Life here and there...

Father's Day Surprise

2009-06-22T11:39:00.000-05:00

A surprise ice cream cake for hubby's first father's day. He was really surprised to see the cake and started asking me questions of how I bought it, when and if I brought Claira with me. He also received 2 cards from me and Claira which I put on top of the emergency light in the bathroom before I went to bed. haha ^_^

Hubby's ice cream cake. :)

And yes, it was yum yum! :)

Cook in with friends

2009-06-19T11:32:00.000-05:00

Instead of going out for our regular ladies night out, we decided to have a cook in at my friend's house so we can eat Filipino foods again. haha

Here are the foods prepared by us.

And here we are, excited to eat Pinoy foods again. ^_^

Claira's Baptismal

2009-06-15T11:24:00.000-05:00

At last, Claira is now a christian! Her christening gown is donated and hand made from my Aunt in Idaho. I love the gown and the priest said that it's like a wedding gown. haha Here we are with the Priest, Ninangs and Ninong. :)

Ang inahan...

2009-06-13T11:16:00.000-05:00

Claira's been wanting my attention and I have other things to do in the house. I don't have any relatives here to help take care of Claira while I do some chores so my solution is to use the baby carrier. Using the carrier helped me do things that needs to be done while Claira is enjoying the ride. That's motherhood. hehe Here's our photo.

Claira and me2

2009-06-12T11:06:00.001-05:00

Here's our photo after I went out with my friends for our ladies night out. It really helped me a lot every time I go out by myself coz I start to miss Claira and of course hubby too. That's what her Pedia said to hubby that I should have time for myself. Though I enjoyed my ME time with friends, my mind is wondering if Claira and hubby are doing okay at home while I'm having fun. hehe

Claira and Me

2009-05-06T11:03:00.001-05:00

Bonding time with Claira...

Claira, Hubby and Me

2009-04-12T20:48:00.002-05:00

Here's our bundle of joy. :)

Our little Angel Claira...

2009-04-06T22:00:00.000-05:00

She was born March 27, 2009. She got the color of my eyes and I think the hair too. :)

Patiently waiting...

2009-03-23T21:50:00.001-05:00

Hubby took a photo of our little one's crib and saying that the bed and her friends are waiting for her arrival too. haha

Microwaving Sweet corn

2009-03-17T00:44:00.002-05:00

I love sweet corn and I normally steamed them for my snack not boiled which we used to do in the Philippines. One time my laziness strikes and I wanted to eat the sweet corn right away so I thought of the microwave. I peel some of the husk and leave a little bit just enough to cover the corn. In the microwave, I tried 1 minute first so the corn won't pop and then turn the other side for another minute and add another minute. For 3 minutes the corn was already cooked. Now I know how to cook it the easy and quicker way. Thanks to the microwave, it made my life easier. ^_^

Sisterhood Award

2009-03-16T00:19:00.007-05:00

Thanks Joy for sharing this award with me. I really appreciate the thought. ^_^

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Now, it's time for me to share this Sisterhood award to my fellow blogging sisters: Lynn, Jenn, Cecile, NovaS, Nancy, Twerlyn, Elda, Laradee, Amiable Amy, and Ilocana.

Sweet Honey Mango

2009-03-10T00:36:00.002-05:00

I think it's mango season now in Mexico coz I haven't seen these honey mangoes in months already and now they're back in the store. I bought 7 pcs. the other week and regret that I didn't buy more so last week I bought 10 pcs. ^_^

Snack attack...

2009-03-04T23:35:00.002-06:00

This was my fave midnight snack last month. Now I'm trying to control myself not to crave for this or else I'll go kaboom (fat). hehe

Ice cream cake

2009-03-01T01:24:00.004-06:00

This was the ice cream cake I bought for my baby shower. I just don't want to go to the party with empty handed coz for sure my pinay friends brought something to share to everybody. I was glad I chose the chocolate ice cream and cake coz it really taste so good than the first time that hubby and I ordered for my friend's birthday. Yummy yummy! :)

Sweet and sour chicken with fried rice...

2009-02-28T13:26:00.007-06:00

I've been eating this sweet and sour chicken for 2 Sunday's already after church. This is good when you're in a hurry and don't have time to cook coz we just order this at the Chinese restaurant near our apartment. The owner of the restaurant is our neighbor just 2 blocks away from our building. What's nice about the restaurant is you can order thru phone and then go to the restaurant to pick up your order. No need to wait but if the owner is not busy she likes to chit chat with me and hubby especially now that I'm preggy. If I'm hungry and in a hurry I just wait in the car and let hubby get the order so we can have the food right away. haha This sweet and sour chicken is delicious but it's deep fried so I try not to eat it all the time. :)

Surprise!

2009-02-24T00:13:00.005-06:00

My friends gave me a baby shower last Saturday at 2:00 PM. I already had a clue of what's going on but never expected that it was sort of well planned event. Others want me to think that it's a late Valentines party but I wasn't informed that way. A friend just told me to go to a friend's house for the party. Though she didn't mention the baby shower or Valentine's party but I suspect already that it's the baby shower coz one of my friends said that the baby shower will be this month. I thought it's just a simple event with close friends (the ones I go out with for ladies night out) but when hubby and I were close at my friend's house I saw 4 balloons outside (2 regular size and 2 small). Then I read what's written on the balloon and it says "baby shower". As we're close to the door, I saw the two flower pots with pink flowers and more balloons inside the house. I was amazed with the decoration on the wall with the words saying "it's a girl". More decors around and my friend put the crown on my head which says "new mom to be". Aside from the Pinoy foods and desserts prepared by friends, there were games also, singing and of course the opening of gifts. What surprises me was their effort to make the baby shower a great success. Here are some photos... and more photos HERE.

The gifts...

Valentine's Love Meme

2009-02-16T20:13:00.004-06:00

I know this is late already but it's better late than never. hehe My dear blogging buddy Lynn tag me with this meme which I appreciate for her thoughtfulness. Thanks sis! ^_^

***start copy***

Rules:
1) Once you're tagged, install the corner banner at your blog as a third party html code. (The corner banner need to stay at your blog for at least 2 weeks).
2) Post about this meme,Valentine's Love.
3) Add your blog/s with link/s to the Valentine's Lovers list and leave a comment at this post HERE.3) Tag all your special friends.
4) Please remember to update your list regularly so that you would not miss out anyone in your Valentine's Lovers list.
p/s: The wordings on this banner with automatically changed to 'Tagged with Love! xoxo' on Feb 15.Get the code of the corner banner and the instruction on how to install it in blogger ---> HERE

Valentine's Lovers

1.A Great Pleasure 2.Time Goes By 3.Listen With Your Heart 4.Glossalicious 5. Wishing on a Falling Star 6. Mariuca's Perfume Gallery 7. Simply Shinade 8. A Simple Life 9. Mommy's Little Corner 10. Ramblings of the Phat 11. 0007 Undercover TAGMEMAWARD CAT 12. Notes by Marvic 13. Maiylah's Snippets 14. Picture Clusters 15. This is a Miracle 16. purplefrogcat 17. Also Mommy 18. Both Sides Now 19. illusionaire 20. Candles, Crafts and Whatnot 21. The Brainy Bimbo 22. Sweet Nothings 23. Turn-u-Off24. Twinkletoe Writing Space 25. Lynn's Chic Spot 26. Michelle's Life here and there

***end copy*

I want to spread the love too those who are listed in my links and are interested. ^_^

Baby's corner...

2009-02-14T22:43:00.001-06:00

Hubby and I are still not finish preparing for the baby's room but we're almost getting there. There are still stuff in the room that we're going to keep in the storage locker and some stuff that hubby might use someday but he doesn't know yet where to put them. Now the living room is a mess but at least, the baby already have a place for her stuff.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2009-02-13T22:30:00.001-06:00

May all of you have/had a . . .

