All Stringed Together… All Merging in My Path of Life.

I love to cook but now that I have a son I seldom take trips in our kitchen. When I was not yet married, I love to cook for my boyfriend (now hubby) and my family. Kitchen is my oasis actually, cooking relaxes me. I love trying new cuisines and I’ve done successful dishes like Japanese, Indian and Mexican in the past and last Wednesday was another adventure for me because I tried new recipes for my Husband’s 30th birthday…

In the Menu

Tofu Miso Soup

Korean Beef Stew

The very blunt Korean Chapche

and the Hubby wanted to try the Korean alcohol drink that we often see in Korean movies…

Soju, which my Hubby didn’t like, it was too strong for him, “Tasted like gin” He said, so I didn’t dare to try it anymore.

The verdicts were warm and satisfied the chef in me, except for the Chapche which they told me tastes really good if only I adjusted the seasoning more, so it was really blunt, so much noodles and my seasonings were just not enough.

Recipes coming soon…

Last Sunday, my SIL and I went to The Fort Bazaar to buy my sister who is studying in Canada some winter coats and of course, we also went around to do some Christmas shopping. It was fun shopping without our husbands sometimes, we can go around without thinking that the boys maybe bored and tired already, you know us ladies, we never get tired when we go shopping so after mass at 7.30 am, we just prepared everything that the toddlers need and we left them with their dads to do girls fun. It is nice having a shopping buddy even if my sister is not around. So you want to know what I bought?

For Sister:

Banana Republic Winter Coat Php 2000 and Abercrombie Php 1500

Winter Leather Gloves for Php 750.

For Me:

and of course when I saw this I also had to buy this…

The Tees are for Php 200 each.

I also bought a Gap polo shirt and 3 pairs of socks for my son that i forgot to take pictures of. Nothing for the husband, he only asked for pasalubong so I bought him a slice of shocolate cake (he has tremendous sweet tooth btw), his fave Korean Chapche and this awesome chicken Empanada from the bazaar. The Fort Bazaar is held in NBC Tent The Fort Taguig City, they will September 13 and 14, it starts around 10 am, you might want to come.

… The Holiday Season that is. Aren’t you excited about it? Now that I have a son, Christmas Season is even more exciting. I surely am making my list this week and will watch out for sales and bazaars everywhere. I have to start gift hunting, I don’t want to be in a Holiday rush, I’m sure it’ll be too crowded just like last year. HOHOHO!

players: kathycot | buhay misis | when mom speaks | walk on red | kathycot cooks | merger guru | tints of my heart | my big picture | your spot here!

1. Who/What do you blame for your bad mood today?
:: i’m definitely in a good mood today!

2. What was the first thing you did this morning?
:: brushed my teeth.

3. Do you care what people think of you?
:: to the ones I love, most definitely!

4. Who was the last person you took a picture with?
:: my husband and my son.

5. Last person you went to the movies with?
:: i can’t remember anymore, the last time i watched a movie, Dustin is not yet around!

6. Today, would you rather go back a week or go forward a week?
:: Go forward. Never look back from the past right?

7. Who was your last text from?
:: Dustin’s Nanny.

8. Your current relationship status?
:: Very happily married.

9.????? {blank}

10. Do you like anyone?
:: Yeah.

11. What is happening between you and the person you like?
:: Nothing, he is currently in military. GY? I like!

12. If you could go back in time and change something, would you?
:: Maybe. Take up Nursing or something that would make me and my family go to the States easier. LOL.

Thanks Kathy for the grab!

I’m chatting with my sister today and she is busy (as usual) with all the school work she has on her plate. She recently celebrated her birthday in Canada without us (for the first time) and I’m just glad she didn’t miss us so much because her classmates/friends made her day. I just want to share a photo of her, enjoying her new life now, even with all the hard work, she manages to shop, go to places and eat! I miss her so much but I am so happy that she is doing well…

Cherry Picking before a trip to Niagara Falls with her Friends

Now all we do is chat with her in YM during Saturdays with webcam and voice chat so that her nephews will still recognize her even if she is far away. She updates her facebook and friendster albums so we can see her photos and she visits my blogs for updates as well. She asks me things to buy for her which she can’t find in Canada or are too expensive for her to buy there. Which reminds me to look for shipping boxes for all the toiletries she needs and we are also buying her winter coats from The Fort bazaar this weekend so we can include them in the boxes, winter essentials are too expensive there she said. I love shopping, I miss shopping with her in tow though, she is my shopping buddy. I just miss my baby sister, period!

