Salad ala Jen & "Basta Pasta"

Creamy salad (fresh romaine lettuce, crunchy lettuce, with lots of cheese, parmesan, olive oil, walnut and almond nuts, pineapple tidbits, dash of pepper, tbsp of mayo, dash of salt, twisted pasta & some secret spices)

                                                                        Up close

                  One afternoon, I decided to make use of Tostitos that was overstaying already in the ref

                            I am calling this Basta Pasta- or simply put- Pasta No name...hahahaha

                                        Basta Pasta must be so delicious! My food critic said so!


                                   

My Joy, My Business

                                                Isn't it great that I get to earn from a hobby?

                                           Sweet Juan- why not?, my son Juan is the sweetest!

                                                    Carrot Cake/loaf in Christmas box

 Sweets Treats

                                                   Sweets in Christmas Boxes                                                                                                                   

Cakes Story

First, there came the oven...originally, i first opted for a cheaper model but had to replace it with that beauty over there.  Since then, the baking never stops at home...well, I am exaggerating of course :-)

              With my able kitchen helper/chef boy and food critic, our creations are always gone in minutes

CARROT CUPCAKES

                                                     First attempt at making carrot cupcakes

                                                             Delicious carrot cupcakes!

 NUTELLA CUPCAKES

                                                 So filling, one cup will leave you full for hours

UBE CAKE ALA RED RIBBON

   I followed a seemingly delicious ube cake recipe that promises an "ube macapuno cake ala Red Ribbon".  

The result was a big disappointment.

The cake turned out to be more like a bread minus all the moisture and  creaminess...

So, I made another one, this time following a much simpler recipe

 

This time, the cake was fluffier, moistier, and definitely tastier.  Topped with creme cheese frosting and macapuno, the cake was gone in a day.

Creamy and super moist

Topped with macapuno, one slice is not enough...

CARROT CAKE

My carrot cupcakes are a success that I decided to make a cake out of the same recipe.  The cake was as expected, a success too

                                                  Carrot Cake with creme cheese frosting

                           Can't get enough of carrot cakes, this time topped with almonds and walnuts

 CHRISTMAS CAKE

 As if the teachers in Juan's class know that I am into baking, my son was tasked to bring cake to share at their Class Christmas Party.  I made a chocolate cake with magic frosting. tadah!- very Christmas-y huh?!

Chocolate cake with the magic frosting

The AFTER

 The BEFORE frosting stage

FIRST EVER FONDANT CAKE

And yes, i tested my little knowledge and no experience at baking fondant cake.  Our Andi had a pink and yellow themed cake when it should have been red and yellow when we celebrated his 2nd Birthday.

I realized, food coloring agents should be handled with care.  I carelessly just happened to mix red with yellow while kneading the fondant..Yah, hands should be totally free of any coloring before trying a new one.  The red mixed with yellow resulted to PINK color.  Not a very Boy-ish color! Indeed!

The saving grace was that the chocolate cake tasted so goood!

UBE CAKE TAKE 2

I baked another ube cake minus the food coloring last Christmas eve.  The taste was excellent plus the form was perfect.  But it would have been more attractive if the color was purple/violet.  Also, the magic frosting, I realized would be best used fresh.  The frosting was a "left over" thing. Ugh, ugly ugly...

Happy with the way it was formed and cooked, if only....

Frosting not doing justice to my perfectly formed Ube Cake

First Family Pictorial After The Accident

This is our first family pictorial after that fateful day of September 4, 2012.  Jun was supposed to have the corneal transplant last December 12 but the available cornea was not good enough as per our Optha.  The transplant is scheduled tentatively on the 2nd week of January 2013.  Jun's eyes have greatly improved since the accident, however, he still could not see details.  We hope the corneal transplant will be a success, and we pray that the soon to be donor will be blessed in the afterlife.  His/her cornea will surely be put to good use.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Looking Through The Eyes of Love

September 4, 2012 is a date that I wish would forever be erased in my consciousness.  It was a hearth wrenching day for my family.  How can one handle a very bad news while on the wheel on the way to work?
My husband had an accident, involving a caustic soda burst or leakage.  He suffered 1st degree burns on his upper body, arms and face.  I was told he was already brought to Royal Darwin Hospital in Australia. My honey, my ever prayerful honey!  How could this thing ever happened to a man whose faith in God is unquestionable?  I would have died from grief had I not thought of my children, my very young children.  They need me the most now more than ever.  It took forever when I finally got my passport renewed and granted Australian Visa.  The travel was excruciatingly long when you wish to be with the love of your life who is out there alone and injured. The thought of almost losing him is unbearable.  It felt like a part of me has already died.

The burns turned out to be superficial and immediately got healed.  His eyes were the ones severely damaged.  The eyes!  I could not remember the last time I cried so hard like I did when I was told by the attending eye specialist that he would forever be visually impaired.  I could not bear the thought of him losing his sights and not being able to see our children grow.  Why did it ever happen to us?  We are just starting?  We have many dreams.  We have very young children.

Back in the country, treatment still continues.  We are hopeful that in God's grace and mercy, honey will fully recover and regain his visions.  The doctors are upbeat that his chances to fully recover is possible.

For now, we lift up everything to the Almighty.  We find comfort and peace in prayers. Family and friends are one with us in our prayers.

"For better or for worse...", I will stand by my honey.  He may not be seeing clearly these days, but I am sure, his heart is feeling much love.  The eyes may not see, but the heart will..

I hope to be able to document the progress in the days to come, and I fervently pray and hope that each day would be better than the last.

DIY Minimalist Window Treatment

This is our Living Room, and yes, our windows have been waiting to be dressed for like ages already!

The Hubby turns Handy Manny

Handy Manny in action

Cousin Ariel was an able assistant. 

The shades half rolled

A closer view..

These window treatment are so easy to make.  They may not be the best looking ones, but I am pretty satisfied with the way those have transformed my windows.  I like the clean lines, the privacy and the protection from the sun those shades offer.

Tutorial:

Materials needed- canvas cloth, curtain rods, clip rings 

measure your window, cut your canvas according to your preference (I opted to have my finished shades same width and about 3 inches longer vs window)

Make sure to make allowances on the sides for trimming, a little more on the top to make way for your rod. 

Now, you are ready to sew!

Ever wonder what mechanism I use to make the shades half rolled or folded? I will show you how on my next post... 

Family of Four- First Studio Pictorial

 

Our Andi was a revelation.  He likes posing to the camera!

A Star is born indeed!

Our Wawan was so self conscious that he couldn't seem to get the right smile

Our young man found it so hard to keep his focus

Here, he seemed to have managed to look straight at the camera..

And another....

Whatever, my kiddos are the best looking kids, aren't they?

One sunday afternoon, after hearing mass, we went malling and decided to pose for a family picture. 

Our First formal picture infact, although done casually because we were not really prepared.  Ideally, our clothes should have been coordinated.  Well, these pics aren't bad, so we are sharing for the whole world to see.