WHAT ARE YOU GIVIN UP??

in observance of the lent season, I thought I'd do a post on the things I'm givin up...

last year, I gave up rice & I must say very proudly that it was a success... being Filipino, whose staple food is rice, IT'S VERY HARD not to eat rice... but I did it!! no rice for 40 days!! I believe I lost a few lbs as a result, although that was not my intention... my intention was to give up something that I thought I couldn't live without... the weight loss was just an added bonus.... but this year, I mean business... double purpose baby!!! sacrifice for lent & to lose a few pounds.... LOL

so I am givin up....

RICE

FAST FOOD

I'm not too fond of burgers, I don't really like them but I like to eat french fries every now & then, especially In n Out's & McD's.... & Wendy's chicken nuggets are something that I crave for a lot.... but other than that I don't think it would be that hard to give up on fast food....

wait!!! is pizza considered fast food?? oh hell, now that's something that's kind of hard to avoid since my boys love pizza... uh-oh!!

SODA

this, my friends, is what's gonna kill me... I loooooove drinkin soda, Pepsi/Diet Pepsi in particular.... but I think I only drink it when it's there, when it's not, I don't crave for it or anything like that.... "out of sight, out of mind"... so the solution is to not buy them... but the problem is my Dad & the beaufee drinks soda so we include that in the grocery list often times... so I'm screwed!! but that's why it's a test....

I know I can do it!! I already did it before.... but it's gonna be hard!!

so here we go, 40 days & 40 nights.... starting today (Ash Wednesday).... wish me luck!! I'm gonna need it....

do you practice lent??

if so, what are you givin up???

& pretending you do, what would you give up?? 

JUST DANCE FOR THANKSGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving Day to everyone!!

greeting you while cooking for our thankgiving dinner tonight....

here is a picture of our turkey last year which I already forgot how we cooked... it was our first time cooking turkey, so we were kinda clueless... but it turned out good... not bad for a first time!

as you all may already know, I am Filipino & I did not grow up here... we've been here for a little over 10 years but we never really celebrated Thanksgiving until a couple of years ago.. & it was just because the manfriend was born & raised here & he started looking for that tradition that he was used to having while growin up with his family... so to give him that, we started cooking & celebrating Thanksgiving... which I don't really mind... I kinda like that feel of having to prepare for something spent with family....

also, it was my Mom's birthday last Sunday so we're kinda celebrating her birthday at the same time... it's very low key though... we're not having that much... just a simple dinner....

this year we are having spaghetti, some Neptune salad, mashed potatoes & gravey, pumpkin pie, my mom's birthday cake, strawberry jello pretzel salad & maybe add some other stuff later on...

& of course we're having a Maple-Roasted Turkey with Sage, Smoked Bacon & Cornbread stuffing... (click HERE if you are interested with the recipe)

take a look at our bird this year...

our friend Renan gave it to us... he gave us one last year as well...I'm thinking that it became a tradition from then on... he said he doesn't know how to cook it, so he will give it to someone who can & then just come over to eat there... & that's exactly what he did last year...

the stuffing....

yummy cornbread with all kinds of other yummy stuff...

this is what's cooking in the oven right about now...

on the other note, we bought Just Dance 2 a couple of days ago....

so the plan is just a simple dinner & play Just Dance 2 all night loooong... LOL

here are the little monsters dancing away yesterday... 

they looooove this game!

their favorite is the "Monster Mash" by The Frighteners.... & here they are doing the Frankenstein walk... LOL

another fave is "Jump" by Studio Allstars

***sigh*** priceless!!

we wanted to get them the Just Dance Kids but it was sold out when we went....

I would give you a breakdown of all the things I am thankful for, but if I do that this post would not end.. so let me just take you to a shortcut & say that I am thankful for everything that's in my life (especially the ones photographed above).... everything in my life is a part of ME... whether it's bad or good, I am thankful for it....

I am also oh so thankful to all my 399 followers... I'm one follower shy of hitting 400! YAY!!! thank you so much y'all!! a giveaway is in the works!

how bout you?? what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving Day???

anyhoo.... that's what's up with me on Thanksgiving day..... gotta end this now & get back to cooking... LOL

hope you all have a good one!!

TIME FLIES SO FAST

that's right! my baby is now 3 years old, he doesn't seem to believe so... when I asked him how old Deion is, he said nothin' so I tried to coach him & said, "is Deion 3?" he answered with a big "NO!" & said he is 4... LOL! gosh!! please, not yet! I can't see this one going to school, I mean he is the braver one of the two but it's me, I really don't see myself to easily let go of the fact that he's really growing up... & plus he better get potty trained first before he turns 4... awwwww... my baby... =(

Daddy was too sick to do anything & the friends were not feelin' Japanese (3 of 'em are in LA for the Lakers game, it was the wedding anniversary of the other 2 & 1 is workaholic... yes, it is you! you know who you are!! LOL!!)... so I just decided to order for pick up....

went to our favorite Jap resto in town - Atari-Ya... ordered the Nigiri Sushi A for Davi
some Crunchy Calamari Roll for moi

& the Tonkatsu/Tempura combo for the kiddies



our friend Keiko(the owner) was very nice to add a couple of YanYans for the monsters... she's super sweet! she's always hookin us up... one time she gave me some chopstix that has pretty Japanese designs on 'em... when I refused to take 'em... she insisted & said, "prrreease take it, coz I reerry reerry ryk you!!"... awww... but when I went back to buy Davi one, she let me pay for it... LOL! she's so cute!! check them out at http://www.atari-ya.net/ ... you'll also see Davi's long lost fa-jah - Yuki(the executive sushi chef)!! LOL!! just messin... they do resemble each other though... go see for yourself....

