So I’ve gone from bad to worse as far as updating this site is concerned.  I’ve got no excuses whatsoever.  The funny thing is, I am brimming with “bloggables”.  The problem now is where to start!  I’ll figure something out, sooner than soon.  Promise.

oOo

Can you believe January is over?!  How are your New Year’s resolutions coming along?  I’m still doing pretty good with my “sensible New Year’s resolutions”.  That is, I”ve surrendered to the fact that life isn’t fair, I’m happy where I am, I’m minding my own business, I’m doing my best to live each day to the fullest (and as if it were my last, although I could still do much better!) and I am filling my life with love.  Keeping these isn’t always a walk in the park but…

oOo

We have a busy February ahead of us, mostly because of my Kindergart’ner.  A busy Abby equals a very busy me.  But I’m not complaining.  I hear when the kids move to first grade, it’s all business already.  So Abby and I are milking all the fun out of  kindergarten as much as we can.  I don’t even recall my own kindergarten years to be at least half the fun as Abby’s.  Well, I shouldn’t be surprised because  I went to a school that is run by nuns…which isn’t a bad thing, so don’t get me wrong!

I hope to resurface soon with a more sensible entry. Hee hee.  For now, I wish y’all a Happy Love Month!

Cheers and Mabuhay!

On Tuesday morning, Abby got a quick lesson in Filipino bread dunking culture.  She couldn’t find a bread filling she liked.  Plus, hubby and I were (secretly) busy getting ready for a surprise party.  So we taught Abby a surefire way she could enjoy her bread roll and warm cocoa…and that’s via good old fashioned sawsaw!  Because my cake layers were all over the dining table, Abby had to eat breakfast in the living.  Pasensya na anak, limited square footage.  Hee hee.

Step #1: Isawsaw ang tinapay sa tsokolate. (Dunk the bread roll in the cocoa.)

Step #2: Patuluin ng bahagya ang tsokolate mula sa tinapay. (Let the excess cocoa drip a little…so you don’t leave a trail all over the center table.  Hee hee.)

Step 3: Isubo ang tinapay!  Sarap! (Enjoy the yummy goodness of cocoa soaked bread! Hee hee!)

I do have a picture for Step 3.  But it’s not very flattering.  So I’m saving my 5-year old from embarrassment. 

I think it’s about time she is reacquainted with balut.  That ought to be our next lesson. 

Cheers y’all!

* It is the numerical symbol for the month of August.

* For most phones, the 8 key is associated with the letters T, U, and V, but on the BlackBerry it is the key for B , N, and X.

* A figure eight is a type of knot frequently used by climbers.

* It is considered a lucky number in Chinese culture because it sounds like the word meaning to generate wealth

* V8 is a type of engine…and also a brand of beverage.

* John and Kate Plus 8 was the title of a reality tv show.

* It is the number of apparitions that appeared to Macbeth.

* There are eight fluid ounces in a cup, eight pints in a gallon and eight tablespoonfuls in a gill.

* “Eight Days a Week” is a #1 single by the Beatles.

* Eight years ago today, before our closest family and friends, Hubby and I exchanged “I dos”.

Happy 8th Wedding Anniversary, Munchkin! May God bless us with many many more years of marital bliss.

Love you…more than 8 days a week.

Cheers to us! *mmmuah*

For all that you are…for everything you do…for everything you give…we thank you.  And for you we are thankful.  May God continue to shower you with blessings and miracles big and small, for the great blessing that you are to us and to others. Dondi, Abby and I wish you good health, happiness and peace of mind.  May all your fondest wishes come true and your most fervent prayers answered.  We love you, Mommy, and it gives us great joy to be with you on your birthday…truly an answered prayer.

Instead of my usual overly dramatic birthday greeting, Dondi and I wish to present you with an unrehearsed dance number.  It’s not as polished as our wedding foxtrot, but it’s something we hope you will love nonetheless.  So sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

Tight hugs, warm kisses and cheers to you, Mommy! Happy Happy Birthday! *mmmmuah*

I have 5 new year’s resolutions and losing weight isn’t one of them.   These resolutions, I didn’t formulate myself.  They were but mere gentle “suggestions” from Fr. Rusty, the main celebrant of the New Year’s Eve mass we attended.  I am so glad we got to attend Fr. Rusty’s mass.  We wouldn’t have been able to do so had we not been late for an earlier mass at another church.  Blessing in disguise, I tell you!

