11/09/2009 09:54:00 AM

The Xmas Tree hunt

from the keyboards of misis_pb

Last weekend, I pulled-out my Xmas decors and was actually thinking of decorating the house. Somewhere between opening the boxes and setting up our small Christmas tree, I lost the interest in finishing it up and ended the day by placing all the decors back into the box.

Its been a wonder for me how come National Bookstore and SM malls can make a simple tree majestic, but Shopwise can't seem to. Now that Christmas is once again just around the corner, with my own house to decorate (its only our 2nd Christmas in our house), I feel the urge to once again find that perfect Christmas tree solution.

Then I remembered posting this...



So for this year, We will do this. Now, how to stick those abubots is another planning session.

:-)

Here's another brilliant idea...


Although, Im pretty sure the house will have scattered post-its all around becasue Taal will try to pick it up from the wall and stick it somewhere else...

But its another option...

Now, if i can only find something else... Any suggestions?

8/22/2009 01:47:00 AM

The "master's" bedroom...

from the keyboards of misis_pb

Need I say more??

8/19/2009 09:24:00 AM

Ultrimate Egg Sandwich

from the keyboards of misis_pb

I have always been a big fan of sandwiches. If i had time, i'd make one everyday for baon! And my love for delis also made my mind create super sandwiches of different hams and sausages in my head.


Last week i dropped by Chowking in Pacific Star for my usual breakfast take out every morning. I saw this booth in the far end corner "the Sandwich Guy" but was hesitant to try because it looked like they just opened and no one was really buying. You know what they say, when its being mugged, it must be good. So i just ordered congee from Chowking and headed to the office. Jollibee is my normal breakfast buddy, that say I bought Chowking, can be called a special day. :-)

This morning, I was thinking of trying something different again. Was actually considering Pancake House in Petron, then that 45minute traffic in Sucat Road made me crave for Sandwich and the only thing in my mind is "the sandwich guy" in Pacific Star. When I got there, there were around 6 people in line waiting for ntheir sandwiches. But i patiently waited for my turn. I watched the crew make the sandwich and this time i was already so hungry i wanted to get a taste of all their sandwiches.

When it was my turn to order, I blurted the HBLT (Ham, Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and cheese), because the guy crew was making 5 HBLTs and each overflowing with shredded bacons! I also wanted their crab stick and mango but it was not available so I settled for their English Egg Salad.
I ate that this morning.... and no regrets at all...

I already had to have a bite before taking a picture! See that chunky slices of eggs? It was really good. And the contents were in generous amounts! Unlike other sandwiches for sale.

For P60.00 this is definitely a must-try.

My lunch sandwich awaits....





5/27/2009 11:09:00 AM

The Nest: 10 Kitchen-Cleaning Tricks

from the keyboards of misis_pb

Thanks to The Nest for this 10 Kitchen-Cleaning Tricks

When you think about it, you practically spend as much time in your kitchen as you do your bedroom -- and it can get just as messy. Follow our easy plan to keep it looking more fab than frat-house.

Clean Weekly:

  • Appliance faces: Use a mild cleaner or make a paste of baking soda and water to clean. Dissolve grease on the stovetop with a sponge soaked in white vinegar.
  • Microwave: Soak the turntable in sudsy water while you wipe up interior splatters. Or try a steam clean: Fill a microwave-safe glass with 2 cups of water and either 1 teaspoon of vanilla or a few slices of lemon. Run on high for 5 minutes and wipe the sweet-smelling interior clean with a paper towel.
  • Countertops: Spray on an all-purpose cleaner (or run disposable wipes over the surface) and let it sit 10 minutes.
  • Sink: Pour down several quarts of boiling water to flush out grease. Follow with 1 cup of white vinegar and scrub the basin with baking soda.
  • Floors: Wash tile or stone floors with 1 cup vinegar and 1 gallon of water. For icky grout, mix 1 Tbl. bleach and 2 cups warm water. Scrub with an old toothbrush.

Clean Monthly:

  • Oven: If you don't have a self-clean oven, sprinkle salt on the residue while the oven is still warm. When it cools, scrape it up with a spatula and wipe clean with a cloth. Got stuck-on crud? Use a nylon scrubby sponge dipped in soapy hot water.
  • Fridge: Wash the interior with a solution of baking soda and warm water, about 1/2 cup of baking soda for every gallon of water. Clean the drain pan and vacuum underneath the refrigerator.
  • Garbage can: Hose it down with hot water; then spray with a disinfectant.
  • Cabinets: Wipe them down with 1/2 cup white vinegar or a solution of 1/4 cup liquid oil soap and 1 gallon of warm water.
  • Dishwasher: Run a complete cycle with an empty machine (just detergent) for a clean, deodorized space.

