First Post For 2008

I , actually , have nothing substantial topic to write but just for the sake of the New Year I thought it would be nice to have an entry for the first month of the year and also kinda like bringing good vibe to my blog .

Jan 31....midnight pacific time...I heard 4 maybe 5 pops of fire works from our neighbors.What a pathetic attempt to welcome 2008. Grant stared at my face for a couple of minutes. Perhaps he's waiting to see if I'll burst into tears and storm into the bathroom and luck the door...just like I did last year. No more drama this time.I'm used to it. Its never gonna be like how we celebrate it in the Philippines where you'd feel like your in a middle of a battle field and your nose is black from the fumes..It just the exact opposite. Too quiet...in fact I could here our next door neighbors opening & closing their closet.

Peaceful...I guess is the word I would describe our New Year's celebration and perhaps that would be my wish for our family too and the whole world.


We did watch Harry Potter the Order Of The Phoenix ( yes I am obsessed )As the main stars of this very popular movie has gotten mature so is the plot of the story and it is even more ( to me atleast )because you can kinda relate . The also enjoyed Goblet Of Fire but this latest sequel of Harry Potter made me cry .Ok , I wont reveal the story for those who hasn't seen it yet.
I am just so taken by the character and the whole story that I am planning to get me the entire books collection ! Yey...that would be something that I can look forward to this year.

Speaking of "something to look forward to ".....My husband gave me another surprise for xmas......a new "vacuum cleaner" hahahha :D

It was something I have been wanting to buy but I just could not find the right one ( and right price tag). Imagine not being able to vacuum your home for a few months...well, I used the small handvacuum that my MIL gave to us but it was not powerful enough to get all of the dirt ,crumbs and hair (gross , I know) For the sophisticated taste of the Domestic Diva..( that's moi!! ) this was a perfect gift for me because I have been wanting to get a really good quality vacuum and boy did I put the thing to the test immediately hhahhahaa. With 2 active kids and my long hair , an ordinary vacuum cleaner wasn't enough so even though we spent a little bit more if we had gotten something at walmart or Target , this one will sure to last and it has 4 year warranty . No more kneeling to clean the carpet using the handvac ( coz I broke our upright vac few months ago).I have been vacuuming joyfully since and I just love the feeling of clean floors .

New Year Resolution...??????
If you guessed "to lose weight"..you hit the jock pot ( dingding ding!!)
maybe I should have wished for a one year supply of " motivation" hahahah.. We'll see.. I have to make friend with my scale again and cardio equipment :)

Till here for now....


BTW..I got another cool awards from Tess and Bless ( nice rhyme)...Thank you both for your sweetness.I apprecaite it very much :)

Bitten By The Shutterbug

Xmas Eve, after the rocus and the almost-ended-up-in-the-ER incident ,we had our dinner ( instant noodle soup....my sister would not believe that we didn't have a feast just like in the Phils) .Kids went to bed quietly.I took a quick shower and got ready to watch tv before we go to bed. DH pointed a box sitting on our ottoman and he told me that "he thinks it's for me". My husband is not very good in giving surprises to this is a big deal for him. The box was not wrapped ,actually it was an old box.....but it was heavy when I lifted it....so I thought " hhmmmmm..must be a brick and he wants to play trick on me ......." Inside the box was another paper bag..a more christmassy looking box and so then I got really excited and I thought " hhhhmmmm maybe a brick wrapped inside this paperbag..."
The "brick" was wrapped with those thin colored tissue papers so I could not really make out what was inside and my brain was going " if this is really a brick I hope he could dodge fast enough coz its surely will land on his face"....
Slowly I unwrapped the thing and voila!!!......a new digital camera!!!!!
At 11:30 pm I was jumping up and down like a kid ...I was really surprised!!!
I didn't asked for anything this xmas because I figured he already spent so much money helping my family in the Philippines but he knew that I wanted a more powerful camera coz I love taking pictures. I think this is one of the best Christmas present I have ever had so far..

So what do you do with your new toy???!!!
You play with it till you learn all the tricks and make the full use of it.

I'd like to share some pictures that I took with my new cam.Pls. click on the images to make it bigger.

The picture quality was so good you can see the details of the xmas tree so clearly

Santa Said She'd Been Really Good So She Got Her Wish

Shinjo Wont Be Left Behind.He Got Some Nice Presents Too

Trigger Happy Mommy Captured Shinjo's Goofiness

He Luvs Modeling For Mommy

Practicing With The Color Effect. Shinjo In Sephia

Soo Busy With Her New Gadget She Wont Even Look At The Cam

Happy New Year Indeed To All!!!

