Neighbor's Yard Sale...

It was new year's eve yet our neighbor right across the street had a yard/moving sale. They must be really in a hurry to move out of their house because they've been hauling their things and selling some already. They put up their house on the market sometime last September for $565,000 but now it's already at a reduced price of $525,000.

I noticed that it's common here in the US to have yard/moving sale and I think it's a good way to get something from the things that you don't need anymore. But in the Philippines, we usually give away the things we don't need anymore. It's really true what they say that other people's junk is another man's treasure.

Soapy Items...

So I got a $25 dollar Walmart gift card from hubby last Christmas. I can't think of anything to buy aside from soaps. Yeah, soaps. Not for me or hubby's use because we use Dove at home. These bath soaps are actually going into the Balikbayan boxes that I am starting to fill up for my family in the Philippines. These are the brands that they like so I will make sure I will stock up plenty of them.

Good thing I have till October 2011 to fill up two jumbo boxes for them. And now is the best time to start I guess. I have other items (clothing, shoes, and purses) already prepared too. Ah, I'm sure hubby will help me buy more things to be put in the boxes. I will buy more soaps too. And a whole lot more!

***Keep Everyone Calm***

***Thanks for the guest post; Joseph Sandoval***

Families can be hyper. Certain members of families are more hyper than others. I've found that when children get excited, they can cause serious disasters in the household. This can include a lot of injury to one another. I always make sure to prevent this by never letting children get so excited that they're running into each other. You would be surprised how often it's necessary to prevent this occurrence. Children seem to be magnets for any object that can knock them over, including other children.
I've always tried to keep some distance between excited children and this reduces the amount of bruises and scrapes they suffer over the very exciting holidays. I recommend that anyone with children strive to keep a good eye on them during heavily exciting Christmas activities so that they will always be safe from all injury. An injury over Christmas is the most painful kind of injury and you don't want any child to have to miss out on anything.
Another quick tip: Never leave home without setting your home security alarm from BestHomeSecurity.com. This is one of the most important safety tips of any season of the year. Protect your possessions, home, and family by keeping the door securely locked while you're away. When you return, you can know that your entire family will be safe and that everything you left is still there.

Check This Out!

Hubby and I went to Clanton today to visit a friend and check on the farm. It was a very cold  and dreary day but we really need to go to get something that we really need from the lawyer's office. So we just drove there and went to do our business and went back home as soon as we are done.

On the drive back home, I got really bored so I played with my camera and took some pictures of the road, hubby, myself and my green fingernails. LOL! I love my GREEN fingernails even though I saw a couple of heads shaking once they see my nails. Well, these are my nails and I can do whatever I want with them. Plus this is supposed to be my Christmas-inspired nail polish. So deal with it, will yah?...LOL!

After Christmas Shopping...

Ah, the holidays are almost over. After new year, it's back to normal once again. It's the start of new year 2011 and we have a lot of paper processing to do. That's why when hubby and I went shopping the day after Christmas, I made sure we went to the office supply store to get a few much needed things like paper, printer ink and some other basic stuffs. I also made sure that I got printer ink for both our printers; the Canon Inkjet and my Epson PictureMate. Hubby told me that I do a lot of printing and that I should minimize it because these things are quite expensive. But I argued that I only print the one that I need and like, which is pretty much everything. LOL!

Read The Reviews...

Whenever I want to try or buy a new product, I always make sure that I do my research about it first. I go online and try to find information and reviews about it and see what other people think about it. So every time someone ask me for help or some info on a product or a service, I also tell them to do some research about it. That's why when a friend asked me about this testoripped, I told him to go online and look for testoripped reviews. I don't have any info about this so I just told him to do his own research on this matter. So if you are also planning to try something new or buy a new product you haven't tried yet, it is always advisable to read the reviews about it first before buying or getting it.

Victoria's Secret Goodies...

Hubby really knows best! LOL! I mean, even though I did not make him a list of things that I want for Christmas, he still hit the jackpot when he bought me a lot of Victoria's Secret goodies. He sure knows that I love Victoria's Secret stuffs especially their lotions, perfumes and bath stuffs.

