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                                     My newest faux chalkboard creation

When Nick and I decided to make the move overseas, we liked the idea of having to "make it on our own". Figuring out a new city, culture, language..just the two of us, mano y mano. Turns out we have had help figuring it all out, in the form of fellow expats, and a handful of locals, but really, it's been me and him, him and me....and of course Sal, trudging through the day to day trials and tribulations of living in such a foreign country.

I'm glad we are here. I'm thankful for this experience.

Do I dream about the day we board a flight to LAX with one way tickets? Absolutely.

Southern California is where our roots are, and where we look forward to calling home again.

But for now, we live by a verse from Edward Sharpe and the magnificent zeros, which hangs in our dining room to remind us that "home is wherever I'm with you". It could be anywhere in the World, as long as we're together. 

Summer weather

I snapped this pic on our walk back from McDonald's today. Morning sickness made a comeback today, and fries sounded soooo good (too bad once Sal and I got home, the bag contained his mc nuggets, but no fries for mama! Oh, china, what would a day without frustration over poor customer service be like?)...anyways, isn't the sky so pretty? We had blue skies all morning but as you can see the thunder clouds are rolling in, and I suspect by 3:00 or 4:00 we will have our daily torrential downpour. This is life as we know it during summertime. This past week has hit consecutively above 100 degrees, with a "real feel" of 111-120 degrees due to humidity. 

Is it fall yet?

I can see clearly now...

...too bad the forecast is for thunderstorms, cause these guys have been washing the windows on our high rise for the last four days. We were lucky enough to be home to catch them rappelling down in front of our kitchen one afternoon and Sal got a kick out of the man outside our window who was smoking a cigarette with one hand while wiping windows clean with the other.

This was an unexpected treat for us. Our windows were looking a little worse for the wear, with all the recent rains and smog filled days literally leaving a thick film of grime between us and our view. 

Keeping my fingers crossed we get at least a week without rain so I can enjoy our view again!

Cookie Monster

A little bragging here.....

My sister, Stephanie over at www.sweetcreationsbystephanie.com makes THE best cut out sugar cookies, ever, ever, eeeev-er. I love them. You should check out her blog, and you'll fall in love with all her creativity too. I usually find that pretty cookies taste like cardboard, but hers are far from cardboard. I'd eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could..

They're awesome.

Even more awesome, is my sister.

I think she misses me as much as I miss her (or she misses her nephew and just pretends to miss me so she can Skype with him), so she sends monthly care packages. Shipping to China is not cheap. Stephanie has become a professional at figuring out just what can be packed to keep the costs down, and all of us over here still happy. Without her, and her willingness and thoughtfulness, we would be hard pressed for some of our creature comforts from home. She knows what customs will allow, and won't allow, and has even figured out how to send cookies!

Check out the cookie she sent Sal (sorry, but NZ and I devoured ours as well as half a dozen mini cookies before I thought to take a picture).

The only other sugary treat he has had was his birthday cake, so you can bet he was bouncing off the walls amongst the rainbows and unicorns when he realized mama was going to let him eat his easter bunny cookie.

This is the picture of happiness. Sent in a box. In the form of a cookie. From auntie Stephanie.

Football Night

Being 16 hours ahead of California, we miss most of SNF ( it's more like MMF here). The Steeler game inevitably comes on at 8 am, just as NZ is getting his shoes on to leave for work.

 

I think this makes Monday's even harder to leave (=

 

Thankfully, Australia Sports Network replays MOST NFL games during the week, so although we don't get to watch live football, we do get to catch the game at some point.

 

My favorite are the six o'clock replays.



Sal tipping one back. No idea where he learned how
to drink with such enthusiasm.

I pull Sal's high chair into the living room, order pizza, grab a couple of beers and we all kick back and watch the Steelers game.

 

It's a small taste of home that I am so glad to have.

Grateful: Day 3: Home away from home

Today I am grateful for our home here in Wuxi.

Move-in day. Suitcases in tow.

