I Passed The Board Exam (!) and Other Stories

I'm back! I'm finally back!

I don't know if you missed me, but I surely missed my little community and, of course, blogging.

I know I said in my last post that I'm starting a new blog. It's true. In fact, I'm going to tell you more about it later. I have soooo many stories to tell you! But first, let me tell you that....

1. I PASSED THE BOARD EXAM 

Yes I did! They said that this year's board exam is that toughest so far - I'm not sure but perhaps it really is - and even the seasoned attorneys and experienced real estate practitioners had trouble answering it.

It was hard but I thought it was manageable. Yeah you can call me mayabang now, but that's not what I mean. The truth is I think I only "lucked out" when I chose which topics to focus on. I put "luck" in quotation marks because what I mean is that God gave me the right discernment.

Finding time to study was hard - I mean, I'm a mum, I have a full-time job, and I have a part-time job - so I could not even open all the resources I have had despite not sleeping during some nights. But I felt God telling me to do away with the reviewers (I think I had 3) and to focus on the actual laws and computations instead.

So to maximise my time, I practiced computations and painstakingly read the Republic Acts, Execution Orders, Presidential Decrees, and the rest.

Guess what came out in the exams?

Mostly laws and computations.

When the day finally came that the PRC announced the passers, I already received messages from people telling me that I passed, and I knew I should give credit to God alone. Yes it was me who studied and memorised and stayed awake until dawn, but it was God who gave me the prompting and right discernment on what to study and, more importantly, the sheer strength, good health, and clear state of mind.

Thank you to everyone who helped me (my mum most especially!!!), those who congratulated me, and thank you Lord!

Funny anecdote:

(The morning when I found out I passed, I told only my Papa because Mama was not yet home from a 2-day conference)

Me: Pa pasado ako!!!
Papa (without missing a beat): Anong place?
Me: Err... 

*insert Asian over-achieving dad meme here*

2. I TURNED 25 

A few days after becoming a true broker (can't say "licensed" because I don't have my license yet!) was my birthday. I turned 25!

And I have so many things to thank for: a loving partner who remains faithful to God and to me despite our situation, a smart and bibo 3-year old who gets more unpredictable each day, a supportive family, a new job where I don't feel like I'm actually working, new friends, old friends, and, of course, passing what could possibly be the most important exam of my life.

But I really need to lose weight. So help me God.

3. NEW AND OLD RESPONSIBILITIES 

However, it's not just fun and surprises. This month's one of my busiest months this year so far because, aside from having new responsibilities as a consequence of passing the exam, my old commitments are also catching up.

For instance, I have a book here sent to me by the author last April, and I need to review it. And I will. I commit to doing it this week.

4. A NEW BLOG 

Yeah, I have a new blog. It's on WordPress.org, hosted by CoffeeMags.com (thank you Pam for the recommendation, and one of the owners turns out to be my schoolmate from UP!).

So why am I still blogging here?

I have 2 reasons.

First, after several frustrating days of migrating my blog, I gave up the other night. I was able to migrate everything except my comments. After everything I did failed, I finally gave up and decided that instead of migrating, I'll take the road less traveled and begin a new blog from the ground up.

Piece of advice: Don't use Disqus or InteseDebate or any third-party commenting system for that matter and save yourself from a massive headache if ever you're considering migrating.

Anyway, it wouldn't seem like so much of a fresh start if I have a new blog but have almost 700 old blog posts. Also, I don't want to totally obliterate DavaoMommy.com from blogosphere. It was my home for more than 2 years after all. Google search will take care of it haha.

Second, I almost forgot I still have an obligation for Nuffnang. It would be complicated if I write the sponsored post in a different blog. I know I shouldn't post my new future home yet for the surprise factor, but I couldn't help it as my launching count down page is quite pretty. (And I'm hoping you sign up for updates - shh.) Here's where I'll be moving to in the near future.

5. A DREAM COME TRUE: A HOME OFFICE 

I think every remote or home-based worker will agree with me if I say having a real home office is a dream come true. I just had my own last Wednesday.

