 2 main groups :
Contemporary ~ for designs in hues of bold black&white with other colours
Classic ~ for designs in hues of gold, bronze and pastels

I hope to be able to make a sneak preview of JulesChewies, both the goodies and the canister, soon, hopefully this weekend, maybe starting with my Cinnamon and Coffee Chewies. Please stay tuned for updates.

Thank you all Jules family, friends and patrons for your very kind and continued support, and for keeping your faith in everything Jules :)

And thank you Tangerine, for always being so nice :)

Happy Deepavali!

2010-11-04T11:01:00.004+08:00

Hi...I've tried very hard to meet my deadline of 31 October 2010 to reveal my latest JulesChewies, but it looks like I'll have to extend it to either mid or end November 2010.

Last week Esfahan and Damascus were down with tonsilitis and fever, while Marrakesh had bad cough. Then last weekend all were well again, until Monday. On Tuesday, Marrakesh suddenly came down with flu and very high fever. So, for the past week and days I have literally been a mommy koala... Yesterday when I took Esfahan to the Dutch Lady's Kid and School Milks Launch, it was with baby koala Marrakesh in hand... :) I do sincerely apologise for any orders I couldn't accept or any emails or requests I may have overlooked; if you have sent me email, pls also sms to alert me ya, especially if you've sent to my gmail.

So, hopefully I'll be able to show some new things soon ya...

Until then, here's wishing all Hindhu friends and patrons a very Happy Deepavali, may your celebrations be joyous and meaningful, be safe wherever you are...

To my dearest neighbour Megumi and family, we wish you a safe journey balik kampung, and thank you so much for your lovely loaf cake, mmmm sangat sedap, always my favourite :)

Jules' Elegant Hantaran Boxes

2010-10-27T12:11:00.004+08:00

...for a special Syawal wedding... :)

Jules Deepavali 2010 Offering - Madurai

2010-10-20T18:27:00.009+08:00

I call this gift box Madurai, because of the wonderful history and heritage of this fascinating ancient city, which I hope to one day visit. And like many Jules' gifts, this Madurai box is a fusion of tastes, reflecting also our colourful local flavours.

This stunning 13inx13in gold octagon box contains Jules Petra Canisters, each with 150gms spicy peanuts and 220gms peanut barley respectively, 150gms muruku, 180gms kuih buah rotan and 16pcs rich coconut candy. Decorated Jules style, and inclusive of delivery within Kuala Lumpur, it is priced @RM120.00; delivery is targeted for 1-4 November 2010, and orders are open from now until 5pm Thursday, 28 October 2010. For further enquiries please feel free to email or sms me ya... :) Thank you!

(Jules reserves the right to replace any of the contents, or decoration, of the gift box, with items of similar/equivalent value, based on availability.)

Marrakesh's 4th Birthday Party

2010-10-18T14:57:00.004+08:00

He was supposed to have his birthday party last year, for his 3rd birthday, as did his 2 older brothers, but many things happened circa his birthday, including my mom being unwell, so it was postponed to this year.

We were expecting 70 children with about 100 adults, and we knew we couldn't afford to have it at home, so we sought the help of friends at Sokmo The Cafe. It was hectic, what with puasa, raya, khenduris, weddings, etc., etc., and everything was a rush. But mommy and ayah went all out to make sure that Kekesh gets his overdue birthday party. Needless to say, with family and friends all turning up to make merry, the whole thing turned out just fab, Alhamdulillah :)

Mommy and Ayah did extensive legwork to get everything done, in less than 1 week : do the banner for the photography backdrop, to create the cool toolboxes as the party favors, to find exciting play stuff/activities and decorations to fit the party's "Bob The Builder" theme. Marrakesh had specifically requested for a Bob The Builder party, and it was no easy task to fulfill this wish as Bob The Builder is no longer in season! We went from KL to Shah Alam and then back to Shah Alam again, just to get his balloons! But, what to do, it was what Kekesh wanted :)

As for the wonderful birthday cake, Mommy had earlier asked Mamamin to make it for Kekesh. I told Min that Marrakesh loves yellow bulldozers, and she said that she'll make a Scoop cake for him, and a fab cake it was! The kids loved it, especially the gummies and the smarties/M&Ms around it!

During the party, Ayah was the official photographer, always on standby and ever ready to photograph each guest/family who comes in. And at the end of the party, the kids went home with a toolbox each and the families each got a special photograph with the party's backdrop, as a lasting memento.

JulesFudgyliciousness...CHEWIES!

2010-10-17T20:08:00.005+08:00

Yyyuppedy! Hence the looooooooong time away from JulesMD... :)

Well, that, and all that came in between post Raya 2010, birthdays, weddings, holidays, passings, and all the ever challenging family matters.

Well, basically, JulesChewies is part of Jules' undying effort to continually excite family, friends and super cool loyal patrons, with something new and different. It will be the latest spinoff from JulesFudgyliciousness, and I'm thinking of labelling them as JulesOatmealChewies and JulesCinnamonChewies. Presentation and packaging are still at prototype, but, I hope this is enough info for now to tickle and wiggle you curious, hehe... :)

I hope to be able to reveal this before the end of October 2010, so please do stay tuned. Meantime, I shall be pumping in pix of most things that happened after Raya, slowly but surely, the whole of this coming week.

