my day-to-day thoughts

i’m trying to cook with more natural ingredients and try to rid my body of icky toxins, like processed and refined foods.  refined..such an oxymoran, btw.  i’ve been making some progress.  i’ve cooked up some homemade tomato sauce with carrots, onions, celery, tomatoes, and garlic all blended up to a smooth and creamy consistency.  it was soo delicious.  i would never buy store bought ever again.  it was a tweak on giada’s simple tomato sauce recipe.  you have to try!  you won’t regret it.  and last night, i made my own concoction of a chicken noodle soup with some leftovers i had from the sauce.  just boiling some chicken broth that i made with the leftovers of a roasted chicken and chopping in veggies and shredded chicken and some cute little pasta that i don’t know the name of.  yum. 

cooking without using nasty processed food has been fairly simple for me…until hubs brings in diet coke from the office.  sigh…soda…tsk tsk. 

-no shelter for my car, therefore, scraping ice off chilly mornings
-hearing loud music from downstairs neighbors
-living on the 3rd floor…and carrying groceries
-not being able to vacuum at night in fear of getting a complaint from neighbors
-not having a yard to grow plants
-having to park far away for coming home late at night

3 generations of Kim men. I love them.

shumbodynamedharry:

It was a joke…

This is such a random memory that I just thought of but it kind of made me laugh and then miss my mom.

This was my bridal shower. Two days before the wedding. It was a super busy weekend with lots of emotions and stress. That morning was so extremely stressful. I had to wake up in Greensboro super early with mom and family in tow and drive around to pick up and deliver flowers to Sanford, where they would be taken care of by a family friend. Then, driving to Raleigh, I missed my last consultation with the venue/catering. On my way to the bridal shower, which I was pretty late to as well, I just broke down. I was driving and sobbing at the same time. Then, my mom next to me started sobbing. I was sobbing because I couldn’t get a handle on things and my mom was sorry because she couldn’t do more than be next to me. It was pretty bad. It just breaks my heart just thinking about how much we sobbed and just cried our eyes out holding hands.

We finally made it to the bridal shower and it was just so pretty and well-done. I was so thankful for great and strong friends for pulling through for me and of course, had another sobfest with my momma, who was also touched by all my friends’ hard work. It’s so laughable now but we were such crybabies.

My family has been with me and supported me through it all.  Can’t not think about them during Thanksgiving. 

My parents are my rock.  I still get homesick and still talk to my mom all the time.  Though I’ve moved out since my junior year in high school, their home has always been my home.  I’ve never lived in Dallas but that’s where my home is too.  My dad doesn’t have much to say to me, so he’ll just stare at me and giggle because I bring him laughter (?).  It’s really funny.  My mom and I talk about everything together.  I miss the days where we would walk hand in hand and go window shopping at the mall.  Even just thinking about them gets me teary-eyed.  Is that weird?  That a married woman would think that? 

My husband…where do I even begin?  He’s my counterpart and best friend.  He’s loyal and tries so hard to make me laugh and smile on a daily basis.  Of course, he knows how to push my buttons, but it never goes on for very long because one of us breaks and says, ‘I love you.’  He may be oblivious to all the romantic frills I dream about, but he tries so darn hard.  On his birthday, when asked what he wanted, he requested a kitchen torch.  Not because he wanted one.  But because he knew I wanted one.  Little things like that are so much better than flowers or chocolate.  I’m grateful for the respect and for equality that is present in our relationship.  He’s secure in our marriage.  Almost 5 years of being together and we’re still learning new things about each other all the time.

My emo and grandma (mom’s mom).  These 2 women will never stop loving me like their own.  They have so much love and generosity for others that it really encourages me to be kinder to everyone.  My emo is the most fun and funny woman in the world.  She’ll always cook up a storm and then some.  She and my grandma make such an awesome duo.  Cracking jokes with each other, they’re more like sisters than mother and daughter.  My grandma still calls me ‘ah gah’ (baby) and treats me with such tenderness.  They are home when my heart hurts from missing my parents.  They make any stranger feel welcome and their laughter just makes you feel so warm and cozy.  I’m so thankful to be near them.  Can’t wait to see them tomorrow for Thanksgiving!!!

Cooking/baking is definitely in the air.  I love it!!!  It’s such a love/hate relationship because once a recipe becomes a success, it’s love…but once it’s gone in a day due to fatties (aka me and Han Pyun), it’s hate.  I’ve had great success with lots of recipes/creations this month, but especially loving this tres leches cake, galbi jjim and fresh baked cookie a la mode.

I’ve stopped chasing an imaginary dream of a stick-thin me.  It will never happen.  This relationship with food and cooking is far greater than my image.  But I’ve slowly developed a balance where I’m able to eat what I want and feel good.  I’m constantly exercising and feel stronger everyday.  In return, it’s win-win and I feel great!  Man, I get so passionate and pumped up when talking about my well-being and food!!!

Monday: Urban Iron
Tuesday: 45 min Cardio
Wednesday: Urban Iron
Thursday: 45 min Cardio
Friday: break day
Saturday: Urban Iron + 30 min Cardio
Sunday: 1 hr Cardio

Let’s get motivated!!!

Facebook is pretty crazy.  I just found out a few days ago, but you can see every single message you’ve sent/received!  Even from 5 years ago.  I was reading through a few of these messages and I’ve noticed that I’ve basically stopped keeping in touch with everyone.  Would it be random to just say hi to them?  LoL….I’m just curious to see how everyone’s doing.

-yesterday, i made several quarts of homemade chicken stock to last me a while. yum! and made some delicious caramel rice krispies treats.
-fall is definitely in the air, especially with my new pumpkin spice candle…need more candles!
-love the sunday ritual of watching the panthers play. hubs usually rotates cam newton, greg olsen and steve smith in his fantasy league. and every game. so. close! great play by deangelo for making that 69 yd touchdown yesterday!
-had another great weekend with good food and great friends.
-i’m in an interior decorating frenzy lately. new hobby is hitting up decor blogs and strolling through ikea, crate and barrel, pottery barn, world market and pier one.
-i may be the only person in the world with a flip phone but i love the simplicity of it. though these days, i am kinda getting the iphone bug. but i come back to reality after fiddling with a friend’s and being frustrated by not being able to navigate it.
-the holidays are soooo close. meaning food, family, coziness, and CHRISTMAS MUSIC on the radio :)