The New Domestic

09/02/10

10 Months!

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : 10 Months!

Little Luna is now 10 months old. Luna loves swimming in the pool (we go once a week), sitting on a swing and bouncing on a seasaw at the park. She loves our long walks as she sits in her stroller and watches the world go by. Luna LOVES playing with her nephews Bailey and Nico and gets excited every time they come over to play with her. They always watch her so closely (like her big brothers) and endlessly entertain her.

Luna has also learned her first word – MAMA! Though, she refers to everything and everyone as Mama. Luna has also learned to clap her hands and wave.

Luna has been eating finger foods and enjoys feeding herself. She happily eats a banana all by herself, strawberries, melons and practically anything she can get her hands on. Luna has also enjoyed everything I cooked for her so far. She loves her baby bolognese with ricotta cheese, homemade broccoli cheese sticks, peas steak risotto & macaroni and cheese.

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : 10 Months!

Luna is still sleeping very well and sleeps all night by herself in her room. Oh, the freedom we have! As soon as we turn on Lullatone (given to us by Jonathan & Anita), she knows it’s time to sleep. She’s also made a friend which stays with her everytime she sleeps. It’s a little white lamb which our friend Sophia had given her. She loves her little lamb which she always has tightly wrapped in her arms to keep her cozy at night.

At this stage, we also feel like she should have a few organized activities that she can start participating in. We’ve got a puppet show to go to in our local library next week, a creative movement class which starts in 2 weeks at a community centre and Mother Goose at our local library once a week as well where we all sit in a circle and sing nursery rhymes. She’s also signed up for a baby art class which starts in November. I’m excited for that one!

We still have the last bit of Summer to enjoy and then we welcome what Fall brings to our everyday life.

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : 10 Months!

08/23/10

Terrarium Kit

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : Terrarium Kit

For my birthday, Nerissa made me a Terrarium Kit with all the parts needed to make a terrarium: rocks, charcoal, soil, decorations and a glass vessel. It’s an awesome gift because I’ve been wanting to make one of these for a while now. You can find lots of instructions on Google and many how-to videos on YouTube. The only tip that I’d add is that an oversized pair of chopsticks works really well for placing objects neatly where hands can’t reach. I put the arrangement below together in half an hour, racing against time as the sun set. For a first attempt, I like it. It’s pretty rewarding to design your own miniature eco-system. I can see why it turns into an obsession for some people.

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : Terrarium Kit

DIY / Make / Garden — 4 comments — Posted by: Peter

08/15/10

Picnic at Crab Park

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : Picnic at Crab Park

Today, we spent the afternoon picnicking at a semi-secret park, Crab Park at Portside with our friends Jonathan, Anita, Jamie and Heather. On the hottest day of the summer, the other city beach parks would have surely been jam packed. Jonathan and Anita live in the area and, to beat the weekend rush, suggested Crab Park instead. Sure enough, we had the whole park practically to ourselves. On the menu was a spectrum of finger foods: deli meats, baguette slices, cheese, mixed nuts, fresh berries, chips & salsa and, for dessert, a variety of chocolates. The meal was paired with Villa Teresa Rose’ Veneto and Old Style Pilsner for a high/low, old-world/new-world fusion. Conceptual? Yes. Purely coincidental? Um, maybe.

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : Picnic at Crab Park

Crab Park isn’t well known to people who don’t live in the area. That’s, partly, because it’s surrounded by industry and, partly, because it borders the northern most tip of the Downtown Eastside. If you do make it to the park, you’ll see a 360° microcosm of Vancouver – old, new, rich, poor, scenesters, immigrants, families, singles, industry and nature. To the north are unobstructed views of the North Shore Mountains. To the south, loom the heritage buildings of Gastown and Railtown. To the west, you’ll see the downtown financial district and luxury cruise ships docked at Canada Place. While to the east, is the port with brightly coloured shipping containers that look like giant lego building blocks. Adding to the industrial romance, occasionally, a helicopter will fly by to land at the nearby heliport or a train will chug along the still active railroad. This is not Celebration, Florida, though. You’ll see homeless people and colourful locals dotted throughout the Park. For the most part, they’re just getting some rest in the sun like everyone else. If you’re comfortable with that part of the urban tapestry, give Crab Park a visit. It’s a diamond in the rough.

Domestic 2.0 / Food / Places — 2 comments — Posted by: Peter

08/08/10

A DIY Birthday Party

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : A DIY Birthday Party

Recently, we went to my friend Janice’s birthday party for her little boy Kai who turned 1. The party was filled with little packages of popcorn for everyone to help themselves with, party favours in blue packages filled with their favourite teas, water bottles with custom labels, cupcakes and other yummy treats. I like how everything was cute and on-theme. It was lovely how it all came together. With a little imagination, it’s not really that hard to do. It’s mostly finding readymade packaging and re-imagining it by dressing it up with some ink jet stickers and nice simple designs. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Janice is a professional graphic designer (we both worked together at Kevin Louis Design before we went on mat leave). Kids birthday parties are a fun way to make and experiment with DIY projects. And, it’s also an excuse to treat yourself with all the sweets you wished you could eat everyday. Happy Birthday Kai! Thank your mom for a lovely party.

