Not Feeling So Great :(

Not a good day at all for me. For starters, I almost fainted when I got out of bed from sheer dizziness. No idea why. Then, my cold and cough began in earnest. I had chills last night, so that, combined with jet lag, totally screwed with my system!

Anyway, no scrapping done today. Again. Wasn't really up to it. Need to rest, and get some sleep, I guess. This'll be short and sweet....am off to watch Desperate Housewives to help me settle down :)

Jet Lag!

Do I get jet lag? Hah! Understatement! When last I went home to Manila June 8, I had jet lag for a WEEK, minimum! Now, I'm back in the States, and it's not being any different....so far.

Got home at about 9 pm, had dinner, helped pack the stuff of Lola Nene and Rodney who were going home the following day, checked my daily downloads, read my daily scrapbooking blogs (which are a TON, I tell you!) and STILL not sleepy! Tried scrapping, but no inspiration was striking at all.

Finally drifted off to sleep at 5:30 in the flicking MORNING! Was woken up by Rejy to get up early to go to breakfast at IHOP (yum!) at oh about 7-ish. Got dressed, went to IHOP with Rod and Rej, ate too much (as usual!), went back home and did I try and get some sleep eye? Nope.

Helped Dad get ready for his therapy sessions for the day. Almost GAGGED at his #2 --- told him that he was eating so much now that his #2 was stinking to high heavens, I kid you not! Ugh. Somehow managed to get through that.....

All the traveling and jet lag has now given me a cold and cough. That, or some major attack of the sinuses. Sheesh! As Chandler of Friends fame would say, Could it BE any worse?!?!??!

Thankfully, no. Hehehehe.

{SHOPPING ALREADY?!?!}

Yup. After we dropped of Rod and Lola at the airport, Roc and I went to Best Buy and bought me a DVD for the room!!! Whoohoohoo!
Got this el cheapo RCA Dvd Player. Not the greatest or the fanciest, but it'll do quite nicely for it's purpose, thank you!


Aaaaaaaannnnnnnddddd of course, I was just DEEEELIGHTED that I could use Paypal again, so........

I got Royanna Fritschmann's Freedom is in the Stars over at Divine Digital. It was ONLY $2.00 until tonight, for the Divine Diva Deal. I just need to post a layout by July 2 to get an awesome posting bonus add-on to the kit. Royanna is one of my all-time fave designers and her stuff is just beautiful, so I always try to get her designs....especially when they're on sale, hehehehe.

Easter Blossoms and Fleur de Lis I got from Butternug Squash. Designed by Christy Sturm. Love her kits, too, as they are very detailed and very textured. And not bad either.....$2.00 each PLUS a 15% discount off of a freebie from Christy's blog! How cool (and cheap!) is that!

I also got 3 kits by Michelle Underwood over at ACOT for $1 each!!! Am I a bargain hunter or what??? Whoohoohoo!

Previews I'll post tomorrow as I have yet to extract them and I can feel my eyes drooping oh so slowly downwards.......Good night, folks!

Viva La Mexico!

Is that the right grammar/syntax even? But anyway, I just HAD to post this. I was going through blogthings.com and I saw the question "What Kind of Food are You?" Well of COURSE I had to go answer the questions!

You Are Mexican Food

Spicy yet dependable. You pull punches, but people still love you.

What Kind of Food Are You?

Well, Duh! Of COURSE I love love LOVE Mexican Food! Hehehehehe. This is my all-time fave kind of food; I shouldn't be surprised to see that I AM Mexican Food! :)

Since I'm on the subject (and blogthings is quite addicting), here are a few more Mexican "MEs":

You Are a Blueberry Margarita

Honestly, there's no one quite like you. And believe it or not, most people think that's a bad thing! You're open, wild, friendly, wacky, and tons of fun. You have a big personality... and a big heart.

What Flavor Margarita Are You?

Blueberry??? Is there even such a Margarita flavor? Hmmmm.....I've always opted for Strawberry, hands down. Maybe I SHOULD try the blueberry....if I find one!

And the last one:

Your Mexican Name Is...

Doña Suzelly

What's Your Mexican Name?

Doña? Hehehehe. Yup, that's me. A real Doña, if you ask Japa.

Well there you have it.....my Mexican-ness :)

Have a great day!

Squeezing in Some Scraps

Tomorrow'll be a busy day for me, most likely no time to scrap. Stuff to do before my flight:

1. Meeting at 10 am
2. Back up entire hard drive of my old laptop
3. Pack, pack, pack.
4. Finalize arrangements for expiring mileage (we don't want that to go to waste, lol!)
5. Drop by the drugstore to buy some medication to take with me
6. Give myself a hot oil treatment, if there's time to spare.

Thank goodness I had decided on getting a manicure AND a pedicure early today. Otherwise, my poor fingernails and toenails would be a mess! Ugh!

{MY SCRAPS}

THE SISTERHOOD COMETH

A photo of me (in the middle) with my sisters-in-law (flanking me) and the girlfriends of my brothers (on the outside). Just a fair warning to the boys that the 5 of us are forming a bond....one that they should definitely beware of!

