House Everything

And Then There Were None

2011-11-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

October 8, 2011 - Luigi's 2nd official trip to the barber... this time, to have it all shaved up.

The "before" shot:

The "during" shots:

The "after" shot:

With a small black spot in the middle of his forehead - due to a bump he had because of his kalikutan - but, nevertheless, still cute!

Focus on Fitness

2011-10-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

Have you ever experienced feeling bloated and lazy? Or are you often in an eating craze and too many drinking parties?

Do you want to get fit and lengthen your life? Do you want to live your life happy and full of energy?

Well, if your anwers if no, no and yes, yes to above questions, then why don't you start over, leave all of those bad habits behind, get into those athletic apparel and focus on your health and fitness today? At first, it may not be easy but if you think of the benefits of living healthy, then you will be encouraged to really fight for fitness.

Below are some of the unique benefits of regular exercise and getting fit:

1. Regular exercise reduces your risk of premature death. You avoid developing heart disease and different kinds of cancer, which are the main causes of premature death.
2. Your immune system is also strengthen with regular exercise.
3. You sleep better and it's what you need to feel relaxed and energetic the next day.
4. Even without a rigid diet, you tend to cut off those extra pounds.
5. You will even look younger than how you would normally would for your age!
6. Overall, you feel great and happy!

Now what could be better that all that?

I highly encourage you to take up regular exercise not as a daily chore but something that you are doing and will be doing not only for yourself but for your whole family. You may actually start off with just light exercise routines like walking or stretching. When you feel more comfortable with your body, you can do more aerobic exercise such as jumping, running, swimming. After you have managed to take control of your body and energy, you can move forward by adding some strength and muscle conditioning for your routine. With these, you can be fit in no time. Make sure you take nutritious meals and enough rest as well.

Now if you are like me who needs a little bit more boost than the rest, you can allow yourself to be enthused by buying some new clothes for your exercise activities. What I did for myself was to browse and buy through an online clothing store. I was able pick several polo shirts and other women's clothing that fit my body and boost my morale. Now, I am ready to start my exercise routines because I feel good about the way I look and I know in my heart that this is the best thing I can actually do for myself.

Going back to Scrapbooking

2011-09-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

If there's anything that I missed while I was super busy with work - it's blogging and doing digital scrapbooking.

I challenged myself recently to try it out again -- I knew that my photoshop skills are going a bit rusty --- by creating Zoe's school party invitation DIY.

Hmm...although this looks okay - I think I need to practice some more. :-)

Hope I find more time to sit down to create more cute stuff.

Revisiting Ongpin Street

2011-09-25T07:23:00.000-07:00

My new officemates and I went on a mini-field trip to Chinatown last July. It was more of a food trip actually, but nevertheless very culturally enriching.

Let the pictures speak for themselves.

Posing with the group:

Poong Nazareno found inside Binondo Church:

Kalesa ride, anyone?

What is a Binondo trip without stopping by at Tasty?

Siomai to perfection:

Siopao which I couldn't resist:

Colorful version of the siopao infront of Eng Bee Tin:

Saying a little prayer thru incense:

Fruits at a very low price:

Luvet! I'm definitely coming back!

Shopping Alternative

2011-05-25T00:49:00.000-07:00

We were gifted with this colorful picture frame a couple of years ago and it's only now that I was able to take it out from its "hiding place" and be able to put the kids' pictures inside.

How lovely it turned out to be! This one now sits on the glass table in the living room. :-)

Now I realize how we can easily forget gifts received through the years. When Christmas or birthdays pass, we sometimes forget to immediately put the gifts to use. In some instances even, we forget them altogether and they rust away or get spoilt, making them useless stuff.

I know that I have a lot more "good stuff" which I have on storage and not used. I still have a ton of bags, lotions, perfumes, etc. etc. in the cabinet!!! Don't you think this is enough reason for me to skip going around the mall for now and stop buying stuff here and there? As an alternative, what I just gotta do is really bring out those gifts in storage and make use of them. It's like buying new stuff without spending a single cent.

How cool is that?

Funny Find: Lunch Bugs

2011-05-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

The page says: Sick of sharing your sandwich with your co-workers? This is one way to be totally sure that no one will ever want to touch your lunch again.

Eww and LOL!

Vacation's Over

2011-05-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

Vacation is over. Well, at least for me, of course. I was on quite a busy but memorable vacation for the past days with my family but inevitably had to go back to my corporate life, this time with a new company. Hopefully, I will find my stay in this company so worthwhile.

Speaking of work, one of the first emails I got in my inbox is an email from HR informing everyone about the annual vaccination program for the employees. Unlike in my previous job where you get one free vaccine for yourself, all of the vaccines to be availed here are to be charged to the employee, albeit at a lesser price. Nurses and doctors wearing hospital scrubs uniforms will come in at a given day to administer to the employees the vaccines which they've ordered. I'm actually thinking if I should also order at least a flu vaccine for my kids. Hmm. They are both due for that same vaccine anyway. Oh, by the way, this reminds me that I still need to do some research for a nurse-friend of mine looking for scrubs. I will tell her that she can actually find cheap but nice nursing or medical scrubs in this link http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/Original-Scrubs/. I am quite sure she will find what she needs there.

Ta-ta for now!

Our St. Nick

2011-04-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

St. Nicholas of Bari is a popular saint often associated with asking for financial assistance, protection of children, and of course, Christmas gift-giving.

Because my husband and I have been praying to him to keep our finances sound and our kids and house safe for the longest time, we've always wanted to get a St. Nicholas statue for the house. It is also to replace/complement our already-dilapidated St. Nicholas novena prayer card that is posted on our cork board near the telephone in the living room. :-)

Happily last March, I was able to find a lovely wooden figure of him from Deinar. Fina of Deinar handed St. Nicholas to us with the reminder that we can truly pray to him to give us money, a lot of money, but just enough.

So, here he is.

The figure fits perfectly at the wall adjacent to our main door. And as we had the figure blessed and then hung on the wall, we pray that he continues to be one of the guardians of the kids, the house and our wallets. :-)

For more info and stories on this saint, click here.

So, House Everything?

2011-04-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

This blog has been an utterly neglected space in the world wide web. Huhu. But I think I'm about to do something about it now.

Find more interesting articles in the next minutes or so. I'm definitely back in the grind! Ha!

Love,
Vina

Zoe with Zoe, Luigi with Luigi

2010-12-22T19:51:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post...

As a young lady, I was never really the one to think ahead of the names of my future children. In fact, we only thought of the names of our kids just a few months before I gave birth to them. Sometimes, I, myself, feel amused on how my kids ended up with their respective names. :-)

Anyway, speaking of names, it was quite cute that my kids incidentally both have cartoon characters named like them.

Here's Zoe with Zoe (of Sesame Street):

And here's Luigi with Luigi (of Mario Bros.)

So cute, right?

Strawberry Sofa

2010-11-28T22:01:00.001-08:00

Trust new upholstery to oomph your old sofa...

I decided to move our old rattan sofa (which we replaced with a brand new one from Mandaue Foam) from the sala to our family room in the attic. And since the family room had a new red color-theme, I had the sofa reupholstered using a strawberry-printed cloth.

All I can say is: it came out SWEET! :-)

From this old look:

...to this new look:

Before:

After:

Peso Power:

Strawberry-printed textile: Php 1,200

Labor: Php 600

It was a great project!

Yellow Painting - The One

2010-09-30T03:21:00.000-07:00

My hubby and I have been "forever" looking for a yellow painting or artwork to put in our living room to replace the old oil painting that we've had for years.

After quite a long wait, we finally found something that fits perfectly in our wall and best of all, it's swack on the budget. We got it (of all places) from Dapitan and we've satisfied with how it looked.

See here:

Now our living room looks so much brighter and happy!

Goodbye Red, Hello Green

2010-09-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

Early this month, we bid goodbye to our loyal but storm-battered friend (red) Mica.

And immediately after said HELLO to a new and bigger friend Mica (now colored green).

Taken during the car's binyag :-)

The kids instantly fell in love with him! :-)

Thanks be to God for another blessing like this.

Great Finds at Dapitan

2010-09-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

At long last, my hubby and I found time last week to go to the popular Dapitan Arcade. It's crazy how it took us so long to come and visit the place. It's a shopping haven for those who love bargain house items and it's perfect for those who want to be the next Martha Stewart. LOL.

First up, cutie ceramic containers, best for those on the side toyo-patis-suka during meals. Only 15 bucks each.

And then, this cake tray, which I thought was such a hard thing to find in the malls, was literally all over the place! It even came in different shapes and colors and only for around 150 pesos.

Our next great buy are these matching candle-holders and bowl which complements our brand new sala set. Love it!