If I have  to live anywhere other than our house in California, then this apartment that we call home in Wuxi is where I want to be. I love that its new construction. I love that we have heating and air conditioning. I love that we have a good amount of square footage, which equates to room to breathe-which in an apartment, isn't always easy. There's enough room here that were not stepping on one a other (unless you're in the kitchen) every time we turn around.



Cooking in our "massive" kitchen

Walking around Wuxi, or even just looking off our balcony, it's clear to see that most people do not get to live the way we are. Out my window, I can see a brick apartment building that looks as if hurricane Sandy peeled its front wall down...it's been this way for months, and I see signs of life within. Seeing people living in those conditions breaks my heart, and makes me especially grateful that I not only have a roof over my head, but a nicely engineered one at that.

The Damn Bastard

I've got a secret.

 

I haven't told anyone about it, and I lead on like I know what I'm doing...

 

..but...

 

(gulp)

 

..I don't really know how to use our washer/dryer combo.



The Damn Bastard

At first glance, he's so pretty and new..and OMG how exciting to be able to dry our clothes in the same machine that washes them..no more transferring from one machine to the other! But that excitement wore off by the time we took a maiden voyage together.

After FOUR, yes FOUR, hours of washing and drying, I opened up the machine to almost dry clothes. No biggie, I'll just pop them back in and add some time to finish drying...

And that's when I discovered that in order to dry our clothes, I would have to split my larger load into two smaller ones and run them through the wash cycle again....which would mean FOUR more hours for one load, and another FOUR for the second..and by this time my clothes would have taken a full 12 hours to clean!!!!!

This is no good.

So, I figured I must be doing something wrong. I asked my ayi to help.

Big mistake asking the woman who chooses to wash her rags in our muck sink vs using a washing machine. But, she tried to help out anyhow. She punched some different cycle buttons ( ah ha! there is a 50 minute ECO cycle option) like she knew what she was doing, and I thought to myself, alright, she rocks! That enthusiasm quickly faded as I watched her pour about half a gallon of TIDE , and at least a cup of softener in the bleach compartment...OH NO, this can't turn out well.....And with that load, I witnessed bubble-palooza.

Thank goodness our machine is outdoors. She not only cleaned my clothes ( which required two more cycles of rinsing--more on that later), but our floor as well. She's so sweet though--she came to show me the bubble fest and we both laughed and shrugged our shoulders.

Brie. Fail.

Ayi. Fail.

And, with her help, our load of laundry required two more cycles with NO added detergent just to get the over-soaped clothing residue free. She hadnt' set the dryer option, so thankfully that saved us some time, and after our three wash cycles were done, and my clothes still wet, but clean...I attempted one last time to dry them in the dryer.

 So, you know what this means....My clothes got washed a FOURTH time for the day, and I selected the longest drying time available..this time BEFORE my wash cycle started..

This. Has. Got. To. Work.( and I have go to go to bed)

..Seriously, who spends all day wrestling with one load of clothes? Apparently, this girl does.

The next morning I woke, expecting to open my machine to damp clothing, but to my surprise, they were dry!

Hallelujah, ya damn bastard.

What's it worth to you?

Golden comfort.

Yesterday afternoon, I was inspired to write this post after the following exchange between myself and a fellow expat, who I shall refer to as Mrs. Georgia (since I haven't officially asked  her if she minds being mentioned from time to time in my blog).

Sal and I were hanging out with Mrs. Georgia yesterday afternoon, as we often do. We had been invited over for supper, so we were passing time playing on the floor while Mrs. Georgia tapped away at her computer putting in her weekly city shop order. City Shop is a Shanghai based grocer that delivers to Wuxi on Tuesdays. I love City Shop. I order all of our heavy items from there..cat litter, sodas, canned food...They will waive the delivery fee if you spend over 300 RMB ( $50 USD), and she was just shy of the limit. So she asks if I need anything...

"Do they have peanut butter?", I ask.

tap.tap.tap.......searching.....peanut butter.

" Yep. Jiff, Skippy, Adams...."

" How much is the Adams?"

