keeping warm

It just gets harder and harder to wake up every single morning during these fall and winter days and months! It’s not exactly the seasons I look forward to, but the kids do. Most especially when it starts to snow, given that they can play out and throw snow balls at each other. Guess what, we are doomed for another snow storm in a little bit. Like in an hour, snow will start to fall and I mean fall, for hours and hours which could accumulate to 9 inch to a foot. I don’t deny that a white bed of snow is such a wonderful sight to behold, but the days after that? Forget about it. The messy ground and cold weather are not necessarily something to be excited about. Well, this doesn’t really affect me and the kids so much since we have the car to save us from walking around for a long time outside.  But my husband does, who takes the train to and from work. He even walks a long 10 minute in the city to get to his work place. Dressing up is another issue. Trying to be cozy in 4, 5 or even 6 layers can be very daunting but wearing some quality mens cashmere coat does the trick. It’s not as thick as the other coats yet warm enough to get him all cozy and snuggled up while walking. Just like the minimalist designed Brooks cashmere overcoat which is good either for casual or formal occasions. It is  like having three layers in one, with rugged lines and luxurious materials that provide a tough shield from those harsh cold because of it’s Breath Thermo technology .

Litrato: karoling

…i knew all along that my entry for this week’s theme will be a day late. i apologize. but this is the only photo that i can share with you and it took place only this morning during the kid’s Christmas caroling held in their school. and this is what i get for being on time, not early…a full-packed room and no seats left! these parents are way too early since i got there on the dot…it’s a good thing that both S and C are in front of their respective groups.
…S in black and white dress, white stockings, black boots and she didn’t take off her sweater dress!
[sabi ko na nga ba at late ang entry ko sa linggong ito. pero no choice, kasi kaninang umaga naka-takdang ganapin ang kanilang pangangaroling sa school. kaya minabuti ko nalang na magpaka-huli sa paglahok...
si S at ang kapwa 5th graders niya ang nasa larawan sa itaas]

..this on the other hand is C in his black suit and white shirt ensemble singing ‘Rudolph the red nosed reindeer’ and ‘we are santa’s elves’. ‘Mr. Riley said I looked handsome, mom!’ when i picked them up after school…:]

…an entry for with a ‘karoling’ / caroling theme.

house planning

As an Architecture student, I had a whole collection of architectural magazines and books that I find very inspiring in my studies. They helped me develop a particular taste and preference in my design style. Not only that, even in the layout of houses, there is just so much to learn from them. That goes true until I graduated and worked in different architectural and Interior Design firms, even up to this very day. Now there is even a specific website that showcases an array of Home Plans and design wherein one can get ideas especially to those who are building the house of their dreams and I must say, it is quite very daunting considering that this isn’t your line of knowledge. Here you will find all the help that you need in finding the perfect plan of that dream home whether it is an American, Mediterranean, Spanish or even modern and Contemporary house plans to French Country House Plans you are looking for.   All the detailed plans are available with the consideration of your needs and preferences when it comes to form and function.  You won’t be paying more for an architectural drawing plan since they offer pre-drawn house floor plans that you can build as is or even to use as an inspiration to develop your own design. This website offers a wide variety of home building resources and helpful tools as well to aid in to making your home planning search as simple and easy as it gets.
This post DOES NOT require a disclosure link or statement.

hooked on clay

Were you one of those people who got hooked into beads not so long ago? I was. I remember I made my own jewelries and accessories using beads. I even thought of making it grow into a little business then. It didn’t come into being but my fancy for these accessorizing and making them myself is still very much present. A trait that must be inherent since my daughter S is also showing so much interest into these stuffs as well. As I’ve said before, she loves doing what I love doing…my little me:]. I showed her this video that is all about how to use polymer clay and turning them into beads. Now she is asking me to get the materials needed such as clay, rubber mats and moulds, bead rollers and modelling tools to name a few so we can do a little project during the Christmas break. One interesting portion in the video is when it showed the process on how to go about painting polymer clay. This made her more interested in this craft since she loves painting and she’s also quite good at it!
The process was almost like cooking and baking since it involves measuring and using ingredients such as spices like pepper, oregano or any other spice of your preference. So that makes it more interesting especially when you check the part of the website on polymer clay tips. There you will learn that clays aren’t just for making beads but also for other crafts like making boxes, bowls, bottles and more! As they say, you are only limited by your creative imagination. Now I am thinking of making Christmas ornaments out of these clays!