Save money from coupons

2009-02-09T23:43:00.000-06:00

I'm new into this coupon thing though I heard and watched about this topic at Oprah show many times already last year. I was amazed of how much money a person can save if you have the descipline and time to spend cutting coupons for future use. At first I thought only those who subscribe newspapers can use the coupons but now you can get coupons from the mail, products that you bought or just by surfing printable coupons on the internet. I'm thankful that my mother-in-law subscribe the Sunday Newspaper coz I found coupons that I can use. Now I'm starting to save a little bit of money from coupons. I'm now learning little by little and looking forward to save more. It's pretty interesting and I think I might be addicted to this once I know how to play this game. :)

Healthy for baby

2009-02-08T23:21:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking of what to eat that is also healthy for my baby. I'm not sure if other moms are doing the same thing but for me the health of the baby starts in the mothers womb. I need to eat vegetables everyday for my fiber and shrimp is good for baby's brain so I decided to cook bean sprouts, green beans with shrimps. This is good for 3 meals for me coz hubby doesn't like to eat shrimps. It's yummy and healthy. ^_^

Beautiful Woman of God

2009-02-07T23:00:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Mommy Joy of Life Expressions for sharing this with me. I really like it! :)

Now I want to share this to my blogging buddies, namely:

Ilocana, Jenn, Laradee, Janethvicy and Lynn.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2009-01-25T23:20:00.002-06:00

Wishing you good health and happiness!!!

It's snowing again...

2009-01-19T21:12:00.002-06:00

The forecast for today is wrong coz when I checked the weather thru my cellphone it says it will be sunny at 2 pm but then it started snowing at 1 pm and it's more cloudy. I thought it's just rain but when I looked at my jacket I saw a salt like stuff on top of it. The weather started to become freezing cold and more snow falling which looked like dandruff falling from the sky. haha

Me at 28 weeks

2009-01-05T21:34:00.002-06:00

Early this afternoon I went to the fitness center for my exercise. I really like going there coz it made me energized and healthy after I had my exercise. I even told my Aunt about going to the fitness and she told me not to overdo it. She said that walking exercise is okay. My plan is to be in the treadmill for 30 minutes. But if I do some chores in the house or go out shopping then I don't go to the fitness center. And if I feel weak, I just stay at home and do nothing but relax and rest. Now that's my life as preggy. :)

Lucky night

2008-12-31T17:46:00.004-06:00

Hubby and I went to the Botanical garden yesterday to see the Galaxy of Lights coz today is the last day of the showing. It was crowded last night but not too crowded. We were there for almost an hour and headed to the Chinese buffet for dinner. I was hungry already while watching the galaxy of lights but there's no way out so we patiently followed the cars ahead of us. It's almost 9 pm already when we arrived at the restaurant and we're not so sure of what time they close. Most restaurants closes at 9 pm and I thought the chinese restaurant that I normally go to with my friends will close at 10 so we tried to go there first to see if they are still open. Luckily they're still open but only until 9:30 pm. I have no other choice but to go inside and eat coz I'm already hungry. We are the last customer so some parts of the bar are empty and the first thing that I was looking for was the crawfish but it's already empty. Anyways, I got some rice, veggies, chicken soup and shrimp. The woman at the cashier came to me and asked if I want to eat crawfish coz they'll cook some for me and without thinking twice I said "yes, please". Wow! It made me happy that they'll cook my fave crawfish. haha Then the woman at the cashier told me that if I want something that is not there anymore I'll just tell them and they'll cook what I want. Sweet! While I was halfway eating, the woman at the cashier came to our table and told me that the crawfish is ready. So I went to the bar and took some crawfish. I thought they're going to cook just some for me but the pan is so full. I wish my friends were there, I'm sure they'll be happy to see the crawfish. Then when I went to the dessert bar, I saw the fresh cooked crab legs. How I wish I still have room for it but I'm almost full already so I only took a little bit of fruits. I arrived home happy. :)

Happy New Year!

Brain dead or just lazy?

2008-12-22T00:55:00.003-06:00

I read the pregnancy book that pregnant women are forgetful and that's because of the hormone. I don't know if it's true but I've been experiencing being forgetful or just lazy to compose something to post which I think the reason why I sort of have a brain dead lately. Besides, I spend more time watching TV than doing something on the computer (now that I'm pregnant) coz I feel more relaxed sitting on the couch than sitting on a chair. Oh well, I think this too will pass as what pregnant women always say. We'll see. :)

Things I Am Thankful for this year

2008-12-17T22:20:00.000-06:00

A nice tag from a dear friend Lynn. Thanks for sharing this girl! ^_^

Be thankful that you don't already have anything you desire...if you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something... for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times... during those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations... because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge... because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes... they will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary... because it means you've made a difference.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings.

I have a lot of things to be thankful for and here are some of them.

1.) God - for all the blessings.

2. ) Hubby - for the unconditional love, care and understanding.

3.) Family - for being a part of my life.

4.) Little one - for changing my diet into a better one. ^_-

5.) Friends - for the good memories and good times.

6.) Blogger friends - for leaving nice comments, encouragement and for making me smile.

I want to share this tag to all. I think we all have something to be thankful for no matter how difficult life is sometimes.

I still don't know what I want for Christmas

2008-12-16T23:43:00.002-06:00

I'm still clueless of what's the best gift that I want for Christmas. Last year I had different kinds of chocolates that I like but I don't want hubby to buy one for me this year because it's not good for me and the baby. I have sweets available here though so I don't need more. I was thinking of something that I can use for a lifetime if possible but I don't know what it is. (sigh) Anyways, hubby purchased a video camera as a gift for both of us coz we're going to use that to take baby videos as memories. Maybe the video camera is enough as christmas gift for us this year. I don't know. I don't want to think or shop anymore coz the crowded stores made me sick.

Need to watch my diet

2008-12-14T23:39:00.002-06:00

Lately I like eating sweets though I tried to control myself not to be tempted with those stuff coz I don't want to have a problem with gestational diabetes. But sometimes I have the urge to eat sweets once a day and sometimes twice which I think is not good. Though others would say that it's okay to eat sweets as long as I'm not eating in big portions but still I'm afraid that I will be addicted to it. One thing that I can control at the moment is avoiding salty ones coz sodium can make my feet swell and I don't want that to happen. I also started to like soda again. Hubby told me to buy some caffeine free coz I'm allowed to drink once a day (according to the practitioner) but I decided not to buy soda for me coz again I might be addicted to it. Eating vegetables and protein everyday are the top of my list coz I felt guilty that I'm not feeding what my baby needs if I can't eat those. I really need to watch my diet coz if I don't then me and my baby will suffer. Wish me luck! :)

Too lazy

2008-12-10T20:56:00.002-06:00

Well, I didn't sleep well last night so today I'm not in the mood to do anything. I only cooked for my lunch, dinner, washing dishes and the rest is just watching TV. I was thinking of so many things also like arranging some areas in the house in preparation of the baby's arrival. It seems that there's a lot going on in my head but don't know where to start. Besides, I'm not allowed to lift or carry heavy stuff so now all I can do is just plan and tell hubby what my plan is and what he can do to make my plan work. Oh boy, how I wish I can carry heavy stuff so I can help hubby too but I'm also afraid that if I don't listen then accidents might happen. It's nice to be pregnant but it's also difficult coz I can't do what I wanted to do. (sigh)

It's snowing today!

2008-12-01T22:01:00.003-06:00

I get up at 11:30 am today to watch the food network's quick fix meals and to eat lunch. I'm so thankful that my baby sleep most of the time last night which made me get more sleep too even in the morning. Anyways, after eating my lunch I looked at the window and thought that it was raining but when I saw the ground there are white stuff like salt. Then I saw a few snow falling. I went back to the couch and continue to watch food network. When I looked at the window again there were more snowflakes falling so I grab the camera and took a photo of it. The snow stopped so I went out to have my exercise at the fitness center. It's freezing cold outside but I like it. :)

What I want for Christmas?

2008-11-30T23:28:00.005-06:00

Hubby asked me of what I want for Christmas after eating dinner last thanksgiving. I have no idea of what I really want for christmas yet so I just said I don't know. He told me that I don't need to decide yet coz he doesn't even know what he wants for christmas also. haha We normally buy the items that we want then I wrap the items for him and he'll wrap the items for me. In that way we know that the gift we receive on Christmas day is what we really want to get. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T21:36:00.001-06:00

Sleepy

2008-11-20T20:36:00.002-06:00

It seems that every time hubby and I visit my mother-in-law I feel sleepy easily. I'm not sure if it's because of the light in her room or what. We had our dinner here at the Assisted Living Facility for their Thanksgiving. Now I'm using her computer so I won't be bored. :)

So busy...

2008-11-19T23:13:00.002-06:00

I went out shopping with hubby for my maternity pants and bought some clothes too. When we arrived home, I watch TV to take a rest coz I was tired from shopping. Then I started re-organizing my clothes. Trying them on and those that doesn't fit anymore will go to the box hoping that I can still wear them next year. I'm trying to make some room for winter and maternity clothes that I'm going to use for winter. Then it's time to cook for hubby's dinner and after dinner is washing dishes and marinating meat for this coming Saturday's thanksgiving party of the Filipino society here. I still have a lot of things to do about organizing stuff and hopefully next will be making room for our baby. Whew! :)

Grrrr It's cold!

