meet the party of five

warning:

2008-06-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

very very silly and sadly immature.

i'm in my early 30's but i still get out of control when it comes to.... oh my godddddddddd... can i even say it without screaming? brown bag please because i'm hyperventilating! aheemmmm........ Brendan Fraser!!!!! i can go on and on about this hunk, but i'll spare you. um... btw, who says "hunk" anymore?

ok, since summer is here, Hollywood has over taken the theaters yet again. the previews are killing me. brendan has two new ones! (squeal!!!) one is a 3D> it looks questionable and i hope it's not looney tune-ish... and The Mummy! this time it's in China! but dude how disappointing already... Evie O'Connell a.k.a. Rachel Weisz is played by somebody else> not cool, uh-uh and i am not very happy about that. but now that i have just watched the air i breathe, i just want to watch those ain't-so-promising movies. the air i breathe has a crash feeling all around it which brendan also appeared. but this one, is a lot better than crash and more hopeful, so you don't leave your couch feeling like you're in a depths of despair.

with that childish note, my life doesn't always revolve around Brendan. Kari, Jodie and i attended David Grubbs' class. he's the photographer for our local gazette. at first i didn't know what to think of the guy, and i certainly felt like i was the most deserving for the moron award when i was taking his class. during the first round, i left feeling even more confused than before i went in. but last night, it took a turn, i think i get it. not entirely, but i get it. at least i can say that.

after taking the gruesome brain cell killer photography session, Kari and i wanted to celebrate a little, so while walking and contemplating where to eat, i got distracted with this array of hanging lights in Bin 119 downtown:

so as a result, Kari and I ended up dining there. great tapas! here's some food porn that i've got to share. i literally groaned when my teeth first sank into this:

seafood. glorious seafood. outrageously scrumptious:) and kari was generous and shared a bit of her crab cake.

my taste buds burst like fireworks. it was soooo good, i tell you. until i chewed a piece of cilantro stem then it cleared my nostrils like wasabi can. me and cilantro are not really good friends, though cilantro is not my archenemy either. he's just not my all time favorite but at the same time, i don't mind it.

for some reason i got up quite early this morning, before a rooster could even crow. our mini garden caught my attention because our cosmos finally bloomed so, like a good student should do, i decided to fiddle and tinker with Mr. Canon and greeted my garden... doesn't everyone talk to their flowers? anyhow... my flowers were too keen about me taking their portraits. der, of course, they naturally would be:) while looking through my macro lens. i witnessed a petal popped open a bit. it was the most incredible thing to see! i was in awe that i didn't know what to feel and seemingly didn't feel worthy to see it. although i couldn't help but thanked the Lord.

how can anyone say there's no God?
atheist? definitely yes.

2008-06-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

i'm shameless when it comes to begging people for money. that sounds atrocious, doesn't it? but i can explain. have i ever mentioned that i collect foreign money? it's one of the many things i do. i collect them and scrapbook them neatly with its memorable story such as how i ended up with it.... where did it happen.... did we stay friends or foe after i took the money etc. etc. etc. a lot of the people i met thru this hobby, i pretty much stayed connected with them. for example, last year after coming home from Japan, i went back to work and there was an envelope waiting for me. inside was money from China. what a warm home welcoming, huh? few months later as in today at work, same person left an envelope for me, inside there was money from her Golden Triangle trip!!!! rawk! Greta: a random Montanan whom i met through paper frenzy went on The Golden Triangle trip. so friggin' jealous- never been there. so anyhow, she came in to town, stopped by at work but i wasn't around (bummer!), yet she deliberately and cheerfully left me some money. that sooooo made my day! what a fine lady, eh?

the one right on the very top, reminds me a Thai Baht that i already have. it's interesting to me that both country have the same design because you'd think they'd be very territorial on the money design, i would think that they'd be law against mimicking other's money design but then again, what do i know? as long as i have my money, i'm happy. the funny thing is, for all of my money collection obsession, i barely have any from the Philippines or America for that matter. that reminds i had better call my mother while she's in the Philippines taking a vacation. i'll beg for money... you know me, i'm shameless.

alas, Danie's ballet class is over! i don't have to think about it and i don't have to pay the monthly bill for awhile anyhow. so every other 2 years, her school of ballet would do a huge production. this time she got to be in two parts. Danie has progressed since she joined this class and i'm happy for her. she really needed something like that. for all the running and running every week between her class and Maikee's, watching her and her colleagues on stage was very rewarding. there she was, the 8th green girl from the left. i really think she immensely enjoyed it.

and here was Gabby's gleaming reaction at the opening performers:

the rather huge feline and bunch of squeaky cute mice had Gabby worried, she was so loud that our seat mates were quite amused by her. she said almost whimpering......... "oh No!"

i love my lens and this is just the cheap version but oh how i wish i could get the same model but the highest capacity. i was able to capture Allison's solo performance, even though it turned out a bit blurry, i'm still happy with this photograph. this girl can dance and i don't know where she gets her energy.

one more before i go:
love how i caught her throwing her hat away just in time. she was one of the guest principal dancers

what a pleasant and entertaining night it was. two of our good friends joined with us this time and they totally loved it.

so proud of Danie.

and yea Merry Christmas to:

i got you guys something from Autumn Leaves "cute world" new line. i think you two will love it!

