Getting to Know My Oven

With two international moves, and using two "foreign" ovens, I just have to ask the question,  is it really so hard to make an oven that heats to the temperature that it is supposed to?

At home (in Iowa), I let the bread raise in a warm oven, then

turn it up to 350, bake for 30 minutes, and the bread is perfectly done.

 China Bread attempt #1

 Golden brown on the outside, doughy in the middle.  Really, really doughy.

I ended up throwing it away.

Attempt # 2

 Someone lent me an oven thermometer.  

No wonder the bread wasn't baking right-- it was really only 250 degrees. 

(And yes, I did have the right conversion for Fahrenheit to Celsius.  180 C should be 350 F. 

 I have to set my oven at 200 C to achieve 350 F).

The oven takes 30 minutes to get up to 350 degrees.

And I should mention that working with a different yeast, I had put too much in.

It was too yeasty. I threw it away.

 Attempt #3

Right amount of yeast.

Finished raising the bread on the counter so the oven could preheat.

Got the temperature right.

And realized our oven bakes from the top.

The bread tasted good, but the top was too dark, with a thick crust.

 Attempt #4

Success!

Right amounts in the ingredients.

Put the baking shelf at the bottom of the oven.

Got the preheated oven just right.

And the family enjoyed fresh bread for dinner.

Now, I can't wait for my wheat mill for some 

whole wheat flour

and my own loaf tins! 

Spring Break, Texas-style

I was looking through my blog history and found several drafts that had never been published.  Don't know how that happened, but even though they had a date, they decided to act as if all were done today.
So I hope you don't mind a walk down memory lane!  

This is from Spring Break, March of 2010.

The memories are still great!

Alastair in Lily's kennel...

Soft, warm air so we can soak up the sunshine and enjoy Catherine's back yard.

Getting to know Dutch, the anxious dog (whom Lily did NOT like)..

And Catherine helping me figure out a cross-stitch pattern for our Young Women to use for a Virtue project...

It was a great spring break (though we missed Elizabeth, who was on a CRUISE to the Bahamas!)

Thanks for letting me walk through some memories.

It was a Happy Birthday!

November, 2006

Wow, another birthday has come and gone! We didn't even have birthday cake, because 1) I'd eat it--and I don't need to eat it and 2) wasn't it just 5 or 6 months ago the last time I had a birthday? That's what it seems like!

THANKS for all those cards and phone calls from around the world--it makes me feel special.


And thanks to my mom for a lovely blouse (faux brushed suede). How did she know I needed a solid-colored blouse for our choir number at stake conference?

Thanks, Catherine, for the fun DVD's (musicals + romance + comedy= my favorite genre!).

And a hug and kiss for Kevin for the under-the-cupboard CD player/radio. Now the big BLACK boombox can go elsewhere and not clutter up my countertop! I'm so happy!

Order! Order! Order!

Fall, 2009

I don't know what it is about fall that makes me want to declutter and organize, but for some reason I can be more ruthless right now in my decisions about what goes and what stays.

That faded, worn pillowcase set we've had since we were married? OUT!

And so on. Don't ask me to make these same kinds of decisions at other seasons of the year. That is when I turn into the hoarder... "but I might need these some day!" Or, "but they were given to me by one of my third graders back in 1976--I can't get rid of it!"

There you have proof that evolution is not true. If it were, I, like the squirrels and other animals, would prepare for winter by hoarding, not by taking sacks and sacks of things to Goodwill.

And oh, do my closets look nice!

Relaxation, Bailey-Style

Summer, 2008?

For some reason, sitting around and doing nothing has never been part of the Bailey lifestyle.

Volunteering at Tianjin International School...

A couple of weeks ago, I began volunteering at the girls' school, which has students K-12.

On Wednesday afternoons, the elementary students have "clubs" that they go to.  These are interest groups that enrich the school experience.  There might be a cooking class, or a science class,

or... a music club.

The only problem is, they didn't have a teacher for the music club.  The teacher is coming in January,

and the teacher filling in didn't know how to read music.

I just happened to be at the school when Diane found out about this need, 

and she volunteered on the spot, since she plays the piano.