Something now for the bathroom - a pink fish-shaped soap dish. I like the color a lot so we bought it. At 45 pesos, who can resist it?!

Last, but not the least, a stylish liquid soap dispenser (pang-hotel ang dating). I love the flowery detail at the center. It makes our bathroom look so "five star".

Actually, there is one more thing we bought there. It's not so cheap but it's definitely the best buy of them all. I'll post it here soon after we put it up.... :-)

Dapitan Arcade - we're definitely coming back for more!

New Sofa

2010-09-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

My husband and I finally found the perfect sofa for our living room. We had it custom-made and it arrived just this week.

Lookie here:

It turned nicely and it really matched the color of our walls.

Now all I got to worry about now is keeping the big sister from enjoying the sofa too much...

Foodie Find - Lydia's Lechon

2010-07-12T04:17:00.000-07:00

My husband and I recently discovered that the nearby Lydia's Lechon in our place actually has a restaurant at the back portion. All along, we thought that it was just take-out place. Because of this discovery, we had found ourselves flocking there for "instant handa". One time, we got ourselves a couple of kilos of Cebu lechon. It was so yummy that it disappeared in no time.

Lechon is really a Filipino's guilty pleasure. Yummy!

My oh my...

2010-07-12T04:08:00.000-07:00

I really seemed to have taken a vacation from blogging here.

There are just so many things going around now and it's mostly work, work, work. Nah, I'm not complaining (well not yet). God gave me a new job and I'm bravely taking on the challenge. I believe that better does not exactly mean easier. And at this point, I think it's foolish to think otherwise.

My oh my. I just hope I have enough stamina to go through all the changes in my life.

The house got robbed.

2010-06-19T23:58:00.000-07:00

I never thought I could be writing something like this in my blog or anywhere else. Yup, our house (mainly our house annex) was broken into last Saturday in broad daylight. Nobody discovered it until it was already about nine in the evening. When the yaya got into her quarters, she couldn't seem to open the door to her room. She sensed that something was wrong so she immediately went down to ask F. "to look for her keys". So when F. went up, he found the doors of the two rooms destroyed, the room broken into and everything in chaos. He immediately tried to wake us up but to no avail since my husband, kids and I were already in deep sleep at the time. So he decided to ask the help of our neighbor instead to check the vicinity of the house just in case the burglar is still hiding or is still around the area.

Anyway, that's then that they discovered that all the valuables of the two house assistants were already stolen. The two rooms were a total mess and it seemed as if the trespasser was there inside for quite a long time since he was able to find all the hidden money and jewelries that our maids have and own.

Oh it's so sad.

We think that the robber went through our wall at the back or maybe through the garage. Plus I really hope he won't come back and try getting inside the main house (dear God, no!).

On our part, we're planning to build a higher wall with barb wires, pieces of glass -- the works -- so that this won't happen again. I also have been looking for a garage door remote that probably help us in terms of safety. With a garage door remote, we don't need to go out of the house to open the garage for the car that's coming. I saw the Linear and Genie brands and I think it's both good.

At any rate, please pray that this kind of thing would NEVER EVER happen again.

Zoe's a Flowergirl

2010-06-19T23:41:00.000-07:00

This was taken during Ria and Michael's wedding last May 22 at Christ the King Parish, Church in the Sky in Taytay.

For the very first time, Zoe walked to the altar on her own. I'm such a proud mama. She's really growing up and becoming more independent now. Sigh .

For Sale

2010-06-19T23:32:00.000-07:00

My dad is finally decided on selling his ’96 Toyota Hilux truck. We really love this vehicle since it belonged to the family for so many years. Actually, all the people close to us know that we fondly call this truck as “Rex” since my dad bought this car through his writing projects with Rex Publishing.

Anyway, this truck is still in good working condition, "hindi na-Ondoy", still has original parts and paint. It has several nice accessories attached to it such as a chrome tailgate handle, new sound system, step bars, etc. It’s colored red plus the tires are extra big. It runs on diesel so it’s economical compared to gas-run engines.

Anyone interested? Drop me a line.

One Thing I Learned from Cinderella

2010-06-02T17:59:00.000-07:00

Zoe is addicted to Cinderella. She asks me to pop the dvd the very moment she wakes up and says, "Mom, Cinderella please!" ~

Some days I oblige, some days I don't (and she ends up in tears).

But if there's one thing I (we) learned from watching Cinderella almost everyday ~ is that we have to make our make our beds before we leave our room in the morning just like how Cinderella would do.

We've learned to pretend that Zoe is Cinderella and I'm one of her mouse or bird friends who help her along fix her bed (and prepare her bath) while singing "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes". And it's actually enjoyable to do!

And since Cinderella is Zoe's idol now, making beds is not such a hard task anymore.

Here's the youtube video:

Thank you, Cinderella!

For PWDs

2010-05-26T17:51:00.000-07:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of NMEDA. All opinions are 100% mine.

PWDs or people with disability are gaining so much advantage and benefits from NMEDA. NMEDA or National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association is a non-profit organization that is there to help the many people with any form of disability in terms of transportation and moving around from place to place.

I myself have experienced this in my family when my Dad's mother-in-law was still alive. She had her lower leg removed due to complications of her diabetes and had to live with this disability for many years. And although she was given an artificial leg which is attached for her to be able to walk around the house, it was still hard especially when she needed to be brought out. What was extra hard is to bring her in and out of the car. You see, their car wasn't made for this kind of situation. Anyway, she had already passed away two years ago.

Now you can see what a benefit it would be for families of people with disabilities such as my Ninang's family if their means of transportation had a special feature that would enable the person to be brought in and out of the vehicle without the many hassles. Well, NMEDA is definitely there to promote this advocacy.

My Art Supplies Box

2010-05-19T23:36:00.001-07:00

One of my perrennial organization problems is managing my art and craft supplies.

Coming from a standpoint where I was very "OC" when it came to my wedding, my kid's birthday parties and then now that I am officially a mother of a preschooler, I had accumulated so many of those art supplies which may "come in handy" when the occasion called for it.

Thus, my supplies were overflowing with too many...

...art paper

...pentel pens

...ballpens

...colored boards and papers

...crepe papers

...gift wrappings

...ribbons

...strings

...stickers

...etc. etc.

I finally put my foot forward and ended my messy tendency. I purchased a plastic box from the supermarket and organized everything craft and art-related into one big box.

Ta-dah!!! (My art supplies box is the one on top.)

Now, I don't have to keep on buying art supplies when I don't really need to since I can see everything properly.

By doing this, I believe that I saved my family a few hundred bucks.

On Grass and Lawnmowers

2010-05-19T17:58:00.000-07:00

When I was young, our house had a beautiful lawn with Bermuda grass, some coconut-like trees and many flowery plants. I still remember those memories from my childhood when we would play hide and seek behind the bushes in our garden or play “luksong tinik” (I don’t know what’s the English translation of this) with our friends.

Among all those things, what was very memorable really for me is the grass that we had back then. It was lovely. If we still have it now, it would have been great especially with the kids around. I particularly love the smell of morning dew and freshly-cut grass. Well, who doesn’t? I still remember being asked to cut the grass manually using big garden scissors (I got calluses from that, oh dear). But you know, now there are great mountfield lawnmowers that can do the same job for half of the time. A mountfield mower looks efficient and easy to maneuver. If only I can recreate the garden we had back then somewhere in our new backyard, then I would be so tempted to buy a mountfield petrol lawnmower to do the grass-cutting for me.

Cleaning Challenge of the Week - Zoe's Study Area

2010-05-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

With Zoe's very first time to go to a regular preschool this coming June, I thought of preparing her better by re-arranging her study table and books into a more conducive area in the attic.

I no longer want her study table to just act as a "display" and dust accumulator. It's high time to convert it into something useful. So first thing I did was to clean and clear this particular space in the attic to make way for her new study nook.

These rubber mats will "define" her working space, i.e. this space will belong to Zoe while the opposite side (for a later post) will be Mommy's working space.

After much introspection, this is the finished product:

Now Zoe has a space to do her "writing", arts, crafts and "studying". She also now has one place to put all her current books and bedtime readings.

She loves it!

I love it too.

Thank you for the greetings!

2010-05-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who remembered me on my special day. God bless us all.
Yeah, I'm one year older (and wiser) today.

Fish Fillet with Corn Sauce

2010-05-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

I was a bit inspired by Pinoycook.net's fish fillet with corn sauce that I decided to try out the dish.

We used cream dory fish, dipped it in egg wash and seasoned flour.

Then I deep-fried it on our electric fryer (a wedding gift that we only got to use now, hahaha).

This is how it turned out.

On the serving dish...

As for the sauce, I sauteed garlic and onion in butter then added salt, pepper, cream of corn and a bit of water. That's it.

