Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all Moms out there especially to my Mama. I only greeted Mama on the phone because she wasn't here with us unlike last year.

I wasn't surprised to discover that husband didn't have a plan for Mother's day.The entire week he had been busy doing errands and it's not really my habit to expect (in any special occasion) from him to make surprises for me. And I'm not so full of drama like any girl would expect to have flowers or chocolate or jewelry. If I know what I want and I know how to get it, I would have it without any occasion. My hubby allows me to take control or choose what I want to do to my delight.I also told him not to buy anything I might not like so it's better to ask me first before buying anything.

After attending church service at Christ's Commission Fellowship (CCF) in Bajada, we asked one another where we'd like to eat. We had no idea where to eat, we first stopped at Cafe Ilustrado at JS Citimall but there are not so many choices.The nearest was Dencia's and ever since naman we felt that the place was homy and family friendly.Whenever our families in Mati are here, we bring them to Dencia's. We ordered special pansit guisado, chop suey, fresh lumpia, tokwa't baboy and fried shrimps. After Dencia's, my sis-in-law who was here since April 27 wanted to try ukay-ukay so I showed her what's Sunday like along City Hall. We were so tired because the day before that, we were also at Uyanguren. Dami niya na-ukay and she worried baka mag-excess baggage siya. After the ukay, she treated us to halo-halo at SM Chowking, the place was full of people and I didn't like to take pictures.I remember, I also brought Mama in Chowking last year. She was happy eating halo-halo. Maybe we toured SM for an hour only kasi pagod na talaga but before we went home she  bought a cake from red ribbon.

The entire day was quite normal for me.I did what I want and I got what I want.  But at night, I spent myself wondering whether I have been a good mother to my children. It is such a heavy word for me when I think of the responsibilities of being a mother.Have I been patient with my children or cheerful? Do I make sacrifices to them? Sometimes it would make me feel guilty, that when I'm tired I yell at them.I'm dismayed at myself when I think how immature I am.  I truly wished that my patience will grow and never grow tired of understanding. I long to be that kind of mother.

Good Friday

Happy 38th Birthday!

To my dearest Dan,

A great happy birthday to you!

New year, new baby!

Great news came to me that my brother’s wife has given birth to a baby girl today. They are first time mom and dad so I think it might be stressful for them. I hope they will find a reliable house help soon.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Let’s make 2009 the best year ever.

We’re back at home and I’m enjoying quiet New Year with my family. I usually look at the New Year the same way every year. But I say each year can be better. I didn’t write any resolutions because I feel there’s too much pressure when you fail if it doesn’t work out. I hate to be a loser for breaking it. I’ll just keep in mind the things that had gone wrong last year and do what is best this year.

We drank sparkling Cali and Strawberry wine to give us some punch. I made the blueberry cheesecake two days before the New Year to get the cake really chilled. The first time I made a No-bake cheesecake, it was a failure. Imagine, I don't need to bake it anymore and I messed up still. Turns out I had to chill the cheesecake longer. I was over the net looking for the cheesecake recipe and I found a New York style cheesecake recipe—it turned out so yummy though. I also bought prawns, it’s quite expensive for 500 per kilo (I got 15 pieces) but who cares. My original plan was to cook spicy garlic prawns but my son asked me not to make it spicy. I had Hershey’s bitter-sweet chocolate bars settling in the refrigerator for more than three months so I looked for truffle recipe in the internet. I also made fresh fruit salad and nilagang baka and the left-over carbonara. My family loved all the food, of course they can't complain.

 

Here's the New York Style Cheesecake recipe.

Ingredients:

1/3c butter

1 1/2 c graham crackers (crushed)

3 1/4 cream cheese

1 can condensed milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

Blueberry toppings (Wilderness)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300F. Combine butter and crushed graham. Beat cream cheese until fluffly. Gradually add condensed milk until smooth.Add vanilla and eggs. Pour into 8-9" pie pan.Bake for 1 hour.Refrigerate for 6 hours until firm.

In a saucepan, mix 1/2 c white sugar plus 2 tbsp cornstarch. (I did not add cornstarch).Stir in reserved blueberry liquid and 1 tsp. lemon juice.Cook stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Stir for 1 minute.Remove from heat and stir in blueberries.