Credits: kit - Fresh Summer by Christy Sturm at Butternugsquash; journaling tag - Very Victorian by Christy Sturm at Butternug Squash; flower stamp - by Dana Zarling at SBB; fonts - Georgia, Boring Showers, Arial, Stamped DSG; The Big Picture filter by Panos FX

FAVORITE BOYS

A photo of Mommy Nena, son Japa, grandsons Rogan and Ranger.

Credits: kit - Giggle Me Happy by Eve Recinella at 3Scrapateers; font - Papyrus

This should be it for the next couple of days. Am expecting jet lag and exhaustion to just about do it for me :)

Catching Up on My SCRAPS

Today was pretty productive for me. Having NO internet connection usually helps, hehehehe. not only did I finish quite a few layouts, I made a pretty good-sized dent on my CT requirements for the month as well! Yeah! Without further ado, I present to you my layouts for today:

{The Digi Dreamer CT Layouts}

PAPA & RAINE

Journaling reads: Papa and Raine obligingly posed and smiled patiently while Mama tried to do her Photography homework. These shots were for her “Depth of Field” homework, taken while driving around Ayala Heights looking for the perfect setting.

Credits: kit - Funky Fresh Warm Sensations by Staci Schall at the Digi Dreamer; chipboard flower - by Staci Schall at the Digi Dreamer; alpha - Quemadura del Sol by Christy Sturm at Butternug Squash; font - Arial Narrow

A BOY AND HIS BIKE

Journaling reads: This summer, Ranger was able to ride this big bike by himself. He would go up the ramp then push off with his tiny feet. On the way down, he’d lift his feet and free-wheel down the ramp! Mama’s heart was always in her throat, but Ranger was the little daredevil. On days we didn’t go to Disneyland or the park, he’d be “on the road”, in his bike, up and down the ramp. Wind in his air, squeals of joy to show his delight. A boy and his bike. Enough to complete the summer for Ranger.

Credits: kit - Number One Fan by Struwwelsuse at the Digi Dreamer; chipboard stars - Chipboard Basics by Staci schall at the Digi Dreamer; torn edge and stitches - by Kim Hill at CGEssentials; fonts - Arial Narrow, Kristen, Boring Showers

BLOOMING

Credits: kit - Bloomy Pink by Selana at the Digi Dreamer; font - Chiquita Banana

{Scrappin Digi Kreations CT Layout}

AMIDST THE FLOWERS
Credits: kit - Spring into Summer by various designers at Scrappin Digi Kreations; font - Papyrus

Pretty productive eh? ;) On top of CT requirements, I also finished ALL the challenges at Scrapmommies! Yeah! I did the 12 and then some more! So I'm going to get that prize kit ***rubbing hands*** in a few days or maybe next week.

Why the rush to finish all these layouts? Well, number 1, when I started scrapping, the ideas just flowed, you know? And number 2, I HAD to get these layouts done! Gotta start packing on Monday and leaving for the States on Tuesday. Not to mention the fact that Mom and I chatted on MSN and she has a list of bilins that'll take me the entire day to get, hehehehe.

* * *

{Serious Musings.....sort of}
So, went to mass this morning and the priest's homily reminded me of Dad. The gospel was all about Job, and how God took away everything Job had....just to test him. How'd it remind me of Dad? Throughout his illness this past couple of months, and some moments of depression, Dad would ask me "Why is God doing this to me? I'm not a bad man; I've done good things to a lot of people. Why me?"

I mean, how do you answer that without him getting depressed again. My standard answer was usually "Because God knows you can handle it, Dad."

But after this morning's sermon, I made a mental note to tell Dad about Job and how God answered his questions. Job and Dad have pretty much the same questions. Told Mom over our chat to have Dad listen carefully to the priest when they go to mass.

The long and short of God's answers to Job? Well, according to the priest, Bible scholars have said that God didn't give a direct answer to Job, as God only can :). But further study showed that God pretty much says:

"You are a tiny atom that I have created, in this whole wide world that I have created. You are not the center of the universe."

But ultimately, God says: "I am with you all the time; I will never leave you."

Is that comforting or what? :)

Blogging Pressure

Pressure? Yes, pressure! Elizza, my dear SIL, has just posted a homemade blog header!!! Yowzers! hehehehe. Check it out at her blog. Cute huh? That'll be my project for today. Well okay, THAT and backing up my files. From my laptop to my small external hard disk (250 Gigs) to DVDs.....eventually. :) Then there's my big hard disk (500 Gigs)....that's another story.

Well, off to take a shower and get myself ready to bring Rogan to his first ever VOICE LESSON over at U.P. Big day for him; this little guy is excited! Thank goodness his sisters are patient enough to wait for Friday for THEIR turn at voice lessons. Yeah, they know I've already enrolled them this past week. So we'll see how that goes.

* * *

Did NOT scrap a page today. However, I did my blog header! Whoohoohoo!!!! Thank you Lai for helping me on this one! ;) Now to figure out how to put the credits underneath it......hehehehe. Maybe tomorrow. I'm pooped.

Spent the entire day at La Vista with (drumroll please) Stella and Zharmagne! Uh huh...my brothers' girlfriends and Bang, Elizza and myself enjoyed a few hours of digi scrapping. You read it right ---- we were SCRAPPING! Well, the girls scrapped, the boys played Magic. To each his (or her) own, I guess.

