Baptism Gifts.

I have been consistently asked what would be practical baptism gifts. Giving bottles or newborn clothes are somewhat impractical nowadays because mothers have baby showers before their deliveries anyways. Giving money has been the accepted norm. I prefer however baptism gifts that have meanings. For example, you can give the baby his first child bible or you can given him a cross necklace. If you are a godparent, nothing beats more than your presence all throughout your godchild's life.

Ping Golf Equipment

My uncle is an executive officer at a telecommunications company. Since golf is one way to make headway with clients, he has learned how to golf and has enjoyed it immensely. He ordered customer made Ping Golf based on the feedback he has gotten from fellow golfers. He did not hesitate about the price as it is company-sponsored! Talk about good luck!

Congoo News Circles - News Blog

I spend more time online than reading, watching TV or listening to the radio. My reason? I can do them online. I read news, downloadable books and listen to mp3s while blogging and scrapping. News Blog like Congoo News Circles are great finds since they are a cross between a blog and a new web site. Congoo lets me as a user create subject focused entries centered on my interests and pulls it from 25,000 news sources daily. Once I have set up my categories, I get to receive news and I an share it with friends and colleagues who have similar interests and needs. This group called News Circle can be a private group, so it eliminates troll comments. he free news service processes about 150,000 news articles daily, including some through partnerships with for-pay sites like The Wall Street Journal. It is better than paid portals like Yahoo or Google.

Spin A Lift Sunday at SSD

LO213 My Little Sunshine
Originally uploaded by aggietha.

Im really enjoying doing the Spin a Lift Sunday at SSD, I love how this layout turned out. Would you believe I had to do this twice? If you want, you can head over the blog to read all about it!

Web Messenger

I rely heavily on the internet to keep me connected to my relatives, friends and to the outside world. I have made great friends through online groups that have shared my interest in being a bride, wife, mommy, and now, a digiscrapper. We have connected over emails and chats and the instant messenger. We normally use Yahoo Messenger to chat up but I found a web based instant messenger called KoolIm. This type of Web Messenger allows a user to login any computer from any location on the web to log-in to AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo, Google Talk and other Instant Messenger systems. This would be such a great help especially if instant messengers are being blocked at the office. At least I do not have to download it like Trillian.

Birthday Planning

Im busy planning my daughter's first birthday party. So far, we have agreed for it to be a swimming party. And luckily we are going to have it for free at my grandmother's resort. There will be pool games and lots of food - grill party, to be exact. Im actually excited and have been doing invites and guestbook sheets for the last two weeks! Im going to share it with you once it is in print :)

Securing our Email

E-mails are very important to me. Since I am doing some sideline business online, I handle financial transactions by e-mail as well. I wish I can afford a Message Guard service that is being offered for a hefty price, but for now, Im all about saving the money that spending it. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon a website that allows me to have data security for me emails for free! You can visit this web site - www.securezip.com - SecureZIP - The next generation of ZIP. It is actually the best answer or solution for protecting my email messages FOR FREE! It works with Microsoft Outlook to encrypt and protect your sent emails. All you need to do is sign up with your e-mail address at the site. This is not a trial software application but an individual license for life! Try it out!

My Father-In-Law.

My father-in-law is a great man. He is the classic example of a rags to riches story and has gotten all of his eight kids to college on his own. My father-in-law has built a company specializing on transformers and power regulators. He also offers power supply repair, specifically on switching power supplies. Right now, he is branching out into water damaged equipment, computer and cellphone repair.

In Search of Good Computer Table.

Since I am in front of a computer most of the time, it is imperative I get a good computer table since it will double as my working space as well. I need to get a nice computer chair that is easy on the back too. I have been browsing over some furniture finds at Powell furniture and I have discovered some really great furniture that will be perfect once we have a home of our own. I have bookmarked it and will definitely refer to it for styles when we decorate our place.

Detoxification

An important step for drug rehab is drug detox. Detox is short for detoxification. It is actually the first step in drug rehab treatment programs. It is important to help an addict in stopping the drug use and clearing his body an mind to have a more lasting effect. A drug addict cannot learn and concentrate on getting better until the abuse has been stopped. There is a new detoxification program called New Life which uses vitamins, mineral, exercise and sauna to clear the body of drug residues and control the appearance of withdrawal symptoms. This kind of program doesnt use substitution medication for an addiction. This actually is the preferred detox treatment of choice nowadays.

Recommended Blog: Brian Heys Writes

Ever since I got involved with blogging, and paid posting opportunities, I have been looking for web site or blogs that can help me learn more about search engine and online marketing. It's a good that I stumbled upon this blog -BrianHeysWrites.com. As the title of blog implies, the writer is an IT guy based on the UK named Brian Heys. He has extensive knowledge about the internet, being in a work that tests various software. His blog posts are rich with content and contains outside links for more web information. I am personally pleased to know more about StumpleUpon. I only know this as Firefox extension in my browser but it is now clear that it is something big. I have learned how to drive traffic to my web site more and play with AdWords. I havent signed up with AdWords yet, but with his post I have made up my mind to give it a go.

