Athena's Nautical 3rd Birthday

Hello guys!

Celebrating our daughter's birthday DIY-style has been a memorable and fun-filled day for us. We were fortunate enough to have people closest to our hearts to celebrate with. Here are some snapshots of our little girl's special day:

Athena's 3rd Birthday : Some DIYs

Hello there!

It's been a while since I last posted on this somewhat-neglected-blog. I think there's no better way to be back than to share my unica hija's 3rd birthday mini-party! Yey!

We were not actually planning to have a big celebration.. but since Tita Fidela (hubby's aunt) gave Athena something to start the preps with, then we decided to push through.

My daughter's special day fell on a summer month, so we came up with a Nautical Theme.

Hindi naman bongga itey, friends. Tamang kain-kain lang.

Here are some DIYs that we did to save some moolah and give the bash some personal touch. Let's go!

The Invites

I got the invite template for free from www.zazzle.com, and personalized it a bit using my imagination, love and affection (chos to the highest level!)

 Materials: Hot Glue, String, Corrugated Paper, Colored Paper, Scissors, Beads, Popsicle Sticks, Tape

Finished Product :)

PhotoBoat

Mic's officemate bought a personal fridge. We accompanied him and his gf when they got the item from the mall. I asked the couple if I could "arbor" the box and the styrofoams. Afterall, basura lang naman yun : D.

After some, cutting, painting, and complaining from the tropa (whom I deeply thank from the bottom of my heart), here's what we came up with...

Annel to Nic: "Mag-iinom lang kasi papahirapan mo pa kami. Wag mo na uulitin to ha. Sa Jollibee ka magpa-party ng anak mo next year" (bwahahaha)

SS Athena. Capt. Michicoi on duty!

Other Bits and Decor Pieces

 Backdrop made from an old Duyan and Styrofoam

 Cupcake toppers printed (grabbed from the net), Marshmallow fondant made by my sister Bujoy

 Monogram (out of the same styrofoam from "that fridge", scrap cloths and Athena's old hair ribbon)

 Pompoms 

 Table Centerpiece

 Vases from empty Sola Iced Tea Bottles

Welcome Signage (na katas pa din nung libreng styro)

There you have it!

I will post the partey soon. Thanks for dropping by.

Love,

Nic

Ang kuripot na Tropang Ina

My First Jamba Juice Experience

I have heard of this Jamba Juice as advertised in my favorite radio show "Boy's Night Out" over at Magic 89.9. I have seen FB friends post their pictures with this as well. Hmm.. my curiosity won so on day, while strolling at SM Megamall, I finally gave in.

Being a first-timer (and sometimes idiot) that I was, I first observed the store... I was pleasantly greeted by their staff when I came in. I browsed through the menu and decided to get a medium

Banana Berry

Bananas, blueberries, apple-strawberry juice, non-fat yogurt, raspberry sherbet

Size

Small 135.00

Medium 155.00

Large 195.00

 Details from Munchpunch

with Protein Boost (you get to choose your own boost)

After paying, I was amazed when I saw a flying scoop of sherbet, only to be catched by the barista (oh, I don't know how they are called) using the pitcher thing of the blender. Galing! Exhibition. My mouth was open in awe. 

Then, my name was called and the "barista" handed me this:

A Medium Cup Oozing with Goodness

No trace of crushed ice. Smooooooth.

 Jamba Juice offers a wide variety of healthy options: Smoothies, Fruit and Yogurt Parfait, Fresh Squeezed Juice, Breads, Wraps, Oatmeal and Pretzels. Very refreshing! You'll feel energized after every sip. 

Jamba Juice SM Megamall

G/F SM Megamall, Bldg. A, Julia Vargas Ave Wack Wack, Mandaluyong

Movie Trips: Les Miserables and Hansel and Gretel:Witch Hunters

I think 2013 is the year of tiis-gutom-nood-sine. Facebook posts show a great line-up of movies that have already and yet to be released in the Philippine cinemas. For this month alone, we have been to two movie dates (Les Miserables and Hansel and Gretel : Witch Hunters). 

Les Miserables

 

Well, we had to do some reading (thanks, Wikipedia) before watching Les Miserables. One reason, I think, is that we didn't want to end up asking each other "ano na nangyari.. bakit chuva..blah blah blah.." while viewing the film. The plot was beautifully written and the movie did not disappoint. The hubby is really not a fan of books-turned-into-movies, but this one amazed him to bits. Well, my favorites would be the "I Dreamed a Dream", "On My Own" and "One More Day" parts. Had I watched the movie alone, I bet I would run out of tears. All actors were  no doubt brilliant. 

After the movie, we went to SB for some coffee. Mic played Magic Cards for two long hours while I read "Mockingjay" on the tablet (which I by the way won from Sta. Lucia East Cinema Gatget Craze Promo). Well, not painful at all... Mic insists that making me wait for two hours is his sweet revenge for my helluva- 4-hr-rebond session. Karma.

Hansel and Gretel : Witch Hunters

While purchasing tickets, I was a bit shocked when the seller told us that our bill was 500 bucks. Ha? "3D po sya", was all that she could say. Double HA to me. I had no plans of seeing this on 3D. Oh well. Bye, 3-day allowance. And so we got the tickets, grabbed a bucket of popcorn, a large soda to share and Shawarma. Oo, share sa softdrinks.. naubos na sa ticket yung budget, nakakaloka. The movie was, action-packed, yes, but, not to that "amazing level". Cool twist, though.

Shocked!

 Hello friends!