2008-11-18T23:03:00.004-06:00

I went out yesterday to buy some groceries but of course, I checked the weather first before I went out so I can wear the right outfit. It was cold so I have 3 layers of tops on me and two for the bottom. My jeans still fit but already tight. I can feel my baby complaining coz she's pushing my tummy and it hurts. When I went to the first store my tummy hurt already so I walked slowly to ease the pain coz I still have to go to the second store to return the clothes that my mother-in-law didn't like. I felt that the baby is uncomfortable of the jeans I wear and so am I. I decided that I really need to buy new pants that will keep me warm now that it's getting cold outside. I have lots of pants to use for the house but not for going out coz they are thin. That's why I use my jeans yesterday coz I don't have other choice. I want my legs to be warm also. Grrrr The maternity pants are hard to find especially for a petite me. I've been to stores that has maternity section but I don't like the cloth or the size is not right and the way they're made is not my type. I wish I can find one soon coz I need it so bad.

Lemonade for Me

2008-11-17T23:06:00.002-06:00

I was a soda person before but now that I'm pregnant I stopped drinking soda. I now prefer to drink ice tea with lemon if I'm in a restaurant but most of the time I drink plain water. Though I like to drink lemonade because of the Vit. C but it gives me acid reflux so I have to be careful about it. Anyways, thank you for this very sweet tasting award Lynn. I really appreciate the thought.

The Rules of this award:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

I want to share this lemonade award to my girlfriends here so they will enjoy the sweetness too. Naks! Ilocana, pinaywahm, simplymama, twinks, monica, jenn, and gigi. Let's drink together girlfriends! Cheers!!! (",)

Complains here and there

2008-11-16T19:46:00.001-06:00

Oh boy, I'm going to return all three clothes that I bought the other day for my mother-in-law. She complained that it's too tight or loose, she doesn't like the fabric, too short or too long, buttons are tight, heavy and so on. She always find something to complain about in each of them. I'm tired of hearing her complains. I really wish she can shop for herself. I don't mind picking her up from her place and driving her to the store then drop her off to her place again to help her get what she really wanted. But going to the store will take us maybe an hour or two walking from the parking lot to the store coz she can't walk fast and needs the walker to help her walk. Hubby told her to use a wheelchair to make it easier for her to go around but she doesn't like to be in a wheelchair either. We once helped her shopped in Florida at a shopping center where clothing stores are just next to each other but she didn't find any that she like and she even wanted to go home after shopping the first store coz she's tired of walking already. But that's not the only thing that she complained about. Every time hubby and I visit her she always have something to complain about whether it's about food, the care taker of the place, her place, she's bored, and so on. Sometimes I don't feel like visiting her coz I don't want to hear another complain but I have to support hubby also coz it's his mom. It's very frustrating coz we tried our best to help her but she doesn't even try to help herself. It would be nice if she will at least try to exercise walking everyday so she will stay healthy and can walk faster. In that way it would be easier for me and hubby to take her out with us or do some shopping. I can't imagine how our life is gonna be once the baby is born. My MIL might be stucked in her place coz we can't take care of her and the baby at the same time if we go out together. Oh life!

The Pink Sisterhood

2008-11-15T15:00:00.002-06:00

Thank you Amiable Amy and Lynn for sharing this Pink Sisterhood tag. :)

~~Start Here~~

1. Put the logo in your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who shared it with you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4. Add your link to the list of participants below
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

PINK Sisterhood
1.Fara 2. Massy 3. N.O.Y 4. Mariuca 5. A Great Pleasure 6. Benchiegrace 7. Grace 8. Jhelea 9. Richelle 10. Demcy 11. Cecile 12. Cookie 13. and AMIABLE AMY 14. amy 15. Jhari 16. A Mother of Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow 17. History of Supernova and Sweetain 17. Caroland's Breathtaking Adventure 18. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 19. Lynn's Chic Spot 20. Michelle 21. You are Next!

~~End Here~~

I nominate these following wonderful blogs as my sistah here in the blogosphere: Ilocana, pinaywahm, simplymama, twinks, monica, jenn, and gigi. Spread the Sisterhood girls.

Shopping...

2008-11-14T23:05:00.001-06:00

I did some shopping today but it's not for me. My mother-in-law said that she needs new clothes but the problem is she's very picky and she walk so slow with the walker plus her body is not straight coz she got a humpback. Hubby and I tried to shop for her but hubby got frustrated coz there was one time when we shop for more than 20 clothes and all of them were returned coz my mother-in-law has complains on each clothes. Oh boy, we've been spending a lot of time shopping for her and the result is nothing. After that hubby and I stopped shopping for her but lately my mother-in-law told me that she like my sweater or the print of my shirt and she wants to have one too. So I tried shopping for her today and got three items for her to try on. There are nice ones that I think she might like but the price is cheap and she complained about that before so I didn't buy them. I just hope that all three clothes that I bought today will fit her so I don't need to return them (fingers crossed).

Pimples on my Oily Face

2008-11-12T01:04:00.000-06:00

Don't know what to do with it. My face is so oily and every time there's picture taking, my forehead shine as if I put some oil on my face. Grrrr! Now pimples are attacking me again. I visited my dermatologist twice already and hoping for a fast cure of my pimples. I got some on my back also which itch sometimes. My dermatologist gave me 2 prescriptions: a pledget to apply in the morning and ointment for bed time. I wish my pimples will soon be gone. I hate looking at them on the mirror and I'm tempted to prick them. I hope these pimples will go away after I gave birth.

I should have more than 1 child

2008-11-09T22:52:00.001-06:00

That's what my mother-in-law said when I told her that we're having a baby girl. Hubby asked her why we have to have more than one child and she said "for company". She told us not to have the baby alone by herself. I think she realized now that having one child is not good. She said that the girls as what she calls her co-residents at the assisted living facility were talking about their children and they got more than one child while my mother-in-law only have one. A friend of mine here in US said that her husband had a male friend who's an only son, no serious gf and had an elderly parents. He was sort of sad for not having a sibling to talk to and share responsibilities of taking care the elderly parents so he talked to my friend's husband whenever he felt sad and lonely about his life. His father died and after a year he was found dead at the yard. The neighbor said that it seems he's having a heart attack. My friend and her husband were shocked because they thought he's okay already. But before that, he was kinda depressed, sad and lonely. I guess he died first before his mother and I don't know what happen to his mother after he died. Hearing this story made me think to have more than 1 child. I know that it is difficult for me coz I have to do everything to take care of the kids without any help from family members/relatives or neighbors unlike in the Philippines. Besides, hiring a nanny is very expensive. Hubby mentioned to me in the past that having just 1 child is not good so he wants to have more than 1 child. He said that he doesn't want our child to be alone if we die. I just hope we can afford it.

I got a flu shot today

2008-11-08T00:28:00.000-06:00

This is the first time that I had a flu shot here in US. It is available every year but I thought I don't need it coz I'm healthy so I didn't have a flu shot when I arrive here and last year. But according to the book that I read about pregnancy, pregnant woman should get a flu shot especially this time coz of the change of weather. I still don't want to get it but hubby said that the walk-in clinic near here offered a free flu shot to us because it's covered by our health insurance. Hubby asked the practitioner if it's okay for me to have the flu shot and she said yes. So hubby and I went to the walk-in clinic near our place and got my flu shot done today. It was quick but there's still a little pain where the shot was. I hope the pain will be gone tomorrow.

Acid Reflux

2008-11-05T23:14:00.001-06:00

I haven't heard about acid reflux when I was in the Philippines but this is common here in US especially to pregnant women. I've been experiencing this lately and the cause of this is eating spicy and acidic foods. I am so thankful that there's a medicine for this that is okay to take for pregnant women. It really bothers me. I only take the medicine when it's almost time for me to go to bed coz I don't want to take the medicine more than once a day. I hope this acid reflux feeling will soon be gone.