Ready for a yummy dinner!

Emer & Ruby's Wedding

2010-05-03T22:56:00.001-07:00

Our good friend Ruby finally married her boyfriend Emer at Sta. Maria della Strada Parish last May 01. It was a joyous occasion and we were very delighted to have been part of the culmination of their love story.

The wedding was solemn and well-planned. (I am quite biased since I love the church so much ~ we got married in the same church, that's why.)

Anyway, reception was held at Ayala Hillside Clubhouse.

Our barkada picture...

Best wishes R & E!

*thanks to Gra for the pics!

Chapel Renovation

2010-05-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

Our village chapel is going to be renovated soon and we are gearing up to find the funds for its much-needed face-lift. I heard that the plan is make the façade into something like an old Spanish-styled church. By this, they will need to redo the front window box planters and replace it with a planter that is of a different style, like something with bricks and rust-colored paint. And of course, the decorative planters need to be placed high above the ground since with our recent experience with the Tyhpoon Ondoy, all the ornamental plants in front of the chapel were all swept away by the high flood water. Tsk. Tsk.

In addition, I also heard that we will need to replace the chapel’s old roof. The existing one already has so many holes in it, thus, it needs to be changed too so that when the rainy season comes, there won’t be so many leaks here and there.

Oh, so many plans and so little resources! Please send financial help if you have some extras. For sure, your assistance will go a long, long way.

Zoe on Vacation

2010-04-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

Zoe went away with my Dad and Ninang in Batangas for a vacation last Tuesday because we are yaya-less for two weeks.

It's been 6 days since then and I'm missing her so badly. I practically had never been away from her from the day our eyes met (minus the 3 days I spent in the hospital to give birth to Luigi). I miss her voice, her "kakulitan", our bedtime stories, her singing, everything!!! Whaaa!

But good thing is, today, she is coming home.

For sure, she will be smothered with hugs and kisses from her Mom.

xox

Fundraising Project

2010-04-23T21:19:00.001-07:00

For many years now, I have somehow been involved in various construction projects for the Center. We ask for donations from generous people who are willing to help us in our worthwhile endeavors which benefit not only a small group but a huge number of people. We have done it before with the Tagaytay Conference Center, the Campanilla project and many other houses. These were all built for the spiritual as well as cultural formation of women of all age and social class. And now we are doing it again. Our latest project is the Kanluran Kamawi building which will be the venue for women, particularly for those less fortunate ones in the area. This will be the place where they can learn livelihood skills and even hotel and restaurant management. There will also spiritual formation given there. It has a lot of great possibilities and for sure it will do a lot of good for years and years.

Anyway, with the cost of construction going up by the day, we are in urgent need of more funds in order to pay the contractor. You see, the money that has been going to this project come purely from donations. And as of date, our fundraising thermometer tells us that we need to double the efforts so that we can finish this house on time and without going into debt just to pay the contractor. Good thing that as a response to the need, many of us are already doing our share of research on how to raise money for the project. Some even try to copy how school fundraisers do it. It actually works to copy to successes of others in order to bring positive results. And of course, there is nothing like praying and praying a lot to God to send more donations, since we know that this is all for Him.

Love Pillowcases

2010-04-20T20:52:00.001-07:00

Aren't these so cute?

I found these here and can't stop myself from drooling.

Lola A's Birthday

2010-04-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

It was my mother-in-law's 79th birthday last April 10 and we all flocked to their house to celebrate the occasion.

Here are some pictures.

(L-R) - Luigi, Lola A, Zoe and Robbie

Luigi with cousin Beni:

Zoe monopolizing the videoke:

Happy Birthday Nay! We love you!

Kitchen Renovation

2010-04-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

My friends who recently migrated to Canada are starting anew with their growing family in this new country. They left their jobs in the Philippines to seek greener pastures as immigrants. For starters, they recently got a new house and are trying to do a renovation to suit their family’s needs. And since they are rather new and are not so familiar with the goings-on about general contractors, they are looking for ways to get the best deals. Good thing, the internet is helping them a lot in their search for a good, professional and reliable Calgary Contractor who can do the work for them.

First on their list is to tap a contract with kitchen renovation Calgary. They want a kitchen which has sturdier and space-saving cabinets and a place for their dishwasher and oven-top. Plus, they would want to be able to have ample working space for them to still cook up their favorite Filipino dishes even while in a far away country. Cool!

Tif's Treat

2010-04-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

My kumare and good good friend Tif treated me out to dinner a few weeks ago.

We drove all the way to QC to a place called 8 Spices for a sumptuous Thai dinner.

She ordered these for 2 people to eat.

Judging from the pictures here, you can say what you want. Admittedly, we were overly-full but happy. (Note: My hubby, who picked me up that night, finished off our left-overs, hahaha).

Really, nothing beats a night of food, friends, stories and laughter.

Thanks Tif! I really appreciate the treat.

Shopping for the Little Boy

2010-04-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

I went again to the Bel-air store where they sell baby clothes some days before Holy Week.

Although the selection was pretty much the same since I was last there in August, I was able to get a lot of pieces that were just the right size (or even bigger) for my baby boy for almost half the price.

This made me really promise not to ever buy baby clothes again in the department store. Or at least for now. :-)

On a date again.

2010-04-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

Last week was a pretty stressful week for us. For one, there were some issues that we had to go through and pray about. And then work was, as usual, busy. While I created dozens of proposals for salary structure improvements, my hubby was busy dealing with people and helping them in terms of reverse mortgage information. In fact, I would test him sometimes on how well his knowledge is about reverse mortgage and what the reverse mortgage pros and cons are. Based on his answers, I could swear my husband has turned from an IT professional into a mortgage expert. And I see how much has changed with his disposition now. He’s so much relaxed, so much happier, without any regrets. The big sacrifice that he did a few months back has indeed paid off. There is nothing like trusting your gut feel and keeping your priorities right.

Overall, I am quite happy that we both are enriching ourselves and our minds with the challenges we encounter daily at work, even with the stresses and all.

Anyway, since it was another three-day weekend last week, we thought of leaving the kids behind and going out for dinner to somewhere new. With this in mind, we found ourselves going to Quezon City, particularly at the site of the UP Ayala Techno Hub where there are several new dining options.

Our feet led us to Kanin Club.

The last time we ate at Kanin Club was when we went to Sta. Rosa and then up to Tagaytay for Zoe’s 2nd birthday. And obviously, we missed their signature Crispy Dinuguan.

We waited around 40 minutes to get seats but since the breeze was a bit cold outside, we really didn’t mind.

Here’s a view of the UP Ayala Techno Park, the restaurant, salt and pepper squid appetizer we ordered and Kanin Club’s Crispy Dinuguan.

The dinuguan was high in cholesterol but it was delicious and not necessarily bad if you take it only once in a blue moon.

Cleaning Challenge for the Week

2010-04-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

I did a cleaning challenge last Saturday (and I plan to do it every week).

I aimed for our big tv rack in the bedroom because it needed MUCH ATTENTION. I hadn't moved that piece of furniture for the longest time (since it was very heavy!) and I bet that it contained so much dirt already.

I was right.

Here is proof.

First, I removed all the other heavy stuff inside the cabinet (except for the tv) so I can move the rack myself.

Taking a peep. Oppps!

Eeeeeekkkkk!!! (Screams!)

That's a truckload of dust and dirt!

After cleaning it, the amount of dirt almost filled my trash can to the brim and I almost got an allergy after doing the chore. Hahahaha.

Well, at least it's clean now.

I'm looking forward to next week's challenge.

Can't Help It

2010-04-12T22:30:00.001-07:00

I know that I should be controlling my sugar intake...but...

I just can't help it.

I received this frozen brazo de mercedes from a friend in the office and I just had to give in.

One word: YUMM-O.

Loving the Kitchen

2010-04-11T07:05:00.000-07:00

As a young lady, I experienced a time when I was totally addicted to cooking and baking. I would spend hours and hours back then making chocolate cakes, crinkles, different kinds of pasta, and many other delicious treats.

However, when I started to go to college, my affair with cooking took a back seat since I had to work my ass off making linear graphs, downward-sloping curves and all that economics stuff. More so as the years passed by, I saw myself spending less and less time in the kitchen and more and more time literally out of the house.

Anyway, with the advent of cable tv (which we didn't have back then) and HGTV (LOL!), those memories of my time working in the kitchen slowly grow back. Besides wanting to cook up dinners and desserts, I come drooling at the lovely kitchens that they show on tv. I'm not exactly complaining on the look and beauty of my own kitchen. However, if only I had a chance, I'll get myself some kitchen remodeling contractors to make my kitchen look a little bit more like the kitchen of Ina Garten or Martha Stewart. A newly-refurbished kitchen like that would be so awesome and will surely make me stay longer in the kitchen!

