Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year to all!

Christmas GOoOoDies :)

For this holidays, Jay and I decided we will make our own goodies to give to our friends and relatives.
I decided to make some delicious crinkles.

We thought it will be nice to give something that everyone will enjoy.....

 .....YummmmmmmmYYYYYYY!!!!

Christmas is just around the corner

Cold weather, the smell of Christmas tree, lights glittering.....

Christmas is just around the corner.

And there are still too much shopping to do. We still need to complete our Christmas Gifts list. And I hope that what I will be getting for my friends and family will be something they would really like.

I have a couple of wishes though--one personal and the other is a little too big of a wish but i know it will come true one day!

• That my wish for my hubby will come true

And the bigger one..............(?)

• That there will be no evil in this world. That only GOOD can prevail

Christmas should be everyday. We should all practice to be happy and celebrate the birth of our Lord EVERYDAY of the year! Let's all live a good life!

With family, good food, gifts, laughter--what else can we ask for?

Another Princess is coming...

Monogram Baby Bag Baby Shower Invitation

Make your own custom shower invitations at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Where did the days--or month go?

I can't believe that it has been this long since I last visited my blog...

One thing is for sure, November was a pretty busy month for me and my hubby!

It all started Halloween. The annual party at May and Bob's place was awesome --- as usual! My baby Miguel won --- wearing a SUMO WRESTLER SUIT! Hahahaha! Too cute and funny!

A week after that, it was Miguel and Anthony's bday celebration and it was days filled with fun. First we went to this Trampoline place---oh boy! I was tired after jumping for 15 mins. Embarrassing! But we all had fun. Then we had some good food.

Then came the much awaited day....The Russell Peter show at HP Pavilion. Jay and I have been very excited about this comedy show. And we were not at all disappointed! It was hilarious and we had a great time....

But in between---it wasn't all about fun....Been very with work and unfortunately, some health scare came along.
Mama was rushed to the emergency and was moved to John Muir hospital. She has diverticulosis and it really gave us the scare. She stayed at the hospital for few days. Then I thought that was it....Following week, Jay had the worst hives attack which lasted for a few days. But docs didn't find anything--STRANGE!

........ Thanksgiving came..... and there are so many things I am thankful for:

• My good health
• A great husband
• The BEST family (and dogs...)
• Incredible friends
• Awesome job

Now --- it's almost Christmas! And I am uber excited :)

'Till the next one!!!!

Peach Pie

Lately, I am really excited about baking. As mentioned before, I am not a pro at baking. I just do it for fun!
So, I made some apple pies, cupcakes, lemon bars and this time, I tried making some peach pie!
YUM!

Some of my ingredients are already pre-made and therefore, this pie is semi-homemade. Again, I am not a pro!

Ingredients:
9 inch pie crust (Bought Marie Callendar's ready made pie crust)
Pillsburry pie crust (for the pie cover)
Peach halves (trader joe's)
1 tsp cornstarch
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c water

On a small sauce pan, combine peach halves, cinnamon and water. Add the sugar as it starts to simmer. Add the cornstarch and continue to stir. Let it cool. Set aside.

Pre-heat the oven at 400 F.

Pour peach over the pie crust.

Unroll the  Pillsbury ready made crust and cover the peach pie.

Seal the pie on the side with a fork.

Poke the pie for even baking and sprinkle some sugar.










Bake the pie on 400 F for 15 mins. Then reduce the temperature to 375 F and continue to bake for another 40 mins or until brown.

I will let you all know if my fans (my hubby and niece likes it!)

Pumpkin fun!!!!

Jay thought it will be really nice to carve some pumpkins with the kids--Miguel and Anthony.

So last weekend, when the family came over to celebrate our anniversary with us, Jay asked the kids to carve the pumpkin with him. We bought several pumpkins but Anthony and Miguel didn't want to carve the others. They chose this one pumpkin and that's it! They brought home with them the biggest one....

But i guess, it's really the experience that made this whole carving fun!

Homemade Sprinkles Cupcakes

I  went to Sprinkles to get a couple of their dark chocolate cupcakes. But I bought their cupcake mix instead.

Since I was really craving for it,  I decided to make it as soon as i got home! And VOILA!

I added some shaved dark chocolate to make it a lil fancier--whatcha think?

Frames

Jay and I have been sort of re-doing our bedroom. We live in a tiny little apartment but we still want some coziness. We want to add some color and warmth in our room. Anyway, to start off, I saw some beautiful wall frames at Crate and Barrel that I think would look nice to hang in our room. However, it was a little bit pricey. I thought that maybe I can find something else less pricey and at the same time, have some of our "touch" to it.


Then I thought that maybe I can do something. I bought some cute fabrics at Fabricshoppe. It was my first time purchasing from this online store and I was impressed. Then Jay got some nice matted frames in Ikea.  And then we put it in the fabrics into the frames. And voila!