Then she turned to me, and said, "you play too, don't you?  Let's do this together."

And so we have.

And we seem to make a good team.

 We work with the glockenspiel with the 2nd to 3rd graders.  

I've never done it before, but it wasn't hard and we've managed to keep the kids 

involved and happy.

 But then the 4th-5th graders wanted to do the hand bells.

I've SEEN hand bell choirs on TV.  That's as close as I've come.

So being handed several suitcases full of bells, with 

stickler rules about not touching the brass (hence the white gloves for everyone),

and we're working our way through learning 

how to use them.  It's tough when the 5th graders know more than I do about something, and they KNOW that they know more.   But we are actually making music.

And of course, there's no pressure. 

 Just a Christmas concert in December--but we only have to do one piece.

Another thing to mark in the category of "I never thought I'd be doing that..."

We're missing having a pet...

This move has been the hardest on Alice--at least as far as I can tell.  She was very attached to our dog Lily, hugging her as she fell asleep, talking to her when she had a problem, appreciating a little friend who was always there.

So it wasn't more than a week after our arrival when the questions began:  Can we get a pet of some kind?

What about a gerbil?  Or a rabbit?  A hamster?  A DOG????

In my travels around the city, I had come across a pet market--it happens to be part of the plant market as well, 

and it was the plants that I went looking for.

So, on a Saturday, we went to see it, and

 it was about as good as going to a zoo.

There were all kinds of puppies just wanting to be picked up and cuddled--but the shop keepers wouldn't let anyone not

 intending to buy to touch them.

There were cats and kittens, rabbits, hamsters, chickens, turtles--big and little, snakes, lizards--even a komodo dragon, baby alligators and tropical fish of every kind.

All the animals and reptiles were in small cages, and the fish were in dishpans on the ground.

Very chaotic but interesting!

And then we found the bird section.

 Whatever kind of bird you wanted, it was there.

Including the sparrows that looked like they'd just been captured, as

well as the magpies.  (Yes, there are magpies here in China.)

You can buy parrots and macaws, parakeets, love birds, canaries, ducks, geese, pheasants,...

And you can buy the food for them--

not some little pet store canister, but in bulk.  

Now the girls have their hearts set on getting a pair of parakeets. 

We're still thinking about this one.

We've a Holiday Today!

Today is a national Chinese holiday, Mid-autumn festival, a time to go out and look at the full moon with your family.  And of course, there are fireworks.  Any excuse is a good excuse to bring out the fireworks. 

We're just glad to have a day off from school and work.

  About a month ago, elaborate, expensive boxes started showing up in grocery store displays, and we were curious.  What are they, and what are they for?  The answer?  Moon Cakes.

 It is the tradition to give each other moon cakes for this holiday, and apparently, during the month leading up to the holiday.  

Our realtor gave us this box, containing 6 or 8 moon cakes.

(We later found out we should have turned in the gift to John Deere, since it is "influence".  Too late.  We'd already eaten them, or thrown them away.)

 Each cake is lovely to look at, but just about every cookie I've ever tried in my whole life is better than this,

including cheap store cookies.

The Chinese don't do dessert-type things very well.

The filling inside is typically red bean paste or a fruity paste (the type of fruit isn't really recognizable).

So moon cakes are really just the Chinese version of

fruit cake--looks a lot better than it tastes!

If I Only Lived Closer...

The chapel is located in a housing area originally built for Honeywell Corporation. 

 Individual 3-story houses.  Yards.  Space.

The yard for the house where we meet has been neglected.

Over the summer, most of the expats leave for home

and things kind of get left on their own.

What I wouldn't give for my own lawnmower, weed-whacker and some gardening tools!

Oh, and living closer would be nice.

And we just got word this morning that due to the typhoons over the past couple of weeks, our shipment is still out in the middle of the Pacific (hopefully still on the boat!),

and is due to arrive in port now on Sept 12.

But a friend just received their shipment this morning,

so I'm taking that as a good sign!

Meanwhile, every time I walk to the store, I

pick up a few more things to make life more comfortable.

Like some small rugs by the beds.  New plants to liven up the home.

Life is going well.

