Cutty

Our youngest, Joaquin Lorenzo, turned 1 last Saturday.  It wasn't a big production like the other first birthdays I orchestrated.  This time, it was a DIY party in our own backyard.  I had two weeks to prepare. As soon as I got back from our Dubai trip, I got hold of suppliers. I got a supplier from Etsy to do the invites: I got Jhoanne of Polkadots to do the decors.  Here are the Elmo lanterns.  I also had ELMO pillars and centerpieces made. Ces Kasilag covered the event.  She and Jhoanne have been helping me over the years.  They both got the shock of their lives to see my kids grown up. Kuya Boyette took care of the tarp design.  You can see it in the photo above.  I ordered food from Hearty Onion.  They weren't availble to cater, even if they were available, I couldn't afford them.  I got the Stuffed Hoisin-Glazed Chicken, Pandan-Wrapped Salmon and Beef Tapa. I made Inihaw na Liempo, sandwiches, green-leaf...

Our holiday celebration wouldn't be complete without a year-end trip.  I suppose the FIL got tired of our previous destinations so he decided to take us to Dubai.  It was a good thing because the kids were getting tired of those destinations too.  I was afraid that there'll be nothing to do but shop and I am trying to veer them away from consumerism.   Luckily, PAL came out with promo fares last February to introduce the new destination.  I couldn't believe that adult promo fares were cheaper than full-price child fare.  Because we got promo tickets, we had to leave and arrive in Manila on a weekday.   It was also a coincidence that one of SEPI's clients owns a travel agency.  He was the one who took care of our day trips.  We also had a van and a driver at our disposal during our whole stay.  To give you an idea, this was our working itinerary: Day 1:  Arrival in Dubai.  The flight took 9 hours and it ate up our who...

I know that this round-up is a week late.  How can I let it pass when it has brought me countless memories? It was a year of trials.  There were times when our household had to survive with one house-help.  It was in Q3 when I found out that the my most-trusted store supervisor was stealing from me.  Business was unstable.  Kids getting sick at the same time, specially when I couldn't be there to care for them.  Javi was physically abused by newly-hired nanny.  There were lots of late night meetings.   Monthly budgets barely covering expenses.  Lessons were learned, tears were shed BUT I have moved on.  I never realized I could overcome all those despite the judgement and opinion of envious individuals (wink, wink). It was a year of travel.  A summer trip to our favorite shopping destination during summer.  A trip to the World's Cultural Capital and it neighboring countries spear-headed by the ACS took place in Q3.  It...