Christmas Craft

Christmas Craft

I know it's the new year already but I want to share these presents we gave out last Christmas. I usually do something crafty as presents but this year, I was not totally up to it. Could it be the pregnancy? Hmmm...

Anyway, here the presents we gave out to teachers and co-workers. I spied some square egg boxes being sold on etsy one time. One of the product images showed the boxes with Ferrero Rocher chocolates in the egg slots. I thought it was very cute and very cost effective to give as presents. In this case, the packaging plays a big part in the present.

I was able to find a local retailer selling egg cartons. They did not have square one. Instead they had the regular dozen egg boxes that could be split into 2. It was not the perfect choice but it was something I could work with. I also covered the bar code and other box info with address labels and used that space to write Christmas greetings. I think they came out really cute! What do you think?

Recipe for Christmas All Year Long

Recipe for Christmas All Year Long

Take a heap of child-like wonder
That opens up our eyes
To the unexpected gifts of life -
Each day a sweet surprise.
Mix in fond appreciation
For the people whom we know;
Like festive Christmas candles,
Each one has a special glow.
Add some giggles and some laughter,
A dash of Christmas food,
(Amazing how a piece of pie
Improves our attitude!)
Stir it all with human kindness;
Wrap it up in love and peace,
Decorate with optimism, and
Our joy will never cease.
If we use this healthy recipe,
We know we will remember
To be in the Christmas spirit,
Even when it's not December.
by Joanna Fuchs

Hope you all had a beautiful Christmas!

Shopping is Done!

Shopping is Done!

It's only a few days left before Christmas and I can safely say that all my holiday shopping is done! Most of the presents were bought during the Black Friday sale or online. The only ones that needed to be bought were for DH and DS. And as of the weekend, everything is with me. They just need to be wrapped. I am glad that they are done because it's been raining the whole weekend. Forecast says it will rain until Wednesday! I would not want to go out and drive and shop with this non-stop rain.

Surprisingly, I did not have to spend that much this Christmas season. I stayed pretty much within our budget. Pat on the back for me. We don't have to cash in that gold bullion we've been hiding. LOL! I wish we had at least one! LOL!

I just need to hit the grocery store for eggs, bread, cream and green beans to cook for our Noche Buena feast on the 24th. DH's family will be over,as usual. There will be more of us this time because SIL got married so she will have her husband and step sons in tow.

Although the shopping is all done, the cleaning of the house isn't which is kinda freaking me out! Ugh! Hate doing it but it must be done since we will be having guests! Wish me luck!

1 Corinthians 13 - A Christmas Version

1 Corinthians 13 - A Christmas Version

Author unknown

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights
and shiny balls, but do not show love, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing
gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not
show love, I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I
have to charity, but do not show love, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss
the husband. Love is kind, though harried and tired. Love doesn't envy another's
home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens. Love doesn't yell at
the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in
giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all
things. Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost,
golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around our home! We actually got a tree 2 Fridays ago. However, the past week was just so crazy busy, we did not have time to decorate it.
Finally, we started to decorate our tree. DH got new LED Christmas lights this year but only white and blue were available. I guess we started too late that the multi-colored whites ones were sold out already. It's ok. This just meant that we need a new color scheme for our tree instead of our usual red and gold. We're going with silver/white and blue. I will still need to get a few more ornaments and stuff for our tree but at least it's starting to feel more Christmas-y around here. The Christmas wreaths are hung. Some of the nativity sets are set out. The dancing Santa is entertaining the kids once more. I'm planning to add a few more touches here and there. Now, it's time to get all the boxes and bins back into storage and

Cute gift box idea

Cute gift box idea

I saw these on etsy a few days ago. Isn't this such a clever gift idea? These would make perfect teacher gifts too. Usually, it would seem really lame to gift someone just 4 pieces of Ferrero chocolate but if packaged this way, I think it becomes a really cute gift. I'm planning to give this as Christmas presents to my kids' summer camp counselors. This is perfect because it keeps me under budget but still conveys a sense of gratitude. I think they will appreciate the thought. :) From a budget standpoint, each gift will approx. cost me just $1. I was only able to buy uncolored ones locally so I'll just dress it up with ribbons. Or maybe a Christmas stamp at the top. Or use twine/raffia with a Christmas tag. So many possibilities!

