MOTHER'S DAY RECAPstories from the curious city

MONICA

[my adventurous mom in her 20s]

Despite an entire ocean spanning between us, I was still able to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom in Taiwan, though a little unconventionally. Via Skype we chatted about the progress on the house I am helping her design and build, and also about the new car we are jointly purchasing together!

I was recently in a car accident and my 2004 Prius was pronounced totaled. It was a heartbreaking experience and I'm still not entirely over it. My initial reaction was not to get a car, but to get a bike and try the bus/bike commuter thing to work because both Antony and my brother have cars which is frankly enough for our household. But when I told my mom the situation she thought it would be best to get a car for us to share since she will be back and forth between LA and Taiwan until the house is done in a year or two. So after much haggling between a couple of dealerships and using Truecar, which I highly highly recommend to find the best deal out there, we bought a new 2013 Prius! And as a gift to my mom, I got custom leather seats! Stay tuned for Mother-Daughter Road Trip Summer 2013 baby.

JUNETTE

In addition to buying our family delicious foods (key word is buy, not cook!!) for Mother's Day, we gave my mom the gift of beauty. No, I am not talking about myself (haha!!!) but of the flower bouquet I made. Coincidentally this week during my first week of Floral Arranging 101 with Chelsea Fuss (eek! of Frolic blogging fame!), I learned to make a bouquet. I wasn't that happy with it because supermarket flowers are very limited in options, but in retrospect, it's much better than any other arrangements I've ever made. I'm guessing my mom liked it, because she "ordered" two more bouquets from me.

After lunch and dessert in Ktown (and naps), we headed over to my sister and her husband's pad. While we waited for the weather to cool down, my mom, sister, and I had a good session of making fun of our husbands, catching up on the latest news, and doing funny/mean(ish) impressions of my mom.

To work off the Korean-Chinese food we had for lunch, we went on a (too hot) hike in Glassell Park. It was supposed to be the highlight of the day, but BDF and I were pretty miserable because our dogs were being bad little dogs. My mom enjoyed the walk and she got to wear the new sneakers that my dad bought her for Mother's Day. (Cue the "awwww.") Though nothing eventful happened and no grand gifts were exchanged, I think these are the days we'll remember. Our whole family being together is what really makes my mom feel happy and satisfied with her life's work.

Happy mother's day to my beautiful mama!

LIVABLE SPACESat home in the curious city

MONICA

Cindy's Living Room - Initial Survey

Do you remember our friend Cindy who we featured in the last At Home with a Friend post? Well she asked us to help her redesign her living room! She is unhappy with the current layout because it creates some unused spaces and features like the fireplace. I went over to take some measurements and photos and here is my assessment:

The main problem I think is the couch. It not only blocks the fireplace but it also directly faces her bedroom. And it's pretty hideous. The placement of the couch in relation to the TV is also a little awkward because the main circulation path cuts right through the space. Finally the little nook next to the front door is completely ignored in the current configuration. Step one will be to shuffle everything around to solve each of these issues. After a new working plan, then we can move onto the cosmetics like getting new furniture and creating a color scheme. I'm really excited about this project and can't wait to share more soon.

JUNETTE

In late April, I was having a true moment of panic because we had scheduled the housewarming for my in-laws in early May. Though we ended up rescheduling, that really gave me a kick in the pants to finish up with at least the big pieces for our place. First things that had to go were my mismatching Billy bookcases from Ikea. Upon many weeks of deliberation, I replaced them with the Vittsjo shelves from Ikea. I think they look more expensive than they are (so so affordable), and one day when I become bored with them, I can paint them. I like their clean lines and the fact that they are lifted off the ground. I definitely have a lot more arranging to do, but I definitely enjoy having a space to add my random knick knacks. I did tons of research, from vintage to Craig's List to retailers like West Elm, and I'm happy with our purchase.

The next big change was getting rid of the coffee tables. We really, really like the open look it brings to our living room, and the dogs love frolicking on the rug. 

We still need surface space, so I bought this side table from Target, of all places! I was also stalking it for a while, but I finally decided just to buy it. It's relatively affordable for an all-wood piece, and I am definitely still obsessed with hexagonal shapes. The part that BDF likes the best is that the top lifts and there's storage inside. Right now, it's holding the attachments for our vacuum... but wouldn't it be fun to hide some cold beers in there? Kidding of course. I can't even drink Emergen-C without gagging.

I'm focusing on making changes to our places that declutter but yet are livable. There's no use having a perfectly designed place that only looks right once a year.

