Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries

If Bacolod has Calea then Dumaguete has Sans Rival Cake House and Bistro and this is one of the reasons why I want to visit Dumaguete. I’m a sweet tooth so when my friend messaged me kung gusto ko magpasabuy ng silvanas at sansrival, wala ng isip-isip pa. Hehehe! I ordered Mini Sansrival PHP375, Buttercream Silvanas PHP260, and Ube Silvanas PHP270. My friend even delivered my order to our house. :) 

After years of craving, I finally tasted their sans rival and silvanas so I also agree with other reviews, it is a must-try and a good pasalubong if ever you will visit Dumaguete. I tried the ube but I prefer the buttercream flavor, but you can also order pandan, strawberry, and chocolate flavor. The sans rival is also good and budget-friendly pa. 

Since I live in the province, I have no idea that they already have a branch in Metro Manila, thanks to @purpleplumfairy for the information. I don’t need to travel to Dumaguete if I’m craving their cakes and pastries. According to my research, it was year 2008 when they opened their first kiosk in Food Choices, Glorietta 4 in Makati. You can also buy in Shangri-la Plaza, Robinson’s Magnolia, Sun Valley Paranaque, and selected SM Markets. I don't know the mall prices but I have a feeling, mas mura sa pinagbilhan ng friend ko "Silvanas from Dumaguete" (check their Facebook page). 

Update November 2021

I was cleaning my phone gallery and I found these photos. It’s been months since the last time we ate silvanas so when my husband asked me if I want silvanas, I immediately said yes. He was in Shangri-la Plaza and he saw the Sans Rival Cake and Pastries branch. He sent me some photos so I can choose. 

He bought Pound Cake PHP250, Silvanas PHP260, Josephines PHP30, Blueberry Cheese Cupcake PHP65. The “Josephines” is the inspired version of Napoleones of Bacolod which is made of layers of thin puff pastry with sweet filling and confectionate sugar. The taste is okay but I prefer the Napoleones that I’ve tried when we went to Bacolod. The pound cake is okay but my personal preference is sponge or chiffon cake. The Blueberry Cheese Cupcake is good, bitin lang at maliit lang yung cupcake. 

Read: Pasalubong from Bacolod 

How to Order Online at Amici and Cara Mia

When it comes to food delivery, I rarely order online because I hate waiting and I had few bad experiences na rin na sobrang late dumating yung order. Yung hangry (hungry+angry) ka na, wala pa rin yung food so I rather go to the restaurant and magtake-out ng food or store pick-up. 

Last week, my father-in-law celebrated his birthday and his birthday wish is “pasta with clams”. I remembered our favorite pasta in Amici which is Spaghetti ai Tesori del Mare, it has clams, mussels, and scallops so I suggested to my husband na ito na lang potluck namin. We always order regular size but they also offer grande or gruppo. 

Read: Lunch at Amici 

There is no Amici in our area and the nearest branch that I know is in Alabang Town Center, I checked online on how to order and I’m so happy when I found out that I can order online. The day before my father-in-law’s birthday, I went to their website and placed my order. Spaghetti ai Tesori del Mare Gruppo is PHP1,720 with complimentary bread (6 pieces only). Ordering online is so easy. 

How to Order Online at Amici and Caramia 

1. I created an account first (Cara Mia). 

2. Browse the menu and add to cart 

3. Choose if you want local delivery or store pick-up. Since we live outside Metro Manila, we chose store pick-up. Choose the branch where you want to pick-up your order. 

4. Choose date and time. Lunch time ang kainan kaso the earliest sa choices is 11AM so yun pinili ko.

5. Click Check-out 

6. Enter your contact information. Then click continue. 

7. For payment, you can choose online banking, cash on delivery, and credit card payment on delivery. I chose COD. 

8. After few minutes, we received a call from the branch and they verified our order. You will also receive a confirmation email. 

Since Cara Mia is also located in Alabang Town Center, I also ordered cake. I availed of their March Madness promo which is 1 whole cake + 1 Gelato Pint + FREE Gusto Privilege Card for PHP1,500. I was checking their cakes and hindi ko na makita yung Sansrival sa choices, yun pa naman unang cake na natry ko sa kanila dati. 

