Archive for ◊ December, 2007 ◊

31 Dec 2007 Christmas Meets the New Year

Hello cyberworld!  :D  This is not an update of all that we’ve been up to the last couple of days since my last entry…not just yet. :)  I just needed to say a quick hi to y’all! ;) It’s been a good kind of crazy since Christmas Eve (even before!) and I don’t mind it one bit.  It will be like so for a couple more weeks…maybe forever even!  I have so many stories to tell and so many pictures to share: Abby’s dance class progress, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Santa’s presents, presents we received, my Mom’s arrival and our trip to Dallas and Fort Worth (we got back only a few hours ago!).  But that’ll all have to wait.  Like I said, we have a special guest in the person of my Mom…the best Christmas present!  Sorry, Santa, your gift will have to take second place.  Clue?  “Click!  Click!”  Hee hee!  And since my Mom’s here, our Christmas has been extended and will be meeting up with the new year.  Ain’t that the sweetest?  Now that’s ending 2007 and starting 2008 with a blast! ;)  And we have relatives coming to visit exactly on New Year’s Day! 

2007 was a great year for us and while thinking of all the blessings we received in 2007 fills me with such sentimentality and great joy, I will say goodbye to this good year in a hearbeat for I know 2008 will bring us more of the good stuff…Bigger, Brighter and Better!  And so with this post, I bid farewell to 2007 with loving hugs and welcome 2008 with open arms! :)

Here’s my sincerest and heartfelt wishes for all of you…

happy new year!

May 2008…

…bring you back EVERYTHING that made 2007 a wonderful year for you.

…be the year when past hurts are forgiven and forgotten.

…give you and your loved ones  BLESSINGS beyond your wildest dreams…LOVE, HAPPINESS, GOOD HEALTH, PEACE, and ABUNDANCE in all aspects of your life.

…be a year when you will NOT feel “lacking” in anything.

…be full of miracles, wonderful surprises, and dreams and wishes coming true.

…be your best year yet, that is, until 2009 comes along! ;)

 Cheers to you all!

See you next year! (tic, toc, tic, toc…) :D

ps. To all my blogger friends, I’ve got y’all covered in Bloglines. :D  I may not be leaving comments…not just yet…but I’m keeping myself updated as much as I possibly can.  And believe me, I pretty much know what’s going on with all of you! ;)

23 Dec 2007 Christmas, Don’t Be Late! :D
 |  Category: Celebrations  | 7 Comments

Abby’s favorite Christmas song is Christmas, Don’t Be Late by Alvin and the Chipmunks.  It’s one of the songs included in the Christmas cd we recently bought and she wants it played over and over and over again.  I was thrilled to find a video of the song from in, wherelese, but YouTube.  :D  I’m sharing it with you all…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzTG0fTLAlU]

We may be far from home and everything else that makes a Philippine Christmas unique:  the simbang gabi, the bibingka and puto bumbong, the family reunions, the holidays feastsssss, the company of loved ones, the fireworks displays,  everything!…but with a treasure throve of memories of past Christmases, we are definitely ready for Christmas! ;) Well, we still haven’t decided on a Christmas menu, but we sure are excited!  So hurry, Christmas and hurry fast! :)

Many of you have already probably  taken a hiatus from blogging and bloghopping.  Just the same, here’s a most hearfelt Christmas greeting for you all who come and visit my cyber home, keeping me company all the time…

merry christmas!

Happy Holidays! :)

 

 

20 Dec 2007 Tag Times Seven (Part 2)
 |  Category: Tags/Memes  | 8 Comments

As promised…Thursday, US central time…here’s the 2nd installment of tags. ;)

oOo

#5  Thess, this is for you….“Christmas Wish List”

christmas wish list icon

The tag is very simple.  I just have to enumerate my 5 “grown-up” Christmas wishes.  And they are as follows:

1)  For my loved ones…and me na rin!:  a lifetime of continued blessings, good health, happiness, peace of mind and “plenty”

2)  For everyone in the known universe: a lifetime of continued blessings, good health, happiness, peace of mind and ”plenty” as well! ;)

3)  a more beautiful Philippines – translation: peaceful, progressive, highly-regarded, run by selfless and honest government officials, and everything else that makes a country “beautiful”

4)  world peace….really!