Thanks Mai.

1. List 6 things that describe yourself today.
2. Add your blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs.
3. Tag other online friends you know.

Links: Creative In Me Little Peanut Me and Mine Pea in a Pod Sugar Magnolias Doll Me Up Deviously Creative IamDzoi My Happy Place To the Moon and Back Raising Sandy My Colorful World Working It MyParty.Finds.A Home. Em’s Detour Stripe & Yellow Something Purple Vanity Kit Mind Bubbles Living the Healthy Life As We Face Forever Feeling after the I do, Official Chosen Fate, Swept Away, Tints of My Heart, My BIG Picture, Merger Guru

Today, I am…
Sleepy - I always feel like this when I’m at work. When you are bored, I tend to be really sleepy.
Longing - I miss my son, the minute I walk out of the house, I always want to go back in, I really long for him every single day when I’m at work.
Blessed - With all the extra income I get and of course with all the beautiful people that surround me.
Worried - Of the Future. You tend to be thinking of that so much when you have your family. I think it’s normal especially now that there is this little one that depends on us so much.
Overwhelmed - I just don’t know what to do first, Web wise, there is so much on my plate, but I’m not complaining!
Loaded -Too many things to organize and fix in our room. There are old clothes and old stuff that need to go in moving boxes and just be stored in our storage room. I need to decide whether to keep or throw stuff, our cabinets are getting crowded.
Craving - For a great Starbucks frappuccino.

Who knew that at the age of 31 I would be having problems about toddler teething? And yet here I am blogging our little dilemma. My son is 17 months old now and I had no problems when he was teething at almost 10 months old but now that his bigger teeth are coming out, if I’m not mistaken, must be the molars or canines… Anyway, he cries a lot nowadays, so grumpy and very irritable. Far from the happy toddler that he is. At night is even worst, he cries even whne he is asleep then stops, we sometimes think that he might be hungry so the husband makes 5 ounces of milk and then Dustin stops crying even before we feed him so the milk ends up in my tummy or just spoiled in the bottle because he didn’t get to drink it. Darn.

Here are some symptoms taken from Baby Center that my son has:

• Drooling (which can lead to a facial rash)
• Gum swelling and sensitivity
• Irritability or fussiness
• Biting behavior
• Refusing food
• Sleep problems

What can I do to ease my toddler’s discomfort? Also taken from Baby Center:

The same tactics you used when he was younger may help your child now. Your teething toddler will probably continue to want to chew on things to ease the soreness in his gums. Offer him a rubber teething ring or a cold washcloth to gnaw on. Hard-baked toast, apple slices, or a frozen bagel are also a good bet. Not only are these foods soothing, but chewing them is good practice for his developing jaw. He may also get some relief from eating cold foods such as applesauce or yogurt.

If these methods aren’t working, some doctors recommend giving a teething child a small dose of pain reliever such as children’s acetaminophen — but check with your doctor before giving your toddler any medication. (Never give your toddler aspirin or even rub it on his gums to ease the pain. The use of aspirin in children is associated with Reye’s syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition.)

Rubbing the gums with a topical pain relief gel is also an option, but you may want to ask your toddler’s doctor before trying it. If you use too much, it can numb the back of your child’s throat and weaken his gag reflex (which helps prevent him from choking on his saliva). The gels are generally safe to use, but in rare cases can cause an allergic reaction.

If drool causes a rash on your child’s face, wipe, but don’t rub, the drool away with a soft cotton cloth. You can also smooth petroleum jelly on his chin before a nap or bedtime to protect the skin from further irritation.

Things I experience as a mom.

Thanks Alpha for this!

~Start Copy~

Here are the Rules:

1. List the things that make you Happy and those that make you Sad.

2. Add your Blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other Blogs.

3. Tag other online friends you know.Toni’s Attachments, Cecile2’s-Small and Simple Things, Lara’s Pinay dot US, Lara’s My Blog Entry, Lara’s Byaheng Pinay, Living A’ La Mode, Bits and Pieces, My Life in this Wonderful World, My Online World, Ozzy’s Mom, Me,Myself+2, Kidd Designs, Fun|Fierce|Fabulous, Eds Mommy Life, Just Me.. Eds, My Precious Niche, I Am Mommy, All About The Memories, Enchanted Play, Just My Scrap, My life is Peachy , Celebrating life , belly, baby and beyond, All Things Me, Feels Like Home, A Day of Play, Because Life is Fun, Tints of My Heart, My BIG Picture, Tailgater Network, Merger Guru, YOU

What Makes Me Happy?

