Welcome 2011!

Wow can you believe it's 2011? A new chapter...a new day..a new beginning. A lot of things in 2010 happened in my life. My 10-year greencard was approved so it's some kind of a milestone for my family. Hubby at one point lost his job so it was unforgettable. I wonder what 2011 has in store for me and my family. I hope and pray that it will be good. Let's welcome 2011 with a big round of cheer. I will do my best to make this year wonderful. Have a great new year everyone!!!

Looking Back...

What I am now is a product of who I was before, what my parents have given me and what my surroundings have taught me. Since the year has ended I can't help but look back. Look back with kindness and understanding and most of all with gratefulness. I was born and raised together with four siblings to a widowed wife who worked her way out to feed five kids. It must be so tough of her to be doing that since she was not a professional. But her love to her children made her stronger as a mother and as a person as well. I have learned to understand since I was young what hardwork means. Everyday I see that on my mom's courage.
I did my best to fit in the society. My mom raised me well even if we were poor. The thought of being so poor has made me think I am a loser. I was shy because I felt that we were poor with the material things in life yet God has made me rich in so many ways. Christmas was always a fond memory because no matter what we always attend the Christmas party in church. I admit I was a little jealous of the rich people who go to church. i can see that in the clothes they wear and the car they have. We never have the nicest clothes nor a car to brag but we have a good heart and soul. I have done my best to live in God's teachings and that's what matters most. I shoved jealousy aside. We celebrated Christmas in the simplest way. Even God was born in the simplest way. There is no way He could be a loser. I love to study and learn. This made me understood things better. I am not a loser and no one is. We all have an equal opportunity in this world. It is always up to us on how to act and react in every situation. My mom told me she can't afford to send me to college since she did not have a permanent job. I did not even consider this a hindrance. I submitted scholarship applications and worked my way out and did my best. My mom supported my aspirations. Then I came out of my shell. If I will be shy now who will know what my potentials are? And this is who I am now... a strong woman who can smile even if sometimes there's a feeling of fear inside.
Thank you God for giving me the chance to pause and look back. I have a past worthy of looking back. The past year was a tough one but we were able to make it. Thank you family and friends for helping us. You have been our strength and inspiration. Cheers!!!

Google Adsense Payment

I got my google adsense payment in the amount of $111 yay me!! This is my very first payment and it took me a long time a year or two ago (hehe) to get this like a very long time? Thank you so much google. I've been trying to take extra good care of this because it usually kicks off people monetizing their blog if they get too much suspicious clicks. I just let it go with the flow and not think about it because anyway I also have paid to post stuff. My second payment from blgosvertise came so soon so I have a total of $45 in a month's time from them. Thanks blogsvertise!!;-) Weee this is a very nice New Year I got some money to share with my family.;-)

Winterstorm After Christmas

I was already feeling down with something just feeling. It must be the weather. It's so dry and cold. My throat hurts and my eyes itched. Common winter symptoms you know. It's a good thing I went on leave for a week. I was lucky to be stuck home not needing to drive after Christmas. It was snowing and the winds was blowing pretty hard. Hubby went back to work and left off very early in the morning. Lucky he reached SC just on time sunday at 7:30PM. The storm hit us in South Jersey. The next day I have to shovel the path myself since hubby is not home. I did manage a little bit with the help of my kids yet I did not finish the job. It was just too much for me. The older kid didn't seem to care of helping. I was having bad back aches after the shoveling. Arrghhh. So I ranted at hubby. He called his son and he shoveled just a little bit. Life oh life....

Christmas @ Home

The kids were so happy and amazed that I brought home a little Christmas tree. In the eyes of a child a tree is gigantic no matter how small it is with all the gifts and decorations around it. It was a simple one decorated with red and gold balls. I got the tree since hubby would not be going home for Christmas but then hubby really surorised me. He came home last Wednesday. Lucky me.;-) Somebody will be driving me to the Chritmas party at a friend's house.;-)
We got the kids a Wii and it made them really happy. Son also wanted a twister game and daughter wanted a nice barbie doll on top of that. I thought it's cool to have nice presents for Christmas. For me I am happy enough to have hubby home.

I Got my First Payment From Blogsvertise Yeehah!

I am just pretty new with blogsvertise and I already got my payment. I thought this is pretty interesting. A month ago somebody told me about blogsvertise so I tried it and it worked! I can't believe I am getting paid with blogging much better now. Two paid postings for 25 bucks not bad. I already made four and the other two are pending for payment. I'm jusr happy at least I was not paid a doller for every posting.;-) Simple things make me happy. And this is one of them. May the joy of Christmas bring you peace and happiness within. Merry Christmas everyone!!!

I Almost Died Today!

I worked very late today from 4:30 PM to 11:30. This is my first time working so late at night. Why I was chosen to work so late I have no idea why. It sounds lame but I am just an employee so i have to go and do my job. At 11PM we were told to go outside and there were firemen came in to target because there a leak. I was attending to a guest with a $500 bill that I have to suspend because we were told to go out faraway. I was wearing my fall coat for a good 10-15 minutes outside where the temperature was freezing and the wind was blowing hard. I felt like crying but the employees were laughing. I thought this was a ridiculous thing. Is it a drill or a what I think so. But all 3 of the evesham firetrucks were there so soemething must be going on. Now my body is aching.
On the way home my car slipped on the curve where Marlton circle is beiong renovated. The road was slippery and I almost hit the car right beside me. I swerve to the right and I almost hit the concrete that blocked between the two roads. I was shaking. God I almost died. I wonder if I was ready to meet my maker. I wonder what will happen to my kids left at home. Thank you LORD for extending my life a little bit more. For sure my kids still need me.