2008-06-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

it's been a little bit over a month since i was here but May was well spent. good times. good times. i had a wonderful mother's day> we ate out, just the way i wanted it. i particularly enjoyed the page 26 off of Creating Keepsakes May issue. gosh... i was flabbergasted out my gourd when i got an email requesting they wanted my layout. also last month, i had an opportunity to play with Becky's May sketch and here's my interpretation:

and since she was running errands here in my town, she offered to pick up my layout, so lucky me i got to meet her again. it's a layout for Memory Maker's Nov/Dec 2008 issue. i am honored by the fact that she asked and trusted me to do an assignment for the end of the year. i was utterly beside myself!

last year on father's day, i surprised Joe with a patio filled with flowers. makes me laugh when i think about it because neither me or joe have a green thumb. but somehow, i figured out how to grow them. so i decided that i'd give it a try again this year. NOW> this is one thing my kids can't accuse me of not doing: not growing flowers.

my current bosses are such garden girls, they gave us gift certificate to spent in a nursery. i've never been to this one, so i asked Becca my ultimate best friend if joe and i could follow her to this nursery which we did, driving along the countryside>>> uh, what a phenomenon! gorgeous country side. anyhow, when we got to the nursery, we felt like we were in Disneyworld or some place out of this world! there were flowers everywhere and Gabby fell for the wagon
she hauled it everywhere as we filled it with flowers of all sorts. though, we didn't get this plant called Peek-a-boo. isn't this weird? but how cool is this?

and i think we have a lot of these in the Philippines. i'm sure these are not outrageously expensive and most likely considered as dandelions, your stubborn weeds. but i could be wrong. what do i know?

i'm gonna miss this beautiful, down to earth, martha stewart-like friend of mine (very talented and skillful) : we used to work together and so going with her and spending time with her in the nursery was like a nice mini sayonara party> garden style. she's not moving out of the state but i hope i can budge her from her chaotic schedules so we can go out to eat again with Jackie, because they know your basic dudette fun.

did you know that i used to work at Ben Franklin? figures: a craft store. i probably would be working at a cake shop or a photo lab if i'm not working in a craft store. i worked at Ben Franklin for about a year then the Halvorson's decided to let the fat lady sing. i really really loved my Ben Franklin's bosses. for the farewell dinner, i volunteered to make about 50 invitations: fortunately it was computer generated and somebody else sent them out and because i'm always the dummy in the situation, i offered to make them a scrapbook. i thought i might as well because i had gazillions of pictures from the store. the whole create-an-album-for-the-Halvorson's was supposed to be fun but dummy me, i didn't really work on it until the day before the farewell gathering....? yet, it turned out. everyone loved it: such a relief. here's a pictures of those guys gawking at the album while MaryAnne looking straight at the camera sayin': that's Lovely, she made this album. the crazy lady with the camera".

i have no regrets in working there. i'm so glad that i got to be a part of the Ben Franklin Craft's store's history. i'm sure the Halvorson's have some stories to tell about me like: charging me for my over-charged tab. he he he:)

SO... it's June now, let's celebrate it by announcing the winner of the match boxes.

Shannon, email me at fiveyankees@bresnan.net for your address. do you want those matchboxes?

and because i was taking forever to pick a winner.... and because i have been blessed with so much, i want to double my joy by sharing it with someone... Gabby will pick a lucky commenter from here and i'll post it next week. see these goodies?

that was my job earlier this week, unpacking freight for our local scrapbooking store: Sisters>>>>> it's like christmas when that happens. like i said: it's like christmas so i'll buy one of these for you oh you so lucky one!