Technically, it is my mum's home office. She is not only a real estate practitioner but also the village secretary and the Purok leader. So people come to our house day in and day out. Finally fed up with all the papers and files and people filling our house, my parents decided to have an office built.

The great thing is that I have my own space there so it's almost like having my own office. (And mama's not home most of the time anyway!)

______ 

If you're still reading at this point, thank you! Sorry for the long post, I just have so many stories to tell after more than a month of not blogging. In fact, I have more stories, which I'll save for another post. Also, I know all of the stories I chose are good ones, but I also have problems and struggles. I just choose to share the positive ones (most of the time anyway).

Enough about me. How about you? What's up? :)

_________________________________________________________________

Do you like this post? Never miss out again when you click on the cute bunny below:

Or by entering your email here:

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

You can also follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for daily updates on my mundane musings.

What's Up: Future Home Plans

Hello!

I’m sorry for not posting in the last few days. I’ve been too busy, busy, busy! You see, I decided to go back to work and still hunting for a freelance writing gig – not to augment my income or add stress to my life (harhar) but, well, just to explore writing more.

But the biggest reason why I haven’t been able to blog lately is this: I’m beginning my review classes to become a real estate broker.

Actually, it’s Saturday night now, and I just came from the first day of our class. What we discussed earlier was not very different from what we discussed last year, when I attended the seminar to become a real estate salesperson, but it’s a very important refresher. I also expect to learn a lot more in the next 15 days of my life. I will write about this on Monday.

But aside from preparing myself for the board exam and, ultimately, pursue a career in professional real estate brokerage (when? I don’t know haha), the lessons we heard also remind me of my own house. And how excited I am to finally transfer (which won’t happen after 3-5 years but I’m patient), and, you know, interior design.

I admit that several times throughout the day, my mind drifted off as I started to imagine what our house would look like. I imagined the bigger things like the paint on the wall, the floor tiling, the living room set and the dining room set down to the mundane stuff like curtains.

Because our house is on the small side (to put it mildly haha), I know I need to stay away from thick drapery. Aside from making the house look even smaller, they would also make the inside feel stuffy. So I’m thinking of using lace curtains instead. I started looking for them and found this on www.cwotop.com:

These curtains can be found here: http://www.ctwotop.com/baby-blue-blackout-custom-read-made-simple-lace-curtains-with-rose-lace-p-818.html. Aren't they lovely? I like how they provide enough shade but are not too thick that they cause the room to feel stuffy. On the contrary, I think they make the room feel fresh and airy!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. 

_________________________________________________________________

Do you like this post? Never miss out again when you click on the cute bunny below:

Or by entering your email here:

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

You can also follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for daily updates on my mundane musings.

New Generation of Samsung Digital Appliances offers Solutions for Energy Efficiency and Space

Last Tuesday, I was able to see a new lineup of envy-worthy appliances, thanks to Samsung!

I admit that I don't usually go to tech-related events (read: non-mommy!) but I couldn't not go because I like Samsung and because I also need to be on the lookout for new appliances in the market.

And it was totally worth it because I discovered a piece of kitchen appliance that I need in my life. I will tell you about that later!

Anyway, the event started with a game where our team won. Yay! If you're wondering what game I could possibly win, well, it was a quiz bee. Ano pa nga ba? Haha! That's what we call #nerdperks.

Then we were led into the showroom to see the new appliances in person. These are all digital so prepare to be amazed at what they can do. While I took mental notes and was seriously listening (I really do need to buy appliances), I think this press release by Samsung will do a better job at explaining the features of each amazing contraption - with my giddy side comments haha. Here it goes.

Technology is ever evolving, but it has always been aimed at aiding everyday tasks. Samsung has taken on the higher pursuit of offering people a better lifestyle. Thus, armed with state-of-the-art electronics and a passion for innovation, Samsung has come up with their new lineup of digital household appliances that will ensure a happy home.