Waiting for my Giggle Me Happy to download..then just maybe I'll scrap tonight when we get home. Stay tuned!

Another Blog Techie Feat!

Yeah! Whoohoohoo for me! I just put in my GALLERY LINKS! So if you wanted to see my digital scrapbooking layouts (and comment on them, please, hehehe!) just go the the sidebar and click on any link to go see my gallery at that particular scrapbooking site.

And to those faithful readers ---- yeah, I know who you are , ELIZZA! and VALERIE! and maybe the following people since you guys know I've got a blog and YOU'RE IN IT:

1. Rodney (Hun)
2. Randy (Love)
3. Zharmagne (Hun gf)
4. Stella (Love gf)

Anyway, if you DO read something and find something funny, disturbing, embarrassing, whatever, click on the that COMMENT button below and let me know! :)

{SCRAPPING NEWS}
Nothing on the home front, layout wise. However, I have been working on a Quick Page album by Dawn Webb over at Scrapper's Daily Dose and The Daily Scrap. I've done 7 layouts already, 3 more to go.

I think I'm going to be busy BACKING UP my files all weekend. I just checked my laptop's disk space and it says I have less than 2 Gigs left. Yikes! Desperately need some space. If you have any idea how to go about doing this is in the easiest possible way, I'd appreciate it.

I've been trying to wrack up my post count over at Scrapmommies. Owner Traci Reed has moved us to a more secure server and we should (hopefully!) be fine now. Oh! I need to start uploading my layouts there as well. This site is one of a FEW complete PREMIER galleries where I have most of my layouts ever done posted.

Oh oh! I bought a couple of kits today. I know Lai, I couldn't help myself, especially when they're on sale!!! :)

...

The first one is Giggle Me Happy by Eve Recinella. 50% off as the Half-n-Half special at 3Scrapateers. Love Eve's designs.

The second kit is called Breezy by Dianne Rigdon over at Shabby-Elements. Got this one for 50% as well, because of the hefty discount coupon over at Dianne's blog.

Can't wait to scrap with these soon. Uhhhhh.....maybe tomorrow? :)

{OFFICE NEWS}
We had a billiards "tournament" this evening. Maroon team vs. Yellow team. I'm on the maroon team and we lost big time. Of a total of 16 games played, we only won 4, with 1 winning table out of 4. Eeek! Good thing we only have this thing once every month. Otherwise, I'd be hating life too much! I HATE losing!

{THINGS TO DO FOR MY BLOG}
1. blinkies for Creative Teams I'm on
2. look for a 3-column template
3. install the template
4. back up existing entries....just in case.

{SCRAPPING THINGS TO DO}
1. back up laptop hard disk
2. challenges
a. Scrapmommies
b. RAKS
c. SDD
3. CT Requirements
a. The Digi Dreamer
b. SDD, including QP Album
4. upload layouts to Scrapmommies!

{BLOGTHINGS time!} ---> these are always fun to do :)

People Envy Your Energy

You've got the drive and determination to keep your life in order, and you are on track to be a huge success. People tend to envy all you've got in life, but they don't understand the work that goes behind it!

What Do People Envy About You?

This should be it for now...good night!

Scrappin' Roll!

Yup. Pretty productive day today, scrapping-wise. I finally finished ALL 40 days ---and layouts!---for Divine Digital's 40 Days of Scrapping Purpose. It was an exciting journey; I learned a lot about myself while doing this whole album. It was sort of like an All About Me album, but more in depth, I guess. A lot of journaling, of musing, of asking myself questions. This is definitely to be printed and put in an album all by itself.

MY SCRAPS

{Circles of Life}Journaling reads: Wife - A happy wife leads to a happy life!; Mama - Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother. --- Lin Yutang; Daughter - Daughters are love coming from the mother vine.; Sister - I smile because I'm your sister, I laugh because there is nothing you can do about it.; Scrapbooker - We spend all day making memories, and I spend all night scrapping them!; Legacy Leaver - What survives is the memories.

Credits: kit - Fresh start by Dianne Rigdon at Shabby Elements; circle stitches - Round and Round by Dani Mogstad at SBB; fonts - Chiquita Banana, Arial Narrow

{Diary of A Divine Scrapbooking Diva}
Quote by Twyla Tharp reads: "Creativity requires quite a lot of faith-not just in yourself
but also in the knowledge that you have the right to proceed, even when you may not know exactly what you're doing. You also need to have faith that life is composed not of alien
or segregated elements but of related components. Creativity comes from having an inquisitive mind, from being easily bored, from wanting to challenge the status quo. It comes from people who look for alternatives."

Credits: kit - Love Lines Collection: Cherish by Royanna Fritschmann; bookplate - Love Lines Collection: Forever by Royanna Fritschmann; brads - Love Lines Collection: Keys to My Heart by Royanna Fritschmann; tiara - La Diva by Kim Smith at Scrappin Digi Kreations; fonts - Chiquita Banana, Arial Narrow

{Hawaii...Eden}
Journaling reads: We had so much fun in Hawaii. We spent several hours, several days, on the BEACH. We didn’t care about the rain or the sun. What mattered was that we were having fun TOGETHER.

