ETERNALLY LEARNING

Lazy Hump Day - tissue wreath project

2012-01-25T14:11:00.000-08:00

So today I did absolutely nothing. Well, I did absolutely nothing with my husband. He is currently studying for his doctorate in physical therapy and is in school full time. That's right, I'm his sugar mama. Well today he had the day off and we just hung out with the baby, napped and watched Ellen together. This almost never happens so we both indulged in this rare occassion. I highly recommend it to other parents no matter how many "projects" you may have. The projects will always be there.

Anyway, I thougth I'd post this valentine's craft that I made yesterday, which inspired me to start up blogging again. This is called a tissue paper wreath and I made it based on this image from Pinterest. Since I had limited supplies on hand, I improvised a bit. I used a cardboard circle that I had left over from a Martha Stewart kit and glued 1 inch pink and red tissue squares with a glue stick. I used the dull end of a pen to adhere the tissue paper to the wreath by placing it in the middle of the tissue square. I used two pieces of tissue paper to complete the entire wreath (that's all I had, anyway). Then I used some red ribbon to hang it up on an entrance mirror. Ta da! Festive!

This proejct took a whopping 15 minutes to complete. So easy and your kids can help too but I was too anxious to wait on my 3 1/2 year old and just did it myself. I do have other projects in mind that involve his grubby little hands.

Rebirth of "Eternally Learning"

2012-01-24T13:26:00.000-08:00

So after a long hiatus from blogging, I decided to start again to document our upcoming projects. So what have we been up to, you might ask? Well, to start off, we sold our townhouse and bought a single home all in 3 months. Praise God! We had both settlements on the same day and three days after, we were sleeping in our new home. With that said, we have a lot of projects ahead of us and I've been a busy gal, checking out other blogs and obsessing over ideas on Pinterest. I'll start posting some of our before pictures at the house so you all can see the slow transformations. Our first projects were boring and non-asthetic. My husband was obsessed with recessed lighting so now we have them in our living room and basement and just about every light in the house has a dimmer and is controlled from multiple locations.

Oh....and I had a baby! I guess you would say that was our biggest project of all during my blog hiatus so we are happy to report that we had a healthy baby girl. Her nursery is not yet what I envisioned it to be so be on the lookout for a before and after post.

So during my maternity leave, I hope to tackle as many projects around the house. I hope to also do some crafting and diying since I have some time in between being a full time cow and a pooper scooper for my little girl.

Stay tuned for more....

Getting pregnant is now cute!

2010-07-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

One of the challenges I faced when I got pregnant was trying to get my clothes to fit as long as I could (yes, I did the rubber band trick) and finding cute pregnancy clothes. It was either Peapod (expensive!) or Motherhood, a cheaper version but fairly standard. And although Target and Old Navy had some options as well, some of the styles were a little more basic for my liking. Now, I'm seeing more and more retailers like Ann Taylor Loft and now Forever 21 tapping into this 1 billion dollar industry and coming up with maternity wear that's cute, hip and affordable. So go on, get pregnant, and still look cute! Although...there's nothing cute about vomiting, swollen feet and mood swings. Unfortunately, there's no way to cover that up~

Ready...Set...Eat

2010-06-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

I've been getting lazy and frankly too tired to update my blog with pictures of what I've been cooking but trust me, I have been cooking. Since my husband is now a full-time student, we had to cut back on our eating-out and using food out of our pantry..GASP! I usually leave my pantry food for blizzard days. It is satisfying to know what one is capable of making with a can of chickpeas and some spices. Here's a collection of meals that I made and since I only have a minute to scarf down my food before Ethan pulls me away to play, I took them with my iPhone so they're not great quality. Enjoy!

Pulled pork tacos

Braised chicken with gnocchi and mushroom sauce

Fish chickpea curry over rice and naan

Chicken Donburi

Mandu Guk

Full belly

Hi Ann Taylor Loft..when did you become so cute?!

2010-06-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

As I was browsing my favorite blogger's pages, I noticed a lot of people posting super cute outfits and all of them were linked to Ann Taylor Loft. Now, I'm not a regular shopper but they've revamped their entire line. The clothes are perfect for that stage where you don't want to look like a tween and you're not ready to go into Talbots, just yet. I LOVE LOVE LOVE all of them...

Kidorable Wear

2010-04-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

I hate rain, so anything that makes a rainy day seem a little better, I will buy! And eventhough today is a gorgeous and sunny day, I justified my purchase of this adorable rain coat with the fact that I can never find anything cute for my 19 month old son to wear. This is a painful but true statement. I don't know how many more years of torture I can handle of walking into a store and seeing rows of cute dresses and pink and green outfits and then you find the lonely boy section which consists of the same plaid shirts and khakis. This blog would be a lot more interesting if it was filled with pictures of a cute Asn girl dressed in a pink and green dress, with a white cardigan, white tights, and pink Hello Kitty shoes. Yes, I have thoughts about this!

