Project 365 - Day 3 - "Lemons"

What benefit does one get when he/she puts lemon in their drinking water?  Got a bag of lemons yesterday from Steph's backyard and this what I thought making use of them...

Day 2 - Can't wait for Christmas...

... because I just got a bargain from the Christmas Warehouse.

When I arrived at the store today, the floor was almost empty. While all items were substantially marked down, most of them were also marked "SOLD OUT". My heart was thumping as I approached the Christmas tree display at the back. And I was right! The tree that I was intending to purchase and was already on special at $199 just before Christmas had a mark down of $89.95, BUT was already SOLD OUT. It would have perfectly fitted my budget. 

So I looked around and though I wasn't planning to spend more than $100, I ended up getting a "more" majestic tree. The original tag of this one is $569.95 and I know that just before Christmas it was marked down to $379.95. And today, I got it for $169.95. But because I am a VIP member, I was able to get additional 10% off that special price. So hubby only paid $152.95. 

And so the saying goes, "Good things come to those who wait".

Project 365 - Day 1

My 2010 will sparkle in full circle. BECAUSE I BELIEVE SO! :)

A quick note...

It’s been months since I last blogged. I must admit Facebook became a mini blog to me.

I will try to resurrect my passion for blogging now that I am past my first trimester. Yes, that’s right! In case you’re out of my FB list, we are expecting baby #3 aka “La-Li-Lo”.

So let me end this quick note with our latest family photo. (Although, it may be hard to notice my baby bump from this photo taken during the October long weekend at Canberra’s Floriade festival, trust me, I’m growing bigger each day!!!)

God bless!!!

Color Me Olive

I've always considered the bedroom as my ultimate place of sanctuary within our home.

This is where I get to spend "me" time after a long day's work.

This is where DH and I spend most of our undistracted moments with each other *wink* enabling us to give another undivided attention provided both our laptops have been turned off.

And it's my little piece of haven every waking morning where I find the most important people in my life, under one sheet. Yes, our boys never fail to "arrive" in our bedroom every 6am to "continue" snoozing after a toilet break.


Anyway, last week I pondered about giving my sanctuary a new look. It has been looking dull for the last 17 months and I thought it's about time we add "life" to it - like a feature wall.

The colour had to go with my natural/earthly colours around the house. I love purple but I had narrowed it down to shade of red or green.

DH was leaning towards green and I thought "red" was too warm. (I mean, the two of us are enough to make the room "hot". *Haha*). And the final choice was olive green!

So here's the new look and feel of our bedroom. I painted this wall for more than 3 hours. Made my back and legs damn sore for two days.
Like it?

We just love it!

See how my olive shirt assimilated with my new wall? Hehe!

It's Summer in Manila!

... and how I wish we're still there!

Just like to share this good find in San Juan, Batangas. It's the Acuatico Beach Resort found along the stretch of Laiya. It's a three hour drive from Makati.

Overnight stay (for a couple with 2 young children) was Php 5,500 that includes breakfast.

It is more expensive compared to other Laiya resorts (such as La Luz) but after our stay, I would say, it was worth every penny. Because it is fairly new (soft opening, I believe, was last May 2008), everything was CLEAN. The room we had was the smallest unit but it had its share of plasma TV, split A/C, modern toilet/shower.

My children adored the infinity pool.

The beach was a plus.

Lunch and dinner buffet meals are Php500 per head. I guess price is reasonable for a resort. Anyway, the food was always good.

We will definitely go back on our next visit!!!

Little Einstein Rocket Ship

I have to make at least 60 pcs of this cupcake topper in less than two weeks. Tonight I created a sample just so I can get the right measurement, shape when I decide to do a mass production. So far, I am contented with my experiment. :) Next thing to do is the larger version of this rocket ship. I'm on a roll!

A Breath of Heaven

Watching my sons go hand in hand as they approach the waves on the beach...

Away from the oven...

After a three week cupcake marathon, I can say that I am bake-free until the next fornight. Woohoo! I am keen to join my boys play basketball in our backyard and attend to their extra curricular activities.

I'm thinking of having a hair-cut soon - shorter this time. But that's at the bottom of my priorities. I have to pay dues to my three boys first. And those DUES spell TIME.

3 stars and a sun...

I did these cupcakes just before the Manny Pacquiao - Oscar Dela Joya match started last December. This cupcake represented me cheering for Pacman to win - and he did!!!

(My friend, Yay, looked for the 3 stars. But never got around putting it.)