I'm also very happy that he got me a lot of them. He got me the black purse with the Very Sexy lotion, body wash and body spray. This comes in black, gold and silver color and he chose the perfect one. The black!

He also got me the Sexy little Things Noir gift set which I also liked. He said he was not sure if like them but he said he was hoping I will. Beside it in the picture was the Victoria's Secret gift card that hubby's son sent me for Christmas.

Last but definitely not the least, the Amber Romance purse gift set. Definitely love the red purse and so happy hubby also got me this because I have been wanting to get a red purse for a while now. Thanks to hubby, I can now formally start a Victoria's Secret collection. And thanks to the gift card I received, I am now going to go online shopping at Victoria's Secret once again. Ah, I love it!

Hubby Love His Expensive Cigars...

The first time I met hubby, I learned that he love to smoke those expensive cigars from time to time. The first time I smelled those, I instantly liked the smell of it too. Hubby told me that the taste is great too. Well, I have no desire to try one but I believed hubby really like them. So from time to time, we go to this special store that sells this kind of stuffs and hubby will get plenty of boxes to last him a long time. I don't really know if it is bad for his health but hubby said they are not like the regular cigarettes. I guess as long as hubby enjoys it, I will not complain about it.

***Barbie present for my daughter***

***Guest post written by Keshia Burton***

I love to play with my daughter. I secretly really wanted a little girl because I've always been really girly and loved to play with dolls. Lucky for me she's the same way and I have so much fun figuring out what kinds of gifts to get her for birthdays and Christmas. Well, I've found a few gifts that I'm especially excited about getting her this year and I think that she's really going to love them.
She doesn't really know what kind of Barbies come out or anything, I actually keep up with those and get her the best ones that I think are out there. When I was looking online about new Barbie releases for the holidays, I came across some 4G Internet offers and actually signed up for one of them.
One definite Barbie present that I wanted to give her this year for Christmas is a Holiday Barbie. I haven't gotten her one before because I want her to actually play with her Barbies instead of worring about keeping them look nice like a lot of people do with Holiday Barbies.

Our Share of Snow...

Our Christmas was awesome! Even though it's just hubby, Abbie (our Yorkie) & me, we still managed to celebrate it in our own way. Hubby and I decided not to cook a lot of foods because we did not have any visitor at all. So we just have a regular dinner and hubby made a chocolate cake for our dessert. What made it more awesome was the arrival of the snow. Needless to say, we are very happy that we had a white Christmas. I had fun going outside and playing with the snow flakes. Hubby had fun taking pictures of me too.

The day after Christmas, it was still snowing. Hubby and I decided to go out and have brunch at Cracker Barrel and it was lovely to see the snow-capped mountains too. It was indeed exciting to watch and experience the snow.

Vegan Christmas cookies

***Guest post written by Lucy Morton***
 
I'm so glad that my daughter is finally home from her first semester at college! She was really worried about doing well on her exams and is relieved by the grades that she's received back. I'm just relieved that she got through her first semester of college and seemed to adjust a lot easier to her being away from home than I have.
I've been cooking a lot since she got back, but it's been a little harder because now she's a vegan. Honestly though I'm kind of hoping that she'll stop being a vegan so I can use some of my old recipes. I've been looking up a lot of vegan recipes to use online and one night a few days ago I was doing that when I found some Clear Wireless Internet packages. Our home internet service hasn't been working that well for a while, so we switched over and got one of the packages.
One thing that I knew I needed to fix especially for her were these vegan Christmas cookies. They actually turned out pretty well and even though I made them just for her, I actually ate some too. I think I'm going to have to fix some more too.

Flowers For Christmas...

Wow! Christmas is indeed the season for giving and receiving too. I am very happy that I was able to buy presents for hubby and very thankful that he loved the things that I gave him. I was also pleased at the many gifts that he bought for me. I love everything! This is indeed our greatest Christmas together...so far. It snowed later this morning so we had a white Christmas. I played with the snow for a little bit too. Then as we were having our Christmas dinner, my friend from Arizona called me and wished us a Merry Christmas. I'm so glad she remembered me in this very important day. She said she did not get much gifts from her hubby but she got a very beautiful bunch of flowers from ProFlowers Phoenix, courtesy of her beloved husband. Overall, she said she's happy and I am happy for her too.