5 Days Before Christmas

Shinjo had their xmas party at his school today and he wont see his classmates & teachers till next year, January 4th. Princess have until Friday at school and then she'll have a two-weeks long winter break.

When Do I Get A Break???
....in your dreams Mel...

I talked about ordering toys online and so I did...and guess what??
I returned most of it because I didn't like the toys when they arrived...very disappointing...so no choice but to head out to the store before it gets emptied by the eager shoppers. Whew....thank goodness we found all of the toys on our list.

We got our tree too..but not as big as last year . I think my dear husband was distracted about something because he was obviously wasn't paying enough attention when he bought it.The tree was not perfect ( according to my taste) but I didn't want to say anything. I had to re-do the decoration because the tree was leaning so much it looked like its gonna fall over my head. ...patience....patience......and with a little bit of trick the tree stood perfectly straight & still. I just love real tree...I know that with all this "environmental issues" that it's probably more ideal to mother earth to juts have a fake tree but I thought...come on....I don't pollute ( not too much) and I recycle so its not like I'm not doing anything so I think I can be forgiven for having a real fresh cut tree for xmas.


My MIL came and help put up the ornaments so it was fun. Kinda like our family tradition as well , to be together , helping each other decorate the tree and have the same holiday spirits. We also discussed about what are we gonna have for Christmas dinner and I dunno if it was clear on my face that I was a little disappointed . I explained that I just missed the holiday feast that we have in the Philippines where we have so much food and desserts for the whole family ,friends and neighbors to enjoy.

Mas masaya ang Noche Buena sa atin!!


I hope all of you guys will have a joyous Christmas and a wonderful New Year!!!

Here are some latest pics of my little kiddos.

Ang Mga Mahal Ko Sa Buhay

Post Thanksgiving Update

I've managed to get my butt up and do something that doesn't require using too much muscles and effort, just my fingers.....blogging. After the Thanksgiving , I was just so tired and satiated that I ( we ) spent the entire Friday doing absolutely NOTHING. We ate the left over ,surf the net ( no fighting over the laptop coz he has his own) and watch tv till 4m of Saturday. It was the laziest day ever.Kids wore their jammies till they took a bath before going to bed. I was so exhausted from prepping , cooking and cleaning that I didn't have any energy left to go shopping on Black Friday. 'Sides, you can shop online too if you are really desperate to buys something and wants to save a few bucks. I guess I wasn't crazy enough to brave the crowd that are waiting outside of the mall before the break of dawn. The turkey must have altered some chemical in my brain coz all of my excitement to go shopping was gone!!! I was so content to just sit in front of our projector screen TV or look online for my favorite store.Me and my husband both just spent the whole Friday cozied up in our sofa with our legs propped up the ottoman with only our eyes and fingers moving and only getting up to go to use the bathroom or get drinks and food in the kitchen.....The Best Friday Ever!!

I just like to add that my Thanksgiving Menu was a success.
All the trouble of brining the turkey over night and making 3 different kind of pies were totally worth it. I would definetly brine my turkey every thanksgiving because it made the meat so tender and juicy .DH commented that if "he can cut the meat with his spoon , then it means that the meat is very tender". You don't even need gravy coz the meat was so tasty ( saves you some extra calories). The veggies was fresh and crisp that you can hear it snap in every bite. My kids surprisingly loved the pumpkin pie. Last year they wouldn't even dare take a tinnie tiny bite. Pecan pie was also turned out perfect and MIL gave it a thumbs up!!!

My Center Piece.The Only Souvenir Shot On Thanksgiving

So how was your Thanksgiving??

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Hooked On Heroes

What a great show!!!. Me and my DH watch this together and we just started last week. It was so good we would watch 3-4 episodes in one sitting .If you have a NETFLIX account , you can go to their website and click on Watch Now.They have a huge list of movies,TV shows,Documentary etch etch.
This show is like our current " Alone Time Together" activity coz we want to watch every episodes together and we are almost done with the first season. The writer/creator of this show , Tim Kring also wrote Crossing Jordan , which I'm also a big follower. If you are in to real suspense and sci fi flicks, then you should not miss this.
I'm still loyal to House MD and LawAndOrder SVU/CI but Heroes is special coz my husband loves it too.