Jereika's Shifting Courses

College life has never been easy with my niece Jereika. First she took HRM and now she shifted to another course. At first her sister who is spending for her rejected the idea of shifting courses because it's a waste of time, money and effort but Jereika really wanted to take a medical course. It's not a bad thing to shift to a medical course since it is a very demanding career. Her inspiration actually came from her mom who died of cancer three years ago. She really wanted to become a nurse but she has to start as a nursing aide so she could check and feel if she could survive college life. I think she is loving it. She showed us pictures her pictures while she wore her white uniform, lab gown and nursing scrubs. I admire the way she dresses up. I can see that it is not just for comfort but also for style and personality as a young woman. She looks really great.

I wonder where I can get some quality cheap scrubs for her. Christmas is fast approaching and I am thinking what gift I could give her. She is striving to do her best as a student so I would love to give her a useful gift. I'm pretty sure she would be happy for this idea. I would love to see her succeed in the career path she is choosing.

Busy Weekend

I work for the whole weekend in the store successively for 8 hours each day. I don't like it but I do need the money for survival so there is no need to murmur about it. I had hubby baby sit the kids and watch the painters at home via webcam. Hi tech! Last Saturday Gen invited us to dinner to her house so I didn't need to cook. She made some burger patties for the kids and tossed salad and chuck steak for us. We had a chit chat after dinner while the kids played with Chumpy her dog. We talked about life and my frustrations with my brothers and sisters. Gen is a good listener. I was so full and tired. When I went home I slept right away. Thank you Gen! Gen has become my bosom buddy. Last night I decided to call her so we can eat out instead of making food. I did not know that was on her mind too so she agreed. We went to Champs since I got a $10 gift card. Then we went to Wawa to have the car refueled...this happened to be my first time to go and have the car fueled since hubby does this chore all the time. Thanks Gen for being there to support me, at least having you around I did not feel too nervous and scared to do things on my own. Hubby always believe that I would survive in moments like this. A friendship like ours will be treasured forever. I will surely miss you when I move to Maryland.

Thank You November Top Entrecard Droppers

To my wonderful entrecard friends thank you for regularly dropping by my blog. It's such a joy to see you around.
1. eastcoastlife
2. Grampy's World
3. Jennyholic
4. MJM: The Ilumin Siblings
5. Beyond Feron
6. Bits and Pieces
7. Healthy Fitness Ideas
8. Just Plain Tired
9. What's Cookin' With Molly
10. Pictsy Art

Finding The Best Insurance

How careful are you when driving your car? On the road no matter how careful we are there are always unknown accidents waiting to happen. There are many factors that needs to be considered. It is always good to stay keen and alert. Yet when the inevitable happens are you ready to protect yourself and your car?
My stepson recently passed is driver's permit. His dad promised to buy him a car if he pays for the insurance therefore he needs a job to do that, not a new one but a decent one. He's got a lot of plans on his head. Since I am not driving as much as anybody else all the time he wanted to use it. That is a big no no for me. No way he can drive it. I love my car and I am very careful with it. His dad told him that it is my car period. He is wondering why he can't have a brand new car when I got a brand new one for myself. Hubby told him to go and get a job so he can pay the insurance. We believe that it is his responsibility to drive carefully when he will get his own car new or not. It took him time to realize that he really need a job. We are all grateful that recently he got a job in a grocery store.
Our neighbor is selling their car. We think it's a good car for him. Now we are in the process of comparing the best auto insurance for him at Auto Insurance Select. New Jersey has one of the most expensive auto insurance especially to minors. I think he will really need this car and a good insurance to help protect him since winter is right around the corner and it is getting a bit dangerous to ride on his bike to work.

Mixed Emotions

Should I be happy or should I be sad? For a couple of months or I think almost three hubby was unemployed. Now he found work down in South Carolina which is eleven hours drive from home. He starts today which is really a good news the bad thing about it is he will be far from us. He will stay there for just a month and then he will be back. It scares the hell out of me for him to be far away because honestly I have become dependent on him in so many ways. I have been used to being driven back and forth to work. Hubby washed all the dishes, washed and pressed the clothes and takes care of the kids assignments. He even cooked for us when I am busy with work. Oh well he has to work for us to survive. It will not be that long too at least. Hon, I'm missing you already.;-(

Acing It With the Agent and The Stager

The agent and the stager came to help us today. We are just almost done with the packing up but I am waiting for them since I do not want to pack the stuff that they wanted to decorate. We finally finished cleanng up the kid's room with my superfast and super strong friend Gen. One petite lady with I don't know where on earth she gets her strength. We work so hard as a team. The agents were really pretty impressed of what we had done with the house. The last they time were here was a mess with boxes in the family room. I told the agent and the stager that anything they don't like can go. Funny thing about it is I have packed up most of the things I wanted to go to make the house fairly spic and span. They did minimal changes to furniture arrangements. They moved the dining table to the dining area from the kitchen. They also put up the big mirror in the living room and I was pretty happy about it. We might need a small breakfast table in the kitchen area.A pat in the back to Mel and Gen. Yey! I felt so happy that the agent told me I had done a really good job to the house and one day I might be a stager too. I watch HGTV all the time so I basically pick up some ideas. Are you kidding me? Lol. They told us what to do next and to get ready for house picture taking to be put up on the net.