OsCommerce Templates

With the internet boom nowadays and how more and more businesses are putting up their own web sites, the stream of doing shopping online is becoming mainstream. It is a known fact that ecommerce is booming and professionally built online stores are getting ahead of their competition. Web hosting has never been in demand more than ever with the boom in internet businesses and affiliate marketing. osCommerce Templates are afforable web hosting solution packages. They charge $89 for a three month membership whereas our competitors charge about $150 per design! A subscriber can sign up of for a three month, six month or annual membership and be able to download as many templates as they like. Os Commerce currently has 70. And it would be yours to keep! Aint that a great deal? They have a tutorial link to their site and a great customer service support group. Their templates are very specific with regard to categories and there is definitely something for everyone. The osCommerce Cafe is suited for entrepreneurs wanting to set up a store with limited web site design knowledge. Their templates are fully functional with the only requirement on the part of the customer to add only their logo, images and text. If you want more customization, it's fine too. Their designs can also be edited with almost all HTML editing applications and even have PSD or Photoshop files for more advanced customization being more flexible for the customer's taste. Once you subscribe to The osCommerce Cafe membership, you are granted full and unlimited access to download any osCommerce template on our site at absolutely no extra cost. The osCommerce Cafe also offers an excellent affiliate program which pays a significant 25% commission on all sales referred. Text links, button links, banner links, email newsletters, or friend to friend referrals are all great ways to drive your customers to our website, and they can give you those means to have affiliate links more visible. Participation is free!

Beans Beans Beans...

OH! I wish I can really spill some cool beans I know regarding the scrapping industry! Word has it that there are several sites relaunching with a new look come NSD (May 5), collaborative kits will be brought out, guest creative team members invited in, new designers, new calls for permanent sweet members *wink wink* and many many more!!! Now, I have such a LOOOOOOOOOOONG backlog of layouts that needs to be done in time for newsletters to come out!

Web Site Support Specialist.

I think I have forgotten to mention what I do in my job. Prior to getting promoted, I was a web site support specialist for a Registrar company. I did not want the job description, honestly, because I know nothing about CSS, HTML, database and scripts. I know how to design blogs, but at a limited level. They made us attend PHP training and from there I was hooked. I love what we do and I love being able to work myself through scripts. Our American counterparts actually went through OTG's PHP training and they had more exposure. The training course integrates PHP with MySQL, Oracle and ther relational databases. I still dont know anything about Oracle! They actually can deliver training on site or through one of their public enrollment courses at Morrisville, NC.

Fabulous Scrap Idea!

This would have been perfect for Martha, or for our family, or just for me.

See fantabulous idea Number 1. And look at how someone did it too.

I actually have been meaning to do something like that with the amazing calendar by Heather Ann Melzer.



And I have been jotting notes on my journal, and even ordered a spiral book from Bare Books for it (did I Glo? I should have! I think I have!). But of course, it is different when you write it down EVERYDAY - be conscious of it. I need to print the calendar and start writing, not be conscious on how my layout will look like.

This weekend. Promise.

Windy City

My parents will be visiting Chicago soon. We have relatives there who wish to tour them around the Windy City. My relatives are actually involved in the internet marketing business. Im pretty sure they will be dining in the best restaurants in Chicago - particularly the ones situated in Magnificent Mile. After sight seeing they might be getting a late brunch at the many restaurants in Michigan Avenue which are famous for their lunch menu. The homely interiors with the touch of the wood stove or sophisticated culinary service, anything on earth you wish and it is ready for lunch here. Shrimp barbecue, Meatloaf, and chicken fried steak, pasta marinara, seafood, Cobb salads and Chicago style steaks, roasted shallots and dessert like splurge on the triple chocolate cannoli.

My aunt is currently renting an apartment there. The cost of living in Chicago is on the higher side but the numerous housing options make up for it. The average rentals for apartments in Chicago go for about $1,000 a month and the utilities come to about $86. The apartments are released for time periods from 12 to 24 months. However, my grandmother already owns a house in the North Side of Chicago. The best residential spots of the windy city are situated here. They have the best apartments and houses but the cost is on the higher side. The posh locality around Magnificent Mile offers a variety of options with a spectacular view of downtown Chicago and also Lake Michigan.

Here is their itinerary for their trip. I hope they can cover most of the tourist spots in Chicago:

Lake Michigan, Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, Amazing Chicago Funhouse Maze, Brookfield Zoo, Buckingham Fountain, Chicago Air & Water Show, Chicago Blues Festival, Chicago Cultural Center, ESPN Zone, Lambs Farm, Lincoln Park Zoo, Magnificent Mile, Millennium Park, Navy Pier, Northwestern Station, Ravinia Festival, Sears Tower Sky deck, Shedd Aquarium, Six Flags Great America, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Hancock Observatory and Venetian Night.

Scrap Therapy

I did some scrap therapy last night, there has been too many things racing through my mind and I needed to find a way to let it all out. Hence, my outlet - scrapbooking. I plan someday to have all my ALL ABOUT ME layouts printed and kept in the book. My children will see glimpses of me by then, and perhaps understand. By the way, the kit I used is the Beauty Mini Kit by Audrey Neal which you will get for FREE for a minimum purchase at her store at the Lily Pad. I know her new products will be up sometime today or through the weekend.