~When plans push through.
~When love ones are healthy and happy.
~Great coffee.
~Quality time with my boys.
~Great lunch with friends once every month.
~Shopping!
~Savings.
~Great LO after spending time making it.
~Long list of tasks from sheriff.
~Christmas.
~Vacations here and abroad.
~Long weekends.
~Great pictures.
~Twitter and YM.
~Online Friends who are all amazing people. Never knew I could meet great people online.
~Good food.
~Weight loss.
~Paid bills.
~Samurai balls.
~Starbucks.
~Straight hair.
~Pimple free face.
~Unexpected kiss and hug from my husband or my son.

What Makes Me Sad?

~Sickness in the family.
~Missing loved ones.
~Street kids.
~Seeing very old people, struggling to earn some money. {They should be enjoying their lives and their family should be supporting them by now.}
~The news on TV. {Puro bad news.}
~Poverty.
~Our government.
~Some memories.
~PMSing.
~Our car needing new car parts, certain repairs and overhauling.
~Our allowances at work getting delayed.
~Prices sky rocketing.

Tagging Marc, Shey, Caryl and Ate Jen.

So where is Branson, you may want to ask?!? It’s in Missouri, USA. But let me take you to Branson since it’s one of those great places in the US to take a vacation. You will never get bored here. Let me start with some of the activities that you can do and make with your time doing some fun! There are theme parks that you can go to with the family especially with the kids like the Silver Dollar City which has over 30 rides and attractions waiting for families and friends who are seeking for some fun and excitement.

One of the amazing rides at Silver Dollar City

Okay so the list doesn’t end there. There is an array of attractions around Branson if you are not up with all the wild rides in Silver Dollar City. Care for more knowledge without being bored? Why not try all the museums around like the Titanic Museum which is housed in a fabulous building that is built to 1/2 scale of the look of the real Titanic, experiencing and feeling of how it was like before that fateful day.

Titanic Museum at Branson

How about some rides and thrills? Branson offers a Scenic Railroad or Table Rock Helicopters or Branson Balloon or Outback Bungee. Water Rides are fun too there are Ride the Ducks, Branson’s American Star and Spirit of America. Your family isn’t contented yet? There is Imax Entertainment Complex and White Water for more family entertainment.

The list is endless and a day or two and maybe a week will never be enough when you go at Branson, Missouri. I’m sure you will come back for more fun and excitement.

Sucker for Chicken Burgers… and I want to share a really nice recipe from one of my favorite chefs on tv, Rachel Ray!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Burgers

Rate: Easy Recipe
Prep and Cooking Time: 12 minutes

2 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 slices Canadian bacon
2 pounds ground chicken breast
2 teaspoons sweet paprika, eyeball it in your palm
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning) or salt and pepper
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 deli slices Swiss cheese
2/3 cup mayonnaise or reduced fat mayonnaise, eyeball it
3 rounded tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons freshly chopped tarragon leaves, 4 sprigs
4 kaiser rolls or sandwich size sour dough English muffins, split and toasted
8 leaves leaf lettuce
1 vine ripe tomato, thinly sliced

Preheat grill pan, nonstick griddle, large nonstick skillet or table top electric grill to medium high heat.Add 2 tablespoons of oil and Canadian bacon. Warm bacon and caramelize it at edges, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a piece of foil. Fold foil over loosely to keep warm.

Combine chicken, paprika, poultry seasoning, grill seasoning, shallot. Score meat with the side of your hand to separate into 4 equal amounts. Make 4 large patties, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Drizzle patties with oil and place on hot grill pan, griddle or in skillet. Cook 5 minutes on each side, until chicken is cooked through.

Top patties with reserved cooked Canadian bacon and Swiss cheese. Fold each slice of cheese in half to fit the burger. Cover loosely with tin foil. Turn off pan and let cheese melt, 2 minutes.

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, tarragon. Slather bun tops or English tops with sauce. Place Cordon Bleu burgers on bun bottoms and top with lettuce and tomato. Put bun or muffin tops in place. Serve with oven fries.

Credits for the Food Network.

Everything is now compact. There is a really sleek laptop that can actually fit in an envelope or a very small mobile phone that can fit in your pocket. The choices are endless, more compact? Better! There is one compact gadget that I need to have today, a compact flash disk that I can bring anywhere. Right now, I have this EHD that I bring when I need to have some of my layouts or photos printed. I want something small without a usb cable attached to it that I carry in my bag. I usually use a small bag when I’m not with my son and sometimes I just have to bring a medium size bag just so I can bring my EHD. Anyway, I have yet to find a really cute, pink or powder blue flash disk for me. My gadget list is getting longer by the minute. Christmas is coming so hopefully I can receive soem of those from Santa, I’ve been nice this year anyway!