The Christmas Passed

The Christmas Passed

Whew! I cannot believe how quickly this holiday season is passing. I was talking to SIL about how unprepared I felt going into the season - like it came upon us in an instant. She commented that a lot of people felt the same way, including her. The holidays usually come and go quickly but for some reason, this year, I was late getting into everything. We got our tree well into the middle of December which meant that we got to decorating late too. I was able to make our Xmas cards after Thanksgiving but only got to send it out the week before Christmas which means that people overseas might be receiving theirs well into the new year. Our family got our Christmas activities going a week before Christmas but I really felt like I was in a fog that whole time, like those people in the allergy relief commercials? Pfft...
Anyway, whether I felt it or not, Christmas day has come and gone but we're still celebrating Christmas here. Leftovers still abound in the fridge. Gifts have been unwrapped but we have not let the kids open all of them. We're pacing them so that they can be excited about a new toy everyday.
The kids are enjoying the holidays as they have been able to stay up way later than usual. This is good for me too because it means that I can sleep in because they're waking up later too. Too bad for DH though coz he has to go to work! Awww...
I'l leave you with some pics of our activities prior to Christmas day.

This was DS' school Christmas program on the evening of the 17th. I hardly got a good shot of him because he kept turning away.

DS' class presented the Stations of the Crib the next day during their school mass. It was interesting as this was the first time I had even heard of it. DS was a shepherd. They presented it after the celebration of the Eucharist. They were all by the altar. As expected, DS kept hiding behind his classmates and I was not able to get a decent shot of him! Argh!

On Sunday, we went to see the Living Nativity presented by Granite Creek Church in neighboring Claremont. It was beautiful. It was a big production with several scenes. You could walk through (which we did) or drive through. I think it took us about an hour from the time we arrived to the time we finished at the last scene/station. If we should do this again, I think we'll drive through but make sure to be there early on so that the wait will not be too long.

On Monday, we went to the Bob Baker Marionette Theater in LA. This was a fieldtrip with other homeschooling families. It was a nice show. All the puppets were handcrafted so there is that old-fashioned feel to it. The puppeteers were awesome. The kids were seated right on the floor so that throughout the show, the marionettes would march right up to the kids. The kids were instructed not to touch them though but it was still fun to have them right there in front of you. After the show, the group was led to the adjoining room and given free ice cream.

On Wednesday, BIL took DS fishing and they caught five fishes that we had for dinner that evening. DS was super excited about that one.

So, that was our busy week before Christmas. I'll post the rest of our pics at Flickr and Facebook so family and friends, look out for them there.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Just popping in today to wish you all a very merry Christmas!! Will be back soon with pictures and stories to tell. Right now, off to enjoy the day with family.

A Conversation About Santa

A Conversation About Santa

DD2: Does Santa live on earth?
DD1: Yes.
DD2: It does not look like he lives on earth, Mommy.
Me: Why do you say that?
DD2: I've never seen elves on earth. I think he lives on another planet.
DD1: I think he lives on earth. He speaks English. He doesn't speak alien at all.

DD1: Remember when we saw Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus in our school?
DD2: They were just in costume!
DD1: No, they were not!
DD2: But how did they get there? Where's Rudolph?
DD1: I think they were real.
DD2: I think those were just costumes!

I chose to remain silent on the issue. When they asked what I thought, I'd answer back with the classic, "What do you think?" That has gotten me out of sticky question/situations before. Haha.

All I want for Christmas

All I want for Christmas

I did a list of my Christmas wants last year(and it even had a part 2) and found it interesting and fun to look back at the stuff I wanted. Some I received. Some I don't want anymore. Others are back on my list, plus some.

1. AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G lens
2. Nikon SB-600
3. Bind-it-all
4. killer black boots
5. Cozy winter boots
6. fat burner
7. a new laptop
8. liposuction
9. sewing machine
10. love and acceptance
11. jeans that fit
12. peace
13. months-long vacation to the Philippines
14. a small compact camera
15. YOU

Which ones are seriously wanted? Which ones are for fun?
All are wanted. All are for fun! :)
Merry Christmas!