"65RMB"

(quickly calculating 65 RMB to USD in my head...10% of 65 is 6.50, half of 6.50 is 3.25...making the jar $9.75USD)

"Yeah, that's good. Will you order me some?"

Whoa, back it up here....is this the same girl whose husband poked fun at her frugalness back in the states?

Yup. It's me. Writhing inside at the amounts we pay for imported items, yet feeling that they are worth every single cent we pay to have them in our pantry.

Don't worry, I'll treat that peanut butter like gold. I will interrogate anyone who comes close to it with a spoon. "What are your intentions? Are you going to lick that spoon clean?"  If his answer is anything but yes, then it will go into hiding. I will guard it with my life.

It's funny how viewpoints change, especially for comfort items. Do we have to have peanut butter? Absolutely not...but when there are so few comforts from home available, I find that I am more willing than usual to fork out dough for something. Peanut butter is one of those things. For NZ, it's imported beef and cheese. For a while, it was tortillas. We paid $6 USD per 12 pack for disgusting El Paso flour tortillas...that was, until NZ made our own for pennies on the dollar, and the taste far surpassed the El paso ones.

Making our own food is something we both enjoy doing, so living in China and shopping hasn't been too hard. Many things ARE cheaper here...but the comforts of home tend to be pricey, and maybe it depends on how much I am missing home on shopping day, but  find that there are some things I can rationalize spending pretty much any amount of money on.

Peanut butter is one of those things.

Can't wait for my pot 'o gold!

Top 8 things we're missing

I've been asked more than a few times if there is anything we miss from home over here. Aside from family and friends ( which is a given), the answer is YES.

There are definitely things we miss from home, but all in all, China has been treating us well so far. We haven't found everything we WANT, but we do find most things that we NEED or things that will suffice for the time being.

So what do we miss?

1- Our bed. More precisely, our memory foam mattress. Our apartment came with a kingsize two metre bed, but the mattress leaves a lot to be desired. It's like we're glamping ( glamorous camping for those not in-the-know) everynight. I think our hardwood floors might be softer than the mattress. No joke. So, we're searching stores here for a memory foam mattress topper.

2- Our own vehicle. Hailing taxis is easy. Finding a taxi with working seatbelts to belt our son in the car is challenging. On average, we pass up 3-4 taxis each time we try to travel by taxi because of the lack of seatbelts. Also, if traveling during rush hour, and trying to get somewhere away from downtown, the taxi drivers will tell us they can't take us and pass us up! This is because they start their rides with a flat10RMB, and then charge additional for mileage. So they make more money doing a lot of short rides and collecting 10 RMB for 4 rides than they do if they take us somewhere further and charge mileage plus the 10RMB. It's ridiculously maddening when we finally find a taxi with seatbelts, get in, tell the driver where we want to go, and he won't take us there.
We usually have a driver during the week, which is nice because he helps me load the carseat and stroller into his car and will wait for me to do my errands. In fact, the other day, he took me and some of the girls out to lunch and literally gave us door to door service. But, there is nothing like being able to jump in your own car and head out to your destination. I miss the freedom of being able to go anywhere, anytime, with very little effort.

3- Cottage Cheese. I'm a cottage cheese fiend. Can not find it ANYWHERE here. I think I'm going to have withdrawls.

4- Ocean Breezes. Considering it's over 90 degrees and 90% humidity most days, I'd kill for a one gust of clean ocean air.

5- Target. Need I say more? Hey American friends, did you know that we're spoiled by having a one stop shop at our disposal? Uhm, yeah. We are. Just so you know. I've always loved Target, but I am quite certain it really is a shopper's paradise. I have dreams about being able to go to ONE store and find EVERYTHING I need and want. One day we shall be re-united, and what a glorious day that will be.

6- Rhineland Deli. Our Saturday sandwich joint. Oh-em-gee, we miss those decadent sandwiches piled high with deli meats, fresh produce ( mmm, avocado!) and cheese. Somehow, our hormel ham and american cheese sandwiches that we can make here just don't compare.

