errands after errands

yesterday while the kids were at school, my sis, my lil' one & i went to aldi to buy some canned foods to send to her fam in the philippines. i thought i won't have to spend money on curtains for the master's br, well i guess i spoke too soon... i didn't like the one i had so i ended up buying @ tj maxx. it was a couple of inches short so i'll have to fix the bottom to touch the floor... easy fix! i also bought some new table linens to dress up my kitchen & dinning tables for when we come up with the date to have "the couples get together dinner". still undecided with the date coz of my husband's work schedule, but hopefully soon (um, at least before winter - geeze!).

did a few scrapbook layouts last night and read the new book i have called, "10 things you should know about God & Life". i wish to finish this one as a start... i'm all over the place with my books. i have tons i haven't finished, but would come back to them every now and then. so hopefully while i have my adrenaline going, i'll finish at least 3 this year (gotta start small).

today was yet another driving around, running errands day. went to sam's club to get some more stuff for phils and some for the house. went to the new value city furniture just to browse around and i'm glad we did. i found a dark wood cushioned bench with wicker baskets in the bottom for storage only for $40 (pic has no cushion, but mine came w/ it)... org cost? between $190-$429... so what was wrong with it? a lil' crack in the back - fixable and def unnoticeable! my sis also got a replacement for her entertainment center for $39, org. $220. way to go clearance shoppers!!!

after pickin' up my son from school, i went to menards to buy some mums - got a great deal also - $2.98! just super! gardening time tomorrow!

well, i'm about to pamper myself now after 2 days of driving back and forth, rearranging furniture and accents.

hope your day was relaxing or rather productive like mine =) thank you Lord!

have a blessed night!

before school starts...

i've been taking the kids out just about everyday. nothing big just swimming, bowling, golfing, shopping, parties and of course church =)

speaking of shopping... i bought this soft hot pink robe from bath & body last friday and i'm glad i did... it was so worth it for the price - it's so comfy & very spa like kinda softness - you can't even get 'em online anymore (at least the red and pink ones) - the lavender is actually cheaper online & on sale too, i think. thankfully i got the pink one, although i was really hoping to get the red ones, but that i know sold out pretty fast. i did managed to get one for my good friend, marge, for her bday and i'm glad she liked it! happy birth again sis!

taking advantage of the time i have to get things done at home actually feels good coz i get to accomplish a lot. redecorating our bedroom is not done yet and so today i spray painted my table lamps in black and fixed the shades to give it a touch of red to match the rest of the accents. i also had my husband put up my little people (inherited from my brother also)... will take a pic of them so you all know how they look hehehe. i think all it needs is new curtains and i'm glad i have the perfect one for my windows (no need to spend).

it was my son's orientation night @ school today and both my husband and i were able to meet his teacher. apparently, per my daughter who is in 8th grade this yr tells us that her brother's teacher is the most meanest teacher in school. yes, she did look a lil' mean, but i think she's just perfectionist. i do believe tho that my son will need a reasonably strict teacher to boost him up to work harder... so until i don't hear a nasty complaint from my son, i will calm my nerves down and leave everything to the Lord. i've submitted my prayers for my kids' 08-09 school journey and i know that the Lord will guide their ways. so i don't think i need to worry about his teacher =)

tomorrow will be a long day for me again... have to bring the van for service all the way in chicago, take the kids swimming before summer ends (at least for them *wink*), and back to school for me.

so i think i should sign off now to get me enough sleep for tomorrow's blessings - you all have an awesome week and as always, may the Lord's light so shine upon you =) gnite!

what we underwent this past few days...

this past few days haven't been the rest time i was thinking i would get, but i'm not complaining coz the kids are having a great time bonding with their cousins.

forgot to mention on my last blog that my lil' one accidentally poked her dad's right eye, which resulted a big cut on his cornea. he was so restless that night and so i was trying to convince him that i will take him to the er, but he resisted. the following day was so hard coz it was as if he was blind. he was so much in pain and couldn't really open his eyes. i fed him, got him ready and was really just guiding his way. i called around to get him an appt with our "new" primary dr, but bcoz the cut was pretty severe, he had to send us to the ophthalmologist which was thankfully right across. during the rush of walking and driving back and forth, i saw my husband's appreciation to me and we both got pretty emotional thinking of those who cannot see. how hard it must be for them and their loved ones. =)

my husband was restrained from working for 4days and he's just going back tomorrow. but during this ordeal, i saw how baby my husband can be. he needed me to be there next to him at all times. it's funny how he gets when i would put his eye drops... yes! i would do his eye drops. i tell him, "what would you do if i'm not around?" then while laughing he says "well, that's the only time i'll force myself to learn, but till then i'm gonna need you." guys can be such babies, i tell yah.