Wordless Wednesday: bouncing back

After all that has happened recently in my life, our lives…I am starting to value the importance of family all the more. It’s not something that can be easily erased or deleted, but slowly…I know everything will fall back into their proper places. Slowly but surely, right? Things may not seem as bright right now, but it is definitely beaming with hope.

My son C, celebrated his 7th birthday yesterday and as simple as it was, I know that he is very happy. Most especially with the very special present he received from Ninang Pinky…a new Indy lego set. He was so excited to get back home after we gave it to him over dinner that he had butterflies! He wasn’t able to eat what he ordered. He even felt he had to poop so we rushed our desserts including his birthday ice cream from the restaurant. It is according to him the best birthday ever! Up until sleeping time, he was still in high spirits and truly overwhelmed with excitement that he was tossing and turning and can’t stay still as he said…’i love my family’…’you’re the best’, ‘i have the best family ever!’ ‘please leave a voice message to ninang and say thank you’ and so many other words of loving enthusiasm…

…i’m glad he is happy. not exactly a wordless entry, but then…

…this is an entry for !

Ruby Tuesday: me and my Christmas ball

As I have written a couple of days ago, my Christmas tree is up. Finally! I have shopped for the ornaments a few weeks ago but the tree. Until we got around to searching for the perfect one last Sunday. We decided to get the faux tree instead of the real one. It’s easier on the pocket in the long run plus saves me from cleaning up those falling dried leaves too. For $35 [which comes lit too!] we are now starting to get into the Christmas spirit. This 6.5 ft. tree was the least expensive among others that I have scouted around so I was really disappointed to find out that there was no more box left in stock at Walmart. But I went to customer service and asked if we can purchase the one on display, so we brought the tree home without the box, in 2 pieces..the top and the bottom…with fake snow flakes sprinkling our path:] Happy happy joy joy!
…an entry for ..more tree and ornament photos here.

I need a va-cay!

One of the many places that we would love to visit is the Carribean and it’s islands more specifically the Bahamas and Jamaica. This has been one of my life-long dreams! Probably a second honeymoon, I’ll call it. Wouldn’t that be utterly wonderful? Just thinking about it…some romantic vacations, a get-away soaking up in the sun, embracing it’s natural beauty and splendor, rocking the day away in a hammock under a tall palm tree or just simply spending time with M [and most probably with the kids! haha!] staring at the bluest Carribean waters and strolling along the softest sands in a Jamaica all inclusive resort?
Am I dreaming? If so, please do not wake me up! I am now in the part where I am in some ideal caribbean wedding, the bride…hmmm, could be me or somebody else.  It doesn’t matter for as long as I am there, basking in all of the islands glory!  Teehee!

This post DOES NOT require a disclosure link or statement.

iron chef, where art thou?

i am in deep deep trouble..haha! my boy is celebrating his birthday tomorrow and i promised to send in some goodies for the class… guess what, i planned on baking some of those walnut cups in another variation..a chocolat-ey one…but i’m still here in front of the lappy! waaah! and it’s almost dinner time! i need an iron chef make over…fast! otherwise, i will be left with store bought muffins or donuts perhaps. not good. tsk, tsk…

do you have a DS?

I am so excited about this! Did you know that if you have a DS or DS lite you can actually listen to your favorite music with it? Yes! I didn’t know this either until today. All you need is this R4 DS and your little toy is automatically converted into an ipod! How cool is that? I am definitely getting one for the little boy as he only has an ipod shuffle now and his DS Lite is what he always carry along with him everywhere he goes. Won’t that be neat especially when we’re on a road trip? It will save me from inventing ways on how to entertain him during these long hours of traveling. Wait, there’s more! Not only can you listen to music through this innovative idea, you can even watch videos as well! For how much you might ask?  It’s priced at $19 only with free shipping!  Ain’t that amazing?

weekend happenings

the weekend went by so fast. and it was a very productive one i must say! starting it off with the boy’s play date with a birthday cake [photos will be posted soon], which went well. crazy but fun that’s what it was and i’m glad C was very happy with his friends around for some pasta, pizza, brownies and ice cream. sunday started off early with our 9 am mass. then we went straight to walmart to get our tree. unfortunately the one i like is out of stock in the branch here in the area, so we decided to drive farther and tried another store, which didn’t have it either. finally, i checked out the nearest walmart in Weymouth and there it was! all dolled up and again no more boxed stock. so i asked customer service if i could take the one on display. and yes, they gave it to us…and for $35 we dragged the tree complete with lights! and that is an awesome deal! all that was left for us to do was hang the trimmings and voila! tree is finally up with barely 10 days until Christmas day!