I don't think I have ever used the a/c as often as I do now that I have a baby, and somehow, it achieved a "necessity" status in my life.

Air Conditioner With Triangle Design

3 Things (And More) You Can Do During Brownouts

If you guys are bemoaning the weather, we got one more reason to be twice as cranky: rotational brownouts!

We Davaoenos get really smug whenever we're asked about our beloved city. I know I'm guilty. In our defense, mapagmamayabang nga naman ang Davao City. Security, tourism, traffic, cleanliness, shopping destinations - you name it, we have it! It's truly close to perfect. Chos!

Seriously, though, I love living in my city. However, these past months, in sync with the extremely hot weather are, what else, rotational brownouts! Gah, just perfect!

It began as once-a-week 1-hour long brownouts. Then it became twice a week. Then it became 2-hours. Now it's 2 hours and 30 minutes of beautiful power interruption several times a week.

I work from home full-time so this is actually terrifying. It came as a double blow to me because my laptop's battery recently died on me, and I've been told my laptop's model has been already phased out, so chances of buying a new battery is close to zero. Ayayay!

Worse, we don't know when exactly our power would go off. We're given blocked scheduling, but we don't know the exact time of brownouts. There are even times when our power goes off beyond schedule. So basically, I'm like a mad woman saving her files every single minute.

But we do need to cope, right? I mean, we don't know until when this would last but we can't proclaim our hatred toward Davao Light on Facebook every single day (though I love reading funny rants - a nice breather from The Legal Wife reactions!).

So how do you cope? Let me tell you what I do to stay sane during the brownouts:

1. To-Do List: Brownout Edition

Since brownouts are bound to happen (in Mindanao anyway), prepare a list of things you need to do during one. For me, these are the household stuff that gets thrown to Priority: Low. Since my laptop completely turns off and I can't work at all, I have no choice but to tackle the chores during power interruption.

Just this morning, for example, we experienced a 3-hour brownout, so I finally got to do the laundry. So the next time you experience brownout, spend just a minute moaning over your unfinished work and get productive right away!

2. Smoothies, fruit juices, and ice cream are your friends.

Unlike the lucky ones, I cannot just eat ice cream whenever I want to. I need to watch my calorie intake. However, I can't survive this intense weather - tapos brownout pa - without a cold treat. That's why in my spare time, pag may kuryente, I make smoothies etc. so I'm ready for power interruption!

Papaya-prune-rolled oats smoothie in my new mason jar ;-) 

At least I can fight the heat and my hot head. And it's yummy.

3. If money allows it, buy a rechargeable electric fan - and a TV-phone if you must.

We already have a couple of emergency lights but light is not much of an issue for me. I can tolerate darkness. However, humidity is another thing! It's a terrible foe when you're alone so just imagine how it feels when you're sleeping with a pawisin toddler who absolutely hates humidity? Help me, Lord!

Thank goodness for rechargeable fans! I spotted a few people buying those USB electric fans, but they simply aren't fit for a toddler-mom like me. I need something like this:

Firefly rechargeable fan, Php 1700

The funny thing is that before, people here would just snub these stuff kasi walang panggagamitan. Brownouts used to be rare then. Malls would put them on sale at 50% off or buy 1-take 1, but dedma lang. Now, they're in demand! Nagkakaubusan ng stock!

Overheard from the Daycare Center that was our House

Okay, our house is no daycare center, but it surely looks like one these summer days!

The days are longer during summer, and since the sun's so incredibly powerful these days (ganito ba last year??), we stay inside the house until at least 5pm. There are days when it still feels like high noon at 5:30!
But when the sun finally calms down, that's when a few kids from the neighborhood begin coming over, one by one.

This doesn't include the group of the older kids.

I love it because as a child, I lived farthest from where my friends lived. Ergo, play dates almost never happened in our house. Aside from the location, they were also afraid of my father who used to have a large, booming voice. I swear, I used to know where my father was just by listening to how loud or weak his voice was.

