Our Wikend Recap (5/24 and 5/25)

We had a simple weekend.

SATURDAY
We stayed at home but did able to do a lot of things. We had an afternoon home service massage. It was good for a promo price of 275 1.5H whole body massage. Hubby also tried cooking a baby back ribs for dinner. It was yummy for a 1st timer. I was able to work on some pages for my unfinished mini album from scrapfest. It is still unfinish. I still have 2 pictures to work on. I'll post them soon. I hope soon. Hehe.

SUNDAY
We went to Pasig to visit my parents but we went 1st to INDEX salon. Hubby had a haircut and I had my hair trimmed and cellophaned. Vanity is expensive. Haha.We had lunch in my parent house. Also able to play with my nephew. He gained a lot of weight. He is almost 5kgs. He is overweight for an almost 3 month old baby.
Also, for vanity, i had my nails done by our suking manicurista. We left my parents house at around 3pm. We had pm snacks in Pancake House in Alabang. It was an expensive mirienda and not money smart which contradicts my thoughts on my other blog. We also attended the 5pm mass in our Parish. And since it was also our fiesta, it was star stunded. It was celebrated by 4 priests (our parish priest, 2 more priests and our Imus Bishop). It was also attended by the Cavite Congressman and Imus Mayor (Strike Revilla). I don't wanna be sarcastic but they are both late for the mass. They arrived almost 30mins late. Hehehe. Hubby and I both grew up in the City and we are not familiar with such customs in the province. However, I think it was fun. They have a band playing, some programs and other gimiks.

Anyway, we had a worthwhile weekend because we spent every minute of it together!

New SB Mags

Yesterday, I received these mags i bought from bookoto. I love them - lots of inspiration inside! Can't wait to scraplift them.

TAGGED AGAIN: Unimportant Things About Me

I got tagged again. Now it is from PAM.

Rules:
1. Link back to the person that tagged you.
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. Share six unimportant things about yourself.

1. I love drinking coffee.
2. I can be an organized and not so organized person at the same time.
3. I like to lose weight but can't help eating.
4. I hate washing the dishes.
5. I rarely cook.
6. I'm trying to be Money-Smart.

4. Tag six people...
I am now TAGGING -  Me-anne, Christine, Ela, Shirley, Knoll and Aggie.

I'm scared

I have detected a big fibroadenoma inside me. But I hope it's not what I think it is. I had one removed few years back and it was good that it was benign. I need to consult a doctor. Please pray for me. I'm scared.

Newly Arrived Gifts

Received another batch of gifts from a friend in US. I just love all of them. Thanks Ate Jo!

SCRAPFEST 5

I was able to attend the Scrapfest 5 with Hubby. We had so much fun and pressure . I enjoyed the demos on the mini album and learned new techniques.

I tried to resist the temptations but hubby did not and he even pushed me to buy what I want and so we went home with these stuffs.

Anyway, here is my take for the On-the-Spot Challenge:

Some reflection was seen due to the transparency.

Materials: Imagination Project PPS, Corrugated Board, AC Thickers, Glitter Glue, MAMBI 3D embellishments (leaves/swirls), Zig Pen, Crystals, White CS, Cherry Arte Rub-ons, ribbon, metal charm. Journaling: People always noticed that we have coordinated clothes. We always dressed up like this. We just love it. We don't know why. But maybe, it is just our way of showing them that we are a ... perfect match.

I haven't taken a photo of hubby's entry. He still wants to edit it. Also, I can't post the mini album project yet because we still need to finish it. We'll post it once we're done.

Bottomline, SCRAPFEST5 was a success. I was able to see old and lots of new faces. Congrats to the Scrappinmoms and to all the winners!

The Coffee Farmhouse Mini Vacation

I got so busy last week that I forgot to blog about our mini vacation last May 10. Hubby and I spent our 24 hours in The Coffee Farmhouse in Tagaytay. It was recommended by my sister and we found it really nice. We enjoyed our stay there. See below for my rating:

Legend: + = GOOD - = BAD +/- = Neutral

Rate
+ 1650/head for a 24Hr stay. (Includes AM snack, Lunch, PM snacks, Dinner and Breakfast) . + This also includes stay in a bedroom for 2 pax.
+ Overall Expenses: 3440 (we ordered for add'l 2 coke in can, tuna sandwich and a bag of coffee)

Room
+ Spacious for 2 person.
+ With indoor restroom.
+ Shower Heater
+ No A/C but with ceiling fan. Actually, even an electric fan is not needed that time because the air is already cold.
- No complimentary items like : soap, shampoo, etc.
+/-No TV but still good because we're able to spend most of our time outdoor and really have some bonding time. The TV is only located in the dining area.

