Out With the Old...

The new year is upon us and it's easy for me to get that September-y feeling. You know- a fresh start. The problem with me and new years- school or otherwise, is that my best efforts always seem to be failures. Good thing that I'm not a student anymore, because there is less for me to fail at! Or the stakes are different, or something. I used to start every school year with the intention to get all A's, and study every night. Go to bed early. Stuff like that. At least I made it through school and have diplomas and stuff.

But, new years are a little different, and the goals get different as a mom and homemaker. I'd like to be able to resolve to keep the house clean, to play better with the kids, to communicate better with my spouse. To read the scriptures more and serve people more willingly. To get the dishes done, spend less money, and not mind driving 2 hours there and back to visit my parents more often. I'd like to be more cheerful as I go about my tasks- like 5 costly loads of laundry each week, and running the errands while walking with 2 whiny children in tow (Clark is much less whiny than the 4-year-olds, although he is too young to be bribed with candy). There's more, and I don't want to bore you, so I won't go on with my motherly tasks. I'm sure you have many of the same challenges.

I hereby resolve to be more thankful for what I've got, and to look on the sunny side. I should also resolve not to write this post while in a state of angst, but there's no stopping me now! Resolved: To love my husband better and to happily overlook all of his "faults". Resolved: To teach my children to pick up better and be an example of this. Resolved: To waste time less and spend free time in a more pleasurable manner- learn to enjoy the company of toddlers/babies more. Resolved: To waste less- resources and money. Resolved: To count the many blessings heaped upon me by a loving Father in Heaven.

Resolved: To not feel like a failure. What a blessing to be living here with these great people whom I love.

Wishing you all the best for 2010. Let's make it a good one!

My Boy is Wicked Smart*

The only thing I like about getting U.S. News and World Report is the edition with the highschool rankings. Every year, my Paul's alma mater is ranked #1. I just like that.

*name that movie

Hong Kong Disney (or, This is for Dad)

While in Hong Kong, we went to Hong Kong Disneyland. It's like regular Disneyland, but smaller, not as many rides, and no lines. Or maybe 10 minute lines. It's the perfect Disney park for 4 year olds. Here are some pictures of our trip- backwards, it seems.

In front of the castle at night. We walked out to Main Street after seeing the Lion King show, and it was very weird. It had gotten dark since we went in, and basically EVERYONE in the park was on Main Street enjoying the "snow" and taking pictures of the lights. I have never seen so many people taking pictures at the same time. It was so disorienting at first that I thought that something must have happened. A celebrity sighting? Someone falling off the castle? Nope, just the magic of the Christmas decor.

There is no Tom Sawyer's island- it's Tarzan's tree house on an island. And the Jungle cruise is built in here, and it has fire- much cooler than normal Disney.

It's a Small World

Note: All of the rides here go in the opposite direction of in regular Disneyland. I don't know why. So you can tell from your pictures which park you're in?

View from Dumbo

Of course, the girls' favorite part was meeting Cinderella. And when we didn't meet Belle, they almost had a fit. Happily, they got to see all of the princesses in the parade.

In front of the smaller castle. "Why aren't the princesses inside, ma?"

Main Street. It's so much the same that when I needed to feed the baby, I went to the end of Main Street and said, "if I were in the US and needed to feed the baby, I would go to the baby care center right here..." and there it was. If you've never been in the baby center, you totally should. Curtained nursing rooms, (actually, I've never been in there in the US, so I don't know if it's the same here) a kitchen to heat up baby food, changing areas. It's pretty awesome. The weird thing that happened when I was nursing Clark was that the person in the curtained stall next to me let off the loudest burps I have ever heard in my life. Louder than Barney on the Simpson's. Like a whale. It was startling, to say the least. I wonder if it was a baby, or an adult, or even a human...?

The entrance

Walking to the park from the train

Nearing the entrance

The special Disney line train of the metro

The inside of the train has plush seats and little figurines and memorabilia.

Tea cups

More Cinderella

In front of the Mickey Flowers- red for communist?

We took about 5 trains to get there- it took a long time, so we were happy at the end of the day to take a cab home. Even though it cost more than our metro ride there, it was worth $30 to not have to navigate our way home at the end of a long day. If only it were that easy here!

