Michi Photostory

August 06, 2012

Asian PsorClub goes to UK

We’ve been planning this since May and finally, last Sunday we went to UK. We were so excited because this is the second out of town trip of our group so rain or shine off we went to Tagaytay. Yes, you’ve read it right; we went to UK or Ukay-Ukay in Tagaytay. Hehe! My first and last experience of Ukay-Ukay was in Baguio, I was still in college during that time.

We always visit Tagaytay but I have no idea that there was Ukay-Ukay so after several years; I’ve experienced Ukay-Ukay again. Someone suggested this place because I need gown for Mr. & Ms. PsorPhil event and I don’t have any, the gowns that I have won’t fit me anymore. She said, she was able to find gowns in Ukay-Ukay for their costume party. I also received a gown from one doctor but unfortunately, the gown is too small for me. Huhuhu! (sexy ni Dra. and I’m fat). But I really appreciate the gown because even she doesn’t know me, she gave me a gown, thank you and God bless you! Anyway, I still have two weeks more to buy or rent. Good luck to me!

Let’s go back to Ukay-Ukay! If you have very limited budget, I can definitely say that your money can go a long way because you can find clothes or stuff for as low as P5. I bought a lot of stuff and one of them is jacket, I bought one for my son P100 (Oshkosh) and one for me P50 (Hang Ten). A good steal because we will only use this for our upcoming trip. I don’t want to spend money for something that I will only use once.

If you are rich, this post is not for you but if you are a frugal shopper you can find this Ukay-Ukay before you reach Tagaytay Rotonda. Landmark is McDonalds. Happy shopping!

July 30, 2012

Homemade Play Dough

Last year I bought Play-Doh Cars 2 Mold N Go for my son, the box includes four free play-doh and of course it didn’t last long. I know that I can easily buy play-doh but I find it expensive so yesterday, I’ve made homemade playdough. Too bad, I only have one food color. I got my recipe here "Musings from a stay at home mom".

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 cup water

2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/3 cup salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

food coloring

Instructions

Mix together all the ingredients, except the food coloring, in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook over low/medium heat, stirring. Once it begins to thicken, add the food coloring. Continue stirring until the mixture is much thicker and begins to gather around the spoon. Remove the dough onto wax paper or a plate to cool.

Read: DIY Homemade Play Dough

It supposed to be strawberry red but I don’t know why it looks pink or light purple but still, my son was happy with his play dough. Lighting McQueen is back!

July 27, 2012

Lunch at Greenwich

I mentioned before that I’m not fond of Greenwich pizza but I love their lasagna. My husband adores their pizza so when I won P1,042 worth of Gift Certificate last May, he was ecstatic to avail the free meals so whenever we are in the mall and hungry, he always asks if I still have GC. We had free lunch, dinner and merienda because of my GC. We just add drinks and frozen choco cup for my son.

We availed 6 Spaghetti Garlic Stix,

1 Greenwich Barkada Special Overload

and 1 Greenwich Barkada Ultimate Hawaiian Overload.

July 12, 2011

We had a quick snack at Greenwich while waiting for my hubby’s pants to be altered. I am not really a fan of John Lloyd’s pizza, I mean Greenwich pizza but I really like their lasagna. I always order this whenever we eat here so I still haven’t tried their overload pizza. We ordered lasagna, chicken and softdrinks combo for P159 and pizza, spaghetti and softdrinks combo for P59.

July 26, 2012

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

I can’t remember the last time I’ve made a cookie, I guess it’s been 4 or 5 years ago when I first tried to make a chocolate crinkle and I can’t even remember the taste. hehe! So yesterday, I’ve pushed myself to bake a cookie, I saw the recipe in Pinterest and one pinner said it is award winning recipe so I pinned and tried it. I checked the ingredients just to make sure I have everything in my pantry and I checked the procedures and it looks so easy.