Anyway, with the sudden demise of the Man from Manila, I feel like doing another batch. It's just unfortunate that I am cheering him on a different way.

This time I will make sure I don't forget the 3 stars. Godspeed to Kiko!

Message for FrancisM...

Thank you for being consistent in proclaiming through your craft your love for the country. I will be forever a fan of yours and your music!!! (My husband is a fan of your clothing design too. We will definitely visit your FrancisM Clothing Co on our next visit!)

Anyway, I know you're in a better place now. Good on ya - I know you made Him sooo proud with your bravery and your FAITH.

A Night to Remember...

This is the dress I bought this week. It felt like it was waiting for me because it was the last size on the rack and it fitted nicely. This was how our 10th anniversary celebration went...

All along I thought we were booked to have dinner at Wildfire restaurant. That was my suggestion, having heard from a friend that food was good and their website is a real stand out when I checked it out.

But it was Friday and traffic was heavy going to the city . So I volunteered to call the restaurant myself to move the time. But he was quick to stop me from ringing directory assistance. Apparently, the dinner is booked in a different place. Somewhere more exquisite!

And so the secret has been revealed. This is the view from our table at Shangri-la Hotel's Altitude restaurant, 36 levels above the ground where you can see a full view of the harbour while enjoying a 7 course degustation menu. NICE!

Actually, he made more plans but ran out of time looking for the "gift" he had in mind. He even booked a room for the night but thought we wouldn't be able to "maximize" it if we were arriving late at night. So he just cancelled it at the last minute. He made $528 savings just by doing that. Good thinking!!! I'd rather throw that into the "gift's" budget.

And I don't know where he got the idea of taking a chance at asking the Head Chef to pose with us. He kinda made up a story that it has been our tradition to have a photo with the Head Chef everytime we enjoyed the food at a resto. And he prodded the wait staff about three times. Well, we were really enjoying the food and wine. We raved course after course. And I think we will be making this a tradition from now on.. Hahaha!

After that heavy but sumptuous dinner, we took a walk down at The Rocks for some fresh air to rid a few percentages of alchohol content. :) We even walked past Wildfire restaurant :) while we shared strings of laugters.

Loved the view, loved the good food and loved it sharing with my DH. This day has been made special once again by both of us. I know our marriage is not perfect. But it's the willingness to make it perfect, for our children to see and learn from, is what I am proud of. And I am also proud that we are now blessed with a stronger FAITH, that we know we can rest our HOPE at the helm of His grace, and that we are able to give another true LOVE because of these two blessings.

10 years...

I bought a hallmark card in Manila last January. And I am giving it to him today.

It says

"The earth turns.

The sun rises and sets.

We're still in love.

All is right in the world.

Happy anniversary."


There are many things I wanted to say. But imbetween shopping for the right dinner dress and getting my hair done, my heart only managed to type in the following, (Printed on an A4, cut down to the size of the card).

---

We normally do not treat this day as special as our church wedding.

But now I do.

I still remember the same night, ten years ago, when someone called upon me as Mrs. Reyes, three times before I even acknowledged. I didn't "get it" straight away!!! Haha! Forgot that it's not just a paper we needed to submit to the embassy that time. It was (in Luis' favourite expression) "for real life". Truth behold, we legally started as husband and wife on this day.

It never dawned on me what this legal status entails. All I had was a vision of a happy ending. Why, who would have thought, after all the bickering we had in our younger years, after being apart for more than half a year, it would still be us? We both had that faith in us - a FAITH that in these ten years was shaken a few times.

I remember when we went to Europe; when a tour mate, an old American widow commended us on how we two looked so good together. But I choked in silence and made me ponder on her last statement, "I miss my husband... Getting married is easy, staying married is not". If she told me this ten years ago, I would not have understood.

But now I do.

Life is good and through the highs and lows I am thankful that I now understand! With the experiences I had along the way, I can proudly say that I now have in me, what was ideal to have had ten years ago - a RIGHT MIND and a RIGHT HEART in keeping a marriage alive. God is good!

I know you've thanked me enough in the past for being stronger when you couldn't take the lead, for having the patience when you were too weary, and for having the tenacity when things got a bit uncertain. But really in those moments, I have you to thank for! Because you've let me, who was once a young girl who bravely travelled a thousand miles to be with you, shine so brightly in the darkest room where love was almost impossible. You gave me the chance to love you back the way you love me. With you I learned the true meaning of LOVE and I will be forever grateful!