This isn't at Disneyland, but I accidentally put it on and can't figure out how to move it off. We got to visit with Lisa's sister Grace and her daughter Katina, who live in Hong Kong. Camille became best friends with Katina. It was pretty adorable.

The End

My New Toy

While in Hong Kong we visited pot and pan street (not its real name)- a row of kitchenware shops for restaurants and civilians alike. There are rows of pans of every shape- cookie cutters with Chinese characters, woks bigger than your kitchen table, and cleavers of every size.

Everything was super cheap, and I could have done major damage if there had been room in my luggage.

My favorite new acquisition is this loaf pan- it makes a pullman loaf, which is a square loaf without the rounded dome on top. Since the top is covered, the bread can't rise as high, so it creates a denser loaf which is perfect for sandwiches or canapes. What is a canape? I've never made one, but I'm going to start now. These little perfect square slices delight me to no end.

Hong Kong is all about pullman loaves (as well as selling bread in packs of 6 slices) which is something that I feel that we Americans should all adopt.

And yes, I know I'm a dweeb.

Monday, Monday

I've had two Mondays this week so far.

How about you?

It's the miracle of international travel in this day and age- I left Hong Kong Monday at 1:40 p.m., saw a sunset in Seoul, arrived in L.A. Monday at 1:20 p.m. (back in time) and saw the same sun set in Los Angeles.

Cool, right?

Buyer's Remorse

Usually the term "Buyer's Remorse" means that you regret your purchases- maybe you spent too much or your shoes are too tight or you bought something that just looks wrong.

I'm suffering from another type of buyer's remorse. I haven't bought enough. I think that I will spend the next few months thinking of all the things that I should have bought but didn't. Inexpensive child's leggings and hair things. Inexpensive clothes for me. Glasses- designer frames that somehow cost about a fourth of what they cost in the US. Cool shoes that no one had in my size because my feet are just too too big. Fancy European yogurts that were at the greatest grocery store. Another loaf pan and a cleaver from dish street.

Shopping here is so big that it's hard to turn off the shopping desire. It will probably be a relief, though, to return to the US and not have a shopping mall at every train station and not spend each day wanting to go out and buy more.

The High Life

Today as I lay on my cushy chaise next to the amazing pool where my family was swimming, I listened to Mack the Knife being sung in French, and felt that I was truly living the high life.

We only have 2 days of vacation left, but it has been lovely- I think that I would feel it to be the high life even if we were in our home if I got to spend so much time with my sweet husband and so much time with my friendly kids. I'm so thankful that we've been able to spend so much time together.

And I'm thankful for my consistent and completely wonderful tour guides- Paul's parents. They are amazing.

More to come- lots of pictures and blathering when we return!

The Fun Continues

I'm sorry about the order of these pictures- I have a hard time using blogger- moving the pictures around is not something that I have figured out yet. So, here we are, in a not consecutive order...

Hong Kong is all about shopping. Even at "the peak," which is the top of an aerial tramway at the top of Victoria Mountain there were 2 malls. You can't avoid malls- almost every train station has them, and you also can't avoid luxury stores. Think of every luxury store you've ever heard of, then add its European cousin, and some other ones you never knew existed, and you will know the realm of shopping here. But it's not just on one place- there are luxury shops/malls ALL over the place.

Grace turned her cheese sandwich into a french fry sandwich.

At the peak- looking at the city at night. This was taken after the picture below- yes, it took us about 30 minutes to get to the top of the other mall so we could see the city side. The reason that it took so long (besides trying to find the restroom and trying to convince the girls to use squatter toilets (no, I don't know why there were squatters here since the rest of Hong Kong uses "normal" toilets)) was that there is No No NO way to get around with a stroller. Don't visit Hong Kong if you are in a wheelchair or if you plan on pushing a stroller by yourself. The metro, the malls, and everywhere will not be your friends. We just push the stroller on the escalators now and have to lift it over the turnstiles at the metro. We're thinking about suing Hong Kong.

The non-city side of the peak at sunset. The peak area is like Malibu, but 100 times more expensive.

An umbrella vending machine in the metro.

Looking down one of the streets in Central. We were riding on the tram, like the one that you can see in the background. Very skinny.

Camille with Ama.

The laser show- every night at 8 you can watch the buildings light up and do a laser show to music.