Food
+ Included in the rate.
+ Yummy. They have a good cook/chef who happens to be the owner.
+ Everything was delicious. Hubby who is very meticulous with food liked all of them.
+ We had the following:
AM Snacks: Tuna Sandwich and overflowing coffee or milo
Lunch: Lumpiang Ubod, Kare-kare and Pakwan
PM Snacks: Carbonara
Dinner: Pork Steak, Mixed Vegetables and Banana
Bfast: Longganisa, Salted Egg, Fried Rice, Papaya
+ Coffee is free anytime of the day.
+ They home grown their coffee and it was really good. I like the aroma and taste.

Service
+ It was great.
+ It is a family business. So the owners are hands-on with the needs of the guests.
+ The owner even toured us to the whole place so we can see all their rooms.
+ They ensured that the guest will enjoy their stay.


Facilities
+ Outdoor Basketball , Badminton & Volleyball Court
+ Swimming Pool is Clean. They are cleaing it almost every time.
-/+ It is only a lap pool. Depth is 2" and 4" to 5".
+ They have Function Room where you use the videoke, play table tennis and darts.
+ Garden/Coffee Farm - nice landscape.
+ They have spots for night bonfire activity.
+ Cottages by the pool - clean and well-lit @ night
+ Lots of wooden swings.
+ Relaxing Gazebo
+ Billiard area
+ Clean and Cozy Dining Area.
+ They have bicycle and scooters for kids.
+ They have mini store where you can buy chips, chocolates and toiletries.
+ Use of the facilities is free of charge.

Others:
+ They can accommodate your chosen time for check-in and check-out. Rates will vary depending on the meals you want.
+ You can have a worry free vacation because foods are being prepared for you.
+ We're not able to pay our reservation due to lack of time but they still accommodated us. We just paid the whole amount upon checkout.
- Nice website here:
+/- Globe Telecoms signal is weak in the area. This is an advantage if you don't want to be disturbed during your vacation.

OVERALL RATING:
Satisfactory!!!! And recommendable.

SIDE Story:
Hubby and I really had a good time. We spent a lot of time together. We played badminton, table tennis and billiards. We also sued the pool both in the morning and afternoon. We stayed in the gazebo, took some pictures, watched TV and write dedication on the Mother's Day cards that we created the other night. We even played with bikes and scooters. We played like kids and really enjoyed our time together.

Btw, Hubby and I also learned a lot about coffee because of the TRIVIA cards attached to their coffee trees.

You can view more pix in this link.

38th Month

Today is our 38th Monthsary as hubby and wifey and we celebrated it over a Wendy's Bacon Cheeseburger Meal. We also took home a Dulce de Leche Cake for dessert.

We are still celebrating our monthsary everytime. Sometimes we eat out. Sometimes we go malling. And sometimes we just cuddle at home. But no matter how we celebrate it, we enjoy every bits and pieces of it.

Our Company Summer Outing and RANT about STAR TOLL

We've now home after the whole day summer event of our company. El Madero Farm is different from Villa Escudero where we had our summer outing last year. El Madero is more of a resort. They said that they have 11 pools but I was only able to see 8. I just don't know if I counted it right. We didn't swim because but we participated in some of the activities like the Mr. & Ms. contest and the Bingo. The foods are over flowing. Hubby and I were quite satisfied.

We had the following:

AM snacks: Ham & Cheese Bread and C2 Ice Tea
Lunch: Chicken Adobo, Salted Egg & Tomato, Breaded Fish Fillet, Grilled Liempo, Lechon, Corn in Cob, Fruit (choice of banana, ponkan and apple) and Soda
PM snacks: Ham & Cheese Bread, Corn in Cob, Turon, Oishi and Soda
Others: 4 pcs Squid Balls, Cotton Candy, Dirty Ice Cream
Souvenir: Red Transparent Bottle for Drinks with handle.

We really had a lot. This outing is quite better than our other summer events in terms of food. I think most of us had fun and lots of pictures. Our managing director even played volleyball with our group.

I will post more pictures soon.