Credits: kit - Summer Sass-Beach by Royanna Fritschmann; font - Beach Type

* * *

My day was pretty uneventful. Had a meeting with Teacher Tess, Raegan's teacher. She asked what my purpose was for the "meeting". I told her that I wasn't sure who she was, and I wanted to meet her. She seemed pretty straightforward, a teacher who loves books (Yeah!), and one who encourages her students to choose reading for quiet choice time. She has even arranged a Reading Corner in her classroom! Cool! She was glad that I dropped by to talk to her. Apparently, not a lot of parents take time to do this.

Did some grocery shopping. Wracked up P15,000 in grocery bills. Sigh! Oh well. This should last until after I get back from the States!

I think I'm going to turn in. Gasp! Shockwaves!!! It's only 10 pm! But I am pooped and really sleepy. Mom called me at 130 am to tell me that Lola Hermie died at 1 pm yesterday. Told her I knew; Dad wants ALL of us to go to Bacolod for the wake/funeral, but I told Mom that Boydee and Rondic were making arrangements already. I'm not exactly sure how old Lola Hermie was when she died, but if I remember correctly, she had just celebrated her 92nd or 93rd birthday last year. Somewhere around there. May her soul rest in peace.

Good night!

Happy 25th Birthday Stella!

Stella --- the love of my brother Randy's life. She has totally fit in with all of us and is a darling. :) She invited our ENTIRE family (17 of us tonight) for a birthday dinner. OMG!!!! That's like HALF of her guest list at Veneto! hehehe. Met her folks (her Dad's Boydee's friend from Jaycees; small world, LOL!). And her grandma is a movie actress who LOOKS it. 77 years old and looking 50+!!! Wowowow! Lola Nene has a rival here!

Anyway, the day started with dear Stella helping us register the kids at U.P. for voice and piano lessons. Randy, my dear brother, is a changed man. He was with us this morning and actually registered to learn how to play the piano!!!! Ahhhhh.....love......it's thick in the air. Hehehehe.

We had lunch at Crowne Plaza today. Chinese dimsum buffet. Yuuuuuummmmmmm. We surprised Bechay (Boydee's EA) for her 50th birthday by inviting her for lunch. She thought we were totally kidding and had to be forced to sit down with us. LOL. But she did eat a lot! Man, that food was really really good.

Didn't get to scrap much, but I did finish this page just after midnight today. So technically, the layout belongs to today.

I SCRAPPED!
{Pieced with Love}
Quote by Flavia reads: The beauty of family brings us cherished memories we wish to hold forever, for it is through our memories that our hearts find their way home.
Credits: kit - Spring into Summer by various designers at Scrappin Digi Kreations; family portrait word art - Family Portrait by Trish Jones at SBB; gliter flower, metal jewel - Dreams of Asia by Melany Violette at Simply Clean Digi Scraps; special thanks to Panos FX for the Puzzle Action

I am a Blog Techie!!!

Hahahahaha! Well, sort of. I figured out ON MY OWN, how to put that little clock AND the slide show thingy onto the sidebar ---------->

Whoohoohoo for me!!!! Yeah! I am SO psyched. Yes, the HTML code proved a little bit daunting, but with a little bit of trial and error, those things are on the sidebar!!!!

Ok, that feat was enough to warrant a different post for the day, hehehehe.

* * *

I am catching up on the 40 Days of Scrapping Purpose over at Divine Digital. I just finished Day 36 and I totally totally LOVE the finished LO!!!

Let Life...Live Life
Quote by Greg Anderson reads: When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning,
by dreams that need completion,
by pure love that needs expressing,
then we truly live life.

Credits: kit - Language of Love (June Mega Kit) by various designers at The Digi Dreamer
fonts - Cheri, Gentium

It's almost 1 am and I need to sleep! LOL! I'm on a high from catching up on scrapping! Whoohoohoo!

My DSL Connection is FINALLY Working!

Yes it is! The guys from PLDT came over to the house to check on my complaint of intermittent service. Apparenty, Smart's G4 installation on their sites were the reason for the on-off service. Looks like it's fixed, thank goodness!

As of noon today, my dsl connection has been UNINTERRUPTED!!! Whoohoohoo! That is AWESOME!!!

In other news, I called Dad this morning to greet him a Happy Father's Day. I asked him about our gift (Rod bought this digital frame where you can showcase photos in a slideshow) and he replied that it was the BEST gift he has ever gotten! Cool! Of course, there HAD to be a layout or two on the slideshow....wouldn't be complete without involving digiscrapping :)

We finished weeding out the clothes of Raine. She has one huge box of clothes that she has either outgrown or will never use. Time for a garage sale soon. Need to get through the closets of the other kids.

{Scrapping News}

Royanna Fritshmann, one of my all-time fave designers, is back on the digiscrapping scene. She was diagnosed with cancer a month or so ago, and her site, Divine Digital, somehow wasn't the same without her. ANYWAY, she's back and we are continuing her 40 Days of Scrapping Purpose.