5)  to be a better me ;)

You are tagged if you can fill in the missing lyrics to this song: jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way…oh what fun, it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh…___!  ;)

Tag #5…..mission completion. :D

oOo

Tag #6 Thess, this is for you again, sweetie….“The Christmas Tree Blog Parade”

christmas tree blog parade

We totally have our own Christmas tree parade going on in our home.  Hee hee hee!  We have not one, not two, not three, but 6, yes SIX, Christmas trees! :D  I’ve already posted a photo of two of our tree before.  The first was the little one, about two feet tall….we have 4 others of that tree  now.  And then, the “mother tree”, which is 6.5 feet tall.  Here are the pics…

our

Our tree before there were presents underneath it. :D

our tree now

Our tree now…with real presents underneath. :D  A lot of these, my Mom will be bringing home with her to the Philippines. ;)

little tree #1

Then there’s a small tree in our dining room…

little christmas tree #2

and another one in front of the fire place…

little christmas tree #3, #4, #5

and three more by the stairs. :D

I can’t get enough of ‘em!  If I didn’t restrain myself, we’d have another one..or two..or three in front of our house! :D

Here are the rules for this tag:

############ START COPY HERE ############

This is a first annual 2007 Christmas Tree Blog Parade Meme created and conceptualized by OTWOMD of Bluepanjeet.Net The purpose of this meme is to enliven the Christmas spirit by showing to the world our very own Christmas trees. They say that it is on the Christmas tree that best describes how a person celebrates Christmas. So here are the rules:

  1. Copy the Logo of this meme (Download it on the sidebar and resize it that will best fit your blog or according to your desire) and post it on your entry.
  2. Take a photo of your Christmas tree inside your house. A whole shot is the most appropriate photo. And post it on your entry
  3. Tell something about your Christmas tree like who decorated it, what are the ornaments and accessories, or what is the theme and meaning of your Christmas tree this year.
  4. You can put any title on your meme but don’t forget to include this “2007 1st Christmas Tree Blog Parade”.
  5. Do the link train history. Put the link of your previous bloggers who tagged you and your own link, Example: Tag History: Bluepanjeet – “you” -

The link train will provide clue on “who tagged who” and at the same time a reference of data for the creator of this meme.

On The feast of Three Kings on January (The official ending of the Christmas Season), Bluepanjeet.Net will launch a mini site that will feature all of the participant’s Christmas trees for 2007 with a link back to their site. That is why it is very vital that you maintain the link history so that your Christmas tree will be included in the Christmas tree blog parade of 2007 and will be a part of history.

So tag now, you only have one month to spread this meme.

My Christmas Tag History: Bluepanjeet - ThessMunchkin Mommy

############ END COPY HERE ############

You are tagged if you have a Christmas tree. ;)

Tag #6…mission completion!

oOo

#7  Nell, dear, this is for you…“What’s in Your Bag Tag”

my bag

This is the bag I’m currently using.  It’s a Dooney, but it’s “neverfull”.  Nyahaha!  Get it?!  Neverfull?  Oh, forget it!

a peek inside

Here’s a peek inside.  Need a map?

the contents #1

The contents:  First row (L-R) – my red Fossil wristlet, my “old” reliable camera ;) , hairbrush

Second row (L-R) – checkbook, shades, pens & mechanical pencil

Third row (L-R) – Samsung cellphone, which I “borrowed” from my Mom.  It’s a postpaid Globe handyphone; my jologs Nokia I-can’t-even-remember-the-model pre-paid T-mobile phone; and my phone to heaven…my rosary

the contents #2

Some more contents! First row (L-R) – wet wipes; Abby’s comb, which she’s had for a long time!

Second row (L-R) – stickers, which Abby got from her last visit to the doctor; notebooks and crayons to keep Abby busy; hair accessories for Abby; and below the hair accessories…the plastic thingy, is a chopsticks attachment to help beginners learn to use chopsticks.  It’s Abby’s!; and that last item, hand sanitizer.

the contents #3

Oh there’s more!..(L-R) store receipts; Guitar Hero stickers; a brochure which Abby got from the Urgent Care Clinic; and an envelope from the Parish containing donation envelopes for the month of December

my bag's companions

These are the companion bags:  the yellow “rescue pack” and lunch bag, both of which are Abby’s.

a peek inside the companion bags

The rescue pack is usually just left in the car.  It contains a change of clothes and undies for Abby, more wet wipes, body mist and a small bottle of water.  The lunch bag has a bottle of water, a Minute Maid juicebox and some vanilla wafers.  I might buy Abby the lunch bag that matches my bag.  ;)  Bahala na!  Hee hee!  Since Abby was potty trained, I just carry the bare “mommy essentials” in my bag.

You are tagged if the color of the bag you are currently using is black, brown or white. :D

Tag #7…mission completion. :D

oOo

Whew!  Actually, I have a new tag waitiing for me already. :)  Pero, next time na lang ulit.  Hee hee!