I decided a long time ago that I will love you for the rest of my life and yours. Today, with much happiness I want you to know that I still honour that commitment - forever and always! That even when parts of us make another cringe or fume, I promise not to attack or cocoon in resentment. God has joined us to be together in marriage. And believing this is knowing that all is right in the world. That He'll always guide us right where we're supposed to be - ready to fall in love all over again!

Happy 10th anniversary Babes! And I look forward to making our dreams come true and creating more beautiful memories for our family… together!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

Love at First Post

Geeze, we're already halfway through the first quarter of the new year and I haven't posted a single thing since we came back from our holidays in Pinas.

There have been shortcomings from my end and I acknowledge that. Forgive me for being remiss in updating this blog and for being delinquent in responding at all to tags and comments. I repositioned my inner compass when the year began. I was very busy before our holidays that I felt the urge to be with my husband and children every chance I get. TIME is really a demanding word! But it is much of my pleasure when I cherish my treasures in life.

Anyway, as simple as it can get, our Feb 14th was spent by simply exchanging cards. Love is in the air as we shared it over a bottle of red wine and a plate of fish balls (hubby's comfort food), while watching Body of Lies in our theatre room. Hmmm, only the wine complemented the commercialism of Valentine's Day but we found ourselves more than contented to be "celebrating" with the whole world in this way. Cheers!

(I had to make cupcakes on this day and so we skipped doing anything special. After all, we hardly did, even before. To my DH, thank you for bearing the joy and pain of making cupcakes with me... Love you to bits!!!)

My Newest Kitchen Buddy...

This is my kitchen... where my cupcakes are made.

See what's been added???

To my DH, merry Christmas Babes! (Btw, you still have the rest of my Christ-MUST wishlist, right? :) Kaluguran daca!)

Worthy Cause

STOP. RACISM.

I am supporting my friend's cause. Please pass on and keep spreading the word.

I've called Australia my home for the last decade and wouldn't wish to have my sons experience the same cruelty. As a parent, I know I can only do so much to shield my children from such attacks. I want them to grow up - proud of their heritage but without feeling that they should be treated like second class citizens in their own country of birth. Let us continue raising them to have a solid character so in any case that we will not be around to protect them, they will always be able to stand up for who they are.

More importantly, let us practice what we preach. Let no one or any similar bad experience transform us to become "racists".

N@W-OZ Christmas EB

Calling all OZ N@Wies!!!

Let us celebrate the holidays with cheers and welcome the new year ahead.

WHEN: Dec 20 (Saturday), 12 noon for a 12:30 pm start.
WHERE: Castle Hill, NSW, 2154

If you're not a Sydney sider and would like to visit around this time, we have two spare rooms available for you to stay ...

Please email me if you haven't subscribed to mailto:n@w OZ so you can get the full details of this get-together.

Would love to meet you in person!!!

More on cupcakes...

I got to spend a Saturday doing what I (lately) love doing most. And that is making cupcakes!!! I went home with new stuff to show off my fans - (who are my kids and my husband!).

I think I am on a roll now. Ready and pumped to deliver my cupcake orders in the coming weeks. Just this week I received another order with five (5) dozens of cupcakes. Most orders are due just before we leave for Manila. Whoah!!!


As I get busy making more cupcakes, fingers crossed, I hope not to forget packing all the essentials before our trip!!! Wish me luck (on both)!

A Bowl of Coffee

Yesterday, I chanced upon this newly opened cafe in Crows Nest. The whole setup is so inviting - from the layout to the colours to the music - up to the macho barista. (That's just my humour! DH is still my numero uno hunk!). In short, it felt too good to pass up on the oppurtunity.
Anyway, from the menu, I ordered a bagel with chicken and cranberry sauce filling and a white coffee. But as soon as I said, "Coffee", the white guy asked me back, "You mean, Choffee?". So, I checked the board menu again. Aaahhh, it is indeed called a "Choffee". It's signature name for a double espresso with a blend of white chocolate. But I got discombobulated all over again when the menu indicated prices for "Large" and "Bowl" sizes. So I asked again if what I was ordering was really a drink. LOL! Anyway, I picked the bowl just for fun.

This was the BOWL of my white CHOFEEE as good as a soup bowl. Its size belittles my bagel. I am really no heavy coffee drinker but I was able to finish it! I even snacked on two of chocolate coated coffee beans that came with it on the side.

When I got home, I started to feel distension in my abdomen. Then I burped and expelled gas from-you-know-what-hole and burped all over again. I became dizzy that I just wanted to lie flat on my back. I became too bloated that belching (((Burp))) was the first thing I did when I woke up the next day.