In less than 30 minutes I have lemon crinkle cookies. I haven’t tasted any lemon crinkle cookies and this was my first time to taste it and I liked it. It is soft, not overly sweet, and I can really taste the lemon. I accepted the fact that my son and husband will not like it because they didn’t like my calamansi cupcake but I was wrong, they love my lemon crinkle cookies.

I’ve got the recipe in LDS Living

Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe

Makes 2-3 dozen

Ingredients:

½ cups butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 whole egg

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoons baking powder

⅛ teaspoons baking soda

1-½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

July 24, 2012

No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake

We’re having an outdoor home improvement for the last several days that is why I have no time to blog but I hope they will finish it tomorrow. Since hubby wasn’t home to supervise it, my son is the one who supervise everything. I don’t know why he is so interested monitoring them, maybe he wants to be an architect or civil engineer. But kids will always be kids, so he played with the sand and gravel.a

And because he loves to supervise, I have no choice but to stay with him. He usually watches them at the front door or window so for the last several days, I’ve made banana cupcake, steamed puto with cheese and no-bake blueberry cheesecake to keep myself busy. I’ve been meaning to make my own blueberry cheesecake ever since I’ve tasted Calea Blueberry Cheesecake and I was so delighted with the result and my husband like it too. I swear, this is so easy to make.

I got the recipe from My Mom Friday site.

NO-BAKE BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup (approx. 100g) softened butter

1 teaspoon lemon juice and grated rind (optional)

Cheesecake filling:

1 cup (1 brick) cream cheese

1 cup (1 brick) all purpose cream

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons liquid milk

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin (1 sachet of Knox)

1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

Topping:

1 can Comstock Blueberry pie filling

To prepare crust:

Mix all dry ingredients and add butter to bind. Mash well.

*Crust mixture should be close to texture of moist sand; add a bit more butter if too dry.

Transfer and press evenly on bottom of ungreased springform pan (or any pie dish you prefer).

Place in the freezer to harden crust while you make the filling.

To prepare filling:

Using a mixer, whip chilled cream with 2 tablespoon sugar until stiff. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, gradually mix remaining sugar into softened cream cheese. Beat until fluffy and set aside.

In a small sauce pan, combine milk and gelatine powder. Heat until completely dissolved (don't boil, use a wire whisk while heating to remove lumps). Remove from heat, pour and beat into cream cheese mixture.

Fold in cheese mixture to the whipped cream and beat on medium to high.

Add lemon juice if you want some zest in your cream filling.

To assemble:

Bring out pan from freezer and pour in the cheesecake filling. Spread evenly with spatula and tap pan lightly to set and release some air bubbles.

Cover pan and chill for a few hours.

Top with blueberry pie filling or fruit compote before serving.

July 17, 2012

Flowers

I always say that I’m not fond of flowers maybe because I know that flowers are not cheap so I rather receive food or other stuff than flowers. Don’t get me wrong! I do appreciate flowers but I’m not the type of girl who loves to receive flowers on every special occasion. My son loves to give me flowers from our mini garden. I do appreciate the thoughtfulness but I always tell him, do not pick our flowers.

Although flowers are expensive, there are occasions that I bought some flowers and one example is our wedding day. I’m so clueless when it comes to flower arrangement, pricing and flower shop so I ask for some referrals. Most of the people I know referred us to Dangwa and I did not have any regret because I loved my bouquet. They just ask me for my motif, flowers that I like, how many bouquets do I need and when and where the delivery date is. You can save more if you know how to arrange flowers but since I have no idea about flower arrangement and I don’t want to stress myself on that stuff, we just get a package.

In the Philippines we have Dangwa but if you live in Colorado, there is Amore Fiori Florist Denver who provides flowers on any occasion and event. You can read their about/ flowers in Denver page to know more about this shop.

July 09, 2012

My First Run?

I admit that I don’t really have a healthy lifestyle because I’m a meat eater and I’m too lazy to workout. I mentioned before that my diet is called “bukas na” diet but God knows that I’m trying my best to have a healthy lifestyle. Little by little I’m improving my eating habits and I hope I could lessen my meat and sugar intake.