2008-04-30T14:39:00.000-07:00

many many days ago, a-not-so-little-anymore cool dude turned 9.

he celebrated his birthday for about a week. he was milking it for all it's worth. we took him to Olive Garden and the restaurant's crew led my Mr. Blade

sang for him and brought him cake that served about 7 of us on the table. then later on the same week, Grandma and Joe took him to the army surplus. grandma hates that place but it's Maikee's disneyland... so anything and wherever for her grandson, she would tolerate.

the theme was bugs. so i made him a dirt cake.

it was so good that i have a special order to make another one but i haven't gotten around to make it yet. been busy freelancing, you see. he had Angie from his karate class and a few boys from our neighborhood come over for a short party: by that i mean literally 2 hours. i guess the party went well that Maikee became a popular kid on our block.

one of the things i am privileged to do at work is i get to teach classes. i had an opportunity to do a sequel to the first crazy cards i taught. this time, it's so crazy we made cards out of match boxes. like this one:

so i guess you could say it's not really your good old plain Jane cards. what i really love about teaching these classes, is that i get to meet new friends who share the same passion of art with me. i thought we laughed all night more than we made cards. i was quick to think to snap a couple of photos. karen and Jen

came to the first one so maybe these guys must think i'm ain't too bad of a teacher since they came for the second time around. it always gives me a cozy feeling to see familiar faces and i was tickled happy to see fresh faces during the class. shannon, Dawnalyn and Suzie

were pretty hilarious. although the two came a little late (they were literally running to the door), we still managed to create all the cards.

with that tickled me pink-happy note> if you leave me a comment here, Gabby will randomly draw a name then, whoever is the lucky one, gets to have 5 uber cuteness crazy match box cards, created by yours truly... including the one pictured above.

Mike Huckabee... and Becky Fleck

2008-04-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

..... all in one day, yesterday.

i mean really, who doesn't know Mike Huckabee? if Jay Leno runs into me on Jay walkers, i'd really look bad. Before Governor Huckabee ran for candidacy for president, i would have never heard of him> so that makes two of us. i had another opportunity to take pictures for Billings Christian School, this time for a fund raising event. thus meeting Governor Huckabee was part of it because he was the guest speaker. i had fun. anyone who knows me, would figure i had fun. i'm glad that my job was only to take pictures. i've never been in an event like that. there were a lot of people, i think you cannot be an introvert to be involved in that situation. we had a good spot on the front row and Miss Montana 2008 Kristen Mantooth sat with us, she was very nice and non-dingy. the food was great because i ate the dessert first. listening to the Governor wasn't dreary at all. in fact, i laughed so hard i think i might have embarrassed myself, good news is nobody really knew who i was. i wish that he was our candidate instead of someone else. but if you want to read a more intelligent entry about last night's events, i suggest visit Joe's, no doubt you'll be enlightened. what really made the night more eventful to me was that, Gabby was in a babysitting situation in the hotel and considering that we forgot her sippy cup in the car, she still managed to be on her best behavior for 5 hours or so, therefore i got to enjoy the whole event without worrying one bit about Little Gabster.

besides my old standby> Joe... i met a lot of cool Montanans

right here was Mr. Rupert shaking hands with the Governor

..... with his gorgeous wife:

i hope they're okay i posted their pictures in my blog.

i think it's pretty gnarly to watch kids and youngsters sing praise and worship songs and actually sing it with a smile because i think nowadays that kind of music sickens the kids at large since they show less and less respect for God

these guys remind me of the youngsters i've met in North Carolina a month ago who have a passion for God. not in a super religious and fanatic way... just simply worshiping God

earlier yesterday, before any of this ruckus was happening, my phone rang and i didn't recognize the number but i answered it anyway because i'm always up for surprises. SURPRISE it was! Becky Fleck the navigator of all sketches was on the other line, she asked me to do an assignment, i don't have all the details yet but it was more than enough to make me speechless and more dingy. so speechless that all i could muster was "can i throw up?" how stupid was that? i'm comforted knowing in the same time, Becky is used to the people like me. it was mind boggling and so unbelievable that my head wasn't thinking anymore and even right at this moment, i'm still in a daze about it. i can't thank her enough for having faith in me. i just hope that i won't be a disappointment.

and Staci..... thank you for being genuinely happy for me. you were so happy that you even told Mark about it :)

2008-04-23T23:39:00.000-07:00

Birthdays for us as we mature can become times of reflection. That's what it is for me and not just on my birthday either. Today being my wife's wonderful birthday made me realize just what she means to me. She got some gifts today but I think of the gift she is to me. She was blessed today but I think of the blessing she is to me, our family, to those who know her. Birthdays are strange things you know? You give, you get. Today I think of what Love means to me and I just can't imagine life without her. She not just a member of our family...she's an institution...a necessity. I really do love her more than I can possibly put into words. Happy birthday Lovely, you've had a big influence on us all. Thanks for being you! Love you so very much!