Korean cooking: quick and yummy

2010-03-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

My typical working day is comprised of me getting up, get Ethan ready for his day, go to work, come home, and start cooking dinner for my husband and I while I'm feeding Ethan. And the rest of my week is the sentence before times 4. Then weekends fly by as we try to fit in "family time" and leisurely activities such as grocery shopping, cleaning, and walking Blair (our dog) for more than 5 minutes at a time. This is where Korean food comes to the rescue. It is by far the simplest way to eat. Just about every dish requires these main ingredients: garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, and sugar. But in my case, I usually go to Korean Korner and pick up some pre-seasoned galbi and panchan and voila, dinner in 15 minutes.

2010-03-25T09:22:00.001-07:00

Doing the flap...

2010-03-12T10:49:00.000-08:00

With mother nature finally coming to her senses and giving us sunshine all of this week, I decided to think about spring and everything that it means to me - cleaning, allergies, Easter, pollen, skirts without tights, Claritin, pastel colors, and did I already mention allergies? One of the trends I want to try is the girly flaps that I've been seeing on a lot of celebrity looks and magazines. Here are a few of my favorite:

Taiwanese beef noodle soup

2010-02-26T12:35:00.001-08:00

This is a late post but better late than never, they say. During the snowmageddon 2010, I noticed that everyone somehow turned into culinary experts and were displaying their creations on Facebook. Among the most popular dishes was the Taiwanese beef noodle soup. I often indulge in this hearty soup at Joe's Noodle house. However, since I had no way of getting there and was completely snowed in, I decided to take on the challenge. Out of all the recipes out there, this one seemed to be the one that I could make out (mainly because I had most of the ingredients on hand with a few substitutes).

4 hours later....

exploring prints

2010-02-25T13:24:00.000-08:00

So lately I've been noticing a lot of prints for dresses and tops on one of my favorite blogger's pages. I am currently adoring Yumi Kim's collection. But since I can't afford even the items on sale due to our upcoming life changing event*, I am forced to find the "Looks for Less" options. It is somewhat rewarding finding a steal but those prints are totally calling my name! So I found one of these options below that I'm completely torn on...Some look cute on the model and then questionable on their own, what about the quality, how short is it?! all these questions and more...help!

1. This first option is from Forever 21. I like the print eventhough it's defined as "Cheetah" (I'm not a huge fan of animal print. I don't like the matching belt but that can be easily switched.

2. This second option is from American Eagle. It is a pretty standard flower pattern but I'm digging the pleating and the pockets!

3. I just love this unconventional shirt dress and the fact that it's not plaid! I live in my plaid shirt, but lately I've been seeing it everywhere!

FLIP FLOPPIN'

2010-02-17T06:43:00.000-08:00

Old Navy is having their flip flop sale..but they're not telling you about it, so stalk up on them now! You know they're only good for one season but for $1.99 (or 2 for $5) who cares?! Plus, they're not as deadly as JCrew flip flops. I haven't met anyone who hasn't fallen flat on their face (butt, cheek, arm, or nose - ouch!) while wearing Jcrew flip flops. Sorry Jcrew, love you but you need to change your flip flop manufacturer. Happy floppin'!

Meal Planning: Week of January 25-29

2010-01-26T07:52:00.000-08:00

Monday: Linguine tossed with peas, prosciutto, mushrooms and onions (source: me)

Ingredients to buy: none

Recipe: linguine, peas, thick slices of prosciutto cut in ½ inch pieces, cut mushrooms, chopped onions, olive oil, and unsalted butter.

Cook linguine separately, toss in frozen peas at the end and boil for 5 minutes, drain pasta and peas and run under hot water – drain again. In same pan, sauté onions, prosciutto, and mushrooms in olive oil and 1 tbsp of unsalted butter until lightly browned. Toss in the linguine and peas and mix well. Serve immediately.

Tuesday: Dinner at Dave Parent’s house – pizza

Wednesday: Turkey Burgers with Cranberry Sauce (source: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/turkey-burgers-cranberry-pomegranate-sauce/)

Ingredients to buy: red wine, parsley, rosemary, English muffins

Recipe:

For the Sauce:

1 bag fresh cranberries

1/2 cup red wine or port

1 cup pomegranate juice

1 cup sugar

For the Burgers:

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

2 tablespoons each parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

1 rounded tablespoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil

8 slices extra sharp white cheddar cheese

4 large sandwich-size English muffins, toasted

Butter, for toasted muffins

8 pieces Bibb or leaf lettuce

Combine cranberries, wine, juice and sugar in a pot, bring to a boil and cook cranberries until they pop. Reduce to thicken sauce, about 15 minutes or so. Allow sauce to cool.