Jay and I love it!

Anniversary

It's been a couple of weeks since my last entry...I guess I've been busy.

Jay and I celebrated our 6th year civil wedding anniversary over the weekend. We had our "dinner date" on Friday at Pampas Brazilian Restaurant and it was awesome. We both loved the place. The great ambiance made it perfect.

Then Saturday, actual day of our anniversary, the entire family came over---like seriously, the entire family! Mom, sisters, brothers-in law, nephews and nieces! Mom made good food of course and then we watch the Giants baseball game and the kids carved some pumpkins. It was awesome! Sophia even spent the night over!

It was overall a fun weekend with a lot of food involved! I think i gained like 10 lbs just over the  weekend! Unbelievable! Now, Jay and I are back to reality and is looking forward to our Annual Halloween Party at May and Bob's place.

I'll post some pictures soon!

Apple Pie

I was thinking of what to do with the apples we got from Noel. He gave us a bunch of small apples from his parent's tree. First, I was thinking of juicing it but the apples are a bit small. So, I decided to make an apple pie.
I am not the best at baking and as mentioned before, I usually do baking in a semi homemade way:
So I made one just to try it out:

9" ready made crust (which i got from Safeway--thanks to ready made stuff!)
1 Betty Crocker crust mix (for the crust on top)
5-6 small apples
3/4 c white granulated sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/c flour
2 tsp of ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter


Peel and chop the apples into small cubes. Combine chopped apples with all the dry ingredients. Set it aside.
On a separate bowl, use 1/2 of Betty Crocker crust mix. Put 2 Tbsp of cold water and another 2 tsp of cold water. Mix it all up until it turns into a ball. Put some flour on your board before flattening your dough with a rolling pin. Pour the apple mixture on the ready made crust. Put the flattened dough on top. Make sure that it covers the entire pie.Melt the butter and brush the top of the pie. Sprinkle the top of the pie with white sugar (optional). Bake at 475 F for 15 minutes. Then lower the temp to 350 F and bake it for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Jay and Claudine said it was good---i guess they have no choice but to eat them! Ha!

T-H-E Game

October 9, 2010
Stanford vs USC





Jay has been waiting for this game. He loves USC and will not let go of the chance to see this game with Stanford.

We arrived pretty early--thinking that we might hit traffic and have a hard time parking. But it turned out that everything was well organized. We picked up our tickets at the booth, waited for few minutes for the gates to open and that was it! Our seats were not the best one---we were at the sunny goal (as it is called). And it was indeed SUNNY! But we love the stadium--it was clean and seats were comfortable. We heard that the game was sold out, but at 4:20 and the game is at 5:00, the stadium was pretty empty!So we waited and people started to come in. Then  it was just like 15 minutes before the game and we were getting excited.

5 minutes before and we sang the national anthem---and what made it different from any other occasion that I will be singing the Star Spangled Banner? Well, 3 jets came flying by....I was impressed!

So the game started...We were all hyped up. Jay was so seriously watching and will not even budge. USC made the first touchdown and then Stanford came back--yay! About an hour to the game, a older man rooting for Stanford stood up and started fighting with a USC fan. I was worried that both men will get into it. I mean, they were into each other throat and I won't be surprised if one punches one in the face. Yipes! Luckily, they both settled down! phew!

The game was really getting exciting. It wasn't any of those boring games. I was at the edge of my seat majority of the times. I am not a football guru or fanatic, but I know a little bit to keep me glued to the game.
Stanford made another touchdown---yay! BUT missed the field goal! Seriously? My worries started to come down on me--if USC makes another touchdown and NOT miss the field goal --- they might win this game. It was already like the 4th quarter for goodness sake!

And true enough, USC made another touchdown and made the field goal. Unbelievable! With 1 minute left in the game, how can Stanford score? Literally, they have to run and cross the 50 yard line to at least make a field goal--and how? with 1 minute remaining, that is really close to impossible.

BUT, i was wrong..It wasn't at all impossible. Stanford was able to do it. With a very wise coach and QB, at 4 seconds before the game is over, Stanford will make a field goal....AND YES!!!!! Stanford made another 3 points--YAHOO!

Best game ever! The game finished at 37-35

Cupcakes

I love cupcakes and therefore I love making them....

Sunday, I decided to make some. I am not a guru in baking. It would always be more like semi-homemade.
So I made my chocolate cupcakes. But this time, I made it differently. I wanted it more moist and softer so I tried something different...I added a cup of chocolate pudding! It was yummy~it was moist and really soft!

Good friends are hard to find..

I find myself really lucky that I found my real best friends. They all came along at different times of my life and they have all stayed with me through thick and thin. It's nice to know that we do not need to talk or be together all the time to assess our friendship. Our understanding of each others attitude, character and personality has grown where we can pick things up where we last left off.

