I haven't been able to keep up with this blog the past few months. We have a new member in our family this month and she is keeping all of us busy. And oh the older child is very much jealous and missed me a lot while I was in the hospital. Among temper tamtrums of terrible 2s, dealing with constant feeding of a new born and my postpartum swelling and pain - I think we all need sometime to adjust and for me to get back to normal self again.
I will visit this blog more often as things get a little better.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Additions to my kitchen
I’ve been adding items to my kitchen, cookwares, serve wares and food storage. I had been watching the 14 cup food processor on Amazon and finally when it dropped to a lowest price, I took the chance and bought it. However, after using it 3 times within 10 days, the motor wouldn’t stop. I had to send it back to Amazon for a replacement. The replacement came quickly (within 2 days). When I got the replacement, I quickly tested it before I washing all the parts to be used. I’ve been using it to make pizza dough and bread dough. I also used it to puree some vegetables but so far no one likes the puree but myself. I will use it more often to do other stuff…shredding, slicing.
I purchased a few pieces of cast iron cookware as well. I got a 12 inch skillet, a 5 quart dutch over and a reversible grill/griddle from Amazon. They are all Lodge Logic brand. My first piece of cast iron was the reversible grill/griddle and I had no idea how to take care of it. Only after grilling some chicken breasts with some lemon marinate did I realized that I should not cook anything acidic the first few times such as lemon and tomato sauce. Anyhow, I learned all that from reading all the reviews. And I also learned to re-season it from reading from all the reviews. I think it’s working much better now. I love grilling vegetables and chicken breasts (for chicken sandwich) on the grill. I cook eggs and pancakes on the griddle side. And the 12 inch skillet, I use it for stir fry mostly. And I use the dutch oven to bake bread so far but there are a lot of uses for the dutch oven which I can’t wait to try. I’ll try the beef stew in the dutch oven next time.
I ordered 3 4-cups Pyrex glasses to store food. It was the cheapest that I could find comparing prices from Amazon and other place. They are great because I was so tired of store my food in plastic containers (which can leech chemicals) and when I have to heat them up, I have to pour them to plates to heat them up and then I have to wash the containers and the plates. Pyrex are very durable glasses so you can see what you store inside them and it can go from refrigerator microwave to serving table.
Corningware simplylite bakewares: 1.5 quart, 2, 2.5 and 3 quarts from Amazon buy 4 for the price of 3. Amazon takes off the lowest price item. They are also great for storage as well as baking. So far I have used them for storage in the refrigerator and use to transport food for my grandma’s potluck birthday party. The lids are a bit difficult to open but I found a way to open from the other three angles rather than from the angle where they intended you to.
I sure have a lot to explore with the food processor and the cast iron cookwares. I am also looking into investing into a bento box. I’ve been reading on that topic and check out what you can put into the bento boxes. There are so many different types of bento boxes out there but one particular one that really grabbed my attention is the Mr. Bento box. It’s not a cheap investment so I have to read more on what I can put in there before investing in it.
I purchased a few pieces of cast iron cookware as well. I got a 12 inch skillet, a 5 quart dutch over and a reversible grill/griddle from Amazon. They are all Lodge Logic brand. My first piece of cast iron was the reversible grill/griddle and I had no idea how to take care of it. Only after grilling some chicken breasts with some lemon marinate did I realized that I should not cook anything acidic the first few times such as lemon and tomato sauce. Anyhow, I learned all that from reading all the reviews. And I also learned to re-season it from reading from all the reviews. I think it’s working much better now. I love grilling vegetables and chicken breasts (for chicken sandwich) on the grill. I cook eggs and pancakes on the griddle side. And the 12 inch skillet, I use it for stir fry mostly. And I use the dutch oven to bake bread so far but there are a lot of uses for the dutch oven which I can’t wait to try. I’ll try the beef stew in the dutch oven next time.
I ordered 3 4-cups Pyrex glasses to store food. It was the cheapest that I could find comparing prices from Amazon and other place. They are great because I was so tired of store my food in plastic containers (which can leech chemicals) and when I have to heat them up, I have to pour them to plates to heat them up and then I have to wash the containers and the plates. Pyrex are very durable glasses so you can see what you store inside them and it can go from refrigerator microwave to serving table.
Corningware simplylite bakewares: 1.5 quart, 2, 2.5 and 3 quarts from Amazon buy 4 for the price of 3. Amazon takes off the lowest price item. They are also great for storage as well as baking. So far I have used them for storage in the refrigerator and use to transport food for my grandma’s potluck birthday party. The lids are a bit difficult to open but I found a way to open from the other three angles rather than from the angle where they intended you to.
I sure have a lot to explore with the food processor and the cast iron cookwares. I am also looking into investing into a bento box. I’ve been reading on that topic and check out what you can put into the bento boxes. There are so many different types of bento boxes out there but one particular one that really grabbed my attention is the Mr. Bento box. It’s not a cheap investment so I have to read more on what I can put in there before investing in it.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
New year resolutions, financial wake up calls, keeping track of expenses
As the new year rolls in, I looked over last year’s new year resolutions and to check off the ones I have accomplished. I am not sure if it is accomplished if I have looked into something but it was better than not doing anything at all. The only one that I can check off is getting pregnant.