BookmarkAll.com - Recommended Site

I just discovered BookmarkAll.com and I am so impressed with what I have found and using so far.Basically, you need to create a User Profile. Then you can create a bookmark topic. It can be anything under the sun - your local news, Science, IT News, crafts, parenting, anything you are interested in! Once you have created your group, you will assign it to a category from a list they provide. You can classify them into public and private topics. Private topics can cover your online banking information, some sites related to your personal usage and would not want the public to see (and share). I can use this at the office because my boss cannot view all the links I have saved to BookmarkAll. Since I use Firefox, they also have quick access to the bookmarks. It is also accessible via IE. What is fun about this site is that I can explore many things and learn new topics just by clicking on the links found in the public topics. I may never need to surf again!

Unlike other boorkmark systems like the one Im using now, BookmarkAll gives me the flexibility of both online and social bookmark features. I can create unlimited topics related to my username instead of having one bookmark in my toolbar.

Try it! You wont be disappointed!

Pain Relief

I have low tolerance for pain. I seldom get menstrual cramps but when I do, I am most likely to be absent from work and be bedridden for most of the week. Tramadol has greatly helped in relieving the pain. It is one of the more potent pain relievers available by prescription. It is good that my OB-Gyne has given me a presciption for this.

Scrapbooking Life's Little Moments.

This book by Rebecca Sower is my absolute absolute absolute favorite! The layouts may not be the ones currently "in" in scrapbooking but the little notes that she did, the insights, the moments, it is all so inspiring! I love how she was able to effectively deliver everything about what scrapbooking is about with little notes attached to each layout.

I am so thankful with how scrapbooking has affected me and how I see my family. Im more aware and more thankful and appreciative. Ill be back with an in depth review and my most favorite parts :D

Mortgage Education

I have been reading up on mortgages since we are looking for a house to move into. We are still living with my parents and it's about time we move out - we already have two kids! I love an article I read on this site - Mortgage Lowdown. I read the 43 Tips for a First Time Home Buyer and came out enlightened. I really need to study the terms and payment schemes and really see if we can afford paying for the next many years.

Audrey Neal

Better watch out for FOUR new kits from Audrey Neal this Thursday - they are all so awesome! Word has it you can get a free mini kit for every minimum purchase too :D Ive downloaded the goodies and cant wait to play!! Sorry I cant give you guys a sneak peek :D

2007 11th Annual Web Awards

There is a call for nominations for the 2007 WebAwards. The Web Marketing Association has launched these awards program to look for the best web sites in 96 categories or industried. You can enter you site to the 11th Web Awards before May 31, 2007 or register yourself to vote for the web sites in different categories. I honestly dont think my blog would qualify for a nomination under the Blog Category, but if there was a wedding planning blog before when I was planning my wedding two years ago, I certainly can nominate myself - I think I was very thorough with planning - even a tad bit obsessed! Im going to browse the nominees' sites. I am sure I can find another cool web site to bookmark.

Here is their Press Release:

The Web Marketing Association is now accepting entries into its 11th annual international WebAward Competition. The WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets industry benchmarks and recognized the best web sites in 96 industries. The deadline for entry is May 31, 2007 and the WebAward Web site is located at www.webaward.org.

“Even the most amazing web sites remain invisible without the proper recognition,” said William Rice, President of the Web Marketing Association. “The WebAward competition not only recognizes the best web sites on the Internet today, but our participants get valuable feedback from our experts judges to help make their web site better in the future”.

The WebAwards competition judges website entries on seven criteria: design, innovation, content, use of technology, interactivity, copywriting and ease of use. Participants receive not only their score for each criteria, but the average for their industry and the overall WebAwards to provide them benchmarks for their own web development efforts.

Participants in the 2007 WebAwards will receive:

• An independent evaluation of their Website
• Valuable feedback to help benchmark your efforts and it relationship to its industry.
• A free copy of the 2008 Internet Standards Assessment Report when published


If your site wins a WebAward, you will also get:

• A beautiful image plaque or certificate of achievement to display proudly
• Higher visibility for your company
• A great marketing opportunity to promote your site to the media
• Links to your site from the highly ranked WebAward site to help SEO
• Best of Industry winners will also receive a free press release distributed by PRWeb.

Judges are leading Internet professionals that are selected from hundreds of nominations every year. They volunteer their time and talent to help improve the standard of excellence of Web development. Most judges have participated in the WebAwards for several years.

Judging for the 2006 WebAwards will take place in June through August, with winners announced in September. Judges will consist of a select group of Internet professionals who have direct experience designing and managing Web sites, including members of the media, interactive creative directors, site designers, content providers and webmasters, with an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in Web site development and technology.

The WMA’s WebAward competition is the only major award program to provide in-depth, quantitative analysis of results that help entrants develop standards of excellence for future innovation. The aggregated results of each WebAward competition are published in the annual Internet Standards Assessment Report which will be provided to each participant.

To enter, go to www.webaward.org and create a free nominator account. The deadline is May 31,2007 so don't wait, enter today!

A Baby Book that is nearly done.

..nearly done, as in 60% done :). I'm extremely happy with the way things are going with regard to this project of mine. Totally inspired by Mich's baby book of her daugher - all finished within a month of her daughter's first year! - I resolved to finish mine in time, if not within the month, at least within two months after Martha's first birthday.

I am actually so thankful for blog entries. I decided to copy an entry for her 10th month layout. So many good things to document, write down, to freeze in time. I wish I have done it on all her months, but hey, no regrets. I am tasking myself to do her birthing story and baptism next.