Yesterday, my husband dragged me to join his weekend run. I told him “if my son will wake up, I will join him” and I was shocked because my son woke up so I have no choice but to join them. We left at 5:30AM and went to the nearest cemetery. #creepy.

Finally, after 5 years I was able to use this rubber shoes. It was a gift that was sitting in our shoe rack for five years.

It was my first run ever but not really because most of the time I just walk while my son was biking. More than 3km of walkathon and no sweat at all. I was happy because it is a good start of my healthy living.

After our morning run, we went to the market.

July 08, 2012

Stylish and Comfortable Vacation to Italy

One of the most famous destinations for your vacation with your family members or friends is the stylish, rich country of Europe, Italy. The irresistible experience of food, culture and natural structure actually makes Italy a preferred destination for the most unforgettable vacations with your dear ones staying in the comfortable villas.

The country enjoys the geological borders with the most attractive and historically known nations like Slovenia, France, Austria and wonderful Switzerland. Italy is like a peninsula located in the middle of the Mediterranean bordered by the Ionian Sea with the Tyrrhenian, Sardinian and the Ligurian Sea on the west and encircled by the Adriatic Sea on the East.

The natural scenery of Italy offers you a varied choice of enjoying the green mountains which include the Alps and Apennines range along with the energizing experience of the fabulous islands, such as Sardinia and Sicily on the western and southern coast, the two most remarkable islands that are actually part of this country.

Italy's climate offers you the chance to take pleasure of the tan on the sandy beaches under the dazzling sun in warm summers. Travelers prefer the magnificence of the villas and a good stylish vacation to Italy by visiting famous fashion shows, museums, resorts, pubs, and nightclubs. Sardinia is the most famous destinations for travelers, pertaining to its revelation of the magnificent crystal clear sea, where tourists can explore fabulous apartments and impressive cottages for rent.

Europe is recognized for its diversified beauty, and Italy is particularly known to have the most stunning lakes. If you are an outdoor enthusiast then it can be the ideal location for your vacation at self-catering apartments, enjoying the fabulous open-air water sports or investigative days discovering the local area. One of such destinations is Umbria, recognized for its mountainous landscape, best for hiking, chosen by many families for their holiday destination. Umbria is also considered as a place for a stylish vacation to Italy by many tourists.

July 06, 2012

Silence is Deadly

If you’re a mom you know what I mean when I say “Silence is Deadly”. Even though I only have one child, our house is full of noise and mess. My son always watches DVD’s if I need to do something like chores so it means I can’t see him. And if I don’t hear any noise I’m really nervous because I know something is going on that will really make me mad.

Just this week, hubby and I were eating dinner while my son was busy watching DVD because he doesn’t want to eat. Yes, he has his own time and mood when to eat and it’s been a long time dilemma for me.

I can’t hear any noise so I told my husband to check my son.

Me: Check mo nga si Ethan at baka kung ano na ginagawa nun.

Hubby: Nanonood lang yun.

After dinner, my husband went up and shouted: “Hon, look at your son”, so I immediately went up and I found this.

Surprise!

He put baby powder all over his cabinet, floor, body, our toiletries kit and my kikay kit. My husband was laughing but I’m not happy because I have to clean up all the mess. Like what I’ve said silence is deadly so if you don’t hear any noise, check your child.

This was not my first-time experience and I posted several posts like this.

1. When my son torn his sofa bed into pieces.

2. When he used our wall as his canvass.

3. When he used his legs as his canvass

4. He played with my post it, scotch tape and packaging tape.

5. He ate one pack of chocolate.

He cut our bed sheet.

He colored his nails using pentel pens.

He put lotion all over his body, our floor and bed sheet.

And many more… If you experience this stuff, welcome to the club! "Silence is golden... unless you have a toddler. In that case, silence is very suspicious."

July 04, 2012

Baked Shrimp

One of my favorite seafood is shrimp and it is always in my menu if my husband would be out for a business trip for obvious reason, it so easy to cook. My favorite recipe is buttered garlic shrimp but for a change, I tried baked shrimp last week. My husband liked this better than buttered garlic shrimp.