I am taking up Fr. Rusty’s new year’s resolutions challenge.  At the risk of sounding preachy, self-righteous even,  here they are:

1.  Submit myself to the fact that life isn’t fair.

I shun all sorts of negativity and sources of negative vibes.  But isn’t this first resolution akin to expecting something will go wrong?  Well, yes and no.   Fr. Rusty explains it this way, if we accept that life isn’t fair, we are most likely not to blame anyone if something does go wrong.  Hmmm.  Makes a lot of sense to me.

Go back to those times in the past when something went wrong and, no, it doesn’t have to be a biggie.  Say, when the car wouldn’t start, when you were late for something, when the chicken came out overcooked.  Did somebody get blamed…somebody but yourself? 

If the wordings of #1 is too negative, just replace it with, err, “Sh#t Shucks happens.” Kidding.

2.  Be happy where I am now.

This is an easy one to keep.  I’ve long accepted that happiness is a choice and it’s one we have to consciously choose for ourselves…ALL THE TIME.  Many are guilty of delaying their happiness.  Have you ever sounded like any of the following:  “I”ll be happy when I land a job.”  “I’ll be happy when I lose weight.”  “I’ll be happy when I’ve paid off all my debts.”  “I’ll be happy when I retire.”  As we delay happiness, life continues to go on and it passes us by.

True, this is easier said than done.  How can one be happy when there are problems waiting to be solved? When there are hungry mouths waiting to be fed?  I choose to look at it this way, when one is happy, which is a very positive feeling, the more we attract things, people, events to be happy about.  The more we sulk, the more we dwell on ill feelings, the more we attract things that make us feel heavy.  Where’s peace of mind in these?  Right, nowhere.

3.  Mind my own business.

This is probably the hardest to keep.  Why?  Ang sarap kayang pag-usapan ang iba!   Hee hee.  This has become a sort of private joke between my Mom, Hubby and me.  Everytime we find our conversations drifting to other people and why they do what they do and act the way they act we remind each other in a sing-song manner to, “Uuuuy, mind your own bisnes.”  Hee hee.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were her.”  “What was he thinking?”  “Where is my neighbor going so early in the morning?”  We’ve elevated gossiping and minding other people’s business into an art form.  As soon as we stop talking about other people behind their backs, gossiping and meddling in other people’s affairs, we’ll find ourselves with plenty of precious time and energy, time and energy we can devote to being and doing something more useful.  What do you think?  Mas masarap pa ring pag-usapan ang iba? I totally getcha.  I told you this was the hardest to keep!  Hee hee.

4.  Live each day as if it were my last.

Of all the resolutions, this was the one that made the most impact on me.  Because really, there’s just so much we take for granted, often, the people we love.  We postpone saying things that matter, going to places we’d love to see even if they’re just around the corner because we think they will still be there tomorrow.

For this 4th resolution, there are a few important lines that I will definitely be keeping handy, not that I don’t already do:  “I love you.”  “Thank you.” and “I”m sorry.”  And when they fit the situation: “I forgive you.” and/or “I accept your apology.”  The last three lines are harder to say, I know, specially when we think and feel we’ve been hurt so deeply.  Good thing we have a role model to emulate when it comes to forgiveness, He who has been hurt the most in the history of mankind yet still forgave.   Where will we be if God chose to delay His forgiveness?  I rest my case.

Say it now!  Do things now!  Live now!

5.  Fill my life with love.

How does one fill one’s life with love?  By being a source of love, of course!  We don’t have to look for love elsewhere to fill our lives with it, which I think is just wonderful.  Terrible as it is to give love and not be loved in return, just go ahead and be generous with that love.  It’s not going to be your loss anyway.

If we fill our lives with love, it will be easy to submit ourselves to the fact that life isn’t fair.  We’ll easily be happy where we are now.  And if we are filled with love, there’s no room for minding other people’s business.  And love is one of the most important ingredients to living each day as if it were last.