Outside the temple- we got to eat Thanksgiving dinner here. We were having a great time until Clark threw up all over us.

In a garden in the middle of the city. This was very pretty. We liked this rock and the trees to the right with the horizontal branches.

The Golden Pagoda

Us

Camille wants to ride too.

Clark is doing better- he had roseola, so the 4 days of high fever gave way to a fifth day of rosy rash. He's doing better now though, we think, although he seems a little out of sorts. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Next stop: Hong Kong Disneyland!

There Ain't No Party Like a Hong Kong Party

We are vacationing with the fam in Hong Kong. Here are some of my oh-so wonderful observations:

1. Paul's parents gave Clark the dan tat (egg custard tart) cushion pictured above. Next to it is a dan tat of actual size.

Every time I see that cushion I get so hungry for a dan tat--- it'll be a shame to go back home where they aren't as plentiful and tasty (I've eaten about 6 since we came).

2. This is the view from our hotel window. It is quite lovely- actually the hotel as a whole is lovely, the nicest I've ever stayed in and our suite is almost as big as our apartment. It is right next to the train station and close to Paul's parent's home. The only downside is the sewage treatment plant next door.

3. This is Camille being silly.

4. And Grace

5. Clark has had a fever ever since we came and I'm a little worried about him. I went to see a doctor here who goes to our church and is friends with Paul's parents. It's probably just a virus, but she gave me 4 medicines just in case I want to use them: cough medicine, stuffy nose medicine, fever reducer, and anti-inflammatory medicines.

6. I haven't used any of the medicines. I have used children's Tylenol.

7. Dragon fruit is one of the prettiest fruits, but it tastes like grass.

8. The water here tastes like soil.

9. Our flight from LA to Seoul was 13.5 hours (not 18 like I was originally moaning about- sorry to all of my friends who I lied to and complained to for several months). We left at midnight 30. The girls were amazingly good and the baby slept almost the whole time. The people on the plane were nice and quiet.

10. Flying to Hong Kong from Seoul was a different story. 3.5 hours in the party plane! We walked on and everyone was talking and laughing and petting our kids heads, and just going nuts. I don't know if it was the different time of day, or the difference between Koreans and Hong Kongers, but it was a very interesting experience. Paul finally had to tell some lady to stop putting her blanket on Grace, who kept complaining that she was hot (and is the shyest of the kids).

11. Eating Korean food is having perpetual garlic breath. That coupled with 24 hoursish of travel and no toothbrush is not a good thing.

12. Here the girls get a lot of attention because they are twins, but it's not as bad as that one plane trip.

More to come- after I've been out a little more- pray for Clark to get better, will ya?

4 Year Old Girls

We met the four-year-old Camille and Grace on Sunday. We like them pretty well so far and have decided that they can stay with us, even though we will miss their predecessors, 3-year-old Camille and Grace.

For their birthday they wanted these fancy dresses from Costco and the hamburger that Camille is holding.


This picture is so blurry, but I like the look they are giving each other. They are the best of friends.

I think this picture should be in a magazine, although maybe I would add Andrea's head. I like that Anna is carrying the cake to me- she's a very helpful 1.5 year old.

These silly girls kept backing away from me- little did they know that my camera has the ability to zoom.

At their birthday party- Grace blew out her candles first (one by one- it was a windy day!) and then Camille. We're lucky to have such great friends to celebrate with.

Junk

One of the good/bad things about living in an apartment is the lack of space. We have an extra stand up shower (Yeah! More space!) that we fill up with all of our junk that we want to get rid of because we don't have enough room for it (okay, and we don't want it). Tonight was our semi-annual cleaning of the stand up shower. In it was all of the junk featured in the picure at the bottom, and these sweet specs, featured in the top photo. That's right- as my parents have started the arduous process of cleaning out their 4 bedroom house (twice as many square feet as us, plus a 3 car garage) they have transferred many of my childhood posessions to me. Included in these posessions are my childhood glasses. I'm thinking that these are probably fifth grade. You may remember this post which I urge you to review, just so you can compare the current Sarah to the old Sarah. Not much has changed- except the glasses- hallelujah.

PS. I had to keep getting this same make of glasses because they were sturdy. Boy, were they ever sturdy. It was always exciting to get the same thing... but in a different color!