Thank you for your very kind patience and continued support towards everything Jules, I seriously do love you all! :)

Al-Fatihah...

2010-10-05T06:57:00.001+08:00

...to Uncle Zamry, who left us late last night, he will indeed be missed...

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri...

2010-09-22T10:37:00.002+08:00

...maaf zahir batin... :)

I had emailed all my wishes earlier, but hadn't been able to post my Raya wish, as I had literally been running around with so many things!

I hope you've all had a safe, meaningful and joyful holiday, I will be posting more news and updates soon.

Till then, ciao ciao and take care :)

Jules Raya Offerings 2010 - all bright & cheery and set to go... :)

2010-09-04T17:24:00.003+08:00

JulesTinTowers...

JulesJordan Gift Box...

JulesAlexandria Gift Box...

Jules for Giftmagique...

JulesFudgyliciousness...

Jules is able to do all this because she has lots of love from her family and friends, and continued support from all her fab patrons... Alhamdulillah... :)

Selamat Hari Kebangsaan!

2010-08-30T21:58:00.001+08:00

To all Malaysians, Happy Merdeka Day, may we rejoice in peace and harmony, amidst this blessed Ramadhan, insyaAllah... :)

JulesAddiction Signature Tins 2010-2011

2010-08-18T13:52:00.003+08:00

Alhamdulillah, JulesAddiction Signature Tins 2009-2010 made their final curtain call last Friday. I hope everyone who received JulesFudgyTins for their buka puasa were pleased... :)

Tins are indeed one of my greatest addictions, alongside boxes and baking pans :) Therefore, I am pleased to present the new range of JulesAddiction Signature Tins 2010-2011. It's a complete change from the signature black and white, but it's a perfect match to Jules Canisters this Raya 2010...

Top pix : top to bottom - Casablanca, Jordan, Petra

Stay tuned for more info on tin contents... :)

Jules in Baroque & Rococo...

2010-08-11T11:59:00.000+08:00

I first took a liking to baroque style admiring Denise Huxtable's eclectic wardrobe on The Cosby Show. She was my fashion icon, and there was a time when she wore only baroque, with pearl strands, lace and vintage brooches, oh I so loved them. Then, when I visited the Nymphenburg Palace in Munich some years back, I saw for the first time, the exquisite beauty of baroque art and styles, and the palace also had some element of rococo towards the end of its glory years, oh I just fell in luuuuuurve...

This Raya, I share with you my latest Alexandria Box, which I am so happy to say has the essence of baroque and rococo, with a distinct touch of Jules. I had intended to introduce this circa my 40th birthday, but due to inevitable circumstances, it didn't happen. And originally for Raya 2010, I was planning to do something with a middle eastern feel, namely Esfahan, Damascus and Marrakesh, my jewels :) But since I had had to defer my latest Alexandria Box earlier, I figured I'd introduce it now, while I was still in my 40th year, for it to mean something... My jewels I will keep for next Raya, insyaAllah... :)

I hope you will love Jules Raya 2010 Offerings... :)

Selamat menyambut Ramadhan Mubarak

2010-08-10T20:03:00.003+08:00

My family and I would like to wish all Muslim family/relatives, friends and patrons a very meaningful and blessed Ramadhan. Selamat berpuasa dan beribadah di bulan yang mulia ini, insyaAllah... :)

Jules' lates baking pan, Recipe For An Amazing Woman, is sold out, alhamdulillah... Delivery of JulesFudgyliciousness will resume next Friday, 20 August 2010. Thank you for your continued patronage, your kindest support and your undying faith in Jules :)

...A man in love...

2010-08-02T02:00:00.004+08:00

...wants everything perfect for his engagement... :)

Yes, it's the sugar rush from Nadhrah's cake and muffins! I'm still wide awake! No, it's not my kopi 'o', caffeine does not affect me that way... :)

Anyway, yes, the engagement. May I say that, apart from my uncle, whose wedding I helped organise some 20+ years ago in Seremban, this is the second man I know who is genuinely involved in his own engagement; it was just so sweet... :) Oh, how fortunate his fiancee is... :)

A lot of hope and faith, and doa, were put into this special engagement brownie; because it would have really broken my heart had I not been able to give this young man what he had envisioned to be on his hantaran tray. Alhamdulillah, I feel truly blessed, that I was able to fulfill his request. Thank you Faisal, for the opportunity and for your faith in Jules... :)

Of Cinnamon & Vanilla...

2010-08-02T01:21:00.005+08:00

...okay, so, when I'm on the roll, I'm on the roll! Hehe...

Got back from Nadhrah's about +2hrs ago. She made cake! And muffins! And I ate them all! Aaaaaaaaaaa!...Hehe... So, I'm trying to burn them off now (ya, as if!), by checking my mails, my fb, and checking out Chelsea Clinton's Vera Wang! Lovely, lovely, SO love that wedding dress... :)

...with my coffee, of course. And talking about coffee, I was watching "The Proposal" the other night, and Margaret (Sandra Bullock) actually likes her latte with cinnamon. Hmmm, and I like my kopi 'o' kosong with cinnamon too, and vanilla. But, in Jules' kitchen, you'll just get a stick of cinnamon and a vanilla pod plopped into your mug! Not daintily sprinkled over the fluffy milk froth! Hehe... I even plop them into my plain water; I have loads of water in a day, and the cinnamon and vanilla can be reused until you don't taste them anymore...

