CC: Our Simple Talents

Talking about talents, I don't think I've got talents to brag about here :-); all I know is how to do basic sewing, cook (if it is considers a talent), and crochet. Matt on the other hand has many talents. He can fix everything, that is why I call him my "handy old man." We hardly hire someone to do things for us except those who install carpets, and do car inspections :-). I am proud to say that his talents saved us tones of money. He is very literate when it comes to computer though he didn't take any computer courses. I tell you, am not the only one he amazes with his talents, his parents as well. In fact last week he just replaced the struts in one of our vehicle. Had he listens to me to take it at Toyota service center, we wouldn't be able to save $350....that's a lot of money! My husband indeed is talented compare to me :-); but he still loves me whether I have talents or none.

Our Business Plan

Due to economic crisis we went through few years ago, hubby and I thought about putting up our own business so we don't need to worry about job lay offs again. He was laid off twice in one year! That was a very stressful times in our lives so far, and we don't want to go though that ever again. Anyway, we did some research and learned that some franchise companies require you to pay cash and don't accept business loan. Since we don't have enough cash, we have set aside that plan and decided to save our money and invest it to something that will surely give us profit on a regular basis and at the same time have an assurance that our money is safe and secure. Talking about business, we also got an idea how business credit reports is all about and why it is very important when you own a business whether it is big or small business.

Our Favorite House Plants

Hubby and I love house plants; his fave is Geranium because it reminds him of his grandmother. I on the other hand loves Orchids, and we both like African Violet. Here are the photos of them as well as the info on how to care for each of these plants.

African Violet
Originating from Africa, African Violets are probably the best known flowering house plants. African violets feature velvety leaves arranged in a circular pattern, with blooms forming at the crown. There are hundreds of different varieties of African violets available featuring differently colored flowers, and differently variegated flowers and leaves. In order to initiate blooming, make sure your African violet gets proper light. Also, African violets bloom best when slightly pot bound. To keep your African violet looking its best, remove dead flowers and leaves.

Geranium
The Geranium Stardom Red, 'Pelargonium x hybrids', exhibits beautiful red flowers. Stardom geraniums, also known as floribundas, have double flowers which emerge early, and they produce many more flowers than zonal geraniums on spreading branches. Stardom geraniums are self-branching, requiring no pinching or growth regulators. One of the best kept secrets about Stardom geraniums is their garden performance as a groundcover in the landscape setting. Geraniums are one of your best choices for use in hanging baskets. Plant in ordinary well-drained soil. Over fertilization results in excessive foliage and few flowers. Fertilize lightly every 2 weeks. Pinching of the shoots will promote bushiness Remove spent flowers to enhance flowering.

Orchids
Native to every continent except Antartica, orchids are one of the most elegant and recognizable exotic blooms. There are over 25,000 recognized orchid varieties, and many more hybrids not named. Although orchids have a reputation as being difficult to grow, they are actually quite easy to care for as houseplants, especially Phalaeonopsis. It is best to keep them near windows where they can receive indirect sunlight.

Humidity: Orchids come from very tropical climates and require a good amount of humidity. They have thick, sponge-like, roots that thrive when misted in a warm environment. They have thick, sponge-like, roots that thrive when misted in a warm environment.

Water: Tabletop orchids should be watered thoroughly by drenching them with water from a sink or watering container. After drenching your orchid, you will notice that pot feels weighted. This means that the moss and/ or bark is saturated with water and the orchid will not require water for a period of time. Remember, orchids should never be left in standing water. Discard all excess water.

I Need a Back Up File

As I was writing a post about life insurance this morning for my other blog, I thought about things that needs to be insured. There are many thing we can actually insured; for instance, important possessions such a jewelries, electronic gadgets, appliances, laptop, camcorder, digital and dslr camera on top of car, house, funeral and etc...Do you know that you can even get a student laptop insurance? Yes, even your own iPad can be insured, too! So, if you own any of these two gadgets...worry no more for they are safe and secured if you insured them. Now, I think about my laptop that contains very important documents; maybe I need a back up file in case someone uses it. Hubby already made one on our desktop PC.

Jake's Surprise Gift

Three weeks before my son's birthday, hubby and I decided to buy him surprise a gift. Two of Jake's best friends have their own Nintendo DS. He borrows it every time they meet and play. As I watch him plays with it, I can't help but feel sad. He really wanted to own one, so we bought him a DS XL at Cosco during one of our trip there. As I walk around window shopping, I saw the diamond engagement rings display. I can't help but admire them wishing that someday to own a ring that has big diamond on it. Oh well, maybe when I win the lotto. But how could I win when I don't even buy even a single ticket :-)?

