note to self

"To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury; and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable; and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasion, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony."
-- William Henry Channing

Happy Friday!

It's Friday!  It is pouring outside but I am ready to go out and play.   I have a date with my sister-in-law tonight if you will excuse me.

This weekend it is expected to rain more.  We have no plans but to pack and get our things ready for our trip to Maui.   I can't wait for the much needed relaxing family time - picnics on the beach, watching the sunset, building sand castles, just to name a few of the things I want to do.  Oh, and some luau in between :)

I am hoping to come back rejuvenated.

other interesting things from the world wide web:
A mother's letter to her children about marriage
Here are a few thing you can do when you are out of ideas of what to write on your blog.
Refer to this A-Z list on how to store fresh produce.

Pinteresting

1. Peshtemal Bath Towel 

I'd like to splurge on these pretty towels.  They cost $44 (including shipping).  I use it at least 365 times a year, so that's like paying $0.12 per day. Justified? Hmmm... 

2. Anthropologie Ilk T-straps

I was saving my money to buy these cute sandals. I pinned it and bam! people pinned the hell out of it and now this color is sold out!

3. Polyvore

I stumbled on this site while Pinteresting.  This is a fun place to play dress-up without spending money ;)

Well not really .... because you are tempted to buy the entire outfit after you create your masterpiece.  In the mix up I put together below I already own the dress, but the bag and the shoes ?  Well, I was pinning like crazy that day in hopes I was going to win the $640M Mega jackpot.  I did not win. So it shall remain in my imaginary closet until I catch up paying my credit card.

5. I need this Kitty Tufted Rug

Sophia loves cats and I think this will look nice in our teeny hallway.

Do you pinterest?

Thursday Things

1)  Although I was feeling under the weather last weekend I tried my hardest to keep my promise to take Sophia to the Natural History Museum to see some dinosaur specimens.  The new 14,000 sq. ft. Dinosaur Hall displays one of the most stunning Tyrannosaurus rex exhibit I have ever seen.

2) I'll tell you, I'm a pretty good home cook.  But I admit I will never be able to pull off something like this Roasted Lamb and this Tonkatsu Ramen.

3) I need to make a two-week grocery plan like this gal. It's embarrassing to admit but I go to Trader Joe's almost everyday.  I mean, every crew there know me now and they tell me I might as well work there since I'm there all the time.  I am such a bad meal planner.  I don't write grocery lists which makes me prone to forgetting important ingredients and things we need around the house.  And dinner, I only think of it while driving home from work while stuck on the I-5.  Luckily TJ is right by my house so it is not much of a hassle to stop by on my way home.  But, my daily trip to the store is costing us a bit more money.  I need to wise up and start creating a weekly menu.

4) I won a trip to Maui for two! through St. Anthony's school fundraising.  I only paid $10, five raffle tickets at $2 each.  I am so blessed I couldn't contain it for a few days. Of course, we can't leave Sophia behind so we'll have to pay extra for her to come.  I am excited!!!  This is going to be our first family trip ever outside of California, and the best thing is that it is all paid for for the most part. How cool is that?!

5) Did you watch the Oscar's?  I didn't.  However I saw the video of Sacha Baron Cohen dumping Kim Jong II ashes on Ryan Seacrest.  That was probably the highlight of the event anyway. Oh, and Angelina Jolie's right leg too perhaps?

6)  Our annual employee evaluation at the office is coming up and I am all stressed out.  I am planning to negotiate for a salary increase.  I am thinking....and praying ...and praying some more. What will I say?   I am rehearsing the words in my head.  But first, I need guts!  I want to be able to negotiate effectively....and without tears!

7)  I read this article about the importance of play.  I recommend all parents with young kids to read it.  I am guilty of pushing Sophia a bit too early in her academics.  She's known her alphabet since she was 18 months old and she just started writing her name.  I am proud of her!  I would like for her to succeed, and just like every mother I want her to get ahead of other kids her age.  It is nice to be reminded that play at this age is very  important.  It is in playing where they learn self-regulation.  They learn how to handle their emotions through free play.

8)  I bought a similar Sha D'Lei Kantha Tote on impulse and I am mad at myself.   It's ummm... a little too big for me and it's a final sale.  Ooops!

9) This blog posts about exotic Ilocano food.  It makes me miss home and the food so much.  Yeah, it gets really exotic sometimes but it is what it is.  Don't click on the link if you have a weak stomach. :)

10)  It's lent.  What are you giving up?  Aside from not eating meat on Fridays I am also not logging on Facebook on Fridays.   Does that count? I know, shame on me!  Ok, I'm giving up soda too.  How is that?

For Good Luck In The New Year

A variety of practices and foods are believed to be lucky and improves the odds that next year will be a great one. Traditions vary from culture to culture. Growing up in the Philippines the following are traditions that stuck with me.  Although I am not a superstitious kind of person I usually do a couple or more just for the fun of it.

1) Fruit platter : For good luck, I believe this is of Chinese origin, my sister prepared a big platter of fruits on the table, filled with 12 varieties of fruits. They must be all round, or almost round. In the mix are grapes, watermelon, cantaloupe, lanzones, apples, oranges, etc.

2) Grapes :  Apart from the ones used on the fruit platter, my sister hangs grapes on top of doors and windows.  Supposedly it's for prosperity, a symbolism of more money coming in.  By the way, I just read that   in Spain, people consume twelve grapes at midnight—one grape for each stroke of the clock, each grape representing a different month.  For instance if the second grape is sour it means February will be an unpleasant month.  And in Peru, people eat a 13th grape for good measure.

3) Jumping : We Filipinos are typically short so it isn't a surprise that every Filipino I know practice the tradition of jumping at the strike of midnight.... to grow taller in the next year! Ha!  I think it is ridiculous, but it is actually fun seeing everyone jumping.

4) Coins for prosperity.  My sister scatters coins on the window sill, and makes sure everyone in the family have coins in their pockets.

5) Clothes : wear polka dots and yellow clothing for prosperity, red for love, green for good health.

6) Do NOT eat chicken or you will live a 'hand to mouth' or paycheck to paycheck life.  In Tagalog we say, "isang kahig, isang tuka" like chickens do.

7) Carry a backpack for more chances of travelling abroad.

8) Clean and get things organized on New Year's Eve.  I think this is more because we like to have a clean and fresh start in the New Year.

9) Try hard NOT to spend anything on the 1st or you'll be spending everyday in the year.  Try to get money IN instead.

10) This year I am trying something new.  I will make lentils and sausage as suggested for good luck here.

What to Expect When You're Expecting

A few days before my mentrual cycle I had a slight suspicion that I might be pregnant. Usually I have my period on the dot and know all the signs leading to it. This month though I did not feel any of the premenstrual signs, and in addition I had the feeling of being hungry all the time. FIve days after, as my suspicions grew I decided to buy a home pregnancy kit and true enough in bright blue ink the "+" sign showed. DH and I were both happy although we thought we can't really get excited until a doctor confirms it. I did not have an Obgyn so I had to look one up from my health insurance website.  On April 15th I had my first prenatal test and confirmed that I am indeed pregnant.. 6 weeks and 2 days! The doctor calculated I'd be due on December 7th :)

On the same day I also started the much dreaded morning sickness. Every smell seems to make me nauseous specially the smell of food which in turn made me lose my appetite on almost everything. Therefore I'll stop blogging for now until I get over this stage ... hopefully soon!