Holiday Menu

I just wanted to post here what we have prepared for our Christmas lunch reunion with family. Had no time to think through a healthy menu this year but we vow to live and eat healthier this 2013. Happy New Year everyone!

You got it, Rachel Zoe!

I read this article from People Magazine which talks about fashion biggie and stylist Rachel Zoe on Holiday Dressing. I found her advice so fantastic, like hitting the nail so perfectly.

To repost part of the articele -

“Don’t expose everything just because it’s a holiday party,” she said. “I think sexiness is better left to the imagination — that’s always my number-one piece of advice. I think a lot of women feel that getting dressed up, especially around the holidays, means tons of cleavage and super-micro minis. But let’s keep it classy.”

Speaking to PEOPLE recently at the Piperlime boutique in New York’s SoHo neighborhood, Zoe, dressed in a sleek pantsuit, was busy styling perfect holiday party looks that were covered, but still sexy.
Even for New Year’s Eve, Zoe suggests a classy cocktail dress over a racier, plunging option. “Something like [a silver cocktail dress] is so much fun,” she offered. “It says, ‘Okay, I’m ready to party but I still look really chic and fun.’”

However, holiday parties don’t have to be all about dresses, either; Zoe said there is lots of flexibility this season.


“I want people to know how diverse dressing for the holidays can be — there’s a look for everybody,” she explained. “One person’s leather legging is another person’s sparkly party dress.”

So how will Zoe be spending her holiday season? From the sounds of it, by staying far away from the party scene, ironically.

“For the holidays, I just want to be with my family and not work and relax for 10 days,” she shared. “And just kiss my son 10,000 times a day.” Tell us: Have you picked your perfect holiday party outfit yet?

–Kate Hogan


I recently saw Kris Aquino in the MMFF Awards Night and thought that she better get some sense from what Rachel Zoe said. Her dress was in a nice emerald color but was way too revealing. Hopefully, she will keep her New Year's Resolution as announced over in the net. 

Luigi's in Kindermusik!

My dear son has finally started to go to Kindermusik. We've been meaning to enroll him for the longest time and only found the perfect time this month. He's attending the Our Time Class every Sunday at Teacher Jeannie and Company.

Here are some picture of their year-end activity:

Pictures

I've been staring at all these picture frames in the bedroom and feel that I need to do something about it. Something in it isn't sitting well with me. Looks a bit too clutter-y for me. 

What do you guys think?

Good Reminders for Positive Thinking

I grabbed this photo from the web and have been using it as a desktop photo since last year. It's really good to be reminded of good and positive things amidst the daily grind. 

Apart from always keeping these things in mind, I also like to spend time to read, watch feel-good movies and see nice plays. As a teenager, I've always liked musicals and concerts.

By the way, I heard that Ticketamerica.com has The Book of Mormon Tickets for some exciting cities like Minnesota and New York or Pittsburgh. I will tell my friends that minneapolis the book of mormon tickets can now be bought online. Also, for those in NY, new york the book of mormon tickets are also available. Lastly, there are also pittsburgh the book of mormon tickets for my friends in that area. Do check it out.

Goodies from US

My newly-wedded friend Cristy recently got back from USA for her honeymoon and she sent us wonderful stuff from her trip. There are chocolates, candies and even accessories for Zoe and myself! I love it. 

On the side, did you know that during her wedding, they opted to receive cash gifts from their guests in order for them to pay for a month-long vacation to the US. They know that to travel is not cheap at all. And since they would want to save their money for a vacation than get material things, they consulted a loan adviser to get them on the right track. They also needed to get more information so they checked out the web for helpful links. Are you interested to know the same thing? You may click here for more info. If you were to ask me, I need all the advise I can get when it comes to applying for loans. My credit score need to improve as the months go by (and my husband would agree). Anyway, I am claiming that we are RICH and the whole universe will align to this. Hahahaha! Besides, my dear "St. Nicholas" is coming to town soon! He will be sending loads and loads of gifts for me and my whole family. 

Speaking of gifts, here are some pictures of the US-loots we were gifted by Cris.

All Saints' Day 2012

As part of Filipino tradition, we went to visit the cemetery where my Mom is buried. We bought flowers from the church nearby and prayed the rosary on the way. When we arrived, we set up our big umbrella and picnic mat so we sit, pray, talk to my Mom and eat! 

Sharing some pics on how the kids enjoyed the day. 

Let me end by saying that the souls in Heaven will always be there to serve as our intercessors. I am almost sure that my Mom is among the saints who are already with Our Lord. I feel it since she has always interceded for me and my whole family. And so on this holy feast of all the saints in heaven, we implore their help to assist us in our travails on earth.