Tomorrow marks the start of the  last weekend before Christmas.  Are you done shopping?  Well, good luck!  God bless y’all and have a great weekend…just in case I won’t be able to post an entry tomorrow. :D

18 Dec 2007 Tag Times Seven
 |  Category: Tags/Memes  | 8 Comments

Yep!  I was tagged seven times, the oldest ones dating as far back as 29 November!…

#1 “The Other Half” – tagged by Cheh on 29 November

#2 “The Wallet Tag” – tagged by Nell on 29 November

#3 “The Question Tag” – tagged by Em on 01 December

#4 “On-line Monito Monita” – tagged by Pinky on 04 December

#5 “Christmas Wish List” – tagged by Thess on 12 December

#6 “The Christmas Tree Blog Parade” – tagged by Thess on 10 December (I realize this sould be #5 but due to a technicality, which is, I read #5 first, this tag takes 6th place.  Hee hee!)

#7 “What’s In Your Bag” – tagged by Nell on 14 December

And so, before the list gets longer than Santa’s list of nice and naughty children, I’d like to do at least half of the tags, as in now! *rubs hands together*

oOo

#1 Cheh, this is for you….“The Other Half/Husband Tag”

This tag is all about getting to know a blogger’s better half and a number of blogger friends have done this already. Guidlines for the tag: 1) First Name; 2) How and where did you meet; 3) Characteristics; 4) Your plans 20-30 years from now.

The answers:

1)  First Name – Hubby’s first name is Raymund…but I don’t call him that anymore…as in not since high school.  His nickname is Dondi, which, I don’t use to call him as well.  Hee hee!  What’s in a name, ‘no?  :D  To me, hubby is ”Don” or, as you may have guessed already, “Munchkin”.  ;)  Abby used to sometimes call him Don as well (a big no-no!) and teasingly, Daddudz (how John Lloyd Cruz calls his father in one of his telenovelas before), which was meant to be a joke but never left Abby!  Whooops! My fault! :P

2)  How and where did you meet? –  We met in  high school.  Ours was the last “semi-coed” batch from UST High School.  “What’s semi-coed?” you might ask.  Classes were all-girls and all-boys.  We share the same building and the same teachers but never together in the same classroom.  I was from section 1 girls and hubby, section 1 boys.  We were “brother/sister” sections.    Hahaha!  And you know how it often is in school, there are no formal introductions, yet, everyone knows almost everyone (at least in our case, people from each other’s class!).  But our first ever “close encounter” was the JS Prom when we were in 3rd year.  He asked me to dance…because his date kinda “strayed” and decided to dance the night away with her upper-classman crush (and who, for a while, became her boyfriend!).  Oooh, hubby’s so going to kill me for this!  But that was just that.  A dance which meant nothing to both of us because, I on the other hand, had another crush as well, who was supposed to be my cotillion partner but he got sick and had to go home early.  Hmp!

It wasn’t ’til the Senior Debaters Society’s summer training, the summer right before we became high school seniors, that hubby was nabighani with my brains and beauty.  Nyahahaha!  Walang aangal!  Site ko ‘to! :P  Come the JS Prom of our senior year, we were now each other’s date. ;)  And for the next 2 years, hubby patiently waited for my sugary sweet “Oo“.  What can I do?  I didn’t want to have a boyfriend in high school!  That early, I was already thinking how can I tell my future kids not to have a boyfriend/girlfriend at a very young age when mommy had a boyfriend at 15 or 16?!  Yeah, I was (and maybe still is!) conservative.  Hubby and I finally officially became a couple on 23 November 1993, his birthday.  We were both 18 and we were each other’s first (and last!) boy/girlfriend.  From that fateful day on, there was no turning back for us. :D

3)  Characteristics – If there’s only one thing I’d forever be grateful to my in-laws for, it’s raising hubby to be the the perfect gentleman that he is.  I have but kind words to describe my husband, and I’ve already said a mouthful in this post. :D

4) Your plans 20-30 years from now – I don’t know about plans but this is the dream I’ve envisioned for myself…for us( *wink*):  We’re living in our 5-bedroom dreamhouse with a well-manicured front lawn and backyard, the sound of giggles and laughter from little kids (not ours but Abby’s and “maybe” her brother’s or sister’s) filling every nook and cranny of our home.  My brother and his family lives nextdoor to us…and so do my Mom and my uber-rich, guwapo, and superdeedooper bait stepdad. ;)  We have a weekend/vacation home, too! :)  We take fabulous vacations, just the two of us now, but we often treat our kid/s and grandkids to the most fabulous get-aways as well.  We’re very proud of how Abby and “maybe” her brother or sister grew up to be such fine people and married equally fine people.  They, too, live on our street.  Hahaha!  Our grandkids bring us the greatest joy and with a knowing smile, we watch our own kid/s take a crack at disciplining and raising their bundles of joy.  (Mwahahaha!)  In our fifties, we are still very much madly in love with each other, looking younger than we truly are…healthy and looking more beautiful than we’ve ever been…holding hands…reminiscing the past…looking forward to an exciting future…and embracing every bit of our beautiful life.  *sigh*  Thank you, God, for all these wonderful wonderful blessings! :)