5/27/2009 10:47:00 AM

Another bright idea...

from the keyboards of misis_pb

Hmmm... I wonder if the husband will let me do this... I actually like its chaotic-artistic-bright-homey effect.... But restrictions restrictions.... tsk tsk tsk... Thanks to Apartment Therapy for this photo.

5/07/2009 09:27:00 AM

De-Cluttering Tips

from the keyboards of misis_pb

Fight back against the clutter with these ten simple tips.

1. Create a space just for your mail. Designate a spot and make sure there's a garbage can nearby so you can chuck all of the unwanted stuff.

2. Designate an inbox and outbox. These can be wall pockets, a leather box, or a pouch that hangs off a knob on the back door. Your outbox is for what goes out with you the next day.

3. Place a catch-all container near the door. Place your keys, sunglasses, parking pass, subway pass, etc. in this spot. They'll be easily reachable when you're heading out.

4. Have a main bin. You can put your bills, stamps, checkbook, and a pen inside, and place it on a bookshelf for easy access. Just make sure the lid is on when guests come by.

5. Get as many bills and statements online as you can. Download your credit card bills and bank statements and back them up on an external hard drive once a month to reduce the chance of identity theft.

6. Have mobile file boxes to keep your paperwork organized and handy. When mail comes in, either file it away or shred it.

7. Keep a paper shredder for safe disposal of paperwork with personal identification information. (You can get a good shredder for as cheap as $30.)

8. Deal with your mail on a regular basis. Don't get overwhelmed every month -- look at your schedule and pick one day a week to spend half an hour going through it.

9. Purge your files once a year. If you aren't sure about throwing away something, ask your accountant. The IRS has three years to audit you, so you can probably get rid of files older than that.

10. Designate a place for magazines and catalogs. This can be as pretty as it is practical. Forgo the sofa-side bin and go for a wall rack, your favorite mags can be affordable wall art, and more importantly -- contained! 

Source here

4/22/2009 09:47:00 AM

The Indian Pillows

from the keyboards of misis_pb

The start of my Indian-inspired sala make-over...

I drool over bargains like anyone. Especially if i get to buy something expensive at almost 70% off the original price.

  

Bought this babies originally priced 395.00 each at 120.00 each.  Still quite expensive but its really nice and beautifully made.  These are items bought from India, made in India.  I guess a lot of people found it too expensive that Shopwise had to offer it for clearance sale.

Bought this a little over a month ago but just got to use it last night.  Shopwise Sucat finally had the pillows for it.


I intentionally bought different designs as advised by my Mom who was with me when I bought this.  I got 5 pillow cases which turned out to be a problem since the throw pillows came in packs of 2.  Now i need to find another pillow case to make use of the extra throw pillow.


4/17/2009 10:55:00 AM

Green Walls

from the keyboards of misis_pb

Dear Ga,
Sharing with you a picture of a room with walls with same color as ours.
Please help me execute something like this.

I think it would really make a difference. :-)

Love,
P



4/16/2009 10:36:00 AM

We found a winner!

from the keyboards of misis_pb

We have bean meaning to change Taal's feeding bottles since Nov 2008.  When it comes to personal things, i sometimes get too attched to it which makes it hard for me to let go.  Especially when i have been using it for a time already.  That's why even if i had issues with Playtex' nipples and the vent-aire seal, i still hanged on to it up until last weekend.  

But hey, I still love playtex' baby products  I cannot be more thankful for their  breast pump which became a good friend for almost 5 months.  And their breast milk storage system which filled our freezer for a while. And Playtex is not really cheap.  I had to save up on some things for this!  I'd still give high ratings for the Vent-Aire bottles.  Taal rarely had colics through-out his infant days. And i'd like to think the bottles worked as it promised.  

I guess a product cannot just be too perfect. The nipples and the bottom seal started to accumulate milk particles even with the thorough washing.  At first I though it was just my Yaya not brushing it too well so i started brushing it myself.  Only to have the same un-brushable  remnants in the nipple and the seal.  

The option is to either change bottles or completely switch to Playtex Drop-ins.

The search went on...

The Tommee Tippee bottles caught our attention.  SM's Baby Company was on sale for this kind of bottles.  P1500.00 for a pack of 4 but when you buy individually, its at P399.00 each.  We could not gamble P399.00 that time we were there. 

We initially tried the Even-Flo bottle by buying 1 piece for P199.00.  And after trying it out for 2 days, we had to say goodbye to that P199.00 purchase.  Taal did not like it.  
Last Saturdays trip to the baby store made us again explore our options.  

And we found this quite interesting... The Breast Flow bottles...

I then asked the merchandizer to talk me into it.  Its specs and features... 

Which made us more interested.  
At P550.00 for a pack of 3 bottles, it wasn't so bad!  So we purchased it and crossed out fingers.  The bonus feature, which my husband only realized after we got home, is the bottle cover fitting unto the base so it wont get lost.  Bottle covers getting lost ruins my day.  Thank God they thought about it!