Merry Christmas!!!

Wishing everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year 2011!

Early Christmas Present For Me...

I received this early and unexpected Christmas present from Nate( hubby's son) and his girlfriend, Rachelle. Since they are spending their Christmas at home in Maine, they just sent me a 50 dollar gift card from Victoria's Secret for Christmas. Truth be told, I was not expecting anything from them at all.  But when I found the UPS parcel sitting outside our garage door, I was happy to find out what's inside it.

Thanks Nate & Rachelle!!! Hope you have an awesome Christmas!

Revisiting Our Childhood...

***Guest post of the week by Bradley Guthrie***

As a child I had my favorite cartoon shows that I watched every morning. Some of these shows include the Jetsons, The Flintstones and my all time favorite Heathcliff. I did not feel content until I watched my Saturday morning cartoons. What is even cooler no it that my children can watch the same shows on Dish. There are numerous channels that air cartoons and other programs that were popular years ago. It feels good to sit and watch the shows with my children. I start to reminisce on how much fun I had at their age. How life was so carefree and the biggest worry was which show to watch first. I'm even more surprised that my children enjoy them, it goes to show that some things do not get old. It is very refreshing to be able to watch the shows with my children. When my husband came home and saw that we were old school favorites, he became so excited like a school kid. He was just as surprised as I was to see the cartoons on television. Without even changing his clothes, he sat down on the sofa where we were in order to partake in the television shows. I decided to pop some popcorn to make the even more special. It was the middle of the week and we were able to enjoy these shows.

Kenneth Cole: Gift of Time...

Truth be told, I always have a hard time thinking about what gifts to give to hubby. Aside from the fact that he always tells me that he does not need anything, he is also very picky/ choosy. He does not like cheap stuffs too. What can I do? Well, I really have to think hard and find something that he can use. Plus I also try my best to find something that's now cheap and something that's made in the U.S.A. Oh, I have to save for those too.

So after a lot of research and browsing online, I finally decided to get him this Kenneth Cole dress watch. I know he's got a lot of watches already but this one is different brand, style and design. And it's not made in China. The price was a little bit expensive for me but I was able to get this at a discounted price so I was happy with it.

Sally Hansen Salon Manicure...

($7 Nail Polish)

I saw the commercial of this nail polish on TV. I got curious because it says that this one is really good and that it's a "no chip" nail polish. I wanted to try this one to see if it really work like that. I'm sure most women can relate to those ugly, "chipping" away nail polish.

So when hubby went to Walmart, I asked him to get me one. And since it's the holidays, I decided to get the green color. It's called "Glass Slippers". And it's seven dollars! He almost did not get it because he thinks $7 dollars is too much for a small bottle of nail polish. But then again, he knew he needed to get them for me. Besides, it's Sally Hansen, honey!

Sexy Christmas Presents...

When it comes to giving presents,hubby is very unpredictable. I can never guess what he will give me. But he loves to buy me sexy lingerie from one of my favorite store. Can you imagine a man going to this trendy and very feminine shop just to buy some sexy presents for his wife? That's one of the things that I really admire about hubby. He will go the distance just to get me the things that I want. But for Christmas, he asked me to make a list of things that I want. Because he said he ran out of ideas on what to get for me. Unfortunately, I did not give him the list that I made because I already bought everything in it using my own money. So now, hubby will just think hard to find what he can get me for Christmas.

She Wants a Blackberry Playbook for Christmas...

Truth be told, I have done all my Christmas shopping since November in anticipation of the shipping delays to be expected during December. So by the second week of this month, I have all my presents wrapped up and displayed under our Christmas tree. Unfortunately for my friend, who's a busy working mom, she just started getting the things in her Christmas shopping list. She said she really find it hard to find time to go to the mall after work because she usually go straight to their home to take care of her kids. So anyway, she asked me yesterday if I know where to find a good deal on a blackberry playbook because she's thinking of getting one for her beloved daughter. I told her to look online because that's usually the best place to find great deals on most things. Plus, she does not have to go to the mall if she buy it online. Hopefully, she can find one soon.

Back From Hibernation...