Anyway, I'm getting off track. Our current house, because of its location on the main road, became the meeting place of kids. It's also because all lots surrounding our house are empty, and we know kids love empty lots! So in the afternoon, our house becomes like a mini-daycare center with several kids and a handful of yayas. As much as I would like to join the fun, I'm still working during that time!

As for me, I like having many kids in the house not only because the house becomes livelier but also because Yuri gets to practice his socialization skills. Despite being the youngest (all the other kids are about 3 and older), he knows almost each kid by name.

So far, there's not been an issue with sharing, too. Way to go, kids!

Another thing that I like about having many people around are the conversations I get to eavesdrop to unintentionally hear. Here are a few I remember:

Honey, Yuri's yaya to a 6-year old boy, MJ

Honey: MJ, diba kayo yung may prosti?
(My eyes widened when I heard this.)
MJ: Ano yan?
Honey: Prosti gud. Diba may prosti kayo sa bahay nyo?
MJ: Anong prosti?
Honey: Yung benta nyo gud?
MJ: Ah, ice candy

Photo: http://www.dmc.com.ph/ 

Honey: Oo yun. Prosti man tawag dun.

It's Back to Work Monday!!!

Image from Google

Wow, it's Monday! Gah! Did you also have a long vacation? How did you spend it? Mine was spent just at home. We didn't go anywhere because of my father's arthritis, so I have nothing exciting to share. But I will still blog because it's been days since I have last written!

Like you, office-going folks, I also had a three-day vacation last week. It's actually unplanned, and I would still work if I could, but the yaya requested for a vacay so...

Her vacation started on early morning of Friday and I was excited to be a full-time mom to Yuri of course. She was to return on Sunday evening.However, she did not go back last night. She actually sent us a message asking if she could return on Monday instead, but we firmly said no because we know Monday's going to be hectic. I expected her to follow our instructions, but she did not. Instead, she disobediently returned just this morning.

Actually, she even requested to go home on Thursday afternoon. Hay naku, ano ba?

It's just sad that even though she had a long vacation, she was not grateful to have it, and she even went against our request. By the way, just to show you that we're not super strict employers, she already had a 4-day vacation last January. The law states that they're entitled to 5-day vacation leaves per year. Plus, she always uses her day-offs (Sundays) to the max as she doesn't go home until around midnight.

Hay.

It just made this Monday, when I have too much to do, more stressful. But I can manage with God's grace. Thank you, Jesus! And thank you for conquering death and sin more than 2000 years ago. Victory was, is, and will always be yours! You've never been dead since then; you are alive and I proclaim you the Son of God, the true Christ! I will always be singing you praises!

PS: I have sooo much blogging to do! Hopefully, I can publish all of my pending drafts as soon as possible.

PPS: Have you seen the movie, Son of God? I saw it last Thursday, and so far, it's my most favorite film about Jesus. It may not be 100% accurate, as all movies are, but I like it because it gave the message that the Resurrection is not the end of Jesus' mission but only the beginning. Isn't that just wonderful?

_________________________________________________________________

Do you like this post? Never miss out again when you click on the cute bunny below:

Or by entering your email here:

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

You can also follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for daily updates on my mundane musings.

Finance Friday: God Increases

Photo: http://www.amendesigns.com/

If I could describe my general mood for the past weeks, I would say it would be anxiety. I've been worried and stressed over many things that I also failed to spiritually connect to God on many occasions. It really is true that worrying is the opposite of faith.

I worried about many things: the length of time it has taken for my camera to be fixed, the lack of payment from a friend who borrowed money from me, and the problem regarding my house loan.

Money sure knows how to make the world go round.

Now, faith. Faith is what is what should have made my world go round, but I succumbed to worrying. Because of this, I almost did not hear the prompting of God within me.

My primary problem - concern - is the housing loan. As a little bit of background, we're almost done paying the equity. In a few months from now, we should be starting paying the amortization.