Busy Weekend

Busy Weekend

We had a busy first weekend of December. Sunday was our community's Christmas party and it was a caroling party/competition. The scary part of it was that our group was picked to do a caroling number. I am not a singer at all but DH is. I helped with the minor choreography to jazz up the medley. We sang a medley of Sleigh Ride, Winter Wonderland, Mamacita, Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bell Rock and Pasko na Naman to end it. We did an acceptable job, I think but nowhere near competition level. We weren't there to compete with the harmonies and voicing of the other groups. We came to perform for family. Hehehe. You could tell we did not know what we were doing. We didn't even put a mike in front of the group so the guitar kind of drowned our voices. We took it in good fun though.

We did have fun during practices - in all of our 2 practices! LOL! Yes, a total of 2 with the last one on Saturday morning, the day before the presentation. LOL! Cutting it close, eh. It was done at our friend's house and I made a lovely discovery that is not connected in any way to singing. My friend has a pomelo tree in her backyard!! Yumm!!! She harvested several fruits for us. Mmmmm...love it! Is pomelo the same as grapefruit in that it's said to be natural fat burners, you think?

Anyway, the kids had a presentation too. They sang Jingle Bells and Pasko na Naman. Here are pics of DS and DD1 during their part of the program.

Black Friday shopping anyone?

Black Friday shopping anyone?

None for me, thank you.

Yes, surprisingly, I did not do any shopping on one of the biggest days for the retail industry here in the US - day after Thanksgiving. From experience, you can get really great deals on this day but you will have to be ready for long lines.

This year, I did not shop and I may be regretting it already! I knew that there wasn't a need for shopping that much. I was making most of my presents for friends and family. What I had forgotten was that I still needed to buy gifts for my kids! LOL! Sigh. I had not bothered to pore over Thursday's newspaper where ads for Black Friday sale were inserted. In previous years, I would have planned my shopping day according to what I wanted to buy and where. This year, however, I simply glanced at them with no excitement whatsoever. Maybe because times have been tough and there really isn't much to play with? I wasn't planning on buying certified diamonds or any big ticket items at all but difficult times call for more reserved spending, don't you think?

Only, I'm now really regretting not going out and buying the kids' presents. I'm looking at the calendar and see that we've got about 3 weeks left before Christmas and I have not even started on my Christmas shopping yet! Argh! There seems so much to do and so little time.

I gotta learn to slow down though and remember the reason for all the celebration. The kids won't mind if they don't get the "perfect" present. I think we've taught them well to appreciate whatever they receive. If they should be disappointed, it would be the perfect time to teach them the lesson to be grateful for everything and anything.

This week is particularly stressful for me because I'm doing last-minute stuff for our community Christmas on Sunday. I think that once I get through that, everything else will slow down.

Hope you're enjoying the season and not as stressed as me.

Let's Make a Jesse Tree

Let's Make a Jesse Tree

Hello December!!!! The air is crisper. The nights are brighter because of the Christmas lights in the neighborhood. Yep! Christmas is coming indeed.
How are you preparing for it? Having kids in the house definitely makes the waiting harder.

"When is Christmas?"
"How many days more before Christmas?"
"Is it coming soon?"

Yes, the questions can gnaw on one's nerves especially when there are a million other things going on in my head. Fortunately, there are a lot of Advent calendars available to help countdown to Christmas. While I like the idea, I wanted something more meaningful for the kids.

As I researched for more Christ-centered Christmas countdown ideas, I came across the Jesse Tree. Jesse is the father of David, the great king from whose lineage Jesus was born. The Jesse Tree traces salvation history from creation and fall of man to the birth of the Messiah, Jesus. At the start of Advent or December, a snippet (story) from the long love story between God and His people is read. Then a corresponding ornament which symbolizes that particular story is hung from a banner or tree. The Jesse Tree basically helps us remember how God prepared the world for the ultimate manifestation of His love for us - Jesus.

There are a lot of choices with regard to stories to tell. I've searched in the internet and found a few. There are some differences among them but in the end they tell the same story.

I found this book at Amazon. I did not have enough time to make the ornaments here but I am thinking of starting on this project for next Christmas. I would have really wanted to do these as they seem really simple to make. I just do not have enough time.