2008-04-07T20:55:00.000-07:00

i'm a little bit disappointed that i didn't take as many photos as i wanted. but i'll share with you of what i got>>>> just a few.

i can't comprehend how people can eat this. my husband loves the strawberry twizzlers and you would think that as appealing as these candies may appear, you'd think it'd taste great but i personally think it taste a lot like candle. Helen and Robin laughed at me when i told them about my unsolicited opinion.

Jaymee told me that if i don't blur her away that i'd get in trouble......? so as requested i blurred her away. love her. she's one of the cutest nicest person i've met.

this was one of the make-n-takes i did at the camp. i'm so happy with it.

i was blown away of how much scrapbooking supplies these gals brought to the camp. some of them must have taken their entire studio with them. i was such a scrap camp virgin.

Alex was the youngest cropper that came. she was honestly one of the amazing teenagers i've met. love her personality

Miss Becky and her book. i had to get one and i'm glad i did!

would you ride with me if i tell you this was what i was doing while driving home? i thought the lights looked incredible on the wet street. it really wasn't dangerous since it was getting late and as you can see the street was empty. HUH!

Sister's FIRST SCRAP CaMp

2008-04-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

distant friends and family don't really have an idea of what i am addicted to and what i have become. unfortunately, there's no cure for this divine addiction. also known as: paper hording and shutter bug.

i've never really had a job until i met Sisters: our Local Scrapbooking store and looking back, i didn't realize that being a Life Artist (which Mrs. AE would call it) was embedded in me. since working at Sisters, i had been blessed with amazing talented girls, getting an occasional complimentary magazines, meeting new friends and meeting gnarly celebrities- nope, i'm not talking about Jennifer Aniston kind of celebrities, Ok? i'm talking about celebrities who inspire us to continually preserve the past, capturing the today and anticipating what lies ahead.

for the first time, the store took a huge plunge and ventured on Scrap Camp. this was new to me too. i've never been to scrap camp before. i learned scrapbooking with me, myself and i. so i was honestly, got weak at the knees when i found out that i had to do make-and-takes and do some classes. however, not trying to sound so high and lofty here... but as it turned out, i don't think i did too bad (what a huge relief) and considering that the owners have never done a scrap camp before, needless to say, they UTTERLY outdid themselves.

we were so blessed to have our fellow Montanan Becky Fleck paid us a visit during our weekend camp. Becky was exactly the same talented artist whom i met....
>
> when i was about 6...7ish months pregnant with Gabby and now she's 2. any math wizard here who can do the math? so anyhow, that long ago...

back to Becky, she's gorgeous... she's down to earth......generous: way too kind... not snooty at all... she's hilarious

and she's brave>>> she didn't wimp out to face her "little stalker" for the second time around. it took the breath out of me when she said i looked familiar to her. i must have made a fool out of myself to have left an impression on her. HA ha ha!!! excuse me while i laugh.

my boss apparently thinks i'm a people person. she asked me at the last minute to introduce: do an opening for Becky in front of everyone.
*ok, rewind...... i happily obliged.
*rewind a little bit more....... and what the heck was i thinking? APPARENTLY i wasn't thinking!>>> that would be my "norm". i guess, once a dork, always a dork. i just hope that my newly found scrapbooking friends would have mercy on me (seriously) not to "YOU Tube" the video they took because i would loose my dignity and i would just die of humiliation But besides the obvious, Becky made everyone happy:

she took the time to talk to everyone... she signed everyone's book (her first released book )

and was very patient with us: wild and crazy women. although, i hate to say this, i think i was the class clown! what have i become?!!

Lynda (sister #1), Becky (the unrelenting artist for Basic Grey) & Lori (sister #2)

true that! mother-daughter weekend getaway (Alex and Kristine) with Miss Becky.

using the handy tool: camera timer>>> i got to be in it. everyone looked great. we all laughed our little keisters off>>> just simply HAPPY

........and we all are HUNGRY FOR MORE!

blessed EaSteR?

2008-03-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

i was such a good girl to have finished dying the eggs last thursday with the urchins> that helped tremendously. it was a little bit interesting since, little miss Gabby wants to help with everything. she's two you know? she can do everything now. she's so independent.

and i hate purple/violet but the kit came with it.

i had to give Gabby yet another cup of yogurt so she would stand still for a group shot and i had to just settle for this.

but this is what she does now, she has to check out what's being taken and wants to see her picture on the screen> and i'm very happy with that stage: i think it's pretty cute.

while we were gone for church, apparently The Easter Bunny was busy getting all the sugar laid nicely on the kitchen table. it was a riot when Gabby discovered it.

i was domestically motivated, just had to make these cupcakes.

it wasn't long after Gabby discovered these guys, she just had to dig her teeth in to this poor peep

we had a delicious meal and pies... and the meal was followed by egg hunting.

by then it was nearing 6:00 p.m. didn't matter because we're getting more light now. meaning spring is here and so is summer but we live in Montana, it still gets cold (and sometimes snow) that explains why the girls had jeans on with their easter dresses. and guess who didn't want their picture taken?

but these guys didn't mind.

despite of the chaotic world of this family of five, we did enjoy Easter: it was fabulous. hope y'all had a good one too.