Our House Cats

2010-03-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

I caught a chance to photograph our house cats the other day using my cellphone camera.

This was taken at the back door leading to the smaller house and dirty kitchen.

Looks like our cats truly know how to pose for the camera.

:-)

Let's count - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5....

Well, we actually have more than 5 cats in the house. We have like 10!!!

I Need to Have my Eyes Checked

2010-03-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

I was telling my husband the other day that I seem to have enough reason to have my eyes checked and my eyeglasses replaced. I told him that first, ever since I gave birth to Luigi, even with my glasses on, my sight still seems blurred. Second, I told him that even if I have to replace my frames, I know that I can get the lowest price progressive glasses at Zenni Optical, the #1 online Rx glasses store.

He was sceptical at first, but of course, after reading Eric's Review of Zenni Optical, he's definitely willing to make me buy a new pair that looks like this:

I WANT this book!

2010-03-25T22:21:00.000-07:00

"Life and Adventures of a Water-Wheel Donkey… and His Little Watch-Mender"

It's a cute little book for kids on the based on simple life of St. Josemaria. The "speaker is a guardian angel, just like the one you have."

I think it's a great book on how to introduce the reality of guardian angels to your kids. Yes, guardian angels, or angels per se, are realities, not just a product of our imagination.

Writer and Illustrator: Paulina Mönckeberg
Palabra Publishers, “Libros Ilustrados” series
Vida de San Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer

Miss Thrifty

2010-03-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

Ms. Thrifty, well, that is me.

Even with the recent bonus that I got, I still have to live that virtue of being thrifty in order to make ends meet in the family. My motto is: Money doesn't grow on trees. Thus, as the mother in the family, I have to make sure that all the money that comes in is monitored and used firstly on our basic needs and then, on a limited basis, for some extras.

One of those things that I am thinking about is that if would be needing a garage door remote for our house. Well all know that the safety of our family and our property is a main concern of any parent. And oh what a joy it will be if we can afford to upgrade our garage so that it will have a garage keypad and a garage door receiver. Then we will be sleeping soundly every night without any worries that someone will try to break in into our garage and home.

Anyway, going back to being thrifty. I recently have tried to be extra particular in the use of electricity at home. I received our monthly bill last month and I almost fainted. Our bill almost takes all of my take-home pay! It's crazy. And so I needed to make some radical changes so can save a little bit and be able to pay our electric bill monthly. Argh! It's really so hard to budget.

Remember when we went to Tanay with friends to have our summer outing? I totally scrimped on Zoe's bathing outfit and decided to make her use her very old (but only used once) swimsuit which I got ages ago from the Chicco store in the old Glorietta.

Here are the pictures.

First, here's Zoe wearing the suit at around 8 months old:

And now, here she is at 3.5 years!

My golly gee!

Some of you may be interested...

2010-03-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

SM City Taytay is having a 3-day sale starting March 26. Great discounts and free parking await those who are SM Advantage, SM Prestige and BDO Rewards members.

Plus, the mall hours are extended! Hoot, hoot!

Personally, I like going to SM Taytay because it's close to our house (meaning it's a doable distance for our Ondoy car) and there's less traffic going there compared to going to the other malls. Besides, Zoe likes to shop at their department store coz there's less people, less competition. :-)

Heaven-sent

2010-03-25T02:13:00.001-07:00

Lately, I’ve been very lucky to be able to hitch a ride with a neighbor going to the office. We used to belong to the same company but now she works in another office. The good thing is, her new office is still located at the central business district of Makati. Anyway, I’m just so glad that she offers me a ride to work whenever she can. Now, many of my mornings are now relaxing compared to when I still have to fall in the line to get a service going to work. Plus, I am always never late anymore.

On the way to the office, we just talk about anything: our cell phone plans, her recently acquired IPhone, our individual office rants and so on and so forth. Thus, we barely even notice the traffic on the road. And since we both work in a bank, we also tend to compare notes on our bank services, i.e. how we ask clients to apply for credit card and how we keep our interest rates competitive since that is what our customers want.

I really learn a lot from her. She is truly heaven-sent.

Me Yesterday - In Statistics

2010-03-24T02:52:00.000-07:00

Organic Onesies by Natsumi

2010-03-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

We recently bought an Osh Kosh bodysuit for our little boy. I thought it was already cute...

...but this one is definitely cuter plus it's organic!

From the website:

Teach them early the benefits of growing strong and appreciate the beauty of being ‘green’! This organic cotton onesie is super soft and very gentle on your baby’s skin. It’s made in the USA and the cotton is grown without any pesticides or chemicals, making it the perfect onesie for your little sprout!

Natsumi grew up in the rural countryside on the Southern coast of Japan surrounded by beaches and mountains, which became her playground. It was there she became deeply inspired by nature. Now living in New York City, she mixes the elements of the natural world with ideas from contemporary art, design, fashion and architecture. Natsumi’s work consists of simple line illustrations and watercolors.

About Narcissism and the Small Pleasures in Life

2010-03-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

There are just some things that money can’t buy, as the saying goes. Our happiness is not dependent on the things we have and own but in our disposition in life. As such, it does not matter if we can’t afford to buy most expensive things around. What’s important that we live in unity with our beliefs and are one with God. It does not necessitate that we be rich to be happy. If God makes us rich, then well and good, but if not, let us not feel sad.

Sometimes, or rather, many times, with the strong influence of media and the world, we forget this and fall into this narcissism, a failure that, sadly, we also bring upon our own children. My vision is to lead by example in our family so that my kids would not grow up to be materialistic, concerned only about themselves and have that me, my, mine attitude. I don’t think this is the way to bring up good and responsible kids.

In line with this, I read this wonderful article yesterday about the 101 small pleasures you can enjoy everyday. And since small pleasures are my thing, I was inspired to come up with my own random, albeit shorter, list that is based on my personal experience.

1. Discovering your vocation
2. Finding your soul mate
3. Getting the best teachers
4. Having a good cup of coffee made by hubby
5. Creating an original poem
6. Hugs and kisses
7. A clean house
8. Finishing my prayers before I’m too tired to do so
9. Pasta
10. Garden flowers
11. Free access to the playground
12. Aerobics with neighbors
13. Breast milk
14. A pat in the back
15. My kid learning to spell
16. Love letters
17. Good friends
18. Comfy robes to make you look decent enough to go down for breakfast at home. (I also love those soft bathrobes available in hotels, not that we always get bath robes in hotels since we seldom make trips now).
19. Three-day weekends
20. Pregnancy

Our Tanay Getaway

2010-03-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

We flocked to Tanay last Saturday for a short summer getaway with some college buddies. It's a great trip that leaves you rejuvenated and not-so-tired compared to going to other vacation destinations.

The trip going was short and relaxing. It only took us an hour and a half to get there (although we did extend a bit because we got a little lost, hehe).

When we arrived there, the place gave us a burst of sunny feeling. It's a great place to unwind from the bustle and hustle of city life. There are several pools, sizeable cabanas and a coffee shop where you can just chill.

Of course, the kids get the best advantage (here's Zoe having fun in the water and our Luigi with Momarco hosts G and E).

We capped the trip with a heathy competition of Wii Tennis.

Ah...that was a relaxing day. I want to go back there again and again and again.

Planning a Home Office

2010-03-22T03:32:00.000-07:00

I am currently on the lookout for nice computer desks for the home office that I want to put up at our house’s attic area. You see, I’ve been forever prodding my husband to give me a nook where I can do my home management tasks and a place where I can do my on-the-side writing jobs. And knowing how passionate I am in my doing my daily work as a home manager (making menu and grocery lists, filing different house bills and insurance papers, doing my family’s financial accounting, etc.) and also in my work as a blogger, he agreed to buy me some home office furniture to be put at our attic. I actually already have a design in mind. I’m planning on painting the walls first into a dark red color and then going for a desk style that is sleek, minimalist and in the color white. I also have to measure the correct dimensions of the desk and cabinets so that it will fit perfectly in our attic space.

Speaking of building things, as a result, I think we also need to find a new place for the kids to play because in order to give way to my new office furniture, the kids’ stuff would have to be moved and placed elsewhere. Besides, it’s inevitable to transfer the kids’ toys and books to a different place since these are just too many! Plus, the kids often find it hard to play in the attic during the afternoons since the afternoon sunlight causes the room to be extra hot and it’s not comfortable to be playing there at all. At least, if that will be my future office, I wouldn’t normal work in the afternoons since I have a full-time job. Most likely, I would be using that work space on weekend mornings or in the evenings when I come home from work.

C is for...

2010-03-22T02:05:00.000-07:00

...Carrot Cupcake!