Late Post II - Christmas in Mati

We drove to Mati at noon of December 24. I was expecting we could go home in the morning so at least when we arrived there, we can rest for a while before preparing for noche buena. Hubby confirmed to me that the day wasn't declared as non-working so I had to wait. I thought the roads would be jammed up with traffic in the afternoon but I was wrong, our travel was exactly the opposite. It was a cool Wednesday afternoon and it was even raining when we reached the Davao Norte area. We arrived at 4pm and hurriedly unpack our things so I could prep what Mama assigned to me - just spaghetti and chicken salad for the kids. I had six hours to finish because the mass will start at 10pm. We headed home after the mass, Abby was already asleep in the church pa lang.

Jerome, Anabelle, Mama, Justin and Dan at Mama's house

 

We only ate the lechon at Noche Buena.

We headed to Gregorio Masau Resort on Christmas Day. The kids were really happy especially the son of Nanet. I said I would only swim at night time but heck, the weather was fine.

   

The rest of the day and the next days, we didn't do anything but eat, sleep, watch movie, eat, sleep and eat again. We returned to Davao City on the 27th for the New Year.

 

 

Late Post I - Abby's Birthday

Abby turned 3 years old last December 10. It was wonderful but not quite as exciting like other kids would have balloons or party. Not her. Maybe she didn’t know it was her birthday until we bought home some dinner and a birthday cake and the family singing “happy birthday”. She had a tiring day at the mall while playing at the SM playroom. I thank God for another year and every day I can see how time flies. She is growing and learning so fast. She can converse with us straight English pa. I think I’m seeing already the benefits of reading to her at night since she was still months old. I can’t wait to see her grown-up so I can teach her to bake or cook or take her to shopping. She’s a comic. When you ask her the same questions, she’ll make her answers funny by changing how it sounds or by singing it. She also sings and loves the songs from the movie “Mamma Mia” – songs of ABBA.She loves to watch the brainy baby series, Dora the explorer, Barbie, Elmo and Barney. She likes to bring a book with her to bed and then ask one of us in the family to read to her. And she is very playful, as if she doesn’t get tired. It is impossible not to be happy with her developments. Abby is a wonderful package!

Three-days old Abby

3-year old Abby with Papa and Kuya

The cake is from Red Ribbon (Black Forest) which I didn't like - it isn't moist inside. If I had more time ako na lang sana ang nag-bake. The candles were also kind of messy, naputol yung isang "P" sa happy.

Napilitan lang talaga akong mag-pose dito kasi naka-smile na si Abby. Ayoko sana pa-picture hanggang di pa pumapayat! Bwahahahahahaha! Kelan pa kaya yun?

My brother's wedding

I watched my brother all throughout the ceremony. He had asthma attack and high fever on the day of his wedding.Three times during the morning of August 20, 2008, he was holding a nebulizer at the hospital emergency.  His wedding ceremony took place in the afternoon at 3pm. The priest was aware about what happened so he was kind of watchful to the groom baka he might collapse during the ceremony. Anyway, the ceremony went well while everybody was worried. Their wedding took place in Divine Mercy Shrine, Madang and it's just a stone's throw away from Camillius Hospital where he was admitted.

Our part in this wedding was to cloth them with the veil of hope.Their wedding motif was yellow (mustard) and green and I picked a golden yellow dress, far different.That was the only available dress I found with my available time while my in-laws were here. Take note of the picture, we also forgot to set the date in the camera.

I was lucky to catch my daughter, Abby during this
pose. She kept on running around the church with the
other flower girls.

My son, Justin with the bride and groom.

 

After the wedding, we went to Tita Venus place where the reception was held.My brother that time was doing OK kasi tapos na.I just thought na kinabahan lang siya kaya siya inatake ng asthma.hehehehe. It was fun and exciting, the son of Tita Venus hosted a short program. I still have to ask my sister for the reception pictures.

I regret that I didn't taste the cake.It was a three-layered cake, moist choco inside and covered with white icing but I wasn't attracted to it. The guests told me it was delicious. I wasn't able to eat very well. We didn't bring the yaya of Abby. She has to stay at home for my in-laws.So, we were always up and about where Abby was.

