Weekend Tidbits

We spent the weekend in Manila for two very important things: my dear tito's funeral and my nephew's 1st birthday.  

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After the funeral, we had lunch at Resorts World.  It was also a breather of sorts for us before heading out to the birthday party.

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Baby Eli's birthday party at Bayview Hotel.  I loved the set-up.  It was really nice :)

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Aly is such a lolo's and lola's girl!

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Enjoyed the photobooth with the sibs.  Too bad the hubby missed this.  He was somewhere mingling with my BIL's business associates.

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Ironic, I know -- both events happened on the same day so you can just imagine the emotional rollercoaster that we had to go through, but both are really worth going home for.  I wouldn't miss them for the world.  

My 33rd Birthday

For my birthday, I told Richard that I only wanted 2 things: a day of pampering at the spa and a new bag.  He offered to take us on a weekend getaway but my heart was already set on my birthday wishes.  An overnight stay at a pool villa by the beach didn't interest me.  All I wanted was a 90-minute massage and a mani-pedi.  I didn't want anything else.  Oh yes, and the bag, ofcourse :)

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It was a simple celebration -- no birthday banner, no decor...but the lack of birthday decor and ambiance was made up for by Richard and Aly's surprises.  And they really made sure that everything was perfect for my birthday.  They were waiting for me when I woke up and gave me birthday cards with the sweetest messages ever.  I was definitely treated like a queen!

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All dressed up for my birthday :)  Aly said we were wearing special clothes because it was a special day.  Heehee!

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Look at my big girl baby!  That skirt is actually a dress that she's never worn.  The top part was a bit tight on the chest so I made her wear a shirt and cinched it with a belt.

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I love that she's wearing black, which she doesn't normally wear but since it was a special day, she didn't object to it when I chose her outfit.

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The hubby doesn't need any guidance from me.  I always thought that he's a good dresser -- one of the things that I love about him :)

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One more photo from the waist up to hide all that we need to hide.  Heehee!

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On our way to Gaysorn to pick up my new baby a.k.a Richard + Aly's big birthday gift.

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It was a quick shopping trip because #1 my feet were starting to hurt -- haven't worn heels in a long time!  But that's ok because I had a "tired feet" spa treatment scheduled later in the day, which brings us to #2 the spa awaits!

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Dressed down for the spa.  

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I wanted to try out the other spas in Bangkok, but I still ended up with my suki, Green Leaf Spa, since it's just an elevator ride away.  I didn't want to waste precious time by getting stuck in traffic.

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I got a pedicure...

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...and a manicure with paraffin dip.  Special talaga dba!  But my hands needed that -- badly!  Overworked na kasi.

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Tried on metallic nail polish for a change...channeling Chanel's Graphite nail polish.   

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Flowers from Richard (top) and from our S.A Khun Waraporn (bottom).

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Birthday cake and card from Chatrium.

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Terno sa card!

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Birthday cupcakes from Cupcake Love.  We got ultimate chocolate (for Aly), red velvet, carrot and white chocolate macadamia.

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Aaaaannd my new baby :)

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Prada Tessuto Gaufre Nero

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It's #32 in the LA Times 50 Signature Bags list.  Oh, if I could have at least 5% of the bags on that list, I'd be one happy cow. :)  Sweetie, if you're reading this, please refer to the list for future gift ideas.  Heehee!

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It was a great birthday!  Thank you to friends and family who greeted me on Facebook.  Big hug to Richard and Aly for making my birthday extra special.

Richard's Birthday!

Lunch at Orchard in Paradise Park

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I'm back sooner than I thought!  This day is too special, I can't let it pass without saying something :)

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It's my man's birthday today!  But unlike me, the hubby doesn't want to make a big deal out of his birthday.  I've been bugging him since April with what he wants for his birthday but he would always tell me he doesn't want anything.  I ought to be ashamed because I always start window shopping for my birthday gift at least a month before the big day.  And whatever the occasion may be, if he would ask me on the spot what gift I want, I can easily enumerate three or five things on my wishlist.  Haha!  Anyway...

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I got frustrated with this gift issue thing a couple of days back -- he doesn't want to tell me what he wants and I just can't let his birthday pass without giving him something! -- I almost ran off to Central Chidlom to buy him a new watch.  Good thing I received his text message before I left the house.  He finally gave me a wishlist but he wants for us to shop together.  Sige na nga :)

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So what's the moral of the story?  #1 I'm not ashamed for being more materialistic than the hubby.  That's how I roll and I'd like to believe that he has long accepted the fact that he married someone who loves to shop.  Hahaha!  #2 Don't ask the hubby anymore for a wishlist because he won't give you any (unless you twist his arm!).  So if you really want to buy him a present, get something that you can eventually borrow so it won't go to waste in case he loses interest later on.  Heehee!

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But seriously, one of the things that I love about him is that he always tells me that he doesn't need anything else because he has me and Aly.  I hate to admit it, but I didn't really buy it.  But now I do because it's ok for him not to have any gifts for his birthday/Father's day/Christmas, but when it comes to me and Aly, he will NEVER hesitate, no matter what the price (ok, maybe not something that will completely wipe out our bank account).  He's that kind of family man.  Aly and I are very lucky to have him.  We love you, sweetie!

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Lord, thank you for Richard's birthday.  I pray that he will have good health, more years and more blessings to come.

Baby Ross' 1st Birthday

Baby Ross had a Mickey Mouse themed birthday party at Sizzler All Season's Place.

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Ate Aly and the birthday boy.

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Mommy Rose did an excellent job with the balloon centerpieces.