Again, this is me sharing the little bits of things I do to try to maintain a healthy eating habit. Try, that's the key word! Cinnamon and vanilla have a myriad of health benefits. Cinnamon, for instance, can help lower blood sugar, while vanilla can help prevent cancer and memory loss. Personally, I have always loved cinnamon and vanilla because of the beautiful scent; to me, the perfume itself is enough to make me feel good. I love cinnamon and vanilla even more now because they are the only scents I can have around the house, that do not cause my boys to start wheezing! You can browse to find out more about the health benefits of cinnamon and vanilla, I think you'll be amazed... :)

I make it a point to keep a good stock of cinnamon sticks and vanilla pods at home. So, on my trips to Bali, the first things I look for in Pasar Ubud are these two treasures... :)

Jules gets Personal...

2010-08-01T20:25:00.003+08:00

...gladly!

...a much overdue JulesAddictionBox for Bella Bellina... :)

...for the sassy little diva, Myra... :)

So, I'm off to get personal with Nadhrah now, hehe... While the hubbys enjoy exchanging personal developments since the past month or so, and the young ones work on their interpersonal skills circa dinner, we'll ciao off to her work station to look into some cool personalised craft matters!

A piu tardi...Buona notte... :)

Oh, and please, please do stay tuned for my Raya offerings ya...coming soon, coming soon, insyaAllah... :)

Jules and the Magic Torch

2010-07-23T21:11:00.011+08:00

Yesterday afternoon when I sent brownies to Wee Leng, she casually pointed to me and said, "You don't eat your brownies ha?". The night before, Yeanti had remarked that I may have lost a few pounds. I had told Wee Leng, "I have 3 monsters to deal with everyday!", while to Yeanti I had said, "More veges..."

Well, both responses are true. One, yes, my 3 boys really do wear me down, EVERYDAY!!! Two, since darling husband was diagnosed as type 2 diabetic a couple of months back, we've both been on a diet that has low sugar and more greens, the bitter the better.

I'm no pro cook, nor am I diligent in the kitchen, and cheat I always do. But, I would very much like to share this ultra simple dish with you. If I, the stay at home mom who successfully perfects the art of M.A.S.A.K. (Jules' definition : M=Mommy, A=Always, S=Stops, A=At, K=Kedai to tapau; thanks Aini!) can do it, so can you :)

Jules' Fried Bitter Greens
My basic ingredients are petai (parkia, but I prefer sticking to petai, more character!), bitter gourd (peria katak), red onions, green leaves (my choice is baby kailan), and the Magic element, Torch Ginger or bunga kantan. And, as in all basic cooking, you'll want salt, pepper, chilly and seasonings, which are all based on individual preference. I use anchovy granules and chilly flakes.

So I heat a bit of vegetable oil in the pan and sautee the onions. I don't use garlic here coz I personally don't like it with my torch ginger. Okay, then I put in some anchovy granules, blend well. Once caramelised, I dump in the whole load of petai, bitter gourd and kailan. I let it cook and soften slightly, adding a bit of water to keep it moist, and a drizzle of chilly flakes for taste. Then lastly, I slide in the Magic ingredient, very thinly sliced torch ginger, which on its own adds voluminously to the flavour of this very simple dish. Let it sit for a few seconds and then turn off the heat. Voila! Sap sap soey huh? :)

I also regularly add torch ginger to my salads, the young ones are the best; they make a simple combo of butterhead, romaine and iceberg taste ultra flavourful, and you won't even need any fancy dressing, just a dash of olive oil and vinegar (I use date vinegar) will do. Or when I'm dead lazy, I simply boil some good old tofu, then sprinkle in finely sliced torch ginger. It's all in the Magic Torch... :)

Torch ginger, bitter gourd and petai are traditionally believed to prevent or counter diabetes and other illnesses like high blood pressure and kidney problems, amongst others. You can read more about their medicinal properties in Healing Herbs of Malaysia, published by Felda. But if you are ever uncertain of anything, you must always consult your doctor first.

So yes, I do eat my own brownies, and all the other sinful stuff, durians for one, never do I say no to durians! And then, I find elements that would help to balance out all my unholy indulgence. I also try to eat systematically, meaning, I combine my foods accordingly, and follow the correct process, for example, having fruits first, followed by carbs, then proteins, etc. And, apart from chasing monsters everyday, I try to work up some aeorobics regularly, about 20 minutes everyday, and the simplest way for me is going up and down the stairs. That's all :) Basically, past 40 especially, a lifestyle made up of a balanced diet and regular exercise, is seriously essential. At the end of the day, size 6 or size 14, you must feel good about yourself. What is life after all, if you can't enjoy the things you love? :)

...Princess Muna Mariel...

2010-07-21T07:17:00.004+08:00

...arrived safely yesterday, at 3.04pm, to add joy to all our lives, Alhamdulillah. Congrats Ridzlan and Margie, children are the greatest miracles, and I hope you will treasure parenthood as much as Tam and I do, insyaAllah :)

Jules & Antonio...

