: Love Those Christmas Cookies :

Can you feel the Christmas air already? Hmmmm, actually with all the decorations in the mall already, Christmas songs being played over the radio and Tv shows showcasing Christmas stuff, how can we not feel it eh? Would you believe my sis JOYD has already wrapped some of her Christmas gifts ( I hope mine is already wrapped too hehehe !!).? Me, i still have to think about what gifts will I give so I have not started mine yet.

Anyway, don't you just love those cookies that your friends and relatives are giving you? With Christmas coming, i guess it's pretty unique to share your freshly baked home made cookies and wrapped it in a special box or canisters. I don't have a talent in baking so it'll be a challenge for me. Here are some yummy cookie recipes just in case you need one and want to bake for your kids and family.

: Pinoys Are Crazy Over Christmas !! :

It's the first day of SeptemBER today and look at what Pinoys are talking about already... CHRISTMAS in September!!! Just this morning while watching my 2 favorite morning shows, Unang Hirit of Channel7 and Umagang Kay Ganda of Channel 2, I got my cam and took these photos bec. their theme is already about Christmas.

That is how Pinoys are, as early as today we always think about Christmas and there are poeple who already put their Christmas tree up ( crazy!). They featured Tim Yap's Christmas tree at his house.

Umagang Kay Ganda Host Winnie showing off Christmas trees while Rica and Donita were live in Antipolo tog. with Santa and Mrs. Claus figurines

Drew, host of Unang Hirit live in Pampanga showing the colorful and famous capiz lanterns.

From Hawaii with Love!

Wow, just 2 days ago the mailman handed me a card and when I read it was from my online friend Kitty. I was so happy and it was so sweet and thoughtful of her to send me a Christmas card. I know it took about 3 weeks to get here since it was stuck in the mail. Nevertheless i am still grateful for Kitty's sweetness.

Thanks Kitts, hope to meet you too someday! (Sensya na bihira me maka dalaw sa blog mo, busy to death ate mo eh)

Our Family Reunion

We had our Family Reunion (my grandmother side) last Dec. 26, 2007 at the house of one of my mom's cousin. My late grandmother has 7 siblings and luckily only one is still surviving.

Actually it was the 1st time that we gathered during Christmas time since we are doing it during Easter. I reckon it was already 3 years in a row that we have not planned something like this.

As you can see we have color coding here (our clan was in WHITE SHIRTS- can you find me there!) and the rest had their colors. Some did not follow the color themes though. Each family will bring food and gifts for exchange gifts

The weather didn't cooperate bec. it was raining that time so we were stuck inside the house. The kids felft it was boring bec. there are no games just exchange gifts. I hope next time we will rent a bigger place like a clubhouse or something to accommodate all of us. And I know it is hard to organize such big event like this. Although it was kinda boring at least i had the chance to see some of my relatives all together.

Yay, i reckon we are over 200 people that day! What about you guys do you have family reunions or gatherings every year??

Our Christmas Day

Hello all, i hope you all had a great Christmas !!! We woke up early on Christmas day and went to my bro's place coz we will be havin' our lunch there and that is where all of my godchildren will go to receive their gifts from me.

It was "Manuhan" time where kids show sign of respect and later on will receive gift or money. We also visited some of our relatives. We had videoke machine but we turned busy out so we didn't have much time to sing.

Later at night we had the exchange of gifts and the kids had the blast opening their presents. YAy, only few more days and it's gonna be 2008.

Happy New year everyone!!! Me and Micah

Visiting our relatives

my nephews showing off their RC cars that their Aunt Joy sent

Our Christmas Eve

Every Christmas eve we always see to it that we will hear mass. We ate dinner 1st pre-Noche Buena and we had a simple one only. We just ate Shakey's Grand Slum Pizza and of course Ham that came all the way from Australia that Micah brought.

At 9:30 pm the Christmas Eve mass started and there were lots of people that attended the mass. The church was so full that we had to just settle outside. After mass we ate our leftover pre-noche buena feast and headed to sleep. I hope you all had a great Christmas everyone!!

More stories later and pics.

Hooray!!

Been busy here, just wishing you all a blessed and meaningful holiday this year! I'll be back after Christmas for more stories and pictures.