I always give thanks to HIM for blessing me with a great family, a great husband, a great career and great friends! I don't know if everyone will have the opportunity to have all of these at the same time.

Sophia at 1 month old

Sophia at 1 month...

This girl is growing really fast. She is just super cute! Her mom put on her little dress and then her Auntie Cathy tried on putting some hair clip---PRETTY!

 But she still sleeps a lot! So, we all get excited whenever she opens her eyes---

 Her Uncle Miguel and Uncle Anthony are just happy to see her!

.....Look at her tiny feet! So adorable!

Oh look who's loving her so much...It's  Mompsy!

Macarons

I want to know what the fuzz is all about. So I went to get some Macarons--a meringue like pastry that many people are dying to eat.

My friends from LA will not hesitate to fall in line just to get some of these so I am just dead curious as to how good this would taste

So--i went to my fave Bakery-La Baguette. Glad that the line wasn't that long or I would have left! Ha!

And there it was---cute colored macarons. I decided to just get my fave colors---pink (strawberry), green (pistachio), and brown (chocolate). I can't wait to have my first bite......

I tried the pistachio first....and???? Yes, it is good! :)

It definitely taste like a meringue and the filling is just really yummy! But I don't think I can have a lot of this. It is sweet and one piece is more than enough.... 

Surprisingly, Jay actually enjoyed eating it more than I did! And therefore we might get some more this weekend---but I am thinking of trying to make some myself. 

Memories

Time flies~
but memories last forever.....

I remember the times he brought me to school or the times he took off early from work to pick me up at a stormy afternoon. I remember the day he bought me the cutest lunch box. I remember the day he attended my first school open house. I remember the day he did my wood shop project. I remember the day he typed up my first book report (oh --- he was mad! It took him the entire night to finish it!)...

I remember the day he got mad at me. I remember the day he put me to time out. I remember when I first had an argument with him (and he wasn't at all happy with me!). I remember how sad he was to know his eldest daughter is getting married...and then his second....

BUT...............I also remember how happy he was to see Ate Yeyet and May on their wedding day.

I remember how extremely happy he was when Myka (first grandchild) was born and then happier to have more when Jeff and John and Claudine came.

I remember how he got into politics. I remember how he loved our town. I remember how he loved to be of service to so many people...

So many memories...

Sadly, I do remember the day he left. It was sudden. And the saddest day of our lives.

I wish he had more time with us~
to see me graduate...to see Alyssa, Miguel and Anthony....to see me on my wedding day...and to see his great grand children!

We miss you Papa! You will always be in our hearts...Happy Birthday!

Water worries?!

For like almost 3 years now, I have always been puzzled why I would always get red, itchy, hive-looking marks on my chest, shoulders and face--and it will always appear at a very random time. I would also complain why my hair is dry, etc. etc. etc...

Of course, I will always associate my misery to my allergies which sometimes doesn't make sense anymore. So, i did some more research and it sounded like i may be sensitive to our laudry detergent and fabric softener...So, I decided to switch to a different one--I told myself that if doesn't work, I would switch to an organic laundry detergent....Thought I found the answer, cause for awhile, I was quite happy...Until about 2 weeks ago, i started having some hive-looking marks again and i didn't even eat anything to trigger it! Geez---i am getting tired of this!

I randomly talked about this to my friend and she told me that it might be our water...Water? Unbelievable! That can't be...uhmmm...now I am not sure! 

So, I did some research and reading and guess what I found out? The chlorine content of the water in the city I live in, is high enough to cause the irritations I am experiencing and dryness of hair.

This is just crazy. But i have to be pro-active and not complain. We decided to buy a shower filter.

This Culligan shower head filter is known to eliminate 99.9% of the chlorine. So let's see if this will resolve my issues--oh wait, not just my issues! I found out that my niece too is having the same reactions as me--and Jay too! They kept quiet about it thinking it was nothing!

I can't wait to get it. Hopefully it will arrive this weekend! 

....another princess will soon arrive!

We are just full of blessings...By February of 2011, there will be a new addition to the family! How exciting is that?!

Jeff and Cristel are expecting and yesterday 9.22.2010, they found out they'll be having a baby girl! Another PRINCESS! Baby Sophia will soon have a cousin and a playmate! Yay!
We're all ecstatic about this....

We wish this cute couple all the BEST!! Congratulations!

..with her cute little self

Ok--I just love our baby Sophie! She is just adorable and i love her cute little face! She makes us all smile whenever we get pictures of her! Too bad, it's quite a drive to go to Vallejo, so i would always just look forward to pictures that her mom would send me...

But who would not adore this?

Bonding time

Who else should bond with our lil princess Sophia but her Auntie Claudine :)

Beignets

After a very productive day, I decided to prepare some snacks...

BEIGNETS of Cafe Du Monde! Super yummy!