Miswa with sardines

2008-11-04T22:43:00.003-06:00

I was craving for soup and the easiest way I can cook which I think is also delicious is the miswa with sardines. It was my lunch for 2 days and the taste reminds me of my country Philippines. As I was reading the book about pregnancy, it says that a woman who's pregnant for 20 weeks should eat enough fat and cholesterol. Why? Because it's the critical time for the baby's brain. I must eat some amount of real, non-hydrogenated fat in my diet. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in oily fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines, are great for baby's brain. Some fish maybe high in mercury so I have to limit my intake of oily fish to about 12 ounces a week. I think I'm eating the sardines in advance coz I'm 19 weeks now but that's close so I think it's okay. :)

Sleeping late

2008-10-30T22:02:00.000-05:00

My baby is awake when it's time for me to bed but I enjoyed feeling the movement of my tummy when the baby moves which made me sleep late. I told the practitioner about it and she told me to take a nap as much as possible whenever I have the chance coz I should be sleeping 8 to 12 hours a day. Wow, that's a lot of hours! I was surprised hearing what the practitioner said but she told me not to feel guilty about it coz there's a baby inside me growing so I need to have a lot of rest. I don't know if I can do 12 hours but I'll try to get 8 hrs of sleep if possible. :)

My baby is now moving everyday

2008-10-21T23:27:00.004-05:00

Last August I felt that my baby was moving while I'm about to sleep then I felt the baby moving again after a few days. The practitioner asked me during my last visit if I felt the baby moving and I said yes but not everyday then she said that I'll be able to feel the baby moving everyday when I'm 20-22 weeks pregnant. I'm 19 weeks yesterday but last Saturday I felt the baby moving until today. I guess my case is different though this is my first time coz according to the book that I read that slender woman can feel the baby moving early and I am still skinny. I wonder what my baby is doing inside my tummy coz the baby moves to every corner of my tummy. Hubby said that maybe the baby is pushing my tummy out to have more room inside coz I can feel that the baby is pushing my tummy. haha It feels good sometimes coz it's like the baby is kicking my tummy but sometimes there's a little pain which made me think if the baby is playing with the umbilical cord or pinching something. :)

I'm bored

2008-10-20T20:59:00.002-05:00

It's my mother-in-law who said that she's bored when hubby and I visited her. Hubby told her to join with the other residents playing bingo or going out and have fun but it seems that she want us to entertain her. Hmm When she was in Florida she complained that she's the only one there who doesn't have a visitor but of course we're far and visiting her is expensive so we visit her once a year. She didn't talk about it though when hubby told her that hubby can't visit her all the time because his vacation is limited and he needs to keep his job. Now that we visit her every weekend, she suggest that we should visit her often. I don't know how often she wants us to visit but going there everyday is I think too much.

Delicious shrimps!

2008-10-17T23:02:00.000-05:00

There's no ladies night out today so I decided to cook these shrimps for dinner. Cooking time is less than 30 minutes and it's delicious with rice! :)

Budget

2008-10-14T23:56:00.003-05:00

Hearing about financial disasters/problems/suicides with the tough economy today made me think of how I can avoid to not have the problems that others are facing. Oprah's show actually helped a lot of people to change their spending habits and starts saving with the help of Suze Orman's tough love advice/help. I learned from Suze's advice and even Oprah too. So now I'm more serious when it comes to spending and tracking everything. Though I'm not used to budget with the credit card coz it's really a big temptation but I'll try doing it coz using the credit card company we use will give us money in return also which is good for us. Having a list of how much we spent is a big challenge and it seems fun to me. I enjoyed writing down the expenses and I'm thrilled if this will really work. Maybe not this month but hoping to meet the goal next month. :)

I'm getting bigger?

2008-10-12T16:04:00.005-05:00

I wasn't really planning to go shopping yesterday but Victoria's Secret sent me a coupon that I have a freebie. Hubby told me that I don't need to go there coz I complained that I don't like the VS freebie that I got but free stuff is good so I went there with hubby before the coupon expire. Besides, if I don't use the free VS thing then I can give it away to somebody who's willing to accept it like my relatives in the Philippines. -_^

Anyways, I passed by with other stores before going to Victoria's Secret boutique and bought some clothes that I can use or will use once my tummy gets bigger. I noticed that my size now is medium and not small anymore. Hmm I wonder what my biggest size is before I deliver the baby. :)

Freebie for baby

2008-10-10T23:26:00.002-05:00

Hubby and I visited my mother-in-law and she asked me of how's the baby and I said that the baby is okay and starts moving already. She was surprised coz she said hubby was so good to her and didn't gave her any problems. I think she was thinking that I'm in pain already when the baby moves. Anyways, she said that she will buy the crib for the baby and hubby said that we're still looking for one but haven't decided yet. A friend of mine suggests to buy the wooden crib but hubby thinks the folding crib is more practical for us so we can bring it anywhere in the house. Free stuff is good. :)

Package from Philippines

2008-10-08T17:51:00.002-05:00

At last, the package I was waiting for arrived already. I asked my sister to send me something that I was craving and my cousin also sent me something. Too bad the galleta smells bad already. But the peanut brittle really taste so good. :)

Cooking with friends

2008-10-07T17:45:00.002-05:00

Me and Pinay friends were having fun cooking today at Jane's house. We cooked Filipino dishes of course. Here are some photos of us. :)

Crime Scene Live

2008-10-05T17:36:00.002-05:00

Today hubby and I witnessed a crime scene at the parking lot here in our apartment. There were 3 Police cars at the back parking lot, 3 Police cars at the front parking lot and HEMSI. Wow! It seems like we're watching a movie. Our neighbors also were watching from a distance and some tried to go a little closer. It takes hours before the parking lot was clear because of the paper works, taking pictures of the area where the crime scene happened, signing papers from the witnesses and etc. The complete story in my other blog My Small World.

Ladies Night Out Again

2008-10-03T17:31:00.000-05:00

It's not Friday yet but my friends decided to have an early Ladies Night Out today so our friend Shiela can go with us. We had fun eating and chit chatting at Chinese Buffet. It was the first time that we spent I think almost 3 hours there. haha

OB Appointment

2008-10-02T23:55:00.000-05:00

Today we heard just a little bit of the baby's heart beat. The practitioner said that the baby kept moving around but we heard a little bit of the heart beat. The practitioner also said that there are babies who doesn't like the apparatus used for listening the heart beat and maybe my baby is one of them. Hmm It also took a few minutes before my OB found the heart beat. It seems like my baby wants to play hide and seek already. haha

I quit working

2008-09-09T12:16:00.003-05:00

Yes, I quit working starting today because I was sick working last week. I don't know what's going on coz I tried to drink water or my high protein energy drink that the practitioner told me so I won't be dehydrated but it didn't work. I thought I'm going to pass out at work so I talked to the store manager about what happened so she can understand why I want to quit working. I think she already expected it to happen coz she didn't disagree whatsoever though before I say a word she said "Noooooo" which made me laugh. She asked me of when I want my last day of work and I said "today". She just said okay and told me that she won't put in my record that I really quit just in case I want to come back. :)

My Cravings

2008-09-07T17:16:00.000-05:00

I crave for Filipino foods lately. I don't like to eat vegetables that are not familiar to my taste and I just want to eat guava and jackfruit of all the fruits that are available here. I called my Aunt in Cebu Philippines just to ask some of her recipes that I wanted to eat again. We had a long talk with her husband who also loves to cook and my Aunt told me to think that the food here are better than the one in the Philippines coz the baby will become weak if I don't eat healthy foods. She told me about fruits that are good for me and I list them down so I can buy them the next time I go to the grocery store. I don't like the way the kiwi fruit look like but after my Aunt told me that it's good, I started to like it. I tried the plum but I think it's too acidic. I started eating orange again which I don't bother to eat before but now I like it. I am not sure if I want to try eating apple again coz I only like eating apple when I was in the Philippines. I like the grapes though but I can only eat a little bit of it coz the acid is giving me acid reflux. I hope my appetite will go back to normal coz until now, I haven't gain any weight yet.

OB Appointment

2008-09-04T15:16:00.002-05:00

Today is my OB appointment. For the first time hubby and I heard our little angel's heartbeat. Oh my, it's so fast and sounds so cute! I thought it's too early to hear the heartbeat coz hubby and I thought that the OB's count of when we conceived the baby was wrong. Hmm I guess they're right.

Back to work again

2008-09-01T12:16:00.002-05:00

Yes, I'm back to work again after 2 weeks of vacation. I am happy that I'm back to work though I was kinda exhausted and sleepy but I'm excited. It's nice to see my co-workers again after 2 weeks of not seeing them. They are happy to see me at work and asking me about my pregnancy. I hope I feel better tomorrow. :)

Hubby and the birds...

