This Silly Little Girl Turned Seven Months Today

:D

My Little Klaire is, yes, seven months old today. We just had lunch, without Ane, at Burgoo Rockwell. Then we bought a cake and ate it for merienda. I have so many things to share about the little one but let me gather my thoughts first. And there are pictures too that are still in the two cameras. I tell you, my daughter is adorable, and I am not saying it because I am her Mommy, LOL!

 

I am on a zombie mode because I had to work until 3am this morning (but I am not complaining :D). So you get the drift ;) I hope this picture will make your day the way it did ours! Until then…

Surprises here and there

I am not exactly a fan of surprises but I welcome them. I received news and bits that are quite unexpected so I am pleasantly surprised. When I thought I will have zero income this week, something came along and paid me right away. When I stopped planning for Abi’s birthday, I found a party package that will probably fit my plans and budget. There is also an opportunity to have another photo book printed at a very very cheap price. So I’ll probably by busy making that for the next days.

I am so keeping the good vibes and will continue to think positive :) Everyday is a blessing!

My Little Kikay

I do not consider myself Makikay (girly girl). I am more Maarte (in some kind of OC way) than Makikay. Get my drift? So it is both amusing and amazing to capture our Little Abi like this:

She held that position for nearly five minutes. As usual she was murmuring to herself and it was a joy watching her. It was too late of course when we thought of taking her picture! Notice this shot is a bit blurry and noisy? But I love this picture just the same, and I am keeping this for sure. This shot is precious and it is the only shot, because she moved immediately after the first click! She didn’t even give her Daddy the chance to set the camera!

So there. Meet my Little Kikay :)

Thinking of our Future House again | Home Furnishings

My brother showed me a newly-constructed house that is for sale. His online contact’s family constructed it and is now ready for it’s new owners. I could see our future home in that design! Having extra time on my hands tonight, I drifted yet again in the cyberspace, planning how I can furnish our house! :) I saw some copper sinks, and I particularly liked this one on the picture.  This ships from Mexico!

 

I love the dragonfly detail. I think this will be perfect for the powder room, don’t you agree? It is a bit expensive for a sink, I would say. But it is such a beauty that it is worth the price.

 

I am just dreaming anyway :D

Freebies for you!

I have already given out three more freebie items in my Art Blog after the last one that I posted here.

Clicking on the images will lead you to the download post in my other blog :) I started making freebies because I want to actually learn how to design. I have no formal training on designing so most of the time I am just making my imagination work.

Funny thing is, I find myself enjoying the times that I am seated thinking of what to give away. That’s a good sign, right? Of course!

I am already listed here and here, and that makes this venture a little more exciting, don’t you think so?

Help yourselves, peeps! :)

Spending Wisely | Hunt for Discount Coupons

When we visited my sister’s family in 2007, that’s only when I learned that coupons may be used to save on some purchases. I would say it helped a lot in our expenses back then. Imagine getting free tickets to the amusement park because we printed and brought coupons along! Even grocery items may be bought with discounts!

I never really applied coupon codes when we returned to Manila. I guess I never cared. But, as most of you already know, I became a bit stingy when Little Abi was born (not much on her needs though). I do not even remember the last time I bought myself a book. Yes, a book! And now, I miss reading and the smell of the pages of a book. A few clicks here and there, I found some Borders Coupon Codes, everything at 50%. Wow, that’s a steal right? But then again, I have limited reading time during day time. And at night, when my two loves are already asleep, the only source of light is away from my side of the bed.

Can you smell where this post is leading to? ;p

 

E-books! I know I just said that I miss the smell of books. But at this point, if I really want to read, I have not much of a choice. I wish I can find Sony Coupons for their reader! And yes, I want it to be in red. When my high school friend showed hers to me, this reader remained in my sub-conscious. Now I cannot stop thinking about it! It is as big as a regular paperback trade book but not as heavy. The size is a winner for me because that means I need not zoom and press left to right.

Oh! I want!

Still Charming :)

My brother and I went on a quick trip to Metrowalk. I decided to grab a Frap (and cinnamon roll for the bro) from Starbucks while waiting for Ry to finish his business. I walked in smiling and noticed that there were all male baristas behind the counters. I placed my order and told them my order’s to go. After paying, one of the boys asked me where I was headed (home) and had the gall to ask where home was, LOL! And then they asked for my name for the cup. “It’s Tin, I said,”  and moved on to the side to wait for my Frap. Then they called me and got this:

Could not help but smile :) It was one of those days that I hoped I had a better camera with me (this was taken using my mobile). I don’t know what this means. Maybe they just wanted to cheer me up (more) or I am still charming to their eyes, LOL!

Bejeweled Blitz

I have been addicted to this FB game. I actually look forward to every Wednesday because that is when the scores are reset. :) Early this week, I already got the 200k medal! Lookie!