2010-07-15T09:28:00.007+08:00

...my latest love... :)
...Highlanders Endurance, Team Janda Baik

Darling husband and I used to have our "date mornings" on Saturdays. But since the departure of our day help, we've not been able to go dating for so long, hehe... Until recently, when his friend called up to ask to join their outriding trail in Janda Baik. Oh, after so long of no dating, and me after almost 8 years not riding (after 3 boys n fulltime housewifing), this call was something both of us simply could not resist! So, we shipped the boys to Klang and off to the horses we went! Now we have our "Sunday date mornings", where we spend about half a day outriding, covering between 10km-20kms, sometimes more I think, but hey, when you're all worked up on the horse, you don't really count kms! A friend commented how romantic this was... I told her that if she thought horse sweat, horse drool, horse poop and some serious crotch ache are romantic, then romantic it is! He he... But it's something darling husband and I love... and we've managed to get my parents to accept goon shipment every Sunday, so it's worked out well for us thus far... :)

If anyone's interested, just let me know, I'll hook you up.

...darling husband & Angelina...

Jules' Recipe For An Amazing Woman

2010-07-12T15:33:00.007+08:00

There are 2 women in my life whom I regard as "Amazing" : my mother and my sister :) Not because they are biologically related to me, but because how they elegantly overcame/overcome all the challenges in their lives...

And, may I say that it feels quite amazing to have your name actually listed in the Webster's New World Dictionary, ie. - Juliana/Giuliana, Julia/Giulia, Julie, Jules...Heh heh...

Hehehe...

But if I could say what makes a woman amazing, I think most importantly, it would be her passion for life and her ability to make everyone around her feel good about themselves and their lives.

Anyhow, finally, after a long dry spell, I find a cool new batch of baking pans to offer you, and I'm not overstating the fact when I say that I was literally jumping with joy in the store! Fortunately I'm no stranger to the staff there, so, they too joined in my jubilation :) I especially love this new pan because it is about "woman", and I hope you will love it too...

To summarise things, here are some pix for your eye candy...

Birthdays

Engagements

Special Occasions...

...This was specially for Medina, my eldest niece, to celebrate her last day at work at Forever 21, before she started college to study Fashion Marketing :)

Thank You...

2010-06-24T23:26:00.005+08:00

...for your very kind comments to my earlier post, "JulesAddiction in White & Cream" of 16 June... Alhamdulillah... :)

I'm saying it here, coz for some reason, I haven't been able to respond in the comments box directly. Wiz, if I could have it my way, I'd have your cakes all year round! Tess, what can I say?...you,re my childhood bff :). Lileen, hmmm, planning something?...hehe, InsyaAllah, only sweet things for a real sweetie :)

To all Jules family, friends and patrons, thank you for your undying support and faith in me :) To those whose orders I'm not and have not been able to meet, I do sincerely apologise, I hope you won't give up on me! Managing things without any help at home, with 3 goons runnning and jumping around me and with real life going on as usual, has been really challenging, but it's helped me to grow, somewhat. I believe I've found a steady pace now and insyaAllah, God willing, I will be prepared to efficiently meet future requests, especially for the upcoming Raya, and all those special events in between.

...Alhamdulillah...Thank you :)

...Al-Fatihah to my cousin Dhar Pujangga...

Jules on Father's Day

2010-06-17T20:01:00.004+08:00

I realise that I have not offered anything for this year's Father's Day. I do know that it is quite inexcusable, but well, on one hand, I have been ultra busy with wedding projects, and secondly, this time around I just couldn't figure out what DOES really make a fab offering for Father's Day?

I love my father, and I love my husband for being the father that he is to my sons. And though I've had my father for 40 years and my sons have had theirs for 4,5, and 9years respectively, I still find myself sometimes hitting a blank wall when it comes to finding the best gifts for a father.

I had in mind a new RC helicopter for my father, but that would take him even so much longer away from my mum, as he would then need more time to practise with his new toy. I thot about a new t-shirt for my boys' father, but his chest of drawers are overflowing with a myriad of "favourite" t's as it is. So, how? And what then do I formulate for the rest of the father population?

Er, would the World Cup do? Hehe...

So, in the absence of material offerings, I'd like to wish all fathers a very Happy Father's Day! I so love to see a father with his child/children, either at the movies, at the games, at the clinic, browsing at the mall, having a meal at the restaurant, or simply, at home lulling his babies to sleep. Like I always tell my boys, no one can love you guys more than Ayah and Mommy. Ayah may not manja and baby you like Mommy would, but Ayah surely loves you just as much, and there is nothing he wouldn't do for you guys. And yes, he is your best pal when it comes to hanging out at the arcade, or game/video stores, or McDonald's! Yes, Ayah always has you in his prayers...

Those who do not have their fathers next to them this Father's Day, you must know that you always have him in your hearts... :)

JulesAddiction in White & Cream

2010-06-16T18:30:00.016+08:00

...This project was very dear to my heart as it was for my dear friend Tessa, and the man who finally won her heart, Amir...

She wanted everything white and cream, simple yet meaningful...a fusion between modern contemporary and traditional Malay.

The lead hantaran, which are the sireh bouquet and bunga rampai/ring...

The holy Quran inside a beautifully embellished box, and the prayer mat...