As December was fast approaching, I was resigned to having to either put off this project for next year or buy a hodge podge of ornaments to use for these. I also found this site with printable ornaments that I could've used. While I appreciate that it's free, it was not as attractive as I would have wanted.

I also found and printed this wonderfully detailed bible readings from the National Catholic Register. I had decided to use these and modify them to accommodate the ornaments that were more easily available.

Then, I found this at one of my favorite digital scrapbooking stores. Coincidence? I think not! God was looking out for me!!! LOL! It combines the ease of simply printing off the ornaments with the crafty look I wanted. Add to that the fact that I was able to get these at 1/2 off because of the Black Friday sale the designer was having. Oh, God is good indeed!!

I still plan on making my own felt ornaments for next year but for now, this will more than suffice. In fact, I'm even thinking of giving a set of these ornaments as presents to some families I know.

I am sooo pleased!! I have them all cut up now and ready to be hung. Woohoo!

Holidays in Hand

Holidays in Hand

I signed up for the free class, Holidays in Hand, with Jessica Sprague. It started on Monday and already I'm behind! Hahaha. The class is supposed to help us focus on the important things for the holidays which can really get lost amidst all the busyness of the season. That is what really drew me in. So far, we've gotten prompts and idea lists of things to do or make for the month of December. I've printed out up to day 20 before I ran out of cardstock to print on. I will need to buy some paper and black ink as I see that the printer is running low already.

Anyway, she encouraged us to write down our values/goals for the season. Maybe you'll find me posting here some of my thoughts in here. For now, here are my values/goals.

• family
• togetherness
• God-centered
  
• love
• warmth
• celebrating Jesus' birth
• Catholic traditions

For this Christmas season, I'd really like to do more meaningful Catholic activities with the kids. Instead of an Advent calendar, I am planning on doing a Jesse tree and in fact, incorporating this into our homeschool day. I'd really like for the children to understand the reason for the celebrations and why this day is different from all other days. ;)

That is my main focus. All the other craftiness and goodies will be done if I have time. Keeping my eyes on preparing for the coming of the child Jesus will help me weed out the important from the trivial, the essential from the non-essentials. In the end, I want our family to be ready to welcome the baby Jesus in our hearts. I desire that our family will shine like the stars that twinkled brightly on the night of our Saviour's birth.

Christmas photos

Christmas photos

For the first time, we celebrated Christmas with both sides of our families complete. What a truly special Christmas!!! We took advantage by taking family photos. The only thing was that DD3 would have none of it! LOL! We were able to take a few good ones though. Here are some. These are straight out of the camera. I haven't edited them yet. The room lighting was not too good. I need to learn how to work the flash without washing out the color.

After Xmas eve mass, we had our noche buena. DH grilled ribeye steaks. Yum! Yum! We also had pansit malabon, Honeybaked ham, bacon-wrapped scallops, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes. And for dessert, leche flan, of course! It was a real good meal. The best part was that there was enough for the next day so the feast continued on. I actually had a roast ready to be cooked for Christmas dinner but there was too much food already! LOL!

After all the opening of presents (which I did not get to take pics of!), it was time for Rockband! BIL brought his Xbox set and we got to play with it! Sooo much fun! I've been wanting to get it but DH was telling me that the kids are too young to play with us. Hehehe. But having all these adults at this time - the perfect time to play it! Did I already say we had so much fun? Woohoo! We played till the wee hours of Christmas morning.

Christmas day was spent at home. BIL and his fiancee dropped by and spent the afternoon till evening here. They brought along her niece and she played with the girls and had a blast. It was an especially good Christmas for DH because the Lakers won! Yay!

All in all, it was a really good Christmas! I'm savoring each moment as I know this does not come too often. I am so thankful to God that He has given this to our family this year. Such an awesome Christmas present! Thank you Lord!

Christmas Wish List (continued...)

Christmas Wish List (continued...)

Here's the continuation of my Christmas wish list... it's a lot more affordable. LOL! But go and browse thru my first list in case you're feeling extra generous! LOL!

- This or this camera strap cover
- silver hoop earrings
- Crushed velvet flock assortment, 12-pk
- a cute laptop case - DH has a black boring Samsonite one that I'm using now. Would love something sassier & colorful.
- beautiful picture frames - can never have enough of those!

That's it!! I'm not too hard to please, am I?