Congratulations if you got this far!  I’m in “the zone” as you can see.

Live. Laugh. Love. Forgive. Forget. NOW!…my new mantra.

Cheers y’all!

As we enter the new year a couple of hours from now, we claim once more that 2010 will be a most wonderful year…better, in fact, than 2009!   Cheers, y’all!  Let us all welcome God’s generosity with open arms.  Peace, love, happiness, good health and prosperity to us all!  Happy 2010!

Birthday greetings are in order!  Happy Birthday (again), Big J…my Lord and Savior!  We had a great time celebrating your birthday.  Thank you for all the wonderful presents…the miracles big and small…that you send our way, Christmas or not.

And to all of you, Happy Christmas!  I hope you had a most wonderful first day of Christmas!  I am typing this entry at 7:31 pm on Christmas day, but I can safely say that my greetings aren’t really late. Hee hee. 

This is our third Texas Christmas and it’s the best thus far. It would have been the best-est if my brother and his family were here, too.  All in God’s time.

While we continue to miss our loved ones back home, God has generously blessed us with people – dear friends – whom we consider family.  They are such wonderful blessings and they are the closest we have to a true-blue Pinas Christmas.  With them, we are home.  And for them, we are thankful.  Thank you, God.

We had a most wonderful first day of Christmas and I hope you did as well.  Hopefully, I’ll get around to writing about Christmas 2009 soon.

Cheers y’all and enjoy the rest of the (holiday) season!

November was a sweet month.  It’s one of my favorite months, you know. It’s a very simple equation really:

Hubby’s Birthday + Sweethearts Anniversary + Thanksgiving + Black Friday = Suuuuuweeeet November

It’s actually an incomplete equation.  There should be a couple more addends in there.  Anyhow, here’s counting my November blessings.  It’s a long list, but you know that already.

November 1st – Race for the Cure

I have but 4 entries in November and one of them was about our participation in the Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure.  Here’s the link to that entry. It felt great to be a part of such a worthy cause, one that’s very close to my heart.

November 3rd – 50th Day of School

You’re probably wondering why the 50th day of school is so special.  It is pretty special for kindergarteners in Abby’s school.  They celebrate the 50th day of school by dressing up in 50s fashion, holding a Sock-Hop and enjoying special treats from the 50s (rootbeer float and bubblegum).

I found the perfect costume for Abby at Target just before Halloween…

I had fun dressing Abby up.  Hee hee.  The boys were dressed in jeans and t-shirts with folded short sleeves. Cuteness, I tell you!  The Sock-Hop by the way is a dance.  If I got it right, in the 50s, men and women take off their shoes at the dance halls so their shoes won’t scratch the wooden floors.  So they dance in their socks.  And that’s what Abby and the rest of the kindergarteners in her school did…twist and jive in their socks.  Fun, fun, fun!

November 7th – Fall Festival

The Fall Festival is another event in Abby’s school.  We went with our friends and the kids got to enjoy carnival games where everyone always came out a winner.

Abby getting a tattoo.

November 11th – Thanksgiving Luncheon

On November 11th, Hubby and I joined Abby for lunch in her school.  It was Thanksgiving Luncheon after all.

We only had to pay for Hubby’s lunch.  Mine was free because I helped decorate the cafeteria. *wink*  Abby’s was charged to her lunch account. For only $2.75, we had a quite a hearty meal of Turkey with Gravy and Cranberry Sauce, Rice Stuffing,  Mashed Potatoes, a roll and Pumpkin Pie.  Not bad at all!

I’m what you might call a regular fixture in Abby’s school.  But not Hubby.  This was a big day for him.  Hee hee.

November 17th – Reflections Awarding Ceremony

Reflections, according to the PTA website of Abby’s school, ” is a nationally sponsored PTA program that gives students the opportunity to showcase their creativity in a number of formats: Literature, Music Composition, Visual Arts, Photography, Dance/Choreography and Film/Video.”