2008-03-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

Second day: as it was granted, we got to roam around inside the US Capitol> staff led of course. we got to the Senator's office ON TIME, then went through a tunnel leading to the Capitol building. right off the bat, this is what we encountered: The Statue of Freedom... she's the one you see on the top of the Capitol close up.

then a short joy ride going in to the building. such a cute little train.

it was so powerful, mind boggling, and there were so much to take in.
this right here was in the very middle of the building. it was considered "LUCKY" to touch the star, so it was worn down from people rubbing their feet on it. being the dork that i am, i couldn't resist rubbing my foot as well.

the Rotunda was stunning. in using my prime lens, i found it difficult to get a cool shot of the dome and i had to do it in segments:

there were spectacular paintings. one of the paintings done by John Trumbull that i thought was pretty amazing and rather amusing is this:

because you see, if i got it right, during the the signing of the Declaration of Independence, i guess there were so much rivalry between John Adams and Benjamin Franklin and if you look closely in the painting, i can't remember which one was which: Benjamin Franklin was stepping on John Adams' foot. interesting.

got a shot of The Car of History Clock:

magnificent chandeliers:

it was overwhelming. photo ops were endless. literally. i was smart enough to get an extra cartridge of 4GB before we left or i would not have been able to contain every shots i had in just that day.

2008-03-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

two in a row... how about that?

we left on Saturday the 1st of March and came back Sunday the 9th. just in that matter of days, i had experienced the most awe inspiring trip from Washington DC and North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

we spent indefatigable 3 days in Washington DC. to the best of our ability we went to all 4 corners of DC while we were there. this has been a life long dream of mine to visit DC, and finally, after agonizing years, dreams do come true!

the trip to DC came as a bonus, as it turned out we had to stay there because of our airline ticket situations. prior to our date of departure, we contacted our Senator here in Montana and checked if we could squeeze ourselves to a hectic schedule to The US Capitol and the White House. in just a matter of days, we were granted to have a staff guided tour in the US Capitol but the White House was entirely questionable. however, the day before we left, we received an email from the Senator saying we can have the self guided tour in the White House. do i hear an echo? SELF GUIDED TOUR!?!?!? too good to be true? but it's true and... no, we weren't out of control either.

first day was spent in Smithsonian. got to see the
*Apollo 11;

here's the monkey that went to the Moon.

*the 1st plane;

... and remember the movie: "A Night in the Museum" with Ben Stiller? you know, the movie that was supposedly taken from there? we got to see that. uber coolio!!! the kids were in awe of the Dinosaur artifacts along with countless collections of God only knows. it RAWK!

*and multitudes of educational and historical facilities.

*i was able to touch the Washington Monument. i did a lot of "touching". i was totally your typical tourist

then Joe and i choose to go see the Holocaust museum and it was the most heart wrenching place i've been to. we went through inside a railcar in which the Jews suffered ( it was used to transport Jews from all over Europe to ghettos, concentrations camps and killing centers) and i opted to touch it, i swear you could feel it. seen the movie "Schindler's List"? if you haven't, you ought to. and could you believe that there are actually people who really believe that the Holocaust didn't take place?

unfortunately, no one was allowed to take photographs inside, and i don't think anyone could take it either. we got to the part where the "SHOES" were and all you could smell was the smell of leather. after seeing heap upon heap of shoes, you get a better understanding of the magnitude of it all: dead Jews. talk about unreal. this quote was written on the wall:

"We are the shoes, we are the last witnesses. We are shoes from grandchildren and grandfathers from Prague, Paris, and Amsterdam. And because we are only made of fabric and leather, and not of blood and flesh, each one of us avoided the Hellfire."

gazing at all of the horrifying displays, the gas chamber model, the authentic bunk beds, the disturbing images, reading countless testimonies was overwhelming...profoundly intense. i wanted to cry but i couldn't. i wanted to say something but i was speechless. all i could do was keep on moving in silence until we reached the exit.

and that's how we spent our first day.

2008-03-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

Upon arriving home from a long trip to Washington DC, i waded through my emails and came across this wonderful news.

this doesn't happen everyday so, i am easily tickled and i am humbled and honored to be a part of this book.

the email went:

Thank you so much for submitting your layout to Scrapbook Trends Magazine! We appreciate your submission and would like to use one of your layouts for our upcoming Vacation Idea Book. The layout that we are interested in is attached.