I have been offline for over two weeks now. I think I'm suffering from blogging burn-out, if there's such a thing. After much thought and consideration I deleted some of my blog/s temporarily. The one who got a PR 3, I might clean it (delete all paid posts) and revived it next year. As for my two currently active blogs, I stopped grabbing opps for them for quite a while too. I stopped hanging around Facebook too. I mean, I will check it at least once a day but that's it. Ah, I don't know what's wrong with me but I feel very tired and bored these days. Maybe because of the cold (freezing) weather. It makes me feel like doing nothing at all.

But now, I'm back! I don't know for how long though. LOL! I just need to do some blogging assignments before they expire! Plus I don't want to totally abandon my blogs so I need to muster up the courage to go back to blogging and keep going.

Sending Love This Holiday Season...

Christmas 2010 will be my 3rd one here in Alabama.I have adjusted to the life here but I still believe that Christmas in the Philippines is always the best. All my families and friends are back there in the Philippines and I only got a few friends here. Aside from sending text messages and calling them at home, I also make sure I send greeting cards to my parents and siblings during their birthdays and of course, holidays like this Christmas. That's why I make sure that I have plenty of address labels I can use anytime I need one. My cards may not get there as quick as I want them to but I'm sure my loved ones will be happy when they finally get them. It's the thought that counts, right?

BCS Championship

***Posted by Heriberto Fuentes***

I'm usually not an avid fan of the BCS , but even I'll be tuning into the national championship game this season because of my Deals on Satellite tv. The game should feature the two top teams in the country, Auburn Tigers and Oregon Ducks, and will be played on Jan. 10, 2011, at 8:30 p.m. ET in Glendale, Arizona. With both teams coming from power conferences and going into the game undefeated, the match up should be quite epic. The only concern is the eligibility surrounding Cam Newton, Auburn's Heisman Trophy Award candidate, because his dad allegedly received money from the school in order to have him play there. If nothing comes of the allegations or if nothing is yet proven by that time, the game will be featuring two Heisman candidates as Oregon's quarterback, Darron Thomas, is also having a spectacular season. Because I'm from the west coast, I'm a Pac Ten guy at heart and will probably be rooting for the Ducks to pull out the victory, but all I really want to see is an exciting ballgame. Oregon has a propensity to put up and give up a ton of points, so it should be a fairly exciting game filled with lots and lots offense. Even though it's over a month away, I've already invited all of my friends over on that day to enjoy the game.

Christmas Tree & Me...

It's That Time, Again

***Thanks for the article from Jermaine Haynes***

December has arrived, time to get ready for that big day. It's mind boggling how we managed to get all these Christmas decorations into the attic. The kids are excited, knowing that once the decorations are up, they get to go and visit that jolly, old man in that bright red suit. Their list has been written since Halloween and now it's time to tell him exactly what he is to bring down the chimney. Everyone pitches in to help, the lights are on the bushes, the wreath is on the door, so let's get that tree up and decorated. The assembly line begins, ornament after ornament moves from box to tree until there is nothing left, except a beautiful, slightly one-sided decorated Christmas tree. To the kids, it's the most wonderful tree they have ever seen, but we know after they are tucked in, we will have to rearrange their masterpiece. Trying to curb the impatience they feel, we get a bite to eat and get ready to head out. We are just as excited as they are, seeing their faces and listening to their wonderful chatter. We all rush to the car, hoping to get to Santa before that long line forms, but before we leave we must set the security alarm (cellguard HOME SECURITY SYSTEMS) to protect these treasured memories. All is right with the world.

Rock Star Wanna-be...

Goodbye To You...

Abbie's Gift...

Converse All Star...You're Mine...

Finally, I made up my mind and choose this optical white Chucks. I have been wanting to get a pair of these classic babies but it took me a while to choose between the red and the white one. Hubby is confused at how something this simple and plain-looking could cost that much. I explained to him that this is a classic Converse shoes and a lot of people, young and old, love this shoes.

So anyway, I went ahead and bought this online even though hubby wanted to buy this for me. We even went to Academy Sports and try to find the shoes there. Unfortunately, it was not available there. Good thing is that I was able to get this online with free shipping. And it came here quickly through UPS. So happy with this purchase, I might get me another pair. A red one this time.