This whole "slowing down, taking a deep breathe and relax" thing I have going on is so good with my scrapping mojo. Not only do I have time for scrapping, the pressure to do ALL things nice and well have been lifted off my shoulders.

Here's what I did:

I listed down all layouts for CT requirements, then listed all challenges I want to participate on or one that catches my fancy. Then I list all my CT kits. I pair them one by one. Then I list down all the layouts I want to make FOR ME and my family - much emotional journaling on these, so these are still left in process, design wise, it is complete, but the writing is left undone.

I finished seven layouts during the weekend. I could have done more, but I must know when to stop. As it is, we are always so sleep deprived catching up and having US moments (me and Edil) so even if I still have that creative rush - I stop. The memories are there. I need to make new ones.

So I stop and live. :)

Here's the pages I've done for Martha First Year Book.

All pictures are clickable to a bigger picture with credits on Flickr :).

Elections

With the elections being held on May 12, aspiring candidates and politicians running for re-election have been busy campaigning in our country lately. Since this is a national elections covering 80 million people, half of them registered voters and with our cities separated by bodies of water, it is going to be a demographical challenge to cover all areas. Radio and TV ads are still the way to go, but it comes with a HUGE price. Nowadays, printing of political brochures, posters and stickers have gone digital as well. Political Signs are now printed digitally with flatbed digital printers which makes them very easy to print on a various surfaces. With things being printed digitally, it is faster and cheaper because new images and text can be dropped by and even edited, in a matter of minutes with no additional costs for editing.

Scrapping Mojo Regained!

I had a nice weekend :D I was able to finally be in sync with Martha's First year Book. And scrapped some four pages more. I just love when the creativity just flows easily. I plan to have more scraps each night. I have my layouts planned already plus I have a strict schedule to keep up with in regard to everything dealing with the computer. I tend to get lost surfing and before you know it, I have wasted three valuable hours worth of computer time. Even blogging has a schedule. And I love it in a way because at least I get to plan what to post - which leads to more quality posts. I plan to keep it this way.

Las Vegas homes

I talked with my Mom earlier and she said that my aunt and cousin will be moving from Philadelphia to Las Vegas definitely by nexy year. We have always encouraged them to move closer - as most of our relatives are on the West Coast, and I think the turning point for my aunt was finding out my cousin-in-law will be having her baby by August next year. This will be her first grandchild and I think it will help her kickstart and get back on track after suffering depression after her husband died two years ago. It seems Las Vegas has seen a lot of people moving in the city lately, about 5000 people move in per month. You can easily find new homes in Las Vegas using MLS listings because real estate agents there have several options to find homes with affordable savings and loans and my aunt is considering getting their house loan from them. I think she is going to start renting a condo unit first and wait until my cousin moves in from Philly before starting a search. Las Vegas is very tough and competitive city, but it also has a lot of opportunities to make money. I think they will be renting houses to own.

National Scrapbooking Day

..is going to be on May 5! That is going to be a weekend - Saturday - and Im going to be hogging the computer all day! I need to tell Edil that that day would by my computer day and no one is allowed to use it - even with video conversions and DVD architect running. I plan to chat and scrap all day (I want to buy as well, but Martha's party is the week after, and Matthew's enrollment the week after next so Im pretty strapped for cash). I remember last year, I was really term already with Martha and was just so ready to pop already - but come May 6-7, I was in front of the PC, with less than 4 hrs of sleep, requesting for Martha not to arrive yet :D I stayed at the DD chats all day and had fun getting to know fellow scrappers around the world better. Now, on my second NSD event, I have scrapped more than 200 pages, spent so much on kits, have been on so many GREAT creative teams, made so many nice friend scrappers, that I look forward to so much more!

Vitamins.

With all the stress we are constantly experiencing from work lately, we were advised to have a vitamin supplement so that we wont be that much stressed and so that our immune system can actually fight back. Now, I dont really like drinking medicines especially those multivitamin tablets which are so big, I tend to gag when I drink them. It's good somebody recommended a 12-in-One MultiVitamin in gel form! It has 117 nutrients, 72 trace minerals and 47 fruit and vegetable concentrates giving me everything that my bod needs.

DisneyWorld

One of our dreams is to be able to take the kids on a grand vacation to DisneyWorld. Matthew wants to go when turns 10 years old, so that is only three years away from now. I loved going to Disneyland in California when I was fifteen and I cant wait for DisneyWorld. We will most probably look for an Orlando vacation rental so that we can explore Florida's other vacation spots as well. I would love to be taken to their famous beaches! This means I really need to work on our visa papers!

Renovating the House.

Spring means spring cleaning for us! So today I deep cleaned the house. I took almost seven big bags of trash, two big boxes of clothes to give away to charity and made a list of the bigger repairs that needs to be done at the house, including repainting our walls. Our walls are white and need to be refreshed every year to keep it sparkly clean white. Painting costs need to be estimated first. One painter can do our walls in two days - one day for the first floor and the second day for the second floor. We need to make sure the kids stay at my in-laws during those times. I want to repaint my walls as I want to change the interiors - curtains and furniture casings.

Death.

Death is always hard for everybody. I have experienced death occur in my family - my grandparents have died, but my immediate family is still intact. Death insurance is an option my parents are talking about more and more lately and it is depressing me. True, they need to be prepared when the time comes and they are not getting any younger. But deep inside, Im still a kid who depends so much on her parents. I hope they get to stay here longer and that they get to enjoy their grandkids more.