Read: Caramia Sansrival 

You can choose Ube, Midnight Dream, Pistaccio Ciocolato, Mango Magnifico, Sea Salted Honey Crunch, Chocolate S’mores, Coffee Honeycomb, Creme Brulee, and Strawberry Shortcake. We have tried the Midnight Dream before so for a change, I ordered Pistaccio Ciocolato PHP1,020 and for the gelato, we ordered our favorite which is Ferrero PHP380. So it seems like that we paid PHP100 for the Gusto Card but you can also buy the card online with a freebie for PHP1,000. 

Gusto Card PHP1,000 

With freebie: choose from Sea Salted Honey Crunch, Coffee Honey Comb, 1 Tub Gelato, 2 Pints Gelato, Ube Cake Mini, Pistacco Cioccolato mini, or Midnight Dream mini. 

Additional perks: 

* On every whole cake purchase made through the website or hotline number, get a P200 off discount code to be used on your next purchase made through the Cara Mia website! 

*10% off on your total purchase when you buy products in-store. 

* 15% off on your total purchase on your birth month when you buy products in store. 

* 20% off on your total purchase on your birthday when buy products in store. 

The following day, my husband went to Alabang Town Center to pick-up the order. He was in the mall before eleven but the opening hour is 11AM pa. When he arrived at the restaurant, unfortunately, the orders were not ready yet so mga 11:30AM na siya nakaalis. Late lunch tuloy kainan namin. 

I have no idea na pwede palagyan ng Happy Birthday yung cake so nag-effort pa ko na gumawa ng cake topper. Pinalagyan pala ni hubby ng birthday greetings so sayang pagod ko sa DIY cake topper ko. Waah! 

Well, when it comes to the taste of the cake, same with Midnight Dream, okay lang. The taste is good naman but it is not something na uulitin namin. But we always love their gelato so inuulit-ulit namin ito. Though hindi pa namin natry lahat ng flavors. 

Trivia: Do you know that gelato is healthier than ice cream? Yes, gelato has fewer calories, sugar, and fat compared to ice cream. They are more expensive compared to ice cream but they are more creamy in texture. 

Personally, I prefer gelato, mas gusto ko talaga texture niya, yung kahit galing freezer, makakain mo siya at hindi mahirap i-scoop. Melt in your mouth without a brain freeze feeling. It is good but expensive. Hehehe!

Is it a Smart or Dumb Decision to Buy a New House During Pandemic?

One year had passed already since the global pandemic happened and until now, I don’t know when this will end. This COVID19 has dramatically affected our everyday lives and it gradually changes our perspective. We’ve been stuck at home 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, our humble abode became a school and workplace at the same time. 

We are living in our townhouse for the past decade and I can definitely say, we are completely satisfied with our present residence. We are just a family of three so we don’t need a huge one. Reminiscing our normal lives, my husband used to travel a lot because of work and my son spent more hours in school so, during the day, the house feels empty. I thought that our tiny house is enough for us so buying a new property is not a priority.

We have no idea that this virus will change the way we see our own home. After being confined in the four corners of our shelter for the last several months, it made us rethink the kind of house that we want to live in. All of a sudden we realized that we need a bigger space and we want to have our own quiet corner for school and work.

Thinking back on the preCOVID19 days, we just wanted to renovate some part of our house but during the pandemic, we let go of the idea of home improvement. Instead of renovating the house, we started dreaming of a new dwelling place. It is easy to say “we want to buy a new house” but with our present situation right now, we had second thoughts. 

We even read one article in Bloomberg “A Pandemic is a Terrible Time to Buy Real Estate” so there are so many questions in our head. Is this the best time for house-hunting? Is it a wise decision to invest in property during a global pandemic? Can we afford to buy a new home? Should we wait after the pandemic? 

Investing in a new property is never an easy decision especially now that we are dealing with uncertainties. We know that foods, drinks, health, and job security are more important than buying a property but our desire to move to a more comfortable home is also important. We weigh the pros and cons, we think the worst-case scenarios and we used a mortgage calculator to make sure that we can afford to pay for our property. 