Consider yourself tagged if:

1) your other half’s birth month is: January, March, May, July, September, November

2) your birth month is:  February, April, June, August, October, December

And with that, I declare tag #1…mission completion. :D

oOo

#2, Nell, this one’s for you…wherever you are (hee hee!)…”The Wallet Tag

This is my wallet…

my red wallet

It’s Fossil, it’s leather and it’s red…the color of luck! ;)  This is how it looks inside…

welcome to my wallet! :D

Where’s the money?  Hahaha! :D  You can’t really tell what’s inside, can you?  This ought to make it easier…

the stuff inside my wallet

First column:  the wallet.  Still inside are my US credit and debit/atm cards, Abby’s and my health cards, Texas and Philippine driver’s licenses and my US Social Security card

Second Column (top to bottom): a Chinese lucky charm (although I now consider all my wallets and bags, with or without lucky charm, lucky!), H-E-B buddy bucks for Abby, 8 dollars in cash (6 for me and a 2-dollar bill, which is Abby’s) and my Philippine credit cards and store membership IDs (CVS, Best Buy and Borders)

Third Column (top to bottom): frequent customers cards (the ones that establishments mark after every visit so you get a freebie after a certain number of visits), a coupon for Abby’s salon – Snip-its and store receipts.

You’re tagged if  you have a Visa or Mastercard credit cards in your wallet. :P

Tag #2…mission completion.

oOo

#3 Em, this one’s for you…“The Question Tag”

The question:  What’s the hardest part in your immigration that made you want to go back to the Philippines?

My answer:  Only two things.  First, missing my Mom.  We’re “buy one take one” before I married.  We became “buy one take two” when I married. ;)  Hahaha!  And second, missing everybody else: my brother Edward and his wife (my sister!) Claire and my pamangkins:  Jad, Kylah, Macy and Sophie.  Almost every weekend, my Mom, my brother Edward’s family of 6 and my own family of 3 (that makes 10!) hang out together anywhere and everywhere our restless feet take us.  I can hardly wait to be doing that again really really really soon. :D

They say asking questions makes a person smart.  Consider yourself tagged if you believe that to be true. ;)  My question:  What do you consider to be yout Top 5 Blessings for 2007?

Tag #3…mission completion.

oOo

And for today’s last tag…

#4  Pinky, I’m am terribly sorry I wasn’t able to do the tag: “Online Monito, Monita”!  I missed the 16 December (Philippine time) deadline. :(  I promise to diligently do your next tag. :D

Tag #4…mission incompletion (hahaha!). :D

oOo

The rest of the tags, I will tackle tomorrow…or Thursday, US central time (tumawad pa!).  Hahaha!

I hope everyone’s week started wonderfully as it should.  Be sure to enjoy the rest, ok?  God bless, y’all!

13 Dec 2007 Sticky Mouse, Anyone?

Why anyone will make a mouse-shaped dessert is beyond me.  Kahit pa puting daga siya!

chinese dessert treats?

mouse-shaped tikoy with custard filling and egg tarts with macapuno topping

When I was ordering dessert from the rolling dessert cart at T&S Seafood Restaurant a couple of weeks ago, I simply pointed to what I liked, an all too familiar tikoy included.  Only from where I sat, it looked nowhere near a mouse.  Well, huli na when the plate was laid before me.  But one person did have a little fun with it!

abby and her edible white pet

It’s a good thing Abby isn’t the least bit squimish.  Hee hee!

the kiss of death! hahaha!

Eeeew!  Abby even gave her dessert treat a kiss….

bite it!

…a kiss of death before biting its nose off!  Double eeeeeew!!

If anything, this taught me to be careful with what I’m ordering.  At baka sa susunod, totoo na!  Eeeeew!

ps.  You can read more about our dimsum feast here. ;) (That’s cross blogsite promotion for you!  Hahaha!)

pps.  The dress Abby is wearing isn’t her favorite dress.  Hahaha!  You may have noticed it’s the same one she’s wearing during the Breakfast with Santa thingy.  ;)  That is why I’m awfully careful with what I make her wear….because she always lands on my site.  Hee hee! :P  These pics were taken in early November.  Not that anybody cares. :D