7- Surfing. I catch NZ watching youtube videos and checking surfline in the mornings. I think his boards will make the trip over here next time we go home. There are some fantastic surf destinations in Indonesia, which we are a hop skip and a vacation away from. It's hard to take the beach away from a boy born with sand between his toes.

8- Sewing & Baking. I swear that getting pinterest access here is a cruel joke someone is playing on me. I can pin my little heart out, only to realize that I have no way of making such projects. I have yet to find any retail fabric shops, and only one sewing machine ( at IKEA). Until I find fabric here, I don't see the point in buying a machine, and really, I'd prefer a Singer or Janome machine if I can be picky here. Baking is pretty hard to do with a countertop toaster oven, although it is possible. Just difficult. I successfully burnt a batch of flourless peanut butter cookies in the oven's maiden voyage a few weeks ago. I'm building up my confidence to give that celcius thermostat another go. One of these days I will bake the most beautiful 6 cookies this side of  Wuxi New District.

Other than those silly things we miss, it's been good here. I'm enjoying exploring shopping areas with new friends; Sal is enjoying playing with other babies, and feeding the koi with his dad;and Nick is enjoying evenings out  finding good sushi and burger joints with the fellas.

moving in

We spent Saturday at our new place, unpacking suitcases and moving in. Everything in China seems to take longer to accomplish than it would in the States. Perhaps it's got something to do with our inability to speak the language ( but google translate works awesome!), or because we rely on a driver to get us to and from our destinations. Gone are the days of hopping in my car and driving over the overpass to Target to buy the deoderant I forgot on my last trip over there. Over here, that same 20 minute errand is sure to take us at least an hour. Well, at least for now, until we get used to the lay of the land.

We are still living out of a hotel until we get all of our utilities & their respective payments set up (aiming for Monday). In order to pay for utilities from automatic withdrawl, we must first set up a bank account at a Chinese bank. Easier said than done. We have been told by the relocation agent, that one particular branch has a man who speaks English and can help us. The other branches do not. Crossing our fingers he works on Monday!

Until then, here's a peak at what we were able to accomplish so far...The apartment came furnished with everything but nursery furniture, which we purchased & assembled over the weekend. We are still working on purchasing the rest of the linens and necessities.

Master Bedroom. So far all we have purchased were sheets and a light quilt from IKEA. I am still searching for a memory foam mattress topper to make the bed sleepable. We were spoiled by a memory foam bed back at home, and it will be hard to match. Chinese beds are traditionally hard, and lie on platforms like the frame pictured. I actually love the bedroom furniture that the room was furnished with. Dark wood and my own night stand! The bed has storage drawers underneath, so NZ and I think we can function with just those drawers and a single closet to share. Wish us luck!

Office/ Guest Room... We asked for a desk, bookcase and sofa bed, and this is what the owner provided. The sofa bed is super comfortable. Almost more so than our bed! My plan for this room is to buy a fullsize sheet at IKEA to cover the sofa ( to protect from the lovely Beaver who shall be joining our family after his stint in quarantine on Wednesday), as well as some fabric from IKEA of which I will make some pillow cases for the throws. I've already unpacked Sal's small library into one of the cubbies on the bookshelf, and added a Chinese nesting doll that Dameng's wife gave him our very first day. We're learning that giving gifts is a big part of Chinese culture.

Sal's Nursery..so far I am super happy with his room. We may do some more furniture moving since I am not wild about having a changing table next to curtains-- the boy has a good reach, and poor aim--leading me to believe he may shower them with a tidal wave of pee during changing time, or more than likely, grab them with his slobberific hands and stain the silk. ( who puts silk curtains in a baby's room?!). I've already outfitted his crib with a sheet I made back home, and am on the lookout for fabric to sew more sheets (oh--and a sewing machine to sew said fabric!).

Kitchen..It's tiny but it gets the job done! We bought a pot and a fry pan. Utensils, cutting boards and a knife. The plan is to add as little as possible to this tiny kitchen. There is no oven or dishwasher, so I guess I am thankful that baking is out of the question for now ( we may add a small countertop oven at some point). Otherwise, I'd have tons of dishes to wash.

