At the end of the day I am a WINNER!

It's been another week and I am concluding it with this picture I dug up from our trip at San Jose, California earlier this year during my brothers visit.

This is just a very happy picture which makes me think of nothing else but that at the end of each day I am a winner just because I have my husband! My mom's words just echoes in my mind, her saying that when you get married you begin to prioritize your husband / family and they just come second in line.

I am feeling very lucky to have my husband for my husband and there's just nothing I could want more than him. He makes everything possible for me! He makes me happy, takes very good care of me, keep me safe and warm and brings out the best in me =) I think that there is nothing more important than having a partner who's nourishing and refreshing the relationship as you do. Of course we've only been married for five months and that is no guarantee that nothing can go wrong in the future but don't you think that a great beginning is a good foundation for the future?? I do!

I have been involved in relationships before but nothing like what I share with my husband now. I look back and I realize how immature I was as well as my exes. It's funny how life shows you how wrong you are/were and have you learn the hard way. Just imagine if we all knew how things are going to turn out each time then we wouldn't have to waste time dealing with pain and frustration and mistakes! Oh boy, only in our imagination!

Anyway, I just really want to boggle your mind a little bit and have you think of what you are happy and grateful for in your life. We are plunging into the long weekend due to Memorial Day and I guess it will be worth our while to realize how lucky and blessed we are for people in our lives, our achievements and the lessons we've learned from our mistakes.

Have a wonderful weekend! =)

Egg Carton Organizers =)

Wondering what you can do with those egg cartons???

This morning I decided to face a challenge that I have been putting off for awhile, organizing my drawer!

You know how every girl's purse is like a black hole where everything just gets zapped in and lost??? That's how my drawer's state had been for months! I hate to admit it but for some reason i was so comfortable to stash everything that I labeled accessories in my mind in that drawer!

Every girl has her stash of things both essential and sentimental nick nacks and organizing can be painstaking at times. I hate how my necklaces would be all entwined with each other and right when you are in a hurry to leave you just can't pull that one you need out and you end up either leaving without it or getting late trying to undo the knots!

I had to undo the knots awhile back and I spent a good 10 minutes doing it. I guess I was just lucky that I only had a few pieces of necklaces and oh add my earrings all in a big ball! When I got done separating them I had to think of solving that problem to save me some precious time in the future.

I have a secret pile of trash that I have been keeping away from my husband so I decided to dig through it and found the egg cartons which I thought was perfect for this project! =) They are great because they come naturally with cavities that can nestle your earrings, necklaces and bracelets while separated with each other. The white containers holding my stash of make-up were tofu containers! =)

You can certainly paint them to give them a new look but I was pretty happy to just use them as they are for now until I find the time to paint them in the future.

Remember to keep in mind organizing your stuff when you are dealing with your recycle trash. You'll never know what can you use to keep your house in good shape =)

Chocolates!!!

Yummmmm!

This was my and my husband's candy project few months ago, both our first time making candies ever! It was lots of fun and quite an experience I must say! After this activity that we shared together we picked up two great lessons:

1. Specialty chocolates have a lot of profit margin to it and
2. Savor every bite =)

I guess you learn to appreciate things better when you know where they come from and how they were made. I had the same lessons learned few years ago when I learned how to make bread. After I made my very first batch of bread that I had to knead and shape by hand, the value of bread was never the same again... I savored every bite each time!=)

Try it sometime and I am pretty sure you will have so much fun working with chocolates. You have to be patient though because the fist few batches don't come out perfect each time. Experimentation is very important.

Children Learn What They Live

Let me share with you this wonderful poem =)

This is a poem that our teacher from high school had us memorize but of course I've forgotten it by this time, thanks to the internet --- it's within reach!

Here it goes....

Children Learn What They Live
By Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D.

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

Isn't it a very beautiful poem?? I thought I'd post it here to share... something to ponder on =)

More Booties =)

These are the four booties/shoes I've made for my nephew so far and it's so addicting! =)
It seems like I can't stop and oh what do I do?!

I think there is something to being able to create something beautiful out of raw materials and scraps. For somebody who hasn't really done serious sewing like me oh boy this is quite an achievement for me and I am happy and proud about it more so when I get to see pictures of my nephew wearing them =)

Awesome Weekend! =)

I am grateful for this wonderful weekend! =)

I am grateful to have had the chance to chat with my family for the weekend, woke up and fell asleep in the arms of my loving, caring, thoughtful and supportive husband...