2008-08-27T12:16:00.000-05:00

Before going to Tampa Airport, hubby got something for the birds... the bread. I wanted to feed the birds myself coz they are fun to watch waiting for the bread that you are going to give and some of them fly just in front of you to catch the bread if you throw it but we don't have enough time to feed the birds and I want to take a photo. So I told hubby to feed the birds and I'll take a photo of him feeding them. Here it is.

The Plan on having a baby...

2008-08-25T12:16:00.002-05:00

This pregnancy is a true blessing for me and hubby. Before we got married, we agreed not to have a baby for the first 2 yrs of marriage coz we want to enjoy each other as married couple. Our 2nd yr anniversary will be this coming October 28th of this year. I told hubby also that it's okay to have a baby if my tooth implant is done and that happened last June. There are times that I want to have a baby if I see a cute baby at the stores or mall. But I was taking pills for my hormone imbalance and I heard that it's not good to get pregnant while taking the pills. A friend of mine who's a nurse working in California told me that I have to stop taking the pills and after 3 months my uterus should be ready for the baby. I did stop taking the pills and after 3 to 4 months I'm pregnant. We didn't really plan to get pregnant this year but it happens the way we planned it before. I just remember what our plan was and it seems that God was listening to us when hubby and I were talking about when to have a baby. Isn't it amazing? The baby comes at the right time. :)

Curious Mind

2008-08-22T17:43:00.001-05:00

Hubby and I are always at my mother-in-law’s place after lunch. Hubby started packing things so he can sort out of which things that my mother-in-law wanted to bring to Alabama or give away. Hubby doesn’t want me to be bored while staying at my mother-in-law’s place coz it’s supposed to be our vacation. I just told hubby that I’ll be fine as long as there’s an internet connection. I’m so thankful that my mother-in-law’s internet connection works better than the one at the hotel that hubby and I stay. So while hubby is busy packing his mom’s things, I’m also busy blogging. My mother-in-law noticed that I’m busy typing so she asked me today if I’m making a thesis. Haha It’s so funny. I just say No and didn’t tell her about my blog coz she might ask me what I blog about then the questions might go on and on and on.

Philippine Costume Fashion Show

2008-08-20T22:19:00.005-05:00

I took this photos during the Inaugural Ball of the Filipino Society in Alabama. I like the costumes and had fun seeing those clothes again. Here are the photos.

Wife and daughter of a Filipino man.

Busy busy busy

2008-08-18T15:05:00.001-05:00

Yes, it's been days that I've been busy. Last week Friday after work hubby and I went to church coz it's a Holy Day of Obligation. After church I hurriedly went to Chinese Buffet where my Filipina friends were waiting for me for dinner. We had fun talking about anything that we didn't know we stayed there for 2 hours already. We headed to Starbucks to get a cup of coffee and went home before the store close. Saturday night I woke up late coz I chat a relative of mine in the Philippines until 4:00 AM. Whew! I asked about recipes that I crave and the story went on and on and on. Then at 6:00 PM, hubby and I went to Marriott Hotel for the Philippine Heritage Group 12th Inaugural Ball. I had fun there while hubby got bored (hehe) and we went home after midnight. It's nice to see other Filipinos there. Though hubby is not used to going to the party but he said that he'll do it to support me coz I want to attend the party. Then comes Sunday, time for packing things for our travel to Florida to visit my mother-in-law and hopefully maybe a little vacation for hubby and me. Monday, we arrived safe in Tampa Florida. :)

Spread the Blog Love

2008-08-16T18:30:00.000-05:00

I want to thank Jona for sharing this blog love with me. Thanks a lot girl! *_*

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(Pls. don't remove) Credits: Elements/Paper by Dani Mogstad/ Layout by JennyLRules:1. Don't remove the credits when you post the image2. Please link back to the person who tagged you and pass this tag to many of your friends3. If you have more than one blog, please post this to all of your blogs so your other blogs can be listed to the master list too.4. Remember to come back here at A SLICE OF LIFE (pls. don't change this link)and leave the exact post url so I can add you to the master list to help increase our rankings and improve our Technorati Authority.6. Spread the BLOG LOVE FEVER!!BLOGGERS:

1.Jenny Said S o 2.) Simply Jen 3.) This and That 4.) Bargain.Sales.Deals. 5. A Slice of Life 6.) Aussie Talks 7. When Mom Talks 8. Mommy Talks 9 Aggie Shoots. Aggie Scraps 10 All Kinds of Me Stuff 11 The Salad Caper 12. Winding Creek Circle 13. InkBabyStudios 14. Me and Mine 15. Creative in Me 16. For the LOVE of Food 17. Little Peanut 18. Pea in a Pod 19. It’s Where the HEART Is 20. Around the World 21. SugarMagnolias 22. Nita's Random Thoughts 23. Nita's Corner 24. Nita's Ramblings 25. Batuananons 26. Thomas Web Links 27. Filipino Online Community 28. Thomas Travel Tales 29. Bohol Paradise 30. My Wandering Thoughts 31. Arts and Entertainment Center 32. Great Finds and Deals 33. Make Money Online 34. Entertainment News and Beyond 35. Erlinda's Wandering Thoughts 36. TnT Kit 37. Aha Mama! 38. A Zone for Digiscraps 39. RazorianFly :] 40. WebGeek Journal… 41.All About The Memories 42. Spymama 43. Alamak OiOi 44. HasH's Personal Blog 45. MommyAllehs Up-Close and Personal 46. All About Kawaii 47. My Photographic Sketch 48. Embrace Simplicity 49.WilStop 50. Fun.Fierce.Fabulous 51. Kidd Designs 52. Me,Myself+2 53. Anygen's Journey 54. Ultimate Food Cooking Guide 55.Beauty of Life56.Jona (Who am I?)'s New Life57.Money Maker58.Creations59. Michelle's life here and there 60. YOUR BLOG HERE

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*********

Now, I am passing this tag to all my friends in the blogosphere who are interested to spread the Blog Love! :)

Why do we need friends?

2008-08-15T18:40:00.000-05:00

I want to thank my friend Sheng for sharing this cute friendship bear.

We need friends for many reasons,all throughout the season.We need friends to comfort uswhen we are sad,and to have fun with us when we are glad.We need friends to give us good advice,We need someone we can count on,and treat us nice.We need friends to remember usone we have passedsharing memories that will always last.

Spread the poem of friendship.
1. Everyday Life 2. Words of Love 3. Sheng's Simple Thoughts . . . 4. Michelle's life here and there 5. YOU!

I am passing this to all of you as my friends in blogospehere!

Kreativ Blogger

2008-08-14T18:26:00.003-05:00

I want to thank my friend Pinaywahm for sharing this kreativ blogger award. Again, thanks! ^_^

Passing this to those who are listed in my blog roll. :)

12 Words Meme

2008-08-12T15:59:00.001-05:00

I got tagged by Sheng. Thanks for this!

Twelve words meme: this meme is different because it is up to the player to write his/her own words and give his/her own interpretations of these words. Present 12 words that mean something and explain why:

1) GOD - My strength and my hope!
2) HUSBAND- My best friend, lover, husband and everything!
3) FRIENDS - They make me happy!
4) SHOPPING - Vitamins for my eyes. LOL!!!
5) BLOGGING - My new hobby!
6) COMPUTER - My friend!
7) KITCHEN - A place for experimenting foods! hehe
8) SCRAPBOOKING - I need to start doing this especially after giving birth.
9) PHOTOGRAPHY - Something I want to master someday.
10) BLESSINGS - Happens everyday!
11) GRATEFUL - For everything!
12) SIMPLE - That's me.

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This is another one of those Linky Love games where you only have to tag 10 persons in one post, but still there is no actual limit (you can tag more if you want!). Once tagged, you have to copy paste the link in this post, and make them grow! Do not delete any of the links and be honest to yourself!

BennyLiew, RamblingMoo, Mum & Kids In Wonderland, Judelittle, Our mini blogsphere, Rooms in My Heart, http://janiceng.blogspot.com/, ChinNee, Jo-N, LadyJava’s Lounge, My Life, My Hope, My Future, Mariuca’s Perfume Gallery, Choc Mint Girl, The Callalily Space, Juliana RW, Picturing of Life, Its Not a Weekend;Its a Lifestyle, Napaboaniya APAD, My Wanderings, Picture Clusters, Maiylah’s Snippets, TeacherJulie, GreenBucks1, GreenBucks2, Homeschooling Blog, Lucky Charms, TekKonsult, Marikit, Strawberrygurl, Busy Mom, My Stories, Punto De Vista, Shopaholic ties the knot, A Reality Bite, My World, When Mom Speaks, kathycot, buhaymisis, kathycotcooks, My Precious Niche, Just Me.. Eds, Eds Mommy Life, My Journey, Celebrate Life, Deeply in Love, Lynn's Chic Spot, Sheng's Simple Thoughts, Michelle's life here and there, YOUR SITE!