I got the recipe in Pinterest.

1. Melt a stick of butter in the pan.

2. Slice one lemon and layer it on top of the butter.

3. Put down fresh shrimp and then sprinkle one pack of dried Italian seasoning.

4. Put in the oven and bake at 350 Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

Next time I’ll add salt and dash of cayenne pepper.

July 02, 2012

The Mom You’re Meant to Be

I’m re-reading “The Mom You’re Meant to Be” book by Cheri Fuller while waiting for my son in school. I’m glad that I read this book again because it gives me more understanding and realization of motherhood. Like I said before, I wish there was motherhood 101 in school so I could prepare myself for being a mom. But we all know that there is no motherhood 101, no formula or even secret recipe in parenting.

We can read books, parenting magazines, and online articles to help us understand the needs of our kids as they grow but we know that some works and some are not applicable to our children because each child is different and unique.

Honestly, there are times that I really don’t understand my son and there are times that I don’t know why he is behaving like this and that. Since I was pregnant I was reading a book, magazines, and online articles but I still can’t find the answer. So I give up everything to God and ask Him to give me wisdom and strength to be the best mom for my child.

Being a mom is a gift from God but it also entails obligations, biggest responsibility and challenges along the way and I know that I can not do it on my own strength and knowledge. I guess motherhood jobs never stops, we just go through different seasons and each year and stage is very different from one another.

When my son was few months old, how I wish he can speak already so he can tell me his needs and wants but now that he can talk, I’m looking forward to quiet moments. No more demands, no more requests and no more whining. hehe! But that is life, every day, week, month and year is a new challenge and new adjustment. It’s been three weeks since my son started school and I’m still adjusting on our schedule and our new phase. I have new challenges that I have to face and I feel so stressed already.

I know I still have a long way to go and I pray that God will give me more wisdom, strength and grace to be the mom I’m meant to be.

June 29, 2012

Keep Costs Low With These 3 Online Services

The challenge for business owners today, especially for small businesses and startups, is to maintain efficiency in their business while keeping costs low. Despite the various efficiency tools available in the marketplace, cost can be a barrier. But using a few simple online tools may be just what you need to give your business that extra boost while maintaining costs at a reasonable level.

1. PickyDomains.com

Who needs expensive branding agencies when you can rely on the power of crowdsourcing? This is exactly what PickyDomains.com is all about. A service provider for companies looking for names that stand out – particularly true for startups who aren't that well-established yet – PickyDomains has a base of at least 50,000 contributors, each ready to contribute to a pool of ideas that business owners can utilize for their naming needs.

It's fairly simple. Just register as a client, pay a downpayment of $50 for a company name - $75 if you're looking for an excellent company slogan – and provide the site with a list of your desired naming specifications. It's risk-free as clients can get a full refund if none of the suggestions fit what they want. This is a good service to consider not only for its low cost but also because a business name that is unique and stands out in a crowd is most likely to generate potential customers than a business name that disappears in the background.

2. Bitrix24.com

Keeping an efficient workspace and workflow can be quite a challenge. CRMs and company intranets typically do the job by integrating the different elements of your business or workspace while maintaining free-flowing communications between employees. Still, a service of this size and scale can cost a lot.

With Bitrix24.com, you can have the benefits of a CRM and company intranet while getting it practically free or at a relatively low price. With numerous functionality such as a free calendar, free activity planner, free messaging and free real-time streaming, you can be sure you virtually have almost all the tools you need in order to run your business smoothly, even from the comfort of your own desk. For small companies with a maximum of 12 persons, the service is free whereas an upgrade to unlimited users only costs a meager $99 a month – a good investment especially if you're looking to expand your business.

3. JetRadar.com

In today's fast-paced environment, it's essential to get things done in the least possible time – and that includes travel. Air travel is one of the fastest and most reliable modes of transportation over long distances. But with the competition in the air travel industry resulting in airlines keeping their deals and promos exclusive to their own corporate websites, travel deals and other related information may be hard to find on price-comparison websites.