anyway, since he felt a lot better when the dr. put a contact lense on his right eye, we were able to meet up with my friend who lives a few mins away from indiana. of course i had to do all the driving. my friend, tracy, gave us a new stainless steel dish washer since it wasn't the right size for her kitchen and ours was having a problem already. we drove to orland park to eat at ginger asian bistro. how's the food? i'd give it 2 1/2 stars for the price and coz their rice was pretty dry and def not at all cooked well. staff's friendliness & the place is def a 5 star. but it was worth a try... i know my friend, tracy and kim liked it.

before heading back home, we decided to go to my brother's house to pick up his advance bday gift to me... (yep! really advance coz my bday is not till oct, but again no complaints here!) well, sure enough i was thrilled to see what he gave me... it's a deluxe iron gazebo to put in my back yard complete with a cool netting! ahh! i've been wanting one, but thankfully i didn't have to buy it hehehe. however, i told my husband to put it up next year since summer is almost over.

anyway, we went home with a lot of goodies besides my gift. see, my brother's moving to his new condo and he's trying to get rid of his stuff since he wants a totally diff theme for his new place. so obviously, we picked what we wanted, cleaned our room, rearranged it as soon as we got home and fixed my lil' ones bed to make it look more cozy. we even brought the sponge bob tv, vcr & dvd player from the kids' playroom in the basement to give her a space of her own in our bedroom. we were so worried that she might not sleep in her bed and jump back in ours instead, but lo and behold, the plan worked! we can now have our bed back and turn from our sleep anytime we want w/o having to worry about accidentally hitting her while we're asleep. whew!

well, that's how my days have been this week and tomorrow we're hitting the outlet stores and heading to volcano falls afterwards. so nitey nite and hope you all are enjoying your summer while it last. God bless!

Family Outing, not over...

i'm just checkin' emails right now and paying bills =) but thought i'd blog before i sign off.

yesterday and today were again a busy weekend for our family.

noel went to pick up his mom and nieces. we're so happy we have them over for a week. haven't seen them since last yr.

sat: i had to run some errands early in the morning. passed by my friend's house and chatted for a bit... oh! we also passed by some garage sales around her neighborhood, but unfortunately i didn't find one. besides i just remembered that i just did a garage sale myself and i'm not about to add more junk =)

as soon as i got home, we got ready and went to brunswick for arcade and bowling. my mom-in-law had a ball playing, "deal or no deal" hehehe

we then went to church and boy let me tell you! the message was tuned in for me. it was about accepting the necessary endings in your life. when i get a chance to put my notes together, i will share some important keys i've learned from speaker, dr. henry cloud. it sure did turn on some lights in the things i've been struggling to understand lately... esp. with my job loss.

i'm grateful that once again, the Lord prevailed to reveal His ultimate plan for me.

today: we had an awesome day picnicking at the beach and as an added bonus, we had a blast watching the air & water show. we were surprised that my lil' one, yanna (2yrs old), was enjoying the show and wasn't really bothered with the loud noise that thundered the air. since we still have some energy to grab some shake and ice cream, we passed by my brother's new oberweis store in lincolnwood. over stuffed with food @ the picnic and shake/ice cream to end the day... our day was obviously blessed! couldn't ask for more.

thank God for another weekend of many blessings. well, sweet dreams... gnite =)

Something Better

Last night, I caught myself feeling somewhat despair. I went to my room, closed the door behind me and wrote on my journal. Not feeling a big relief, I decided to turn to God’s word and sure enough the Lord was quick to remind me the verse in 2 Corinthians 12:9. It says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I read that verse over and over again and remained still. It is those moments that I feel the Lord’s presence comforting me.

See, I was focusing too much on the job I’m loosing. Today is actually my last day and knowing that I do not have a replacement yet, I was slowly beginning to feel the worry that is crawling in me. Change is unavoidable. We go through various experiences that change us. Whether the results are for the better depends largely on our attitude. Just like apostle Paul. Both he and his living conditions changed after his experience with Christ on the Damascus Rd. Rather than arresting Christians, he became a courageous and bold defender of the faith. He was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and imprisoned. As I was reading his story, I thought to myself, “Wow! He certainly had a good reason to complain”, but instead he thanked God. Why? Coz Paul recognized that his greatest treasure was Jesus Christ and the righteousness Christ offers.