These were lovingly prepared by my friend C.

I swear, these are the most delicious carrot cupcakes I've ever tasted and I'm not even a carrot fan for that matter. (The picture doesn't do justice, actually.) And with the huge serving of cream cheese icing that she tops it with, you will literally forget your name. So yummy!

:-)

And what's better - you can order them thru me. :-D Just throw in a message at the shoutbox for more info.

On the Side...

2010-03-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

I had been fairly interested on commercial and personal insurance lately. It's because I recently really met some nice people who are in the home insurance business. Actually, their company is an offshore IT unit of a big company involved in home insurance in New York, among other things.

Anyway, my interest led me to do some background check. So I looked at the site of the Insurance Information Institute to do some research and be able to learn more about their status of their company. In fairness, I think they are stable enough as an organization since their are currently in expansion mode and off-hand, I think that's a pretty good sign.

Now, that leaves me to wait if my plans will push through. :-)

Dinner at Claw Daddy's Serendra

2010-03-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

My friend C treated us out a few weeks ago to dinner at Claw Daddy's in Serendra to celebrate her birthday.

Of course, we had a super fun time eating and chatting.

Here's us...girls first and then the boys (parang gustong sumama nung waiter sa pic, hehe).

Foodies galore!

Before we said good-bye, hunny took a picture of C, B and E chillin' outside the resto.

Back... and then... front. ☻

Thanks C for the lovely treat! Belated Happy Birthday!

We're Ready for Summer!

2010-03-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

We're gearing up for the summer! This Saturday, my college friends and our families are going up to Tanay in our friend's newly-renovated resort to have a super fun time under the sun.

We're bringing the two kids with us, of course. If you know me well, you would know that I'm not exactly a beach (err..water) person. Thus, we really seldom go to swimming outings. Given that, please be don't be so surprised to know that this would actually be just the second time for Zoe to be on an out-of-town swimming trip and then the very first time for baby Luigi. Personally, I really prefer making use of above ground pool pumps at home for some fun time with the water. I like the idea of mimicking a swimming party by just inviting friends and their kids over to our house, let them play on an inflatable pool and have some good food like barbeque and other snacks. I have surveyed some quick set pools in the market and find it safer and not to mention cheaper than bringing the whole family to far-flung beach places for a swimming adventure. With the cost of gas these days, I'd very much stay at home, thank you. Besides, I also don't like to me and my kids to get too sunburnt from staying too long under the sun. With an inflatable pool, which sometimes comes with a above ground pool cover, you can swim outdoors and indoors too! And when you're at home, you can distract them from swimming with other things like tv, fun games and yummy food. Hehehe.

Anyway, I'm giving in on this weekend's outing since it will be courtesy of my friend and we are only hitching a ride with another friend. :-) We already got Zoe a new inflatable Dora The Explorer life vest and she's excited to use it already. :-)

Craving Carbonara

2010-03-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

We ate this wonderful comfort food last Saturday at Claw Daddy's Serendra (treat c/o good friend Cherry - a post to follow) and now I'm craving for it again!

My friends may have been too busy chit-chatting to notice that I ate most of this dish all by myself (though I did share it a bit with Gracia). Hahaha. Wish I could make a quick trip to Serendra again this lunch...wishing, wishing...

Happy Bonus

2010-03-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

I just finished a major project at work which concerns our annual variable bonus. We released the letters today and all the people concerned are ecstatic on how much their bonus will be.

While many are just itching to use their money for shopping for new stuff, like an cellphones or luxury bags, I’m keeping the air of temperance this time and opting to use the money for paying off some debts and hopefully closing some accounts. I also allotted part of it for the enrollment of our daughter for this next school year (and this doesn’t come cheap these days). And of course, another percent of the total will go to some house renovation and house stuff. I am looking at some address plaques because I want to replace our old one with a new address sign. You see the two wall address plaques (one with the number and the other with a religious image) that we currently have both got rusty when it was submerged in flood water last September.

Anyway, I am realizing now that it was much different then when I was single and didn’t have a family yet. Now the mother and home manager in me just wants to look after my family’s welfare ALL THE TIME.

Ariel, Snow White and Zoe

2010-03-17T23:47:00.000-07:00

Lately, Zoe has become a fan of Ariel and Snow White. She plays with her dolls all day long and makes it a point that they sleep beside her at night.

We watched Snow White on cable last Sunday and to my surprise, she stuck to the TV for the whole extent of the movie. :-) Wow!

For Wine Lovers

2010-03-17T04:17:00.000-07:00

I came across a blog a few months ago wherein the person finds the thrill in trying out with a certain group of friends the different wines served mostly in known restaurants across town. Well, I learned from that that it takes experience and quite an expertise to develop the skill of pairing wine with the correct type of food.

At any rate, as much as I want to experience that same level, because of economy, I would rather keep a just a small personal collection of good vintage wine in the house. Not that I’m an alcoholic or something (far from it). But we do appreciate a good glass of wine on special occasions. Anyway, one of the must-haves that I would want buy soon is a beautiful rogar estate wine opener. I saw in the internet several designs of rogar wine openers that would sure lure you into wines. The designs of the rogar for sale are so lovely that it’s almost good as a display in the dining room.

Still in the office...

2010-03-16T06:27:00.000-07:00

Argh!!!

It's the peak of my office project and I'm already super duper tired after working for the nth hour today.

I really wish I go home now but I know I can't.

Anyway, I'm just thinking of the "reward" I'll get after all this hard work.

*wink wink*

Reunion Coming Up

2010-03-15T23:17:00.000-07:00

I love hosting parties and reunions. As much as possible, I try to invite my relatives to dine with us on special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. On moments like this, I bring out the nicest tableware in the house and recently, also lay them all out with our new set of silver flatware which was a gift from my relatives from Germany.

And of course, just like in any party, I also try my best to serve good food and drinks. We try to serve different kinds of festive meals each time. Sometimes, I try to do my research about cooking and try to learn something new and enticing for the guests to chew on.

Actually, my mother’s death anniversary is coming up at the end of this month. Although it may be viewed as a sad occasion, I always look forward to it because apart from offering mass and visiting my mom in the cemetery, we also make it a point to invite my relatives for lunch or dinner because I know my mom would appreciate it.

Now I wonder what kind of cuisine will be the theme for this year...

Picture Wall Project

2010-03-15T22:55:00.000-07:00

I saw (and am borrowing) this wonderful picture from a blog called "Enjoying the Little Things". Do you notice her "be-pictured" wall? I must say that I was inspired by it and want to do it too!

You see, I have several bare walls in our house and my plan is to do something like this to at least one of the walls in the attic. But first I have to choose the nicest pictures to post and buy the frames that would match the color of the picture and of course, the wall.

I will try to show an update once I get this project going.

Until then.

For the Seniors.

2010-03-15T22:19:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the movie “The Notebook”, taken from the best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks? Except for some “adult parts” (which I always skip and move to fast-forward), I love the way the movie was told. The lines in the movie and the actions of the characters kind of draw the fire in your heart and bring out the tears in your eyes. Anyway, it’s one of my favorite movies because it talks about the conditional love between husband and wife. And regardless on how many times I’ve watched the movie, I also end up sobbing like crazy. Maybe partly it’s because I see how my parents loved each other and how their marriage was a great one until the end just like that in the movie.

It was told in the story that the main woman character in the movie had a medical problem which consists of forgetting the things that had happened to her. But in spite of that, her husband never left her side. They lived in their old house which was converted into a nursing home and the people there help them live a normal life even in their old age.

Anyway, speaking of nursing homes, in America, I think more and more siblings and their families are searching for nursing homes where they can put their elderly parents. This often happens when siblings live in different parts of the country and they cannot contribute much in giving care and emotional support to their aged parents. And in order to help these kinds of families, there are now assisted living communities which are there to provide facilities to elderly people. This kind of senior independent living promotes the welfare of the old and gives them the attention and support they need in this time in their lives. Assisted living facilities are available in many different states and are quite easy to look for.

Sick.

2010-03-07T22:14:00.000-08:00

Yes, we're feeling sick: Zoe, Luigi, and myself. Tummy aches, head aches, body aches.

The weather hasn't been very cooperative too. The sun's scorching heat adds to the already bad condition that we are in.

Please, Lord! We're praying for good health in our family.

Praying for Rain

2010-03-04T20:38:00.000-08:00

With the event of the El Niño phenomenon that is adversely affecting our country, the local archbishop has asked us to implore the help of our Creator to send us ample rain and ease the drought that we are facing.

Rain is a very important occurrence in the cycle of life. It restores our land and provides the resources needed in giving enough water and power supply to our country. Rain water is also very beneficial to aid of domestic needs for water. A basin of fresh rain water is helpful enough to use for gardening, washing, and for other cleaning activities.