I heart Atari-Ya! they are the best!!!!!!

DOUBLE BIRTHDAY

their favorite SpiderMan pose

my babies are getting big.... =(... Devean turned 5 last Sunday, the 5th & Deion is turning 3 next Sunday, the 12th... yes, their birthdays are exactly 2 years & a week apart... that's what you call perfect timing... **wink**... shaooo!! LOL!

to celebrate their birthdays, we had a little BBQ at the house last Saturday, the 4th... since my family is still in the Philippines, we just had a little get together with friends... I marinated chicken thighs & tri tip & the baby daddy barbecued... I also made some Strawberry Jello Pretzel dessert which is the bombeezel... LOL! & some Carbonara (white spaghetti) which was also, I think you already know what! LOL! I hate to brag but I do make a mean Carbonara... Ninang Michelle brought a gigantic tray of Spaghetti (not in any of the pix)... she must've thought we're havin 100 guests... haha... "thanks Mare!"...

here are some pix...

everything was last minute coz we weren't sure if we were gon do it on Saturday or Sunday or just later when my family gets back in town... just had to decorate that cake real quick... just decided to get balloons that same afternoon... although it was just a little get together, it was special coz it was time spent with friends... nax!! poker naaaa!!! LOL!

WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

that was what's for dinner last night -- PININYAHANG MANOK (Pineapple Chicken)... my version... hehe... I dunno why I never thought of going to YouTube for cooking recipe before but it was so much easier coz they give you directions firsthand plus viewing it from my iPhone was super convenient coz I can have it right there with me & pause it or rewind it whenever I have to... although there were a lot of versions & it was still confusing, I was able to make the revamped version of Pininyahang Manok... haha... I didn't have the coconut cream/milk, so to give that creamy consistency & to add that little sweet taste that I like, I added a tiny bit of condensed milk & let me tell you, it was da B-O-M-B, da bomb! I'll just let Davi tell you all about it... not to brag, but all I can hear was "mmmm... mmmm..." LOL...

I had to work with a whole chicken that Nanay left coz I haven't gotten the chance to get the ready-to-cook ones from the store yet... so I had to cut it in smaller pieces, it was my first time as you can see from the picture - it's all jacked up! LOL!... told you, Nanay did everything for us... but hey, I'm tryin & it's not too late right?!

and of course I had to make a big ol mess in Nanay's kitchen...

but this made it all easy to clean everything up...

Davi had let them out to the backyard so they can play & run around for a little bit while he plays the never-ending XBOX Call of Duty **ugh**.. I hate that game, I hate any game that takes his attention away from us, especially his kids... I am so gonna sell that stupid XBOX with all the games to Anwar for 50 bucks already... LOL... but anyways, went totally OT here... my boys came back inside with this cute little flower from Nanay's garden... I know! major 'aaaawwwww' right?! they are so sweet!

and they're getting big every minute... =(

here's Deion getting caught red handed while he tried to bust out a ninja move on Nanay's bougainvilleas

tonight's dinner on the other hand, is the Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets from Costco... no pictures for that... I'm pretty sure you can use your imagination with that

ADOBO

menu for dinner: PORK ADOBO & STRAWBERRY MILK SHAKE

I am being forced to be domesticated since my mom & the rest of the family left for the P.I. I've been super obliged to cook, clean up, do the blah blah blah house chores that my wonderful mom has been taking charge of since we were born... OMG! while it's super hard & exhausting, it's also very enjoying knowing that at the end of the day you did good... it's an accomplishment really! no wonder my mom never gets tired of doin everything for us....

so, I cooked adobo tonight for dinner... I tried making Tita Luvy's(my friend Michelle's mom) adobo, but it was nowhere near her version... her's was bomb!! but mine was ok being that it was my first time trying it... Davi liked it, he said it was good... I thought the sour taste of the vinegar was too strong... but D said if you balance the amount of the ulam with the amount of rice, it's good... ok! if he say so... I also made a strawberry milk shake that ate Jen always makes... I really don't have their(Tita Luvy's & ate Jen) exact recipes but thanks to the very informative world wide web, I managed... it was so funny what Devean said when I had him taste the shake, "wow Mommy, you finally made it good!"... LOL... that boy is so hilarious!! like I've made it before!?! well, anyhow that's the kind of reward I like getting when I worked my butt off on something I'm a novice at...