DDE's New Spring Kit!

Gina has done it again!!! I have every kit of hers since 2007 :) I just cant resist this! Isnt it gorgeous :D

Vacation Rentals.

Since summer is here, it is the time for planning vacations! We are looking forward to making a trip to the beach one of these days. Since we are a big family, we are more keen on having a vacation home rental than having us booked in a hotel. We would like a vacation home rental that has a pool and fully furnished with entertainment systems - TV, radio - and a grill so that we can spend time enjoying the place. Having a kid under one year will definitely pose some unexpected problems for us so I want to make sure the vacation home rental will be able to provide some sort of vacation for us, in the event we will not be able to go out on tours!

Great Resource for Debt Consolidation

We, as a couple, are just starting out to work on being financially stable as a family. It is not easy saving up especially when you have two children already. To be honest, we started out on the wrong foot. We got married with me so much into credit card debt. Then my husband resigned from his job to take care of my son - only kids then. We just got into more debt. I stumbled upon this site - Debt Consolidation News and I absolutely love the information and tips written there about debt relief. I love the posts under debt management and helpful tips and wish that I was able to find this sooner. I have bookmarked the site because there is a lot of information to be read and each article is a goldmine. I read 101 Ways to Cut Your Daily Cost and as expected, I was guilty of more than half of the DONT's! I plan to apply those tips starting today.

Exciting News!

Im so excited for upcoming plans for National Scrapbooking Day! Two of my creative teams have exciting plans and I cant wait for it to commence :D I need to make sure I block that date!!!

Curtains or Blinds?

We have been thinking of replacing our curtains in the house with vertical blinds. We have 8 windows, side by side, in the house, and it is no joke to have floor length curtains washed every week! I honestly did not know the difference between venetian, roman and vertical blinds not until we talked to the salesman in a furniture store. It would be best suited for us since direct sun always hits our room at noon until late afternoon. It may appear more office like but we love it since they not only offer privacy - since we dont have trees in our place and houses are near each other - but protection from strong sunlight. Of course, we like it because it very low maintenance. They have removable window veins that can be wiped clean. There are also washable fabrics available.

Bookoto.com

Thank God for Bookoto.com I can now order my favorite idea books and subscribe to my scrapping magazines with low cost shipping :) I have placed several orders with them already and I am very satisfied with their service :D. As soon as I have extra money, Ill subscribe to Simple Scrapbooks and BHG Scrapbooks, Etc :) For Pinay scrappers, order your mags from www.bookoto.com, QUICK!

eTraffic Jams

If you have a web site, either for business or personal use, you would want to drive traffic to your site all the time you would want your web site to be really visible. You want lots of traffic, people can find your site through links and when you have a business web site, you might need to invest on pay per clicks or some type of SEO marketing for a reasonable price without any risks. I am a technical support person for a web hosting company and usually, search engine optimization programs have services which charge you but guarantee very little outcome, or has a longer output. Manipulating rankings in search engines is hard work, and involves a lot of backlinkings and traffic and the search engines are constantly changing their algorithms.

There is a new type of search engine optimization company , eTrafficJams.com, who have developed a completely different model in the marketplace. With eTrafficJams.com, you pay according to how many top 10 organic rankings your site gets in the big three search engines (Google, Yahoo! and MSN). There is an initial set up fee, and a yearly contract payable each month, but that monthly fee is only payable if they deliver by getting your site in the top 10 a minimum of 10 times per month.

That is a pretty big deal.

Bed and Breakfast.

We are planning our vacation this summer. We can only afford to take a leave from office once so we need to really plan the vacation we can get. Im excited as this is the first time we are going out on vacation, just the four of us, as a family, and Im really planning all the details. We can afford to have an overnight stay with a tour and some shopping on the side. Bed and Breakfast inns are a great option for us too. I just love how they are cozy enough to feel like home and have amenities like a hotel. A bed and breakfast is generally known as a private home where a guest is provided a place to stay for the night. Breakfast is usually included with the price of the room. Nowadays, bed and breakfast inns also mean a small place with many rooms and a central eating/dining area.

Going Hybrid.

Im seriosuly thinking of going hybrid. There will be a ScrappinMom's event on May 19 so I think I can come. I am eagerly waiting for my scrap supplies to arrive so I can arrange my albums already! I have around 50 layouts to be printed this month. Maybe I can go to a fellow Bebot for a 20% discount at FUJI :). But yes, my goal will be to print 50 layouts, mostly of Matthew. Im going to get layouts of Martha printed in a hardbook for her first year.

Largest Blog Comment Chain World Record Attempt

PPP has done it again! They have launched an attempt to be listed at the Guiness Book of World Records by having the largest number of comments in a given blog post! According to the blog post, the most number of comments they have read in a blog post was 350, so they are aiming for this: "For 2,000 "unique human generated comments of 25 words or more each generated within 1 week of the original post." Sounds impossible? I dont think so! Especially since PPP has released an opportunity for this daring feat to be blogged about. You bet it will spread across all blogs within a few hours. I am also sure that they will hit more than 2000 comments. So if you can, and if you want to, you can read the blog entry here, and leave a comment!