However, to do that, my application for bank financing must be approved. You see, I'm currently on my "single mom stint" now. Even if Job financially supports us, it is my name that appears on the papers. Long story.

So anyway, to apply, of course I need to submit work-related documents. I had problems securing a contract from my current "work provider." While I did have a contract I signed 3 years ago, I was advised I couldn't use it because of some legal changes in the system.

Okay, I could live with that. The problem is that I no longer received updates about an alternate document I can submit to the bank. Worse, my follow-up request was not met so well (I actually wrote about it here). Uh oh.

My mom, who is also my real estate agent (shameless plug: Davao Real Properties), scrambled to find another way. She tried to get me officially employed by her real estate office; unfortunately, that backfired. We tried other ways including talking to the developer himself but they didn't work out the way we exactly planned.

I wanted to question God on why this blessing was becoming a burden. I was so sure He wanted to bless us with a home, but why was it so difficult?

Photo: aelbow.tumblr.com

Now, this same developer is opening a new subdivision with the same low-cost units. The location is different, farther from the one we originally bought from, but it's good in its own way because it's near my parents' house (where we live now) and even nearer another lot my parents bought.

What made it a practical option is the fact that in this subdivision, the developer offered 5-years 0% interest cash payment scheme. In other words, I don't have to go through bank financing anymore. In other words, I shouldn't have anything to worry about!

On top of that, it's not officially open yet so there are still many corner lots to choose from. Perfect, right?

But I didn't want to consider it because, I don't know, maybe I was ready for a change in environment? Maybe it was because I really wanted to be neighbors with George? Maybe it was because I wanted to transfer to my own home right away?

As opposed to the original house and lot we were paying for, where we can transfer within this year, we would have to wait for around 3 more years in this new one. And that was a major con for the impatient me.

Impatient. Patience. Wait. Wasn't God teaching me a lesson about that? Isn't it one of the ungodly traits I should remove, one of the reasons behind this waiting season?

Upon that realization, I began to have an inkling of what God was directing me to do. One morning, my mom told me that the bookkeeper had trouble fixing my ITR (for some reason!). In addition to that, the developer offered to have us pay the balance for 5 years instead of just 4 years because we had already paid for a year for the previous development. Because of that, our monthly payment became lower than what it should have been.

Right then and there, I made the decision to transfer. Yes, I wasn't able to consult Job about this one, but there was nothing he can do, too, and time literally was running out for my parents to still grab a good lot. Most importantly, I'm sure God will talk to him Himself.

Yes, there's a bit of belt-tightening involved. I couldn't name figures here, but compared to what we were paying previously, now we have to pay almost 50% more. That's huge but the reward is a lot that would be more than 20% bigger than the original one. On top of that, it's a property that would be completely ours in just 5 years.

Wow. I'm amazed myself at the turnout of the events.

Sure, there are moments when I ask myself if we could pay that bigger amount every month but God reminds me not to worry. He is in control, and He is faithful.

The point of this post is to tell you that God increases. A lot of us might know this on the theological basis, but it's hard to see it work in the practical daily life.

Here are the ways God increased me during this ordeal:

God increased the problem with the original subdivision; at the same time, God increased the "potential" of the new subdivision. It's like He lowered the old option to raise the new and better one.

Photo: http://missindeedy.wordpress.com/

God increased our income, and as a result, we increased our giving. Since God cannot be outdone in giving, He increased our income even more. Because of that, He gave us the provision to be able to follow His plan about our address.

God increased the amount of money we need to pay for every month, but He also increased the land's size. Oh it's still very little compared to what you may be thinking but God will increase it over time!

God increased what we have to pay for every month; at the same time, it increases self-control and restraint and would increase our knowledge on personal finance.

God increased the time we have to wait for this house to be built; thus, He is also able to increase what patience and fortitude (???) we have inside.

God increased the anticipation we must have and personal sacrifices we must make but He also increased the provision to go through it and the reward to look forward to. God increased the season of planting and, by faith, I claim He will also increase the harvest.