The internet conked out so I was not able to publish this hehe. This is the second time that I got the 200k medal so I am hoping I get the next one soon :) Oh! And I get high scores cheat-free, huh! I took time to study the tips and tricks and tried my best to apply them. But as I always say, I also just got lucky! ;p

How about a destination wedding?

Who would not want a wedding ceremony with this kind of setting? (photo from the Karisma Hotels website) I would say this is perfect for destination weddings. Don’t you think so, too? The backdrop is lovely and natural and laid-back for a very intimate wedding of your dreams. The resorts at the Riviera Maya, the ones by the Karisma chain of hotels, offer a one of a kind wedding celebration. You may fly your guests in early for some bonding time, enjoying the resorts’ many amenities. Come wedding day, everybody can enjoy some world-class accommodations that include gourmet food that will tickle the taste buds. The newly-weds can even stay for their honeymoon! How’s that for a good deal? :)

What we did to celebrate Abi’s half birthday ;)

A.K.A. Pig-out day on July 30 :)

 

Warning: Long and long-overdue Post

 

It was Abi’s first ever long-drive and her first time to ride in her car seat. I was both excited and worried but she enjoyed the ride. So much so that we haven’t reached EDSA yet, she was already asleep, LOL! I forgot to take a picture, though. Sigh.

 

We left the house around 6am. We dropped Gi off at Ayala MRT station where Ane was apprehended for stepping on the yellow lane. Apparently, private vehicles must let passengers alight on the THIRD lane (middle lane) which sounds st upid and unsafe (mind you, we often drop G off at Santolan and Boni and it is perfectly okay to get on the yellow lane!) . Of course blood started to boil but we decided to just get the ticket and pay at the bank rather than argue with BF’s boys. There’s no reasoning out to someone who tells us that there is a surveillance camera and that we should pull-over a few feet away, and talk about the violation. That cost us P500.

 

Anyway, we met with my parents (coming from different locations!) at McDonalds Sta. Rosa at 8am and we all had breakfast. Funny thing, when Mom entered McDo, there was this lingering smell that tickled my nostrils right away. Guess what it was? Durian! Mom’s Sec took the chance to hitch going to Manila with her loots, hahaha. After some animated stories were told, we were off to the official business somewhere in the area :)

We were done before 930am. Mom’s next meeting was not until 1pm in San Pablo so we decided to stay together and stroll in Paseo de Sta. Rosa. This is where I saw this pair of shoes that I so wanted to buy for Abi but didn’t. There was no plan to go shopping so we decided to eat, again! LOL! This time we had some light merienda at Razon’s. Afterwards, we separated from the group and headed to Tagaytay.

It was drizzling when we left Sta. Rosa. I was hoping for some sunshine when we reach Tagaytay so we’ll have nice photos. By this time, we still didn’t know what to have for lunch. Brother Ry didn’t want the “customary” Bulalo and I thought eating in a restaurant that can also be found in Manila is boring, so we cruised Tagaytay hoping to get an inspiration. I was texting online friends while cruising, asking whether Bag of Beans serve lunch. We planned to have coffee and dessert there anyway. But before I got concrete answers we were already driving by the restaurant so we stopped, checked and decided to stay. While waiting for our food, we had a mini photoshoot. Oh how I wish we brought Sissy along because Abi was such in a good mood for pictures!

 

         

Here is the post I wrote about our bag of Beans experience :)

 

After our coffee, we were rushing to leave because my other bro was already texting. We were to pick him up from school, he was done at noon and we were still in Tagaytay at 2pm! But we could not resist a customary picture overlooking Taal Lake so we stopped by The Cliffhouse briefly.

Then we stopped by Mushroom burger to get some, as pasalubong to Gi and for my dinner. Yum! When we were approaching Sta. Rosa again, we saw tarpaulins saying that Conti’s Nuvali is already open. Thinking that we still didn’t have a cake for Abi’s sixth month, I thought maybe we should get our cake there (and spare me the effort of leaving the house again later on). I was so glad Ane and Ry agreed. I got a mini Mango Tart and Mini Tiramisu.

 

We  were about 20 minutes away from home when Abi started to get cranky. We got slowed down in Alabang and traffic was bad coming from Gi’s school. Can’t blame Abi, she was sitting in her car seat far too long, fell asleep, woke up, had milk, fell asleep again and was still strapped when she woke up!

 

We all got to nap before dinner, relaxed a bit. We weren’t able to buy food to be cooked from the grocery so we decided to just have Lechon Manok for dinner (Mushroom burger for me, too!) And then it was time to blow the candle and slice the cake for dessert! Yum!

And that ends this post :) Finally, LOL!

Template for free :)

Finally was able to whip a template for a 12x12 digital scrap page. And I am giving it out for free! :) I have been planning to do this freebie sharing for the last couple of years but never got around to doing so.

