Wazzup wazzup?!

It has been more than a year since I last posted here in my beloved blog. Whew! What a loooong hibernation it has been for me! Seems like I have kept myself (and my hands) busy for the past year and so. Well, it seems like when you love doing something & you stop doing it - you will always go back. And that, my friends, is what you call passion. 

Being on a loooong break (or should I call it, procrastinating, eh?) enabled me to explore my other interests in life. Even the ones that I am eager to learn & still not so good at. Traveling opened my eyes to a whole new journey, not just in my own simple world, but to worlds unknown. My flair for photography never ends, and still on the prowl for those "unguarded" moments from my beloved ones. Of course, I still give them a good shot. I have also expanded my cooking knowledge - still on the trial & error stage but hey, I've been getting "thumbs up" signs from my husband! (which is a good thing, right?) Not to mention baking, I feel like I am in Julia Child's or Martha Stewart's kitchen (only in my dreams of course!). But just to clarify, I am still not a pro. Maybe I am just, in my slightest exhilaration, to share with y'all what's keeping me busy as a bumblebee these past few months (or year/s). 

So, hello again fellow bloggers & amazing readers. Or should I say, I am back :D

A Night to Remember ( New Year's Eve )

I have grown up with the tradition of starting the year with a bang. And with a bang, I meant a huge celebration and all that fireworks and stuff. In the Philippines, New Year's Eve is one of the highly celebrated holidays aside from Christmas. But since I am 7,000 miles away from my dear family back home, my hubby and I decided to throw our own party with some of his family members and our very close friends. Although we can't celebrate it ala-Filipino style (again, with the fireworks and all that noise) but I guess I can say we definitely welcomed the year filled with food, fun, laughter, pictures, drinking, mingling, and a whole lotta music!

New Year pull-apart cake

finger foods ala carte

hubby, friends, & family by the bar

the crowd waiting for the NYE countdown!

OMEOMY band playing in our basement

snapshot with friends

CHEERS!!!!

This is by far, the biggest party we've had since I've been here in the US. There were a lot of preparations but then again, it was all worth it. I managed to be sober the whole night (as what a good hostess would do) and by 5am, we were off to bed. Seeing all their happy, smiling faces and their laughter filling up our house is like the cherry on top of this last holiday of the year. Now we are ready to brace for what 2012 has in store for us and hoping for those yet to come.

Another holiday away from home

     When I was in my teen years, I have always desired to get away from home. It has been my rebellious spirit to try new things and explore different places. Being here in America for about 3 years and 2 months, I learned and realized a lot of things. That sometimes, we get more than what we bargained for. Holiday season is here again, and yet I feel that melancholic breeze. I lived in the Philippines my whole life (although I had to be away for 3 years to work in Singapore) but even so, my heart longs for the only place I called "home". Good thing, I made some really nice friends here and they help me get through the forlornness of the atmosphere. And so last Sunday, we gathered together for our very own Fil-Am Christmas party. I want to be able to look back and reminisce the fun times I had with them, so I brought my trustee camera and took some shots!

yummy appetizers and desserts

homemade prosciutto

a bountiful feast

prizes for the games ( I got one!)

a fun eggplant game!

a Filipina's day is never complete without Kodak moments!

     The day was filled with fun, laughter, tears (from laughing so hard), food, and camera flashes. I almost forgot that I wasn't in Philippines at that time. Next thing we know, it's already 9pm! Time really does fly when you're having so much fun. I wished I could have this moment with my family. All I can say for now is, life's moments are well-spent when you know it is shared with the people you love.

--☺☺☺☺☺--

What are you thankful for?

Today is November 24th, and we are currently celebrating Thanksgiving Day surrounded by people we cherish the most - families, friends, and loved ones. As we sit on the dining table ready to share that bountiful feast, we are reminded of all the wonderful blessings we have graciously received the whole year round. May it be a new job, a new house, a new baby, or a new life - it is still a blessing we have to be thankful for. As for me, words are never enough to express the gratitude and blessedness my heart is feeling right now. But what am I really thankful for? My list is just simple:

I thank God for my wonderful, caring, and very loving husband who is also the "best friend" I've always hoped and wished for. My heart belongs to him.

