updates

Updates

• Mother-in-law leaves on the 17th due to severe knee pain which means we need to find a new babysitter.
  
• School starts next month for me on the 27th.
• Isa, 4 1/2 months now, is growing more attached to me; she sleeps with me every night.
• She can turn on her tummy and push up on her arms.
• Tried Dyson slim and it's not as great as we expected. We are waiting before we return it to see if the Hoover is any better because it is the same technology as the regular dyson.
• Still waiting on the couch situ. I don't know what I really want.
  

To do list

• Get an eye exam from Costco.
• Get a physical (next Thurs.)
• Go to my CPR class.
• Buy my school supplies (gloves, mask, scrubs, coat).
• Find a new pediatrician.
• Find a new babysitter.
  

That's it for now. Have a safe and happy Independence Day!

new place

I've moved into this new place on Tuesday and I'm already missing the old place. I don't know why; I can't really put my finger on it but I think it has something to do with the convenience of how small the old place was (easy to get from one place to another). And the set-up of the bathroom was better at the old place. It's harder here to give my baby a bath because the toilet is in the way.

We aren't settled yet; there are many boxes to unpack still. We also have to buy some furniture but we aren't sure what we want to do yet. I think we are going to get a cheap couch from IKEA seeing how small the family room is.

Anyway, life here is still pretty busy even though my mother-in-law is here to help out because there is always something to do. I still have to cook for my hubby and clean and take care of isa. She helps out but there's still always something for me to do. I guess it never ends. The more people you have, the more work you have to do.

My favorite time of the day is when I get to nurse isa because I can watch TV (usu. food network or TLC, we don't get HGTV anymore, grr!) and not feel guilty about it. I feel like I'm being supervised by my hubby's mom, even if it is true or not.

Zai jian for now (according to my mother-in-law, my mandarin has improved since she last saw me).

Yesterday

Happy 100 days old to my little cutie pie!

Miss USA...

...falls!! I can't believe this. I just happened to catch the last five minutes of the pageant but I didn't get to see her fall in real time. I can't believe this really happened. I thought it was a fake when I saw it on youtube. Check it out for yourself.

furniture

We need new furniture. This is what we are thinking about so far:

Veneta sectional in yellow:

clipped from www.daniafurniture.com

Graham sectional in black leather:

clipped from www.daniafurniture.com

Bristol sectional in ash green (we probably won't choose this; my brother has this in lilac):

clipped from www.daniafurniture.com

What do you guys think?

apartment hunt finished

We finally ended up at International Village after all that hard search. Our move in date is June 12th. I'm excited and can't hardly wait! I really want to paint this place, but I'm not sure if that will happen. We need to buy new stuff too.

Here's our tentative shopping list:

• shower curtain and rings to hold it up

• couch and/or sofa

• computer desk big enough for two laptops and computer (maybe an L shape desk)

• dish pan to wash dishes because it's a single sink, not double :(

• two-tier dish drying rack

• stand up storage cabinet over toilet because sink is pedestal

• duvet, deep fitted sheets for bed, pillow cover (I'm thinking from http://www.thecompanystore.com/) i like the stripe and solid combination here

• all in one washer and dryer

• twin bed frame and plywood (I was suggesting to just use the one in my old room at parents' house)

• new big screen flat tv?

• stand for tv?

• paint to brighten up nursery?

That's all I can think of now... I may be adding more stuff to this list if I think of anything else.

dental appointment

I went to the Dentist last Friday for a cleaning, but he didn't clean my teeth. He said there was nothing to clean because I have no tartar buildup or plaque. All he did was take some x-rays. Everything is good; I have no cavities.

I was kind of pissed though because I don't believe him. Nothing to clean at all? I think he was just being lazy. Usually there is always something to clean. I feel like I need a second opinion but I'll drop it since I know I'll be getting it cleaned by my classmates when I start school.

Maybe the new electric toothbrush that Cecil and Sherry bought me for Christmas really did the trick. Could that be possible?

salt intake

I told Dave that when I cook now, I'm going to reduce the amount of salt, including salt substitutes such as soy sauce because it's not healthy. I read in Time magazine that it takes about twelve weeks for your body to adjust. From now on, just a pinch is enough.

culinary school

I know I'm going to dental hygiene school, but I really enjoy cooking. I find it to be an adventure everyday. It's just so fun. I think one day, maybe within the next ten years, I'll go to culinary school for fun. By then, maybe I won't need to work as a hygienist anymore and just stay home and cook all day. I look forward to it one day, maybe, if it ever happens.

I don't think I would want to be a chef at a restaurant because I would be limited in what I could cook. I would just love to cook what I want for my family. And when I mean cook, I mean a five course meal starting with appetizers and ending with desserts. And everything would be homemade from scratch.

The only part I don't like about cooking is cleaning up. When I'm done at the end of the day, there is a pile of dishes and utensils. My hubby says that I use a lot of unnecessary tools and dishes to cook. He may be right, but I feel what I do gets the job done the best. Like the pros say, you can't use a screw driver to hammer in a nail, so why compromise the same way when cooking? And if that means using three different cutting boards (one for garlic and ginger, vegetables, and raw meat), then so be it. I only have one cutting board by the way, and I've been bugging my hubby to get some more.

Hmm, well anyway, that was just a thought. I don't know if I'm serious, but it would be nice if I could go to culinary school one day. I was actually thinking about it while I was in college but I don't know why I never looked into it.

Cauliflower with Dijon Sauce

I found this recipe from allrecipes.com. I thought it was really good. I didn't know how else to cook cauliflower, besides the usual oyster sauce method. I think next time though, I'll cook it with yogurt instead, as suggested by one of the comments. Recipe can be found here. And instead of using the microwave, I boiled it for 5 minutes. Then I put it in the oven at 375 degrees for about another 5 minutes or until the cheese was melted. I hate using the microwave to cook food because that's not real cooking.

clipped from allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head cauliflower, separated into florets
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Place cauliflower florets in a large glass bowl or casserole dish, and cover with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the plastic with a knife. Cook in the microwave for 5 to 7 minutes, or until tender.
2. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, and Dijon mustard. Spread over the top of the cauliflower. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top. Return to the microwave, and cook just until cheese has melted, about 2 minutes.