As this year starts, I have another list (only 5 this year). And I have started on 4 of the 5 on the list.
Selling the property is one of our resolutions this year. We had a low offer on the second week after we listed our property on the MLS. After many considerations, I have decided not to go through with it because the buyer did not qualify for a conventional loan. They wanted a FHA loan which I thought it was a hassle and it might take longer than necessary to complete the transaction.
And then came the snow storms. We practically have one every few days. We hire a landscape guy who looks after the property when it snows. We send him a money order and a little extra fee to cover the fee when he cashes the money order or check. So far it’s going well. I hope the storm stops soon and we’ll sell the house as soon as possible to cut our costs. Even thought it’s an investment property and all expenses are tax deductible but they are still out of pocket money for now.
When I started looking into our financials, I looked into my 401-k which I left at one of the companies that I worked. I no longer work there for 4 years but my 401-k is still there. I didn’t touch it at all. When the recession came in 2008, my portfolio lost half of it’s value and now it finally caught up to what it once was. That’s when I got a wake up call and realized I should’ve looked into my financials more closely. I rolled over my 401-k to an IRA last month.
One of the few things that I have been procrastinating to do is setup Quickbooks (an accounting software) and keep track of our expenses. I spent most the day yesterday putting in our expenses for the month of January. First I jot down all the expenses in a piece of accounting paper as the days go by. After I setup the chart of account in Quickbooks, I entered those charges into Quickbooks. There are some looking and digging but I finally did it in one day. And January is one of our bigger expense months. It has Chinese New Year expenses, property taxes, and some after Christmas shopping. I used to keep some of our expenses in a spreadsheet but it is much better to use an accounting software to keep track of expenses. You can see all the details that make up the amount with just one click. It’s not a complete functional company profile with assets, liabilities and income. The main purpose for us right now is keeping track of expenses. Does it count every penny we spent? No, I think I have about 95% of all the expenses. There are times when my husband buys lunch at work and he does not like to keep track of every penny he spends (which drives me crazy at times).
I think it’s a good start for now.
As this year starts, I have another list (only 5 this year). And I have started on 4 of the 5 on the list.
Selling the property is one of our resolutions this year. We had a low offer on the second week after we listed our property on the MLS. After many considerations, I have decided not to go through with it because the buyer did not qualify for a conventional loan. They wanted a FHA loan which I thought it was a hassle and it might take longer than necessary to complete the transaction.
And then came the snow storms. We practically have one every few days. We hire a landscape guy who looks after the property when it snows. We send him a money order and a little extra fee to cover the fee when he cashes the money order or check. So far it’s going well. I hope the storm stops soon and we’ll sell the house as soon as possible to cut our costs. Even thought it’s an investment property and all expenses are tax deductible but they are still out of pocket money for now.
When I started looking into our financials, I looked into my 401-k which I left at one of the companies that I worked. I no longer work there for 4 years but my 401-k is still there. I didn’t touch it at all. When the recession came in 2008, my portfolio lost half of it’s value and now it finally caught up to what it once was. That’s when I got a wake up call and realized I should’ve looked into my financials more closely. I rolled over my 401-k to an IRA last month.
One of the few things that I have been procrastinating to do is setup Quickbooks (an accounting software) and keep track of our expenses. I spent most the day yesterday putting in our expenses for the month of January. First I jot down all the expenses in a piece of accounting paper as the days go by. After I setup the chart of account in Quickbooks, I entered those charges into Quickbooks. There are some looking and digging but I finally did it in one day. And January is one of our bigger expense months. It has Chinese New Year expenses, property taxes, and some after Christmas shopping. I used to keep some of our expenses in a spreadsheet but it is much better to use an accounting software to keep track of expenses. You can see all the details that make up the amount with just one click. It’s not a complete functional company profile with assets, liabilities and income. The main purpose for us right now is keeping track of expenses. Does it count every penny we spent? No, I think I have about 95% of all the expenses. There are times when my husband buys lunch at work and he does not like to keep track of every penny he spends (which drives me crazy at times).
I think it’s a good start for now.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Pregnant
I am pregnant with our second child. This pregnancy sure is a lot more worse than the first. In comparison, this pregnancy made me very sick for a few months – threw up, couldn’t digest my food and heart burns, and my taste bud was very very sensitive. I’m just glad those first few months are over.
My husband and I can’t believe we will be going thru this all over. The sleepless nights for many months and the doctor visits for vaccines. We couldn’t help but wonder if our first child will hate the new baby and how would she reacts to the new baby.
Have 2 children meaning a lot more expenses. One good thing is the new baby will be able to use the same clothes that her sibling used. Money that will spend on formula and diapers are avoidable.
What does this mean to our retirement? We do not think we’ll be able to retire at the normal retirement age since we have our children in our mid 30s to early 40s. I’ll discuss more on that.
I can’t believe I’ve been writing this blog for almost 2 years. The update is getting less and less often. It really has to do with time and topics.