Combine turkey with herbs, shallot, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Form 4 large patties and cook 5-6 minutes on each side in EVOO in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cover burgers with cheese and tent the pan with foil to melt cheese during the last minute of cook time.

Serve on buttered, toasted sandwich size English muffins. Set burgers on a couple of slices of lettuce and set tops in place with lots of cranberry sauce.

Thursday: Gordon Ramsay's Sticky Baked Chicken Drumsticks (source: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/gordon-ramsays-sticky-baked-chicken-drumsticks/)

Ingredients to buy: none

Recipe:

Olive oil, to drizzle

10 chicken drumsticks – I will be using a whole cut up chicken instead

Sea salt and black pepper

For the glaze:

6 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons fish sauce

4 teaspoons light soy sauce

Juice of 1 1/2 lemons

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

4 teaspoons sesame oil

Yields: 5 servings

Heat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a large baking dish. Season the drumsticks with salt and pepper and arrange in the dish in a single layer. Drizzle over a little olive oil and bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes.

Prepare the glaze in the meantime. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until evenly combined.

Take the chicken out of the oven and pour over the glaze, to coat each drumstick. Return to the oven and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, turning several times, until the chicken is tender and nicely glazed.

Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving. For a balanced meal, serve with steamed rice and purple sprouting broccoli or green beans.

Friday: Potato Kielbasa Bake (source: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/potato-kielbasa-bake/)

Ingredients to buy: 1 lb diced hash brown potatoes, sauerkraut

Preparation

2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided

1 pound kielbasa (Polish sausage), cut on an angle into 1-inch pieces

1 pound frozen, diced hash brown potatoes, defrosted

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups homemade chicken stock

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

2 cups refrigerated sauerkraut

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 cup of broccoli florets chopped (my ingredient)

Yields: 6 to 8 servings

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO. Cook kielbasa until brown and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the hash brown potatoes into the same pan with the sausage drippings and cook until brown and crispy, about 4-5 minutes.

While the hash browns are crisping, place a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO. Add the onions, garlic, salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook until tender, 5-6 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the ingredients in the pan and cook for about 30 seconds. Whisk in the chicken stock, milk and mustard. Bring the gravy up to a bubble, then reduce the heat and add the sauerkraut. Cook until the gravy has thickened and the sauerkraut is heated through, 3-4 minutes.

Stir the reserved kielbasa into the gravy and sauerkraut, and transfer the mixture to a 9x13” casserole dish. Top with the hash brown potatoes and a sprinkling of shredded cheese. Dot the top of the casserole with the butter then transfer to oven and cook until the cheese has melted.

My version of Thai Basil Beef

2009-10-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

Despite the 3rd day of rain and 41 degree weather, we had a very productive day. This morning I had a Starfield advertising meeting (if you haven't done so, purchase your ticket today!) and then had a cupcake decorating party with Mosaic. Went to my in-laws afterwards to pick Ethan up and had an early dinner. Went back to our house and made Thai Basil Beef. I've been wanting to make it for the past 3 days and had everything ready so I was determined to make it. Luckily, we were still able to eat a little bit and Ethan loved it! It has some red chili peppers but he didn't seem to mind. It's the Korean blood in him :)

My boss swore by this recipe that she found in Everyday Food and it seemed easy enough to make. I actually had all the ingredients except for Jasmine rice. I have a 50lb bag of Korean rice in my house, do you really think I would buy Jasmine rice just for this recipe? It turned out the same, probably even better because Jasmine rice has this smell to it that I can't imagine mixed in with coconut milk.

My version:

I will definitely make this one again. Thanks Jessie!

my version of a busy weekend

2009-10-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

Friday night

6:00- come home
6:30-feed Ethan dinner
7:00-play with Ethan and start making dinner for Dave
7:45 - bathe Ethan
8:00 - read bedtime story and give milk
8:15 - 8:45 - put Ethan to bed (it took extra long tonight)
8:45 - make ramen for myself
9:00 - start cutting up veggies for kalbi jhim
9:30 - clean house
11:00 - feed Dave
11:30 - get ready for bed
12:00 - goodnight

Saturday

6:45 - wake up
8:00 - feed Ethan breakfast
9:00 - grocery shopping
11:00 - start cooking lunch and dinner
12:30 - feed Ethan
1:30 - crockpot!
2:30 - hair appointment (short nap in the salon)
4:30 - setting up for dinner
6:20 - dinner with in-laws and Dave's grandma and aunt
8:00 - clean up and bathe Ethan
8:30 - Ethan to bed
8:30 - clean up
10:00 - good night (crash)

Sunday

7:00 - wake up
8:20 - feed Ethan breakfast
9:20 - nap with Ethan
10:30 - get ready for church
11:30 - church
2:00 - lunch
3:00 - put Ethan to bed
3:30 - catch up on some E!
4:30 - feed Ethan snack
5:00 - watch daddy play football
6:30 - make dinner
7:20 - family dinner
8:00 - wash and put Ethan to bed
8:20 - load dishwasher
8:30 - blog!

hello Monday!

my version of organization 101...