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Aly and the cool birthday cake.

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You can now call me the birthday banner queen because I made that Mickey banner myself :) 

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Baby Ross with the proud mommy and daddy.

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Another proud daddy.  Haha!

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The Valdezes with the Resultays.  Thank you for inviting us!  We had a great time :)

DIY Party Decorations

I told you a little bit about Aly's birthday banners here.  Since I received quite a few compliments about the lamp decoration that I made, I going to share it here with you.

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Aly's birthday "chandelier"

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The lamp "before"


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For the paper garlands: Aly and I cut out pink and purple cardboard with craft scissors and taped them on white string.  I draped them around the lamp.  For the middle part, I printed a sort of birthday logo on white cardboard, cut with craft scissors again, glued them on the colored cardboard, taped on purple ribbon and placed them on the center of the lamp.

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This was a sort of last-minute idea but I love the big difference that it made on the lamp: I printed some of my favorite photos of Aly on parchment paper and placed them around with double-sided tape.  Be sure to edit the photos first.  They should be high contrast and very sharp for better effect.

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The lamp from different angles.

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The rest of the party decor.
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Birthday banner.
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More paper garlands.
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I didn't spend a lot on these decorations, by the way.  I don't remember the exact amount, but probably Thb250 (Php350) tops.  Most of the items that we used are leftovers from past events: the string from last year's birthday parties, ribbons and parchment paper from our wedding (almost 4 years old!).  So it really pays to DIY some stuff because you get to save the leftovers and keep them for future use.  Aly and I need a bigger craft/art supplies box!  It's great too that my daughter loves doing crafts with me.  It makes the event more special even if the party is just for the three of us.  But hey, a celebration IS a celebration and what matters most is being with the people that you love, right?  Hope this helps! :)

Aly's 8th Birthday Weekend: Part 2

The big day has finally arrived!  The moment she woke up, she ran to our room and shouted, "WOOHOO!!".  It only meant one thing: it was time to open her gifts.  She's been waiting for that moment all week!  She tried to lure me into letting her open the gifts earlier but mommy had to stand firm even if the little girl used all the tricks in her book.  Haha!  Aly tried everything: the slight parinig (I can't wait to open my gifts!  I wonder what's inside them?  I'm so excited!) to the super obvious, direct to the point (Can I open my gifts now, mommy?).  She also used the paawa look and this certain look she gives me that tells me she wants something, hugs, kisses...the whole shebang!  But I kept telling her that her tricks are no good; she can only open her gifts on her birthday.  Nakalusot pa din sya kasi everytime she would receive a gift from her classmates, she would open them in school.  Hay naku...Anyway, let's watch her unwrap her gifts.

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Hindi na naghilamos si ate.  She was that excited!

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Gifts from mommy and daddy.

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If you're wondering why she got all these toys, that's because she only gets to buy toys twice a year: birthday and Christmas.  So she filled her birthday wishlist with toys.  She also included books but I told her that she can buy books anytime so we'll just get the toys.  We also had a bigger budget for her gifts this year because #1 we didn't travel like we did last year and #2 we didn't have a birthday party for her in school.  Plus, she's been a really good girl :)  

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Now where were we?  Once all the gifts have been unwrapped, I put a blindfold  for another surprise.

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Isn't she the cutest girl with a blindfold ever?

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Surprise!!

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Medyo clueless pa dito...

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Wheee!!

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A new iPad!

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How did you get this, daddy?  When did you buy it?  She was trying to analyze the surprise.  She's getting smarter and smarter every day.  Senyales na big girl na talaga.

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Soo happy :)

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She probably can't believe that we bought the iPad.  She thought kasi we'll buy it next year pa.  Haha!

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Happiest birthday ever!

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After opening her gifts, I made her favorite pancakes for breakfast.  We had an entire day planned for Aly's birthday: Church, lunch, dinner at home...anyway, take a look at the photos.

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Birthday outfit: top from Central Department Store, leggings from the export overruns bazaar in Nuvali, watch from Gap.

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Birthday shoes (we all need birthday shoes, right?): Gap kids

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Birthday bag (we need that too just like mommy!): Hello Kitty

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Goofy Aly.

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She loves her Tinkerbell cup!

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My big girl baby is growing up too fast!  Sniff!

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Daddy and mommy are happy too!  Heehee!

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Daddy loves you!

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Gigil with Aly!

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Checking her messages after the mass.  Big thanks to all who greeted Aly on her birthday!

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On our way to Chokchai Steakhouse.  

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Love.

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I love you, babe!

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Her dad arranged another surprise for her.  Heehee!  Gulat sya.

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Make a wish, babe!

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Valdezes in Chokchai.

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After lunch, we went to Paragon to pick up her birthday cake.

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Aly's birthday cake.

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Ready for dinner!

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I prepared a simple dinner for Aly.  Actually, she was the one who came up with the menu.  I asked her to list down her favorite dishes: spaghetti with meat sauce, fried chicken (from McDonald's), focaccia with olive oil + balsamic vinegar dip.

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One more photo with the birthday girl.

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Then it was time for the cake!

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It was a great day for all of us :)

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Happy birthday princess!  We love you to bits!

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That night, she told us that it was the best birthday ever :)

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And that concludes Aly's birthday special.  It was a busy weekend but a great one nevertheless.  Our little girl has been looking forward to her birthday all year so Richard and I did our best to make it extra special.  Anything to make our princess happy!  Besides, she's been a good girl; she doesn't give us a hard time and she always follows mommy and daddy without any complaints, so she deserves only the best.

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Happy 8th birthday, big girl!  We love you!