Let's now go to my rant. I hate the Star Toll System. It was not friendly. We almost got lost and we even paid a very expensive toll fee. We entered the star toll from Sto. Tomas and we're supposed to exit in Lipa but missed it.We got surprised seeing another vehicle in the other lane in the opposite direction. We then realized that we missed the exit. We decided to made a U-turn and saw some security guard and asked for assistance. We knew that they saw us that we made a U-turn. They said that we should exit in Lipa. So akala namin ok lang yun.Pag dating sa toll gate we're asked to pay 64 pesos. Nagulat ako kasi last June, 24 lang yung toll fee. Tinanong namin yung cashier kung kelan sila nagtaas. Sabi nya, matagal na daw ganun. Bka matagal lang daw kami di nagpunta dun. We'll, sabi ko ke hubby, sobrang taas naman. Bka kaya ganun dahil sa iba kami nag-exit. Tignan na lang namin ulit pag-uwi. After the event, we were very cautious na magkamali ng exit. Pero THANK YOU pa rin sa napakalaking sign board sa may exit. Super nakakalito sya and we ended up going to BATANGAS instead of going to MANILA. So ano pa nga ba ang gagawin namin, e di U-TURN ulit. Pagdating sa EXIT ng Sto. Tomas, I prepared 24 pesos because I know that we existed from Tambo. But then the cashier is aking us to pay 44 pesos. We told them that we exited from Tambo pero iba daw nakasulat sa CARD. Tapos biglang she's charging us with 64 pesos. Huh? I was very mad. Sabi namin. Nakakalito naman kasi mga sign-boards nila. Sabi nila, meron daw guards dun na dapat nagu-guide. Eh wala naman kaya kami nakita nung pabalik na kami. GRRRR.

I know there is a problem with the system. Di na lang ako nakipag-away kasi mahaba na yung fila sa Toll Gate. Pero truly, nakakalito mga sign boards nila.Parang sinadya yata nila na ganun para maraming magkamali at makasingil sila ng mahal. For sure, we will not be the only one that will be victimized by their sign board and system. So cautious when you pass via Star Toll to avoid paying more.

I am still mad with the 80 pesos that we lost because of the broken system of Star Toll. 80 pesos is still 80 pesos and it's no JOKE. It can still buy some kilos of rice.Grrr!

2008 MOTHERS Day CARDs

Last Friday, eventhough we were so tired from our company outing, Hubby and I created some Mothers Day CARDs. We're able to create 6 cards out of a 12x12 cardstock. I was able to finished 4 cards while hubby finished 2 (those 2 at the the right).

We're able to give them to my mom, sis, aunt, cousin and SIL.

Gifts from Friends

Yesterday, I received gifts from friends. I was so happy. Kuya Rowen came from the US with Tintin to conduct a 2-week training here in our office and they brought me a PURE SEDUCTION cologne by Victoria Secret.

An officemate who also came back from a training in US informed me yesterday that I got some "PADALA" from Ate Jo. I got lots of scrapbooking embellishments. Can't wait to use all of them.

Thanks to our Friends - the Tandingan and Mamorno Family from San Jose, CA. It was so sweet of you! Miss you all!

Company Outing Tomorrow

I know it's quite late for a summer outing because it is already raining. But still we are thankful that we'll be having a time-off tomorrow. We'll be spending a whole day there.

We will be going to El Madero in Lipa Batangas. They said that it will fun and exciting. But what excites us the most is our friend who'll be joining the Mr. & Ms. contest. Hehehe.

Restarted

Finally, I'm slowly catching up my breath. Things are slowly going normal. I am back to blogging and scrapping. Hopefully I can hold on.

Last night, I thought I was able to finish a LO. I know I did. But I was not satisfied. I looked at it a couple of hours ago and made some changes. I did. But it is almost negligible. My absence in scrapping made me forget how to create a pleasing LO. Hehehe. For now, I need to be satisfied with my output. I just need to practice more since Scrapfest5 is just 10 days away.

Here is my 1st LO after a month of absence in the scrapping world.

Journaling:
A new year's treat to ourselves. We spent a night in Los Banos. We visited UPLB as per recommendation of Issa. This Belen is really nice. A true work of Art.

Materials:
MME Bohemian PPS, AC Thickers, Zig Pen, Cherry Arte Rub-on, Button, Ribbon, Prima Flowers, Brads ( Karen Foster, Unknow Brand), Metal Bling, Craft Express Alpha Sticker, Provo Craft vellum Alpha Sticker.