The Tianjin Expat Branch

The district presidency asked us to take some pictures on Sunday of our Tianjin congregation, to send in.  We were happy to oblige, because then we can have a record as well.  

Americans, Koreans, Taiwanese... all linked together 

by our membership in the LDS Church, and our foreign passports.

Our branch  (local congregation).

 The youth.  

I wonder what will happen next year when the 3 seniors leave for college?

 Our Primary.  

All the children are Korean, adorable, fairly loud during Sacrament meeting, 

and their English skills are limited at this point.

Our young single adults.  

There were two YSA sisters here, but they left a week ago.

 A couple of the men will only

 be here for another few months.  

The YSA tend to be here for education or to teach English,

as the four retired couples are here to do as well.

It is almost like a student ward, with a lot of people moving in and out,

 and only staying a semester or two. 

The branch presidency.

Kevin (2nd counselor), Pres. Baker, Bro. Ferrell (1st counselor), and Bro. Mower, clerk.

It is a good group and we are happy to be counted in!

Browser wars...

Last night, Kevin mentioned that when he read my blog on his computer, that the formatting was really strange--single letters down a column.  Catherine mentioned the same thing in her comment.  But when we opened my blog on my computer, the formatting was just fine.  Thanks, Justin, for alerting me to the fact that "Internet Explorer" views the blog differently than Chrome or Firefox.  I'm not sure how to fix the problem though.  I use Chrome for my browser.  

If one of you technologically advanced people wanted to help me out here, I'd be grateful for the info.  

Camp-out Cooking

September 5th.                                                  A date that has been circled on our calendars; the date that our shipment is supposed to arrive in port.  We keep finding out information that would have been helpful in the decisions we made before we left.  Like, the shipment isn't allowed to leave the U.S. until we have our residency visa, which is not to be confused with the entry visa.  In order to get the residency visa, you have to already be living here and have documents proving that, and I had to have a medical exam as well (it was a pretty easy one though--blood pressure, urine sample, eye chart, etc).  THEN, they send word that your stuff can begin the journey.  And we keep praying that everything will make it quickly through customs.  There are no guarantees as to when we'll get it.

In the meantime, we are learning to make do, and we purchase those things we really need to have.  Like spices.  Cooking is pretty difficult without something to add flavor.  So, although they were at least $4 a piece, they're worth it!   We've also bought a wok and a pot.  Somehow, we're able to do all our cooking in these two utensils. (And a tiny microwave oven).  I looked especially for a wok with a non-stick surface (it has to double as a fry pan for eggs and such), and one with a flattened area in the middle (for frying pancakes, tortillas, etc.)  And it has worked marvelously well!  It is a pan I will use even after our stuff gets here.  We've had a lot of wonderful stir-fry meals.  

One thing we're getting more used to is how eggs are purchased.  You can buy them  individually, in a plastic bag, just like apples or bananas, or you can buy them in a box, like the one above, and get 5 dozen at a time.  I chose the box.  I was walking home carrying the groceries, and didn't think many eggs would still be whole if I bought them in a sack.             Every day, I run into new things I can't do, or could do better if I had something out of our shipment.  I guess there really is a reason for shipping all that stuff!               

For instance, a rolling pin.  One day I thought to make burritos and had dough made for the tortillas when I realized I didn't have a rolling pin!  I don't have any round bottles.  No round glasses or cups, either.  Then I remembered the roll of plastic wrap I had bought--and had taken a frustrating half-hour to get the first usable piece off to cover a bowl of food.   Sure enough, it worked very well!  The cardboard tube inside is a very sturdy one, and the plastic wrap doesn't stick to the dough.  I might still use it even after our shipment comes!

And in the end, it's all about feeding my family and keeping them happy.

Success!  

A Clear Day

    We woke in the middle of the night yesterday to a powerful storm blowing through.  Lots of rain.  Lots of lightning and thunder.  And when morning came, the air was so clear and light.  The temperature was down to 63 degrees. That's the coolest we've experienced since arriving, and it felt SO nice.

     What a nice day to take some pictures of our view from our patio.