Please send an email to (erased info) indicating whether or not you plan to send the layout.
If you are still able to make this layout available for publication:

Please place it in the mail by Monday March 10th, 2008 - Layouts received after Monday March 22nd, 2008 may not be published in the Vacation Idea Book, so please make sure we receive your layout before this date. Thank you!
Please be certain that the ideas on your layout are original and have not been published previously.
Please put your layout in its own protector, with your name, address, phone number and e-mail address on the back of the layout (Please do not abbreviate city names.)
Please do not send your layout in a flattened box as it is easily damaged during shipping and is difficult to open without damaging your layout!
Please avoid using a clear envelope that seals at the top to store your layout. These are difficult to open and remove your layout for photography.
Each layout must also have a complete list of products used. Copy-paste the form at the end of this letter into a word processing document, fill it out, delete any N/A items, print it out, then slip it into the protector of each layout you send.
Please list the brand of each product - layouts without a complete list of products cannot be used. We don't list adhesives; our apologies to those taking part in rewards programs.
In order to keep our magazine fresh for our readers, we would appreciate it if you would remove your layout from any online galleries. You are welcome to put it back up the month after it is published (in this case, July 1st, 2008). Thank you!
A confirmation email will be sent to you within about a week of your layout arriving to let you know we received it. Your layout will be returned to you after the issue has been printed along with scrapbooking products and two copies of the Vacation Idea Book as our thanks for sharing your talent.

Layouts should be mailed to (PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS):

Scrapbook Trends – Vacation

Attn: Holly

(erased info)

Thank you so much for sharing your talent and creativity with us!

Yup! i was needless to say beside myself.

2008-02-16T20:59:00.000-08:00

TwO days later after Valentines day when most of the Love Birds had gone back to their respected nests, Joe and I emerged from our cage. we went on a date! it was rather weird to go out just the two of us without the rest of the party of five. first off, we dined in a Thai restaurant in town which was actually good eats but at the same time it was overly priced. we held on to our gift certificate that we've received from our friends (Frank and Rose)from christmas, so that helped us tremendously. we had ample time before show time, so we spontaneously went to Barnes and Noble and enjoyed a tall sized coffee along with an ungodly and fattening godiva chocolate cheesecake and espresso mocha brownie.

chillin' in between shelves of books, had me wanting to go back... i found a must have text book

then enjoyed I Am A Legend with Will Smith. i was glued to my seat although in the middle the show, i asked Joe if we could leave early... i got to the point when i almost couldn't take it: the movie was so full of thrills. scary-creepy. remarkably entertaining. mildly sad at the same time. i highly recommend this movie to everyone, though this movie is NOT suitable for any wussies out there. Will Smith can portray any characters he plays on. unbelievable. love the guy, and already wishing we could watch Vantage Point with Dennis Quaid in it. joe and i realized that going out on a date is something we both immensely enjoy. why do i sound like i don't know anything about dates? that's because we hardly go out and if we do, we almost always take the kids with us. we absolutely enjoyed ourselves, had so much fun that we stayed out until quarter to 10. some wild night, huh? hahaha!!!! and thanks to Mom who took the brunt on babysitting our hand full two year Gabby, God bless her heart!

2008-02-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

I secretly envied mother's whose kids are yogurt lover. but not anymore, i got my own!

Gabby discovered yogurt and yogurt drink, i guess are the best! check her out rummaging the fridge for more yogurt.

she's growing so fast!

i've been faithful on teaching her tagalog: national dialect in the Philippines and that has paid off: she's bilingual. she's not an expert yet but we're both working on it.

today at church she asked me:

"karga, please" which literally means: carry, please

she can now pronounce the S's in a word, like: Cheese and please. before it used to be just Cheee and Pleee

i have to share this: Daddy and Gabby doodling during church: Teheee!

we have to keep this child quite somehow, right?

2008-01-27T14:03:00.000-08:00

i told myself:

"Self, make the bow at least 2 nights ahead".

but no, Self didn't do it so, Self and I both paid an exhausting sleepless night.

a friend of mine had asked me to make her birthday cake after she had saw Gabby's birthday cake. i told her she has to "design" her cake, and she did. so the mission was to create her own designed cake on time... it's a piece of cake, right? i mean really, what can i not do? her birthday was saturday: yesterday that was. i worked friday night, i thought: No problem, i'll decorate the cake when i get home, which i did and everything was going on smoothly since it's fondant, not until i started stamping out holes all over the fondant covered cake. it became such tedious and annoying task. and yea.... i got the 2 tiered cake done: stamping holes, re-patching them and all but then, there came the edible bow. i thought: is this ever gonna end??!?! i made the bow: the edible bow but i couldn't assemble it together because it needed to rock-hard dry: at least overnight, but obviously i didn't have an overnight. so i had to be innovative, i used the fan to try it. the next thing i know, it was 5:00 in the morning ALREADY!

i went to bed as quickly as i can then got up at 8:00 because i had to work too: an all day shift. quickly, quickly i got myself ready and quickly quickly, i assembled the bow on the cake then, quickly quickly i took these pictures.

i wasn't there when Ali picked up the cake but i received a good report. Joe said Ali was very happy. that right there made it all worth it and was i able to function at work? besides having a micro buzz every time i jerk my head, i was actually okay.

i wish i have the same power, skills (?), talent (?), vigor and strength over my diet like i do in my scrapbooking, cake decorating and crap. and i wish that sleeping is optional among the adults because i feel like i much so to do. wink.. wink ;)

hey Ali.... if you are reading this, hugs, hugs and hugs from me to you. i hope the cake hit the spot and i hope you had a blast. happy birthday!

2008-01-20T20:45:00.000-08:00

this much of snow when i left and when i came home,i got stuck on the driveway, so i had to shovel a path for the car and even then, Joe had to pushed the car. it's FinALlY snowing because it's no longer christmas. figures.

the very reason why she eats, not because of the fries or the chicken tenders... of course not. it's the ToyS!

these are on sale and i want about 10 of these. i don't need them but i want them.

FiRsT pAgE of the YeAr....

2008-01-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

TodAY:

i received such an overwhelming e-mail from... no other than Brittany Beattie.... who? you ask? she's the managing editor of Creating Keepsakes: the... the world renown scrapbooking magazine, i guess. i prayed earnestly that someone would notice the last page i sent in 2 days ago and prayed earnestly that when i open my inbox today that i would receive an e-mail containing "fabulously heart stopping news". Lo and behold, check this out: and ooh...... there are things i'm not allowed to reveal thus you'll see a few of "can't mention" stuff.

Hi Lovely,

I write the (can not be mentioned) for Creating Keepsakes scrapbook magazine, and I would be delighted to include your layout in our (can not be mentioned either)! Congratulations! Please let me know if the page (including its pictures) is still available and hasn’t been published elsewhere. (I hope so!) If it is available, I’d love to publish it!

You will find details about contracts and mailing information in the attached document. If you could send the layout via 2–3 day Priority Mail (recommended for reliability) so it arrives by Friday, January 18, that would be wonderful. We recommend using a tracking number. (If you will not be able to mail it by then, please let me know so I can plan for it.) In the same document, you'll also find a (can't mention which form either) Form--I'd appreciate it if you could fill it out and e-mail it to me by Tuesday, January 15. Please also include in your e-mail your top 5 tips for taking great “(i can not mention it either)” with (i can't mention it either).

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Congratulations on having your page selected! It’s a beautiful layout with a wonderful tip! And thanks for submitting! Have a terrific day!

Sincerely,

Brittany

Brittany Beattie

Managing Editor

Creating Keepsakes

........... hear me to squeal!!!!! can you tell, i am easily entertained?

2008-01-03T16:17:00.000-08:00

Gabby is not a morning person which worked for my advantage on her birthday, because you see, i literally stayed awake for the whole entire 24 hours. maybe not quite but closed enough. i frantically tried to finish her cake the night before her birthday or in this case, few hours before she woke up. the cake itself wasn't all that particularly difficult to create, it was honestly a piece of cake... hahaha! get it? a piece of cake? anyhow, but if anyone would agree, i am very very very very very slow and i didn't even tried to make the cake "perfect". so i went to bed at 4:30, then attempted to take a short nap-- i'm using that so loosely, and before i could even have a dream, Joe woke me up. got Gabby ready. had lunch in McDonald's... we just had to, she's a kid, okay?!!? then we wandered away in Build a Bear in the mall. she was so cuteeee...... she kissed the heart for her monkey. her monkey has 3 pushy-singy thingy: it has the monkey sound, giggle and a birthday song. before we headed home, we stopped to bid goodbye to our Jewish friends, you see, they were going back to Israel. i'm gonna miss them! since their kiosk was adjacent to gymboree , i made a quick grab of this and this
i'm hopelessly addicted to this store. lucky for Gabby because she loves to dress up.
she was so thrilled about the whole birthday thing. we didn't have this huge party with invited friends, but it was just US: her family. during my christmas break, i taught her how to blow out a candle and check this kid out:

we did it again and again. i'm sure she almost thought it was the best part of the day.

she got magazines. i got her Martha Stewart mags. she loved it, she was besides herself almost.... no surprise there.

then her dutch godparents sent this for her:

she went "WWWWWoooooWWWWW"

she got some cute tops and jeans
a purse
some almost real make ups
hannah montana cd
a fake microphone because she loves to get jiggy and lip sync

in her case, it was mere optional... she got some "normal" gifts suitable for a two year old kid> a baby doll and a stroller which i put together. it was quite big of me to do that and didn't nag Joe to do it.

that's how we celebrated the New Year. i hope i'll have some interesting/intriguing materials to talk about the next time i blog besides my Gabby. i'm sure i'm about to gag the maggot about Gabby this and Gabby that. good news is, i don't have much of an audience... so i think the maggot is not about to gag. hahaha!!! i am laughing at my own jokes.

2008-01-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

It IS oVeR!

2007 came and went.

my photo a day was taken and i don't have to do it anymore.

i didn't post all of it but i didn't fail. felt good!

and GaBBy is officially TwO.

as these two candles proves it:

i love how Gabby can raise an eyebrow even at this early age. of course every kid deserves McDonald's for a birthday lunch, right?

needlessly to say, she was a pretty happy Birthday Girl.

induced by sleep deprivation, i'll save some of her birthday stories for later. i still can hardly open my eyelids. i'm still tired.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY. hope you had a wonderful 07, we did!

2007-12-16T23:01:00.000-08:00

HE SAID:

Hey Honey, I just wanted to wish you the very happiest of anniversaries today! I have only learned what life really is being with you all these years. I have not lost one ounce of love for you because it grows every single year. I never want you to think that I don't love you because nothing can separate me from you. Have a wonderful day Sweetie! I hope you really like what I got for you!
(copied from an e-mail)

SHE SAID:
this exactly why i love this guy and i never wish i was married to somebody else. he has remain faithful, loving, thoughtful, respectful and supportive. he always let me Be. him and i might not concur on everything life in general but i can still have my own opinion and he listens. i can't imagine life without him and i don't want to find out. i know he would lay his life for me... and i know he'd be there always even in my death bed. i don't regret vowing "i do" to him 13 years ago.

i love you, too Joey!

2007-12-15T09:15:00.001-08:00

where was i???

DaY 11

DaY 12

we had to get some groceries and while checking out, Gabby just had to keep up with the tabloid. i think she had to know about the latest gossip: Life after Jessica Simpson: Nick and Vanessa.

day 13

day 14

contrary to what her t-shirt says, she voluntarily asked corn dog for breakfast and voluntarily participated in our annual cookie decorating night.

also, today as usual Joe insisted of having me cut his hair and i fought it because i just knew that one day i'm gonna have this "accident" so lo and behold, i made a spot. i was rather upset and i cried while Joe was calm and collected. after all, he knew anyway that i'm not a professional so he wasn't all that upset. so i ended up cutting his hair way too short which in the end, he totally loved it and no one could see "the spot". here's the evidence.

DaY 15

i should have put Gabby for a nap this morning before i attempted to take yet another picture for this project of mine: photo a day. i thought the change of location would have help (we went to Sisters)... and i should have known better.... that place is never for little children. must say i was still proud of her for she didn't destroy or demolish the store so.... that was "okay".

this was one of the better takes... gotta say though, i'm in love with her shirt. i have been eyeing that shirt since forever. i got it for today's session.

but over all, the biggest news i got today... well, i got to talk to my photographer: the talented Jaymee.... i have just recently met her... she takes great photos and she scrapbooks: what a coincidence?!!? i have never seen any of her work before until ToDaY but somehow i was convince that she's got that great photographer's eye. when i went to see her weblog for the first time... i felt like shouting it out loud: FiNaLLy someone who can take "MY" pictures right. such an awful long story but to make it short, i am so thankful to the God Almighty that He made a way for me to get a hold of her, because you see, you imaginary readers out there, i lost her contact information... so today was a big day for me personally. i am absolutely looking forward to do business with her.

2007-12-11T18:13:00.001-08:00

feeling like posting an old page:

... i frantically created this for Becky Higgins's sketch then i didn't get to scan it on time. i know, how annoying but it was still fun.

2007-12-10T19:21:00.000-08:00

DaY 7

DAy 8

DaY 9

3 days has past and i didn't fail. this is getting to be a little difficult and i promise myself to "work hard".

..... i know i can, i know i can... i know i can: yea, i'll just keep telling myself that.

Day 10

nothing exactly exciting today, we were just patiently waiting for Big Sis' ballet class to be over. kind of nice that they have books in the lobby, it sure keep the little one busy. although something that is starting to concern me, i am running out of clothes for Gabby to wear "everyday"!!! i don't want her to wear the same clothes for this "photo a day" thingy.. that would suck, you know?