Photo: http://year27.com/

God increases. I increase in God. Siksik, liglig, at umaapaw.

_________________________________________________________________

Do you like this post? Never miss out again when you click on the cute bunny below:

Or by entering your email here:

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

You can also follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for daily updates on my mundane musings.

Nina, George, and my New Snapware Glass Bottle

Before I proceed to writing this post, guess what? I don't have a camera again! It suddenly stopped working yesterday. It's only been a week since we got the camera, so it might be a defective unit. Huhuhu. We already contacted customer service, and I hope it gets replaced as soon as possible. Huhuhu!

It's a good thing, though, that my laptop can read the SD card directly. At least I can still post some photos from my beloved camera. Looking through my last photos, these are the events that transpired during the last few days.

Last Sunday, a downline of my parents visited us, and with them were their 2-year old daughter, Niña, whom Yuri calls "pinya." Haha! Anyway, instant friends!

................................

On Monday, a very good friend of mine, George, visited us in the boondocks on our side of Davao City. She was bearing gifts (Ay, gift lang pala - walang gift kay Yuri! Bad Ninang! :P), as in Christmas gifts. She went home bearing my Christmas gifts for her and Andrei, while she also brought with her our gifts for Teena, which she will send to Manila. We actually planned a get-together last Christmas but it didn't push through, kaya naging March ang gift-giving. Super advanced lang ng gift-giving namin. Haha!

Of course, since George and I both love pizza, and I've been raving about Dexter's Pizza here in my blog, we ordered two: ham-and-cheese for the kiddos and the famous shawarma pizza. Nakalimutan na naman ang diet!

Scary Scary Saturday!

The other night, while I was prepping Yuri for bedtime (I think I was giving him a sponge bath), the peace and quiet was interrupted by frantic screams from upstairs.

Of course, we all wondered why Honey (Yuri's yaya) screamed. She ran downstairs and told us.
You see, above her bed in her bedroom, there's a trapdoor that leads to the "inside" of the roof. Can you imagine it? Here's a photo of said trapdoor.

Not really the stuff horror movies are made of - or so we thought.

Now, several months ago, it has been blown open by the wind. For reasons unknown, Honey left it as is. Imagine this: the space between our space and ceiling is a big and dark and damp crevice. It's like an attic: a cave-like version of it. Now imagine sleeping on a bed under an open trapdoor that leads to a virtual cave.

Up to this day, I still couldn't understand why Honey, who's also a scaredy cat like I am, didn't bother closing the trapdoor.

So let's go back to Saturday. We were peacefully doing our pre-bedtime rituals when Honey frantically screamed upstairs

Ganito kasi yun.

Tutorial: How to Create A Yarn Ball

I know how to draw, but I never consider myself an artsy person. Give me paper, scissors, and glue, I would make a mess. I'm simply not creative enough! Why am I saying this? Well, to encourage you, maybe, and convince you to also do this yarn ball project! It's so easy it's insulting! :-)

This is actually my sister's school project, but we had so much fun doing it that we had to do it again. It's so easy, swear!

Have you seen those Pinterest posts that feature beautiful yarn balls? I never would have thought how easy they are to make until my sister's teacher gave this assignment. At first, we thought it was a nonsense assignment. What skills would you learn by doing a yarn ball, ha? To be honest, until now, I still think it's pure nonsense. Nevertheless, it is fun to do!

Plus, the teacher didn't provide clear instructions. She didn't even provide the complete list of materials. I keep thinking she's never done a yarn ball before haha. Anyway, we gathered the materials we thought were complete. Here they are:

• Balloons (The number depends on how many you want to make.)
• Yarn (This also depends on how thick or dense you want the yarn balls to be.)
• Glue (But the teacher required Zoy or gawgaw - the more economical choice)
• Scissors for cutting yarn and a bowl to hold the Zoy or glue mixture
• A secret ingredient below

I was the one who bought the yarns, so I chose the multicolored ones. Kikay!