Speaking of rain, rain chains often present a decorative as well as functional piece in collecting rain runoff. Having chains rain adds a bit of beauty versus the usual downspout. A rain chain exhibits a fountain-like motion to the dropping water which when looked at gives a feeling of relaxation and peace.

Photographing Children: Basic Digital Photography Workshop

2010-03-03T21:40:00.000-08:00

HOME MATTERS invites you to join us in the BASIC DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP on March 13, 2010 (Saturday), 3:00 - 6:00 pm, in 26D Amorsolo East, Rockwell. We'll charge a small amount of P150 for the expense and token to the speaker.

A guest speaker from ADPHOTO will give a lecture on using the digital camera on the first part of the workshop. We'll then have an actual shooting activity to apply what we learn. DON'T FORGET TO BRING YOUR CAMERA.

Please register with Lingling (0917-898-6169) or email (nolin26@yahoo.com).

Owning a Home

2010-03-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

Owning a residential property is every family's dream. It is my dream and maybe your dream too. And we all know that achieving this dream, unless you were born with a silver spoon, is harder than you think. It takes a lot of work, sacrifice and effort in order for a family to afford owning their very own home. Lucky for those who are just rich or who are born with an inheritance of land and home, they do not need to pay all those long-term loans and amortizations with the bank in order for them to buy and live in a house and lot of their own.

I know of folks who lived all their lives in an apartment which they rent until forever. And you all know how inconvenient living in an apartment could be. The space is cramped and you sometimes have to deal pesky neighbors, you know. Anyway, they never really had gotten the chance to buy a single, detached house even if they wanted to because of the cost of purchasing a house. And if some did get to buy a house, the design and structure of the house may not be in tip-top condition as they had dreamed about.

The good news is that, nowadays, those who want to buy a house can choose from manufactured homes which are now available in the market. There is less the hassle of hiring an architect, setting up of floor plans or buying construction materials and all that. All you need is give the supplier of manufactured homes for sale a call, visit their model units and then they will deliver the house in no time. New manufactured homes for sale are quite economical too. They are sturdy and easy to install and in just a short period, your new house could be up and running.

Zoe's Train Map

2010-03-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

For Zoe's train map, we managed to create a colorful combination of art materials to show where our journey will be. All these were done in a photofinish fashion. LOL.

As you may see, the map says that Zoe's going to pass by the school, the forest, the river and then to Grandma's house for some ice cream. I thought that only a 3-year old can appreciate something like that...

At school, each student had a chance to talk about their homework. I think some kids (or maybe parents) showed off a little bit by putting in there pictures/drawings of their trips to HK, Australia, famous out-of-town places, etc., etc. Zoe had none of those but, nevertheless, the job is still done. :-)

Anyway, this is a picture showing Zoe's turn to show and tell.

After show and tell, Teacher Jeannie posted all the kids' work on the wall.

My happy student!

But who's happier? >>>Mommy! Because next week -- NO assignment! Yay!

Daydreamin'

2010-02-28T23:50:00.001-08:00

I have always been a traditionalist when it comes to home design and interior decorating. Maybe it’s because I had not much choice because the house I live in was built and designed (and owned!) by my parents.

At any rate, if I had the budget and the liberty to build our own family home, I would consider making it a functional house with a modernist look. By modern, I mean that you incorporate all those contemporary furniture plus add in the latest appliances and gadgets that make life easier. I would purchase a high tech stove and convection oven, a stainless steel mailbox (buying blomus stainless steel mailboxes online would be on the top of my list!). My bathroom would be a fabulous place with the best jacuzzi and a modern shower room. I would also add a powerful little laptop and put it on top of a dashing office desk with a sleek design. I would also shop for blomus stainless steel fireplace accessories for my German-engineered portable fireplace and put all of it in a room where my husband, kids and I could snuggle up in the warmth of the fire. Lovely, right?

Well, it’s not so bad to aim high. Dream and you dreams will fall short.

I Wonder Where We'll Go Today

2010-02-28T23:29:00.002-08:00

Kindermusik is beginning to be more and more challenging by the week.

The other time, we had to bring a boat.

And then after that, it was binoculars.

This week, Zoe has another assignment for her Kindermusik.

Bring next week: Train Map

Note to self: Google "train map". Hahaha.

HELP!

All About Mailboxes

2010-02-28T23:29:00.001-08:00

Have you heard the thing about mailboxes being federal property? Well, whether these are federal property or not, a mailbox is definitely more than just a piece of property needed so that your daily mail does not get rained on or lost. It can also very well be a decoration that can beautify the outside of your home.

If you are planning on buying one, make sure that you know what works for you. Know what type to get, what design and colors among the many mail boxes there are you would like to buy and lastly, where you want to buy.

These days, you can actually buy residential and commercial mailboxes online. There you can also see whether you like the free-standing type or a wall mount mailbox.

Whatever you like, I am sure there is a mailbox that is just right for you.

Never Getting Tired...

2010-02-28T22:57:00.002-08:00

...of making the V-sign (aka japan-japan).

Do you or your kids pose the same way too? So many folks are doing it for the camera, it's addicting sometimes.

I honestly think it's OSMOSIS!!!

Wii Take Turns.

2010-02-28T21:56:00.000-08:00

To maintain peace in the family, we take turns in playing our brand-new Wii.

:-)

He plays mornings...

I play evenings...

As for Zoe and Luigi, meantime, they can watch. Hihihihi. Sorry kids.

Instant House

2010-02-28T21:02:00.000-08:00

I was watching a TV show one time and it was about a home makeover project. In that episode, they featured a humble family which they would like to give appreciation to for a generous deed done and they wanted to do it by giving them the gift of a new home. Based on the initial shots, the family’s home was literally falling apart. It was old, rickety and very unsafe. Thus, it was very apt that this family be given a new house. The catch was, the TV crew only had one week to build the house from scratch. They first needed to destroy the old house and build a new one from the ground. If they were just to repair the house, it would be too easy. They knew that this family deserved not just a newly-renovated house but a totally new house.

The first thing they did was to outsource the building of the house by contacting a supplier of Manufactured Homes in Oregon in order to send them a factory-made house that can be put up within the number of days that they had.

In the United States, there are getting to be more and more options for people who are interested in buying their own house. Now there are high quality Manufactured Homes Oregon which are available in the market. These kinds of houses have a modern and functional design. When you order one of these Mobile Homes Oregon, the “parts of the house” are transported to your location and the house is assembled right there. These kinds of houses are relatively cheap and are manufactured according the safety guidelines and laws provided for houses of this kind. Anyway, going back to the TV show, the house that they ordered was beautiful. It was put up fast and its interior was decorated with style and with the nicest furniture around. And even with the pressure and time-constraint that was there in building any structure, it was evident that it was built with a lot of love – truly a wonderful gift that any family could receive.

Dinner at Cyma

2010-02-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

This is yet another back post.

As I mentioned in one of my old posts, we had a late dinner one time at Cyma Eastwood Mall with some childhood friends.

I think I mentioned there that the food at Cyma deserves a separate post. But then now, looking at the pictures, I have totally forgotten the names of the food which we ordered.

All I can remember is that they were all yummy and heavy...and that salad had a side effect on Luigi (...it caused him a lot of gas since I still breastfed him when I came home). Bad mommy!

Uses of Lockers

2010-02-28T19:56:00.000-08:00

Lockers are very convenient to use in big facilities which have a lot of people going to and fro. It’s the best for schools, gyms, offices, dormitories, etc. etc.

For example, school lockers are quite useful because it allows students to leave their books and stuff as they go about their daily class schedules. Just like in my own personal experience as a student, the wood locker that I had and rented in college was simply heaven-sent. Because of this, I would be free from lugging around from building to building all those thick Economics books, heavy gym uniforms and rubber shoes. For only a minimum fee per semester, I had less worries and was able to secure my stuff for school. The problem then was, the lockers were so old already. I don’t know now if the student council was finally able to replace it with better looking ones. There are many lockers for sale online now and from there they might be able to choose good quality but affordable lockers.

Our Gwapito

2010-02-28T19:45:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest picture of our cute li'l charmer.

...okay, I'm the mother so I'm biased. But he really does look like a real gwapito if you ask me.

Do you have a truck?

2010-02-24T16:36:00.000-08:00

I just discovered this wonderful site selling good quality truck accessories. Now we can buy any truck accessory we like through this particular site. For example, there is a truck ladder rack and some car splash guards that does not only beautify the car but are also very functional and useful for truck-owners.

Here is a sample truck rack that can be found at Real Truck.