I have been eyeing on this particular watch a few months back, and I think purchasing one would really make me happy. The hubby and I searched various watch shops but failed. Sales reps told us that the Holiday season caused them to run out of stock. And so I postponed my dream...

Good thing our family decided to go to the mall to settle our broadband bill. After paying, we went to the department store for a quick stroll before going home. Our feet brought us to the watch displays. Oh, it was love at first sight! I was supposed to get a white watch, but I don't want to risk since I am acidic. Besides, Mic wants a watch in this color as well. Perhaps we can just trade ;).

 Unboxing

 Worn. Please excuse the chubby hand.

Specs I saw in the Time Depot Site

G-Shock AW-591-4A

This model combine the best of digital and analog in tough G-SHOCK designs. Buttons are recessed to protect them from impact.

• Case / bezel material: Resin / Aluminum
• Resin Band
• 200-meter water resistance
• Mineral Glass
• Neobrite
• Shock Resistant
• LED light Auto light switch, afterglow
• World time 29 time zones (27 cities), city code display, daylight saving on/off
• 1/100-second stopwatch Measuring capacity: 59'59.99" Measuring modes: Elapsed time, split time, 1st-2nd place times
• Countdown timer Measuring unit: 1 second Countdown range: 60 minutes Countdown start time setting range: 1 to 60 minutes (1-minute increments) Others: Auto-repeat, progress beeper
• Daily alarms 5 independent daily alarms (4 one-time alarms and 1 snooze alarm)
• Hourly time signal
• Full auto-calendar (to year 2039)
• 12/24-hour format
• Regular timekeeping Analog: 2 hands (hour, minute (hand moves every 20 seconds)) Digital: Hour, minute, second, pm, month, date, day
• Accuracy: ±15 seconds per month
• Approx. battery life: 3 years on CR1220
• Size of case/total weight: 52 X 46.4 X 14.9 mm/49.8 g
• LED:Umber

Dream came true and I love it! 

Thanks!

Love,

Tropang Ina

 

Christmas 2012

Belated Happy Holidays friends! Sorry for the suuuuuuuper late post. I hope you had a wonderful celebration as much as we did... Simple pero masaya.

Christmas 2012 is one of the best ones I've had. I realized that this celebration is not about holiday indulgences, but the sincerity of loving and giving. This day was extra special because God has given Papa another chance to celebrate this with us (he survived a fatal heart attack).

 The Tree and the Simple Gifts We Shared

This Christmas tree has a story. When my siblings and I were still young, our Christmas tree was made by our father. He used a meter or so of chicken wire, formed it into a inverted cone which was about my height and painted it with gold. My mother decorated the "tree" with ornaments that were handed down to her. Paglipas ng taon, kinalawang na yung tree. Waley na. So my siblings and I decided to chip-in with 100 pesos each and purchased the Christmas tree on this picture. The  only new decors purchased this year are the birds... the rest are ALWAYS recycled. Mother became too sentimental... she doesn't want to have this one replaced.

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Simple Gifts and Wrapping with Love

At dahil sa tagtipid this season, my sister and I decided to brave the Divisoria crowd to purchase our gifts. Bilang hindi bongga ang presents, kinarir ko na lang sa wrapping.

 

These are the gifts that I have given to my female office mates. The ribbon was made out of denim scraps (mananahi kasi si mother dear.. pinagtabasan to nung mga nagpaputol ng pantalon sa kanya) and buttons that I found somewhere in my mother's work area. I also used Manila Paper and brown paper bags from our purchases. 

The ones in boxes with red letters are my gifts naman for our male ELFs (EverLastingFriends... cheesy? I know. Haha. That's how we are). I looked for magazine pages to wrap the presents and colored paper from my previous projects. The denim cut outs were also recycled. Tapos, namulot na lang ako ng branches sa labas ng bahay namin to add. Meanwhile, the pink bunny and green pig wallets were purchased from Divi at PhP15 each. I used these as "envelopes" for Aguinaldos that I have given to my godkids.

Here are my gifts to our female ELFs.The red letters are the first letters of the receivers' names. La lang. Para personal. : D 

These were given to my male office peeps. Pambalot ng pandesal and peg. Bawal ang plastic sa surrounding stores near my workplace... uso at tipid. Bwenas lang at may brown bags akong nakita sa kusina namin. Recycled ulit. 

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Christmas Eve

Due to business needs, we had to work on Christmas eve. Luckily, I was able to work from home. After doing some reports, I was able to at least have our Christmas dinner with my family and village Tropa. Come 12:00 midnight, the rest of my family were sleeping soundly, (except for my sister Bujoy). Nanood na lang kami ng sister ko ng High School Musical sa DVD habang nagtapos ako ng ibang reports.

--

Christmas Day

We went to my in-law's house in San Mateo on the 25th. Here are some snapshots of how our day went.

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Thanks for dropping by! Good vibes! 

Love,

Tropang Ina

My 26th

My birthday fell in a month-end reporting week.. so I wasn't actually allowed to go on leave. To cheer me up on my 26th birthday, Brad obliged to treat me for a birthday breakfast at Conti's in Katipunan.

Happy Family : )

After coming home from our post-shift breakfast, I stayed in our room to finish a few more reports. When I came downstairs for a quick bio break, this is what I saw in our table. I was so touched that my mom and my sister prepared a simple lunch to celebrate my special day. I only wished for Sinigang na Baboy for lunch days back...

 --

Dear Lord,

Thank you for giving me 26 wonderful years filled with love from all the people around me - my family, my friends, people from work and random strangers. Thank you for all the blessings, for the ups and downs, thank you for this life...