With JetRadar.com, you can cut the time spent on searching for the best ticket prices significantly. JetRadar.com provides data from 728 airlines and hundreds of flight and ticketing sites, readily available to the public in a single site. This can open up a bulk of time in your schedule and allow for more productivity, and perhaps even leisure.

Breakfast Omelet Muffin

I mentioned in my other blog that I’ve been trying to make muffin tray meals, I tried meatloaf muffins before and I was so happy with the result so last weekend I tried breakfast muffin omelet. I used bacon, mushroom and bell pepper instead of Italian sausage and broccoli.

This is another easy recipe that you can prepare for breakfast and school snacks. Next time I will add cheese.

June 27, 2012

5 Things You Want to Do Before You Get Old

Honestly, I have so many things that I want to do before I get old but here are the five things that I really want to accomplish.

1. I want to learn how to sew.

I can do some basic stitches just enough to fix clothes, mend a torn seam and sew a button or sequin on fabric. But I want to improve my sewing skills and make my own clothes, bed sheets, pillowcases, and curtains.

I remember when I was in high school one of our projects is to make a blouse and short but I don’t know how to sew. My classmates told me that their moms made their project but my mom was not with me so I went to my “suking mananahi”, I gave her my design, blouse and skort (skirt in front/short at the back). The finished product was so good and it is very obvious that I did not make my project so my teacher just gave me 85. Hehe!

Read: The Day I Learned How to Sew

2. I want to learn how to swim and dive.

We love to go to the beach and pool but I’m not an expert swimmer so I always rely on lifevest. I told you before that I did not learn anything from my P.E. swimming class, blame it to the rainy season. But I hope someday, I can swim and dive like a pro.

3. I want to learn how to drive.

We bought our first family car last 2007 when we found out that I was pregnant. I promised myself that I will enroll in driving school after I gave birth but it didn’t happen. We sold the first car then our second car and now we’re using the new one and I still don’t know how to drive. I’m still scared. Hehe!

4. I want to have my own business

Now that I’m a full-time mom for four years, I don’t know if I can still go back to the corporate world so I want to have my own business but until now I’m still clueless on which business I want to pursue.

5. RTW (Round the World)

I mentioned before that when I was young, I want to be a flight attendant because I want to travel and see the world. Tourism is one of my choices when I was applying for college but I did not pursue it. I accepted the fact that I cannot be a flight attendant, blame it to my height. If money is not an issue, I would love to travel around the world but if there is no budget I can travel around the Philippines.

June 22, 2012

Hassleback Potato

I’ve been pinning for the last few weeks and I’m enjoying this activity because I discover a lot of interesting sites. I keep on pinning those recipes that I like to try and Hasselback Potato is one of them It looks fancy but the truth is, it is so easy to make. All ingredients are available in your pantry and you can also use different seasoning according to your taste. I’m so happy with the result and now I’m searching for cream or dipping recipe. Click here for the recipe.

Family Friendly Short Haul Summer Escapes

Finding time to spend as a family can be challenging depending on pressures from work and restrictive school timetables. When you book your summer holiday abroad, whether you opt for cheap holidays to Cyprus or all inclusive holidays to Tunisia, be sure to secure the best deal and save money to spend on your precious time together.

When considering traveling abroad, it is essential to factor in what is important for you and your family. If you are globetrotting with tots and young children, flight times and climates can be a big influence on your destination. Those with older children and teenagers will benefit from ensuring there is enough to keep active minds occupied at your chosen destination.

Although the Balearic Islands – with a travel time of just over two hours and manageable summer climes – are excellent for young families, short haul destinations stretch as far and wide as Tunisia, Turkey, and Cyprus. The longest short haul destination is Egypt, a great option for sun lovers with teenagers that can withstand the breathtaking heats.