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I would like to tag those who are interested to join. :)

My cravings

2008-08-11T12:02:00.004-05:00

Last Friday the practitioner warned me not to eat any raw meat. She said that I can't touch the raw meat also so if I want to cook meat then I have to use gloves. Hmm I wonder if this is really true but it's okay. Last week I went to a friend's house for dinner, she invited me and another friend and she offered us the salted anchovies (ginamos) which I think not cooked. This was last Thursday and my OB appointment was Friday. I ate the salted anchovies coz it smells so good and I can't resist but dip my chicken into the anchovy sauce. I asked a little bit of the anchovy sauce so I can dip my cooked unripe banana at home. It was my breakfast yesterday morning and after eating I remember what the practitioner told me. I tried to think if the anchovy is cooked but I think it's not so now I have to pay the consequences for not being careful of what I eat. I had a stomach ache a few hours later. I hope the anchovy won't harm the little one in my tummy. This morning I throw the anchovy sauce though the smell made me drooling. Oh well, I'll eat it again once I gave birth. Here's a photo of my breakfast yesterday. :)

Brillante Weblog

2008-08-10T11:52:00.002-05:00

I want to thank my dear sexy friend Sheng for sharing this award to me.

The above recipient of the Brillante Weblog is welcomed to put the Logo on her personal blogs and have the honor of passing this award to seven other bloggers. Here are the rules for passing on the award:

l. Put the logo on your blog

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3. Nominate at least seven other blogs

4. Add links to those blogs on your blogLeave a message for your nominee on their blog.

I want to share this to Cecille, Katelove's, Lara, Gigi, Nice, Avee, and Pangit. Grab it guys!

A real sweet corn

2008-08-08T11:37:00.001-05:00

Sweet yellow corn is now on sale. There are times that sweet corn doesn't really taste sweet so this time I only bought two. I steamed this for 25 minutes as our midnight snack at I think 12:30 AM and I was surprised because it's really sweet. I want to buy some more next time and I hope it's still available. It's so yumyum! :)

All About Shoes

2008-08-06T11:22:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Sheng. Thanks girl!

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What’s your shoe size? Are your feet the same size as your mom’s feet? How about your sister’s feet? Can you borrow shoes from each other?

Post a picture of your latest shoe buy. Tag the number of women of your shoe size, i.e. size 5 = tag 5 friends. Don’t forget to drop a line in this blog when you’re done.

@ Jenny and Belle

@ SAHMdom and Beyond

@ The Journey Continues…

@ Sheng's Simple Thoughts

@ Michelle's life here and there

@ Your Blog here

My Mom’s Shoe Size: 6
Sisters’ Shoe Sizes: 6
My Shoe Size: 4 1/2 - 5 1/2

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I am the only one in the family who can't borrow shoes from my siblings and my mom coz of my small feet! And if my mom or siblings like my sandals they can't borrow it also because it's too small for them. haha I have the kids shoe size but when I went to the shoe store, the staff there said that I should not buy shoes smaller than 5 1/2 because my left foot is bigger than my right foot. Hmm But I still buy 5 size sandals coz sandals doesn't hurt my left foot. :)

I am passing this tag to Lara, Princess and Gigi.

Clouds formation

2008-08-04T22:55:00.001-05:00

I took this photo while hubby was driving on our way to watch the Air Show here. I was just amazed of this clouds formed like roots of a big tree that you can see on the ground and it also looked like a hair blown by the wind. :)

Hormone Problem?

2008-08-04T08:43:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been tired and sleepy. I think my body tries to tell me to get more sleep and rest because blogging made me sleep very late at night. My appetite also changes lately. Now that I'm used to drinking tap water and bottled water, my taste buds are very sensitive to sweet and salty. I noticed yesterday that my hot choco drink becomes sweet already after I pour 2 tbsp of sugar while cooking it. In the past, I put a lot of sugar because the hot choco still taste a little bitter but not yesterday. I even bought a carrot cake that I really love to eat after dinner as my dessert but I only had a bite of it and didn't eat it for 2 days now. In the past, I took 3/4 inch slice of the cake and finish if right away. But the other day, a bite is enough for me. I also tried to avoid salty foods lately. Hmm Even the junk foods that I like to eat before are now sitting around coz I don't like eating them anymore. It's good that I'm not eating sweets, junk foods and salty foods lately. This is good for me and my health. Not sure though if my hormone is making me do this but I'm thankful that the change is for the better. :)

Cathedral Cavern in Alabama

2008-08-03T13:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday hubby and I went to Cathedral Cavern here in Alabama. While waiting for the 4:00 PM tour, hubby and I were chilling at the visitors center waiting for the rain to stop also. This cave is called the "World's Greatest Underground Spectacle". It's the World's Largest Cave Entrance and the World's Largest Cavern Room. They offer a 1.3 mile (round-trip) walking tour of a world class show cave. We were walking along a smooth, concrete walkway with handrails and there are areas with inclines/declines of about 45 degrees. The temperature in the cave averages 58-61 degrees year round and there's no breeze. It's our first time going there so we didn't know that it's cold inside. Brrrrrr! Here are some photos we took yesterday. Enjoy watching! :)

Behind me is the cave's entrance.

The water is dripping from this formation and it really looks so nice.

Water is falling from higher pools to lower pools.

In this picture the light was shined on a formation to create a shadow in the appearance of President Lincoln lying down.

And this is the trail going out.

Losing Weight Again

2008-08-02T21:20:00.002-05:00

I think I'm kinda obsessed lately of how my weight would be the next day. Because of my curiousity if I really gain weight day after day, I weigh myself again yesterday and today. To my surprise my weight yesterday goes down to 83 and today it's 82. Hmmm I just hope it won't go down to 79 coz I don't think that's healthy. I think I'll be malnourished if that's the case. For now, I'll just have to keep track on my weight daily or every other day or maybe weekly. I now feel better that I really didn't gain weight that fast. :)

Me and my co-workers

2008-08-01T22:51:00.000-05:00

This pic was taken last July 20 last month. I was invited for a little gathering again. My fellow Pinay who's also a co-worker of mine celebrated her birthday at her sister's house. She invited me, another pinay co-worker and a caucasian co-worker who's interested to learn some Filipino words. After our singing session which I prefer doing (though it was the first time of singing karaoke now that I'm here in US) than listening to gossips after eating, the birthday girl's sister took this picture as a souvenir. It was nice to eat Filipino foods again but the problem with gatherings like this is I end up going home late. It's just that I'm ashamed to go home early after eating. haha I think it's rude to do that unless you really need to go home early because you have a baby waiting for you at home. Anyway, here's our pic. :)

Gaining weight

2008-07-30T22:41:00.003-05:00

I've been targeting to gain weight lately after losing weight which I really didn't intend to do. In the past weeks, my weight fluctuates from 81 which I was really worried about to 83 and hardly reach the 84 lbs. I didn't mind weighing myself anymore and today I remember to weigh again. I was surprise that my weight is now 85 lbs. Hmm Now I'm worried if I keep on gaining weight. 85 is my ideal weight but not more than that because of my height. I am still careful of what I eat like low fat ham and liverwurst with whole grain bread for my lunch at work and low fat milk every morning and evening. I try to avoid drinking soda after I had my UTI and now I'm used to drinking water specially the tap water. It seems that my taste buds becomes sensitive now that I'm not drinking soda everyday and only drink it twice this month because for me the taste is too sweet. I can now drink unsweet tea and add the no calorie sugar substitute but still I prefer not to drink caffeine. I guess what the Doctor tells me when I had my UTI now sinks in my brain that water is the best than anything else. Shen even told me to avoid the juices and just drink lots and lots of water. I'm wondering if water will make me gain weight. I hope not.

Birdie

2008-07-28T23:25:00.002-05:00

As I was taking a picture of the clouds yesterday while trying to get some fresh air outside, hubby told me that the bird was on top of the tree. I then took a picture of it and here's the result.

See the bird?