The groom's baju melayu and kancing, shirt and pants, toiletteries...

The sweeteners, which are fruits, exclusive JulesFudgyTins and a very special WizCake...

A great friendship is one that doesn't ask for much, but one that adds so much to the meaning of your life... :)

Life is precious...

2010-06-08T16:41:00.012+08:00

In light of the recent Israeli fiasco, let us remind ourselves how blessed we really are, Alhamdulillah... I have so many things to say, but words will not be able to justify my true sentiment. So, I share with you the very beautiful, meaningful and soulful sound of Maher Zain...

I personally believe that all religions are good, and it is people who do bad things, not the religion...

I'm keeping my faith, InsyaAllah... A special song for all those fighting in and for Palestine, track #3 on this playlist...

Meantime, pictures of my recent work follows...a great thank you to all Jules family, friends and patrons, for your continued faith in Jules... :)

And for those tying the knot, enjoy tracks 8&9... :)

Something that feels like football :)

Yes, boss! (a double recipe)

When a girl likes a boy... :) (oh, how sweet... )

Izz Hazim turns 12...
(photo by Nora Khatin, thank you!)

60 candles for 60 fabulous years... :)

Something girly, sexy & fun for Heska's friend's hen party...you girls make me want to be 20something again! :)

A special double recipe birthday surprise...
(photo by Nora Khatin, thank you!)

Yes Boss 2!... Well, the boss did say he felt like a 14 year old again, from the thrill of opening the package! So, I hope this worked for the staff too, hehe...

For a fashionista...

Jules 1st actual Wedding Brownie!

2010-05-30T22:03:00.004+08:00

Hallooooooooooo!

Sooooorrrrrrryyyyyyyy for the long silence, but, yes, it has been hectic. Well, it started when my router went kaput after a really bad lightning storm; our WIFI went MIA and since I didn't know how to config it to LAN, I went mobile for a few days, and being on mobile, it's not easy to update blogs. Bad excuse, ya I know, but that's the real story. And after En Amir Emran remedied our WIFI situation, things just got really hectic, and so on and so on... :)

Anyway, I've been up to several very fun and exciting projects, but to break the silence, here's JulesFudgyliciousness latest creation... A special 3 recipe brownie with fondant for a wedding in white + apple green (photo by Nora Khatin). I'll post more photos soon, after darling husband returns from his company trip on Tuesday insyaAllah, coz whatever pictures I took, are in his camera, which is now with him in Bali... :)

Thank you Nora, for having faith in me; frankly speaking, I didn't know I could actually do this... :)

Happy Teacher's Day ~ 16 May 2010

2010-05-16T15:53:00.002+08:00

This morning I wished my parents a very Happy Teacher's Day, coz even now, after having been retired for abt 15-20 years, to me, they are still 2 very cool teachers...coz they can teach stuff to my boys that I could never do, even if I went and got myself a degree in teaching or psychology!

And to all the fine teachers out there, Happy Teacher's Day! The truth is, I cannot begin to imagine how you do what you do...teach 20-40 children in 1 class, and get them to actually listen to you, and respect you... And most importantly, you are able to make them want to learn and appreciate as well as respect knowledge, it's simply amazing!

To my boys' teachers, thank you for all that you've done for my boys, seriously, thank you! xoxoxox... :)

Jules' Mommy's Day 2010...

2010-05-10T14:48:00.006+08:00

...was a day filled with fun activities!

Starting with Kaeden's birthday party where my goons had a fab time, to Margie's baby shower, to Zara's birthday party, and in between all this, Mommy was making pitstops to send her JulesFudgyliciousness for birthdays and mother's day! So by the end of the day, all of us were pooped!

My best surprise for the day was this ultra fabulovely gift from my darling boys (all 4 boys)...the song in the background is the theme song of my goons' current favourite movie ~ Ultraman Mega Monster Battle Ultra Galaxy! :)

But a day before, I received a pleasant surprise from Wiz Da Wiz...she had left a "kek buruk" on my tembok. "Buruk" for her standard, but simply fab for me... :)

Jules' Mother's Day Offerings, all nicely packed...

JulesFudgyTin for Sinar FM...

JulesTinTower ~ top to bottom - JulesAddictionCoffee, JulesTin with Fazer Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao, JulesFudgyTin

As it was an ultra hectic Sunday for everyone, I still owe some quality time with my Mama, and my 2 best gals... but they know how much they mean to me, I made sure to tell them, that's most important... :)

Happy Mother's Day! 9 May 2010

2010-05-05T10:49:00.004+08:00

I know I'm gonna be very busy this Sunday, not just celebrating moms, but also celebrating kids' birthdays, baby showers, etc. So, I'll make my Mother's Day wish a little early... :)

To all the Moms out there, I wish you a very Happy Mother's Day! Like Oprah says, being a mom, especially a stay-at-home one, is the hardest job in the world! I agree with her not because I'm a stay-at-home-&-work-from-home-mom myself, but because at home, we can't pay the people to listen to us!

Consider this scenario : "Esfahan, Mommy is household director, and I'm offering you RM1,000.00/mth to manage all the upkeep&maintenance of our house, which includes doing the dishes, cleaning the bathrooms, sweeping&mopping every room, etc... Disobedience will mean immediate termination of service and automatic eviction from this house.".... Ha, ha, ya, right!