2009-10-08T18:47:00.001-07:00

After being inspired by the latest issue of Real Simple, I decided to de-clutter my house. We started this process in August and had an unsuccessful yard sale in early September. We sold some stuff but ended up making our basement seem even more cluttered because we took everything out and now had it stacked in one room. After a few attempts of trying to squeeze things in the coat closet and throwing things away that I'll probably regret doing, I still find myself with a cluttered house.

So I made a goal to start with one space at a time so that this time I'll remember where I put that lint remover that I've kept and never used because I couldn't find D batteries.

I focused on our coat closet. It is so small and inconveniently located on the second floor of our house. So we're always trying to open it as quietly as possible so we don't wake up our son. My husband immediately started to panic because last time I tried to de-clutter, I was pregnant and was going through my "nesting" stage and made him rearrange our furniture every other week.

I assured him that this time I would just need his assistance in figuring out what coats to keep and to throw away. The man has a million jackets!!! Ok, definitely more than me so that's just abnormal.

After 1 and 1/2 hr of balancing boxes and rediscovering some treasures (my black Mexx blazer that I haven't seen in 2 years), I was pretty pleased with my first attempt.

Before:

After!

My version of accessorizing

2009-09-11T06:24:00.000-07:00

I'm not big on jewelry and my daily hair routine consists of running my fingers through my hair and pulling it back in a pony tail. So my new "fashion" goal is to accessorize by taking baby steps, meaning I won't be wearing feathers in my hair anytime soon (sorry Carrie, I love you, but that's just whack!) but I will add a "pop" of color into my wardrobe once in a while. For example, today, I decided to wear a white scarf with jeans and a grey top. Sounds boring, but it's a BIG step for me.

I also found these adorable flower bobby pins ($1.50!) online and ordered them in every color BUT black!

My version of Salmon Cakes

2009-09-01T13:25:00.001-07:00

In our efforts to save money and follow Dave Ramsey's "snowball" plan, my husband has been sending me links of other people in our situation. The most recent was of a family who went on for an entire month without buying groceries and instead, emptied out her food pantry and freezer by making simple and delicious meals After watching it, I was actually inspired to do the same instead of rolling my eyes at my husband's yet another attempt to get me to save money. Hey, I already gave up my routine hair appointments and tanning!

After looking into my pantry, I did feel a little guilty since it looked like we were stocking up for a snow storm in the middle of August! Ok, so today I will be using all ingredients from my pantry to make tonight's dinner - Salmon cakes with pasta and eggplant salad (leftovers from my mom).

My version:

forgot to add my version of a Peruvian Dinner

2009-07-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

Feeling motivated from my latest obsession of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, I decided to conquer tonight's dinner. Unfortunately, my son decided to catch yet another cold bug in the middle of July and 100 degree weather! I seriously do not know how this talent came about but he always tends to get sick on a weekend or a holiday..lucky me! So instead, I sent my husband off to the nearest Peruvian chicken place. Have you had this lately? Living less than 2 minutes away from the "capital" of MS13 has its advantages - over 15 Peruvian chicken places all within 5 miles radius. Dinner consisted of beans and flavored rice (garlic powder and oil), chicken, yummy green and yellow dips, and a glass of pinot noir. No pictures were taken at this dinner because I was too busy running up and down the stairs while attending to my sick baby (see entry below). good night.

My version of dealing with a sick baby...

2009-07-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

No one ever tells you that the newborn stage is the hardest. The second thing that no one ever tells you is that it only gets worse when your baby is sick and cannot voluntarily blow his/her nose, swallow a pill, or just suck it up. Instead, I find myself waiting like a hawk in front of a monitor in case I hear any signs of discontent from Ethan, my 11 month old son. All kinds of thoughts go through my head, did he get sick when he stood over the AC vent while drooling all over his chest, did I not "purell" my hands after touching a stranger's hand, did my husband carry the germs from his lacrosse camp, or did my nephew carry the germs as he often does from being in a dreadful daycare. Ugh! If there was a bubble that my baby could grow up in, I would be the first in line to buy it. But for now, I'll sleep with my one eye open. Pirate style.