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : A DIY Birthday Party

Photographs taken by Jason & Lena from Jaylena Photography.

Arts / DIY / Make / Kids — No comments — Posted by: Nerissa

08/05/10

Steak Tacos

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : Steak Tacos

I decided to try Martha Stewarts Fish Tacos recipe but when I looked in the fridge, I realized I didn’t have any fish so I substitute it with steak instead. I marinated the steak with garlic, Maggi, Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil & pepper. I also decided to add some avocado and cherry tomatoes which the recipe didn’t call for. It was pretty quick and easy to prepare everything and making the tacos made dinner a lot more fun too. I also grilled the tortillas directly on an electric burner which I had a lot of fun doing. Not bad for a Thursday night dinner.

Recipe taken from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart Living Magazine.

Food — 1 comment — Posted by: Nerissa

08/03/10

9 Months!

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : 9 Months!

Wow, our little girl is now 9 months old! A few updates this month. Luna can now sit up all by herself! She’s also eating very well. I’ve recently introduced lentils with coriander and fresh mint, peas risotto and tofu. Soon, I’ll be making her homemade hummus for her to dip her baby cookies in. As much as I can, I try to introduce a variety of flavours to constantly expand her palette.

Luna loves sitting and standing on grass. She loves the feeling of it in her little feet. She also loves to grab flowers and leaves and tries to stuff them all in her mouth. Luna doesn’t like the feel of sand in her feet and is afraid of the ocean. But I’ll try to take her to the beach more often so she can get used to it. Luna also loves being taken to the playground to sit in the swing. This has been her new favourite activity.

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : 9 Months!

We’ve also successfully sleep trained her (at 6 months, she decided she didn’t want to sleep in her crib so we’ve been co-sleeping since then). She now is able to sleep all by herself in her crib and sleeps all night. Amazing! And when she wakes up, she quietly plays with her little lamb in her crib and waits for us to come in. We always look forward to going into her room in the morning as she screams with delight as soon as she sees us and is eager to be taken in our arms. These are moments we will always cherish.

We continue to watch our little girl explore her world and are excited to experience what month 10 brings!

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : 9 Months!

Domestic 2.0 / Luna's Monthly Photos — 2 comments — Posted by: Nerissa

07/29/10

A New Favourite

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : A New Favourite

Aside from jumping at home in her jolly jumper, Luna has found a new favourite activity – swinging! I take her to the park on our daily walks to give her a little play time. She loves being pushed quickly and giggles every time the swing comes close to me. Then, she’ll put her feet up and just hang out. This is what summer is all about in Luna’s world.

Domestic 2.0 / Kids — 1 comment — Posted by: Nerissa

07/25/10

Boskke Sky Planter

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : Boskke Sky Planter

For Mother’s Day, I bought Nerissa a Boskke Sky Planter. The day after I bought it, I picked up a nice orchid for it but the root ball was too big to fit inside the small Boskke. Two months later, I got around to finding a replacement plant and hanging the planter up. I chose an Areca Palm which should stay fairly petite with long lyrical leaves once it blossoms out a bit. It’s a clever piece of the design. The act of hanging the plant upside down abstracts the form. It’s no longer just a plant in a white pot. It becomes a whimsical, living piece of sculptural art. It’s a nice addition to our home.

Domestic 2.0 — 1 comment — Posted by: Peter

07/22/10

My First Homemade Pasta

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : My First Homemade Pasta

I made my first homemade pasta today! YUM. And, I had so much fun making them too. It wasn’t as hard as I thought. Though, it does take some time but hopefully with practice, I’ll be faster at it. There’s really nothing like eating homemade pasta. The freshness of the flavour exceeds any pasta you buy from a grocery store. I’m now inspired to make different types of pasta and ravioli might be the next one to make!

For the sauce, I wanted to keep it simple so it doesn’t over power the taste of the fresh pasta. I sauteed garlic and onions in olive oil, then mixed three medium sized chopped tomatoes, basil, oregano, dried chilli flakes, Parmigiano-Reggiano and fleur de sel. Mmm…. it was so good!

Food — 4 comments — Posted by: Nerissa

07/17/10

A Walk in the Woods

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : A Walk in the Woods

We spent part of the day walking in the woods at the beach today admiring all the greenery around us. Then a little picnic and a siesta for the rest of the afternoon. Hope you had a great and relaxing Saturday too.