Must've Been a Good Nap

Yesterday when Camille got up from her nap she said, "that's weird- it's still a little dark outside." Thinking that she misspoke, I replied, "Yeah, it's getting dark- it's almost evening." I knew that something was a little off, though, when she asked us why we were having spaghetti for breakfast. Must've been a good nap! She thought it was morning!

Some Things You Can't Keep All to Yourself

We had a pretty good dinner tonight because we made double to share with a friend and her family. Asparagus soup which was so so, and some grapes that were a little sour. But, the potato focaccia and lemon tart are too good for me to keep to myself. You should add them in to your baking arsenal. And if you don't already have a baking arsenal... well, you're weird. And these should be your first... bullets?

This focaccia recipe is from the Wednesday chef- www.wednesdaychef.typepad.com

I used red potatoes- you can probably use any kind. You'll need about a half-cup of potato. And whenever I use tomatoes they get burnt, so I just drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Sometimes some fresh rosemary.

Potato Focaccia
Makes one 8-inch focaccia

1 medium Yukon Gold potato
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon fresh yeast
A pinch of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more for salting water
2/3 cup warm water
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced crosswise
1 to 2 teaspoons dried oregano
Coarse sea salt

1. Wash the potato and place in a small saucepan along with enough water to cover the potato by an inch. Place the pot over high heat, covered, and bring to a boil. Add a handful of kosher salt to the water. Simmer until the potato is tender when pierced with a knife, around 20 minutes. Drain the potato and let it cool. Peel the potato and mash finely with a fork. Set aside.

2. Put the yeast in a large mixing bowl along with a pinch of sugar. Add the warm water in a thin stream over the yeast, using a fork to help dissolve the yeast entirely. Let the mixture stand for a few minutes.

3. Pour the flour into the yeast water and stir with a fork, then add the mashed potato and the salt. The dough will be relatively thick and shaggy. Use the fork to incorporate the potato into the flour. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and begin to knead the dough by hand. It will come together quite quickly. Knead against the bowl for a minute or so, until it is relatively smooth. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky to handle. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest, covered with a kitchen towel, in the bowl for an hour.

4. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of an 8-inch cake pan. Using your fingertips, gently release the puffy and risen dough from the bowl and place it in the cake pan. Gently tug and pat it out so that it fits the pan. Cover the top of the focaccia with the tomato halves, distributing them evenly. Sprinkle the oregano and a large pinch of coarse salt over the tomatoes, drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and let it rest for another hour.

5. While the focaccia is resting, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the cake pan in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Let cool on a rack for 20 minutes before removing the focaccia from the pan.

The lemon tart recipe is from martha- www.marthastewart.com

I made it in a tart pan- you can do whatever you want.

Creamy Lemon Squares

Makes 16

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

4 large egg yolks

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter paper.

2. Make crust: Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Add flour, and mix on low just until combined. Press dough into the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan; prick all over with a fork. Bake until lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together yolks, condensed milk, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over hot crust in pan; return to oven, and bake until filling is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

4. Refrigerate until filling is firm, about 2 hours or up to 3 days. Using paper overhang, lift cake onto a work surface; cut into 16 squares, and dust with confectioners sugar.

This is my last sliver- I promise!!!

Happy baking!

I Like This Picture

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

I got to go to Utah recently with just Clark to visit my sister Rachel. It's always a little weird returning to the place that I spent my college days. Isn't it weird how memories and emotions can get stirred by little things? Provo is a hotbed of emotions for me- for sure. I would have liked to come here with Paul- relive the first date (ah, Bombay House, you are so dear to me) and some of our old haunts (do we have haunts? We were only dating for about a month before Paul left to do more school) but being here with our kid and my dear sissy was also pretty good.

Rachel hiding her pregnant belly behind 65 pounds of grass-fed beef that she bought at the Farmer's Market.

Uncle Sean with Clark- celebrating the start of hunting season.

Uncle Sean tried to steal one of these pumpkins, but Clark pulled on his beard and made him stop.

I hate having to take all these pictures, and I hate my new zipper tie.

But I'll look cute- if you insist.

Lonnnnng hallway in the RB.

Future parent practice. (The theme for the day)

Just Adorable

Thanks to Rachel and Vico for letting me come! We had a great time just chillin'! And that meat....!

Provo, we are still unresolved. To be continued...