If there’s one thing that I’m especially thankful for today, it’s that RE (Religious Ed.) went well. For the 4th consecutive year, I volunteered to be a catechist in our parish. But this year is a tad different because after teaching kindergarteners for 3 years, I am now teaching 2nd graders. Yes, I’ve taken on the challenge of helping 7 and 8-year old kids get ready for their First Communion. I admit, I’m quite nervous! But with God’s grace, everything’s going A-ok. Whew!  After class today, I felt really happy – for lack of a more profound and poetic word to describe how I felt. Whatever doubts I had about teaching sacrament preparation classes, they just sort of vanished. I had so much fun I was practically skipping all the way back to the car! *blushes*

Teaching RE is a commitment I made with God for an answered prayer. I also have a 13-year old commitment I made with Him, which I have been unable to fulfill in the manner I used to back home. But this year, I will get back to it with a bang. ;)

Thank you, dear God, for giving me these small windows of opportunity, that allow me to show you in a more special way, just how truly grateful I am for your miracles. Amen.

These are the events and things that have kept me in a state of gratitude these past couple of days:

(1) Piles of trays, bowls and baking/decorating utensils to wash. Weeheehee.

I baked and decorated 3 birthday cakes and 40 cupcakes between July 23rd and 30th. It’s always an honor to be asked to make a cake for a special occasion. I’m thankful for friends who understand and appreciate the beauty that is custom cakes. :D

(2) At a party we attended on July 30th, at least 4 people whom I have just met went out of their way to tell me, “Ang sarap ng cake mo!” (Your cake is delicious!). Compliments like that make all the hard work that go into each cake well worth it. *happy sigh*

(3) Tylenol Pain Relieving Cream – Let me just say that this is not a paid advertisement. Hee hee. :) 2-tier cake + 40 cupcakes = body ache. I’m glad I discovered a product that helped relieve the aches.

(4) The Smurfs 3D Movie – We watched the movie with friends. While some parts of the movie almost made me doze off, I loved hearing the laughter of the kids inside the theater. Word of caution: You’ll be singing “La la la la la la, sing a happy song” in your head way after the movie credits have rolled.

(5) My Little Munchkin is a Fish. – It’s a long story why my daughter ended up in the Fish class for swim lessons instead of the class/level before it, which is Minnow. After a rough first day, my daughter is having the most fun in swim class. She likes the swim teacher and there are only 4 of them in class. Alleluia!

(6) Office Max – For $0.24  - yes, 24 cents! – I was able to buy (2) 10-packs of Dixon #2 pencils, (2) 12″ rulers and (2) 24-crayons. No coupons needed! I will have to go back for more as the deal is only good until today, Saturday. :D

(7) Tubing on the Comal River – For the first time ever, we were able to go tubing on the Comal River in New Braunfels, TX. It was so much fun! The water was nice and cool and since we went on a Friday, there weren’t too many people. We will definitely do this again. I’m already looking for good deals on tubes. ;)

I have a busy week ahead of me. And I am just about ready to burst in excitement! Weee!

Cheers, y’all!  Mabuhay!

*Monday*

Monday was marvelous because…

- I got to just chill for most of the day. Since we had guests last Sunday, the house has been tidied up. I also didn’t have to cook because we have left overs! Yeah!

- I made my usual rounds of my favorite stores and got everything I set out to buy except for 2 things.

- I liked Pier 1 on Facebook and got a $10 coupon. Guess where I was in the early evening of Monday. ;)

- my Munchkin Girl asked the darnedest thing while having dessert…

Munchkin Girl: Does Mimi (her maternal grandmother) have a sweet tooth?

Munchkin Mommy: Yes!

Munchkin Girl: Which one?

*Tuesday*

Tuesday was terrific because…

- I still didn’t have to cook! (Read: Leftovers and 2-piece $0.99 chicken at Church’s)

- of the melt in your mouth goodness that was the pastillas de leche we received in the mail a few days ago.

- my Munchkin Girl again said the darnedest thing while pleading her case for a new doll. I told her, “Maybe.” (That’s maybe to a Target doll, mind you!) And in the funniest sing-song manner, she said, “Maybe ka johhhhhn (diyan).”

- I discovered voice recordings of my daughter on hubby’s IPhone, which had me laughing uncontrollably.