In A Festive Mood

I am partially done with my Thanksgiving dinner shopping.
Saturday morning at your favorite warehouse store ( such as Winco or Costco)on the week before one major holiday is like being in mad house with shoppers all armed with their crumpled shopping lists and a serious look on their faces that I could describe as "Get Out Of My Way Or I'm Gonna Run You Over With My Cart And I'm Not Kidding". Emotions run high as every one has this unified mission : To Find The Perfect Turkey. For a foreigner like me , it is a daunting task .The whole process of planning the meal ,shopping,cooking and clean ups and most of all , the one thing that only worries me is " Are they gonna be impressed with the meal that I make?" That is my ultimate goal : To deliver a satisfying and delicious meal for my family at Thanksgiving. So in order to achieve this goal , I made a game plan and menu for Thursday dinner.

Saturday till Wednesday : 17lb frozen turkey will be thawing in the fridge till ready to be prepared and roasted.
Monday: General Cleaniing.Vacuuming , dusting, putting away clutters , checking all the bathrooms are clean and supplies replenished and make sure that all the dishes , serving platters and silver wares are good to go.I also have to get haircut.
Tuesday: Go to discount store and find good deals with holiday decors such as wreath,candles etch etch.Whatever I could find to make the house looks very festive.
Wednesday : In the morning,get all the fresh ingredients such as veggies,fruits , dairy and must not forget drinks and wine.At night start baking the desserts and the brining of the bird.

I do hope that I could get everything set to go before Thursday so we could all just relax and feast all day Thursday.

My Menu is simple and traditional but I always want to add a little bit of extra touch so I am brining my turkey the night before to guarantee flavor,tenderness and juiciness. I've never tried this process before so I'm nervous but hey, there's always the first time. My MIL is bringing the stuffing and mash potatoes so that's saves me a lot of time to do other meal.

Thanksgiving Dinner Menu:

Appetizers : Cheese platters (Gorgonzola ,brie,swizz and sharp cheddar)
Assorted Olives , pickles , crackers and some fruits
Side Dishes :Broccoli Casserole with Mushrooms and cheese
Asparagus wrapped in bacon and souted with some shallots & sprinkle of
toasted almonds,Creamy Mashed potatoes and corn bread muffin
Main Course : Roasted Turkey with Gravy , stuffing and cranberry sauce
Desserts : we have 3 different pies .Pumpkin ,apple and pecan pie. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

We have movies that we plan on watching after dinner. Movies for us adults and for the kids so I think its gonna be a fun and relaxing day.My alarm clock is set to go off at 4am and you know why?? Black Friday!! yes, in deed. My dear sweet husband agreed to babysit the kids while me and girl pal Sonia go shopping without interruption. That should be lots of fun.

I hope you guys have a fun and exciting Thanksgiving.


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Got Some Awards

I'd like to thank Bless for giving me these awards. Its really sweet and thoughtful.Don't know if I deserve it but I gladly accept it :)

My Two Little Devils ~ Halloween 2007

'Twas a perfect night.The sky was so clear with the stars shining bright.Cool wind that was gentle enough to keep the little trick-a-treaters relax and comfortable with their Halloween costumes.Such contrast from previous years when not only it was freezing cold but also drizzling rain all day long.This year the kids flaunted their cutest costumes and never needing to put on any heavy jacket or raincoats.
I had fun taking pictures and the kids were just in h-e-a-v-e-n!
Here's some my two kiddos' Halloween pics:

LakeView Farm Where We Got The Pumpkins


Our Jackolanterns.Mommy Was So Proud Of Her Carving Skills Lols


Princess Dressed As An Evil Witch.2nd Pics With Madisun As TMNT

Shinjo As Count Dracula Coz He Likes To Count Them Treats

Now, mommy gotta hide their stash before this little monsters devour them lols.They got so much sweets & candies to last them till next Halloween.

Labor Day Weekend ~ It's the end of a long vacation

50% of me says " yey,at last vacation is over...I'll be busy again " but the other 50% says " Oh man, this means I can't stay in bed till 10am anymore!" But I guess I'll go w/ the first coz I think I've had enough of idle time. I'm so excited for the start of the school season. It means we'll gonna meet new people , gonna go to new places , kids have brand new clothes & school stuff , meeting new friends.....it's just so thrilling for me!!

Saturday we stormed the Woodburn Company Store Outlet and went elbow-to-elbow amongst the crowd of anxious shoppers. I made sure that I wore my most comfortable pair of shoes coz the last time was pretty painful , my feet was sore for a few days from my very fashionable 3" clogs (duh). This time I came all set & prepared( studied the map,list of stores, shopping list) & I came victorious. This is a shopping heaven for penny pincher's.
My kids have enough clothes till the next change of season w/o breaking the bank.