Having a truck rack is very handy for our family especially that my Dad often travels from the province to the city. With the rack, he can load lots of stuff on top of the truck. For example, there was a time that he brought us dozens of coconut (buko) from the province because it's way too cheaper to buy it from the province during the holidays compared to when you purchase it here in the city. The cost is almost double! Also, the rack is also perfect in bringing home our portion of milled rice coming from our land in the province. You see my maternal grandparents own a sizeable portion of land in the province and every so often, we are lucky enough to benefit from it by getting some rice for our personal consumption.

So if you own a truck, check out Real Truck and get the best deals on truck accessories.

In our family...

2010-02-24T16:33:00.000-08:00

"In our family, we put what we need the next day by the front door the night before."

"In our family, we don't drop our things when we come in the door. We take them and put themwhere they belong."

--taken from the Family Reminder for the Day from Messies

My Wish

2010-02-24T02:33:00.000-08:00

I was just talking to a good friend over the phone earlier and we were talking about our many expenses. She told me that from her side line business, she is able to earn more for her family. Sometimes, she earns even bigger from this business than from her monthly salary. As a result, she doesn’t have any huge debts on her credit cards and when she does use her small business credit card, she always pays it in full and on time.

That really got me into thinking on when I’ll finally be debt-free. With the hard times we’re experiencing, I want to be free from high interest rates and be able to pay off all that we’ve spent using the best credit cards.

Hopefully when my “secret” plan pushes through, that wish would soon be a reality and we will be debt-free at long last!

Zoe's Current Bedtime Reads

2010-02-24T02:29:00.001-08:00

Zoe's becoming a book addict lately.

Here are Zoe's current bedtime books. Take note that we read every single book every single night.

Another reason why we don't get to sleep early and I have eye bags to the max! :-)

It's hard.

2010-02-23T03:14:00.000-08:00

It's hard not having a car.

As you may have read in my blogs, we were Ondoy typhoon victims last September. And although we were saved from any severe damage in our home, our car was not spared from the disaster. Many of the parts of the car needed to be replaced and so far, we already have spent loads of money trying to bring it back to a good working condition again. So far, we already are status quo in the repairs because the major work that still needs to be done (the transmission and electrical) would require us to shell out a huge amount of money.

Without an efficient car, I have to commute to go to work everyday now. This means I have to wake up very early so that I don’t encounter the long lines waiting for a service to bring me to Makati. Sometimes, when I don’t get to wake up as early (mea culpa), I have to wait for an hour or so falling in line, risking being late for work. After work, it’s the same story. I also again need to line up to get a ride home. I’m trying to get used to it because I have no choice. I just need to learn to offer it up.

Anyway, last month, we were a bit lucky to temporarily use my Dad’s pick-up truck for more than a week. You see, my Dad was driving for our relatives to go to the province when he discovered that he was driving without a license. As a result, he decided to leave his truck at our home and just take the bus going back to Batangas instead of risking being apprehended by the traffic authorities.

With the truck, our social life became alive again. We were able to attend parties, drive our relatives to places they would like to go, reach longer distances and bring the kids wherever we liked without us having to commute. (Our damaged car could only travel short distance otherwise it would overheat.). But then just when we thought our happy days were to last for at least month, my Dad had to take back the truck because he needed it to go to the province again.

So good bye for now to the truck, its husky liners and ladder rack. We also temporarily bid adieu to the truck’s tonneau cover and its big wheels.

I guess we just have to wait until our car comes back to life again and until happy days are here again.

Sorry.

2010-02-23T03:03:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been uber busy at work because it's OPB time once again. (I think I've mentioned this so many times already!) Anyway, apart from that, there are also some developments in the home-front and in the career-front.

We just got a Nintendo Wii last weekend and we all woke up Monday morning feeling so sored from all the tennis and bowling and baseball that we played. It's a great feeling! Plus, I realized that I never gotten the chance to play bowling or tennis with my hubby until now. It's a wonderful bonding (and competitive) moment for us. :-) I would love to do it again and again (or until I win!!!). Hehehe.

At work, there's the annual individual performance review going on now. Many feel uneasy when rating time comes along. It can be exciting, crazy and sometimes humbling (plus frustrating). At any rate, I find it LIBERATING! ^"^

Will keep all posted!

Looking for an alternative

2010-02-20T06:34:00.000-08:00

I am currently looking around for an alternative to our cable channel provider because I’m not exactly satisfied with their services for the money I pay their company every single month. One of the options I’m looking at is DIRECT TV. I heard that with DIRECTTV is better because you can choose the package you want according to your own budget without any hassle unlike with your local cable connection.

Would you have any suggestions and feedback about Direct TV Satellite? My husband is such a TV addict and I want to be able to explain to him its benefits soon.

Breastfeeding Issues

2010-02-18T02:35:00.000-08:00

I have issues, yes.

I have been feeling a bit frustrated with my b'feeding lately. You see, I feel that I am almost out of milk and don't have enough supply even to feed my baby boy even at night and early mornings.

Like early this morning, he cried and cried and just won't take my breast after 1 or 2 minutes of feeding. I knew that my breasts were practically empty. So for the very first time, I was the one who prepared and gave Luigi the bottle of formula. Well, some would say, it's no big deal since Luigi has been mixed-fed (around 80% breastmilk, 20% formula) since he was about 3 months old. That was time that I had to go back to work. But you know, as far as I was concerned, I wanted to direct feed him whenever I am around. That means every night and early mornings AND weekends.

But as for this morning, he cried to me as if begging for more milk and I couldn't give it to him. There were even tears in his eyes!!! So when I finally gave the formula, he happily drank it and even smiled and smiled after finishing it. Honestly, I felt bad.

Anyway, I've given my very best. Maybe I'm just tired so the milk wouldn't come. At any rate, life must go on.

All I know is, I love my kids so much.

Is It Summer Already?

2010-02-17T23:44:00.000-08:00

We just finished celebrating Valentines over the weekend and now we’re already at the start of the Lenten season with the coming of Ash Wednesday.

I don’t know about you but for me, I’ve noticed that the weather is getting to be hotter than usual these days. Maybe summer is arriving a little earlier than before, I’m not so sure. Anyway, whenever I travel these days, I have made it a point to bring my summer necessities: a bottle of water, my foldable fan and umbrella. You know that I don’t want to be looking harassed and smelling like sweat when I get to the office.

Actually, if I were to choose between summer days and rainy days, I’d pick rainy days. Except for the huge typhoons that come with the rainy season (God forbid that another Ondoy storm happens again), I love waking up to cold misty mornings. And I think it doesn’t hurt to be walking in the rain, especially when you’re snuggled tightly to your husband and you only have one umbrella to share. ♥

I also love the practically of having available rain water. With rain barrels you can carefully save up some rain water for household use. Apart from that rain harvesting is a good practice that can save you money on your monthly water bill. And what many do not realize is that rain water barrels have a decorative effect to your house or garden. It brings a bit of glamour to your mediocre landscape or your boring backyard. Hey, I know where there are rain barrels for sale so just shoot me a comment or a private email so I can tell you more about it. ☻

Comics Muna

2010-02-17T19:33:00.000-08:00

Some comics that I hope you'll enjoy:

For Valentine's:

If you're feeling lousy or fat:

For the pessimistic:

For homemakers:

No "Me Time"

2010-02-17T19:07:00.000-08:00

Howdy? How have you been?

As for me, it’s been a pretty busy, I should say. My US-based guests already flew back last Tuesday and we seem to be back to normal now (if there is such a condition). Our relatives were with us for a whole month and it’s been fun having them, to say the least. I think it’s enjoyable to have them around the house. My uncle loves to talk and tell stories during meal time and it gives us a chance to stop and enjoy some family time and not rush to do the next thing. They also happily gave us a hand in taking care of my kids. Oh, do they adore Zoe and Luigi! And maybe because of our fondness for them, Zoe woke up on Tuesday morning crying because her Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Tita are no longer at home. It’s actually the first time that that happened. We always had relatives stay with us but Zoe doesn’t really look for them when they are gone. Well, good thing is, they will both be back in Manila in three months because one of my cousin’s getting married on May 22.

Anyway, with our relatives gone and just when I thought I could “snatch” some moments for “me” time, like finding the chance to soak on a hot tub at home, there comes a very tedious assignment at work. It’s profit sharing time once again in the office and my table is practically being flooded of loads of lists and proposals…in other words, TONS of WORK. And like any other officer in my company who likes the possibility of variable earnings, I am also wishing and hoping that this bonus will send us a windfall. If that happens, never mind the overtime and effort spent at the office. And I guess the hot tubs can wait. Wish me luck!

How was Your Valentine's?

2010-02-15T19:14:00.000-08:00

Belated happy valentine's day to all!

How was it? Well, for me, it went by without me noticing it.