I’ve got some pretty busy days ahead. This might not be the last of my 2-in-1 posts. :D

Cheers, y’all! Mabuhay!

Fantastic Friday #2

1. Free Morning – Much as I love being able to relax by the pool during my daughter’s swim class, I’m glad we have 3 pool-free days a week. It’s a win-win situation: happy for pool time and happy still for pool-free time.

2. Hobby Lobby Coupons - Thanks to the craft store’s 40% off coupon, I was able to buy an urgent must buy item last week at a very reasonable price. I never buy anything from a craft store without at least a 40% off coupon! Ha!

3. Bake Night – I baked the night away last Friday. I baked a chocolate cake and some pound cake. They were both a success. Whew!

Wickedly Awesome Weekend  #2

*Saturday*

1) Piggy Piggy Oink – I spent most of Saturday decorating a friend’s birthday cake – a pig-themed birthday cake.

My friend collects stuffed pigs and the cake is the edible version of one of the stuffed pigs (with suckling pigs!) in her collection. I was surprisingly very calm and relaxed while I was decorating this cake. Even hubby noticed my (unusual?) calmness. I’m thankful that my friend trusted me with her birthday cake. It’s safe to say that the cake was “well-liked” at the party…and on Facebook – 39 thumbs went up for this photo! I love my FB friends! Hee hee.

2) Pig-Out Night – Oh.My.Gosh. There was so much food at the party we attended. One can’t expect anything less at a Filipino party. That’s just how we do it. ;) My first plate would have had my mom shaking her head at me: grilled pork, pork binagoongan, dinuguan and some out-of-place lumpiang shanghai. Hahaha! After I recovered from the shock of my first plate, I didn’t eat much else…except dessert and pancit.

3) Happy HourS – I had a blast hanging out with friends old  and new. Hubby’s crimson cheeks were an indication that he too had a blast at the party. :P

*Sunday*

1) Play Date – My daughter had a play date. It brings me so much joy to see her having fun with her gal pals.

2) Mallorca – Friends brought a big round tray of Mallorca from Costco. It tasted so much like the Filipino ensaymada, only a lot denser. Yum!

3) Home Cooked Meal – I cooked dinner for Abby’s friends and their parents. In two hours (maybe less!), I was able to cook 3 dishes plus homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert. ;)

4) Marie Callender’s Custard Pie –  We had this for dessert. We had it with the homemade vanilla ice cream. Perfect combination! *burp*

Cheers to friends, birthdays, good food and good company! God is good!

1) Milka – It’s one of my favorite chocolate brands. It brings me fond memories of trips I took with my Mom to Germany during my pre-domestic goddess days. A couple of little bites and I’m transported to various German cities. And I didn’t even have to board a Lufthansa flight! Don’t you just love taking gastronomic trips? No passports and visas required!

2) Surprise Package – Good things come in small packages. Today, it came in a USPS box. The good things? Food from the Philippines (Lapid’s Freshly-Popped Chicharon, pastillas de leche and macapuno balls)!

July is officially my personal Christmas! Haha! I love going to the mailbox. I always expect to receive something nice. And almost everyday, I do! ;)

3) “Thank You.” - Hubby and our little girl never fail to thank me for cooking a meal. They’re so sweet.

4) Pool Time – I love taking my daughter to swim class. I should really go swim, too, but I like to just relax on a lounge chair with a book and to chat and share some good laughs with my mommy friends. Being near the pool just plain relaxes me.

5) Friendly Cashiers - Check-outs are so much nicer and more pleasant when the person at the register is friendly and helpful and shares in my joy for snagging some very good deals. I’m blessed to almost always bump into them. Cashier profiling works! Kidding! :P

6) School Supplies – Just a handful more items and I’m officially done shopping for school supplies. I got some reasonably-priced items at Walmart.  The rest  I will buy from Target. ;)

7) EBay – That needs no explanation. ;)

How was your treasure hunt for Thursday? Mabuhay!