The theme was “Beauty is…” I put together photos that Abby took with her Nintendo DSi, Hubby’s phone and a disposable camera and made them into a collage. I entered Abby in the program because I knew every participant will get a certificate.  I wanted Abby to know for herself how it feels to have her work appreciated with a little more funfare.   On November 17th, Abby received a certificate that came with a chocolate lollipop.  Abby said that next year, she wanted the bigger chocolate, which was given to the children whose works will advance to the regionals.

November 20th & November 21st – Date Nights

On November 20th, Hubby and I went out on a date.  God bless my friend, Bet, who looked after Abby for a few hours. *wink*   We saw the movie “2012″, which I didn’t quite like.  We were originally going to see “New Moon” but tickets for that night were sold out.  Never mind, I got to see “New Moon” the following night, the 21st.

Daddy Daycare

My gal pals and I went on our second G.N.O. this year.  God bless our hubbies!   We saw a movie, had drinks and a “proper” dinner.  It was a few hours all to ourselves and we barely talked about our kids.  What did we talk about?  Other interesting things. Hee hee.

November 23rd

Hubby’s Birthday…

…and our 16th “Sweethearts”  Anniversary.

We wined and dined at McCormick and Schmick’s.  Blessings!  Blessings!  Enough said.

November 26th – Thanksgiving Day

Everyday we feast on blessings.  Yes, you and I!  On Thanksgiving Day, we feasted in celebration of all these blessings and those that are yet to come!

Want to read more about our feast?  Then come on over HERE.

November 28th – Back-to-Back-to-Back Party

Hubby and one of our good friends share the same birthday.  On November 28th, we had a triple celebration:  Post-Thanksgiving and 2 Birthdays.

The birthday boy looks out of place, when in fact, that’s his birthday cake!

We had quite a feast!  The birthday families took care of the food while another one of our friends provided the venue…their own home.  For our part, we had a touch of Spain going: Lengua (Read: Ox Tongue!) with Creamy Mushroom Gravy, Arroz ala Valenciana,  Gambas al Ajillo, Champignon al Ajillo and an out-of-place appetizer…Deviled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese.  I made two birthday cakes, by the way, and baby pound cakes.

The customary birthday family pic.  Thanks, Edwin!

There!  If you got this far, you’re either related to me or you really have a lot of time in your hands.  Hee hee.   Just the same, thank you and congratulations for reaching the end of this entry. Hopefully, it won’t take me another 10 days to update.

We’re halfway through December.  And December is just wonderful!

I hope your week started off right.  Cheers, y’all!

Today, we got the flurries!  Yey!  It was a brief (about 30 minutes) and light snowfall, as flurries are.  But that was enough to put a silly grin on  my face upto now (it’s been 5  hours since the flurries!) and  every time I look at the photos hubby took of me. *giggles*

I felt like a child, running from our small front porch to the foot path in front of our house and back. I tried to catch the tiny snowflakes with my hands, with my nose…and with my tongue.  *giggles*

All the while, I was thinking about my little girl who was in school.  I wondered if and hoped that she was enjoying the flurries, too.  And she did!  Her class was at the gym when the light snowfall came and they were immediately asked to wear their jackets and mittens so they could go outside and play.  She got jealous though when she saw my photos.  I may have enjoyed more of the flurries than she did.  “I didn’t even get to taste them,” she complained. Hee hee.  I’ll have to show her these photos taken when she was a year and a half years old, if only to prove to her that she has played with and has seen snow…

Abby playing in light light German flurries that melted as soon as they hit her jacket and the ground.

The three of us in Belgian snow.   We were on our way to Mastricht in the Netherlands when we pulled over somewhere along a highway in Belgium just to have this souvenir photo.  Yes, the jacket I’m wearing in the first photo and the above photo are one and the same.  It’s my official snow jacket.  Hee hee.

That was probably all the flurries we’ll ever get this year.  But, I’ll run away with it.  Still, I’d like 30 minutes more of flurries, with Abby present this time.

Here are the day’s souvenir pics.  The music is a little sentimental because it’s the only one I could find in the Animoto holiday song list that had “snow” in the lyrics.

Have a great weekend, y’all!  Cheers for a wish-come-true! *clink*

Thank you, God, for the many wonderful blessings and miracles you untiringly bestow upon us every day.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!