After contemplating for one month, we finally bit the bullet and we invested in a new property last year. Buying a new house in the midst of a global pandemic is either a smart or dumb decision that we’ve made but there is no harm in taking a risk again. Thirteen years ago, during the financial crisis, we also invested in our present home. During that time, it was a big risk because I just recently resigned from my work, and living on a single income while paying rent and mortgage is a challenge. But looking back, it was the best decision that we made because we are no longer renting. 

Now, we took a big leap and bought a new property. You may be wondering why we did it? Well, after being trapped in our home for several months, we accepted the fact that COVID19 is not an easy battle. And because of this, I’m pretty sure that we need to stay in our house for the next few months. No travel trips for us but we can use the money to invest in property while the amortization rate is low. Even after the pandemic, we already prepared ourselves that we may not have any travel trips because we have our new priority. Nevertheless, we can’t wait to move to a bigger house so we have more space to move around even there is a lockdown. 

"Don't wait to buy real estate, buy real estate and wait" T. Harv Eker

Read: Things to Consider When Buying Your First Home 

The Flavors of Italy

I was in the grocery last month and I was looking for olive oil but unfortunately, Landers only offers 5 liters and it is too much for us. If there is no COVID19 health scare, I will visit other supermarkets just to buy olive oil but I’m a changed woman right now, marunong na ko mag-online shopping. Hehehe! 

I searched the internet and it led me to Euro Rich Foodtrade Corporation, a company that started by two sisters who love to travel and eat fine foods. They love to visit Spain and Italy and because of their food adventures, they started a passion project so other people can recreate European foods at home. They believe that every person deserves to travel the world through their taste buds. Thanks to them we can now buy authentic European foods in the Philippines. 

I love the idea and I’m glad that I discovered this online shop because even I’m stuck at home, I can experience other cuisines too, kasi puro Korean, Japanese and Spanish foods na kinakain namin so for a change, Italian cuisine naman ang iexplore, Euro Rich is indeed a home of the finest European gourmet because you can buy a lot of Italian products from Mazza and Dolce Vita company. You can buy rice, pasta, specialty creams, dairy, olive oils, seasonings, sauces, canned fruits, bottled foods, and other cooking essentials that you need. 

Actually, at first, I was hesitant to order because of the shipping fee so mga ilang days din naka-add to cart sa akin. I’m thankful for the PHP100 shipping discount, shop voucher, and 15% cashback, nacheck-out ko na rin. Of course, I ordered extra virgin olive oil and I added grated parmesan cheese, full cream milk, mushroom, cherry tomatoes, and risotto.

Items are all well-packed and arrived in good condition, pati yung canned goods nakabubble wrap pa. With regard to expiration, matagal pa so you can still store it for a long time. If you are looking for Italian products, you can try this store. I will order again kapag may promo ulit. Hehehe! My son liked this milk too, so sulit siya kasi mas mura sa present milk namin. 

You can order online

Italiana Formaggi Grated Parmesan Cheese

Mazza Cherry Tomatoes 

Mazza Truffle Risotto  

Mazza Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

King Chef Canned Straw Mushroom Whole 

Happy Barn UHT Full Cream Milk 

“People will travel anywhere for good food - it’s crazy.” Rene Redzepi 

Update: August 2021

Yesterday, I was watching the video of Chef RV about Homemade pizza and this reminded me of the cold cuts that I bought from Euro Rich Foodtrade last June. I planned to prepare a Charcuterie board last Father’s Day pero dahil nagawa ko na yun noong Graduation Day celebration, hindi ko na naituloy.

Actually, I was having second thoughts pa nga kasi baka masira lang ito sa delivery but fortunately, nadeliver naman after 3 days (J&T). The food products are inside the insulated bag + bubble wrap + box so everything arrived in good condition. But I hope gayahin din nila ang San Miguel Frozen store na may ibang courier kaya frozen pa rin yung food kapag dumarating. 