Progesterone is low. PMS? I guess so. The time of the month is coming really soon, according from my beads, I think I still have 7 days or less before it comes. I hate this time, headache, abdominal cramps and I just couldn’t perform very well, I’m usually lazy when the period is coming and my back is aching as I type this post. Grrr… Not to mention the bed weather we have right now, makes me want to go to bed and not work today. I have tons on my list that I need to strike and I couldn’t even begin. Darn! Hopefully after this ranting post, I can strike at least 2-3 items on my list. Wishful Thinking! LOL.

I’m in search for really funny t shirts for my son. He will be turning 2 next year and as early as today, I am already lookign for nice and funny tees he can wear on his birthday and probably this coming Holidays too. I feel like giving a little humor in his wardrobe is really nice since he is a toddler, this age, you ought to be cute and funny. Something about scrapping or blogging is nice like this tee I saw online that says, “my mom is a scrapbooking diva” or “my mom is blogging this” or “i’m 2 and terrible?” then at the back is “no, i’m just adorable”… I have still enough time to look for these items and have it shipped here before Christmas or his 2nd birthday! I just love shopping for my son!

Our car need a really good makeover. It’s been with us long before Husband and I got married and it serves us well. He needs a well deserve spa treatment if there is such thing for cars. I’ve been looking for auto insurance quotes and I was regretful that I didn’t insured our car, with all the scratches and dents it has from some tiny accidents, it could have been repaired instantly. Now we have to save for next year since we can’t buy a new car, we are planning to have it painted and repaired to be good as new. The interior is still nice but the exterior needs it and hopefully by summer next year it will get its well deserved pampering, I just love Missy, our Mazda Familia car.

We are ranting about Canada lately. We thought that applying for tourist visa will be very easy, we were so wrong. We need to accomplish so many requirements that I am getting a headache just thinking about it. Not to mention my Dad who is convincing us to apply for US tourist visa, since the family is planning a US-Canada tour next year and take note, we, my husband, my son and I are the only ones in the family who doesn;t have multiple US tourist visas. Poor thing huh? One stop they are sure to see is Vegas so my brother, as early as today are searching for great Vegas vacations. Oh my. I wish we could come. Save. Save. Save. But we need not only save, we also need luck to have those visas! Hay.

Not a catchy title but it’ll do since I will be blogging about my little trip to the mall last Sunday after my afternoon coffee date with my girl friends. I am in the process of organizing everything, and when I say everything it starts with the finances, our Checking Accounts and Savings up to the cookie snacks of our son. The finances need no further detail since I’m really thriving nowadays with tons of bills to pay, thank God we have income to provide for that but our savings? We couldn’t save at all especially that Christmas is just around the corner. Darn. Anyway, back to the cookies, I’m a bit worried about ants in our room, some of the cookies are not too sweet at all but heck they are still cookies and the ants in our home are quite awesome in detecting snacks like these so I’ve decided to buy tiny jars for them. I bought from Luminarc, I wanted those glass jars with tin covers but they were too big for the cookies so I chose these blue cuites instead. I might go back and buy those with tins for other things to store. Key word? Organizing. LOL.

Cookies are from Healthy Options, as usual! LOL.

Please join us here.

If you’re joining;
+ try to leave some love to the others! Specially to the one up above you
+ A link back to this post or to this blog would be appreciated. So that others would know and join!
+ If you have sets of questions that you like to ask, email it to me. And we will post it next week!

1. Do your days fly by or seem to last forever? Sometimes they go so fast like when I’m busy at work or when I’m taking care of my son during weekends, but there are days that I wish the clock will just go fast forward.
2. Have you ever stayed in a fancy, high class, rich hotel? Fancy, I’m not sure but we were billeted once in MGM Grand, Las Vegas Nevada and I experienced staying at Holiday Inn, Golden Mile HK twice.
3. Have you ever stayed in a rent-by-the-hour motel? Not really.
4. What, in your opinion, is the best advertising slogan out there? Just do it from Nike. That’s the only slogan that popped in my head. LOL.
5. When they start sending rockets to the moon for us civilians will you be on the list to go? Oh no. I’m already scared of riding a plane what more a rocket?
6. How are you feeling right now? I’m feeling bloggity. If there is such a word, so I’m taking advantage of it.
7. Have you ever written anything on your skin? Yeah, when I was a kid.
8. If so what? Just doodles.
9. Have you ever looked directly at the sun? Oh yeah and it’s not really good.
10. Name something you just cannot forget, no matter how hard you try. My high risk pregnancy.