Home Improvements?

My house has been pending some improvements and renovations. It's already a 7-year old house and would really appreciate some repairs and improvement jobs. 

I actually have a long list of to-do's for the house. Some are major, some minor. For the major ones, I still need to plan on how to save up for those but for the small repairs and improvements, I'm targeting to have all of it done by quarter 1 of year 2013.

1. House repainting - I'm looking at nice color palettes that would match our red roof. The current color of our house are in shades of mocha and white. I would really love to have something in yellow or beige next time. We actually had looked around and window-shopped for paint. But lo and behold! Found out that the prices are not that cheap! Hahaha! And so, I think I'll have to put this under major improvement. :-) Maybe it can be done by summer of next year. 

2. Install a Cast Iron Shallow Well Jet Pump - Water has been quite a issue in the house especially when you have a second floor and attic. On some days, when all of the bathrooms are all occupied and in use, the water pressure becomes so low that water cannot go up to the bathroom in the second floor and attic. It's such a hassle. Also, I would need a new submersible pump for our mini-pond. The pump for the fountain also broke down and we hadn't had the luxury of hearing the soothing and lovely sound of falling water since then.

Good thing, there are nice jet pumps available in the market. I will check it out when my 13th month pay comes. :-)

3. Buy a new ceramic plate of Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary for our gate. Our old one fell off and broke a few months ago and I never had a chance to replace it with a new one. If only I can make a trip to downtown Manila again and buy from there again. I will also take that chance to buy a statue of the new Philippine saint, St. Pedro Calungsod. Target date to buy: next week.

4. New curtains - Our curtains being used now are as old as the house. Hence, it's high time to buy new ones. A lovely set of satin blue-colored curtains will be great!

Well, I'll end my list for now. I know that there are still quite a lot to be done. I will just rely on St. Nicholas to finish off the rest of my "requests". :-)

Trick or Treat 2012

My kids are Woody and Jessie this year. Aren't they so cute together?

House Project: Stairway Cabinet and Book Collection

I had the chance last weekend to do some spring cleaning at home. It was nice and exciting (and surprising!) to finally have some time to do this. 

For this time, I tackled our ever-neglected shelf which is found at end of our stairway going up to the attic. I had already accumulated inches of dust and I could no longer see what really in there. And so, I had to organize it, clean it up and in the process, throw away many things. It was so liberating to see it back in order after so many months!

                               

The next thing I did was to gather some of my pocket books. I have more than 50 of them and it's so disorganized. I actually want to sell them already since I already have an e-book for most of my Agatha Christie titles. Anyone interested?

Habagat (Aug 2012)

Yes, we were flood victims once again. And mind you, this was not caused by a typhoon but only by monsoon rains.

Is this really an effect of climate change? Hope the Philippines will be spared from more dangers like this. Let's all go green and start saving Mother Earth!

Treasury Picture Book Classics

 Last week, I found the time to go through my book shelf. I re-discovered this book which was a gift from the past birthdays of my kids. It's a great book -- perfect for our bedtime story-telling ritual!

"Twelve marvelous picture books, including such classics as Caps for Sale, Goodnight Moon, and Harold and the Purple Crayon, plus modern classics such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and From Head to Toe."

Some snippets from the book:

 Brings back college memories when I was enrolled in Children's Literature in College of Educ (elective). :-)

Diet Now!

I'm starting on a diet to slim down and look good for my childhood bff's wedding. I'm going to be her maid of honor. If I don't lose weight then I might just end up becoming the maid of horror!! Hahaha.

So goodbye french fries! Goodbye soda! Sob. LOL!

Using the Blogger App

With this app, I don't need to open my laptop to blog nor go thru so many sites first. I can blog now on way home! Big smile!!!

Get it in your iTunes store for free now!

My Enderun Experience

Part of my job is to promote employee wellness and one of the perks of that is that I get first-hand information on the available activities that are best-suited to my needs. This is one of them: a free culinary class c/o Chef Thomas Wenger last May at the famous Enderun Colleges. 

Let me share with you the menu during the class. For the recipes, just drop me a note if you are interested to get a copy. :-)

Menu:

·         Pan-fried red mullet , Tomato Confit, Black Olives

·         Turmeric Spiced Chicken Thighs, Ginger-glazed Pekchai and Buckwheat Noodles

·         Red Berry Soup with Mango Granita

Enderun is located at 1100 Campus Avenue McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.