Updating Essentials

I am almost done with house clean up. We just finished cleaning the spare room today which became a storage room after a while of dumping stuff we don't need in there. A million thanks to my friend Gen for helping me clean it up. Without her clearing the house will be impossible for me. You're the best Gen!

Next step is to update the family room, living room and bedroom. I believe it is essential to update some rooms in the house. I want these rooms to really look nice and lovely to interested buyers. I stumbled upon New Products by the Merchant Source. The curtains and their curtain rods look so fabulous for our family room. My hubby is laughing at me now. He told me that I am working too hard to please these people. I wanted my living room to be festive. I think the New Products by Taylor and Company would greatly help me with it. Christmas is around the corner and red throw pillows will accent the living room this season. It is getting cold and I need winter comforters now to keep me warm and toasty. The New Bedding by Egyptian Peddler would look great in our king size bed.

Are You Ready For Thanksgiving?

My kids will be bringing some food for their Thanksgiving party tomorrow. Sweet daughter will bring some vegie sticks and sonny boy will bring some crackers. Daughter said she will dress up like a pilgrim crazy thing about it is her teacher never wrote me a note about it. She just told her that what she would dress up like a pilgrim period.
I did not grow up celebrating this event since I lived in the Philippines. I have only been three years in the US of A. Usually I will just asked my husband when will Thanksgiving be. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the Fourth Thursday of November. It is an American annual tradition historically a religious tradition to give thanks to God. The Pilgrims at the Plymouth Colony survived their first brutal winter in 1863 in New England. The feast lasted for three days. The pilgrims and the indians shared their food together.
Annually we buy turkey and pumpkin pie. I think these are some of the food the pilgrims and the indians shared.

Gearing Up The Van

Our next residence will be a long drive from New Jersey. Yes, we are going to have a long trip to Cumberland Maryland. It will take five to six hours to get there. I can tell you that because we have visited that place once before. It is a pretty charming town set in a valley. I like it because it looks old but friendly. Before you reach there you will come across between a split mountain purposely cut to create the road. It is very interesting place. Best of all we own that house because it has been paid off. I will be bringing some reading materials, nintendo ds, portable video and other stuff that will entertain the kids. I hate it when they always ask me if we have reached our destination as their patience grow shorter. The longer the drive the better that we are all comfortable.
Before all this will happen we have to prepare our van. It is better to gear it up to avoid accidents on the road. To prevent from car problems that would make us regret later is on top of our list. Hubby and I are searching for the good auto repairmen. He told me that I am good at searching so I looked for one. He also asked me to find out amongst my friends for recommendations about it since I have more friends here. One good friend told us about Los Angeles auto repair. She told us she had her Honda Civic done there. I rode on her car once after it was fixed and it was as good as new. We need a new head gasket, new wheels, new break level and freon. Wheel realignment is one important thing that needs to be done too. We will be happy when all of this will be done at a considerable price. By then we will be ready to go to Maryland without a hassle.

Top Performer

Just the other day my supervisor gave me a card and thank me for being the top performer at work. Yay me! It felt so good to be appreciated. When I opened it I saw that there was a giftcard in it too. I shoed it to one of my friends and he was jealous. He was asking why he wasn't given one when he also did his best. I guess he was just pulling my leg. To be honest I felt that way the last time I saw another's friends name listed the last time. Then yesterday I saw the names of the top preformers on the wall right in front of the E Hr. It is overwhelming to be one. No matter how small the job if you did your best it always feels good to be appreciated.

Getting Ready To Move

I am back folks and I am so happy because I finally figured out the solution to my blogger post. It will never let me post or publish. It bugged me so much. I had so many things to write that is stuck in my brain. It took me a while to figure out. I searched and researched on what to do about this problem. Thankfully I was able to solve it. Oh well so much for the qualms about life.

While I was away from the computer I was busy packing up the boxes. I was a busy mom juggling with work, kids and general clean up. Our house will be up for sale since we cannot be able to pay for it anymore. The recession has hit us badly. As I have poested before hubby is unemployed. We are going to have our house listed by an agent but before this happens the agent will come to check it. He said he will bring a stager to make sure the house will be in good condition when we sell it. I have basically put all the boxes in the storage unit. Not long ago I have my carpets cleaned by professionals. I have keenly observed what they did. This time do it yourself carpet cleaning is a way to go for me. My husband always trust me on doing things on my own. Anyway he is always there to help me. I inspected the bathroom and it looks like the water is leaking from somewhere. I cannot do it myself so I would just call the bathroom water damage austin to fix this one.