Anyway, I already tried the cheese and okay naman. I hope sipagin ako magpizza this weekend, parang madali lang kasi yung recipe ni Chef RV. I’ll update this blog post kapag natikman ko na. 

You can order online

Euro Rich Cheesy Pizza Bundle 

Euro Rich Sliced Salami Piccante/Spicy Pepperoni 

Euro Rich Sliced Rolled Pancetta 

Euro Rich Sliced Prosciutto Crudo Ham 

Euro Chef Mozzarella Cheese Block 

Euro Chef Pizzarella Cheese Block  

Pigiato White Cooking Wine 

Balocco Cocoa Wafer Cubes 

Easter Printables and Done For You Graphics

I always look forward to Holy Week because no work and no school so it means we can have a long vacation but things change when COVID19 happened. If there is no community quarantine, we are supposed to be back in Norway this coming summer vacation with my late sister. We already planned about this and we’re looking forward to our trip but it is so sad to think about it because it will never happen because she is no longer here. In addition, I don’t know when we could travel again. 

Moving on, this year is the second time that we will be celebrating Easter at home. I’m not complaining because I know that it is better to stay and be safe. Maybe COVID19 is teaching us the real meaning of Easter and how we should celebrate it. It’s not about the eggs, chicks, or bunnies, it’s about the lamb. We should be reminded that Jesus is the reason for this holiday, He died, buried, and raised after three days to give us new life, direction, and opportunity to start over again. 

Sharing the Done For You Graphics that I’ve created for this Easter Holiday, 5 Bible Verses that you can use for your social media accounts. It is ready to post or schedule, you can add your own logo using Canva. Get the files here. You can also print these JPEG files on cardstock, resize the file depending on your preference. (see the samples below).

He is not here; He has risen! Luke 24:6 

For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. Romans 6:9 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. Revelation 1:17 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 

If you have kids and you are looking for an activity, you can download, print, and cut this Easter Coloring Card. You can add few pieces of crayons if you are planning to give them to someone. Get the printables here. 

For kids, eggs, chicks, and bunnies remind them about Easter. Eggs and chicks represent new life while bunnies are born in the spring, the time when plants and flowers start to grow. If you are looking for Easter cards, here are printable cards that you can use as cards, gift tags, or basket stuffers. Three designs on one page. You can use this not only for Easter but whenever you need it because the messages on the cards are not just for the Easter holiday. It is also available in my shop. 

You’re a good egg 

We carrot about you a lot 

Some bunny loves you. 

You can print this using cardstock, photo paper, or sticker paper. 

FREE Easter Printable

If you want to teach your kids about Easter, here is The Jelly Bean Prayer by Charlene Dickerson. You can buy jelly beans, M&M’s chocolates, or Skittles as a treat. You can download this free printable here.  Free for personal and non-commercial use only. The PDF file is A4 size. 

The Jelly Bean Prayer 

by: Charlene Dickerson 

Red is for the blood He gave 

Green is for the grass He made. 

Yellow is for the sun so bright. 

Orange is for the edge of night. 

Black is for the sins we made. 

White is for the grace He gave. 

Purple is for His hour of sorrow. 

Pink is for our new tomorrow. 

An egg full of jellybeans

colorful and sweet,

is a prayer, a promise, a loved one’s treat.

How are you going to celebrate Holy Week?

Cricut Project: DIY Vinyl Decals for Our Trolley Cart

My husband gifted me a Cricut Maker last June but I rarely use it so this year, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to explore my cutting machine and create more Cricut Projects. I already bought a lot of crafting materials so I have to make time and use it because they are not cheap. I’m proud to say that I’ve done a lot of projects already and I guess before the end of the year, lahat ng parte ng bahay namin may label na. Hehehe! 

“I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies” 

We live in a small house so obviously, our kitchen is small hence we have very limited storage space for groceries and kitchen stuff. I can’t wait to move to our new home so we will have more space pero matagal pa yun. Hehehe! For now, I have to organize the clutter inside our home so I bought storage boxes and a trolley. 