I thank God for our smart and loyal dog, Kyodai. We love her so dearly.

I thank God for the family I left behind in the Philippines. No matter the ups and downs we've had, they will and always be the family I cherish and never will forget.

I thank God for my husband's supportive and caring family. They are my "home away from home".

I thank God for the new-found friends I have right now. They surely put smiles on my face.

I thank God for the old friends I still have. True and loyal friends, really, are hard to find.

I thank God for my life. It may not be extravagant, but it surely is worth living.

Yes, my list is simple as that. I could go into details, but space isn't enough. Being thankful is more than saying "Thank You". The heart speaks what our mouth couldn't utter. In other words - THANK FROM THE HEART...

Holiday sweet treats

It's officially 45 days before Christmas and yet some of us might not have thought of what to give to our loved ones. Thanksgiving is 2 weeks from now and then here comes the holiday rush again! Prepping up for the holidays has never been easy, and it always involves making a list and checking it twice. Finding out who's naughty or nice would be a breeze but once you do, you gotta have a little "something" for that lucky one. And what's the best way to spread a holiday cheer? - a nice sweet treat :)

For all we know, chocolate gifts are one of the highly rated Christmas goodies of all time. Everyone loves chocolate! And if you're thinking what I'm thinking, I don't mind getting some for me and my hubby. Holidays are also the time for self-control, if you know what I mean. With the gift-giving tradition and the exchange of Christmas cookies and pies, we all need a little bit of "sugar rush" once in a while. Oh, I can simply visualize the kids running and screaming after a few sweets, and the adults laughing and chattering around the dining table. Gotta love the holidays...

I may be talking about the holidays right now but remember, there's still Thanksgiving. Which means there's more time to shop! So go ahead and find out who's naughty and who's nice ;-)

Family Friday!

Another year, another Fall. Next thing you know, Winter's here. Sometimes it's hard to think that months pass by so quick it almost feels like I haven't done anything in one day. We are going out for a dinner tonight, and we're eating crabs. They say it's the last time of the year that we get to enjoy it. As I stepped into the shower, I noticed I have been using a lot of hot water lately. I remember in the Philippines we used water heaters to immerse in a pail of water. Good thing they have lowes hot water heater in the local hardware store here. Just brings back the good ol' days...

While enjoying my hot shower, I also couldn't help but notice our bathroom was all in pink. Well, not everything. Only the pink shower curtain which I bought as a set completed the dreamy peachy look of our bathroom. Thankfully, my husband wasn't against it ( knowing they are very particular with their THRONE) and he said it's pretty much up to me whatever I want to do with the house, as long as I don't touch the basement a.k.a his "man-cave" lol...

I couldn't decide what to wear, and so I just grabbed the first one I could find - my wrinkly striped sweater. I must have misplaced the iron headboard and so I wasn't able to give it a quick press. Even so, I still wore it. Nobody's gonna notice it anyway. And off to dinner we go!

I love spending time with my in-laws. Even if it's just a quick visit or a simple dinner together. They're what I call "home" away from "home" <3

♦○♦○♦ H A P P Y H O L I D A Y S ♦○♦○♦

     It's been quite a while since I last posted on my blog. The holiday rush gets me, and I have been very busy doing my chores and stuff. Decorate this, party here, bake there, and the list goes on....

   

 Speaking of bake, I've been busy in the kitchen most of the time working like Santa's trusty elf. Our kitchen becomes Santa's workshop or should I say, bakeshop, because I've been making cookies lately. Ever since I got here, we've kept the tradition of giving away Christmas cookies to our beloved family and friends.

     Here is a cookie tray I made for my Filipina friend's Christmas party. I wasn't able to take a picture of it after I had it wrapped as we were in a hurry to leave the house that time.

     Holiday season may be the happiest time of the year, but it's also the busiest. Best of all, there's something about seeing all those twinkly lights and the smile it puts in our hearts remembering that it's not about the gifts we receive, but what we give and share that makes others happy.