I already saw this nest last week and yesterday I had the chance to take a picture of it but to my surprise, the baby bird was there opening the mouth. It's so cute! :)

When I looked for the baby bird, I saw the mother standing next to her baby. I think she's feeding her baby before I took this picture. :)

Fresh Air for Me

2008-07-27T22:24:00.007-05:00

I tried my best to think of what's wrong with me after what happened this noon at the Church. You can read the story HERE. I don't know the real cause yet but maybe because I don't get enough sleep or I just need some fresh air. I noticed that I didn't get enough fresh air starting this summer. Though I go out to go to work, grocery shopping, to Church and Restaurants but because it's hot outside I prefer to be in an air-conditioned room. I didn't remember that we open the windows in the house since summer start and I rarely open the windows of my car when I go out. The mall, stores, house, car and the building where I work are all air-conditioned. So today I decided to get some fresh air outside. Hubby and I were sitting at the porch and look around. There's no wind outside and it's warm so I started to whistle coz the oldies in the Philippines said that that's how you call the wind. There was a little wind but not enough for me to breath. We didn't stay long outside because I feel tired and I started to sweat. I still don't know if I'm really sick. I hope we'll find out soon. :)

Too much food

2008-07-26T21:55:00.002-05:00

I had an invitation last Friday for another gathering but I refuse to go. It seems that I've been going out lately so I told my friend that I better stay at home than going out for last night's event. She told me that we'll just go to another friend's house and eat there but I really don't feel like going out so I said "I better not". I think I'll go if my buddies for Ladies Night Out were there but they're not. Besides, if I go with my friend then I can bring leftovers again and I don’t have room for that anymore. When I was new here I was ashamed to bring leftovers coz I'm not used to it. But then I realized that it's an insult to the host if you refuse to bring what she cooked or prepare coz she might think you didn't like the taste. So now, even if I don't like the taste, I still bring some as a sign of respect. Good thing hubby is not a picky eater (as long as it's not poisonous) so he ate the foods that I don't like to eat. Lately, I’ve been throwing foods that were buried in the fridge coz I forgot to eat them. That’s why the freezer is now full coz I try to put the foods that will spoil easily into the freezer. I can use them later when I crave for it and when I’m too lazy to cook. Whew! I think I don't need to buy Filipino foods for month’s coz I still have some in the fridge. Waaaaa! How I wish I can give the foods to the people in the Philippines, it will surely solve the problem.

Cleaning My Blog Roll

2008-07-25T17:14:00.000-05:00

I've been cleaning my first blog's blog roll and this will be the next. As you can see, I have a lot of bloggers listed in my blog roll here but this blog is not on their list. That's because I just copy and paste my first blog's blog roll into here but didn't have time to visit everybody on my list to let them know that I listed them here already. Anyway, after cleaning my blog roll (which I know for sure will take time before I can finish it) I will start to do more blog hopping for this one. How I wish I can finish this blog roll cleaning very soon. :)

Ladies Night Out postponed

2008-07-24T00:35:00.000-05:00

Tomorrows Ladies Night Out will be postponed. We are five in the group and 1 or 2 can't attend for some reason. In the past, our Ladies Night Out is only for special occasion, a birthday treat. It started when a friend of mine called me and asked if I want to go to the Chinese Buffet for dinner which I said yes right away. Then she informed me that she told her husband that it was me who called her coz I want to go out. She explained to me though that she just doesn’t want her husband to think that it's her who always wants to go out if there's no occasion to celebrate. So for a change, she tells her husband a different story of why she's going out. She said that there are times that she wants to eat Chinese food but she doesn't have a partner who also enjoy eating Chinese food. I was thankful that she told me the truth coz when I told hubby about it, he told me that I can go out with the girls once a week as long as it's not a whole day. Hubby was happy to know that I now have partners in going to the Chinese Restaurant coz he doesn't need to bring me there anymore. In short, he can use his free time doing what he wanted to do at home. When I told my friends about what hubby told me, one friend asked if we'll make it every Friday and I think I'm the only one who said yes. hehe Well, with hubby's permission... why not? Besides, I love the seafoods at Chinese Buffet.

But tomorrows Ladies Night will be postponed next week coz we're not complete. It seems that when one can't go with us, there's something missing. hehe But I also don't know yet if I will attend a go away party for my co-worker coz she's moving to Arkansas or attend a death anniversary with my Pinay friends. So tomorrow I might have a schedule conflict. :)

Tinolang Manok (Chicken Stew)

2008-07-21T01:17:00.002-05:00

Being far away from the country that I grew up made me miss the foods so much. I think those who are far away from their homeland also feel the same way. Anyway, a fellow blogger who's originally from Philippines but now living in US asked me this recipe. So Jenn, here's your request. :)

Ingredients:

Chicken (I am losing weight here so I prefer the chicken wings with skin on it)
Potato (cut in big chunks)
Ginger (crushed or sliced thinly)
Scallions (sibuyas dahon in bisaya) sliced 3 inches long
Lemongrass (tanglad in bisaya) you can use frozen one but fresh from the garden is better
Horseradish (malunggay or kamunggay in bisaya) frozen is ok
Knorr chicken cubes or Maggi chicken cubes for flavor

Procedure:
1. Boil water first then add the chicken and potato.
2. Add the ginger and lemongrass after 15 minutes.
3. Add the chicken cubes little by little and check the taste if it needs more chicken cubes or not.
4. If it's almost done, add the horseradish and scallions.
5. Serve hot with rice. Enjoy!

Starbucks Ladies

2008-07-20T03:08:00.002-05:00

As you know, Friday night is the ladies night out with me and my Filipina friends. After having dinner at the Chinese Buffet Restaurant, we finish our ladies night at Starbucks to have a sip of their coffee. But a friend of mine introduced us this drinks so we tried it and I actually ended up copying it at home.

From Starbucks

From my kitchen.

Cooking with Love

2008-07-19T01:38:00.000-05:00

I think you noticed that when you cook and you're happy, the results are good. But if you cook and you're mad, angry or pissed the food you cooked is not good. I remember my Aunt in the Philippines about this. It was Holy Friday and every Holy Friday her family prepares a dessert that can be a meal or snack for everybody. I'm talking about the binignit (in bisaya), guinataan (in tagalog) and I don't know how you call it in English but it's the tapioca pearls with rice, sugar, sweet potato, jackfruit, karlang (I think malanga in English) and glutinous rice. My Aunt doesn't want to cook the meal because she wants to join the Holy Friday event. But unfortunately, if she won't cook then everybody will go hungry. She has no choice but to stay at home and cook the binignit though she's murmuring. When we arrive at my Aunt's house we were so excited to eat the yummy binignit that she cooked but too bad she burn it. I also noticed that eventhough there were times that the foods I cooked were not perfect because of cooking them in a hurry but they're still good according to hubby. I always said to him "You might not like it", but he always answer me "It's not bad. I'll eat it again". I'm sure if you're happy while cooking, the result is a delicious meal. So the next time you cook, put some love to the food. Enjoy cooking! :)

Blogging

2008-07-17T22:20:00.002-05:00

At first I really don't believe that you can make money online until one day a Filipina shared her experience about how we can make money online. I call her Pinay A. She was writing a topic in the Bisaya forum and shared her story of how she did it. I was curious and read the comments regarding her topic. There were so many comments asking her how much she make and how it works. I continue reading the comments and there's one Pinay (call her Pinay B) who said that she's not a writer so blogging is not for her but she'll share the good news to her friends who really like to blog. After a few weeks, Pinay B who said that she's not a writer posted a comment again and said she's blogging already and kept dreaming about her blog. Then another comment from Pinay B when another Pinay (Pinay C) had a problem with her blog. Pinay A wasn't able to answer Pinay C's question right away so Pinay B answered it. I then became more curious. So I looked at Pinay B's blog and check if she really can't write but to my surprise she's doing good in her blog. I was amazed of what she did thinking of what she said in her comments. So I thought that if she's not a writer like me then maybe I can try doing it too. And my blog My Small World was born. :) TGIF! *_*

♥ Salamat.. Kadamo ♥

2008-07-15T23:56:00.002-05:00

A tag from my sexy friend Francine that I met here in the blogosphere. Thanks!

“Dahil ikaw ay isang sertipikadong blogger, itinuturing kitang matalik kong “KADAMO”

Maraming salamat…

MGA KADAMO:

1.) Janeth Vicy’s Life Journey 2.) My Precious Niche 3.) Just Me.. Eds 4.) Eds Mommy Life 5.Chez Francine 6. Le bric à brac de Cherie 7. La Place de Cherie 8. Michelle's life here and there 9. ADD YOUR BLOG HERE!!

I’m tagging: Juliana, Laura, Sweetiepie, Sheng, and all those who are listed in my blog roll.