What is PPP? PPP is actually the acronym of PayPerPost, an amazing community of bloggers who do sponsored posts. I joined them last December and have so far earned my keep. What I love most about PPP is that I can choose what I want to blog about and their opps are always refreshing and there are opps well worth writing for - I have even bookmarked a few!

I love PayPerPost (PPP) because they have a variety of opportunities, a great reviewer system and efficient pay-out system. They also only charge a 35% service fee compared to ReviewMe that charges 100%. Do you know what that means? It actually means that they are taking half your money for every post! That is why you can get higher paying opportunities with PayPerPost!

So if you want to learn more about PPP, feel free to leave a comment of better yet sign up!

From Our Blog to Yours by Lauren - SSD Blog

Your Spicy Score: Mild

You may not make the hottest first impression.. But you're definitely the type of girl that sticks in a guy's mind. You prefer to play things cool. You know that good things come to those who wait. And the amazing thing about you is that you get hotter over time!

How Spicy Are You?

Bionicon 2.0

For all fans of Sci-Fi television, read up! If you loved the The Six Million Dollar Man series since 1994, you would definitely want to join the BIONICON 2.0, Science Fiction Celebrity and Autograph Convention in Los Angeles, CA on June 29 to July 1, 2007! The actors, namely Lee Majors, Richard Anderson and Martin E. Brooks will be there and there will be autograph sessions, a Celebrity Banquet, an Exclusive Platinum Party, Cocktail Party, & professional photo ops with the stars. You wouldn't want to miss this! There is the site: Bionicon 2.0 Official Website Click Here.

They are negotiating with other sci-fi stars to attend the event so there are chances the stars attending will grow!

A Nice Rak.

I received a very nice PM over at DST 2 days ago :D I received a wonderful Easter RAK from Gina Miller! I cant wait to use these buttons! Thanks Gina! You're a doll!

In Case You are Interested....

I know most of my readers here are from my days as a bride engaged in wedding planning :D I since moved blogs - you can find my wife and mommy blog here. I would appreciate it if you update links as well. Dont leave this blog altogether though! I keep my digiscrapping hobby (obsession, LOL) tabs here :D I hope I can inspire some of you to try it! I have recruited many many people to the dark side, LOL! If you have any questions, dont hesitate to contact me :D

SBG's Queen of the Crop!

This is HUGE!! Check out the full details here. I registered, but Im not really sure if I can really join. I dont have that much SBG products to begin with and I think Im not really that popular so nobody will spend $2.00 to vote for me! HAHA!!!

BloggerWave

There is a new way to get paid while blogging - Bloggerwave. I found out about this through one of the forums I frequent and I decided to try it out. Their interface is very similar and very promising. I hope it gets to boom quickly. Im one of the early ones who registered at the site.

Single?

I stumbled upon an online dating site called Allaboutsingles.com.A chief resident aka person who matches and give advice, Tanya Wiseman helps men and women connect by helping write profiles, set up first dates and has a dating advice column for members of the site. The site has a chat room, and has an impressive joining statistics of 100 new member per day from LA, New York to Russia and the UK. They have a Hot Singles Nite every Friday in LA where they buy the first round of drinks and then it's all up to you to have fun! The site is going to be the first ever dating site that will be adding cell phone dating text, video chatting, free phone chatting, and much more.

Trying to Lose Weight.

I have perpetually been trying to lose weight. I have tried all kinds of diets there is and I always fail. Somebody recommended that I try ionamin. Based on the site that sells them, Ionimine is used as an appetite suppressant used in conjunction with an overall diet plan to reduce weight. Basically, you just take it twice a day, once in the morning, one in the afternoon and drink lots of water. I tried it before and it makes me not hungry but I had trouble sleeping so I drank it lunchtime. It will really be useful if coupled with an exercise regimen.

Michelle has done it again!

Sweet Chic is just amazingly beautiful! I already have a wish list a mile long at ScrapArtist! I need to make a dent out of it come NSD! Ill just get a few things on their Tax Day sale on the 17th where everything is 20% off :) WOOOHOOO! I need to get an EHD with all the kits and photos Im accumulating!

Been Funked?

Have you ever been funked?

What I mean is, have you ever been betrayed by somebody, or someone in high authority and got so frustrated because there is really nothing you can do? Have you even been ripped off or cheated by a defective product? Have you encountered a very bad customer service rep from a company you are a subscriber?

Well, fear not, there is now a web site that can let your grievances be known -Beenfunkd.com.

I remember a friend who had a 2 year contract with an Internet Service Provider and they had a clause. Well, the ISP never did a good job working up to their part of the contract - their connection was more down than up, and if ever there was a connection, it was worse than dial up! My friend's calls to the Customer Service Department were futile and got her so fired up and frustrated. The representatives did not know anything and even refuse to transfer her to a supervisor! You know what my friend did? She started an online blog which had her experiences clearly written out and it got to many potential subscribers! It eventually reached the ISP's upper management and they had to settle with her!

Imagine if their was a site that can really do that - give consumers a voice? Im happy there is now a site that helps us find that voice!

Sweet Shoppe Mystery Basket

You would not want to miss this!!

A little birdie told me a layout will be featured over the SSD blog using SOME of the goodies... :D Stay tuned!!!!

Drugs and Rehabilitation.