A Blog With Substance Award from Kat

I have been very busy lately because of our move that I didn't get the chance to visit blogs as well as update my blogs. And so, here am I back to blogging. While gone, I got tagged by a smart, sweet and pretty young woman named Kat of Amazingly Me...and I'd like to thanks her for including my blog. Kat, I want you to know that you inspired me to do better with my blogs...this award is pretty inspiring :-).

Blogging for me a way to: share my thoughts and feelings, gain friends and learn from them, an addictive hobby, and a great outlet.
There are rules to when follow ones you receive this award. Like:

Thank the blogger who give the award to you. Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using five (5) words for example: WRITE HEART PEOPLE LIVE HAPPY. Pass it on to 10 other blogs which you feel have real substance. It's time to pass this award to those friends who inspired me to be a better person....and blogger :-).

Umma

Amy

Dhemz

Kat

Shydub

Pehpot

Willa

Rose

Liz

Rossel

CC: Our Inexpensive Hobbies

Matt and I have the same hobbies which are watching movies and shows on the t.v. We watch comedies like George Lopez and The King of Queens :-); and movies on Hallmark channel; and play board games. Scrabble, Zingo, Sorry, Monopoly are few of our favorites. We don't order pizza though as others do, but have pop corn instead. Going to the park and have picnics. is our second fave hobby....yup, we bring our lunch and enjoy watching people fishing, playing ball games or swimming. I blog...where I earn money and he read news on the net instead of buying newspapers which cost a fortune nowadays....hello! Taking a nap and cooking and eating :-) are two of our hobbies, too :-). Tell me, are they inexpensive or what!? I must admit sometimes we do a lot of driving on the countryside and that sometimes costs us money...oh well as long as we enjoyed that trip, who cares...it doesn't happen all the time anyway. Hubby's own fave hobby is working at his garage while I decorate the house and rearrange furniture :-).

What about you? Share us your hobbies by clicking the badge above. Happy weekend!

On Modesty

I love this verse for it teaches us to be modest in every possible way we can. Modesty not only pertains on how we dress, but also the way we talk, act, think and treat ourselves and others. By so doing we gain respect from people around us and to ourselves as well.

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

Thoughts:
With all my heart I urge you not to look to contemporary culture for your role models and mentors. Please look to your faithful mothers for a pattern to follow. Model yourselves after them, not after celebrities whose standards are not the Lord's standards and whose values may not reflect an eternal perspective.

(M. Russell Ballard, "Mothers and Daughters," Ensign, May 2010, 18-21.)

CC: When We Were Sick

I know it is late but still want to have my share of last week's CC theme "when we were sick." Been very busy with our move not to mention my in-laws's visit with us last weeked that lasted yesterday. We had fun and now it is time to update my six blogs and this is one of them.

Hubby and son don't get sick a lot and when they do, I panic and become very hysterical....and it makes hubby sicker. So he always tells me to calm down and relax, it isn't very serious! I am very protective of my loved ones and if only I could take the pain or sickness out of them, I would take it or I'd rather suffer for their pain than seeing them hurt. Anyway, talking about getting sick, Matt is a loving, sweet and thoughtful person who would do everything in his power to make sure that I/we are okay. He knows every doctor's appointment I have and make sure I don't miss it. He reminds me on when to refill my prescriptions, takes my medicines on time, gives me an insulin shots every night and if he forgets it, he would wake up to make sure everything is done.

He is very good in hiding his feeling when I am sick. When I had an abdominal surgery due to infection from c-sectionsix years ago, my health deteriorated and he told me that seeing me with tubes in my nose, IV, tubes on my sides, tummy and a catheter all at the same time, he thought I was going to die and he was very scared. I tell you, he lost a lot of weight from stress and worries I caused him. He was very happy when everyhting went well after a month stayed at the hospital. To make this short, we both take care of each other when we are sick. Give each other assurance that we will be well.

We Hate Fats in Our Stomach

Hubby and I have both tummy or stomach fats in our tummies and we hate it. We tried eating less and exercising more but it didn't work due to inconsistency. We were so busy running errands and with our move that we can go for a walk everyday. Based on my experienced before, diet and exercise really work; we just need to work hard on it. I never heard of stomach fat loss before, but I bet it really works or else they wouldn't advertise it. I couldn't wait for the time that hubby and I would be able to fit again on those small size clothing we have been keeping in our closet for years.