I've been productive today -- I have finished 3 LOs for the challenge and am currently working on Day 35. Need to rush this since the deadline is on the 25th! Yikes!

Here's a LO I finished:

WORDS OF WISDOM
Credits: kit - Tuscan Villa Collection: Terracotta Tiles by Royanna Fritschmann; stick pins - by Ronnie McCray at SBB
fonts - Bradley Hand, Comic Sans, Gentium, Marketing Script

Quote reads: This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, love to complete your life.

Definitely a PRODUCTIVE day today, in ALL aspects! :)

Happy Father's Day!

Of course, I have yet to call Dad in the States. It's early morning there as I write this, so I'll probably just call him tomorrow morning when I wake. I have been productive though, and did a couple of layouts for Dad, which Rodney's supposed to insert in the digital frame that features a slideshow, which is our gift to Dad, along with some comfy slippers that he wanted.

I SCRAPPED!
Credits: kit - La Folia by Christine Honsinger at Scrapmommies
font - Comic Sans

Credits: background paper - Elemental Emotions by Traci Reed at Scrapmommies
so happy together word art - January Mega Kit by various designers at Digi Scrap Divas
family word art - Touch of Home by Ashley Olson at SBB
cloth tags - The Good Life by Marsha Zepeda at The Digi Chick

I love how the collage turned out. This is based on an inspiration challenge from Scrapmommies. Hope Dad (and Mom) like it too! In fact, I think I'm going to have this one enlarged. With the exception of the middle photo, all the pictures in the collage were taken during this past Easter. Next goal? To have the twins have someone in the picture with them! Hehehehehe!

{SCRAPPING NEWS}

I finished 4 quick pages for the album I am doing for Dawn Webb over at Scrapper's Daily Dose. 6 more QPs to go and I should be done! I was on a roll this afternoon! This album will be on sale once it's done, I think. Depends on what Dawn will do with it, but I'm excited doing this. Hopefully, the experience will show me what I should and shouldn't do in doing QPs. Hoping to get some constructive criticism in the process.

Creative Team requirements are coming along fine. Not very speedy, but I'm plodding along. This dang connection of ours at home isn't helping things any either. I can't do much commenting on the galleries since our connection goes on and off and on and off all the time. Very frustrating!

Bought a ton of Michelle Underwood kits at SBB. $1 sale. Who can beat that?!?! :) So I HAD to get me some kits. Trying to control myself here, but hey, it's fun shopping during sales. Besides, I ONLY shop during sales, most especially those that are at least 50% off. Fun! :) Now, to try and download my links yet again! :( .....

Pre-Happy Father's Day Celebration

It's Saturday and The Siblings decided to celebrate Father's Day early to miss the crowds. We decided to have dinner at HEAT at Edsa Shang. Good food, but very very crowded! Ugh! I could've eaten a lot more, but I was just not hapy with all the people in the restaurant jostling for space at the buffet lines. The pasta however, was excellent! So was the strawberry crepe with chocolate ice cream :)

It was also time to meet Rodney's girlfriend, Zharmagne, or Zhar for short. Pretty girl, reminded all of us of Roselle. She was pretty brave, I thought, to meet all of us sans Rodney! Hehehehe. I'm sure Rodney was fidgeting in the States wondering what we --er, I --- were doing and asking Zhar! Seems a very smart girl, but oh so skinny! Damn! She can eat anything (she loves desserts, especially chocolate!) and still she's thin. As in super duper thin. Her thighs are probably the size of my forearms! Hahahaha!

Randy was there with his girlfriend, Stella, as well. Now this one's pretty smart. She had taken all the kids that morning and spent time with them helping them paint father's day greetings on canvas. Now how sweet is that?

Wasn't able to get a photo of all of us, but Elizza has a few pics. Will post them here when I get them.

Productive Day

Yup! I Scrapped, Scrapped, Scrapped. Well ok, I tried (again!) to work. In fact, I was at work quite early! But I just couldn't get my mind to work on figures....I did a few pretty brainless things, but nothing that significant.

However, since I was panicking at the though of not completing my prize kit over at Scrap2gether, I frantically scrapped. LOL! :) These are what I came up with:

Credits: kit - Posh Petals by Eve Recinella
blue paper strip - Tranquility by Eve Recinella
inked edges - by Rebecca Rios for the RAKScraps July Mega Kit

font - Papyrus, Marketing Script

Another one:

Credits: kit - Fun in the Tub by Michelle Underwood at SBB
photo corner - Funky Little Man by Eve Recinella at 3Scrapateers
rivet - Collingwood by Eve Recinella at 3Scrapateers

fonts - Times New Roman, Stamped DSG, Guilty

I also finished a birthday layout for Rogan, which I posted under June 11, his birthday. Liked that one....so colorful.

SHOPPING NEWS

Japa and I went to Home over at SM Megamall and got the girls an awesome bunk bed! It has a full-size be on the bottom, and a twin-sized bed on top. The best part is that it can be taken apart to form 2 beds! I'm excited to get it on Sunday. Along with the bunk bed, we got a much-needed sofa for our room. We need to replace the sofa that's in front of the TV, at the foot of the bed. This old sofa is getting really ratty; it has served it's purpose though: lasted almost 10 years, believe it or not!