And believe me when I say that, the morning rush hour, the insane search for a parking space, the crazy rundown of the day's/week's appointments, the horrifying fights with vendors to meet deliver on time, the desperate screaming at staff/team members to meet deadlines, they're all far more "peaceful" stress than the frustrating struggle to get your goons to nap when you tell them to, or play in their play area instead of around your living room cum workstation, or to just STOP FIGHTING & STOP CRYING!!! Especially when you don't have a helper or a maid...

He, he...

Nevertheless, all Moms are heroes! Because, while they're planning their monthly accounts closing or presenting their cases in court, they're also thinking about their kids' exams and the extra classes they'll need, their kids' music lessons, their kids' routine checkup with the paedi, the grocery she needs to get, the washing machine that needs to be repaired, the laundry that's piling up, the cat that needs food and booster jab, their husbands who need their TLC...

Moms are also heroes, because at the point when she's dilated to almost 10cm, and then when the baby is almost crowning, the main thing she's praying for is not only that the baby makes it, but that she also makes it, so that she can take care of her baby, and her other children who still depend greatly on her for their wellbeing. She's also telling her husband that, if anything happens to her, he must swear that he'll take good care of the children, like she would, and that if he doesn't, she promises him that her ghost will come to haunt him for the rest of his life!

Moms are heroes, because when their kids are sick, moms would lose sleep, holding their babies in their arms and whispering to them words of encouragement and comfort, ensuring that Mommy will always be there to take care of them and that there's nothing to fear, because Mommy is here...

Moms are heroes, because when their kids come home with sad news that they didn't do well in their exams, or they didn't win a competition, Mommy is actually the one who would hurt the most, but then, she would quickly gather back her strength and pass it on to her kids, so that they will get back on the horse and take on the challenges of the world, bravely all over again!

Moms are heroes, because they would keep 2,3 jobs, just so that their kids get to go to the college of their dreams and achieve their ambitions.

Oh, I can go on and on and on, about all the fabulous moms of the world...

My Mama has been my hero for 40 years, my sister too has been my hero. I can only hope that I can be at least half as good a mom as they have been...

Being Mommy has been the greatest blessing for me, Alhamdulillah...

For the moms who are less blessed, those who have let fear overcome their love for their babies until they are driven to kill their own innocent little angels and left them to rot, only to be found too late by strangers, only God can show them the light, not to repeat the same mistake; and I can only hope that others in the same predicament will not make the same mistake. The mistake is yours, not the child's; and when things seem to be at their darkest point, I believe that God will always show us the light, if we ask Him...always. Then, always, insyaAllah, you will see and take the right path...

I know that I am not the best Mom in the universe, but I know that I am the best Mommy for my 3 wonderfully, impossibly, adorable goons... and I love them the most :)

I especially dedicate this song to my darling Mama, it's called "Tidurlah Intan". I love this song, I just so love this song. And this is the only version I can find right now to share with you. When I was a child she used to sing this to me all the time, to lull me to sleep. And when I had my 3 boys, she sang it to all of them too. Oh, by the way, you should know that Mama was a keroncong queen during her college days, and my father used to accompany her on the guitar in the band :). Anyway, I remember once, when I was in confinement after Esfahan, I was lying in bed with my ultra uncomfortable bengkong and my thick socks, she was helping me to put Esfahan down, and she sang this song...it was so lovely, especially because I could here the sincere love in her tone... Esfahan fell asleep soundly, and so did I! I hope you'll feel the love too :)

Tidurlah intan, tidurlah tambatan jiwa
Hari sudah larut pejamkanlah mata
Tidurlah intan, tidurlah pualam bunda
Jangan bermain juga bergurau tertawa.
Ibu t’lah penat asyik bernyanyi nyanyi
Menidurkanmu anakku jauhari
Tidurlah intan, tidurlah kekasih hati
Esok hari kita bergurau kembali.

Once again, and not just to mothers, but also aunts, grandmas, grandaunts, Happy Mother's Day! Those who do not have their Mamas to celebrate with, don't be sad, go get your next best mom, ie your mom-in-law, grandma, aunt, sister, friend, and celebrate with them! We have so much love in all of us, so share...Wherever our moms may be, we know that she'll always be deep within our hearts, with us all the time... :)

Al-Fatihah...

2010-05-02T09:29:00.002+08:00

...Yeanti's mother passed away this morning... semoga rohnya ditempatkan di kalangan mereka yang beriman... my heart goes to my dear, dear friend Yeanti and her family...

Kids are like colours...

2010-04-29T12:25:00.004+08:00

...they brighten up and inspire our lives... :)

...JulesFudgyliciousness Favour, for a kindy party...

...Of Chocolate, Vanilla & Cinnamon...

2010-04-27T09:22:00.006+08:00

...I'm not really sure what's wrong, but I can't seem to upload photos onto my blog post. Anyway, here's JuleFudgyliciousness' latest wedding favour ... Thank you so much Nadhrah, for the tools :)

...and may I say, that chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla are 3 very beneficial ingredients to a sweet marriage indeed... well, they work for me! :)

Jules in light of Mother's Day...

2010-04-26T12:46:00.002+08:00

...I have mixed feelings this time around...