*wink*

My Christmas Wishlist

My Christmas Wishlist

Maybe someone's reading and wondering what to get me for Christmas...
Maybe it would help that someone to know his options...
Maybe...just maybe...

There are so many things I want. That's the operative word though - "want", not necessarily need. That's why I hesitate to buy it for myself. But if it's a gift, I'd gladly accept it with love and joy and gratitude in my heart.

Photography gear/Scrapbooking related:
- AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G lens - this is the new one that's compatible with my entry-level D40x. The cheaper Nikkor lens I was eyeing back then is not compatible with my D40x. Hmp! Figures they'd sell the newer one much more expensive right?
- Picture Perfect Homestudio or something similar I can easily set up. I've been reading up on forums and there were some who've made theirs out of PVC pipes. don't know if I'm willing to go out and do all that though. I just want an alternative to taping up a blanket on a wall or garage door. LOL!
- any of the three books by Allison Tyler Jones
- Bind-it-all
- Totally Rad Actions set 2

Personal/Vanity stuff
- polarized sunglasses ( I lost mine at church. I was still in the parking lot when I realized it wasn't in my purse. I hurry back to church. Nope, not there anymore! I asked the ushers if they had seen it. Nope. Nada! So sad!)
- Lovely (perfume by Sarah Jessica Parker)
- black boots (sz 7 1/2)

To be continued...

Busy busy busy

Busy busy busy

So what else is new right?

The holiday season is upon us. I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is next Thursday already! Wow! I'm slowly chipping away at my Christmas to-do list. There are of course Christmas crafts and presents to make and buy. I actually have a longer list of people to buy presents for because my whole family will be here!!! So excited!!! The last time we celebrated as a complete family was in 2002. It was our first Christmas in this house and I was pregnant with DD1. Our family has grown since then. I think this Christmas will be even more fun because of the kids. Combine my 4 kids and my 3 brothers equals some fun times for sure!!!

I was able to finish a major to-do in my list. I got my annual family Christmas card designed and submitted for printing already. Whew! I'm actually going with postcards this year. It's cheaper to have printed than regular folded cards plus postage is cheaper too. It totally makes sense to go with postcards, doesn't it?

Alrighty, I'm going back to my to-do list now.

Who told my kids to grow up?!

Who told my kids to grow up?!

Seriously, who told my kids they can grow up so quickly?! I sure did not!!

So, the Sunday paper was full of these Toys R' Us inserts, Target inserts - all about toys!! And not just a page or two, but a whole catalog! Of course, the kids get excited and they just about run over each other trying to be the first to get a look at all these amazing toys they can choose from.

I ask them what they want for Christmas and as expected, DD2 looks at Princess and doll stuff. But my 2 older ones catch me off-guard.

DD1 asks for a digital camera while DS asks for electronic games, y'know, the ones for Wii or PS3. Yeah! I was taken aback! Since when did my kids stop asking for toys-toys and ask for big kid stuff?! Did someone send a memo that apparently my kids are now big kids?!

I just have to laugh and shake my head. Where have my babies gone?

LP 14: Tatak Pinoy

LP 14: Tatak Pinoy

Para sa amin na namumuhay na sa ibang bansa, ito ang ultimong tatak ng pinoy tuwing Pasko, Basta't makakita ka ng parol na nakasabit sa harap ng bahay ay tiyak na Pilipino ang nakatira roon.

{For us Filipinos living abroad, this may well be the ultimate sign of being Filipino come Christmas. When you see this Filipino lantern called Parol hanging, you can bet that it's a Filipino living in that house.}

Itong parol ko ay binitbit pa ng mga magulang ko bilang pasalubong sa akin nung sila'y dumalaw nung Pasko ng 2002. Pinagkaingat-ingatan na dalhin para di mabasag o mayupi. Gawa ito sa capiz.

{This particular Parol sa handcarried by my parents when they came here during the Christmas of 2002. They took extreme care to make sure that nothing gets shattered or bent. This is made of capiz shells}

Wala man ako sa Pilipinas sa tuwing Pasko ay naririyan naman itong Parol ko upang pasayahin ako at paalala ang mga nakaraan kong Pasko.

{I may not be in the Philippines during Christmas but at least my parol is there to make me smile and remember Christmases past}