Gradually, I realized that my confidence was my worst enemy. I had gone into the job searching world with an “I can get a job right away” attitude. I realized that this time it’s not under my timetable. I had to adhere to God’s timetable which requires both my faith and courage.

I know sometimes waiting on God can feel difficult, but the Lord has a plan for each of us, and the timing of every detail is always right. So when it comes, we can look for the new opportunities God is offering in it and, like Paul, we can rejoice, give thanks, and embrace the change. I know I have to take it one day at a time. I must believe that He knows how I should live, trust that His plan is right, and have the determination to wait until He gives a signal to proceed.

Through all the phases of my life… the birth of my children, the loss of loved ones, the transition of my employment… God has always been there, guiding me into the next wonderful part of my life. Sometimes change is hard to accept; but knowing that God is there, I am able to face each new change. I’m sure that if we follow the Lord’s schedule we will experience the blessing of watching Him work things together for our gain and His glory. I can rest assure that no matter what challenges lie ahead in my life or how the world around me changes, I have the love and grace of God to see me through.

How about you my friend, in what situation do you need to practice waiting on the Lord and trusting Him? Know that I feel for you, but we can both take heart that in God’s word we can put our hope. So instead of relying on people or on you for success, the remedy is to rely on the one true source, God, for our security rests in Him alone.

Have a JOYFUL weekend and to some of you, it has been a pleasure working with you all!
God bless!

08/08/08 (means infinity)

meant to blog yesterday, but i was preoccupied with work, job interviews & job hunting... plus i was pretty tired from the trip too.

there was a miscommunication with the location of my interview yesterday. i was so ready, but unfortunately the position was based in downtown which for sure will not work for me and my kids' schedule. was i disappointed? hmm, somewhat only bcoz i wanted to get a head start with interviews... i sorta knew this wasn't the job for me due to the salary range, but they were eager to speak with me and so i was looking forward for the interview. oh well! so much for that.

anyway, the car we rented was due back at 6pm. i was already done with my interview around 3p, but the problem was i didn't have a ride back home. noel couldn't leave work that early, plus he was stuck at a customer's house till 8p... i had to call people. thankfully, my friend, aileen, just got out of work and met me at pompei (love their chicken herb ravioli, btw... hehehe). had a quick bite and left to return the car. we had a chance to catch up and was sorta encouraging her to take a road trip with her husband... funny how she hesitated coz she said, they might just end up killing each other just minutes away from home lolz

so how was our 08/08/08 anni trip? it was A+++! i guess the last minute planning really does work!

fri: instead of leaving at 6p, we ended up leaving at 8p so we didn't get to minnesota till 2a. i felt so bad for my husband coz he was falling asleep already, but he was forcing himself to drive coz he just wanted me to relax and enjoy, but i had to... otherwise we wouldn't have the chance to reach our destination lolz

checked in at the holiday inn and the rest is history...

sat: had an early breakfast @ the hotel and left to spend the whole day at mall of america. wow! so many stores and i ended up just buying 2 things... a scarf and a coach wristlet. ugh! our gift for each other was a shopping spree... i had my chance, but i ended up with 2 things, great! i was so focus on looking for the right scarf that i didn't have the energy to look for other things, well besides stuff for the kids. noel on the other hand had 4 pairs of shoes @ nordstrom, couple of jeans, 4 tops from diff stores & a belt... oh wait, he got himself another magic trick to entertain the kids. =) we closed the mall... more than 10hrs of shopping - wow! a dream come true hehehe

sun: had our bf and planned something we haven't done before so we went kayaking. it was still early to go home so we decided to pass by wisconsin dells, but unfortunately, we couldn't find the spot we saw on our way to minnesota. so since it was already 3p and we haven't had lunch, we decided to just find the nearest japanese restaurant. we then ended up in a small town called, monoma in madison, wisconsin. at first we were thinking, "what did we get ourselves into?" lolz, but lo and behold... we had no idea that this pleasant summer afternoon in this small town ended up to be such a beautiful spot to complete our short vacation. the place was filled with mini stores, restaurants and hang-out spots with a view of the lake and some other new construction building to complete the tourist area. we walked around the streets, found ourselves shopping at ragstock and wow! never knew we would find the coolest stuff we've been looking for at a cheap price. oh and did i mention that i found the scarf i've been wanting at this store also? yep! i was set.