My husband and I can’t believe we will be going thru this all over. The sleepless nights for many months and the doctor visits for vaccines. We couldn’t help but wonder if our first child will hate the new baby and how would she reacts to the new baby.
Have 2 children meaning a lot more expenses. One good thing is the new baby will be able to use the same clothes that her sibling used. Money that will spend on formula and diapers are avoidable.
What does this mean to our retirement? We do not think we’ll be able to retire at the normal retirement age since we have our children in our mid 30s to early 40s. I’ll discuss more on that.
I can’t believe I’ve been writing this blog for almost 2 years. The update is getting less and less often. It really has to do with time and topics.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Acrylic paint remover
Our tenant damaged our rental property and left a lot of garbage in the house and acrylic paint in the restroom and laundry area. It left a very ill feeling in my stomach to ever rent again. And don’t ever be nice to them if you ever decided to sue them for anything. They turn around and do you a big favor.
As we decided to sell the rental property and move on with our lives, we have to fix it up to working conditions and clean it up. One of the hardest things is to remove acrylic pain from tiles. It’s hot pink in color. They sure do not look good on bathroom tiles and on washer and dryer.
I did some research online on how to remove pain from anything. I had no idea what kind of paint they were but figure they are acrylic for T-shirt printing paints. And suggestions were made to use the following mixture to remove acrylic paints.
2 part ammonia
2 part white vinegar
1 part salt
Mix the ingredients well and then spray on the paint and leave it overnight. Since the property is 2 hours away, I did not want to wait overnight or stay over at a hotel for this. I let the mixture stay on the paint for about an hour or so and then I start scouring. At first it was the smaller spots that came off easily. After scouring with hot water on a heavy duty scotch brite scouring pad with my thumb and finger, I tried the paint scrapper and it worked really well. The paint came off easily.
I am very please with the result. It took me about 2 hours and $3 to clean this mess. The property looks much better and it’s ready for the market. I am not sure if the market is ready for this.
As we decided to sell the rental property and move on with our lives, we have to fix it up to working conditions and clean it up. One of the hardest things is to remove acrylic pain from tiles. It’s hot pink in color. They sure do not look good on bathroom tiles and on washer and dryer.
I did some research online on how to remove pain from anything. I had no idea what kind of paint they were but figure they are acrylic for T-shirt printing paints. And suggestions were made to use the following mixture to remove acrylic paints.
2 part ammonia
2 part white vinegar
1 part salt
Mix the ingredients well and then spray on the paint and leave it overnight. Since the property is 2 hours away, I did not want to wait overnight or stay over at a hotel for this. I let the mixture stay on the paint for about an hour or so and then I start scouring. At first it was the smaller spots that came off easily. After scouring with hot water on a heavy duty scotch brite scouring pad with my thumb and finger, I tried the paint scrapper and it worked really well. The paint came off easily.
I am very please with the result. It took me about 2 hours and $3 to clean this mess. The property looks much better and it’s ready for the market. I am not sure if the market is ready for this.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Christmas tree and the meaning of holidays?
We bought a small table top Christmas tree just to have it for our first child last year. As of today, we still haven't gotten a chance to get it out of the box and put it up. I question the purpose of it. Do I have to be a Christian to celebrate Christmas? I am not even a Christain.
What is the meaning of holidays? I realized my husband has been doing a lot of get together around the holidays. They do a lot more than my family. It's actually nice to do some catch up at the end of the year to see how everyone is doing. Our family only get together on special occasions like wedding, big birthday party, funeral. Holidays aren't a big thing for them. And they don't ususally all get together with extend families.
It is nice to have get togethers with extended families once in a while. I guess in my parent's side of the family, they are too focus on making a living. They don't want to give the extra time they have off during the holidays to extended families. They rather rest and spend it with them immediate families. There is nothing wrong with that. It's just makes the extended families a little more distance.
What is the meaning of holidays? I realized my husband has been doing a lot of get together around the holidays. They do a lot more than my family. It's actually nice to do some catch up at the end of the year to see how everyone is doing. Our family only get together on special occasions like wedding, big birthday party, funeral. Holidays aren't a big thing for them. And they don't ususally all get together with extend families.
It is nice to have get togethers with extended families once in a while. I guess in my parent's side of the family, they are too focus on making a living. They don't want to give the extra time they have off during the holidays to extended families. They rather rest and spend it with them immediate families. There is nothing wrong with that. It's just makes the extended families a little more distance.
Monday, November 22, 2010
One of the few things I regret not having to learn earlier
Not learning to cook is one of the few things that I am regretting not started earlier in my teens. Have I mentioned this earlier in my blog? I believe I have mentioned this earlier.
As the holidays come closer and family get together on my husband side have always have home made food to bring to pot luck dinner get together. I am the one who, for the past few years not have any home made food to bring along. We do take out from some bakery or of some sort. I sure feel guilty about it. I need to step up a little more on the coming year and get some home made food ready.
As the holidays come closer and family get together on my husband side have always have home made food to bring to pot luck dinner get together. I am the one who, for the past few years not have any home made food to bring along. We do take out from some bakery or of some sort. I sure feel guilty about it. I need to step up a little more on the coming year and get some home made food ready.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)