Domestic 2.0 / Places — No comments — Posted by: Nerissa

07/15/10

Bakers Twine

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : Bakers Twine

Yay, I received my bakers twine in the mail today and i’m so excited (my simple pleasures in life)! I found a fantastic site where you can get them super cheap ($8.95 each + shipping). Each twine is a 2-pound cone – that’s approx. 3,400 yards! I got a red and white one and a lime green and white. I’m so loving them!! These should last me for many years.

You can order them here. Happy twine shopping!

Arts / DIY / Make / Domestic 2.0 — 3 comments — Posted by: Nerissa

07/12/10

Beach Day

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : Beach Day

We spent a full day at the beach yesterday as it’s been scorching hot! I really love summer. The days are longer, the smell of bbq surrounds the air, birds chirping away, ice cream everyday and long days at the beach. It always feels like I’m a kid again. Hope everyone is having a great summer too and not melting from the heat.

Domestic 2.0 / Kids / Places — 1 comment — Posted by: Nerissa

07/09/10

Sharing is Caring

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : Sharing is Caring

Our Weekend Art Project has been making the blog rounds including mentions at Apartment Therapy, How About Orange and Craftzine. Welcome, everybody! Even more exciting is the fact that others have been inspired enough to create their own versions of the painting. Neat to see DIY examples from: A Late Afternoon, Hanna Kim, Holley Simmons and Tabitha Pacheco. Nice work, folks! More to come…Have fun and send us a pic of your creations.

Arts / DIY / Make — 5 comments — Posted by: Peter

07/08/10

A/M Birthday Card

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : A/M Birthday Card

I share a birth date with our friend, Anita Modha. We’re birthday twins, as we like to say. I made this card a couple years back to honor the co-celebrant. The stenciled letter “M” was painted onto a window envelope with neon acrylic paint. The envelope acted as the gift wrap. Using pencil crayon, on a sheet of Eames paper, I filled in a few of the cirles to form an “A” onto the dot pattern. An oversized paper-clip held a couple of Vancouver Art Gallery passes to the sheet. A note was hand scribed onto the back. This formed the card.

When the card was slipped into the envelope, part of the letter “A” is framed in the envelope’s window while the “M” appears to the right forming an abstraction of Anita’s initials. The package was finished off with a thin black ribbon. I still really like this one. It’s simple, graphic, and personalized with just a touch of clever craftiness.

DIY / Make — No comments — Posted by: Peter

07/06/10

Obsessed with Cups

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : Obsessed with Cups

I seem to have an obsession with cups. I don’t know what it is but I think that my coffee tastes better in a cup that has a nice shape or pattern to it. Part of my enjoyment of drinking coffee is the cup itself – it’s part of the experience. As soon as I step into a vintage or a home store, I go straight for the cups. I always stop myself from buying them as we have way more then what we need but just admiring them makes me happy. A few that I absolutely love, but don’t have yet, are: Sentou-ti cups, cinq cups, zipper cups, Fellina Sok-Cham espresso cups, ABC Paper Cups, & Marimekko Oiva cups.

Domestic 2.0 / Food — 5 comments — Posted by: Nerissa

07/06/10

Luna & Cohen

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : Luna & Cohen

Back at Little Nest today for a nice summery lunch with Stacy and her little guy Cohen. Luna and Cohen are only 2 days apart. Though, they still don’t know how to play together yet but hopefully soon they will. Summer is finally here and it is hot outside! A nice lunch at Little Nest and wandering around Commercial Drive made for a perfect day. Hello sunshine – we’ve missed you!

Kids / Places — No comments — Posted by: Nerissa

07/04/10

Eucalyptus Soap

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : Eucalyptus Soap

Mia, an old friend from art school, and her husband, Brent, graced us with a visit this afternoon. A month ago they were vacationing in France and brought back a lovely souvenir for us – Eucalyptus Soap. Coincidentally, we have a big Eucalyptus tree on our backyard. Three years ago we, actually, had four Eucalyptus trees but three of the more spiry ones couldn’t survive the wind and the winters. Also, as an ode to art school, I snapped an image with Sonic Youth’s “A Thousand Leaves” inner sleeve in the background with Kim Gordon peeking through some Eucalyptus branches.

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : Eucalyptus Soap

Arts / Domestic 2.0 — No comments — Posted by: Peter

07/04/10

Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad

Peter Hoang & Nerissa Goco : Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad

I found a great Roasted Corn and Black Bean vegan salad recipe which I decided to try yesterday and I was impressed. I found a new summer salad favourite. But it’s quite ironic as we paired our vegan salad with spicy Italian sausages which Peter barbequed. It’s very easy to make and would be great paired with a nice cold mojito!

I’m starting to feel the urge to start baking again and totally want to try this Rustic Sourdough Bread recipe. It doesn’t only look delicious, it also looks so pretty all packaged nicely with parchment paper and tied with Divine Twine. I’m also drooling just looking at this Peanut-Rice Crispy Treats recipe. I think i’m going to have a busy baking week if I can get myself to stay home!

Food — 2 comments — Posted by: Nerissa

07/03/10