1) McCafe Happy Hour – I’m not sure if all McDonald’s branches in the US have happy hour. The McDonald’s we frequent, which is practically next door to us, has McCafe happy hour on weekdays from 2pm to 5pm. Iced coffee, smoothies, frozen lemonades and frappes are BOGO, that is, buy one get one free. Hubby had his regular iced coffee and I had my hazelnut iced coffee. ;)

2) Adapting to a new routine – It’s been a little over 10 days since we added a new activity to my daughter’s daily schedule. She wasn’t so thrilled at first but now, she’s getting the hang of it. :) Hubby and I are happy and excited for her.

3) Claude 9 Crab Fat – I made Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Creamy Aligue (Crab Fat) Sauce for dinner. Yummy home-cooked meal in under 20 minutes is possible.

It’s a short list. But that doesn’t mean I was short on blessings. *wink*

Cheers and mabuhay! :)

Here’ my list of terrifics:

1) Laundry – You read that right! Laundry! I don’t mind the loading into the washer and the dryer. What I mind – or at least, “used to” – is the folding and delivery to the respective closets. While I was folding clothes today, I told myself, instead of whining about laundry, I should be thankful instead that I have clothes to wash and fold…nice ones, at that! How’s that for a breakthrough? My therapist would be proud…if I had one. :P

2) “I love freestyle!” – That was music to my ears! I guess I wasn’t the only one who had a breakthrough today. :) My daughter told me that during her swim class, when she reached the edge of the pool close to where I was seated and attempting to read a book.

3) “I want to do my worksheets now.” – Say what? My daughter, who would  avoid doing any semblance of school work (mana sa…) actually asked for her “summer homework”. Well, well, well, I can get used to this!

4) Church’s Chicken Tuesdays – 2 pieces of chicken are only $0.99 at Church’s on Tuesdays.  Guess what we had for dinner. *wink*

5) Safe Travels – Someone I dearly love just got closer, closer she and I.  (Cue in Close-up music…” The closer I get to touching you, the closer I get to loving you, give it time just a little more time, we’ll be togehter…)

6) Ninang Auntie and Ninong Uncle – They are greatly and in part responsible for #5. ;)

Thank you, God, for a terrific Tuesday! Mabuhay!

“You’re just too marvelous, too marvelous for words
Like “glorious”, “glamorous” and that old standby “amorous”.
It’s all too wonderful, I’ll never find the words
That say enough, tell enough, I mean they just aren’t swell enough.”

I just found a theme song for my Monday entries, Frank Sinatra’s “Too Marvelous for Words”.  Hee hee. It feels weird to be posting my Monday entry on a Tuesday. But I was sooo sleepy last night that while my mind was willing, the rest of me was not. Zzzzzz.  Anyway, Monday was truly marvelous, specially from 6:30pm onwards.  Here’s my list:

1) A more confident and a much happier “guppy” – My guppy, that would be my daughter, is back at swim class. This time around she is a lot happier and confident, as evidenced by the big smiles she flashed at me from the pool. That’s a huge relief for me. Whew!

2) Just Go with It - I love a good laugh and this Adam Sandler/Jennifer Aniston sandler allowed me a few good ones. Hee hee hee. Have you seen this movie? Oh it was hilarious! Then again, it doesn’t take much to make me laugh. :P

3) Birthday – A friend of ours celebrated her birthday. I love birthdays! Life, after all,  is the greatest gift, don’t you agree?

4) Friends, Intel Club, Free Hats, Walk-Off Home Run – Like I said, a lot of things marvelous happened from 6:30pm onwards. We got to hang-out with our dear friends at the Intel Club of the Dell Diamond to watch a minor league game for F-R-E-E. Thanks to our “sponsors” (*wink*), not only did we get free seats, ballpark chow was free as well! The kids got a free baseball cap, too, courtesy of Gatti-Land. And to make the night sweeter, the team we were rooting for, the Round Rock Express, won via a walk-off home run in the 10th inning! Yup, there was an extra inning!

Oh, I forgot to mention that we got free parking as well. It was like Christmas in July! Ho! Ho! Ho! ;)

5) Mommy. MY mommy. ;)

I know a lot of people are allergic to Mondays. I used to be one of them. But how can you possibly hate a Monday as marvelous as this one? Say it with me, “Mondays are marvelous!”