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that my happy place is IKEA and I try my best to visit their stores if ever we will go to another country. I failed to do this when we went to Sweden, kung saan pa talaga nagsimula ang IKEA hindi ko pa napuntahan. Then our Taiwan trip was canceled last year because of the pandemic so wala na naman IKEA trip. 

I love buying organizing stuff in IKEA because they are budget-friendly and there are so many uses just like the IKEA Raskog cart that I bought in Singapore. I know that there are stores selling this kaso ang mahal plus shipping fee. I’m happy that I discovered Shopee and Lazada last year so I found this trolley that is quite similar to the IKEA trolley cart. It is so easy to assemble, my son is the one who assembled this. 

Read: IKEA Alexandra

Since the start of pandemic kasi, my husband only goes to the grocery once a month so maramihan na bili and yung mga boxes nakatambak na sa stairs namin since hindi naman kasya sa kitchen cabinet namin. So I bought a trolley cart to store our juice, softdrinks, milk, and chocolate drinks. I put labels so my son will know where to put them, minsan inuutusan ko siya na mag-organize ng groceries kasi. It is just a simple project but I’m glad nawala na yung tambak na boxes sa stairs and they have their own space na.

I love trolley because there are so many smart ways to use this, you can use it to store your groceries, fruits and vegetables, crafting materials, school supplies, baby stuff, and many more. There are wheels so you can move this around without effort, I’m planning to buy another one for my craft supplies. You can buy the trolley here or here. 

Read: Cricut Project: DIY Vinyl Decals for our Fridge Bottles

How Blogging Changed my Life?

Tom Stoppard said, “Every exit is an entry somewhere else”. I can clearly remember that this was the month when I handed my resignation and it’s been thirteen years already since I quit my corporate job. Looking back, I did not even dream to become a full-time mom and it is completely out of the picture. In my mind, I just wanted to have a baby and I can go back to work after my maternity leave. 

But life happened and there are unexpected twists and turns. I bid goodbye to my career without knowing what my future would be. I accepted that my plans in life will not always work out and maybe God has a better plan for me. Like they always say, “Every cloud has a silver lining”. 

And because I’m not used to be stuck at home, I find ways to earn money so I was juggling between my family and part-time work for the next three years. Then I felt guilty because I forgot the first reason why I resigned which is “I want to be present to my son”. I stopped my part-time work as a content writer and I started blogging. 

“Your greatest contribution to the Kingdom of God may not be something you do, but someone you raise” - Andy Stanley 

How Blogging Changed my Life? 

Blogging Keeps me Busy

I let go of my future incomes and focus on my son, but of course, I wanted to have my own “Me-time” too so I created this blog. I was not born a writer so I’m thankful for the opportunity to write articles for other websites and this part-time job became a bridge to my blogging journey. I may not be a writer but I can be a storyteller on my own blog. 

Ten years had passed and blogging still keeps me busy, especially now that we are still under community quarantine, this blog is one of the reasons why my sanity is not slipping away. Blogging makes me happy knowing that I have the freedom and flexibility to write and share whatever I want in my own free time. 

Blogging Allows Me to Discover my Hobbies and Interest 

This blog is a living testament to how my hobbies and interests changed. I love learning, trying and challenging myself in order to grow. So far, I have learned to cook, bake, sew, crochet, design graphics and printables, and more. Learning new things breaks my everyday routine because I can do different things depending on my mood. 

“Develop a passion for learning, if you do, you will never cease to grow” - Anthony D’ Angelo

Blogging Enhances my Skills 

God did not shower me with talents; I can’t sing, I can’t dance, I can’t act, and I can’t draw but it is not a big obstacle because I know I can learn a skill. Blogging is no longer just a hobby, I want to improve my writing and photography. This blog helps me to develop my skills and I can no longer count how many webinars and courses that I have attended whether free or paid just to enhance my skills. 

I consider myself as a lifelong learner and I don’t want to settle, our world is constantly changing so I have to change, adjust and grow too by discovering my own skills and exploring new opportunities.

Blogging Opens New Opportunities

There are millions of bloggers out there and competition is tough so I only have a slim chance that someone will stumble my blog. But I don’t consider it as a hindrance to stop blogging because I know that every people has their own story, every people has something to share and whatever content I am creating, it will matter to someone.