We have been fortunate enough to have no one in our family addicted to alcohol and drugs. A family friend had a son involved with drug substance abuse and it was a hard time for them and such a trying ordeal. They did the right thing though. They helped him admit he needs to get help from a professional and seeked a drug rehab for him to enter in. He has now been clean for 9 years. It is important for people who are involved with alcohol and substance abuse to have a very strong family support especially on the time he would enrolling in a rehabilitation program. If you know somebody who has a drug addiction and needs help fast, refer him to a drug rehab center fast. But the enrollment to a center doesnt end there, he will need the support and acceptance of family more than anything else. Addictions are curable, with steadfast love and acceptance from family, willingness to change from the addict and the support of loved ones.

The length of stay in a treatment facility is usually based on the type of addiction, severtity of addiction, and amount of time the addict has been addicted.

Typically there is short-term treatment will run for 14 to 60 days in length and there is long-term drug rehab programs that usually start at 60 days and can run for up to a year.

Finding the best treatment program for your individual needs can be a daunting task. That is why there are different rehab referral centers which can help one find the best and most suitable rehab center for oneself.

BPS Classes

BPS has released a new line of great classes! I so want to sign up for Goals 101 and ABCs and 123s but I need to be careful with our money since Martha's first birthday is coming up and Matthew's enrollment would be a week after! ACK! Talk about a HUGE amount of money needed. Hopefully, if things go well, we can enroll Matthew on an annual term. This might mean a simpler party for the princess but I think we will have at least three parties for the brat soon :D Details later!

Vonage offers VOIP.

I hope VOIP is offered here in the Philippines soon. We will save a lot because my parents call from the States once a week to check on us. Vonage is one of those offering these services and more. They have a new section and even a forums section for their subscribers. Vonage has great phone features such as : Dialing 911, 3 way calling, called ID with name, call hunt and waiting, personalized voicemail and a lot more. When you sign up with Vonage, you can keep your exising number and have free vonage to vonage calls! They also offer great international rates! For International calling, the monetary savings we will get from switching to VoIP technology can be enormous.

Dresser Woes

Ever since getting married two years ago, I have experienced the lack of "me" space. Suddenly, I need to share my dresser with a shaver, shaving cream and men paraphernalia. My dresser is a small one so every time my husband and I get ready for work, we are always going around each other trying to have the greater half of the mirror. Makeup mirrors will do the trick. If I can get one at least I can do my makeup on the bed with my tools and that mirror. I like this style - thinnest lighted mirror. It's hard sharing your dresser with a man, I tell you!

Scrapping Targets.

My goals for tonight! 1. Scrap month in reviews - January, Feb and March 2. Scrap Martha's 10th month 3. Scrap Matthew's graduation :D I hope I can get to use my digital purchases soon. I have so many ideas but I really do not have the time to scrap!!

PPP's Blog Awards!

PayPerPost just keeps getting better and better! They now have launched a new site that will allow bloggers to vote for other bloggers on a various categories - PPP will now have its own blog awards! The categories range from "Hottest Mommy Blogger" to "Most Obnoxious Blogger" - ouch, I certainly would not want to get that!! Voting takes place at the end of March and the winners will be announced at the PostieCon. Now, though I would love to be at the PostieCon I cant go since Im living in another country and dont have the necessary papers yet but Im happy that in a way, I can get to participate with the planned PostieCon activities! I cant wait until they launch the web site, I will be sure to vote!

I admit I am more of a lurker at the PPP forum. But I have encountered really nice people who go out of their way to help you. And I have read blogs which has well written and well thought of entries. You would not even notice that they are doing paid posts! Though, I admit there are blogs Ive come across which are ones I myself would not want to have a paid post for, if I was an advertiser. So I strive hard to write quality posts. Im struggling to keep my blog within specific category writing but I am happy that people do drop by and read and learn!

So, fellow posties, let us all give credit to fellow bloggers who have done a great job by voting for them in the PPP blog awards!

YAY!!!

Thrifty Thursdays at Designer Digitals!

My favorite store is now going to let me go shopping every Thursday! Designer Digitals will have selected items every Thursday at 30% off! I picked date stamps from Katie Pertiet, site maps from Kellie Mize and just had to have the week and month in review brushes from Anna Aspnes. My goal this long week is to catch up on my Monthly Round Ups.

Investing.

Since I am earning dollars with small businesses online, I have thought of investing my money in forex trading. The Forex market is a non-stop cash market where currencies of nations are traded, typically via brokers. Foreign currencies are constantly and simultaneously bought and sold across local and global markets and traders' investments increase or decrease in value based upon currency movements. Foreign exchange market conditions can change at any time in response to real-time events. There is possible growth with this type of business, even if it is risky. With Global Futures Exchange & Trading Co., Inc., they can help me get started with as little as $250.

As always, there is risk of loss trading Futures, options and forex.

DSLR Challenges for the Newbies!

Over at SBG!!

I already have the dSLR and I want to master shooting manually!!!!

Web Market Systems

With the influx of technology and the rise of doing all things on the internet, most businesses have invested on e-commerce web site for their stores and stay-at-home moms had hope to earn money while taking care of the kids. Soon, there were web stie developers and hosting companies shooting up businesses because of the increased need for them. After that, there has been an increased need for affiliate marketing. According to an online source, "Affiliate marketing is an online advertising channel in which advertisers (online merchants that sell products or services) pay publishers (independent parties that promote the products or services of an advertiser on their Web site) only for results, such as a visitor making a purchase or filling out a form, rather than paying simply to reach a particular audience."

