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National Air and Space Museum
Dulles International Airport
Chantilly, VA

Just a few of an array of photos taken during our recent road trip to Virginia using my ever reliable Canon camera. if only i can show you all of it in one post. so make sure to check back on this page often for more updates! thanks! or check out my Facebook page for a complete set of photos on the Museum and more!

Lahok para sa na may temang GUSALI/BUILDING or structure.

Square (slang), an unhip person.

…but in food presentation and other food styling methods, this four-sided- four-angled shape has found it’s way as to being considered as ‘hip’ for years now.  This is evident in hotels and up scale restaurants mostly and even in food related television shows.

I was also hit by the bug once, when I bought every single square plates, bowls, serving platters and even condiment containers and bottles that caught my fancy, in different sizes and colors. This Gourdo’s white ceramic cup and saucer set was bought 3 years ago during our last visit back home at the Living Well Store, Podium in Ortigas. Since it was still a bit pricey then [and heavy], these square tableware….so I only grabbed 4 sets.

Having said that, I normally use them during the weekends and when we have guests as I tucked them away on the top most level of my cupboard. It would be difficult to get a replacement of these square saucers and square-based cups, so I don’t want to risk breaking them.

So…what’s square in your agenda this Sunday?
is a weekly thematic FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style!  Happy and hip to be SQUARE!  Enjoy your week!!!

Old Americana, that’s how they call this burger joint. It’s hip and retro style interiors prove this true, decor wise and this is what draws me back to Johnny Rockets…beyond the milk shakes and burgers.

More about Johnny Rockets on my previous post.  An entry to .

Being a self proclaimed foodie, I have learned to love the kitchen most since I spend more time in it during the day and sometimes until late at night.  This also lead to the fact that I rarely shop for clothes and other personal items nowadays, instead I am always in the kitchen department whether in store or online. Now I realize that this cooking to blog and/or vice versa, proves to be as expensive or even more! I hope my recent splurging will keep me busy for a long, long time.Now that we’ve moved again, our new kitchen is a lot smaller and has less storage for all my cooking and baking gadgets and I am thinking of installing more shelves just to organize them better. But in spite of this, I like this one a lot more  than our previous kitchen primarily due its more open layout [and an electric hob], with a counter/nook that leads to our dining and living area.  This nook is also where I stay seated most of the time as I can simply turn this laptop around if I am cooking.  As some of you may know, I have a black/white and red schemed kitchen. Now I was left with no other choice but to pull this scheme through the other areas with a brighter, more spring and summer inspired colors of red/orange/yellow, not that I’m complaining.  As I mentioned in my previous post, winter is all behind us now even if we still have a week until it is officially Spring here.So now that I have toured you through MY humble KITCHEN, let me see YOUR KITCHEN now! As Paula Dean ends her cooking show…I bid you, see you next Sunday…from my kitchen, to yours!
is a weekly thematic FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, PINOY style!

we moved recently and we are all so loving this hotel vibe that this smaller but cozier place resonates. for me it’s more of a ’starting-anew’ or ’starting-all-over’ phase once again. and as always, what goes with moving is the opportunity to practice my craft in interior design. so my good ‘ol turquoise and chocolate brown theme is now the color of spring-summer-fall rolled into one. winter is all behind us now…so to speak! think blood oranges…cinnamon, pumpkin and some chunky chocolates.  which used to be the color scheme of my NY bedroom, then it went to my daughter’s bedroom in our previous house here in Mass…and now has evolved into my living room.

i even have a new comfy sofa! it is in chocolate brown and i am just trying to protect it from two not-so-spill-proof-critters…[read:my lovely kids] hee! design, painting, arranging, organizing has all been taken cared of [except for the kids room, wherein organizing and cleaning is never ending! geesh!] and this is the exact reason why i haven’t been blogging and cooking [or vice versa] much lately. see? this is what i get so hyped about moving, the creativity part. and there’s still more to be accomplished…sewing some panels, cushion covers probably, some artworks to be painted by my artsy daughter and /or created by another artsy me and some shelvings, frames to be hung still…notice that almost bare wall with just one artwork?  i am still contemplating on other options to put up there.

…as for the kitchen, stay tuned as that’s another story:] on my Saturday/Sunday post to be exact.
An entry to .

As previously seen in this chatterbox, I am now a rightful owner of the much sought after Kitchenaid Artisan stand mixer. It may not be in the exact shade that I was originally drooling on which is the empire red color, black on the other hand is next on my list… having a black and white themed kitchen with splashes of red. Now I am thinking…those splashes will come when I feel the need for additional attachments! Wouldn’t that be a cool idea? Hee! and probably an orange and yellow here and there as well…*grins*!

Call it basic, but I have test driven this baby with some delicious Frenchies, crepes that is and it works great! Now I am happy.
Those who are so into Ebay would attest to the fact that this is one of the fears that we have when we win in an auction at times, especially when we are talking hundreds of dollars involved. The item might not be as how we expect them to be. Although this is said to be in unused condition, it certainly lives up to the sellers ad and for more than half the original price?…I say, it is well worth the sweat! Literally, bidding and waiting for the last trickle of second until the bidding ends?…exhausting and adrenalin boosting! until I finally received a notice that I won! Whew!

An entry to , which turned out not so wordless, after all! hee!

Being a graduate of a design related field which is Architecture and having honed my skills working as an Interior Designer as well for years, has been a great tool for me to develop an almost palpable eye for beauty, humility aside. This is very much prevalent in my choices be it in furniture, even food, outfits and accessories. More often than not, they are out of the ordinary because I am the kind of person who do not conform to what everyone has.  On the contrary, I try to be my own self.   Even in small details such as choosing my own wedding, my kids birthday or even special holiday invitations for instance, I will never settle for something that is out of the box, so to speak. I will have to recreate them to show my personal style. This is why personalized invitations for me are truly ingenious. Just like the showered couple invite, that for me has panache. It is out of the ordinary, yet straight to the point and has a design that catches ones attention. Or the belly girl baby shower invitations to make my point clearer…it is simple, has a girly-girl aura yet sophisticated with its minimalistic design. Then again, it is also straight forward. It’s as though, the words in the card are not really as important because the decor in itself gives it away. For all your customized invitation and other correspondence needs, visit Custom Creations by Leslie and you will find a whole range of beautiful designs to choose from.

…i know, i know christmas is more than a month over. can you believe it? it’s almost V day once again! lol! but i just can’t let this photo pass without me posting it for Ruby Tuesday. it is way over due, notice my watermark? 2008! lol! forgive me, will you?

i found these little wine glass blings at a discount store for 25 cents each! isn’t that a fab find? just a small detail to enhance our New Year’s eve dinner table…cheers!
…an entry to