DAMN HACKERS!@#!@#!

Scrapmommies was hacked yesterday I think. So Superwoman Traci Reed (owner) finally put the site in order albeit a month or so less (the most recent backed up file was May). So we all started posting and uploading our layouts that the STUPID hacker deleted.......I was at the VERY LAST ONE ----the 12th challenge! ---- when the frigging hacker did it again!!! Aaaaaargh!!!! Don't these dang people have anything to do?!?!?!??! Dammit! Makes me so frigging mad, I swear! Grrrrr!!!!!

UPDATE ON DAD

Talked to Mom this afternoon. According to the neurosurgeon, Dad had another stroke. This is what the MRI showed. When was it? We don't know. We're guessing it happened when he first collapsed in the bathroom.

However, Dad is doing very very well this past week, ever since he can swallow and eat semi-normally again. He is ecstatic and gets emotional when we talk of how he is FINALLY eating through his mouth and not his gastric tube! Rodney has also been giving Dad some physical therapy and trying to make him walk. All in all, Dad is on the road to recovery! Yeah!!!

Ok, it's late, almost midnight, and I have yet to finish Season 2 of Grey's Anatomy. Toodles!

Happy Birthday Lola Nene!!!

Lola is 87 years old today. 87! I'd be LUCKY if I get close to her age! And she looks YOUNG!!! I hope to be posting a photo of her here soon, but I'll settle for this post wishing her a very HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Other news today: I finally went to the office. TRIED to work, the operative word being "tried". Hehehehe. Oh well. At least I was there physically!

When I got home, I stayed in front of the TV for HOURS!!!! Why? I was watching Grey's Anatomy. Awesome awesome show!!!! Love it!

First Day of School

It was the kids' first day of school today. The girls were excited, albeit a bit sleepy, still jet lagged, LOL! Me? I slept for the most part, TRYING to recover from jet lag. But I also took the time to watch Grey's Anatomy. Man, I couldn't sleep last night trying to finish it! Hehehehe. Love, love LOVE Dr. Preston Burke! :)

Anyway, back to the kids. Raine came home all excited about her first day at the "big" school. She's out of Child's Place this year and is in the Multiple Intelligence School. I think she thinks it's so COOL being with her older siblings and attending the same school for the "big kids". Cute. She was also agog over having actual notebooks and books just for her! She excitedly told me to cover everything in plastic to be ready for TOMORROW to submit to her teacher.

At least the kids were early today. It definitely helped that the girls still had jet lag. Considering that it was the first day of school and everyone expected to be in traffic, the kids had plenty of time to say hi to some of their teachers and classmates before officially beginning the first day of school year 2006-2007.

Just for my information, I'm going to put on record how much tuition we actually paid for the kids. It's not cheap at MI, but I think it's TOTALLY WORTH it to have the kids stay there. I think it'd be good to have the tuition info here for reference in the coming years. At least...when I find the dang paper with the tuition totals!

Happy Independence Day!

...to the Philippines at least! :) This was the day we declared independence from the United States. We WERE supposed to buy a Philippine flag and have a mini celebration of sorts so that the kids would know and appreciate the fact that we are Filipinos. However, jet lag won in the end and we didn't do anything to celebrate what this day was about. Again. Sigh! Oh well. Next year, hopefully

I SCRAPPED!

I've been trying to catch up on my scrapping today. Challenges and CT requirements both. But this dang internet connection of mine just isn't cooperating! Grrrrr! I did manage to scrap one layout, at least:

Just the 3 of Us

Journaling reads: Just the 3 of us girls. It may be a small thing, but in this day and age where families rarely have time for each other, this day at Disneyland will always be memorable to me. It was just us, the 3 Gavino girls, enjoying each other’s company for the most part. It was the first time we spent the day together, just the 3 of us. Sure, there were squabbles (it was very hot!) but we still had an incredible time to actually bond and get closer to each other. There may be other days like this one, but this one will always stand out in my memory. Just the 3 of us.

Credits: kit - Titanesque Dreams by Marsha Zepeda at the Digi Chick
word art, life is good tag - The Good Life by Marsha Zepeda at the Digi Chick
font - Arial NarrowCredits:

Watched CARS with the girls today. Totally awesome show! Loved it, loved it, loved it! Gotta get myself the DVD of that one for sure.

Had a wonderful wonderful massage today. A much needed massage, especially after packing for 3 days and traveling for almost a whole day. My body NEEDED that massage. Tomorrow I've scheduled a manicure and a pedicure! Ahhhh....time to pamper myself!

the REST of the CHICKIES:

Yay! The rest of the family chick icons finally arrived today! They are so cute, I swear! Without further ado, I present to you the rest of the family:

Many many thanks to blessthischick.com!!!! They are SO ADORABLE!!!

Happy 7th Birthday Rogan!!!!

My boy is seven years old today!!! Big boy now, literally and figuratively. We attended mass at 8 am (we were late, as usual, sigh!), then went to Watsons to get some toothpaste, toothbrushes and a "few" necessities that Japa forgot to buy when he arrived. Japa complained that we went in there to buy toothpaste and ended up paying P2,000! Hehehehe. Oh well. That's family life....and that'll teach us to take the kids out to shop for a "few" things!