My mama welcomed the bride to the family. We are all happy that Jerome ended up with her because I think she's a good and thoughtful woman. I'm sure mama is also happy, now that she's retired, tatlo na sila sa bahay.

Testimonial Program

I realized I forgot to blog about the Testimonial program of Mama. Mama was one of the five retirees who were honored last July 25, 2008. It was held in St. Therese Gym, Clergy Compound, Madang, Mati City. The venue was surrounded by trees so I thought the air flow would be cool. But when we went inside the gym it really required some blasting of cool air. It was too hot, there were no fans to remove the hot air. Even if you just sit there without necessary movements, you'll still perspire.

This was the first part of the program. Hubby escorted Mama to the stage. They have beautifully assigned seats on the stage. If the pictures here are blurred, that's because I took it with my old 2.0 megapixels ---- very low resolution--- Sony Cybershot camera. I was preserving my phone battery for the video.I honestly told Mama that I didn't like their stage backdrops. Like this blue flowery cloth hanging on the sides. It looks like a shower curtain. hahahaha!

The members of the family of each retiree is required to speak in front, they call it "biographical reminiscence" and should have a presentation such as rendering song or dance numbers.

Hubby, the singer in the family was supposed to sing with an accompaniment. When it was his turn to present,the cd that we bought at Music zone in NCCC mall didn't play on the dvd player. It played at home while he was practicing it. So, he had no other choice but to do an acapella of Wind beneath my wings. He sang it alright. My son, Justin made her cry while delivering our message of gratitude and appreciation. I caught her wiping her tears hahaha.

The event went boring when one of the retiree's son email was read. His son was not present but he sent his 5-pages message through email. It was still good to hear after the first two pages of the letter. But when the 3rd page was read, my mind started to wander and I felt the time was getting so slow. I survived the boring moment by sending text messages to my sister at the back. I told my sister that I can already go back and forth Davao city by the time reading is finished..

Next was the giving of gifts and tokens. Here's what the bouquet looks like. Mama was the only one who received flowers. Don't be surprised. Pinaliitan ko talaga ang picture. Taba ko!

It was time for dinner after the giving of gifts, dancing and singing. When I looked around, I sensed nobody was taking pictures. Gutom na kasi lahat.

Well, after the event, she told me that we made her happy and satisfied. She was happy that all her children and grandchildren were present. I compiled all the pictures of this event and uploaded it to Youtube yesterday so our relatives can also view it. I didn't embed it here because the resolutions are not that great.

A Bouquet of Roses

Yesterday, after hubby picked me up at the office, we dropped by Bankerohan market to find the flower stall that my co-worker recommended. I found 3 stalls and I don't know which one of them is a friend of my co-worker. But anyway, they have the same color display of flowers (red, white, pink) and same price (P100 per dozen). I plan to give this to Mama on Friday, a bouquet of pink roses.

There are not enough choices for the colors because tatlo lang available duon. Do you know that the color of roses have meaning? Here's what I found out:

Meaning of Color of Roses:

Red - Sincere Love and Respect, Courage and Passion

Pink - Grace and Gentility, Appreciation & Gratitude

Yellow - Friendship, Joy, Gladness and Freedom, the promise of a new beginning.

White - Spiritual Love and Purity, the rose of confession, the bridal rose

Lavender - Love at first sight and enchantment.

Orange - Passionate desire, pure enthusiasm and fascination

Not only that, the number of roses that you give has meaning too.

Meaning of Number of Roses:

1 Rose - Love at the first sight; you are the one

2 Roses - Mutual love between both, deeply in love with one another

3 Roses - I love you

6 Roses - I wanna be yours

7 Roses - I'm infatuated with you

9 Roses - An Eternal love, together as long as we live

10 Roses - You are perfect

11 Roses - You are my treasured one; the one I love most in my life

12 Roses - Be my steady

13 Roses - Secret Admirer

15 Roses - I am truly sorry, please forgive me

20 Roses - Believe me, I am sincere towards you

21 Roses - I am devoted to you

24 Roses - Can't stop thinking about you, 24 hours everyday

33 Roses - Saying "I love you" with great affection

36 Roses - I will remember our romantic moments

40 Roses - My love for you is genuine

There, so I think match naman pala yung ibibigay ko. I told the lady, I'll come back this afternoon to place my reservation and then pick it up early morning tomorrow before we head to Mati City.