we were eyeing on this japanese restaurant we saw first, but as we kept walking, we saw this new japanese restaurant built on the roof top called, wasabi. again, 2 thumbs up! i think we were both sushied out after this... hehehe we ate, spider roll, dragon and 2 rounds of spicy ken. noel finished the 2nd round, i had to make room for my cold stone's coffee lovers in a waffle bowl ice cream hehehe.

okay, i think this 2 day trip added 5 lbs on our scale. whew! we didn't get home till almost 10p. it was an awesome last min. trip to celebrate our 11th anni... alwayz good to make that time alone as husband and wife... away from the kids. although it was hard, we both realized that it keeps our marriage, healthy.

well, that's our mini vacation story... hope you all will be inspired to take that trip alone with your spouse.

if you're on a budget, that's ok... one of the cost effective ways we did was to rent a car, which cost us less than $200 (including gas) from friday afternoon till monday @ 6p. now if we used our suv? well, that would've doubled the price, plus we loose out on the mileage & my tires will be all worn out. and with the hotel, make sure to get one with a complimentary breakfast and an indoor pool. now that's a deal!

after you've booked your transportation and lodging, all you need to do is enjoy every moment wherever the road takes you. one thing that's good during the long drive is that you get to talk about anything (of course avoid any discussion that would ruin your vacation - don't sweat the small stuff!)

ok, that's it for now! God bless!

wow! 11th anni

we're so blessed to have reached this far and are looking forward to growing old together with many more celebrations to come!

well, i know i mentioned before that we planned a weekend getaway. we couldn't really make a reservation till we're absolutely sure that my husband's days off were approved. well, God is so gracious... my husband's boss approved his vacation. nowadays with the lack of man power to cover all the outstanding at&t jobs, it's pretty hard to even get 1 deserving day off. but again, the Lord made it happen for us.

so as for the last min planning... we're off to minnesota! here i come mall of america! hehehe

praying for a good weather both for our trip & for our garage sale.

y'all have an awesome weekend!!! God speed!

is it goodbye?

on my way to work i was getting pretty senti thinking about my last days to drive to my current job. i only have till next week and wow! i guess it's hitting me little by little. i was thinking where would the Lord have me drive to next? hmm, i can only wait =)

i love my job! there's nothing i dislike about it... everyone's been really good to me and i've learned to love each one of them like a fam. today, my boss left to go back home to FL and it's our last day to see him since my co-worker and i will be leaving next week. he came by and gave me a hug and was really appreciative of my performance. we were both pretty sad about it, but hey life goes on. i just wish that all of us here remain in good spirits and somehow still get connected in the near future.

our last lunch together... we ate at the onion pub... always like the food there and the ambiance. again, another moment to cherish. too bad i didn't get to take a pic of everyone together. will def make sure to bring my camera tomorrow till next week to capture my good memories here.

cherishing every moment,
love

such little time

wow! school is approaching and i still have lots to accomplish this month.

check list:
job hunting
garage sale
celebrate our 11th anni.
camille's registration
job hunting
more dentist & md appts (for the whole fam)
pick up dishwasher
lunch date with a friend @ ginger asian bistro
bday parties
couples only dinner party @ my house
job hunting
magic waters
jonas bros concert
fam vacation
oh! and did i mention job hunting?

Lord willing we will be able to do all this!

noel's finally back from MI. he came much earlier than expected that's why he was able to come with us to our friend's baby shower. so happy for lums & eddie! first baby and you can really see the joy in their faces... another cherub on the way! so exciting =)

always great to see old friends... my gosh! all the kids are so big now =( of course they were all surprised with my daughter, camille. being the ate of all the kids there... she definitely was standing out that time... we're so proud of her. everyone was adoring her simple, modest, and girly style. aww!

such joy to see my friend, odie. we were cracking up the whole time. somethin' about the little things that makes us lol. love her! oh and the guys of course just bonded like there was no tomorrow. everyone wanted to stay, but goodness! the facility mgr was so rude and kicked us out while we were getting ready to take a pic. grrrr!

uh-oh! i know, i haven't loaded any pics.... i've been lazy, sorry =( i won't promise this time, but i'll try my best k. (again) hehehe

need a favor... if you don't mind including in your prayers, our up coming garage sale and our anni this weekend, i would really appreciate it. my husband and i have been sorting our stuff since sunday and today will def be one of those late nights just sorting and cleaning since he's off tomorrow (gotta get us some mcd's iced coffee)!

we planned a weekend getaway for our anni while my loving fam takes over the house and the garage sale. still praying that my husband won't be called for work though =( and hoping for another successful gs this year!

well, that's it for now... blessings to all!