The refrigerator & storage room. Right now it's full of boxes from unpacking our new refrigerator. The relocation agent told us to put our rubbish in the front entry hall, and when we wake up it will be gone. We have a pile out front as a trial because it seems odd to us that someone will actually come to our floor and pick up our trash. We plan on adding more shelving like the one picture nest to the fridge, for dry goods etc.

So,there you have it. The " in progress " shots. I'll be sure to do a grand tour of the completed place once we're settled.

Afternoon Project: Christmas Tree Skirt

The weather man warned us that we would see triple digits this weekend, but I was skeptical. He was right, I was wrong. Our truck read 101 degrees at noon today. What better reason to stay inside, pull out the sewing machine, turn on some football ( GOOOO Steelers 3 and 0 now!) and do an afternoon project. And, while we're at it, why not make it a Christmas project?



So, that's exactly what I did. I found a super duper cute pattern over at Sew4home.


I love the Heather Bailey prints that she used, however, I am on a budget, and can't afford to fork out $10/yd for those prints. Instead, I used JoAnn's Christmas fabric which was on sale for 30% off today. Although you can go to Sew4Home's website and follow their step-by-step instructions, I made some simplfications to my pattern ( omitted using bias tape-this saving $$$ and time).

You will need:

• 5/8 yd. of 4 coordinating fabrics or 3/4 yd of 8 coordinating fabrics


• 1 1/2 yd. of 46"wide muslin ( I pieced scraps of 1 1/2 yd of 36"wide muslin together)


• scissors


• sewing machine with a straight stitch


• thread


• measuring stick


• 26x26 paper to make a pattern


• pins


• marking pencil


• string

INSTRUCTIONS ( sort of...go to Sew4home for really good directions)

1. Pick out fabric. I used 5/8yd of 4 coordinating fabrics to keep cost down. 2. To make pattern piece. Follow diagram below. Photo credit: Sew4home.

3. Fold 5/8yd fabric in half. Lay pattern piece and pin. Cut. Repeat for remaining 4 fabrics.

4. Arrange your wedges into an appealing pattern.
5. Sew each wedge to the one next to it. Leave the last wedge unsewn. Press seams open.

6. Lay the completed 8 wedges right side down over your 46" square of right side up muslin ( again, I had to piece muslin together to make a square). Smooth out both upper and lower fabric pieces and pin. Cut muslin using the skirt as a guide. Sew around perimeter, remove pins and turn right side out.

7. Press perimeter of skirt and pin so that muslin does not peek out under the print fabric. Sew a strightstitch around perimeter of the skirt. There will be raw edges left open on two of your wedges. Turn them under, pin and press. Sew with a strightstitch.

8. Using a 6" circle ( I used a pot lid), center it over skirt, trace and cut around guide. Turn each raw edge under and pin. Sew with a straightstitch.

9. Remove all remaining pins and press. There you go. A Christmas Tree skirt for under $20.

Do you think September is too early to get a tree? I can't wait to see it wrapped around ours this year!

Framed City Art

I found a new blog to blogstalk called the House of Wood, which is a clever play on the blog writer's last name of Woodhouse. She has some wonderful DIY projects and step by step instructions on making everything from covered headboards to the room layouts to maximize space efficiently.

She caught my eye and got added to my favorites tab because of this project. I have seen these City art prints on ETSY and on ZGallerie, but I'm frugal, and totally unwilling to pay someone else $85+ to frame typed words of a city I could care less about..And sure, some ETSY crafters can probably personalize one for me with a city of my choice for top dollar, but even better...

Why don't I make one myself?

So I did.

And here it is. My hometown in print.

I'm pretty darn proud of myself.

And here is a completed set.

1. Sacramento/Davis area( our Alma Mater)

2. NZ's favorite local surf breaks

3. My hometown of Santa Barbara

Supplies:
Frames: 3 for $14.99 @ Michael's Craft store
Print ( used scrapblogger program to make print): free
visit www.scrapblogger.com to check out their free website


Total cost: $15 for 3 framed prints