I’m very grateful to brands and companies that I have collaborated and worked with in the past ten years because even my blog has a small following, they gave me a chance to promote their products, services, and websites. 

Blogging Allows Me to Earn 

I know that you can earn from blogging but I did not imagine that it would happen to me. As I mentioned before, blogging is just my “Me-Time”. I did not foresee that two months after I started my blog I will receive my first paid blog opportunity. Of course, it is not an everyday scenario but I’m thankful for my blog earnings because I have the money to maintain my blog. Blogging is not cheap, there are a lot of expenses in order to keep it active. 

Blogging Expands my Horizons 

I have no clue that starting my blog will expand my horizons. I am an introvert and I enjoy staying at home and working behind the scene. I am a full-time mom and I rarely go out of the house unless there are errands and we are going to travel. But through blogging, I was able to meet some people and build some connections. 

Blogging Gives me Work 

It took me a while to realize that I am to focus on raising my only son and I tend to forget my own needs, wants, plans and dreams in life. I have to remind myself that it is not selfish to put myself first. I don't want my son to follow my footsteps and I don't want him to feel that because of him, I put away my dreams. 

"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." James Arthur Baldwin

For the past several years, I devoted my time as a stay-at-home-mom and blogging on the side. My son is no longer a baby and doesn’t need my full attention. And because of that, two years ago, I felt bored with my routine and I wanted to do more. I enrolled in Basic Photo and Video Editing Course and Social Media Management and Marketing Course. In my mind, I just wanted to improve my graphics and learn how to manage my own social media account. 

Who would ever think that my passion will open new doors for me? My blog became my resume, business card, or portfolio to market myself, skills, and services as a Social Media Manager, Social Media Graphics Creator, and Business Owner. I’m still not really back in the corporate world but I am happy that I can work part-time again. 

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." C.S. Lewis

My blog may not be successful compared to other blogs but I am still proud of my own website because this blog still exists after one decade. It is not easy to maintain a blog and it takes a lot of work to keep it active. 

I feel blessed to be able to do what I love to do. I like the freedom that I can do the things that makes me happy. And finally, I’m grateful for this blog because it changed my life in so many ways. 

I’m not where I’m supposed to be, I’m not what I want to be, But I’m not what I used to be. I haven’t learned how to arrive; I’ve just learned how to keep going. John C. Maxwell

Cricut Project: DIY Vinyl Decals for Fridge Bottles

Time swiftly passed by and today is our first year anniversary since Community Quarantine has started. I can still count on my fingers how many times I went out of the house and so far I’m not yet crazy, thanks to Netflix, Shopee, Lazada, and crafting. 

Since the start of the year, I’ve been doing a lot of projects, I already shared some of my home pandemic projects like making photobooks, photo tiles, and canvas air, organizing my printed photos, and getting rid of my paper clutter. 

Now let me share my DIY vinyl decals for our fridge bottles. For the past few years, I’ve been replacing our water plastic bottles with a glass; we are using IKEA Vardagen Carafe Glass Water Bottle and I planned to buy IKEA Korken Glass Bottle to replace our small plastic bottles. Unfortunately, IKEA Philippines is not yet open and there is a travel ban so we can’t visit IKEA. 

Read: IKEA Singapore 

IKEA Japan 

IKEA Thailand

I can’t remember where I bought these small plastic bottles, kung sa baking supply store ba or sa party supply store. All I can remember is, I bought these bottles per pack, 6 pieces in one box, more or less PHP200 per pack. We’ve been using these bottles as water bottles and to store our leftover drinks. 

Water bottles para kung ayaw mo maghugas ng baso at magrefill ng pitcher, you will get the small bottle. If I prepare juice in advance, I will put them in these bottles, one bottle per person. What nice about this, you can bring it in your work station or study table na hindi ka natatakot na baka masangga at matapon kasi may cover siya. Iwas sa alikabok din because you can cover the bottle after you drink. Sometimes we bring them when we have road trip din, we just put them in a cooler. 