I am thankful to Gen who helped me with my general cleaning and packing up. She even helped me put the boxes away. She's a superwoman. Come Tuesday I will just be sitting and waiting on my couch for the agent and the stagers. I did not want to destroy my furnitures while cleaning them because I want to bring them with me when we move to Maryland. The professional upholstery cleaning austin did a wonderful job making my couch smell and feel so fresh and clean.

Mabuhay Pacman...Mabuhay Filipino!!!

I worked the whole day yesterday. It was a busy day. The crowd rushed like money would run out of style. I was so tired when I got home. I rested for an hour then hubby yelled that it's time to go. I almost snapped. I told him that he can go by himself if he really want to since I was not ready to go yet.
We went to hubby's friend for a family dinner last night. They were Taiwanese friends and they are vegetarian. This was our second dinner with them and the food was better than the last time we went there. The kids never knew that all they were eating that night was vegetables. They keep going back and forth to the bathroom. Their house was located in a new subdivision in Sicklerville. The gps led us to an unfinished road that my husband did not follow since it was dark and rough road. Going out the subdivision it did the same thing. It led us again to that creepy old road. We had a fun conversation and I told them about Pacman. They never had any idea who he is since they were not boxing fanatics. But it was a good excuse for us because we have to go and meet with the rest of my Filipino friends gathering together to watch Pacman. It was 10PM and we rushed going back to Marlton. First we got Gen who brought Pancit canton. Then we went to Glendora to be with friends. We were just in time when we got there. I had my second dinner...barbecue, beef steak, spare ribs and all kinds of filipino pancit. What should we call this Men?.. Glutony at it's finest? Thanks to Menmen who hosted the gathering and the super tasty food. It was a good fight between Pacman and Margarito the Mexican guy who was a lot taller and heavier than him. David outdid Goliath with his strength and skills. He got worried at this opponents face. It was bleeding left and right. In fairness Margarito was a tough guy who fought till the end. Pacman won in a unanimous decision. He just got his 8th Division title making him one of the best boxer in the whole world. Pacman congratulations... we are really proud of you! You're the best!

Malling With Friends

It's my first time to go malling with my friend Menmen... and oh it was an unplanned event. Last Tuesday was my day off. I was so glad I have found time to clean my clutter at home. In between cleaning the house and getting online on FB we decided to go malling with Gen. I thought this is something spontaneous and funny. We went to the Cherry Hill mall and waited for Menmen. The first thing I felt was hunger. I had been cleaning the house and I really did not bother to eat. We went to the food court and grabbed some smoothies and some Japanese food. I love Japanese food so healthy and good. Then we started going around. I was able to get a good price on my red sweater at Aerospotale. It was marked $50 some bucks and I got it for 15 dollars. Sweaters were on sale for 50% discount. I also grabbed some shirts. Next she showed us Abercombie. It was a bit expensive but next time I will be in the mall I will grab a sweatshirt or T shirt from there. Then we went to Bebe. I like the simply elegant designs they have fro women there. I bought a black shirt not on sale though. Then we went to Nordstrom. Menmen showed us the very expensive bags that hubby will surely collapse when I will attempt to buy one. We decided to get a Shesheido compact powder. It has good quality designed especially for Asian women. I did not realize until today when I opened the box that it was only a refill. The girl gave me a refill. OMG. I will have to back to the mall to get a compact and not a refill maybe next time. Menmen brought us home. Thank you Men for the company. I really had fun.

Congratulations!

It's a boy! It's a boy! It's a bouncing baby boy. My friend Mary Ann gave birth to a handsome baby last Wednesday. They named him Gabriel. It is such a beautiful name. She sent me a pic of the baby. He is really very adorable. She had a CS operation but she is safe and sound now. By tomorrow they will be home. Congrats Ann!Welcome to motherhood!

Renovating

This blog has always been a work in progress. I am happy of the result in what I did. Now it feels authentic and most of all refreshing to look at. Oh well just in my own opinion. I am so happy to be able to help my friends Gladys and Comely create their blogs. I made theirs first before I decided to renovate mine. Drop by their blogs and see a part of my design and creation. I would not play know it all in blogging but I do love to designing. They both have asked me how to do it but it really takes time to explain it since I was just playing with the computer with no concrete knowledge on how to come about it. It's a hit and miss method. Thanks for passing by.

Say Cheese!

As promised here are some of the pics I took when we went to New York. We all had a blast came home tired but happy that we did something worth remembering!;-)

Is Finally Home

We went to New York City yesterday to renew my kids' passports. I also wanted to report my marriage at the Philippine Consulate at the same time but they told me to send the papers to Chicago since I got married in Illinois 3 years ago. We went to Trenton and took a train to the city for an an hour or two. It took a long time to sit and wait at the consulate. I think we were there for the most part of the day. After the long wait the kids were sent downstairs to have their photos taken and biometrics. We were done around 3PM and we went to Bank of the Philippine Islands BPI office to open an account. My tummy was already rumbling at 4 and we have to travel 40 minutes to visit Jollibee (a popular Filipino fastfood) in Queens so we decided to get some coffee and food at dunkin donuts for a light snack before hitting Queens. We haven't eaten Jollibee in three years so we might as well go and get some. We went to the subway and rode the E train. My friend Gladys offered us her place for an overnight stay. It was really so nice of her. Thank you Gladys. Their place is not that far from Jollibee. We can either walk or ride a bus. We decided to get a mocha cake for Menmen at Red Ribbon before going home so we wont have to go back and forth. Red Ribbon and Jollibee is located along Roosevelt Avenue where we got a train bound back to Manhattan. We went to Gladys house and rested for a while then we hit back to Manhattan. Times Square is a lot beautiful by night! It was really a lovely sight. We took a thousand pics that I haven't uploaded yet. I left my camera with Jen so I might be able to upload it tomorrow.