Lunch in Tianjin

     I have begun volunteering one afternoon a week at A & E's school.  Since it is a K-12 private school, they have need for helpers at all levels.  Another expat, Diane, lives in my same apartment complex and has a background in special ed; she will also be volunteering, even though she doesn't have children at the school.  (Hers are all grown up.) So we drive in together.
    Last week, as we met to discuss the different volunteer opportunities, a group of us went out to lunch, at "Aaron's".  Just walk down that sidewalk on the left, and there is a nice little restaurant that serves wonderful food.  The owner is Australian.  Some of the food is Thai. And some of the entrees have ingredients like SOUR CREAM--a commodity like most other dairy foods that is hard to come by here.  I had a noodle dish much like a stroganoff.  That was a pleasant surprise! (Sidenote:  not much milk here--cheese and butter are VERY expensive and sold only to foreigners.  But there is a LOT of yogurt--and it's really good--not as sweet as American yogurt.)

    The first three of us are John Deere wives, and live near each other. I'm the "youngest" one here, having been here only 1 month.  The fourth, Keli, has lived in China for 6 or 7 years, and lived in Sweden before that. She has a daughter Ellie's age who, although she is an American, has never lived in America.  She's not looking forward to the culture shock of living in her "home" country when she goes to college next year.
    We have found that so many of the expats living here have lived in another foreign land first.  I know I have found this culture easier to take since I had already learned to navigate amongst the French.
   I have really been grateful for the help the other women have offered who have been here longer.  There is a "we're all in this together" camaraderie, and I am enjoying it.

Odds and Ends

     When we moved here, we were faced with a dilemma.  Should we live near the school we had selected--in Tianjin, or near Kevin's work--in TEDA?  After our first trip to church, we found out it is about a mile from where the school is. I thought that was very interesting that in a metropolitan area of 10 million people that stretches for 20 kilometers in every direction, the school AND church are right by each other.  So maybe we should have chosen to live there--we could have had early morning seminary!  

     Instead, working with the information we had at the time,  we decided to live in TEDA.  Someone was going to have an hour commute--should it be Kevin, who would have to travel during rush hour, so it would take longer than an hour?  Or should it be the girls who would be traveling earlier?  We knew a bus picked up the students here, right outside our apartment building, and the website said after school there were 3 departure times: right after school, and an hour or so later for those students wanting to participate in after-school activities.  Great!  

 The only thing we didn't know is that since we live so far away, there is only ONE after-school bus.  If someone on the bus needs to stay after, then everyone has to stay.  Oh, and they forgot to mention the $1700 bus fee for the year.  (Good thing WE don't have to pay that!!!)  And, instead of a big, comfortable bus, we have a small bus, that bounces a lot, especially if you sit in the back.  Still, the girls are able to read, or sleep,or even do homework, as long as it doesn't involve writing, and things are going well.  

     Being  a lover of all things green and growing, I have been interested in how things are grown here.  One thing we love about TEDA is the amount of green--tree-lined streets, sculptured gardens along the routes, and some open grassy areas.  I was especially interested in how new trees are staked.  In America, there would be 3 poles, with cords around the tree.  The Chinese system uses a ton of wood, as there are braces at the bottom as well.  And it was a good thing I got the picture when I did, for a couple of days later, all the brackets were removed.  Since the trees don't seem to be new ones, I'm left wondering why they were even there.  Left over from a few years ago when the trees WERE new?

     I have a large patio that I am itching to fill up with flowers and some vegetable plants--or at least get all the stuff so I can do that next spring since it is getting late in the growing season.  I found some large pots yesterday at a street market (plastic ones as the ceramic ones are very expensive--now I wish I had shipped some of my outdoor pots from home!  Who knew!)  One thing I haven't found is any potting soil.  I think back to the bags of rich, black soil at every hardware or big box store in America and wonder why I can't find any such thing here.

     This is the kind of soil I see in pots here (these are in the outside window at a neighborhood grocery store)--it looks like cement!  But the square can held a vine that grew up over the face of the store, 20-30 feet long, so maybe it is okay.  