Cheap holidays to Cyprus are bargain child-friendly breaks. The island’s year-round sunshine and 53 blue flag beaches make it a superb spot for a summer sojourn. While younger children can safely build castles in the safe shores at Limassol, older children will love the many waterparks and watersports available on the island.

While all-inclusive packages can seem like a more expensive option, they offer the assurance of three full meals every day, snacks, local and soft drinks and some activities. Tally up the cost of dining on half board or self-catering and you may find that splurging on an all-inclusive will save your spends and guarantee unlimited ice-cream for the kids!

However and wherever you choose to travel, book your break online for the very best holiday deals this summer.

June 21, 2012

Things that Make You Happy

Since yesterday, I’ve been thinking if I will join the first meme of BC bloggers or not because I having dilemma with my son. I told you before that he doesn’t want to go home and I really don’t know what to do to convince him that we need to go home and we can’t stay all day in school. I really want to cry because my son is not listening to me. It’s an everyday dilemma for me and just today this is our scene.

Me: Ethan, let's go home
Ethan: nooooo!

(Repeat for the nth time)
Me: Ethan, I'm going home now. (walking towards the gate)
Ethan: ok, bye mommy, see you tomorrow!

Waah! As if I can go home without him. Anyway, like Peter Pan said, “think happy thoughts” so now I will be sharing things that make me happy.

1. Traveling

Traveling makes me happy. Since I was a kid, I really want to travel and see the world maybe because I feel deprived. We only experience family outing if my relatives will invite us or if my mom was here. It is always my dream to finish school so I can work and when I have work I can save money for my future travels. When I was still working, I really save my salary and if my mom gives me money, I also save it so even though I’m a full-time mom now I have no problems if I need money for my getaway. But of course, I have to limit my travels because I don’t want to deplete my funds. But I would be more than happy if my husband will finance my/our future travels. =)

Time doesn't wait for you... Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer

2. Cooking and Baking

Now that I’m a full-time mom, I have more time to cook and bake. I love trying new recipes and I feel happy if my hubby and son like it. But don’t expect me to cook during holidays or if there’s special occasion because I find it stressful.

3. Time with my family

I always look forward to weekends and holidays because that is the only time that my husband has time for us. I always wish that there will no more out of town and out of the country business trips. I always pray that one day; he will file a vacation leave on his own, without me telling him that he needs to file a vacation leave because I booked a flight or we need to attend this or that.

4. Family/Friends Reunion/Outing

Because of distance and busy schedules, I seldom see my family and friends so I really appreciate those time and moments.

5. Blogging

It became part of my life since last year and I’m happy sharing my random thoughts, pieces of my life and crazy moments in my post. This is my “me time”, my stress reliever and my connection.

June 18, 2012

Viaje Del Sol: Lake Pandin and Lake Yambo

If you’ve been reading this blog for quite some time now, you know that I’ve been meaning to visit Lake Pandin since last year. Yesterday, I visited my grandmother and fortunately she has no plan to go to supermarket so I informed my husband to text Ate Siony to ask for directions so we can visit Lake Pandin. But no one replied, so I told him to call the number and he said I gave him the wrong number. I checked his phone and told him that he texted and called the wrong number. #sayang oras. We called Ate Siony and asked how to get to Lake Pandin and off we went. We left Victoria, Laguna at 2:20PM and we reached Lake Pandin at 3:30PM including the 15-20 minutes trekking.

Finally, I was able to visit Lake Pandin.

We visited Lake Yambu too, about 3 minutes of trekking. It is not advisable to senior citizens and kids but since we want to check the other side, my husband carried my son. =)

Lake Yambu

When we went back to our raft, they gave us fresh buko juice. But if you want to avail their food package, you have to call them in advance. (grilled tilapia, shrimp, fern salad and banana).

Whether you are a good swimmer or not, you have to wear lifevest if you want to swim. Surprisingly, my son did not want to swim and he only stayed for two minutes. The place where we stayed is “75 feet deep” and other part of the lake is 180 feet deep. We left around 5PM. #bitin