Happy Mother's Day!

I was upset a week before, I thought May 3 was the Mother's day because I saw on TV someone greeted her mother and it was already afternoon and nobody greeted me to my despair. I just don't know why hubby was so cool about not greeting me while Justin was telling him why I was upset. . Hubby was trying to get my attention by telling me to look at the calendar and then I realized.

Today is the real mother's day and I'm happy. He told me,"hindi mo naman makakain ang bulaklak, eto, may bulaklak na at may tsokolate pa." " I agree. Wala sa itsura ko talaga ang mahiligin sa bulaklak ever since. Pagkain gusto ko at yan me ebidensya talaga.
We fetch Mama and Jerome (my brother) who just arrived from Mati City and stayed in Uyanguren. Nag-ukay-ukay kami for three hours and then ate lunch at Naty's Lechon.

These photos were taken in the afternoon inside SM. We just ate petite halo-halo at Chowking. The kids were at home so we ordered a takeout pizza for them at Pizza Hut using Mama's senior citizen's card.

I told Mama I don't have a gift for her. But since she wanted to visit Lolo in Tarlac on May 14th I told her, I'll shoulder her airfare na lang. Lipay man gihapon Mama bisan one way lang.

Today, I am just grateful for Mama and I can't deny her importance in my life. I appreciate how she sacrifices and worries about our welfare. I remember everytime I texted her about somebody in the family being sick, even if we can handle things on our own at hindi emergency, she shows up everytime. Kahit na 3 1/2 hours pa ang travel from Mati City to Davao City. Kapag wala akong yaya for Abby, she cannot stop worrying, hahanap talaga siya kahit bukid pa yung lakarin niya. What more can I say, I love you and thank you Ma!  For me and my sister, I pray that we'll be good moms to our kids.

Happy Mother's Day!

Family Olympics at Woodridge

Today, we attended the family Olympics of Pag-IBIG at Woodridge in Maa. When hubby announced that they’re having Olympics, I didn’t plan to go with him because I wanted to stay home and relax. I also thought that they could have more fun if the Olympics were held in a nature setting. Pero since I’m not going to be sleeping the whole time on a Saturday—maybe later during the day—it will get boring.

The unsociable me decided to go with him with the two kids, of course kasi family nga. The first thing he told me “I can’t take pictures of the houses”. Wala naman akong planong kumuha kasi alam kong bawal. We arrived at Woodridge gym or covered court before 10am and the games had just started. I told someone at the registration table “ Bakit dito Olympics niyo? I knew it sounded like nag-rereklamo pero kunyari nagtanong lang naman ako para meron akong ma-i-blog. (refresh) Yes, sumama ako kasi para me ma-i-blog ako.(selfish)

The whole time I was waiting for something exciting but the only ones that got excited were the people who were holding the microphone. Sila kasi yung cheer ng cheer. The magazine that I brought was handy because later after the games that hubby participated I became uninterested. Justin sensed it too, so he took Abby with him and went over to his old classmate’s house just across the gym.

Later, Abby found her love team “Zeke” I don’t know if that’s the spelling. I remember last year in their Christmas party “Zeke” was also with Abby in the pictures. By the way, I took pictures using my phone.

After lunch, we just went to a mall to buy and replace Abby's old magic slate. She was still nice in the picture but when I tried to grab the slate from her after we ate merienda, she became grumpy and started crying. So I told Justin to let her cry and control himself not her. Marami kasi akong nakikita na mga nanay na kapag nag-tatantrums na yung mga anak nila, di nila mapigilan yung kanilang mga sarili at nag-tatantrums na din sila. Mas malala pa. So I let her yell in the noisy mall, all she like.

After the mall, we dropped by the office, wet market and headed straight home. Kinda tired so I'll be snoozing early tonight.