Browse Tag: elephants

Last Sunday Supper…

…of 2011.

Haha.  Yep, we had an impromptu Sunday Whitey Supper last night and it was a fun way to finish the weekend. Jes served braised short ribs with veggies and wild rice and it was DELICIOUS.  Michelle also brought her yummy lemon chess pie.

The kids were off the hook last night and it’s fun to have so much energy in the house.  There was a bipolar eating match between the two Sokol-Jun kids.  One one side, you had Reese chowing down on hummus and tomatoes with the hummus going up her nose and in her hair.

On the other side, you had Jack doing everything BUT eating.  With the threat of missing out on the scrumptious dessert, he finally plowed through his dinner while on the verge of tears.

We were also entertained by Rowan and his new raspberry trick.  He’s very musical and proud of it too!

Oh and Jack also gave me a new ornament for my Christmas tree!  I love it!!!  (Thanks Michelle!)

Here are a few more photos.

I slept.

Last night I had a full night’s sleep for the first time in months.  Ever since Kumquat came along I’ve had to get up in the middle of the night at least once or twice (around 3am) to pee and have been struggling to fall back asleep because I’m either uncomfortable or congested.  But last night was different.  I woke up at 6, my nose was clear, and my mouth wasn’t dry from breathing out of my mouth all night.  Aaaah…

Tomorrow I will be 16 weeks along and my clothes are starting to feel a little snug around the waist.  So, I went shopping today and it was quite an experience.  I stopped at Gap first since it was just up the stairs from my Muni stop.  I had to go upstairs to the 2nd floor for the first time to find the Maternity section, which is a tiny corner of the floor among all the baby clothes. I thought this wooden elephant was so cute.

I managed to find a cute pair of skinny jeans that has a stretchy panel in the front, a pair of work pants, and a top.

I also went to Old Navy and their layout was the same.  Maternity was on a separate floor with the baby/kid clothes tucked away in the corner.

I guess I’m in an awkward stage where I don’t have a real baby bump yet…I just look a little chubbier around the middle.  So, trying on clothes today was a little depressing.  I’m too small for the maternity tops but regular clothes fit terribly.  I kept thinking to myself, “Kumquat had better be in here or else I’m in trouble!”

It took me about 3 hours to find a total of 3 pairs of pants, 4 tops, and a sweater.  That was hard work.

Labor Day Weekend

Last weekend was pretty cool and we were in the company of good friends and family and ate the whole time.

On Friday night (9/2), Dayantha and Krissy flew up for the weekend and we all met up for drinks, then dinner, and then more drinks. We were out pretty late but it was fun having everyone together again.

The Suminos were also in town for the weekend so we met up with them at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning (9/3).  It was so fun to see them all again and the boys are getting so big.  We took them to Roli Roti and had the Porchetta Sammich.

It was so fun to see Brandon hold it with just one hand and stuff his face.  That’s my boy!

Cole was insatiable and even got his own cone of meat from the salumeria inside the Ferry Building.  No wonder he’s getting so tall.

Later that afternoon, we drove to Alameda.  I dropped Jes off at Jimmy and Eleen’s where Dayantha and Krissy were staying.  I then went down the street to KM’s house to see Mai (in town from LA) and Ranee (in town from NYC).  We were supposed to go to Zachary’s for pizza but ended up having an impromptu potluck with Stephanie’s buffalo chicken dip and Mai had bought two containers of ja jang myun.  Tasty.

Afterward, I went back to the Agustin House where I got to make my very own elephant necklace thanks to Eleen’s help and supplies.

Krissy made a pair of fancy earrings too.  I’m so inspired!  Might have to start making my own stuff again.

That was just Friday night and Saturday.  More to come on the rest of the weekend…  Here are some photos.

Lunchbox

Is anyone else sad that Borders is closing down a bunch of their stores?!  I LOVED going to the one across the street from my house and it closed down last year.  Just recently they filed bankruptcy and I got an email that the store in the mall downtown was also closing and were having a big close-out sale.