Some big changes just happened, but he list goes on and on...
-I'm looking for a small, used table to use as a vanity
-Sewing pillows for the sofa
-Sewing covers for the dining chair cushions
-Sewing fridge door handle covers (haha, don't ask)
-Sewing the new dog bed...

KITCHEN TOOLSat home in the curious city

This week, we're sharing some tools we have been using in the kitchen which have made our lives a lot happier and tastier.

MONICA

Vinturi Aerator - I never expected this day to come but I can definitely taste the difference between wine that is flat and wine that has been allowed to breathe. I'm far from being a sommelier but over time and through travel I've probably tasted hundreds of wines and the common denominator for better tasting wine has been aeration, either via a decanter, rapid twirling of the wine glass, or through an aerator. I really believe it enhances the wine drinking experience, bringing out the bottled up aromas and flavors.

Sieve - Over Easter I made Lemon Curd Tarts. The recipe called for eggs and warned not to overcook them to avoid curdling. Well I did overcook the eggs, resulting in clumps of curdled egg whites in the lemon mixture. Thankfully I had a sieve which allowed me to separate the egg chunks from the smooth lemon curd, essentially saving Easter from disaster. The sieve is very versatile and I have it in different sizes which I use for washing fruit and making tea.

Grater - It's not a secret that shredded cheese is almost always more expensive than the same block of cheese sold by weight. I don't mind taking a little bit of extra time to shred my own cheese if it means saving a few bucks and the environment from another plastic bag. Plus I think freshly shredded cheese tastes better too. I also use my grater to zest lemons for cocktails, desserts, and tea.

JUNETTE

Tong Tong Tong Tong Tong. Let me see that toooong - Similar to this. I am bad at using chopsticks, and I can't deny it. I hold them wrong, and I always drop things with them. I have been using tongs for flipping steaks, cooking noodles, etc. and they have been a huge help for my clumsy hands. I bought all steel ones though, and I would recommend getting some sort of plastic to help with the grip. I didn't because I thought it wouldn't be a genius idea to stick plastic into high heat and poison myself slowly... but sometimes the food slips and then I curse myself.

Le Creuset Chef's Oven - I received my Le Creuset as a wedding gift, and I am in LOVE with it. I never really thought cooking was FUN, but the Le Creuset makes cooking enjoyable. You can use it on the stove, or in the oven. In my opinion, it's even more versatile than a dutch oven (and half the price). I really enjoy using it because I can make a wide range of foods like pulled pork, pulled chicken,  just pulled deliciousness.

Lightweight Bamboo Cutting Board - Similar to this. I suggest hitting up TJ Maxx Homegoods because they always have a ton. I used to have a thick wooden cutting board, but it seriously hurt my wrist to lug it around and I always had to use two hands. I finally bought one after a few weeks of BDF's nagging advice, and I have to say it was the best purchase for the kitchen! It's light and easy to grab and use. It's definitely an everyday essential that makes the biggest difference in my kitchen life.

EARTH DAY IN ACTIONstories from the curious city

MONICA

To celebrate Earth Day I decided to participate in the H&M Conscious campaign. For every bag of clothes you bring into the store to donate, H&M will give you a 15% off voucher for one item of clothing.

Anything in my closet that I hadn't worn in 2 years or would never wear again went into the donation bin. With my 15% off voucher I got this silky black blouse from the H&M Conscious collection. It is made from 100% recycled polyester from post-consumer waste. The idea is to buy less by buying basics and staples instead of frivolous trends. It's a win for me and a win for the earth!

JUNETTE

After I went to college in Berkeley,  I became very conscious of being green. Being conscious and actually taking action are two different things. It's not easy to be green in everyday living. Today, I'll share one small and one big small thing I do.

Use washable rags. Since I moved into my place almost 2 years ago, I've only gone through less than 5 rolls of paper towels. I have a stack of rags that I use for cleaning the bathrooms, wiping the mirrors, wiping up spills, etc. After I use them, I throw them into the laundry machine and store them with my cleaning supplies until the dogs make another mess!

Ride public transit. I walk 10 minutes to and from the subway station, hop on the subway for 9 minutes, and pop into work about 25 minutes after I leave my place. I've taken the subway while at my previous job, but it was just too convoluted and time-consuming. Now that it's much more reasonable to do so, I've abandoned my car and enjoy my 20 daily minutes on the subway. Right now, I'm reading Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World while saving the earth!


What do you do to be green?