While I am grateful, Alhamdulillah, for the 40 wonderful years I have been blessed with a superbly wonderful Mama, I also feel deeply for my dearest friend who is standing vigil by her Mak's side now, praying and waiting for her (Mak) to wake up again... My heart and thots also go to friends and family who no longer have the joy of picking of the phone and talking to their moms, just exchanging stories of the day...

I have been a Mommy for almost 9 years, Alhamdulillah, and I want to rejoice in this blessing, but my heart is heavy, thinking of loved ones who have to face overwhelming challenges and sadness...

But, being a Mom, it's nothing new, for us to do almost the impossible, most of the time, even if it involves swallowing our fears and our sorrows, hiding our true feelings, and showing only our joy, just to make sure our children and family feel happy and secure. This is what some of my dearest friends are doing now, somewhere out there...

Well, let this be some thot for now, about Moms and the things we do and go thru, I will share more later ya...

In the meantime, a look at Jules' first 2 offerings for Mother's Day 2010 (above). I also made something for a very sweet couple on their wedding day, but I'll share the photos later as there's trouble uploading them now... :)

A piu tardi...

Jules' Friends are having a Jumble Sale!

2010-04-22T08:32:00.004+08:00

...Fun activities such as this MUST be shared... :)

RSSB (Rumah sesebuah Berkembar) is hosting a 1-day Jumble Sale, from 9am-6pm with something for everyone! There will be clothes, accessories, handicrafts and food to rummage through. Come and join us! Bring along your family and friends and spend your Saturday with us. Don't forget to bring your own shopping bags too! Help the vendors keep their cost low and at the same time, be eco friendly.

Date: 24th April 2010
Day: Saturday
Venue: Dewan Ar Raha Seksyen 7, Shah Alam (Jalan Firuz Empat, 7/7D)
Time: 9am-6pm
Landmark: Housing area opposite the main gate of UiTm

For Space inquiries please contact 013 384 2652 (HANA), hana183i@yahoo.com

Jules this week...

2010-04-22T07:25:00.003+08:00

...has been very busy...hehe

As I'm preparing a very special batch of wedding favours for a very special couple this weekend (well, all bridal couples are special to me, they hit my emo spot every time! hehe), I'm afraid I must say that I won't be able to take anymore orders until next Monday, for delivery on Thursday onwards.

Those who have emailed and texted your orders to me earlier, insyaAllah, I'll be making your delivery on your requested dates ya...

Thank you for your keen and continued support towards Jules... :)

A birthday for Damascus...

2010-04-19T01:35:00.006+08:00

...my darling big eyes finally turned 5 on 15 April 2010... Alhamdulillah...

And his specific requests were : a new bicycle and a Mickey Mouse Birthday Brownie with a twist. So, the first was quite easily achieveable. Then came the matter of the twist in his birthday brownie. It wasn't just Mickey Mouse, it was Mickey Mouse with Speed Racer's Costume at the School Spirit Event. Well, not exactly his entire costume, just his hair : afro style in red, white and blue. In Damascus' exact words, "so, it is Mickey Mouse, with a big round hair, and the hair is divided into 3which is red, white and blue. You can make the red and blue either on the left or right, it doesn't matter; but the centre must be white! Can ya mommy...yayyy!!!"

With that said, did you think I had a choice?

Just out of curiosity I did ask him, "But why do you want Mickey Mouse with Speed Racer's costume hair? Isn't it weird?" He answered, "Acus suka. Acus nak."

Bewildered, I googled and youtubed and googled some more. Nope, no red, white and blue Speed Racer hair. Not even that particular episode of the School Spirit Day Event. So I sought help from Esfahan, to illustrate Damascus' request and shed some light unto mommy's blurry path. So drew Esfahan did...Mickey's head and face, with complete features and colour specs, and then the hair - one big, almost complete circle from ear to ear, with 3 parts, red, white and blue.

You think???!!!

So, with mommy being mommy, not Carlos the Cake Boss or Wiz da Wiz, but with the unconditional love a mommy has for her son, here was what Damascus eventually got... :)
Do you see the "Hidden Mickey"?! Hehe...

In a matter of minutes, Mickey's "ears" disappeared, and so did Speed Racer's red, white and blue "hair"! And there was enough left of Mickey's "face" for ayah to tapau to Muar, for his event that weekend... :)

...Damascus with his new, red mountain bike. It has to be red... :)

I'm getting old...

2010-04-11T11:26:00.005+08:00

...I was sitting, looking at my site, and my eyes got stressed. Too......pink! And close together! And.....oh, so many outdated things.... but.... aaahhhh... the flesh is too weak... lame... but weak. I digressed to E!News for a while and this fashion program was on. Oh, how ever do they put all those clothes together onto one body? I wouldn't dream of doing anything like that. Yeah, sure, of course I wouldn't; it wouldn't be "age appropriate" for me! Oh yes, I am getting old...