I am grateful for the beautiful day, beautiful flowers, nice weather, sound of happy children around, families together, birds chirping, air and water...

I am grateful=)

Baby Booties =)

I have been obsessed lately on learning how to make baby booties for my nephew and this is the second one I've made so far and I love it! =)

The process all started with that intense curiosity that turned into obsession! I then started researching online on how to make baby booties and looking for patterns and materials.

Here is the link to the procedure that I followed:

http://www.tackyliving.com/article.php?id=121

This is a nice one because the author showed the step by step process with pictures which was awesome! The instructions itself were very easy to comprehend and follow. Try to view the gallery of pictures and you'll get more ideas! =)

Try it and have fun. This makes for perfect baby shower gift!

Wrapping up my week

Another week's over and I realize how time really flies! =)

I had a good chat with my mom today and that concluded this week for me. Catching up with the ones you love can be very emotional and there's never a time when it's all pure happy stories, it's always a mix of sweet and sour. In the words of my mom: It makes life worth living to deal with the good and bad!

Nothing too bad though. I am grateful enough that they are all in good health and the big news of the week was that my little sister started her on-the-job (OJT) training as part of her requirements for graduation. I was so excited for her few days ago when she broke the news to me. She is rendering her OJT in an Italian restaurant and oh how I envy her, it must be so much fun!

This brings me back to thinking of my college years where I thought to myself I just can't wait to get done! Few months after I graduated from college I came here to America and started living my life and boy that's when I told myself how I'd want to be in college again. You know the feeling of how kids like to grow up so fast without knowing the repercussions and/or trade offs?! I guess we all have had our shares of that and all I can say is that experience is really the best teacher! No amount of precaution from friends and family can ever soothe that curiosity of ours until we find ourselves in that pit of disaster we were warned about.

"Isn't it ironic don't you think?!" -- boy love that song by Alanis Morissette =)

Going back to catching up with my mom, she told me that it's very hot in the Philippines around this time of the year and very uncomfortable. I recalled myself few years back my wander years back home when I sported the jeans, spaghetti straps and flip flop fashion because that's what I was very comfortable with to walk around and my mom would tell me to wear shoes instead. I never liked wearing shoes because it's too hot! If it never gets too cold for me here in California I would still sport the same fashion but unfortunately I can only sport that kind of fashion during the peak of summer and sometime in spring or I'd kill myself of hypothermia!

Then our conversation went to baby stuff since my nephew will be celebrating his 1st birthday in July and we're all pretty excited about it. My mom mentioned that Matthew, my nephew, loved his My First Christmas booties and the plush blanket that my husband and I got him for Christmas last year. I did see him wearing his booties few days ago through the webcam and it made me laugh because he looked like Ronald McDonald! He was so cute and yeah that kid can even eat some ice cream! I must say seeing kids wants me to have my own someday! =) Kids really are a bundle of joy!

Anyway, that's my family and I miss them a lot!

My married life on the other hand is doing great! I have a gorgeous, wonderful and best husband in the whole wide world! I had a breakdown sometime this week and I will never forget how he so lovingly dealt with me. He held me in his arms like a baby, gave me the most encouraging words, did not judge me nor rejected me, stayed with me and reassured me that I am loved no matter what =)

All in all, this week was great! I had some stresses that I had to deal with but nothing's impossible knowing that your loved ones are supporting you every step of the way and that you are loved!

Have a great weekend everyone and show the ones you love just how much you love and care for them!!!

Paper Butterflies =)

I kept thinking of how I can make our bedroom look cozier for months but I just can't think of any until I made these beautiful paper butterflies! =)

Of course it takes patience and effort to make them! I spent a good number of hours from figuring out what I wanted, learning how to do it and executing the project itself. You'll find different ways of folding your paper to make butterflies and to this date I've tried three ways and you simply have to find the one you like. Youtube is a very good resource on learning how to make origami butterflies.

After I've folded all the butterflies I wanted, I attached them using a glue gun in a twist wire with clear plastic coating so that it's almost invisible when I mount it on the wall. The twist wire makes it possible for you to make crazy patterns out of your butterflies=) I just used construction paper for my butterflies. Make different sizes and colors or decorate your butterflies. It's a fun project and you don't need to spend a lot to make them. Practice making butterflies using newspaper or weekly ads and paint them.

Application of the paper butterflies are endless too! Yesterday I gave a friend some brownies in a plastic container and to make it look pretty I topped it with a butterfly and a note. It makes ordinary look extraordinary.

Be creative and explore =)

The four of us....