As I’ve said before, I also used this to store our leftover drinks para hindi masikip sa fridge. For example, if we open juice, milk, chocolate drinks, or softdrinks, instead of putting the tetra pack or big bottle. we transfer it to small bottles to save space. If ever we have leftover coffee or tea na ayaw na namin inumin, we transfer it to a small bottle before putting it inside the fridge.

I still have 3 plastic bottles left that I haven’t used but I decided not to use them anymore and buy glass bottles instead. Luckily, I discovered these square juice glass bottles when I bought my herbs and spices jars. I was nervous because I will order it online, yung IKEA bottles nga sa hand-carry luggage namin nilagay para iwas basag. But I was glad that all the jars and bottles that I’ve ordered arrived in good condition. 

I already have a Cricut Maker so I made my own vinyl decals, I used frosted white glitter, matte, and glossy black vinyl stickers. I have a lot of fonts but I always end up with Butter and Garlic Font, favorite ko na siya. Hehehe! This was my project last January, hindi ko lang mashare kasi hindi ko naman nakukumpleto yung 12 bottles na may laman, most of the time 5-6 bottles lang nasa fridge namin but for this blog post sake, nilagyan ko lahat sila ng laman. hehehe!

Note: You can also use these bottles to store your herbs, spices, and condiments.

Buy these 500ML Square Juice Glass Bottle here

P.S. I have Blue Mason Jars din but it is too bulky so I'm happy that I found these glass bottles. 

Read: Cricut Project: DIY Vinyl Decals for Trolley Cart

How to Get Rid of Your Paper Clutter

Do you like keeping receipts, bank statements, bills, invitations, gift tags, and other paper stuff? Maybe your wallet is so thick because of receipts. Maybe your fridge or desk is full of bills to pay. Or maybe you don’t realize that your storages are full of paper clutter. Well, you are not alone because I tend to commit this mistake. 

Paper stuff tends to accumulate if we do not do something about it so it is very important to let go of the things that won’t serve us anymore. Sharing some tips on how to get rid of your paper clutter. 

1. Go Paperless 

We live in a digital age so the paper bill is already a thing in the past. It’s been several years already since I slowly shifted to paperless billing, it started in the year 2013 when I received our internet bill with PHP25 additional charge. Yes, we need to pay PHP25 for our Globe internet paper bill so we immediately signed up for electronic billing. Since then we started enrolling other bills too if there is an option, as of this writing we only receive water and electric paper bill. 

Read: PHP25 Paper Bill Charge at Globe

I don’t know why Meralco is still sending us paper bills when I already enrolled in paperless billing. With regard to our water bill, after few months of community quarantine, we started receiving text messages and we have an option to view our bill online but they still send a paper bill. For the bank statement, I unsubscribed so I no longer received my quarterly Statement of Account. 

Read: How to Access Your Meralco Account Wherever and Whenever 

2. Reuse, Recycle or Repurpose your Paper 

My husband has a lot of paper works so I always reuse, recycle or repurpose those papers. I used those papers to print my son’s worksheets or mock reviewers. And because of community quarantine, online distance learning na so my son use those papers to print his lessons. He rarely uses his notebooks and he just prints the slides because, during exam days, he won’t be able to access the online lessons. I don’t buy notepad because I take home the complimentary notepad at the hotel or resort where we stayed. I also make my own scratchpad or notebooks. 

Read: DIY Scratchpad 

How to Reuse or Recycle Old Notebooks 

3. Purge your Bills, Bank Statement, Expired Warranty Card or Any Personal Documents 

I’m guilty of this because I always keep receipts, bank statements, and bills because I feel that they are important proof that I’m paid. And in case that I need to complain about my credit card bill, I have my credit card slip. I’m supposed to throw receipts monthly but I always end up throwing them quarterly or at the end of the year. 