Cheers, y’all! Mabuhay! :)

I had every intention of posting an entry yesterday, Saturday, but I got too caught up with one of my earning working blogs. :)  I decided that I will just post one entry for my weekend “winnings”. ;) Here it goes…

SATURDAY

1. Bacon and Pork Sausage – For the first time in a very very very long time, I cooked bacon and pork sausage for breakfast. The kitchen smelled heavenly! Yummmm. It was like having a Hampton Inn breakfast right in our very own home…only better! Haha! :P

2. Free shopping money from Kohl’s – Hubby and I have both been receiving free shopping money from Kohl’s to the tune of $10 almost every month for some time now. That is definitely a winner!

3.  International Crepe Passport – That’s the lunch I had at IHOP, for free! It’s a birthday thing. Yes, I’m still celebrating my birthday! Haha!

SUNDAY

1. $1 Italian Brunch Buffet at Cannoli Joe’s – This would have been free if we went to Cannoli Joe’s on a weekday.

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2 – Hubby and I got to go on a rare movie date, just the two of us, through (see #3)…

3.  the kindness of dear friends, who offered to watch our little girl. *wink*

4. Buy with Me Fandango Deal – Because of a movie deal I bought through Buy with Me (a daily deals site) a few weeks back, hubby and I got to enjoy Harry Potter in 3D for only $12, for both of us! Without the deal, the tickets we bought online would have set us back a good $24. I’m glad I grabbed that deal! Two of them, actually! ;)

5. Piano - I love love the feel of the black and white ivory keys on my fingers. Although I felt a pang of piano ache while giving our friends’ piano a try, I was really happy with their new toy and that they let me give it a try. I must save for one!

6. Future Harvard Freshman - I love the shirt hubby got our little girl when he was in Boston. How’s that for sending the universe a message?

It was a winner of a weekend, indeed. Good times!

Cheers, y’all! Mabuhay and have a marvelously great week ahead!

Here are the fantastic things I am especially appreciative of and very much thankful for today:

1) Plan B – When you make plans, do you make it a point to have a Plan B? Hubby and I want to watch the very last Harry Potter movie EVER. Unfortunately, our Munchkin Girl doesn’t want to, because the first installment of Deathly Hollows gave her nightmares. We came up with Plan A, which was to watch the movie with our friends. Plan A went pfft! But Plan B – ha! – Plan B worked like a charm, leaving 7 people (that’s 3 Harry Potter movie naysayers and their parents) very happy. Plan B = compromise = a good dose of happiness for everyone.

2) BOGO – A cousin of mine had a work colleague who thought BOGO was a brand. Hee hee. BOGO is short for buy one , get one.  My favorite kind of BOGO is Buy 1 Get 1 FREE, a close second is Buy 1 Get 1 half off. :D This morning, Hubby and I enjoyed a McCafe frappe each for the price of one. Buy 1 Get 1 Free! My kind of BOGO, I tell yah!

3) Being Ahead of the Game – Store displays now scream back-to-school.  Seriously, I don’t understand the rush. :P I’m not quite ready to think about school just yet. Haha! Anyway, I checked my stash of school supplies and realized that we already have on hand, close to half of the items in my daughter’s school supplies list. Woot!  I bought them last year at the time when school supplies were already on clearance. Proud moment for me. Wais na misis…that’s how we say it. ;)

4) A friend’s Instagr.am Update – I was laughing out loud in the car this afternoon, on our way to the pool, when I read the thread for my friend’s (Hi AbbyG!) uploaded photo on Instagr.am.   That thread was hilarious! It felt good to just suddenly burst out laughing. :)

5) Exclusive Pool – My daughter had a playdate at the pool with two friends. When the sun finally started to set, everybody left, that is, except for us. And for a good 30 minutes or so, my daughter and her friends had the pool all to themselves. ;)

6. Look, Ma! No glare! – I love the fact that I am able to read in broad daylight, even when the sun’s shining summer-y bright behind me. No Glare = No Eye Strain = Happy Reader

I’m currently reading The Girl Who Played with Fire, the second book in  Stieg Larsson’s trilogy (the first was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). I hope to finish the book soon so I can move on to the third book in the series and then watch the movie adaptations on Netflix. Never  mind if they’re in Swedish. :D That’s what subtitles are for!

Have a lovely weekend, y’all! Be on the lookout for blessings and remember to count them. Cheers and mabuhay!