The need to have an affordable affiliate marketing program and web hosting development for small businesses prompted to World Market Systems to launch their program. Worldmarketsystems.com offers a full range of web site packages that will make home based businesses appear like big businesses.

All about backing up and organizing your digital kits and photos

I want to share these two very inspiring ladies with you. Read their entries here: Scrapper 1
Scrapper 2

I will definitely be patterning my "organizational method" with Sharon. Ive now hit my 200th layout and the sooner I get organized, the better I will be!!!

Useful Links

I stubmled upon this very informative blog which talks about financial articles. There was one article which talked about wasteful motorists who still ignore the government's and environmentalists' plea to have cars checked up regularly to save the environment. It also tackles how consumers have just been choosing cars which can offer the best price for a car loan even if it is not environmentally sound. Say for example, one can just buy a used car with more miles to save up than to buy a financed one which cost more. The effects of a not-so-tuned up car to the environment is disastrous!

Wish List.

I have a wish list a mile long for digi scrapping stuff! I keep telling myself to wait because NSD (National Scrapbooking Day) is next month already!

These are all Gina Miller collaborations :D





Can you say gorgeous?!

Be Healthy!

I believe this is the year when I need to put myself first and really aim to take care of myself more. I just checked my weight and I am on the low border obese line already. I need to combine diet, exercise with a very strong sense of discipline and willpower to finally lose weight. Not just lose it, but keep it off. A fitness expert advised me to take vitamin supplements when working out and combine a strict diet so I can build more muscles. There are discount supplements online where I can order since retail stores here often charge double the price!

I can save up to 75% off the retail price.

Look at THESE BIG RIBBONS!

As usual, Natalie Braxton has done it again! You can grabe it NOW at the Lily Pad!
Here's a layout I did with it!

Hallway Wars!

There's a new hobby we might get addicted to: Play Hallway Wars! It's a very promising game for me as it is based in an environment Im familiar with: SCHOOL! Basically, you need to register first at the site - www.hallwaywars.com and choose your group - The Jocks, The Geeks, The Stoners and The Cheerleaders. The objective of the game is for your group to dominate over your high school, and acheive the highest overall ranking among other players by ramping up your attack, defense, and sneak capabilities. I actually signed up to one of the Cheerleaders! The Cheerleaders may seem dumb, but they dominate the entire female social scene at school...and with that comes power. Though they don't use weapons, they can still deliver plenty of damage...by pitting the other girls in school against themselves. You can get points by recruiting members through your own unique Id and earn as well. I have not fully explored the site yet as I have just signed up but I bet this virtual game will be very very addicting!

Funk That Spring!

I get to play with that awesome kit and it can be yours for FREE when you spend $10 or more at the shop - www.FUNKYPLAYGROUNDDESIGNS.com!

Here is my layout!

I am on Planet Murphy!

If you are a scrapper and hang out at DST (www.digishoptalk.com) a lot, you would know the story behind Planet Murphy :) However, that's beside the point! Because I am officially going to be at Planet Murphy for a month - Im guest CT for her team in April! I actually have downloaded goodies set to be released this week and I cant wait to get started!!!

Floors for Beautiful Homes.

We would like to renovate the ancestral house we live in someday. We have been living in the house for a close 10 years already and haven't done any significant change to its interiors save for the installation of more cabinets for our clothes and things and the yearly re-painting job of the walls. Now, the kitchen is in dire need of remodelling and our bathroom needs to have a new door. What we would like to do more though is to find a replacement for our floor tiles. Our floor is made of marble tiles, and we have noticed that inspite of mopping and applying gloss and waxing and whatever polishing we do, it doesn't look shiny at all. It has dark spots which sometimes, well most of the times, gets mistaken for dirt. My husband did research on what kind of flooring we might want to replace it with and came up with this type of stone - a travertine tile. Travertine is a natural stone material from the limestone family. It is made of calcium carbonate and is usually found in the form of deposits near warm or hot springs. It was frequently used in ancient times as a building material. Because travertine is such a porous material, it should be sealed before use in construction or renovation projects. It is most commonly used for countertops and flooring, but may also be used in showers and tub surrounds as well as in exterior decor. Travertine is available in different colors and finishes, from natural, neutral colors such as creamy white and beige to tan and reddish brown. The color depends quite a bit on the impurities and iron content of the stone. The different finishes include honed, polished and tumbled. Honed travertine is smooth, but unlike polished, it has a matte finish. Polished travertine is smooth, but buffed and polished until shiny. Tumbled travertine has a rougher, textured finish and often has rounded corners for an antique look. Because travertine is natural stone, no two pieces are the same. It is important to look over the material carefully and select only those pieces that you find the most beautiful. While you can save money by buying bulk parcels, you may not be able to examine individual pieces for pattern and color tone preference. We stumbled upon a website that offers inexpensive travertine tiles, FloorzBuzz.com. They offer Accents Glass Tiles at a cheaper cost. They offer accent tiles and glass accents and have a great catalog.

SSD's Treat of the Month - Yen Ollosa!

Credits here :) Look what the other Sugarbabes did with the scraplifts of Yen's amazing layouts! You can scraplift her amazing layouts and link back to us at the forums, and read her feature! YOU can earn Rewards points!