...ER...old-ER...that's the key. Oprah says that 50 is the new 25; so, I'm only just about what now? 20? LOL!!! It's just been that time of month, when my hormones go yo-yo, and every little thing becomes so critical. Finding out that my old classmate, Bob (Kheiri) from matriculation just died from a heat attack yesterday didn't help with boosting my spirit. But, when things like this happens, we start to hear from other old friends again, just calling in to share the news, we catch up and end up in long, meaningful conversations. Then, you are revived and recharged... :)

Well, Damascus and Marrakesh are back to their normal selves, in gud health, Alhamdulillah. No more meds. Esfahan's gud, but his 13 year old bicycle (inherited from kak dina) just finally expired, and there was an episode of tearful, gloomy silence; but thanks to Trickie TV, he's all perked up, trying new magic tricks, and also hoping to get a new bike. Damascus too, "InsyaAllah a new bike for my 5th birthday...please Mommy? Ayah?" He's simply outgrown his present one, inherited from his Abang Long. okay, okay, we'll see, we'll see........ :)

So, as I look forward to being 25 again, I shall busy myself next week to prepare the necessary for my darling big eyes Damascus' 5th birthday on Thursday, InsyaAllah. I also hope you will enjoy my site's new look and feel, well, it's still "Julesy pink, purple, and black&white", but I hope the cleaner layout will give you more ease in reading. And you can now click on the pictures on the left column to see more of Jules' work. The lefty perspective is for my darling Marrakesh. I must now shower, feed the boys, and switch to my creative mode and start working to meet my deadlineSSSS!

Thank you for staying with Jules...may you always be blessed with good health, good fortune and peace of mind... :)

...al-fatihah to bob...

Breaking the silence...

2010-03-27T18:54:00.008+08:00

Assalamualaikum...selamat sejahtera...hello..........

Hi there! It has been a while, and I am truly sorry for being silent for so long. I hope you are still here with me and that you have not given up on Jules...

The truth to the matter is that my boys, Damascus and Marrakesh, had been seriously down with bronchopneumonia and we had been in hospital for almost 2 weeks since 15 March. Kesh had prolonged fever from the day he was admitted until last Wednesday, when his fever finally broke. That was when good old Doc V gave us the green light to return home. They're still wheezing somewhat, but alhamdulillah they got past the fever, really spiking fevers they were, circa 39-40. Alhamdulillah they are out of danger now...

So...Ok, I did manage some projects shortly before the hospitalisation and soon after returning home. But I must admit that I'll have to keep it low for about a week or two more, just to diligently finish off the boys' meds and physio.

It has indeed been very challenging...my timeline has digressed way off course and I must now seriously work at realigning things back into perspective.
Meantime, here's sharing some photos...something more colourful than bronchopneumonia :)

Specially customised Jules Casablanca Tins ~ Selamat Pengantin Baru Arpah & Kamal, semoga berbahagia hingga ke anak cucu... :)

...Jules latest fondant...a single fudgy recipe, presented in a 3 tier tiara tower, for a very special Bella. I still owe her a special birthday box, insyaAllah, will have it done soonest now... :)

...Jules latest Bling Fudgy for sweet Arissa ~ Jules Petra motif in rouge

There is a new Alexandria box that I have been planning since last December, the original launch date was my 40th birthday, but that too was stalled due to circumstances beyond my control. The prototype has reached me, but I'm thinking that it needs some fine tuning before it makes its actual debut. The exciting thing about this latest Alexandria box is that I will custom decorate it further upon order/purchase, ie with bling, flowers, frills, to perfectly suit it's new recipient/owner... Here's a sneak peak at the rough cut... :)

Some projects in February...

...a special engagement brownie...

...something for a Black,White&Red Birthday Bash...

...brownie in a tin for an engagement...

...birthdays and babies are always delightful!

Dearest, dearest family, friends and patrons... I sincerely appreciate your faith in Jules...stay tuned, and please do bear with me ya... :)

Happy International Women's Day!!!

2010-03-08T15:16:00.002+08:00

To all the fab women all over the world, I Salute You!!!

Jules at 40...

2010-02-16T18:58:00.004+08:00

...is overwhelmed by emotions...

Alhamdulillah, Allah has blessed me with 40 wonderful and meaningful years, no words can justifiably express my feelings... Thank you darling family and dearest friends, for enriching my life so beautifully thus far, thank you for all your kind wishes and doa... And thank you everyone who has been with Jules and supported all that Jules has to offer... May you all be blessed with love, happiness and good fortune... :)

...a gift from my darling Medina... love you... :)

...from Nadhrah, whose scrapping domain never ceases to amaze me...thank you so much dear... :)

Darling husband and goons had so lovingly treated mommy to a wonderful, wonderful time at the Jentayu Spa...aaaahhh... after 2 hours of excrutiating pain, now mommy's urat-urat and otot-otot "sudah bisa lancar..."...hehe...

Things that keep Jules busy...

2010-02-14T20:16:00.005+08:00

...this special gift pack contains Jules coffee, Fazer chocolates and a pelikat...

...oh, how I love my tins... :)...thank you Nadia for loving them too...

...for CNY, with Giftmagique...

...some birthday brownies for some Jules addicts...! love ya ladies... :)

...special brownies for engagements... :)

...and the latest tonight... and how i love weddings too :)

And for the next few days, I shall be paying full attention on my darling mom, who is recovering from a cataract operation. My greatest challenge would be to make her sit back, rest&relax and take things easy... :)

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!

2010-02-13T19:25:00.002+08:00

Jules wishes all Chinese family, friends and patrons a very Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year, have a meaningful and safe holiday!