Thanks for all your messages!!

It’s time to pig out!!!!

Oh goodness me, it’s the time of the year when we always eat endlessly. From party, reunion, dining out and noche Buena foods who would not like to pig out? I guess those that are dieting will have to set that aside for a while since for sure you can’t resist all the delicious and mouth watering foods that will be serve this holiday.

Just this afternoon we had chocolate icecream and 2 boxes of pizza (meat lovers and mushroom with pineapples. Yummmm!!!

Hey we can still pig out and still exercise like those that are using their NordicTrack elliptical workout machine. Just remember it’s time to enjoy and don’t restrict yourself too much! Happy Holidays everyone!

Don't know what to give to my bro-in-law

Micah and I went shopping the other in Greenhills and she bought some things for herself with her own money so she was really budgeting it hhaha (good for her!). I told her also to look for a gift for her dad (my bro inlaw) but we can't think of what to give to him. I don't think he'd love men's jewelry as a gift though. We are planning to give something personalized so that it'll be more special. We'll just buy that next year before we leave for Sydney.

Christmas in Pinas

Philippines has the longest and colorful Christmas celebration ever, malls already started decorating as early as November, Christmas songs are heard early too. 9 days of Simbang gabi (dawn mass) already started on Dec. 16 and my sis inlaw has been hearing mass since the 16th at 4 am while I am so asleep.

Just sharing some pics i took at Robinson's Galleria mall last Sunday. MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone !!!!
I am quite busy here, sorry for not blog hopping during these days.

My niece finally arrived

Micah is here already last night and after almost 2 hours of waiting we excitedly saw her and some friends who accompanied her on her Qantas flight from Sydney. I could not recognized her immediately, me and my mom even asked her companion where is she and we're stunned to see her actually grown up and was so tall.

After that we went straight home and had dinner together with my other nephews and nieces and the rest of my family. The kids also got excited when they receive their chocolates, Christmas box is still coming.

Micah looks so different now and of course she is beautiful (love your own syempre). We were also got scared that she will be bitten with mosquito so we asked her to wear pyjamas, lol. Bilin ng mama nya na mag off lotion kasi baka magkadengue..

Here are photos that i want to share:

Front of NAIA taken from the airconed waiting room

Me and Micah (mana ba sa akin? hehe) look she is taller than me and she's only 13 years old..lol

Micah with cousin Karlo (pinoyblogero.com)

Us here

goofin' with her cousins (it's her 1st time to see Reign inperson)

It will be busy days for all of us here and of course i need to accompany her around and do the shopping..

Have you noticed???

Lately teens and kids’ Christmas wish lists are getting expensive each year isn’t it?? Common wish are x-box, psp3, i-pods, and other cool gadgets like cellphones with the unlocked phone feature where they can used various GSM-compatible carriers worldwide and even laptops.

Geez, adults are sometimes getting crazy, just yesterday my two 10 yr. old nephews wanted an advanced gameboy each as gifts and they never thought it was that expensive. We don’t want them to indulge also to too much games bec. it can also affect their studies so I’m not sure if they are getting that this year. I also reckon that we should not give kids toy guns/swords as gifts, i don't think that is a nice one to give them.

I got a Christmas gift already!!

We are having an exchange gift at our Phil. Digi-scrapping forum and we are given a pair to exchange gifts this Christmas. Our allowed price is bet. $15-$20 (shipping excluded) and we have posted our wish list so that our "mommy" will have an idea what we want.

And since I'll be traveling out of the country next year and I will be bringing some of my files, I just thought of asking a 2GB flash drive or a Canon Rebel wireless remote control for my digicam. I was so happy the other when a delivery man entered my store and handed me a pack. I read the package and saw it came from my co-Bebot ABBIE and was glad to know that she is my "mommy".

I opened the package and here is what i got, a very useful 2GB flash drive and this cute Christmas card w/ beautiful message inside. Thank you mommy ABBIE !!! Love the gift.. muahhh


BTW, to my "baby", my gift is on the way, hope you'll get it before Christmas.

The boxes are here!!!

Wahooo.. finally the 5 boxes that my sis in Riyadh sent to us are already arrived this morning and we are so excited to open it. They sent it through sea cargo and after 45 days it's here and it was just in time for Christmas.