Labor Day Dinner: Sweet & Sour Chicken W/ Garlic Rice

After whining about the quality of Chinese food here , I decided to make one myself.
The batter is light but still crispy & the sauce has just the right sweetness .

Tired the whole day so I guess I deserve
a glass of good chilled chardonnay & enjoyed the rest of the evening with my honey.

I hope you all had a Great Labor Day weekend :)

Northwest Summer

“It is the month of June,The month of leaves and roses,When pleasant sights salute the eyes,And pleasant scents the noses.” ~Nathaniel Parker Willis


.......actually we are half-way thru June . Kids are on vacation now & I'm left w/ the wonder of how am I gonna keep them busy. I thought of taking them to the district recreational pool center & let them waddle in the water till they turn like prune. It's indoor ,water is warm enough so you don't have to worry about catching cold,it's open till late so you can avoid the rush of people ( too many people=too many germs) & most of all it's cheap!!! Only 2$ per person if you belong w/ the district. How cool is that!!! Tualatin Recreational Center has everything from leisure,sports,educational ,social or even if yo just want to take a walk in the trail area.

Shopping.........who doesn't love to shop??!!! Even if I don't have the dough , I'm perfectly happy just to window shop & spot something nice & tell myself " I'm gonna get you later!" lols
Well, this month is my lucky month coz I made full use of the gift cards that I got from my birthday to the max. Macy's had a huge discount blowout sale on June 12-13 . I was one of the earliest shoppers & I thought I was early enough till I saw one lady already had both her arms full of clothes to take to the fitting room. I took my sweet time coz I know dear husband is watching the kids & I gotta make sure that I wont go home empty handed & teary eyed again.
Two hours later I got myself enough outfits to last me till next summer plus a nice little purse from DKNY for a fraction of a cost. I couldn't believe my eyes (& the cashier) , a nice paor of dress pants for $11.99 & a beautiful scooped neck red blouse for $9.99 hahahhaaa..I was smiling from ear to ear. That was a very rare moment & I guess it's because I finally accepted the fact that I am no longer size 2 anymore . It made it easier for me to pick the right size of clothes & the right style. But don't get me wrong...accepting doesn't mean I am surrendering.
The battle of the bulge isn't over yet. But in the mean time , I'll try to enjoy my new sets of outfit :)

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Their Recent Pictures

It's May

Time to celebrate Mother's Day .

The things that mother's do...we deserve not only a celebration once a year but every day.
I got 2 kids but it's feels like one football team.
I have nothing but admiration to those women who were able to raise more than 2 kids...coz frankly , it's more than I could handle. I can't remember when's the last time I finished a book , a novel or even the Sunday newspaper. But ask me how many children's book I've read coz I got a long list for yah.

Motherhood.....exhausting .....but even so....it's the most rewarding. Just wait till you hear your little kiddo call you in their most sweetest voice ( even though at most times, they did something bad & they are tryin to get your symphaty) . Waking up in ungodly hour to just a slight cry or weird noise in the kids' room. Heck , when I was a teenager my mom would almost spalsh cold water on me just to wake me up hahhahaa..and she said to me " there will be earthquake, fire, war..& you still wont wake up". Kinda miss those days sometimes. Hmmm.... children.....they are a full time job...but also your most valuable & life changing experience.

To all the mothers , Salute!!!



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May is also our Wedding Anniversary.

It's been 5 years and it's been good, can't complain really.
Lots of things happened , some good , some bad , but mostly good
and the bads only made our marriage stronger & deeper.
Along w/ the kids...our relationship has s also grown into maturity & more understanding.
Like we don't have to explain to each other anymore why the dinner isn't ready yet, or if we forgot certain appoinments.....just w/ one look & we know why....mutual understanding...I think it's very important. Saves you time arguing & who should sleep in the couch..lols.
All I wish for our wedding anniversary is........more....more of our love , more of our trust , more of our understanding........just a little bit more & every year.....and I think we will last....for a lifetime.

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and May is the month I was born.

At 30 something...I'm thankful how my life turned out.
I guess I'm one of the lucky ones.
I don't have anything to wish for ...'cept for a brand new BMW suv, a nice house in Skyline next to those.hhhmmmm...what do they cll them now???? ahh,....luxury homes...hhaaahaaa...,maybe a vacation , on a caribbean cruise or Europe in autum wont be too bad.....nothing too glamourous.....just that....hahahhahaha...hey I was told that if you dream, aim high.

Seriously , my birthday wish is to always be healthy & strong for my kids , in good shape & good mood for my husband *wink* and just peace to all man kind ...,that's all.


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