It was spent with family and relatives ~ very well-spent if you ask me. No, there were no fancy dinners, expensive gifts or bouquets of flowers (and no feeling of envy)!

It was enough to know that I had a Valentine who is happy to be stuck with me...for life. In turn, I am very happy to stuck with him just as well.

:-)

...Oh, we did watch a wonderful Valentine benefit concert featuring The Philippine Madrigal Singers the night before Valentine's. It was very good and it was for free (my relatives from the States gifted us with front-seat tickets)!!! More about this in another entry!

Buying Cabinets

2010-02-15T19:02:00.000-08:00

Building a house could be one of the family’s ultimate dream. However, for those who do not have the right contractor or the right supplier, it could be a nightmare.

In our case, we found our previous contractor quite disappointing when it came to our bath cabinets and bathroom vanity cabinets among other things. It’s because the quality of the cabinets were not at all at par with the price that we paid for it. In a matter of a couple of months, our cabinets were falling apart and the handles had already been glued back a million times. What a waste of money it was! If only I have followed my gut instinct to buy kitchen cabinets from a reputable store from the very start instead of having it made by the contractor (for obviously, this was not their expertise). Then I wouldn’t have to pay again for repair or buy a replacement for our cabinet accessories.

Oh well, next time I know.

Father and Daughter

2010-02-15T18:57:00.000-08:00

Here's my husband and baby girl (picture taken at Greenbelt 5):

Yes, they sometimes go out with matching clothes.

For some, it's corny but I find it rather cute!

These Days...

2010-02-09T21:55:00.000-08:00

...I've actually taken notice of my face.

Work has always been awfully busy that many times, I am too busy to even put on a little effort. But lately, I've miraculously managed to put a little moisturizer on my face, a dab a mix of complexion creams on it (yes, they are in trend these days) and put on a sunblock. I've also have rediscovered a lip gloss that I had and found it so yummy plus it actually did a lot of good for my dry chapped lips. I've also managed to have time to fix my hair. All I need to do now is find the time to have a trim for the ends of my hair are now in a wreck.

Anyway, I guess there's something about the season of Valentine's which makes me feel more inspired and more romantic. :-) And I hope the spirit of this season of love will last a long time.

I Want.

2010-02-09T21:45:00.000-08:00

Hunny, if you're reading this, this is want I'd like for Valentine's...

...or my next birthday (if shipping gets delayed). LOL.

And if you're extra generous, maybe you can pitch in another one that looks like this:

Thanks in advance and happy valentine's day dear. :-)

My Best Friend's Wedding

2010-02-09T01:40:00.000-08:00

London-based Cleo, one of my dear best friends, recently got hitched to her boyfriend of 3 years in a very simple church ceremony. I'll say that in spite of the rush preparation (it's so hard to plan when you're an overseas bride), the wedding was actually nice.

We arrived just in time for the bridal procession. She was wearing the mid-length gown which I bought the night before (yes, you read it right, I bought the gown the night before). Anyway, her bridal bouquet was lovely. And of course, her bag is cute (coz it's mine!). Haha!

The priest who solemnized the wedding was a fairly new and young priest. He's been a priest for less than a year, I think. Anyway, during the homily, he associated a marriage with chopsticks. With no pun intended for Cleo's being partly Chinese, he depicted the similarities between the two. It's quite simple really. The key is really to work together to make the marriage work.

With all its simplicity, let me just note that I love a wedding like this. This is a real marriage with wedding vows done by the couple in front of Our Lord and all His Saints (well, as opposed to weddings that are officiated just by a civil authority). There is no need for grand entrances or ostentatious flowers or gowns. As long as the form and matter are present, it is a sacrament, a valid marriage.

So here is the happy couple.

After the mass, they hitched in a shiny black car going to the reception in Makati.

And here's us. Oh well, I look at myself here with a little cringe. If you notice, I haven't gotten back to my old (often dubbed as pre-pregnancy) weight yet. My tummy still has that sort of pregnancy pouch that doesn't seem to come off. If only I could, I'll fly to the States and have a plastic surgery travel and undergo a california cosmetic surgery to lose all those pounds I gained from giving birth. Do you think it's already safe to have a procedure done like a tummy tuck in Beverly Hills? Well, I'll have to ask my OB first.

Anyway, going back to the wedding, the reception was at Conti's in Greenbelt. I sort of know one of the persons who own the place so I recommended them to the couple. Well, apart from a small glitch with the reservations, the food was glorious (okay, there goes my diet again!).

My warm wishes for a lasting marriage to you guys! May you find yourselves together soon in London (as planned). Cheers to lots of cute babies in the future!

My Mini Wedding Project

2010-02-09T00:51:00.000-08:00

I surprised my friend Cleo with an additional gift for her wedding: souvenirs!

You see, she was too busy preparing for her (rushed..LOL) wedding to think of the small details that goes with any wedding. And for me, no wedding is a real wedding without souvenirs! Hehe. So the night before the wedding, my husband and I rushed to the mall to pick up some instant souvenirs. Luckily, we chanced upon nice bracelets in one quiant store. We also got some gift bags in red and fushcia.

The day of the wedding, I whipped up some tags to come along the bracelets. Instant! It's done!

Lookie at my mini wedding project!

The tag...

With the bracelet...

Ready to give away!

Travels and Field Trips

2010-02-04T21:34:00.000-08:00

My relatives have been talking over dinner about their past travels together. They have been almost around the world and we just drool with envy while listening to their interesting stories. And even with that, they are still planning for more trips in the future, including a trip to Beijing, China to see the Great Wall of China. Wow!

Anyway, one of the more recent trips they had was a road trip going to Washington D.C. with their grandchildren. It was one of the first out-of-state trips of their grandchildren. They really maximized their time going around the major attractions. They said that what they couldn't and shouldn't miss is a trip and a picture at the steps leading to the Lincoln Memorial (oh what a great photo opp this was!) and of course, a whole day tour at the famous Smithsonian. Everyone knows that Washington is home to the best museums for kids and that includes a tour round the Smithsonian Nationa Museum of Human History. They went to the O. Orkin Insect Zoo and the Butterfly Pavilion and the kids had a blast! Oooh! If only we can also bring Zoe and Luigi to these kinds of wonderful places too. It would be so much fun! Anyway, I'm making that a dream project for the family in the few 3 to 4 years. :-)

For Tonight...

2010-02-04T18:49:00.000-08:00

For tonight, we will be having dinner out with our US-based relatives. Since they only have a few more days left here, we invited them to dine with us in Greenbelt. I have been craving for the delicious pizza and pasta at Capricciossa so probably that’s where we are going to eat tonight. I can’t wait!

All-in-all their vacation here is for about a month. And since they’ll be away for so long, I think that they are already beginning to wonder how the weather is in Chicago and how their house is doing. Well, we all hope everything is alright. We actually talked about installing a Home Security System for their home since there are times during the year that they are abroad. They know that among the many choices, ADT provides the best Security System for homes. Anyway, I hope my cousins (their sons) can check their house once in awhile so that they will feel secured that things are okay.

I have been...

2010-02-04T18:36:00.000-08:00

...disorganized. (sigh).

And I felt it the most when I remembered that I seem to have forgotten to pay for an insurance premium due two months ago. Now, I'm hurrying to try to "save" it!

Co-messies, please help!

My Dad, the Gardener

2010-02-03T21:36:00.000-08:00

Have I ever mentioned here that among the members of our family, it is my Dad who really has a green thumb? He certainly has a knack for planting and gardening that most, if not all, of the trees and bushes in our home was planted and grown by him. Having lived in the province in his early years and being a son of a true-blue farmer, my Dad can literally grow any kind of vegetable and fruit-bearing tree. It's actually very fascinating!

Anyway, now that my Dad has retired, he always spends his mornings doing gardening. He recently harvested some root crops, fruits and vegetables and gave part of it to us. Now I'm thinking that maybe I can send him several vegetable seed packets this summer so he can grow more varieties of vegetables in their garden. Or maybe I can also ask him to train me or even my daughter Zoe on the basics of gardening and turn our mini-garden at home into a kid-friendly garden. It's never too late or too early to learn, right? In fact, I've been noticing lately that Zoe may have a natural inclination towards plants and trees too. She always seems to want to help out in watering the plants in the morning and often asks me to get her a leaf or flower from the plaza whenever we go out. You'll never know, she might have inherited her grandpa's green thumb.

Flower Project

2010-02-03T21:30:00.000-08:00

Isn't this so lovely?

I chanced upon this flower arrangement and I hope I'll be able to recreate this arrangement in time for our Valentine's lunch at home with our relatives. Valentine's Day is already next week so I really need to practice my flower arrangement skills soon!!!

Now if only flowers come in cheap these days...