I don't think I will be having coffee for the next two weeks. The supposed relaxing experience became traumatic.

Seventeen, so it is!

DH and I just started this routine of having "sweet seventeen" minutes with each other whenever we get home from work.

Two days ago, he moved to the "bank's" head office located at Sydney Olympic Park. So now we drive in separate cars. When, for many years as far as I can remember, we would pretty much always share the pain of rush hour traffic.

So what's in the sweet seventeen? It's approximately 17 uninterrupted (ideally!!!) minutes of sharing hugs, kisses, sweet nothings of how we missed each other throughout the day and briefly sharing our "highs" for the day. (But because our sons are equally excited to see us home as well, I think we will play around this number as we go along.) But that's the plan and we hope to make it a habit...

So where did we get this tip? From Ed and Lisa Young - couple pastors from US who recently gave an inspiring talk on "Sex, Love, and Relationships" last month. But with them - it was sixteen minutes, as in "Sweet sixteen".

So why seventeen? Well, its significance lies on the age we met and became steady. He was 17 and I was two weeks shy of my 17th birthday when we became bf-gf...

Remembering two mothers whose light brightens up their son's "worlds".

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meet my new blogmate Joanne whom I have known for the last eight years through w@w and has been back in Australia with her family for a year now.

I am just happy that despite the situation she is forced to face lately, she remains to be in high spirits. I am not really good at giving comforting words - at least that's what I think of myself - but I know for sure that when one receives encouraging and uplifting messages, it is good enough to get him/her through the next minute or even hour.

So to my friend Joanne, God has prepared you and Pat well enough for this challenge. His providence and guidance will be with you I believe. Be brave and be strong. I know your love for Jorel is enough to provide him the best in this world. Everything you need is within you. You'll get through this, I'm sure you will.

Why do I know? Because my cousin is a testimony to that! Just now I have finished watching the very touching video her eldest son, my nephew Alex, has made for Alphonse's 14th birthday last week. And I also know that if my cousin was asked by God when she was still pregnant with Alphonse how she would want Alphonse to be, I am guessing she'd be happy to have him "just the way he is right now". (Right AteP?)

There's No Stopping Us

As hinted in my previous post the family holiday overseas will push through. I have been keeping it low for a while so as not to "jinx" it. (I probably saw that big "bubble" bursting prior to last month - which made us stop, pause, and rethink if it's worth going on holidays during these times that most people tend to cash up.)

Anyway, as per Yoyon's naughty expression, "what the heck!". Soon, my little lion will be roaring in the land where his mum and dad were born and raised. And Wiji, even though has got little memory of his last visits, is already ecstatic to be seeing his Lolo and teasing his Tito again.

Like My Cupcakes... is up!

Last weekend, I had a great time making double chocolate cupcakes for a double celebration at the Lollipops Playland.

I made a dozen of Thomas the Tank themed cupcakes.

And another dozen for my goddaughter's Disney Princess theme.


During the party, some mum from another party room "summoned" me, inquiring how much I was selling the cupcakes and whether I can make cupcakes for her daughter's Christening. I was stomped. I was lost in motion. Felt like my tongue rolled up inside. Guess I was just pretty darn excited to know that someone wants to "buy" my work.

But anyway, from that weekend til now, I've had about 5 orders in line. Two orders for Christmas giveaways, one Christening, a Bratz party next year and another potential Thomas The Tank Engine party next year.

I think I'm getting closer to upgrading my Kenwood mixer!!! Woohoo...

I have created another blog for those who like my cupcakes...

Hello back to you!!!

Almost two months came to pass without a single entry from my end. But I will have to use the same old excuse that I have been busy - with a lot of things! You'll just have to make do with that. LOL!

So while the global market plunges down, I have been honing my *ahem* skills at baking and cake decoration. Who knows, it could replace my day job - "I.T. professional turned pattisserie"?

And while most people feel the pressure of the Aussie dollar getting weaker due to the lesser demand in the commodity-driven economy of this continent, I still carry on arranging travel plans and holiday accommodations overseas. (This family holiday has long been planned and most of it paid already.)

RBA's interest rate cuts has brought upon relief to this household. But I still am holding (just) a tiny grudge against the government for giving "$1K Christmas bonus" to every child belonging to low-middle income families ONLY. Oh well, I guess our taxes, when combined, will bless more people this Christmas. I just hope they spend it immediately to help stimulate a bit of growth in the economy. LOL!