So, Jes and I headed over in the rain and I picked up a few things: a Spanish grammar book, a couple magazines, a couple travel books, and THIS AWESOME LUNCHBOX!  Now that I won’t have any Borders nearby, where am I going to buy my Paperchase goods?!

Elephant Lunchtime!!

Michelle gave me a birthday gift!!!  It’s a lunch bag in the shape of an elephant!!!  It also had an ice pack in the shape of a baby elephant!  What’s the best part?

It has a tail!!!!

Thanks, Michelle.  I love it!

EuroTrip: Paris, Sept 5

It’s Day Two of Paris and it happened to be the 1st Sunday of the month so all museums were FREE!!! Yippee! So in the morning we headed across the Seine towards Musee d’Orsay. On the way, we found a patisserie/boulangerie called Eric Kayes, which I had read about. I was pleasantly surprised to find it on accident and that they were open! In Paris, a lot of stores and shoppes are closed on Sundays and Mondays so it seemed like it was going to be slim pickin’s that day. But we were in luck. I got a tasty 3-tomato quiche and cappuccino and Jes got a ham and cheese sandwich and espresso. There was so much to see and try there. One day I will go back for some of their sweets.

At Musee d’Orsay, I found the famous elephant out front. It made me so giddy. The line outside was not very long and moved rather quickly. It was mainly for a security check since no one had to pay. Inside they were very clear that photography was not allowed. Too bad because the museum is in an old train station and so pretty inside!

But not to worry! I still managed to sneak a couple of photos with my iPhone. Heh heh. Part of the museum was under renovation so many of their famous works are actually in the de Young in SF right now!

We went a few months ago to see them but they still had the Ballerina statue by Degas and Van Gogh’s self-portrait in Paris. The rest of it will also be on display starting Sept 22 in SF. Can’t wait to go back!

Afterward, we took a little wine break on the Seine.  It was sunny and warm that afternoon.  What a change from San Francisco coldness.

The next stop was Musee Rodin.  It’s a much smaller museum that features a large mansion surrounded by a huge garden.  That’s where we saw the famous “Thinker” sitting atop a tall stand in the garden.  Apparently there are several copies of this statue (like the one in the Palace of Fine Arts in SF) but this was the original one.

It was time for another break so we walked down past Napoleon’s “eternal home” where his remains now live.  It’s basically a gigantic palace with canons lined up in front with a view of the Eiffel Tower.

We then found a pedestrian street called Rue Cler where we picked up some pastries at Maison Auvray and then sat down at Cafe du Marche, which is a hangout for locals.

There, we ordered a carafe of white wine and sat at a table facing the street.  It was a pleasant afternoon of just sipping wine and people watching.  The French really know how to hangout and relax.

Our last stop was a view of the Eiffel Tower from across the Seine at Jadins du Trocadero.  It’s right next to a Metro stop and is placed up at the top of a hill where you get a gorgeous view of the Eiffel Tower and Paris behind it.

We got there just around sunset so the sky was pink and later the lights on the tower came on.  So pretty!

For dinner, we found a place called Cafe Constant on rue Saint-Dominique in the 7th arrondissement.  It’s very small but filled with locals.  We were lucky enough to quickly snag a table for two in the sidewalk and it was perfect.

Our appetizer was a tartare of oysters, seabass and salmon seasoned with ginger and lemon.  Sounded a little scary at first but it was delicious!  My entree was “Patte Bleu” roast chicken with herby butter and pan fried new potatoes in tarragon.  I gotta say, the chicken was so much tastier than our chicken in the States.  Jes had langosteens wrapped in a thin pastry dough and then fried.  It was just as tasty.

For dessert, we had a classic homemade profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce.  It was so yummy and the chocolate was so glossy!  The prices were really reasonable at this cafe and their servers were super friendly.  This was definitely one of my favorite places on the trip.

Aaaah….and so our second day in Paris came to an end.  We rode Metro back to the hotel stuffed and exhausted.

Here are photos from this day.