Dry.

I think that’s where I am right now – I can’t seem to find the reason from the lack of scrapbook pages from me – yes, I have been busy and overworked. But before, I make it a point to actually really make time for creativity. Not that I don’t do anything creative everyday. The past week and a half were spent organizing digital kits and transferring pictures to my tiny 40GB EHD and laptop  (I had G, my laptop, reformatted). Transferring photos unearthed a million more memories I want to document and well, it really is overwhelming. Every time I open up Photoshop, my body doesn’t cooperate – my head begins to hurt or I feel sleepy. Scrap-pressure?

Plus ever weekend since August we have been spending it outside the house. Last month, we were always at my son’s school for their foundation day activities. Then come September we have been going to Manila for kid parties! It’s a good thing gasoline prices are lower these days so we hardly feel the pinch on our pockets, it’s just really really tiring. The husband’s car allowance needs to be released soon. I really pray we get a new car this year because the money we will be spending on a second hand one or improving our current one can just be spent on the house – I want to fix the house before the year ends. The Fleet program is supposed to help us acquire a car without having it burn a hole in our pockets - it's one of the many nice benefits in their company.

Transportation Benefits/Allowances

The new year has been good to us so far. One month before the new year, we received good news the the husband has been assigned and relocated to our area – allowing him to come home to us everyday. Nobody has been more grateful than I am for this recent development. Not only because it will be good for my peace of mind, having help with the kids, but it will be good for the kids as well, having him around everyday and not experiencing my temper when I fall short of patience because of being Mom & Dad all the time.

His area is now quite large so we have been requesting that his Auto Allowance be increased – since he is an employee doing a lot of field work – and that his request for a car be approved as soon as possible. He does have means of transportation but we’d rather exercise his benefit from work because he is, after all, entitled to it.

His company gives car packages to employees who have been meeting their sales monthly quota for six consecutive months or more. The husband has met his quota 10 out of the 12 months last year and has exceeded his year-to-date quota even (the reason he had a nice bonus last December). Now, if he doesnt get the car by June, I told him to look for another job that can give him a better compensation package – I am sure his boss will counteroffer with the car – it worked with his officemate who is now the training manager of the company.

Thanksgiving Plans

Summer has just ended but my relatives are now busy planning where to go for Thanksgiving. It is celebrated like Christmas there and they booked a New Orleans hotel because a relative living in the area volunteered to host this year’s reunion celebration. As for us, we are busy planning Christmas – I’m going to be wiser this year and have more cash than gifts!

Blogs and More Blogs

I need to make sure I get the directories list of my blogs correct. I have been thinking of getting subdomains for my main blog – a photo gallery and a scrapbooking gallery but I need to know how to operate that first from the back end. I will be launching new blogs as soon I have the newly launched ones settled in. As they say, strike while the iron is hot!

We definitely need a car.

Who doesnt need a car these days? I know there are a lot of people switching to hybrid cars as of late because of the instability of gas prices these days. However, the need for a car (a mode of transportation) is still there. I never thought I would even talk about needing a car – but where we live at, we really need it to go around otherwise it will be doubly hard. And even if we commute, transportation prices are so high! For example, when I go to the grocery, I need 50 bucks to commute BY JEEP! (That’s how far it is!). So yes, car is really a necessity. It is a good thing that fuel prices have had a drastic price cut for the past month. This means we can be assured that if ever we will have a car, we have money for gas to drive it around!  Edil might get the car he has been promised for by his boos. I certainly hope so. He needs it to make calls in hospitals in his area. A Car allowance program might have been the trick for the company to have been able to issue its employees the much-needed transport benefit.

For me though, aside from getting the car, I need to learn how to drive! That should be on top of my goals next year, considering it is too late to squeeze in some driving lessons this year.

Silver Jewellery

You can still be fashionable and accessorize even if you cannot afford to buy jewellery. These days accessories come in the form of silver, beads, threads and stones (even plastic). From all of these, it is silver jewellery which is most popular and preferred. Silver Jewellery can be bought from the UK online store trading since 2006.  All their silver jewellery is 92.5% silver and they ship internationally!

Silver Bracelets are all about charms these days. I see a lot of models wear bracelet charms one on top of the other on one arm to make chunky layered jewellery. It actually looks cute and cool.

This is just one of the many silver bracelets the store offers. The Fairy Charm Silver bracelet has 2 fairy charms, 2 heart charms, and a crystal attached to it.

There are many bracelets available, simple bracelets to charms to bracelets with stones, hearts, stars and even musical notes.

I actually find this one cute!

It has three treble clefs and three silver notes!

If you prefer trendier, funkier, edgy jewellery, you might want to consider getting bangles. Worn alone or as a group, Silver Bangles makes a very head-turning, eye-catching accessory!

A bangle, usually worn around the arm above the elbow, is classy and modern at the same time. It is usually paired with one-shouldered tops (think Grecian-inspired).

Examples are the ones below:

This is the large silver and white bangle (left) inside a black bangle velvet box (right). If you actually look at it closely, it has a striking design all over its surface. Its widest point is 23mm.

If you are after the stylish, classic piece, the Clasp Bangle is the way to go.

It has a ball clasp that serves as a fastener AND detail to the whole bangle bracelet.

Planning a Baby Shower Party

Perhaps the next best thing you can do for your best friend aside from agreeing to be her maid-of-honor at her wedding is to host her baby shower when she is expecting! I promised my best friend that I will plan her baby shower when the time comes, I’ve even got the baby invitation all planned out. I am all for planning parties – I love how much I can give attention to the details like the theme, decorations, down to baby shower invitations!