     We keep reminding ourselves that TEDA has less smog than in Tianjin.  That it is cooler out here close to the ocean (there is always a breeze here),

and the shopping is much more expat-friendly. Still, Elizabeth mourns the difficulty in hanging out with her school friends.  If we were back in Iowa, it would be like driving from Cedar Falls to Cedar Rapids everyday.  And if she wants to stay in the evening, we have to get our driver and go pick her up--a 2-hour round trip.  I guess it's just something we'll get used to.

Kevin has a new calling...

     We received a phone call on Sat night... could we be at church 45 minutes early?  The district presidency was visiting, and wanted to meet with us.   Kevin is now the 2nd counselor in the new branch presidency.  From left to right:  Bro. Mower, the new clerk, Pres. Gary Baker, new president, Kevin, District President Steve Toronto, his counselor Bro Rogers, and taking the picture was Bro. Lattimer.

   It was a very interesting day.  Pres. Toronto interviewed me first:  how was the family doing in adjusting to life in China? did our family follow the expected spiritual road, as in did we have family prayer, FHE, scripture study, etc.?  It is at moments like this that every hassle in getting these things done has been worth it so that I can reply, "yes, we do."  It is different being in an area where we don't have a "history"--the leaders don't know what we've done or where we've served.
   Then Kevin was interviewed, then both of us together as the call was extended.  I was in awe of Pres. Toronto's speaking ability.  He sounded like a General Authority, and was so clear and concise.  He has the ability to say things the way I'd LIKE to be able to say them.  And interestingly, Pres. Toronto grew up in the same SLC neighborhood as Kevin--in fact, they attended the same elementary school, and Pres. Toronto is Kirk's age.
    The members of the district presidency all live in Beijing.  Both counselors are attached to the American Embassy (either lawyers or other government service).  Pres. Toronto is an attorney for the NBA in China.  So if we ever want to go to one of the exhibition NBA games here, he has tickets--just ask.  Pres. Lattimer said his kids are all gone now, and they have two extra bedrooms--if we want a place to stay for district conference, just give him a call.  And district conference is in a few weeks.
     One interesting piece of information they passed along was to be careful with our girls at an international school.  The ones in Beijing are populated with the wealthy kids from around the world and all kinds of bad behaviors are going on.  We feel SO blessed to have the international school that we do--with opening prayers, and teachers enforcing the modest dress code, and no swearing, and people acting like real Christians.  Of course we must always be vigilant, even at an LDS Youth Conference, but it is a good school.
    The best part of the day, as far as Elizabeth was concerned, is that she didn't have to give the talk she'd prepared.  It was saved for the following week.

China's National Bird...

The crane!

Moving Day--Part I: The Camp-out

 We finally did it.  We decided it would be better to be camping in our apartment with a few items either purchased or borrowed, than to be enjoying the luxury of the hotel.  Believe it or not, it actually gets old.  The breakfast buffet loses its appeal as we each settled into having the same things everyday.  At least the hot chocolate got better!  The first days, a waiter would come by (after seating us) to ask if we wanted coffee or tea.  We asked for hot chocolate, and sure, we can have that.  It would take 20 minutes to come and then looked like it had been a chocolate bar melted into milk--little floating fragments of not-very-sweet chocolate.  Not big enough to enjoy, just big enough to mar the liquid texture.  By yesterday morning, the hot cocoa arrived when we did, and was really good.  They had learned how to make it!

   The beds were SO comfortable... with sheets of something like 1200-count threads (so smooth and soft), and a down comforter.  We had no problem sleeping!  This is A & E's bedroom--ours had a king-size bed.  We had to have bedding for the apartment (there are beds here--but not nearly as comfortable), so I asked the hotel if we could purchase some of their sheets, and they let us.  They ended up being about $100 a set, but that is what we would have had to pay at the local store--and who knows what the quality was, and we weren't even sure what the size was.  So now I have some wonderful hotel sheets!

 We rearranged some of the furniture more to our liking and have been getting adjusted.  This is more where the real culture shock begins--or is it the same when moving into any new living accommodations?  "This is the stupidest shower set-up that I've ever seen!"  (quote by Ellie, as she mopped up water with the towel she had planned on drying herself with.) Or, "Sorry, the AC works everywhere but in the master bedroom."  And there are no heating/AC vents in the bathrooms, just a small venting fan.  So it is stuffy now, and will be cold in the winter.  Great.  I'm sure we'll adjust.  And I'm sure there will be more surprises.