I Need Appetite Suppressant

If there is one thing I would like to wish right now...that would be shedding those extra pounds I accumulated for years. After the kidney transplant I had 4 years ago, it has been very difficult for me to lose weight due to the steroid I have been taking since....so that my body wouldn't reject my my kidneys. Prednisone's side effect is...it helps boost my appetite, thus making me eat more than I should. If there is an appetite suppressants that would help me eat less, I would buy and take it. I bet there is one pill in the market today that would not interfere with my medications. I really need to lose weight, so I can set an appointment again to see my primary physician :-).

1910 Statistics

The year is 1910

One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes!

Here are some statistics for the Year 1910:
~~ Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.
~~ Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
~~ Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
~~ The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
~~ The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower !
~~ The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.
~~ The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
~~ More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .
~~ Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!

And that's why I'm glad I live in the US at this very particular time! Aren't you?

Note: This is from a friend's research. Just sharing it with you :-)

Read Lipofuse Reviews First!

A couple of years ago, hubby's friend and colleague went to a surgery to removed those unwanted fats in her body. The procedure was a big success! She lost a lot of weight dramatically and was very pleased. She tried to convince my husband to do the same since he was trying to lose weight, too using different method. His method was effective but slow. And so he started to do some research first to make sure he is not getting himself into some kind of trouble. He mentioned with me that he has been reading lipofuze reviews on the internet lately and was amazed and convinced that it was the answer to his prayer. Unfortunately, our health care provider didn't give him a prescription yet...not until he proved that diet and exercise didn't work for him. Oh, my poor husband :-(....we really need to help each other lose weight then.

I Love Your Blog Award

I'd like to thank, Tatess for noticing my blog enough to give me this award :-)Thank you so much dear. Now, it is time for me to pass it on to at least 15 persons whose blogs impresses me much.

These are the rules:
1.Post the award on your blog
2.Link the person who has given you the award
3.Pass the award to other 15 blogs you've discovered
4.Let these 15 people know that you've given them an award.

Here they are:
1. chubskulit, 2. Mommy Liz, 3. MelCole, 4. Willa, 5. Clarissa

6. Umma,7. AC, 8. niko, 9. Shydub, 10. dhemz, 11. Jake
12. You, 13.you, 14.you, and 15. you! Grab it guys for you deserve this award as much as I do :-)!

Fat Burner Reviews

I really believe in the saying: "it is easier said, than done." For instance, it is easy to say, I'll eat a lot now and then exercise later. With the intense heat of the summer Hubby and I need to really burn those unwanted fats inside our bodies especially the ones in our tummies. But how would we keep ourselves physically active? And so, I turned to the internet for answers. I read about the the many kinds of fat burner available in the market today and it confuses me well. Each one of them claim that they are effective and safe. If you feel the same way as I do, you should click here and read some reviews about those fat burners to make sure that they not scam or they are FDA approved and are effective. These reviews will help you decide which one is right for you.

CC: I was Out, He Was In-Charge

The first time I was really out was last year when I attended my Grandmother's funeral back in the Philippines for two weeks. I was able to leave the two men in my life because hubby wasn't working that time due to job lay off. It was like, I got a call from P.I. today and need to be on the plane the next day. He wasn't in the position to say "no"...he was in-charged! They had great time except for the first few days; Jake kept waking up in the middle of the night asking for me or couldn't sleep without me. Anyway, I don't have problem leaving the house and son to hubby except that Matt couldn't really take care of our son and the house at the same time. He'll do his best though and that is enough for me. One thing I learned that hubby is not good in multi tasking when it comes to house work and kid. When I came back....he told me house how much he missed me and that he gained greater appreciation of my job as a full time wife and mother. Since then, he stop complaining about his job :-).

Acne In My Thirties!

I thought I was spared from a skin problem known as acne since I didn't suffer from it when I was still a teenager, but I was wrong. After a kidney transplant, I suffered from acne particularly on my chest. My doctor told me that it was normal and so he prescribed me with an acne treatment which was very effective. It didn't take long and my chest was cleared with acne. Man, I was so relieved! Who would have thought that I would still get acne. Oh well, we cannot really tell what will happen next, can we?

Grilled Shrimps

A very simple and easy marinade that makes your shrimp so yummy you don't even need cocktail sauce! Don't let the cayenne pepper scare you, you don't even taste it. My 5 old boy loves it and eats more shrimps than us! It is also a big hit with company, and easy to prepare. I make this with frozen or fresh shrimp and use my indoor electric grill if the weather is not good for outside grilling. Try it with a salad, baked potato, and garlic bread. You will not be disappointed.

Ingredients
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
skewers

Directions
1. In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, olive oil, tomato sauce, and red wine vinegar. Season with basil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add shrimp to the bowl, and stir until evenly coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice.
2. Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.
3. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp on preheated grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque.