My Princess as Princess Jasmine

Although with much anticipation, My baby's 5th birthday wasn't as magical as I planned it to be.

I imagined it to be nothing big really, just a soiree with a touch of fairytale. I really just wanted to give our home an "Arabian Touch" to fit her Princess Jasmine theme, but no, the weather just didn't cooperate. 

Thanks, HABAGAT!
Haha.

We had no electricity from 6am-8pm during her special day, and even the days prior her birthday.

But it didn't stop us.

I, of course, made her a Princess Jasmine costume.

I originally wanted to buy her one because I want nothing but the best for her, but the ones we found weren't exactly the best. An upside of my sewing is knowing a little about fabrics and materials. That's why upon seeing those, modesty aside, I knew I could pull of something better. Haha.

Since I'm very specific when it comes to details, I make every little thing count.

Princess Jasmine's most identified jewelries are necklace, a gold choker collar necklace; and earrings, gold teardrop.

 I even spray-painted her accessories just so they coordinate.

And since genie shoes are quite hard to find here in the Philippines, I improvised. :))

Agrabah Palace, her cake. I didn't ask her what design she wants, I just thought it would be an appropriate design. And I'm glad that on the day of her birthday, she told me she wants an Agrabah Palace cake.


I also made Princess a Princess Jasmine costume.
After all, it's her 1st birthday. :)
Too bad she lost one of her shoes before this photo was taken.

Before blowing her candles...

Aladdin, Abu, and Rajah were present. I'm detailed, didn't I tell you?

Blowing the number 5 candle she requested

*Excuse her loose top. 

She got sick before her birthday, in fact, she even had a slight fever during her special day.

Opening her gifts...

  

 

 

My cousin as Mulan attending an Arabian Night Out :)

 

**My plan was to make it like 'Disney Princess' Arabian Night Out'. We would dress up as different Disney Princesses. So, I made us Disney Princess' costumes, but instead of skirts, I made harem pants. Sadly though, probably because of exhaustion, we decided not to change to our costumes. Haha. Fail.

Okay, it didn't have enough "shining, shimmering splendid", but MY PRINCESS sure was HAPPY. And that's all that matters to me!

BC Bloggers Meme: Top 5 Craziest Things You've Done and the Lessons You've Learned from Them

Ain't it crazy that I suggested this topic, and now I'm struggling to write something?

I'm sure I have done at least 5 crazy things in my life. We all do. But nonetheless, we learned a thing or two from each of them. Our mistakes don't define us, they help mold us. After all, experience is the best teacher.

Although my parents are strict, they are never to blame for my crazy actions. They never ran short of explanations on their being strict. They constantly remind us, even up to now, that they love us, and that their decisions are for our best. After all, they have our best interest at heart. 

I never knew all these before. 

Or maybe I do, I just didn't understand then, because I was too busy thinking about ME, MYSELF, and I.

But don't think too dark of me. I think that was a part of being a teenager. And I wasn't all rebellious; I just have a crazy side that like to explore limits.
We all do.

And I'm gonna share with you the top 5 craziest things I have done which in one way or another taught me important lessons.

FIVE:
I pricked a cord on our wall with a thumb tack.
During my first tries, the cord resisted the tack. But because of my persistence, the tack got through the cord, and came the biggest shock, ELECTRIC SHOCK!
Haha. I almost fell of our stairs.
LESSON: Curiosity may sometime kill.

FOUR:
Wanting to give myself a "new-look", I grabbed the scissors and cut my bangs without any forethought or anything. Since it was my first time, it was shorter than I intended, I came to school that morning with  BANGS and a BANG! :)))
LESSON: It's important to think before I leap.

THREE:
I kept eating even after I got full that I ended up throwing up.
LESSON: We do have limits.

TWO:
I ran away from home.
LESSON: We underestimate our parents love for us. We affect them the most.

ONE:
I kept my pregnancy from my family out of fear.
LESSON: Our family will always be there for us no matter what. They will always be the first ones to accept and love us through whatever. And although we reap what we sow, God will always have unfailing love for us.

How about you?
I'm sure you have your own fair share of crazy stuffs like pulling someone else's hair, changing your Facebook birthday to today, conniving with your cousin to change your Friendster profile pic to a picture of your cousin's ex-boyfriend and then-girlfriend, and hers to yours, picking up your bestfriend from home and instead of going to school, you surprise and bring her to a beach cause it's her birthday, or missing class just to have fun, and everything imaginable and unimaginable.
I'd love to know yours, too.
Share them with us.

And if you're not yet a part of BC Bloggers,
join here!
You sure are missing a lot.

Photo credit: Fotoninja.nl

The Versatile Blogger Award

Whoohoo!

Another award!

Ain't this the best comeback? :)

Much gratitude to Mom Maye of Momaye's Diary and Lalah of Party of Three for giving me this awesome award. Aside from being blogger moms, Mom Maye is a chemist, while Lalah is a dentist. 

What you don't know is I'm not the biggest fan of Chemistry... or Science in general. Haha.

And neither am I big fan of dentists. They make me cry! Haha. yes, they do. And Lalah is the first and only dentist I don't fear. But I still wouldn't consult her. Haha.

But I love reading both of their blogs. They like sharing anything and everything under the sun. And they're both inspiring.

Anyway, before I get the award, certain rules must be followed. 

And it requires me to pass the award forward to 15 excellent and versatile bloggers.

But before I give you my nominees, another requirement, here are 7 things about me:

1. I used to have at least 3 bottles of coke a day when I was in grade school.

2. But my bod's been coke-free for the past few months. I've learned to live without it, but I still crave and give in sometimes, approximately 2 bottles a year.

 3. I can swim, and I have no idea how. Haha. My uncle taught me how to dive when I was in grade school, but that was it. I still couldn't swim after that.

4. I'm a lousy liar.

5. I love crafting!

6. I'm a sulker :)))

7. I always save the best for last.

Now, in no particular order, the excellent bloggers I nominate are:

1. Jen of Schemaholic

2. Abbey of Swirls and Scribbles
3. Vera of Where the Moon Shines
4. Bee of Before I Turn 25
5. Lady of Hey Lady Spring
6. Farida of In Love With Sunflower
7. Nice of Nicely Captured
8. Jhenz of Miss Jhenz
9. Allan of Chemist Dad
10. Reese of Random Thoughts
11. Yhey of The Adventures of a Dilettante Single Mom
12. Louise of Mommy Practicality
13. Sandra of Sanses
14. Ron of RonLeyba.com
15. January of Deliciously Spicy Moments

If you are nominated, you’ve been awarded the Versatile Blogger award.

•  Thank the person who gave you this award. That’s common courtesy.
•  Include a link to their blog. That’s also common courtesy — if you can figure out how to do it.
•  Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly. ( I would add, pick blogs or bloggers that are excellent!)
•  Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award — you might include a link to this site.
•  Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

That's that. Thanks Mommy Maye and Lalah! :)

Liebster Award

Now, this is a nice welcome! :)
Sure, there's always a rainbow after the rain. After my daughter had been diagnosed of broncho-pneumonia a few weeks ago, I just found it hard to go back to my daily routine, including going online, even after she got cleared. But she's getting better now, and I'm slowly getting back online. And now the rain is over, here comes the rainbow.

Yhey of The Adventures of a Dilettante Single Mom nominated me for an award.
Just like her, upon getting the nomination, my initial reaction was like, "no way!", but after visiting her blog, I'm just flattered she noticed. Haha. But seriously, I will be forever grateful to her. At least, I now know that I'm somehow making a mark.

Anyway, the award I am to receive is the "Liebster Award". Liebster is a German word for sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.
The award recognizes new and upcoming bloggers with less than 200 followers, who deserve recognition and support for their contribution in the the blogosphere.

Before receiving the award though, these rules must be followed:

01)  Each person must list 11 things about themselves.

02)  Answer the 11 questions that the tagger has set for you PLUS you MUST create 11 questions of your own for the 11 people you will nominate with this award.

03)  Choose up to 11 bloggers linking them to your post.

04)  Go to their page and inform them of the nomination.

05)  Absolutely NO tags back. Remember to ONLY tag bloggers with less than 200 followers. 

simple, huh?

To start off, here are 11 things about me:

1. I mean what I say, and I say what I mean.

2. I am generally loving. I love almost everything and everybody. Haha. 

3. I'm a Dove girl, and I love it. Haha.
4. I am observant.
5. I am very specific and may be strict with details.
6. I could eat sweets more than rice.
7. My family find me AMAZING. haha. They break something, I fix it. No internet, I fix it. No TV reception, I fix it. They need something, I do it. I'm like their one-stop-shop. :)) 

8. I don't always get sick, but when I do, it's a special case.
9. I got my looks from my mom. People who know her need not be told I'm her daughter.
10. I'm more of my dad inside. My sister once told me that. And even I, myself, can see that.
11. Nothing scares me more than losing my family.

That's it. Now, off to Yhey's questions.

1. What are your hobbies/interests? I lose interest quickly. My hobbies and interests change from time to time. I like trying new things, and exploring my limits.
2. What is your favorite food/cuisine? I will forever love Kare-kare and our Ate Betty's Adobo. Nothing beats the Filipino cuisine, although I crave for Italian, Chinese, and Japanese cuisines sometimes.
3. What movies do you watch over and over and OVER again, and you never get tired of it? Titanic, The Addams Family Values, Shrek, Up, Tangled, 13 Going on 30, The Mummy Returns, and a whole lot more.
4. How do you feel receiving an award like this? Proud. Grateful. Happy.
5. Hot choco or hot coffee? Hot choco. I love chocolate!
6. What is your pet peeve? PMS :))
7. What is your "special" talent? Does not matter if it is extraordinary! My cousin and I always say we have no talent, but my aunt always disagree. According to her, our ability to have 12-hour straight sleep without getting a headache is a TALENT. Haha. We know that was an insult. Haha. But that was before.
8. What is your favorite book/novel to read? None, actually.
9. What is your favorite place to hangout with family or friends? buffet restaurants. haha. 
10. What is your favorite thing to do on a rainy day? sleeeeeeeeeep! :D
11. And lastly, what is your favorite color? PINK

Okay, now for my nominees, the super random questions you need to answer are:
1. Who/what inspired you to blog?
2.  When was your last haircut?
3. What's under your bed?
4. As a child, who pampered you the most?
5. What was the last thing you ate?
6. When was the last time you wanted to scream?
7. When was the last time you ate ice cream?
8. When was the last time you felt so happy, you cried?
9. Do you believe in ghosts?
10. What gets you going?
11. What do you want to be remembered for?

Now, in no particular order, my worthy nominees are:
1. Michelle of Stage Mom's Imaginings
2. Aileen of iHeart Good Health
3. Jhari of My Oweini Life
4. Miekee of Twins Escapade
5. Mylene of Online Mommy's Corner
6. Lalah of Party of Three
7. Gaylee of House of Gaylee
8. Rosemarie of Pinay Single Mom's Nook
9. Jared's Mum of Mum Writes
10. Jellybelly of The Twerp and I
11. Gerilen of The Chronicles of a Young Wife

So, that's it.
Once again, Thanks, Yhey, for this unexpected yet much appreciated award.
And to my worthy nominees, make sure you'd get this award, and flaunt it, because you definitely deserve it.

another hard work paid off

Since I'm nocturnal and only gets to sleep after I bring my daughter to school, I'm usually asleep when she comes home from school. And when she arrives, she kisses me to let me know she's home. She would then tell me stories from school while I'm half sleeping-half listening. 

Yesterday morning though, I woke up being choked by a medal. Haha. I then remember her showing me the medal. 

Apparently, the medal was long overdue. 

It was for winning the Best Costume award during their Nutrition Month last July. 

Yaaaaaaay! :)

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.

And I honestly wasn't expecting it. All I wanted when I made her the dress was for her to get a good grade, and yeah, dress her up nicely.

Anyway, she insists that I keep the medal. She thinks I deserve it because I was the one who made it.

And even though I keep telling her that I would keep the medal, but the award is definitely hers, she still says the award should be mine.

Although it's relieving that she doesn't take credit for something not hers, I find it a little awkward that she doesn't want to take the award.

And I'm not sure if I'm really worried or I'm just having a caffeine-induced anxiety.

Anyways, here's a photo of her wearing the dress.