We had lunch at Omakase today. Although it was packed and didn't take any reservations from noon onwards, Japa was smart and made an 11:30 am reservation. LOL! We brought the STITCH cake that Rogan said he wanted (I still have NO idea why he chose Stitch...).

edited to add Birthday Layout: Journaling reads: Rogan celebrated his 8th birthday at our all-time favorite japanese restaurant, Omakase. Mama, Ate and Raine made the celebration all the more special because they arrived from the States jthe day before. Surrounded by family, Rogan blew his 8 candles as the entire restaurant burst into song (it was hard not to, as we occuppied half the place!).


Creditds: kit - BirthdayZ by various designers at DigiScrapZ; font - Kristen

We even saw Sister Marjo and Sister Carla at the restaurant, having lunch with Sr Marjo's aunt and cousin, I think. Anyway, it was good to catch up with her a little bit. Sr Marjo is no longer the principal of Assumption San Lorenzo, but head of the Formation of the Novitiates of the r.a. (Religious of the Assumption). Despite the fact that she didn't quite remember by name, she DID remember that I was a pretty good teacher at SanLo! :)

I SCRAPPED!

JUST ADD WATER

Journaling reads: What do you get when you have a 20-month old little boy, a very hot and humid day, and a garden hose? We JUST ADDED WATER to find out. The result? As the WATER spurted out of the garden hose, the air was filled with Ranger’s joyful laughter, as he thoroughly enjoyed getting soaked. These photos show the priceless facial expressions made by one excited little boy on a hot and humid day when we JUST ADDED WATER to the equation.

Credits: kit - Pool Water by Christy Sturm at Butternugsquash
font - Adobe Caslon Pro
sketch - by Gina Miller

And of course, I HAD to do a blogthing again, just to find out what kind of category of person I fell into yet again....

You Are 46% Vain

You're a little vain, but more than anything you have a healthy amount of confidence. Thinking the world of yourself is great. Just don't think less of those who aren't as pretty as you!

How Vain Are You?

Home Sweet Home

Well! After almost 24 hours of traveling time (5 hours from LAX to Honolulu, 3 hour layover; 7 hours from Honolulu to Guam, 2 hour layover, 4 hours from Guam to Manila), the girls and I finally arrived HOME!!!

And the sweetest part is, we made it just in time for Rogan's birthday! Whoohoohoo! Rogan thought we would totally miss his birthday, thinking we would be arriving next week. Japa let him watch Cars with Ninong Randy and Tita Stella so that he would definitely be out of the house when we arrived.

His smile was the cutest ever when he finally entered the room a little bit before 1130pm and he saw us. He even asked what we were doing here in Manila! Hehehehe. Cute.

Anyway, this'll be short, as I will try and force myself to sleep to avoid major jet lag. Gotta go to church tomorrow AND have Rogan's birthday lunch at our all-time fave restaurant, Omakase!

Going Home!!!

We're going home! Going home! Going home! FINALLY! It's been a super duper long vacation --- precisely 3 months (by a few days). I'm not complaining.....LOVE going on vacation, especially with the kiddies, but I want my own bed, my own TV, my own DVD, etc...you get the picture.

Plus, I WANT a full day at the parlor! Yeah! First things first: Shampoo, blow dry, hot oil. Manicure, pedicure. Massage. Aaahhhhhhh!!!!

And I am so happy that we don't miss Rogan's birthday! I miss the boys...and the girls won't come outright and say it, but they miss the boys too, even Rogan! :)

No Scraps today. Too busy packing! Made a last minute run to Ross with Mom and was able to get the girls some pants to wear for the trip. Mom insisted they wear pants so they won't itch with the icky seats on the plane. They WERE going to wear scooters....oh well.

For lack of something interesting to post for today, I went to blogthings, LOL! And this is what I came up with:

What Your Sleeping Position Says

You are confident and ready to tackle life. You are pretty vain and happy with your physical appearance. You are born to be the center of attention, and you're unhappy on the sidelines. You're always up for trying something new - in and out of bed!

What Does Your Sleeping Position Say About You?

I Scrapped!

Thanks to the challenges at Scrapmommies and at Scrap2gether, I have been a busy bee scrapping-wise! Whoohoohoo!!!

DISNEY PALS

Credits: Journaling reads:

kit - Summer Sunsations by various designers at DigiScrapz
torn edge - by Kim Hill
journaling tag - Romance Collection by Sandra Jackson at SBB
"P" alpha - POW by Christy Sturm at motherhood-unscripted
"A" alpha - Fresh Start by Christy Heins at Scrapmommies
"L" alpha, mouse ears - Mouse Magic by Christy Heins at Scrapmommies
"S" alpha - Happy Friends Cute Christmas by Jeanelle Paige at 3Scrapateers

fonts - Walt Disney, CK Journaling
***

Journaling reads:

Some of our most FUN
times during this summer
vacation was when we
spent days in the Happiest Place on Earth: Disneyland and California Adventure.
We all enjoyed viewing the parades; this was when we saw ALL our favorite Disney characters. Despite the fact that we must have watched a minimum of 4 parades, we never got tired of seeing our Disney Pals over and over again. The best part? When they would shake our hands and wave to us!