These are my siblings and me =)
A picture taken some years ago when we were still quite innocent, cute, obedient, young, honest and full of energy amongst others.

I miss those days when all we care about was to seat on our little plastic chairs and give those puppies a hard time...

I miss those times when my mom has all our clothes laid out in bed, washed and pressed.

I miss those days when I don't have to worry if I have food to eat and home to stay for the night because my parents have it all taken care of.

I miss the warm or hot days when my mom would prepare cold snacks and bring us to the beach until we get all sunburned (because kids never want to go home!) then patiently deal with us whining of our sore backs.

I miss those unwanted sick days when my parents take very good care of me, keep me nice and warm, give me my medicine and cook me the best get well food =)

I miss those times when my brother and sisters go to the grocery store with our parents to pick snacks of our choice when we have no idea of the value of money.

I miss those times when I can swing my little brother and sister high up in the air and play house with them or run around the bushes or cuddle and giggle at our corniest jokes.

I miss those days when my brother and sisters would all just seat together and tell each other how are days were and just talk to our hearts content.

I miss all the innocent jokes and comments we made that made our parents laugh.

I miss the weekends when my family shared lunch and or dinner together, watched movie together and take a stroll out as a family.

I just miss my family and everything we've all shared together.

It's been almost 4 years since I last spent time with my family and although the pangs of homesickness is eating me quite a bit, I can only hope that one day I will get to spend those good times with them again and share the same warmth with the family I am starting with my husband! =)

Trash to Bash!

This is an empty bottle of soft soap that I painted on and turned into a beautiful soap dispenser.

I volunteer at a local Montessori close by and I thought of turning this old, boring piece of trash to many into a working piece of art to replace the one we have that the kids battle with everyday. We do have a nice soap dispenser at the Montessori but the kids always have a hard time with the pump that came along with it because it's hard to pump out soap. It's funny to watch them battle with it everyday but I guess it's time to make it easier on them with this piece of art I made. This way we can promote recycling as well =)

This is a fun little project to make with your kids, friends or just by yourself. It squeezes out the creative juices you have in you and by all means you can produce a design that matches your home motif.

I used plastic paint to paint on the surface of the empty soft soap dispenser. I tried peeling the labels off but boy it was a pain! Then I found out by painting another one that you can just go ahead and paint over the labels however make sure you prime it with a black plastic paint, let it dry then you can paint anything on top. That way the writings on the labels don't show up in your design.

I hope you try this little project and have fun with it. You can paint on any empty bottle as you please and turn it into a working piece of art! =)

Jelly Bean covered Statue of Liberty =)

Such sweet form of art!

This was a picture I took of the Jelly Bean covered Statue of Liberty when my husband and I visited Las Vegas in early April of this year. If there was anything that really caught my eye this was one! I marveled at it like a little child would and I thought to myself "humm.. what a sweet form of art!" I almost wanted to get really close to the statue and take a bite out of it.

The chaos of Las Vegas was not my cup of tea but the lights, the shows and beautiful hotels were such beauty. My husband took me to see Believe ,a magic show with Chris Angel, and I was startled at the fact that I used to just see it on TV and all of a sudden I was really there watching it happen live! It was very magical and surreal. Another show we watched was called Tournament of the Kings and I enjoyed that show too. Not so much with the story but the experience of seating around the stage like an oval and eating a banquet/medieval kind of meal was so cool!

Few days ago, my husband and I were watching TV and they featured the Tournament of the Kings and I was so proud because I have seen that show. I kept telling my husband "we saw that! we saw that!" That is something that I am proud we got to do together, watched few shows and had a good time together.

My fist husband and I went to Las Vegas too when we were still together some years ago for their family reunion in December and apart from spending time with the family we went in the casino which I really didn't like. My first husband gambled and got drunk and drove in Vegas. What a big difference from my husband now huh?

I know it's bad to compare but this is how I know that I am in better hands now, contrasting my past and present. I can't be anything else but grateful to the hands that saved me! Like my present husband said, "happy wife, happy life! "

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and be happy! =)

Tweak!

I like to try different things and this is one that came out from a photo I tweaked. It looks good I thought and although people will have many different opinions about this photo, I am happy enough that I learned the art behind it. I can certainly get better given more time and opportunity to explore in this area however I seem to have problems with getting focused on certain things sometimes like arts.

There are so many interesting mediums and art forms and the artist in me just wanted to plunge into anything that has color, form, beauty, uniqueness and characteristic to it. I must say when I was back in the Philippines I was already very interested in arts and crafts and when I got here in the U.S. all the more I got interested in it only if I had the time, money and energy to really focus on it!