 

from our family to yours.....

   

○♦○  SEASON'S GREETINGS 

and a 

BLESSED NEW YEAR ○♦○

Counting my blessings :)

     

      Sorry if it took a while before I posted this. We've been busy lately specially with the holiday season just around the corner but better late than never right? Anyway, I just wanna share my Thanksgiving moment with my husband, in-laws, and friends. And by the way, I drove all the way there on a Wednesday which I would say, is my first experience on a 1-hour drive in the highway ( I'm still on a learner's permit though). Thank God for keeping us safe!

     This turkey was made by my hubby last Saturday so that we can have our very own little post-Thanksgiving dinner. I wasn't able to take a picture of the turkey on the Thanksgiving dinner so I took a shot of this one instead. I'm supposed to be the designated photographer of that day but unfortunately I've been slacking. Not even a group shot of the family on that day :( I'm blaming it on the turkey and my full belly LOL :D

     Can't believe how time flies so fast! The memories of last year's Thanksgiving is still fresh on my mind and its been a year now. But it's not the days that pass that make every year memorable, it's what you do that make each day of your life count. Words can't express how thankful I am to GOD for blessing me with a wonderful husband, a precious dog, a loving family, and a circle of good friends. No matter the ups and downs, I still find that life is worthwhile. Thank you God for another year, and more years to come in my blissfully content life ♥

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving." ~ W.T. Purkiser

Foods Galore!

     Last night my husband and I went to our Filipina friends' birthday party. It was like a 3-in-1 party because there were three birthday celebrants for the month of October. It was nice seeing all of our friends there since we haven't seen some of them for months because of their busy schedules. Anyway, since it was our first time to be in a 3-in-1 birthday party so I was overwhelmed by all the foods that were served on the table, I thought I was in a fiesta! Because pictures say a thousand words, so let me trickle your taste buds and join me in this yummy food galore....

                                                                                                                    

Binagoongan

Cupcakes and Chocolate-dipped Strawberries

Fruit Salad

Pork Giniling

Leche Flan

Spring Rolls with Meat filling

Macaroni Salad

Menudo

Palabok

Pansit Bihon

Filipino style Spaghetti

Chicken wings

the birthday cake! :)

     It was an awesome night of singing, dancing, laughter, and Kodak moments. In times like these, there is never a dull moment. A cup of coffee may always be an accompaniment for breakfast, but a cup of coffee plus the company of a good friend is a perfect combination :)

"Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity."  - Voltaire

    

Pumpkins & Oktoberfest

Fall season is here! What is the best thing that we all like about Fall.....? Yep, it's the changing of the colors! It's amazing how it used to be all green and lush in the Summer then suddenly when Fall hits, the leaves turn in shades of orange, yellow and maroon. Beautiful isn't it? But it's all funny games until our temperature drops down to 50 degrees and we start bundling up ourselves in layers just to keep ourselves warm ( Brrrr.... ). 

Anyway, Fall is also the beginning of Oktoberfest and....... Halloween! Speaking of those two, last weekend we went shopping for pumpkins and decorative gourds to put in display for Halloween. Yes, we're gonna carve our pumpkins and make them look as ghoulish as possible. We stopped by Fifer Orchards to grab some face pumpkins and apples as well. I love the apple cider doughnuts we had, they're so yummy. We didn't go apple picking as the apples we like aren't in season yet. 

Then we went for the Oktoberfest in St. John's church in Milford. It was our second time to go there. Same as it was last year, there was a whole variety of food served. Polish Kielbasa, Mexican, Funnel cakes, International desserts, Filipino, and of course, German. It was fun watching the band play some nice melody, made me imagine we were in Germany that time because they played some German tunes as well. They were even dressed up in time for the event. 

It was such a nice weekend and such beautiful weather as well. That was the last time I saw the sun. It has been raining here for days already, makes me wish I could see the sun more. But for me it's okay, rainy days don't always get me down :)