The conclusion?  We found a winner! Taal's been feeding on it for 6 days now  :-)

Sad part is the saying goodbye and packing up of the old Playtex bottles.. I gotta get over it somehow..

4/15/2009 12:40:00 PM

A colorful inspiration

from the keyboards of misis_pb

My walls in the house are too bare.

This is one great idea to make it more busy.

4/10/2009 05:09:00 PM

Surviving a relationship

from the keyboards of misis_pb

Sometimes i feel so down that it comes to a point that i question my commitment to our relationship.  I become unsure if i will survive this "forever".  Then I start to question what forever means.  Our forever may mean years. or months. 


I feel like its been too unfair.  And the mere fact that i am categorizing myself in that side of losing end is scary.  

Its either i get on with it and be miserable once in a while. 

Or let go now, be miserable for a while and let life go on.

I'm just so sad and the people around me are either to dense to notice or just don't have time to even bother knowing how i am.

This, my friend, is the sad reality i am facing right now.

My hands are shaking. and my brain is crying. 

4/08/2009 09:54:00 AM

Mumbai-Inspired

from the keyboards of misis_pb

I think I may have been an Indian in my past life.  I so so love indian designs and colors and designs an colors.  I love their contrasting combination.  Combination of colors one would never thought to blend perfectly.

Another cool post from Apartment Therapy










3/31/2009 01:34:00 PM

close to tears

from the keyboards of misis_pb

The world does not owe me anything.  So i should stop always feeling like it does.

I struggle like everyone else on this planet. I fight to survive, and that does not make me any different from the rest of the world.

I just wanted a moment of your time before you leave. TO think that you'll be gone for days makes my heart pop-up a frown. And you call this too emotional?  I hope you would stop mocking my emotions.  I have feelings and i love feeling it.  It makes me human.  And now I'm just too filled with pain and sadness. But I'm sure it will eventually go away.

I'm trying my best not to shed some tears while writing this. 1. because I'm in the office and 2.  If i start crying, it'll go on for more than an hour.  Been controlling myself from crying despite the "goings-on" around me.

But really, what's so wrong about asking for a few minutes of your time?  Am I really not worth it?  Am I on the end of your list?  What part of it don't you understand?  My reaction is quite normal I must say.  I feel bad because I know its possible to allot a few minutes for me but you simply chose not to.  And my God! How can I compete with a whole municipality? I can't believe you actually mentioned it.

You go on ahead and spend time away as long as you want.  I wont stop you but i hope when i find the courage to get out and travel ON MY OWN, you wont stop me or feel bad about it. I'd still go home to you.  Maybe you need this break as much i do.

I'll be fine. eventually. 







3/30/2009 02:20:00 PM

Marley and Me

from the keyboards of misis_pb


All the while I thought this movie was another one of those "magical-animal-talking" movies or "pet-flying-and-good-in-sports" kind of film.  When my sisters invited me to watch it while waiting for the lunch to be prepared yesterday in my parent's house, It got me intrigued why they did not want to tell me what was gonna happen.  So my curiosity made me watch half of it in BF and the rest in our house when i got home and just had to borrow the DVD to find out what the fuss was all about. 

With that thought in mind, it got my full attention all the way to the part when i cried my heart out.  And I really cried like a baby! And it still makes me teary-eyed every time I remember that scene.

This movie is no ordinary movie about masters and pets.  Its about family and love and loyalty.  Its quite serious actually for an Owen Wilson-Jennifer Aniston tandem.


3/26/2009 12:14:00 PM

My Boys...

from the keyboards of misis_pb

This is what I had to leave at home this morning.... Mag-tatay nga sila! 

3/18/2009 02:55:00 PM

Biblical reminders re Worrying

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While trying hard not to let my worries eat my day and ruin it,  I just had to google it up. Thanks to Wikipedia and About.com for the informative passages. 

Worry is an emotion in which a person feels anxious or concerned about a real or imagined issue, ranging from personal issues such as health or finances to broader issues such as environmental pollution and social or technological change. Most people experience short-lived episodes of worry in their lives without incident; indeed, a moderate amount of worrying may even have positive effects, if it prompts people to take precautions (e.g., fastening their seat belt or buying fire insurance) or avoid risky behaviours (e.g., promiscuous sexual relations or cliff diving). However, about one in four people, have chronic worry, an anxiety disorder which requires professional treatment. Chronic worry can cause heart attacks, high blood pressure, ulcers, gastrointestinal problems, muscular aches and pains, skin rashes, eczema, respiratory problems and asthma.[citation needed]

Here are four biblical reasons not to worry from About.com

  1. Worrying Accomplishes Absolutely Nothing.

    Matthew 6:27-29 

      Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. (NLT)

  2. Worrying is Not Good for You.

    Worrying is destructive to us in many ways. It becomes a mental burden that can even cause us to grow physically sick.