The Noise

I'm hearing noises of something moving, clicking in the next room. Am I dreaming? Argh... I woke up to the sounds hubby is making opening and closing the tubs. Crazy thing about it is he wants me to discard some of my belongings. Throwing away the stuff I have not worn for years that I kept in the boxes is a hard thing to do. He has to help me decide with it because if I were to decide I would rather be a pack rat. Waaa. "If I don't need it I should throw it away", that's according to him. The kids and I just cleaned that spare room the other day now he's into the boxes again. I thought it was annoying...I can't go back to sleep and it's 9 in the morning...might as well get out of bed and drink some coffee. It's a wonder how I slept without noticing the kids get into the bathroom or make noise when they get ready for school. I usually do.
When I went downstairs the tubs came flying down...I mean hubby carried them down for me to sort out. Okay sort sort sort... He was dismayed that out of 4 tubs he only got a handful of stuff to be thrown away so he warned me not to buy clothes anymore. Hmm that don't sound good. Shopping is an addiction or shall I say a therapy? Lol. I could put my dear unused and slightly used bags and clothes in the balikbayan box than throw it away. My gosh I spent money buying those. The four tubs became 2 tubs. I thought it was a success. I hope it made him happy. We are moving to Maryland and we really need to prioritize what stuff we should take with us.

Thank You Top Entrecard Droppers

I am truly grateful for the blog authors who take the time and effort to come and visit my blog. It feels so good to see you guys around. I did my best to go and visit your blog as well. Thanks once again.
1. Women's Fitness Videos
2. Men's Fitness Video
3. Joe Taxpayer
4. Another Fine Meal
5. Just Plain Tired...
6. Small Town Mommy
7. Crazy Suburban Mom
8. Funky Town Disco
9. Parent Times
10. East Coast Life

I Got Dyson Baby!

Having tried one vacuum cleaner brand to another I was a little bit dismayed. I always wanted to have a dyson but that it's for sure one costly vacuum cleaner. When I was in the breakroom a I saw a 40% employee discount for a dyson vacuum cleaner. I showed it to hubby and he agreed to grab one fro me to use. Lucky me! I'm so happy to get a dyson vacuum cleaner. It was a little bit expensive since it was marked 399 as a retail price. I got a 40% special discount plus 10% for employee discount plus 10% target rewards discount and 5%discount for using the target card. Wow what a steal deal! Dyson has a 5year warranty so I think this must be good. I have heard from friends how well their Dyson works. I got a big smile on my face. Finally I got a Dyson!;-)

The Pet Issue

My 18- year old stepson wanted to adopt a stray cat that his gf found in their place. He said the cat is very nice and it won't scratch anybody. We have a pet rabbit that he adopted and it lived in his bedroom centuries ago. Now he wants a cat and he said he will bring the rabbit out to the family room again so the kids can play with it. I always wanted to have a dog but hubby said no. Would it be fair to adopt a cat and not a dog? I firmly told hubby that I don't want the cat around since he never said yes to a pet dog. Secondly we are selling the house soon since we are moving out and I am certain that it is hard to sell a house with pets. The cat will stay in his room he promised. The again we said no period. He wanted to know a good reason why we said no. His dad told him to find his own place since he is of age to go on his own. This way he can live with his pet cat. End of story.

Wild Turkeys

It seldom happens that one sees wild turkeys lurking around the neighborhood. As fall sets in this creatures must be having a hard time looking for food in the wilds. It finally started to rain this afternoon. Everything is wet and the sense of smell of these animals have been affected just like humans.
I woke up later today... the cold made me sleep longer. I changed the bedsheets. It feels good to lie down again after changing it. We just bough a new egyptian cotton blanket and a fall design flannel bed cover. They look so good together.;-)I'm loving it. Hubby calle me to hurry downstairs. he was yelling and I was nervous. Then he told me to get the camera because it seldom happens that the wild turkeys venture in the neighborhood. They have keen sense of smell and human smell is their number one enemy. I was lucky to go upstairs and was able to make a good view of them. There were ten of them lurking around looking for food. I wonder if there is a way of catching one without using a gun. I wonder if wild turkey will have a different taste from a farm raised turkey.Lol. Sounds like a good dinner to me but all I did was take pictures of them.
Have you seen wild turkeys this close before?

Holly Molly Brown Outs

I was just wondering why there has been recent brown outs in Marlton lately. It happened twice yesterday when everything was calm and nice. Today there it's stormy and one transformer got hit by lightning down by route 73. I even saw and smelled the fire it caused. the cops blocked the road to protect the people from accident. I thought brown outs happen in the Philippines. Oh well I'm sure glad it only lasted for a minute not like the ones in the Philippines that it will last half a day or so.