Photography is a unique art in itself and it's a very good way of self expression whether you are the model or photographer or the editor of the picture. It's a lucrative hobby and specialized but there's no harm in trying it with your home camera and using some free software (picnik.com is what I use) to enhance your pictures. That way you get the taste of it like a dry run to see if it's something you would like to pursue and turn into a business someday.

Personally, I don't think I have the means to focus on photography this time but it's nice to know that it's an avenue that is available for me if I wanted it. If anything , DON'T BE AFRAID TO TRY THINGS because you might lose a little bit but in the long run the experience you gained out of trying will be with you forever to cherish =)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Pavlova =)

My husband and I watched Australian Master Chef last night and one of their challenges was to make a Pavlova. Out of curiosity and inspiration I made my first Pavlova for dessert today. I over cooked it somehow but it was very tasty. My husband and I ended up eating the whole thing! =)

"Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Ánna Pávlova. (Russian: А́нна Па́влова).^[1] Colloquially referred to as "pav", it is a cake similar to meringue with a crispy crust and soft, light inner." (Wiki)

It was very easy to prepare, cheap ingredients and very pretty! Cooking time is a bit long because you have to bake the meringue at 300 C for an hour or until you have that nice crust on the outside yet maintaining that beautiful fluffy meringue inside. It takes some skill but if you can read and follow a recipe you can pretty much get through it and enjoy a beautiful and tasty Pavlova too.

I followed this recipe and it's fairly easy for first timers:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/the-best-pavlova/detail.aspx

This recipe reminds me of something similar we have in the Philippines, brazo de mercedes. By the name it doesn't seem very Filipino but I really never know where it came from. All I know is that I loved that cake/dessert when I was a little girl. It has two components: meringue and custard. I have never attempted to make brazo de mercedes myself but if anything not having it around here gives me the urge to make it myself as well as other Filipino dishes and desserts I grew up eating and now just imagining about.

Anyway, I do like the challenge of creating and trying things and this Pavlova I made was surely worth the try. Cooking different kids of food is a lot of fun and very educational which reminds me of my dad. He used to take us out to different restaurants ( Chinese, Japanese, American, Vietnamese, Thai, Italian, French, etc.) because he believed that that is one fun way of learning cultures and countries. I loved that when I was younger up until this time and I would love to do the same for my kids someday =)

Explore. Create. Enjoy!

Have a great day!!!

Photographs , Memories, Musings...

This was me X years ago! =)

How time flies huh?!

I can't remember how old I was when this picture was taken but it sure did brought back some memories... I remember around this age I wasn't really very proud and comfortable of the way I look and dress up! Yes, I was very conscious of myself and it was a tough stage. I guess I haven't changed much even because I realize that up to this point in time I can't really say that know myself ( in terms of fashion, likes, how my body works, what I want to do with my life) and it's frustrating! You know that part of you that wants to be able to claim that you have become someone and that you have done something that you can claim your own?

Few days ago I was just talking to a friend about this... It's frustrating for me to realize that in a few months I will be turning another year, another chapter of my life and I seem lost. I don't know my place in this world. I have nothing except for a wonderful family and husband. I guess I was blessed that way and I don't mean not to count them as blessings but I guess the frustration for me is not having a career I can be proud of.

My life seems to be perfect if only I can have a good job, I think that will make it even better.

I seem to have lagged behind career wise and when I think about it and it makes me wonder why I chose this path anyway?

I sat down and gave this a thought... I went back 3 1/2 years ago and thought of the reason why I left the Philippines and realizing that it was a good reason, it made me happier and had me stop bickering. I guess I just have to push harder, figure out what I want to be and work for it. It will take hard work like my husband told me but what doesn't take hard work anyway? Besides after all that I've already put in my life what can be worst?!

Many times in life it takes us a moment to look at a picture and notice the imperfections that we forget to see the beauty that comes along with that picture.

I know I am not the only person who's questioning their lives at this very moment but I hope that when you get to that point don't forget to remind yourself of the beauty that resides in you and be grateful for what you already have! =)

Life is great. Live it.

Spring to Life : Tomatoes =)

My Tomato Plants! =)

I am very proud to say that this is the first time I've ever grown some plants.