A baby shower invitation should always impress – the theme should be prominent in the invite. You can always make your own but if you feel you are not creative enough, you can always order at Birth-Cards. At their shoppe, http://www.birth-cards.com, you are guaranteed you can find an invite to your liking such as this:

They make custom invites as well and send your proof within an hour of you ordering it. Order now and you qualify for free shipping!

Equestrian?

My daughter is really fearless. At three, she doesn’t mind being on top of the horse alone – she even finds it exciting when the horse breaks into a little trot. If only we can afford it, we would like to get a membership on the ranch nearby and have her in breeches so she can ride all she wants. Obviously, we cannot afford to get a horse :)

Disney World

By far, the best thing about taking orlando vacations is the opportunity to go to Disney World. I know most of my scrapbooking friends take each year off, particularly in the summer, to go there. It is the perfect place to bring the kids to! I wish we can take the kids there, even not in Disney World in Florida – Tokyo or Hongkong is the closest, so I will take my chances!

Cards-Shoppe Invitations

Invitations are always the first ones guests see whenever you throw a party – that is the reason that it should be well-thought of. Fro example, in a baby shower, while you can have Free Baby Invitations it would always be best to order baby shower invitations because it will allow you to further customize the design.

For example, at the Cards-Shoppe, you can always personalize their invitations baby cards by uploading a picture. You can get preview the card using the patented Image Preview Feature they have. Go to http://www.cardsshoppe.com/ and take your pick!!!

Behind the Ranch

My parents’ place is a behind a ranch – and oftentimes, when we go up the tower we can see the horses galloping around the ranch and their horse stalls lined neatly with horse supplies around. It is often quite a peaceful sight. My kids loves animals so they naturally want to ride but unfortunately, the ranch requires a hefty member’s fee.

I told them we will just go to the zoo next time ;)

Party – Halloween Style

When I was still working, our office would hold an annual Halloween costume party and awarded the team with the most creative Halloween display on the floor. Halloween Invitations for the event are sent a month in advance, with details of the floor decorating contest and costume contest guidelines. 

Halloween Invitation cards are even ordered online at Holiday Invitations. Their Halloween Party Invitations can be custom-ordered and revisions are done without any extra cost.  Invitations Halloween cards like the one see blow are even printed and shipped within the same day:

Order now and you get FREE shipping!
Visit http://www.holiday-invitations.com/ for more information.

Friday Fill-Ins #140

1. I feel very sleepy – caffeine is not having that much effect on me anymore.
2. Reading books is always fun.
3. Right now, I can hear these things: Madagascar on TV and the sound of heavy rains outside.
4. It’s Friday and I'm glad for a lot of work this week.
5. The last time I went out alone and had me time was two months ago.
6. We have no plans this Labor day weekend.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to finishing work (oh please give me strength!), tomorrow my plans include going out to dinner with family and Sunday, I want to sleep really really loooooong!

Halloween

Parties abound during Halloween. Halloween Invitations are even sent as early as this month to request guests to block the date. In this case, the Halloween Invitation is responsible for making sure the guests would want to come because it is attractive and shows the theme well.

Halloween Party Invitations can be ordered online at the Invitations Shoppe. Invitations Halloween cards are just one of the many cards offered at their store: http://www.invitations-shoppe.com. You can always have them make a design for you and you can make revisions as many as you can without any extra cost.

Order today and get free shipping!

We need more lights

My father scolded me for not installing some light fixtures to the sides of our house. Since the husband is working in Manila, I am the only adult with the kids during night and they want to make sure we are safe. We need to install at least two lights along one wall and maybe get a bigger light for our patio. I have listed that on my to-do list next week already.

Costume Parties

I think Halloween parties are always a big hit from all ages because it is night where everybody can pretend they are somebody else for one night – costumes are fun!

Halloween invitation cards are varying too. While spooky Halloween Invitations are still a hit, party invitations Halloween cards are becoming more and more acceptable, with people opting to celebrate their parties with costume and some fun trick and treating

Halloween Invitations can be ordered online at the Invitations Shoppe (http://www.invitations-shoppe.com/). Not only do you get fast customer service – receiving proof of your invite within an hour and printing and shipping within the same day – you also get free shipping!

Blog Traffic

We all know how blog traffic is crucial in maintaining a blog’s page rank on the internet. A blog’s page rank is important because it is a guide in which advertisers base on whether to put and invest their ads in or not. Because of this, paid web directories and social networking traffic sites were born to generate traffic within blogs of the same interest.

Invitations at the Cards Shoppe!

I have been looking for various invitation baby cards I can use for baptisms, baby shower and birth announcements because I have two nieces and two nephews coming out this year. I have been tasked to give out one big baby shower for all of them so I have been looking for baby shower invitations that match that theme that we chose.

Finding the Cards Shoppe has taken a load off my mind. Finally, the Invitations Baby shower cards are taken cared of. They were able to print and ship the order within the same day and mind you, the shipping was FREE. I also got 10 pieces of Thank You cards as a gift!

Be sure to check out http://www.cardsshoppe.com/ next time you need invitations for the baby!

Moody Monday

This weeks Moody Mondays is all about "Back To School".

Do you have any special school memories or stories you would like to tell us?
I was bit of a bully when I was in school so I have a lot of stories about making my boy classmates cry :)

If you have children, when do they head back to school?
Our classes here start in June :)