Apple Picking

Have you tried apple picking before? It's fun and exciting family affair.;-)
We went apple picking last Thursday since the kids were out of school. Johnson's Farm has apples, pumpkins, blueberries, strawberries that is available to be picked at the right season. This time of year is a perfect time of picking apples. The kids had a blast. We picked apples that we have to pay for a 1.49 per lb. I thought that was much cause fresh picked apples were heavier and oh well really fresh. We paid 40plus dollars for the 4 bags and 3.50/head for the haybarn ride. They said we have to pay another 6.50 per kid if we will go to the animal farm and discovery playground sort of thing. Hubby thought it was a rip off cause we were made to pay every time. I told him we do it once in a while so there's no use complaining. As long as the kids are happy I'm happy and we did not let him pay I paid. Lol. It's a learning
experience for the kids knowing that apples grow on trees and not on the ground or anywhere else. They were also able to see some animals and other kinds of vegetation that grow in the farm like popcorn, sweet potato and etc. After that we had some soft serve ice cream. I love it.

It Hit Me By Surprise

My husband was laid off from work, the work that pirated him two years ago. He had add on bonus and all of our belongings were moved for free. He swore he will never work with this bunch of people who don't know the value of work. He always go to work the earliest. He worked overtime all the time yet he was laid off. Oh well he's not the only person being laid off to work, our neigbor was laid off before him and they worked in the same company. No projects were coming in so human resources were minimized. Hubby came home teary-eyed and I did not know what to do. I just told him not to worry because he can still find another job. he has structural designer skills and not a lot of people have a keen eye for details. It's just a sad thing. My family is not the only one hit by this crisis. The blow was just sudden that it shocked us. We are paying mortgage and taxes...With nothing coming in... now what? How can we pay the two thousand house mortgage and five thousand property tax? Waaa. I hope and pray there is light at the end of the tunnel.

My First Time...

We just got home from the movie theater. Today of all days is unforgettable for me, you wanna know why? Because today is my first time to go out and watch a movie with hubby and kids in a theater in my three years of living in the US. I remembered that I watched movies almost every week when I was in the Philippines because it only cost me a couple of dollars to get in but here it will cost you much more than that so we opt to just rent a movie every week using netflix. My daughter got a movie giftcard for amc theater that's why we were able able to go. Thanks to her friend who gave it during her birthday. We were debating last night on what to watch. My daughter wanted to watch Shrek3 but my son wanted to watch The Last Airbender and oh that's what I want to watch too so majority won. We went out and watched the Airbender. I liked it and most of all I was thankful that hubby went to watch with us. I thought he would just drop us off but he parked the car and bought us some snacks before heading to the movie.

Birthday Bash Coming Up

I have been busy preparing for my daughter's birthday party for the past couple of days. I was trying to grab some birthday giveaway contents for the children attending the party. We will hold it at Sahara Sam's. My hubby thinks it's a little bit expensive but we don't actually plan and hold such parties in every expensive places every year. At least there would be one of those birthdays that will really be memorable to her. I thank Jonna for giving her Spongebob birthday cake. I have a feeling this will be a blast for the kids. Hapoy birthday Heaven!;-)

Organizing the Spare Room

I have been lucky to have two days off in the weekend when everyone is busy working in the store. Yay me! A weekend with the kids and hubby. I slept late and woke up late no worries. I'm just lucky my husband is not demanding. I decided to have a summer cleaning of the spare bedroom. My kids shared one room since they really don't like to sleep all by themselves. They share a bunkbed which I think needs to be replaced a year from now. When she's ready to sleep all by herself one room is in waiting for her. For now we store all our extra belongings in there. Getting stuff in and out has made that room a complete mess. After dinner tonight I started cleaning the place. I am so lucky the kids helped me with it. I decided to open the tubs so I can segregate the clothes that are no longer of use to us, everyone's clothes. My kids helped me decide which clothes they want to throw away. I was able to collect one big black trash bag of clothes, unbelievable! I vacummed, the kids picked up the books and papers. The little boy keep going and down the stairs to get some thrash bags. He is always my best helper. I finally was able to organize the room. Now the kids have a playroom. They seem to love the place since it's already livable once again. Before I hit the sack let me greet you a happy weekend guys!

First Day of Kids' Vacation

Something funny is going on here. It's been a while since I updated my blog that i almost forgot on how to write a new post. I kept on thinking and looking around to see how to start. Ahh, finally I was able to find my way.;-)

Anyways, today is my children's first day of their long vacation. I woke up early and prepared them breakfast. They have already been going to the pool for the last couple of days since they only have had half days. Yesterday it was so ridiculously hot and they wanted to go swimming but I don't want them to go swimming so they decided to turn the garden sprinkler and had fun. Simple joy of kids what more could you ask for.;-) I don't have so much activities lined up for them but their teacher did gave them something to answer like once in a while so they won't forget everything about school. I do have a plan of having Heaven's birthday party at Sahara Sam's next month so we have a long way to go.;-) Ain't that cool.

