Monday, May 27, 2013

all moved in

we finally moved into our house last thursday but we are far from being settled. our painter has not finished touching up the door and floor trims yet and have missed a few spots even. there are boxes everywhere. we are still waiting for furniture that we just ordered online to arrive. the only room that is livable right now is the dining room which we've semi-converted it to A's office because of course the office does not even resemble an office right now. it's two chairs and a few boxes. the plan is to diy two desks from staining wood and attaching hairpin legs. then we'll take it from there in terms of decor. 

the room that we've put the most effort into is the nursery. although baby O will not be in his nursery for a while, i figured we should put something together so he at least has a space for all this items. i will post up pictures as soon as we're done and the crib is in. 

here is the chaos at our house...


this is all the furniture currently in the family room as we're waiting for our couches to arrive. we are still on a hunt for a nice ottoman as well. but again, maybe we should live very minimalistically.

Friday, May 17, 2013

moving chaos

so A and I finally have a move date. yes, we're moving again only after seven short months of "settling" in to our current home. but this time... this time it's worth it. we are moving into OUR own home! that's right, it's ours, all ours! so friends and family, come one, come all. we have plenty of space. now you just have to make that three thousand mile trek to visit us. 

i can't believe we are cutting it this close to baby O's arrival. by the time we move next week, he'll only be four weeks from his due date. we're hoping he'll bake a little longer so we actually have time to unpack and settle in before his big debut. fingers crossed that our little man is happy and snugly inside. 

now time to stop blogging because it's time to start packing like mad! 

Monday, May 13, 2013

let them eat cake

A and I have a cake recipe we've grown to rely on this last month. I've always hated dense cakes that are generally offered in american bakeries. due to the lack of asian bakeries here, we perused the internet for the sponge cake recipe. to our surprise we actually found one. A has baked this cake at least a handful of times now, so we know it's good! it's actually too good to not share.

baked chinese sponge cake

adapted from konichiwa kupcakes and tasty tidbits, where it was adapted from chocolate & zucchini. yield: one cake in an angel food cake pan.


it is essential NOT to use a non-stick cake pan for this recipe. the cake needs something to "hold" onto while it's rising. we tried baking it in a non-stick cake pan at first and our cake deflated despite us turning it upside down to cool. if you are adamant about using a non-stick cake pan, try lining it with parchment paper before pouring the batter in. it didn't work for us but it might for you. my recommendation, get a regular "stick" angel food cake pan.

1 cup + 1 tablespoon cake flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 eggs (at room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil

*i've never actually purchased cake flour. i don't feel a need to. if you're like me, then here is a substitute for cake flour. for every one cup of cake flour needed,  substitute it with one cup of all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons. replace the 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and sift together 3 times. voila. simple.

the morning or afternoon of: let eggs sit and come to room temperature. if you are rushed for time, let eggs sit in hot tap water for half an hour.

preheat the oven to 340 degrees fahrenheit (or 170 degrees celsius). you know your oven and how long it takes to preheat. i usually wait until i'm about 10 minutes from baking my cake to preheat the oven.

first, sift flour and baking powder together 3 times.

separate eggs. make sure absolutely no egg yolk gets mixed with the egg whites or it will not rise. make sure the bowl used for the egg whites is clean of all oils too.

in the bowl with the egg yolks, add salt, vanilla extract and 6 tablespoons of sugar. whisk for several minutes until the mixture turns pale yellow. slowly whisk in water and oil. whisk well before each addition. fold in the flour mixture 1/4 cup at a time until well blended. do not over mix.

in the bowl with the egg whites, add cream of tartar and remainder of sugar. whisk egg whites until stiff, about 5 minutes with an electric mixture. do not over beat the egg whites. you know it's done when the peaks are stiff and stay up on it's own.

fold 1/3 of the beaten egg whites to the egg yolk batter. mix gently until blended. do not beat or whisk. gently fold in the rest of the beaten egg whites, gently lifting the batter up and over the egg whites with a rubber spatula until just blended.

pour the batter into the angel food cake pan. bake until set and golden brown, about 35 minutes. immediately after removing the cake pan from the oven, invert the pan onto a cooling rack so the cake will not collapse, and let it cool immediately. 

finally, enjoy your delicious sponge cake with a side of strawberries or home whipped whipped cream (i will include a tutorial another time).

Friday, May 10, 2013

less than 6 weeks to go

today i am 34 weeks and 3 days along in this pregnancy. we had another two week appointment with our midwife today. baby O is doing well and his heart is beating in the 130s. we've known he's been head down since at least 34 weeks. he's quite active but it feels like his movements are slow and very methodical. he likes to scoot his bottom against my ribs. when he's lazy, i just drink two glasses of ice cold water and man, does that get him moving. my fundal height is measuring on track at 33 cm currently.

according to the mayo clinic, the fundal height is generally defined as the distance from the top of the uterus to the pubic bone measured in centimeters. after the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, your fundal height measurement often matches the number of weeks you've been pregnant. for example, if you're 27 weeks pregnant, your health care provider would expect your fundal height to be about 27 centimeters. it isn't unusual, however, to measure somewhat smaller or larger than expected. fundal height is only a tool for gauging fetal growth and gestational age - it's not an exact science. typically, fundal height measurements offer reassurance of a baby's steady growth.

on another note, i've gained five pounds in the last two weeks. i blame it on the hot and humid weather which is causing my hands to feet to swell a little. my midwife confirmed, and stated that my weight should be fluctuating now because of the weather. yes, let's blame the weather for the five pound weight gain in two weeks. yes, the weather.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

maternity photo teaser

yesterday A and i had the privilege to work with tamara from bump meet baby photography to shoot our maternity photo session at boone hall plantation. we ventured out into a field of red poppies and finished off the shoot by climbing an amazing tree on the plantation. i can't wait to see the remainder of the photos! i'm in love with this photo because it's so iconic charleston with the big oak trees and spanish moss.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

baby shower photos

thanks to my cousins judy and bala for hosting our baby shower while we were visiting the bay area in april... here is a preview of some of our pictures taken by my talented nephew (who'll be heading off to college this fall!). 

this is me and A holding up a yardstick with everyone's guess on how big my belly is. first place? myself! i correctly guess measured my own belly size! my BFF/MOH came in second place. third place was A! 


this is my brother, me and A.


this is a picture of some of my cousins that attended. we took this picture in front of my cousin's restaurant because we're sad to announce that she's sold it. we had so many great memories and dinners there. thanks for hosting one last party for us there!