Family Fun

2008-07-14T22:14:00.000-05:00

Family Fun website and Disney Family are websites for families with kids. I don't have kids yet so I won't be able to use this website for now. I'm sharing this to all mom and dad who wants to get good ideas from other moms on how they raise their kids. You can find a lot of good ideas from the two websites. I know the Family Fun website when hubby and I went to our family Doctor and this magazine catches my attention. I then told hubby to remember the website so I can share it to moms who are interested to know about funny things to do with their kids.

Blame it on me

2008-07-13T17:47:00.004-05:00

My friend’s daughter had a birthday party yesterday and I supposed to be at my friend’s house early because I and my girl friends plan to help arrange the stuff needed. I arrived late for almost an hour and hubby told me to blame it on him coz I made a special meal for him that takes time. Poor hubby. He really doesn't want me to cook coz he knows that I have to get ready for the birthday party and he said that he'll just drink the V8 but I insist to cook coz I know that he'll be feeling weak if he can't eat vegetables once a day so I decided to just cook the vegetables with beef and chicken stock and blend it at the blender so his day will be complete. I was happy that he liked the vegetable shake/soup. He said it taste better than the steamed vegetables that he always eat for lunch at work. He thank me for making his special meal and told me to have fun at the party. Sometimes, blaming him is just a joke for me. He's used to it when if there's anything goes wrong I said to him "It's your fault hubby" and he answered "It's always my fault" which made me laugh every time he say that. But yesterday's tone of his voice was different. He was serious telling me that if somebody asked at the party why I'm late then my answer would be "Because I made a special meal for hubby". I was touched and at the same time sad for what he said. I was touched when he thank me for making the special meal for him, that it taste better than the V8 sold in the store and for telling me that he likes to have the special meal but he doesn't want me to spend a lot of time cooking. And I was sad when he blame himself why I was late at the party. I just told him that it's okay. I'm hoping for his fast recovery so he can eat solid foods with me again.

Sweet Home Bloggers Award

2008-07-12T03:35:00.000-05:00

Got this tag from a dear friend Sheng. Thanks girl for sharing this to me. :)

I'm passing this to those who are listed in my links. Happy Weekend! :)

Tooth Surgery

2008-07-11T11:06:00.000-05:00

Today I took a day off coz hubby's appointment for his wisdom tooth surgery was 7:30 AM. I asked hubby if the Doctor will put him to sleep and he said "Yes, that's what he told me". This is the first time that I'm taking hubby to the Doctor and drive him home because he's not capable of driving after the surgery. I had my wisdom tooth removed when I was in the Philippines and the Doctor just gave me shots to numb my gums, pull the tooth out and that's it! But here it's different. My other wisdom tooth had an infection so the Dentist suggests that I go to the Oral Surgeon and see of what the Oral Surgeon think about my situation. My previous Dentist arranged the appointment for me then I was scheduled to go to the Surgeon the next day for check up then I had another appointment for the surgery. The Surgeon told me to take a pill an hour before the surgery which I did. I felt dizzy when I arrive at the Surgeons Office then they told me to sit down and I didn't remember anymore what happen next. Why? Because they gave me a general anesthesia. Huh! I never heard of such a thing when I was in the Philippines. I thought general anesthesia is for pregnant women only who will undergo Caesarian Section. It really surprises me! Having the general anesthesia disconnects me from the world. I didn't know what happen to me, whether I was still on the chair or bed when I woke up and if I was dreaming or not. I don't even remember what's in the room! I felt like I was having a dream and I heard hubby's voice talking. I told hubby that I had a dream and he said "I was talking to the Doctor while you're in the recovery room". Hubby said that the recovery room looks like an ICU. He's beside me at the recovery room for 30 minutes watching me. He said that they cover my body with a cloth and there are wires connecting from the machine to my body. The Doctor visit me every now and then at the recovery room and telling hubby that my heart rate is normal and I think pulse rate and blood pressure are also monitored, even my breathing. Weird huh! But I was okay after I woke up, just a little dizzy, thirsty and hungry. Hubby's surgery today is different. They told him that he can't spit or drink with a straw to avoid having suction in his gums. He can only swallow but not spit. No solid foods, only liquids (ice cream, soup, puree). Wow, that's hard! I feel sorry for him. He looks so weak but he still manage to show the Surgeon his two thumbs up for the job well done while he's sitting at the wheel chair. I was instructed to bring the car to the front door while the assistant will bring hubby down to the ground floor. And there he was, looked like he just get up from bed and still sleepy. Now we're home. ^_^

Exchange Links

2008-07-10T10:44:00.001-05:00

I just felt bad recently that there are bloggers who don't understand that people are busy. They add your link and if they don't see their name in your blog roll, they ask you to add them because you're added already to their blog roll. For me it's okay to remind you because we forget things sometimes but demanding to add them using this "!!!" is rude. In my opinion, if they can't wait to be added then I have a very simple solution. Delete my link! Period! I don't care adding them in my blog roll if that's the attitude. Besides, they don't really visit my blog often so what's the use of linking each other? I don't really wanna burn any bridges but now they get on my nerves. Grrrrr!

Belated Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-06T01:08:00.000-05:00

Today hubby and I went to a fireworks show. We walk a little bit to get a better view of the fireworks show. Though it started a little early because of the coming storm but it was successful. We then celebrate by having something from Mc Donald's. Here are some photos I took while watching the event today.

I'm so Sorry...

2008-07-02T21:51:00.000-05:00

I might not be able to blog hop this week again. I tried to open both my old blog and this blog to check if I have some comment that needs to be moderated and try to post/update this blog everyday if possible but I don't have the time to blog hop for everybody who visit and leave comments or message in my cbox here and in My Small World blog. This week will be a busy week plus I'm trying to sleep early coz I'm having insomnia again. I don't like the feeling of wanting to go to sleep then my mind is still awake because I'm used to sleeping late already. It's not right and I need to fix this bad sleeping habit that I have. Thanks for the visit and I'll visit your blog if I have enough time to blog hop. Again, sorry.

I'm proud that I'm brown...

2008-07-01T09:10:00.000-05:00

Summer time is here and it's the best time to go to the beach. But do you want your skin look darker or you want a whiter skin? We Filipinos like to be whiter but white people like to tan. Is there something wrong with being white or dark? For Filipinos, white people looks better than the dark colored skin people that's why we appreciate white skin color. But for the white people, brown color looks better because for them it's healthy and it made them look younger. Hmm I remember when I was in the Philippines where people use whitening soap and bleach their skin to get a whiter skin. If we go outside and it's sunny, we bring umbrellas to cover us so the sun won't burn us. We don't even wear swimsuit when we go swimming. We normally wear shorts and shirts but others wear pants and long sleeves but the most shocking part is there are some who still bring umbrella while they are swimming. Can you imagine that? It really looks funny but it's true coz a relative of mine did that one time when we went to the beach. Now that I'm here in US, I noticed that white people go out in the sun and lay on the beach with no umbrella at all even if it's very very hot outside. They are not afraid of sun burn because they want their skin to look brown or dark in color. Others always bring sun block lotion to avoid the sun burn but still, it hurts to stay out in the sun for hours. I even have a co-worker who went to a tanning salon for 2 sessions because she wants to look darker on her birthday. For those two sessions she forgot to bring the sunblock lotion. I only know about the tanning sessions that she did because she was in pain when she went to work. She keeps on complaining that her tummy hurt and she showed me her skin around her belly button coz it turned pink already. The next day she was not in the mood because she said that she wasn't able to sleep. She complains that her whole body is painful especially when the blanket or her clothes touches her skin. I'm still afraid of being out in the sun for hours because of sun burn but I'm not afraid anymore to become a little darker because of going outside when the sun is up. I don't bother bringing umbrella when it's hot outside anymore and that made it easier for me to go grocery shopping. How many of you are proud of what skin color you have? Well, now I am...

White Rose Tag

2008-06-30T12:38:00.000-05:00

A Pretty White Rose Tag from my fellow bloggers Laradee and Juliet. Thanks a lot girl!

What does a white rose represent? White is a color symbolic of many positive things, such as marriage, purity, virtue, and innocence. White is linked to emotions of harmony and serenity. The breathtaking purity and simplistic beauty of a white rose can’t be beat. White roses signify deep, clear emotions. They are given without reservation or ambivalence. The red rose signifies lust or passion, but the white rose goes much deeper to suggest an infinite love that goes to the very core of one’s being. It carries an almost spiritual significance. White roses symbolize devotion, kindness, and deep friendship in love.

I'm passing this white rose to Ilocana, Cecille, Nice, Laura and Sheng.