I have no problem with receipts because I really throw this away. This year, I finally let go of my old bills, receipts (for warranty), bank statement, expired warranty card, and other personal stuff that I was keeping for a very long time because in my mind “I can’t throw them”. They have their own storage so it did not bother me at all, hindi naman makalat. Second, I feel lazy throwing those personal documents because I don’t just throw them away, I use a pentel pen to erase personal information or I cut those papers. Iisipin ko pa lang nakakapagod na. Lol 

Solution? I finally bought a paper shredder, I’ve been meaning to have this at home but it is too expensive but I found a cheaper version, a manual shredder. You can buy this at Shopee or Lazada but I personally bought my A4 Manual Shredder here. My son helped me with shredding but it took us several hours and we had a garbage bag full of paper trimmings. I did not throw it because my husband used it for our mini garden. 

Note: There are some documents that we need to keep forever, some documents that we need to keep for several years, and some documents that we need to shred or toss. 

4. Let Go Your Newspapers or Magazines 

Newspapers are not my problem because I don’t buy this but I have a few collections of magazines like Yummy, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Ok! and travel magazines. But I finally let go of them except for my travel magazines because I no longer read them and I'm pretty sure, they are already available online. 

5. Donate your Books

When my son was in his toddler years, I always buy books to keep him busy. Suki ako ng Booksale and  nagpamember pa ko sa isang company so I can buy books at a discounted price. But when my son hit grade school years, I gave away his books and even his preschool books. 

But I'm not sure if they are using the books so two years ago, I went to SM department store to donate my son's book in exchange for shopping coupons. I planned to donate my son's book last year but COVID19 happened. 

Read: Donate a Book Share the Joy of Reading

How about you? Do you have a pile of papers? 

How to Cook Chorizo de Bilbao and Chorizo Macao

Do you know that Chorizo de Macao, Chinese Chorizo, Longaniza Macau are not from Macau or China, this is our very own dry pork sausage. It is similar to longganisa but different texture, it is usually added to pansit or siopao. Personally, I don’t like chorizo, amoy pa lang niya ayaw ko na kaya inaalis ko ito kapag nakikita ko sa pansit.

Five years ago, I was able to taste Chorizo Macao of Dayrit’s Burger and Roast Beef House. The taste is okay compared sa mga nakain ko na Chorizo before but my husband and son like this chorizo so I always buy a pack of this whenever we had a chance. This is perfect for breakfast and baon of my son. It is easy to prepare and cook, I just sliced this and fry it for few minutes.  

Then last year, when we visited Alba, we bought different packs of cold cuts for our charcuterie. I’m not really a fan of cold cuts since I don’t like eating raw foods and as I mentioned before, I don’t like chorizo. In my mind, the taste would be the same like the Chorizo Macao that I have tried. But I judge too soon, now, I finally understood that there are different kinds of Chorizo in the world. I may not like the taste of our chorizo but I like this Spanish Chorizo, it changed the way I see chorizo.

Read: Exploring Castillian Cuisine at Alba

This Chorizo de Bilbao of Alba is made of pork, salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, and oregano. Just like other chorizos, it is so easy to cook. All you need to do is slice and fry in olive oil for 5-6 minutes. You can eat this as is like the "Chorizo Fritos" appetizer or with rice. You can also add this to your soups, pasta, paella, callos, pochero and cocido. 

This homemade Spanish sausage is a little bit pricey, it is PHP1250 per kilo or PHP125 per 100 grams. So the price depends on the weight of the pack, for 4 pieces, usually PHP600+ ang price. Whenever I cooked this, hindi siya tumatagal kasi nga favorite namin mag-ina. If may leftover, I add this to chicken afritada or fried rice. Mas malasa yung rice because of the chorizo oil. But my husband prefers the Chorizo Macao, to each his own. 

How to Cook Chorizo de Bilbao

1. Slice the Chorizo de Bilbao

2. In medium heat, add 1 to 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan.

3. Stir fry the Chorizo de Bilbao in 5-6 minutes

4. Serve. 

How to Cook Fried Rice with Egg and Chorizo de Bilbao

1. In medium heat, add the leftover Chorizo de Bilbao. 

2. Put the chorizo at the side of the pan.

3. Place the egg (season with salt) and stir until cook.

4. Add the leftover rice, stir the egg, rice, and chorizo.

5. Season with garlic salt and parsley.

6. Serve.