Had fun. Go grab it so you can have fun too and please link me up so I can take a peek fof all your answers while waiting for that I will look into this amazing charlotte cosmetic dentist so I can have an idea about teeth whitening!

::START::

RULES:
1. Add your blog/s to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs. It’s okey if you only post this questions in one blog as long as you answer them.
2. Get back to Me {YEN} and I’ll add your blogs to the master’s list HERE! Note that you are not ALLOWED to change the link of the here.
3. Copy from Start to End.
4. Tag as many friends online you know. But you don’t need to be tag in order to join.

Copy this Participants List: Me and Mine | Creative in Me | For the LOVE of Food | Little Peanut | Pea in a Pod | It’s Where the HEART Is | Around the World | SugarMagnolias | I Am Mommy | All About The Memories | Enchanted Play | Just My Scrap | Whats Up | Simply Me | Kitchen Deelite | A Mothers Horizon | In Depth | A Life in Bloom | Because Life is a Blessing | Digiscraptology | All Things Me | Feels Like Home | Because Life Is Fun | My BIG Picture | Merger Guru | You

LAYER ONE:
– Name: Litzie.
– Birth date: March 20.
– Birthplace: Manila, Philippines.
– Current Location: Taguig City, Philippines.
– Eye Color: Dark Brown.
– Hair Color: Dark Brown with tons of Gray.
– Righty or Lefty: Righty.

LAYER TWO:
– Your heritage: Filipino and Spanish.
– The shoes you wore today: My Puma sneaks for work.
– Your weakness: I worry too much.
– Your fears: Big C, loved ones getting sick or dying.
– Your perfect pizza: Anything from Yellow Cab.
– Goal you’d like to achieve in life: To make Denon and Dustin happy and raise Dustin to be God fearing and a perfect gentleman.

LAYER THREE:
– Your most overused phrase on AIM: LOL. If that’s a phrase!
– Your first waking thoughts: I’m still sleepy.
– Your best physical feature: I have no idea.
– Your most missed memory: High School life.

LAYER FOUR:
– Pepsi or Coke: Coke Zero.
– McDonald’s or Burger King: McDo, I don’t eat at Burger King that often.
– Single or group dates: It varies.
– Adidas or Nike: Nike.
– Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Nestea.
– Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate.
– Cappuccino or coffee: Coffee.

LAYER FIVE
– A famous person, dead or alive, would you interview: Gong Yoo and Oprah.
– Movie can you watch and say the lines along with the actors: My Best Friend’s Wedding, Pretty Woman and Above the Law.
– Name two of your passions in life : Digital Scrapbooking, Photography and Cooking. 3 na pala yun!
– Least favorite time of day: I love weekend Mornings. Just hanging out at home, eating breakfast and drink coffee while I look at my son walk around the garden.

LAYER SIX
– Use hairspray or gel: Hairspray in High School.
– Your favorite meal: Kare-Kare if it’s Pinoy.
– Color in the inside of your head when you close your eyes: Blue.
– Listen to classical music: No.
– Ever said LOL in real life without thinking about it: Never. That will be very funny.

::END::

Tagging Dee.

Coffeedrinkers: Living the Healthy Life / Vanity Kit / Stripe & Yellow / Em’s Detour / Mind Bubbles / Something Purple / Mommy Talks | Aggie Shoots. Aggie Scraps | All Kinds of Me Stuff | Winding Creek Circle | InkBabyStudios | The Salad Caper | Tailgater Network | My BIG Picture | Merger Guru |YOUR BLOG

Now, Im passing the award to all the wonderful bloggers who leave messages here or just the lurkers. Like a strong brew, your passion in blogging is hard to ignore and they love coffee too! Go ahead and grab this if blog and coffee are a great combo for you!

I’m recently browsing for some great Zero Halliburton luggages for future travels. Not like we are traveling real soon but when we get the chance, we actually don’t have any luggage to use. A sturdy and very light one for me and a little bigger for the husband to carry. I don’t like red for big items because I find it loud most of the time but I loved this luggage the minute I saw it online.

Nice huh? Sleek isn’t it? I can carry this one. Very doable for me. I will be seen inside an airport packed with people if I’m pulling this one.