Vacation Plans

Time flies so fast. A few more days it would be June which means the kids will have their two months vacation. I am so far enjoying the signs of summer. More fun in the sun. It has been ridiculously hot yesterday yet I manage to make some pork barbecue for dinner. Some grilled corn went well with it and the kids made their homework in the backyard. One of my relatives invited me to see them in upstate new York this summer but I am not sure yet if my family can go. We've spent a fortune in our last NYC vacation and we are still in progress of purchasing another lot so money is a little bit scarce as of the moment. We will see if this vacation will be finalized.
;-)Other thank that I would like to bring the kids to six flags safari which is 30 minutes away from home. I think that is another vacation plan option.

Happiness

The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.( Allan K. Chalmers )

Sometimes I feel so sad and alone. And then I would wonder why. Searching for temporary happiness will not make anybody happy but then happiness is simply is one's state of mind. Have you tried wanting something expensive? If you have bought that material did it give you lasting happiness? Been there done that yet it didn't make me glad at all.
Today I would prefer to be happy and avoid the thought of being sad. There is so much in life to hope for and love for. For all these I will do something. Then there is really somehing to look forward to.;-)

Good Luck With Your Studies Mark;-)

I will be helping my nephew go to college. He has one more year before he finishes HRM. I will provide him with tuition, books, food and transportation allowance. It won't really be easy because I am not rich yet I want to at least help him. Next month school starts and he will be going to school. I hope and pray God will help me in helping him. Hopefully he will be able to finish school soon. I would not ask anything in return as long as he will do his best to finish his studies. It may not be my obligation to send him to school but when he will finish his studies I am sure I will be happy too. I am doing my best to help him prepare for his near future.

Wondering On Wednesday

It's funny that I woke up early and went back to sleep yesterday morning. I ended up having having a weird dream. I was holding up to a horizontal pole above me as I was riding into something that seem to be travelling up above the air. I looked down and saw waterfalls and a really huge body of water. Is this real? Something was weird because I realized that I was not sitting down comfortably, instead I was at the tip of my toe as I was hloding the ploe above me and moved higher and higher. When I woke up my hands were clasp tight on top of my head. Thank God it was just a dream. I really wonder what it means since I could not really forget it. If I were to interpret my dream I would say it is the product of my longing of home away from home. Perhaps one day I will cross the pond again to see my mom, my brothers and sisters.

Enjoy Your Special Day Mommies!

Girly Comments & Graphics



Mama...
You are always sweet to your children
You are selfless too.
You are my inspiration
You are always in action
As a role model to us
Such love no one can surpass
I hope and pray everyday
That in this life you will be always happy
I love you so much.
Enjoy you special day!

Beautiful Wednesday

Yesterday was a fine day and today we have had anothe wonderful day. Ahhh, what a beautiful Wednesday and I am loving it. After the kids left for school, I started my day cleaning the living room, the stairs, the kids bedroom and our bedroom. Good thingit's my day off from work. I ended up so tired and took a nap this afternoon. I checked on my new plants outside when I woke up. The tomatoes looked good except for the other one that seem to be eaten by something an animal or an insect. I think the animals/ insects are attracted to its sweet smell. I also have sone cucumber and pepper and they are grwoing well too. We went to Walmart to get the stakes and another hose for the backyard. I wanted to get a clay pot for the tomato but they run out of it. Hubby promised to get one on the weekend.

Top Entrecard Droppers

Here comes May! We are welcoming May with a big sunny smile. The temperature reached in the 80's today. Feels like summer, we have to turn on the airconditioner to cool down. The kids got their swimsuits and took a shower with the garden hose. I thought that was funny but for the kids it's something really fun.

Before I forget let me thank you entrecard friends for visiting my blog from time to time. Your frequent visit has inspired me to blog more and visit you as well. I have learned so much from you as I read your blog too! Thank you for the visit and keep visiting!!!;-)
Top ten entrecard friends are:
1. Naoko of Cooking Japanese Style
2. Lula's Money Blog
3. Yeo Kee of Serian Man
4. People You Need To Know
5. My Sweet Haven
6. The Cooling Stream
7. Bible Examples
8. Twilight Saga Fanatic
9. Lea of My Life and People
10. Crazy Suburban Mom

Surprise Despida Party For Tess

Tess will be heading home back to the Philippines. She stayed for six months here in the US to visit her sister. For such a short time we became really good friends. By blood we are closely related by character we are compatible in each and every way. It's funny because we have known each other for not so long but we have develop a friendship based on trust, love and respect of who we are. Her sister decided to throw her a despidida party. We talked about it without her knowing. She slept in our house last Saturday. I made some food and she wondered why, it was something I make for special occasion. I told her I am going to share it among our filipino friends. She thought it was so sweet of me to be doing it without an occasion. Homemade embutido(meatloaf) and fruit salad, sounds yummy right?;-) When we sent her home she was surprise why there were lots of cars. I told her maybe it was just their neighbors. Then when we got in the house and everybody shouted "Surprise!. She was almost teary eyed. Her jaws dropped in surprise. Even one of the filipino priest was in attendance. She told me I was really good and cool in pretending. Hahaha! For sure she would miss us when she will be back home. We had a great time at the party. We had karaoke, long talks and took pics... a lot of them.;-) We will really miss you Tess. My family loves you so much. You know that!