We finally have a booking for going back home! Whew! Didn't think the girls would make it to school on time! Anyhoo, I have been busy PACKING all our bags, doing laundry, and last minute shopping of course! This includes shopping for Eve Recinella's awesome designs over at 3Scrapateers. She is one of my fave designers and I just love love LOVE her stuff!

Yes, Elizza, I shouldn't be buying up stuff, but I just can't help myself! LOL! And I do tend to stick to a few select designers, too. Sometimes I just buy just because of the designer. Hehehehe.

I am still waiting for the chickies I ordered for the kids! :( I thought they'd be emailed to me by today. I guess blessthischick was innundated with orders. I mean, they should, considering the ultra-CHEAP prices they have for their chicks!

This should be it for now. Still need to pack in a MAJOR way! Grrrr......and it's 1 am! Eeek!

My Hawaiian Name

Your Hawaiian Name is:

Kane Alana

What's your Hawaiian Name?

hehehehe. Not much going on today.......Just had fun with blogthings and decided to put up my name in Hawaiian. How true is this? **Shrug** Beats me! LOL! But it IS easy to spend so much time at blogthings! Lotsa crazy (weird) stuff.

I Have My CHICK!!!!!

My CHICK arrived!!! Check her out:

Isn't she a beaut? Hehehe. Of course! That's ME!!!!

If you want one to be made for you (you provide your own description) go check it out at www.blessthischick.com. They've got a special on their chicks, and they are a STEAL!!!

Now, if only I can figure out how to put her on my title bar, I'd be set, blog title-wise.

edited to add:

After SEVERAL attempts, I FINALLY put my little chick up in the Header! Yay! And because I was EXTREMELY satisfied with my little chick, I decided to go ahead and order one for Japa:
Hahahahahha! This is SOOOOO Japa, I swear! It looks EXACTLY like him! I tell you, those people over at blessthischick.com are the BEST!!! Because of their awesome special price, the kids will now have their own little chickies, too! Can't wait to get them!

I SCRAPPED!!!

Credits: kit - Summer Sunsations by various designers at DigiScrapz
glitzy posies - by Gina Miller

fonts - Fiolex Girls, Times New Roman, French Script, Stamped DSG

I Scrapped! (I'm on a ROLL here!)

Another layout done! Alright! This one was done for a couple of challenges at Scrapmommies.com and one for Scrap2gether.com. I just LOVE how I can combine challenges to make a unique layout! Hehehehe. Definitely helps me to jumpstart my scrapping, that's for sure.

ANIMAL FACES

Credits: kit - Spring Flings and Easter Things Mega Kit by Sylvie Wagner at Scrap2gether
doodle - Ruby's Doodles by rubyqhammer at The Digi Dreamer

fonts - Adobe Caslon Pro, Chiquita Banana

I Scrapped!

Another layout done --- Yeah! This one has ME in it. Very simple, but I love how the photo of Raegan and me just SHINES! :)

Credits:
kit - Fresh Start Mega Kit by various designers at Scrappin Digi Kreations

stitched flowers and hearts - by Gina Miller at SBB
stitches - by Kim Hill at CGEssentials
photo edge - by Lauren Bavin at DSPlace

fonts - Eras Demi, Arial

Journaling reads: Raegan, I LOVE you. You will always occupy a special place in my heart because you are my firstborn. Nothing will ever change that. You are truly a TREASURE to have, one that constantly
shines through. I hope you continue to INSPIRE other people, most especially your siblings. Always keep your CHEERFUL attitude, and continue to be the awesome Ate you already are.

This should be it for now. Off to bring Dad to his Physical Therapist!

I Scrapped!

Yay! I've been wanting to scrap these photos of my boys for the longest time, but hadn't found the inspiration to do it. Thanks to a scraplift challenge at SBB I lifted clyaz and came up with this:

Big Brother's Secret
kit - The Good Life by Marsha Zepeda at The Digi Chick
stitches - by Carrie Stephens at Fishscraps

fonts - Arial

Awesome poem is by Paige Reed:
Let me tell you a secret,
Oh little brother mine.
A secret that will surely be
One to stand the test of time.

I will never let be forgotten
The bond we will always share.
I will forever be the best big brother
And promise to always care.


I have so much to show you
So can I be your guide?
I will show you all that I have learned
And what you will need inside.

It's not an easy world out there.
That much is true,
But as your big brother, I will
Help you make it through.

Disneyland (and California Adventure) with the Girls

Ahhhhh....the Magic Kingdom. This was probably our last day to go this year before we head home to Manila next week.

It was a tiring day, but us girls just had tons of FUN together! Sure, we missed the boys, but man, we were MOVING through both theme parks at a rapid rate! No, we didn't get to ride everything; we still took our sweet time doing whatever we wanted. Together.

It was nice and hot. Too hot. The kids were bickering not too long after we got to the park. But it got better as we went inside instead of staying in the sun lining up. (and after a few frowns and eye contact from me!).

Will be a bit more specific tomorrow since I am POOPED! We maxed out on parades and show extravaganzas today. I need to lie down! :)