I remember trying it when I was back in the Philippines and the seeds I planted just never grew and I gave up. I pretty much settled on the thought that I just don't have the "green thumb" and not meant to grow plants. Surprisingly these plants show the opposite now =)

I remember that time I saw them after being gone for a week and my heart just leaped with joy! I jumped up and down and went ecstatic with my husband. If there's anything I learned from this experience is to never give up and keep on trying. True, there are things in life that are not meant to happen but there are some that just need some hard work and perseverance and still there really are somethings that are not meant to be.

Water bottle Flowers

I got the idea online while searching for recycled projects. The orange one is made out of empty water bottle while the yellow one is from a plastic cup. I painted it using a plastic paint and had some accenting our dinning table and I had some in our bathroom too. I think that it makes perfect decoration for your bathroom because they don't mind the moisture since they are made out of plastic =)

I just wanted to share that this is a part of the bike trail that I venture on few times a week and boy I am grateful for the abundance of trails here where I live now with my husband! I don't need to race with the cars or even ride my bike side by side with them! I've never known of bike trails until I got here in America and I must say it's awesome! =)

I am not sure if this is one more thing where I'd say "only in America" because I haven't been around much places to know the difference but this is certainly something we don't have back in the Philippines! =)

Barley Salad

I made this barley salad for dinner. I figured it's something light, healthy and delicious! Perfect for vegetarians =)

I cooked the barley in chicken stock, salt, pepper, carrots, onions, salt free poultry seasoning and bay leaves. You start by just sauteeing onions in a little olive oil, throw in your barley and cook for about 5 minutes before you put in everything else. Add water enough to cover your barley and cook until desired tenderness is achieved. You can add more vegetables of your choice. You can eat your barley as side dish to almost anything your heart desires or eat it as is. I usually cook a whole bag of barley and keep the cooked barley in the refrigerator for when I want them. Usually it will keep for about 3-5 days or freeze them when you get tired of them.

For the salad part, create it the way you picture a perfect salad to be. I tossed about a cup of cooked and cooled barley with diced cucumbers, edamames, lettuce and tomatoes and that was my perfect salad for dinner.

Try it sometime and enjoy! =)

Quick Apron =)

Recycling had been a hobby of mine lately and like I said it's just so much fun to be able to create something useful and wonderful out of trash! =) It's addicting!

I made this apron out of old vinyl shower curtain liner or just an old vinyl shower curtain or the vinyl table cloth will do too. The straps were made out of my old shirt that because it's all faded and worn out my husband asked me not to wear any more! ahhahahha! Why throw them when you can still use them in another way?! You can make about 12 kiddie aprons from an 70X72 shower curtain liner and perhaps around 6 adult sized ones, depends on the style and the size of apron you're making. I just used glue gun to make a fold up on the neckline for the chord to go around the neck and used a hole puncher for the sides to put in the side chords. The fun part is decorating your apron afterwards.

You can make this in less than 10 minutes if you have all the materials on hand. Something useful, recycled, cheap and easy to make =)

I thought of this project out of my desperation to come up with aprons for the kids I teach in the Montessori. You can just imagine the mess when we all plunge to our art time! =) Personally that is my most favorite part of our day, not to mention the messiest part as well! I guess the messier it is, the more fun we all have =)

Have a great day!

Don't forget to IMAGINE, CREATE AND DREAM! =)

Fresh Lumpia

This is what I prepared for lunch today and it was so delicious! =) Believe it or not I have never prepared this from when I was back home in the Philippines but I guess now that I've missed it enough, I had enough drive to make it myself!

We call it lumpiang ubod or fresh lumpia in the Philippines but I did not have the "ubod" part so I tweaked it a little bit by just using easy to find vegetables like cabbage, carrots, jicama or turnips, some garlic, onions, tofu and shrimps seasoned with salt and pepper for the filling.

I found this website where I based most of this recipe from:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Best-Lumpia-Philippine-Style-Egg-Roll-Recipe


I love this recipe because it has the picture and easy to follow for somebody who's never done it before.

Recycled Organizer - Canister

Go Green!

This is an organizer-canister I made out of some old magazine that I cut out into pieces and decoupaged it on to an empty yogurt container. Easy to make, very useful and added a lovely touch in our bathroom =)

I have been obsessing myself on recycling lately and it's just so fun. You get your creative juices going, tons of free materials and endless possibilities! Add the saving mother earth flare to it and it just makes it a perfect hobby. This brings me back to my younger days when my mother would have a buffet of art materials right in front of us to go crazy and create something. I would say this is a great activity to do with children as it helps hone and harness their creative powers at a very early age aside from getting their "making sense of things" better and working on their reflexes and motor skills.

Have fun. Create. Help save Mother Earth.