anyways so, I'm finally catchin up on blogging again... it's been really busy lately... with my family getting ready to go back to the P.I. & me getting sick & everything... but hopefully, I can maintain a regular posting here from now on...

we dropped off Tatay, Nanay, Kuya, ate Jen & Aidann to LAX last Tuesday... we left around 8 in the morning then got there by 11 AM... we got there hella quick, it took us like 2 & a half hours only... eventhough I slept thru the whole drive I figured there was not much traffic unless my brother & Davi were just haulin ass... we had to rent a pickup truck coz we weren't going to fit in one ride... so my brother drove the rental & Davi drove our denali... we just left the rental there in LAX... we were ready to go home round 12:30 coz they didn't really have time to chill even for a bit before they had to go in... I was excited coz I thought we can go to the Camarillo outlets, stop by the Cosmetics Company Store & have a lot of time to browse thru their products... but to my disappointment, they have very little selection for MAC... I dunno for the other stuff but I only checked out the MAC & the Bobbi Brown brands (they also have Clinique, Estee Lauder & etc.)... they don't have any MAC brushes, no eyeshadows, not that many lipstick & lip glosses to choose from... & to add to my disappointment, the sales associates were not that helpful, they weren't rude or anything but they were not accommodating at all... I've read a lot of forums about the CCO's & a lot of people have talked about their bad experiences with the CCO staff, but I never thought it would be in all of the CCO stores!!?! I never thought everyone would have the same impression... I guess it's true! how sad is that?! CCOs can't hire nice people??

I was disappointed but a bit relieved, I didn't spend any money... whew!!! but I'm not givin up on the CCOs... I still have a chance at the Gilroy outlets... there's also 1 in Napa & in Vacaville... but that might be too far & might not be worth the drive if they won't have that many items... & if the staff are gonna be snotty in Gilroy when I go, then forget the CCOs altogether... I'd rather get the regular priced MAC stuff than deal with all the b.s. ... anyway, I found out that MAC cosmetics.com does not charge s&h if you purchase $60 or more... so I might just get my stuff there...

I was gonna ask D to take me to the MAC pro store in Santa Barbara again but I thought I'd be considerate enough knowing that all of us were tired especially him who drove both ways.. so like I said in my previous post, it's not the end of the world if I don't get the MAC stuff on my wishlist... there's still next time...

A DECADE LATER

We just got done with our P90X day 2 workout.. it was PLYOMETRICS today... I know right?!? What the hey is plyometrics?? Don't make me explain right now, I have every reason to believe that doin extreme workout can drain you out, everything in your body including your brain... hehe... (what an excuse!!) Kuya thinks it will be P180X for him.. hell! it might be a year for me - P1yearX!!! haha... that would be really sad! I have a good support system though, my workout buddies(Kuya & Beb-who by the way thinks I'm getting addicted to this blog thing) are serious! so I guess that's good... they'll keep me goin... Need to buy some stuff though - weighing scale, some free weights/dumbbells/band, pull up bar, uhmmmm sports bra..(ok! so you don't need to know that)

I found hella food in the kitchen when I woke up this afternoon('round 1)... there was Sopas, Asado & my fave - Pork & Liver(hmmmm)... So I ask? "what's the okeyshun Nay??".. she said, "10 years na!".. I had to think, 10 year? of what? & then it finally came to me... "aaaahhhh 10 years na sa Amerika!"... wow! it's been that long?? I guess time really flies whether you're havin fun or not... My baby-my VW Jetta, on the other hand, will be 7 years old.. I could not remember the date when I bought it in 2002, I just know it was in February... I know! I'm a bad Mom, can't remember my first born's birthday... anyway, pictures to follow... this reminds me, I have to take it to the lot for service bago magtampo ang baby ko...

Speaking of cars, I called GMAC earlier, (they finance our auto loan) & I know that their customer service call center is located in the P.I., I've called them several times & the reps that I get are all Filipinas, you'll just know, it's not only by the accent but how they use their words - always proper & they're always polite.. but not this girl that I spoke with today... boy was she rude!! she gave me hella attitude!! I don't know! but this is the kind of work I used to do.. It wasn't straight up customer service, it was Accounts Receivable but we get all kinds of calls from dental offices paying their bills or if they need assistance managing their accounts... I did not get proper training but you should know how to be professional especially when the customer is getting irate... I wasn't even close to being upset, I was just asking for her to explain where a late fee is coming from... She got all crazy with me!! Man! this girl was saying "Gahhhhhhd!!" with so much attitude! girls, you should know what I'm talkin about, we use this expression all the time especially when we're irritated... I was glad she didn't say "Gaaash!" I would've been livid... i think 'Gosh' is worse.... I was like "gurl!!" haha... I took her name & ID#... I'm gonna call back tomorrow, i'm giving her name to a manager... Hah!! nahh.. I'm not that mean..

Here are a couple of pics from Aidann's birthday party last Saturday 02/07/09...

Aidann's 1st birthday.. We're all Mickey Moused out!

A DECADE, Davi, Ate Jenn & 3 kids LATER (plus Ate Kaytlee)