 

Hop on over to my art blog if you want to grab it :)

 

Will take a break now hehe TTYL!

Favorite show

I am so glad that Extreme Makeover Home Edition is shown everyday at 4pm over Lifestyle channel! I so love this show. I always cry when they reveal the reconstructed house. Never fails. I love that the members of the design team (and contractors) take into consideration the needs each of the family. They take care of everything, even furnace filters for instance, to filter out allergens for those whose health are at risk. They really have everything covered.

 

It is almost four pm and everything will be put into a halt while I watch my favorite show :)

Back to normal

I was so ready to write something related to this post (yes, a long overdue post!) but real life got in the way plus the internet connection went bonkers for two days! We could still connect to the world wide web but the speed was slower than dial-up you can just imagine me pulling on my hair while waiting for the tabs to load!

I woke up this morning and realized the connection is so much better. I guess they have fixed whatever it is that needed fixing.

Hallelujiah!

Nike Baby Shoes

We had extra time last week for strolling and a quick merienda at Razon’s in Paseo de Santa Rosa. I was excited to window-shop and check the outlet stores. Passing by Nike’s window, I saw this:

I insisted that we go in and look at the pair for little Abi…only to find out that it is too expensive for a pair of baby shoes. It isn’t practical to buy at all, knowing that Abi probably won’t wear it more than five times (unless she’d wear it even if we just stroll on the park outside the house haha).

Another sport

Spur of the moment thought: how about me taking on a new sport? I saw some ping pong tables set up on the neighbor's backyard that triggered the thought. I took up table tennis as my PE subject in college, and I can still remember the adrenaline rush that came with the games. I know hubby and my brothers are interested too.

Oh how I wish we have the space for our own table!

Klaire is half a year old!

 

Our little Abi turned six months old on July 30. She is now 6.3kilos (was 5.7kilos last month). She’s still within the average for her age but still nearing the low end. That worries me but Mommy said, as long as she’s average, that is okay. (And she’s heavy to carry already) She’s more active than ever, and her milk intake is still not as much as that charts say she should be drinking. That probably explains the slow weight gain.

 

We visited her Pedia a week before she turned half a year old. We were in and out in a breeze because she’s in perfect health anyway. I am starting to really believe that Abi remembers the doctor, and that she remembers that he would poke her with a needle. Her mood became a bit sour and her smile faded when we entered the office. Abi was staring at the doctor, observing his movements and watching where the doctor’s hands were. When Doctor Alfiler caught her eyes, Abi bit her lip and Doc A. withdrew his gaze before Abi started crying. Klaire was administered her last HepaB shot. She was also given the go-signal to have solids but will have to start with Cerelac Wheat, Gerber Rice or homemade lugaw first, then we will slowly add to her diet. This is to make sure we know to which one she’s allergic to, in case she develops rashes or something. We told the doctor that she doesn’t like orange juice so we were instructed to try apple, papaya or banana juice. The dosage of her vitamins was also increased from 0.3 to 0.6.

 

At six months, Abi has lost so much hair (which is normal). She’s starting to love and appreciates cartoons, an addition to “reading” books. She knows no tricks yet (or her tricks are limited, no close-open yet LOL!), but I am in no hurry because I know we are getting there. Ang alam lang niyang trick ay magpa-cute, which charms us all the time, and she knows it (read: she knows she has all of us wrapped around her tiny fingers). She “glides” with her tummy and revolves around the bed. She can “crawl” backwards, so I call her pusit. :)  Crawl is quoted because it’s not yet exactly a crawl. It sucks that I cannot have it on video yet, it’s really funny. And she does the “frog jump” probably in preparation for actual crawling. She knows how to entertain herself and is able to put self to sleep. She can sleep on her own as long as she’s calmed down from being cranky. Lastly, she thinks I am telling her a story when we pray because she would squeal, and look so amused, even laughs at me!

 

That’s it for this month. I will surely add more if there’s something I forgot to write. There are only few July pictures yet I am not done uploading them. I’ll share when I’m done! :)

Let me organize my thoughts first :)

Thursday and Friday was so eventful. I already said in my FB that there is just sooo much to write and share. Everything needs to be written down for my “time capsule”

Background in bullets:

• Little Klaire turned six months old on Thursday (progress update in order!)
• To celebrate, we went to Tagaytay (Abi’s first long drive!) after an errand in Sta. Rosa.
• Which turned out to be a food trip for Ane, my brother Ry and me.
• High chair shopping for Abi on Friday.
• Seeing Papa John Llloyd in person in SM Annex
• Finally claiming the free Tattoo from HP.
• Tisay being hit by a bus on EDSA!

There are lots of in-betweens, so you can just imagine how much I am holding in my head right now. And yes I need to organize my thoughts first. And there are photos to sort out, too.

 

I just might be flooding with personal posts this blog a.k.a. my own Pensieve just like Dumbledore’s :)