      Proverbs 12:25 
      Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. (NLT)

  3. Worrying is the Opposite of Trusting God.

    The energy that we spend worrying can be put to much better use in prayer. Here's a little formula to remember: Worry replaced by Prayer equals Trust.

      Matthew 6:30 
      And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? (NLT)

      Philippians 4:6-7 
      Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (NLT)

  4. Worrying Puts Your Focus in the Wrong Direction.

    When we keep our eyes focused on God, we remember his love for us and we realize we truly have nothing to worry about. God has a wonderful plan for our lives, and part of that plan includes taking care of us. Even in the difficult times, when it seems like God doesn't care, we can put our trust in the Lord and focus on his kingdom. God will take care of our every need.

      Matthew 6:25 
      That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? (NLT)

      Matthew 6:31-33 
      So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (NLT)

      1 Peter 5:7 
      Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (NLT)

3/12/2009 09:07:00 AM

art under pressure

from the keyboards of misis_pb

Another opportunity to express my creative juices... The boss asked me to make an invitation for his daughter's birthday. Made a photomosaic as an invite.  Thanks to Andrea Mosaic's free downloadable program.  Would not have opted for the photomosaic if not for their program.  The program's very easy to manipulate, it wont take a day to learn the nitty-gritty of their interface.  The processing though of the outcome may take a while, depending on the size of file and the number of tiles, both of which you will specify before creating the mosaic.  


As much as I'd like to share the mosaic i made, i will opt not to, it's a collection of personal photos of my boss and his family and i would not want to hear anything from him about me posting it in the net.  I will share though some snapshots of the finish products.  The invites itself.  

The kid wanted a "friendship" kind of theme.  I made this irregular heart shaped tag.  Placed a clipart of two stick figures holding hands and under it the word "best friends".  The wooden heart clip is just an accidental find in the bookstore.  But it came out nice and accentuated the whole package.  For the envelopes, I bought 2 types, the recycled dyed paper  and some plaid ones.  The recycle paper looked more fun so that's what i used.  The garterized strings were then used to keep the envelop in place.

This is another art under pressure and it actually turned out great!  The Boss' daughter sent me a thank you text message as soon as she got it, I thanked her back and said i had fun making them! 

Andif you're wondering why im under pressure, read my post here to understand it better. 

3/09/2009 09:48:00 AM

Dreams

from the keyboards of misis_pb

The morning trip to work was spent trying to remember my dream. Which made me look up its interpretion and which lead me to this site .  Some FYIs re dreams from that site.  


1. One-third of your lives is spent sleeping.

2. In an average  lifetime, you would have spent a total of about six years of it dreaming. That is more than 2,100 days spent in a different realm!

3. Dreams have been here as long as mankind.  Back in the Roman Era, striking and significant dreams were submitted to the Senate for analysis and interpretation.

4. Everybody dreams. EVERYBODY! Simply because you do not remember your dream does not mean that you do not dream.

5. Dreams are indispensable.  A lack of dream activity can mean protein deficiency or a personality disorder.

6. We dream on average of one or two hours every night. And we often even have 4-7 dreams in one night.

7. Blind people do dream.  Whether visual images will appear in their dream depends on  whether they where blind at birth or became blind later in life. But vision is not the only sense that constitutes a dream. Sounds, tactility, and smell become hypersensitive for the blind and their dreams are based on these senses. 

8. Five minutes after the end of the dream, half the content is forgotten. After ten minutes, 90% is lost.

9. The word dream stems from the Middle English word, dreme which means "joy" and "music".

10. Men tend to dream more about other men, while women dream equally about men and women.

11. Studies have shown that our brain waves are more active when we are dreaming than when we are awake.

12. Dreamers who are awakened right after REM sleep, are able to recall their dreams more vividly than those who slept through the night until morning.

13. Physiologically speaking, researchers found that during dreaming REM sleep, males experience erections and females experience increased vaginal blood flow - no matter what the content of the dream. In fact, "wet dreams" may not necessarily coincide with overtly sexual dream content. 

14. People who are giving up smoking have longer and more intense dreams.

15. Toddlers do not dream about themselves. They do not appear in their own dreams until the age of 3 or 4.

16. If you are snoring, then you cannot be dreaming.

17. Nightmares are common in children, typically beginning at around age 3 and occurring up to age 7-8.

18. In a poll, 67% of Americans  have experienced Deja Vu in their dreams, occurring more often in females than males. 

19. Around 3% of adults suffer from sleep apnea. This treatable condition leads to unexplained tiredness and inefficiency.

20. Research has shown that the house is the most common setting for dreams.