The Power Of Prayer

No matter how small your voice is, no matter what state you are in life if you come to Him with a fervent heart your prayer will be answered. When I whispered to Him my heartaches and pains He listened. Thank you Lord for listening.
Not long ago I cried for an incident I considered wrong. I called it "the bathroom situation". I was yelled at a moment I never expected. I was mad but I did not talk back but I ended up crying. I talked to one of our work's team leaders and she brought it up to the HR. Funny thing about it I was also upset about this HR because I thought she ignored she saw and ignored the situation. Yesterday the HR called me and she asked for an apology for what she had done. I went up crying again. She told me she wanted me to be happy at work and I did not deserve to be treated that way. She even asked me what I want to happen but I told her I'm way passed by that situation. It should not happen to me or anybody else at work. I just hope it won't happen again. I did not expect an apology from someone higher than me but then it happened. Never underestimate the power of prayer to turn things around.

Lord Please Calm My Troubled Heart

Where can we find peace? Where can we find love and understanding? Life is a constant search of peace, love and understanding. Our experience will help us better. The bitter the experience the better the understanding of its mystery. Learning to see beauty of nature around us gives us peace. Loving and embracing the peace it gives us brings understanding.

It took me long enough to be with my lifetime partner. We were half the world away. Yet our constant communication has drawn us nearer each day. When we moved here in the States I thought I will be finally at peace since I will be with my husband. I never had a lot of issues with him. Our so called period of adjustments was not really chaotic one. Our past experience in life helped us a lot in dealing with each other. We are patient and understanding to each other. I am glad I didn't have any problem at all with my marriage.

But the people at work are the ones that troubled me. I did not expect that. Last Sunday an unexpected call of nature made me go to the bathroom. Then came the old woman our team leader and called me to get out. I was irked by such behavior. I was hurt and insulted by such action. I felt she treated me like I am uneducated and I am nothing. Nevertheless I did not say anything. My co worker realized that I looked so sad so she asked me what's going on. I burst into tears and did not say anything. I cannot stop the tears. I whispered to God,"Lord please calm my troubled heart." If at the verge of anger I said something to her I am sure it would be something I would regret later. So I kept my mouth shut. The HR even saw that and she did not say anything. So what's going on? I am glad I was able to let out what I felt today when I talked to my other leader. I felt her concern and her sympathy. She told me she will mention it to the HR. Well oh well, this might not be the final answer or closure to the problem but thank you Lord for at least calming my troubled heart.

Happy Weekend!

Yay, it's Friday once again. Time flies faster than I could ever imagine. Two weeks from now my ever dearest friend Tess will be going back to home sweet home. We are supposed to go out dinner tonight but I have work til ten. I am waiting right now for another comcast phone installer. The people who went here yesterday seemed to be confused on what they were doing. I hope today will be a better day. Have a good weekend guys!

Not Again...

I was busy preparing dinner when the phone rang. I knew it was a call from work. I did not care to pick it up since I was busy cooking. I did not know the reason why but usually I don't call back when work number appears. But this time, when the phone stopped ringing I called back only to know I was scheduled to work today. Oh my goodness gracious, I mistakenly wrote the wrong schedule again. I thought I will work Thursday and Friday but I was wrong I am suppose to work Wednesday and Friday. So I rushed to the store, I was already 30- minutes late. Oh well, if they fire me that's fine I am beginning to hate this job anyway.;-(

No Couch Potato!

Exercise has become a struggle for me. I admit I am gaining more weight since I started working two jobs. I needed more energy to keep going so I just keep on eating. The winter had made me so lazy too. But I decided to start my exercise again. We went out yesterday and took a good thirty- minute walk with the kids. I forgot my sweater but it turned out to be all right. I did not sweat but it was fine it was still a good and enjoyable exercise. The flowers are in bloom and they smelled so sweet. I missed walking, I just hope the pollen would not make me sneeze. Since it rained today we did not go out to walk. Instead I stepped on the treadclimber for forty minutes. I was sweating like a horse. I forgot how good it feels to be sweating out like this. It feels refreshing after the sweat and you take a shower.

Blog Makeover

Oh la la! I am having a blog makeover and I am loving it. Thank you once again Ivy dearest for designing my shopping galore blog. As a mother, I love to shop and save. I look out for good sales of the things I love from food, clothes, shoes, make up and medicines. Great savings start from every penny you keep. Guys, check out my shopping blog Shop-a-holic Gal.

Partying Worry Free

We went to Chuck E. Cheese for James birthday party on Friday. I figured out Friday would be good since it is a weekend and some of my friends will be able to go and attend. We had around 10 children and 10 adults. James had a blast playing with our filipino friends. This is not the usual setting for us Filipinos partying. We usually gather in somebody's house to celebrate any special occasion. I have never tried having a party at home. I admit I really love cooking but cooking for more than a couple family would really be very hard for me. This is one of those days that I would miss my home country. Help and manpower is very cheap and abundant there. Everybody would always be willing to help you clean the house, cook and prepare the food. The thought of having one without anybody's help is ridiculous for me. So I thought of looking ways when I can party worry-free. Thank goodness my hubby agreed that we will just celebrate it at Chuck E. Cheese. The food was really simple but the children gathered together and are having fun. And that is priceless to me. The kids played and played and truly had so much fun. Thank you for the stress free party hon. Thank you to all my friends who came and spent their precious time with my boy!