Now, pay close attention. We had to do my sister's assignment twice. This is because, apparently, when you use glue alone, the balloon would stick to the yarn and would not create a yarn ball. Her wonderful teacher didn't have the sense to complete the list of materials, which resulted to a lot of wasted projects.

I thought there must be a barrier or something needed in between the balloon and the yarn. A quick Google search proved me right! It's a good thing my sister had me for a sister. Hahaha! Now, here's the secret ingredient to creating a successful yarn ball:

Good thing I had an unused tub of petroleum jelly in my room! I bought one on impulse in SM, but I was never able to use it. And that's the only available brand at that time. Sue me.

I wasn't able to take photos of the process because it is messy! You would have to rely on your imagination here - don't worry; it's not rocket science. Anyway, here are the steps that you need to do:

1. Create a glue mixture using glue (or Zoy) and water. Don't make it too watery!
2. Soak the yarn in glue. Be careful not to make them tangled.
3. Squeeze the excess glue mixture in the yarn and wrap it around the balloon. Make it random and create gaps in between for a better effect.
4. Tie the end of the yarn to keep everything from unraveling.
5. Remove the excess glue from the balloon.
6. Hang it under the sun and wait for the entire thing to be completely dry.

There was no sun when we first made the project because it was raining. We had to hang the balloon indoors, so the wait took longer than expected.

When the yarn becomes completely dry, you can pop the balloon na! I wasn't there when they popped the balloon (boo!), so I wasn't able to take a photo. However, this is the finished product:

It's so nice! It's even better in person haha. It reminds me of the ball they use in Sepak Takraw (do you know that Pinoy sport?). Also, it's very tough and can withstand weather. Well, I think that depends on how strong your glue is. Gawgaw is strong, methinks.

We're planning to make several red and green yarn balls to hang outdoors for Christmas!

_________________________________________________________________

Do you like this post? Never miss out again when you click on the cute bunny below:

Or by entering your email here:

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

You can also follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for daily updates on my mundane musings.

DIY Wrought Iron Chairs - Ideas, Anyone?

Just after lunch today, these arrived:

Outdoor wrought iron chairs and table - in gold? Really?

A closer look at their sorry state :P

But there's so much potential, right?

Our Filipina neighbor just went back to Japan to live there for good. Of course, she cannot bring her things and furniture with her. Some of her things she gave to her father and relatives. Some of her things she decided to sell - through us. She requested us to sell the furniture and just wire the money to her in Japan. To return the favor, our neighbor asked my mom what she would like to have.

She asked for the chairs, which our neighbor gladly approved. Yay!

I was so ecstatic when I saw the chairs. I smell my first ever DIY project! Never mind that I'm a total noob when it comes to arts-and-crafts. Never mind that I was never the creative type. I smell DIY-success in this sorry state of wrought iron chairs!! Mwahahaha!

Of course, my ever risk-averse mom vetoed the project. Who can blame her? Hahaha. But she doesn't know the ideas I have in my head - yet. Wait until she sees my pegs:

Lime green chair with white table from www.readmakedo.com

Cute multi-colored chairs from www.bobvila.com

Such a lovely red and green combination from kootation.com

Gah! The ultimate Davao Mommy color scheme! From www.glutenfreepoodlehome.com

I'm not actually after the chairs here, but I'm totally digging the wooden floorboards. ❤
Photo from www.diynetwork.com

Now I'm just confused. Which one is best? Ideas, anyone?

_________________________________________________________________

Do you like this post? Never miss out again when you click on the cute bunny below:

Or by entering your email here:

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

You can also follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for daily updates on my mundane musings.

Y Turns 1

Warning: Photo-heavy

I just committed a blogger sin that I vowed not to commit - it took me a week and two days before I wrote a post about Y's birthday! His first birthday! Because of this, I think I've got some explaining to do.

First, his birthday was exhausting. I think I already pointed this one out in the Sneak Peek that I posted weeks ago. I never knew planning (and then executing) a birthday party would be so tiring! I swear, I was drained of energy before, during, and after Y's birthday. Hindi na ako uulit. 