   There have been good surprises too.  My first meal (lunch) in the new apartment?  Baguette, Skippy peanut butter (chunky!  and only about $2 at the regular store), and honey.  And the honey has a good flavor.  I've tasted some honeys that were gaggy, and I wondered how it would taste here, after all , some of the meats have a really funny flavor.  I should have known all would be well when the honey section of the store had about 15 varieties.  It is easy to tell which things are important here.  The cooking oil section takes up a whole aisle (one side)  with all kinds of varieties.  And it comes in really big bottles.

Our apartment is in this complex, but is off to the right.  We couldn't see it from the hotel because of some high-rises being built by the street.  The golf-course winds around behind us, so when the weather is not so muggy, I can sit on my patio and watch golfers on one hole.
   And this was the 2nd clear day we've had since being here.  It was nice to see blue sky again, but if you notice, there is still a layer of murk.   That's because those twin cooling towers in the center of the picture belong to a coal-burning power plant.  When I first saw them, I thought it was a nuclear plant, and that gave me pause.  However, I think I would have preferred that to the dirt.  There is a thin film of oily black on everything.  That is one reason I agreed to having an ayi--it is necessary to mop and dust every day.  We have white tile floors, and they look clean, but walking around barefoot, my feet become filthy.  And yesterday, when it rained, I thought, "great, the patio will get washed off!" But it was actually dirtier afterwards!  Then it rained an hour later, and that time it did get mostly washed off.  You see people with buckets of water washing off their cars.  This will be an unending battle.
   Another family lent us some blankets and pillows;  we purchased some really cheap towels, and enough dishes to get by--4 bowls, 4 plates, 4 of each utensil, etc., a mop, broom, and so on.  We just hope the shipment comes quickly!

My Day...

      Before we moved here, someone said, "So the girls will be in school and Kevin will be at work.  What are YOU going to do with all your time?"

     So, here is my day:  I get up at 5:30, so we can have family prayer about 6, then we go down to breakfast so the girls can be on their bus by 6:30 pm.  It doesn't look like we will be able to do Early Morning Seminary.  But the girls could do their Home Study manuals on the bus, so they could have a daily morning experience.

     So!  I have "free time" from 6:30 a.m. until the girls get home at 4:30 pm.  TEN hours!  That's two more hours than I am used to, but I've been finding enough to do.

• I do name indexing.
• I study Chinese with Rosetta Stone.
• I do some hand laundry.  (I don't want the hotel doing underwear, and I need something active to do--something that feels like what a mom should be doing!)  And Deborah, this is the kind of drying rack I was looking for.  

• I read.  I finished the first book in The Wheel of Time series and have begun the second book.  This was a series I've been wanting to read for about 10 years, but the books were so thick I knew I didn't have the time.  Now I do.  And thanks, Adam, for letting me take the 2nd book.  I've also been finishing up Justin's book.  I like the changes he's made.  It's a good book!
• I work-out in the exercise room and finish off with a swim.
• And I do cross-stitch while I listen to podcasts from the radio station back in Iowa.  That helps me keep in touch with the political situation, especially this past week leading up to the Straw Poll.  The cross-stitch is getting to the point of doing the back-stitching.  

• And thank heavens for the internet.  It takes a while keeping up with email and blogs.
• Then there are days with appointments.  This evening, we have the hour-long ride into Tianjin to attend the high school open house.  Sometimes I wonder if we should have lived closer to the school!

       Once everyone gets home, we walk to a restaurant, or if trying one that is further away we have the driver take us.  We actually enjoy the walk--and it is often a mile or so.  It was really hot when we first got here, with a lot of humidity, but the past week has been in the 80's, with a nice breeze, so it's pretty comfortable.

      In the evening, if the girls' homework is all finished, we often watch an episode of "Psych".  Then it's family scripture reading, family prayer and off to bed about 9:30 pm.  

It's a little different from what I'm used to, but it's alright.