Snow day

Hello from snowy Sapporo!

We made the mistake of trying to go for a walk in the snow... won't be trying that again unless totally necessary! 

I love our Peg-Perego stroller, but it's no Emmaljunga in these conditions and while Elisabeth fell asleep on our short wet walk (and is still sleeping!), it was a hassle and a half to maneuver! Too bad that Emmaljunga is like the Hummer of strollers, because it would never fit here. The Peg-Perego is definitely more compact, like an Alpha Romeo, but even still, not as small as some of the rinky dink strollers we've seen here (which I'd compare to ummm smart cars?).

So definitely an indoor day to update the blog and catch up on shows etc. 

Hmmm...so what to share... 

Well, for one, we got furniture! Woohoo! It definitely feels more home-y here! We have a fridge, which is super nice since now we can store our food up here and eat some meals up here if we want. Although, it's still nice to go downstairs and socialize etc. 

(our 5kg bag of rice in the corner of the picture...)

We have on the top shelf: yogurt, garlic, a carrot, bean sprouts, mushrooms, chicken breast.

Middle shelf: (eggs not pictured), Japanese cucumbers, small bag of shredded cabbage

In drawer: potatoes, bok choy, Japanese spinach

In the door (top -> down): a small jar of baby food that Elisabeth won't eat, a spicy condiment for rice, salad dressing, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, milk. 

Kevin says the milk here is the best milk ever. It's rich. Even the ones lower in fat. It just has a really rich flavor. 

We have a bed, which is serving more as a couch or lounge spot in the corner of our living room/kitchen.

And we have desk and chair. MUCH needed. Elisabeth is a fan of technology so you can imagine her delight at the laptops being on the floor within her reach all the time. Those were some rough days trying to distract her from them!

Yesterday, we bought some umbrellas (yesterday rained, today snowed), for 500yen (about $5) each at Tanuki-koji, the shopping arcade. Well, actually, we bought them in pole town which is under a part of Tanuki-koji. But anywho, mine is a light blue with polka dots and Kevin's is as adventurous as black. 

Then we went to Don Quijote, a little bit of everything store, also 5 floors of madness. We picked up a little water kettle for 1600yen ($16). Now we can make coffee up here in our apartment with our french press AND have milk in it from our fridge. :) It's the little things in life for sure!

After Don Quijote, we went back to Daiso, the big dolla-dolla store. We just got some small storage bins for Elisabeth's toys and some pantry items. We also picked up a little laundry basket. We really need to figure out the laundry thing. I have a mental block regarding it since it went poorly last time, as in did my clothes even get washed or did they just get wet and spin around for an hour? 

 Indeed, it's the little things that can make or break your day! 

I got a chance the other day to take some quick phone photos of downstairs while no one was there! Gives you an idea of how cozy and nice it is. There's also a huge heater that they turn on, so it's roasty-toasty. 

 This is the living room couch. You can see our "movie room" in the back... And our heater in the front...

 A note from the neighbors downstairs last week:

Last night, we ate yummy fried food ready meals from the grocery store. It's hard to resist, especially since they're about $3-4! 

Shrimp, chicken, rice, some kind of egg roll, pickled daikon, and sweet egg. Oh and shredded cabbage under the meat.

When we cook downstairs, we've made scrambled eggs (Elisabeth loves them), veggie and chicken stir fry & rice, and some instant noodles (much better than back at home!). I've also eaten salads, but Kevin's a fan of trying those instant noodles. All in all, minus the snacky food, we've eaten pretty well. 

And while we ate healthily-ish at home, we definitely have more portion control here. We might just lose weight on this new diet ;) 

That's all the pictures and stories I have for today. 

See ya around soon!