By the way, to those who sent greetings and excuse messages that time, I'm sorry if my replies were either late or too short. Pagod lang talaga si Davao Mommy.

Second, his birthday fell on Holy Week. That should have given me enough time to blog, but Y's yaya went home. This means I was on full-time mommy duty. Also, I was kind of making it up to Y for almost totally ignoring him during the party (as explained here).

Third, I was kind of busy campaigning for my entry as part of Sample Room's Blogger Circle. I wanted to focus on one thing at a time, so I focused first on the thing with the deadline.

Fourth, just when I already had time to blog, Y came down with a slight fever. I had to take a leave from work to take care of him myself. Yes, I don't let the yaya take care of him when he's sick. #humblebrag

I guess that's it. I've exhausted my reasons; am I forgiven? Hahaha. Anyway, I think you're already tired of reading my words, so I will let the photos do the talking. Enjoy!

Party Preppers

Our do-it-yourself cupcake toppers. Shoot me an email if you want me to send you the raw file!

Homemade moist chocolate cupcakes c/o Lola

Y's "guest book"

I did not want to buy a thick guest book (too cumbersome) or anything that resembles a book. I wanted something simple that I could place inside his photo album, so I made a "guest page" using the design for his tarpaulin.

The house setup

We just used our dining table and covered it with a Mickey Mouse mantle. Please don't mind that it's pink. The photo looks peaceful and serene, but the kitchen is one big mess. :D

The Mickey Mouse corner.

Well, actually, this is where we placed the utensils table (later on). I placed some Mickey Mouse wall stickers and placed Y's Mickey Mouse chair (which I wrote about here). However, the effect is underwhelming because it doesn't fit the chair properly. Perhaps I can find Y a better chair when he grows a little bit older. :-)

And yes, that Y's thumb blocking the view.

Party Proper

Cupcake tower!

Our Mickey Mouse cupcake tower is purely DIY (do-it-yourself). My mom baked the cupcakes, we made the tower from scratch, and I made the cupcake toppers. Hurrah!

Mickey Mouse Birthday Cake

The parents found this Mickey Mouse-themed cake in a bakeshoppe near our house. It's cheap, so cheap I wouldn't even tell you how much it is. Hahaha! I know that's not the real Mickey Mouse, but who cares really?

Cupcake closeup. Yum!

Buffet in the foreground and elders in the background

My sister holding a couple of balloons (duh?) :D

Can you spell h-a-g-g-a-r-d?

We were practicing how to clap this time. :D

I would tell you about the outfit, but I look so bad, soooo... never mind. Hahaha!

Random photo of my sorority sister, Lenin, my mom, and Y's yaya

Waiting for the others

Don't the cupcake tower and the hotdogs scream children's party? :-)

My guests from my previous workplace arrived. Y wouldn't clap anymore!

These are our dear family friends' twin daughters.

I love having children in the house.

Group picture!

Another group photo with my sorority sisters and fraternity brother.

I wasn't able to take many photos during the party itself, and there were a lot of guests who weren't Kodaked. Sayang. :-(

The Aftermath

This photo was already taken at 1 in the morning when we were just finishing cleaning up the house. Y woke up a few minutes earlier.

I realized I forgot to take a photo of the wall decors my sister made. :-)

Tarpaulin and wall stickers and balloons

Christmas came early!

Can you believe this gift opening happened in the wee hours of the morning? Everyone was still up, so all of us gathered in the parents' bedroom!

Candy Crush - literally!

The Morning After

This looks like a selfie, no?

And another one for Instagram!

Just in case you're wondering why Y looks like that in the photos above, here's the little boy's breakfast.

And these are some of the candies and chocolates that survived the crushing. Don't worry; Y didn't eat any. 

Whew. What a day. :-)

_________________________________________________________________

Do you like this post? Never miss out again when you click on the elegant chair below:

Or by entering your email here:

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

You can also follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for daily updates on my mundane musings.