I know a lot of Pinoys who have relatives abroad will be receiving balikbayan boxes esp. this Christmas. Oh i can't wait to open the boxes later.

For Filipinos living in abroad for sure they misses their relatives back here in Pinas and i know they want to spend the holidays here because nothing beats the way we spend Christmas here. O, have you sent your boxes already?

Have a great week everyone !!

Oh Christmas Tree

Here are just some of the shots that i took using my new cam, I am enjoying it. I will share more later, some of my shots are bad and blurry bec. i didn't get the proper lighting or due to camera shake. Just took photo of my sisinlaw's Christmas tree behind their bamboo backdrop the other night.

Advance Merry Christmas to all and have a great weekend too!

Digi-Scrapper's Kris Kringle

Don't you just love joining Kris Kringle during Christmas? The excitement starts when you pick out the name of your monita/monito (as we call it here) and you also keep on wondering who got your name for this exchange gift. I remember how exciting it was when I was still in highschool, opening the gifts of my "mommy" is always anticipated. Sometimes i end up receiving gifts that i don't want and don't fit me..lol

Right now we are having exchange gift at our Digiscrappers Forum and i already know my "baby" and her preferred gifts. We need to give gifts priced from $15-$20 and we should send or mail it to her mailing address, if i'm not wrong till end of Dec.. Actually i am excited over it and i think i'll buy my "baby" this week or early next week.

Hmmmm. ..Chocolates!!

Hmmmm you on earth can resist such luscious chocolates?? I may not be a chocoholic but I would love to receive and have a taste of it. My mom and the rest of my family always love chocolates that is why my relatives abroad (US, Saudi and Sydney) would always try to send us lots of chocolates when they send boxes.

Chocolates are perfect also this Christmas as gifts especially when you give them chocolate gift baskets for sure they’d love to have it. Last year I gave some small homemade chocolates to as Christmas presents but if you just prefer to buy then you’d find great ideas online. Have you tried giving chocolates as gifts?

Have you sent your Christmas cards already?

If not.. then you should post them already or they might end up being stuck in "mail traffic" this year. I already mailed my Christmas cards local and international this morning and I just hope my relatives and friends in the US will receive it before the New Year. I remember mailing my cards in the middle of Dec. last year and they got it almost end of January already ..lol

Advance Merry Christmas everyone!! Do you still send Christmas cards by post mail or e-cards are just ok for you to send?

The most wonderful time of the year

Nothing else but.. Christmas !! Oh my goodness I can really feel the Christmas air here right now. Most of the decors have already been put but I am bad I’m kinda late this year; I will just put my decors here in my shop tomorrow morning and tonight at the house. Oh well at least it’s that not that late huh..

Later this afternoon, I will be going to the nearest bookstore and mall to buy some gifts for my nephew and niece (shhh they don’t know this). I already know what I will be giving them this year. For my other godchildren, I think it is just practical to give them money instead of buying a gift that I don’t know if they like it. We will not have a renovation at the house this year, I planned on getting new curtains for my room but I don’t think it will push through though.

Anyway, for those that are renovating or looking for some cool Window Shades, I’ve been browsing online (as usual) and came across Select Blinds. I just though of sharing this here so you can check it out. They have different types from roman shades, sheer, roller and more.

I love the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition show and I just found out that they got the supplies of blinds and shades at Select Blinds and it was even recommended by Ty Pennington (show’s host). That recommendation is a stand out since the show will not get a poor second quality for house they are doing the makeover. They are also having a 25% discount for December and that is something great coz we’ll be budgeting our money for other shopping. You can check out the site now for great deals.

PHOTOHUNT: RED

WOW, it's already the 1st day of Dec. and only 24 days and it's Christmas already!!!!!

Anyway, I just bought my Canon Rebel Xti DSLR 2 weeks ago and I'm kinda excited to shoot photos. I am still learning all the settings and I know I still have a lot to learn. These Christmas trimming of my sis-in-law's tree are great subject.

These are my first few shots and do you think it is quite alright for dslr 1st time user?

Happy Hunting and Happy Weekend everyone!! My other entry at my other blog.
Join us at Photohunters!

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