Tag Archives: christmas

Instagram Monthly Life as I Know It Love Mommyhood

December 2012 on Instagram

January 3, 2013 – 3:42 pm

And that’s just about how fast and how busy December was—the whole month passed by without a word in this blog, I’m suddenly not sure where all the days went. Each day seemed to have blended on each other, making me feel like December was just one super long day that was suddenly gone in a blink. Kudos to Facebook and Instagram for conveniently being the keeper of these fleeting moments, especially when time does not allow for long journal entries or carefully processed photographs.

This is how our December looked like on Instagram:

Pink Christmas Tree

Daddy's Birthday

Christmas Sunday

Family Reunions

Precious Moments

Highlights of the month include a pink Christmas tree, my husband’s 29th birthday, a musical Christmas sunday in church, family reunions, and lots of precious moments with our twins. It’s the first Christmas we have babies tagging along everywhere we go, which included a 3-day vacation in Antipolo, a long weekend in my husband’s home in Las Pinas, Sundays in church, and Christmas parties here and there. Can I just say, packing and unpacking baby stuff is craaayyzeee. It’s like you have to carry the whole house with you each time! And while it’s been the craziest, most toxic holiday yet, it’s also the most fulfilling one so far.

I wasn’t able to take as much photographs as I wanted and used to take, what with both hands always full, but I wish I’d still get to post the few ones I took soon.

Here’s to hoping you had a full, meaningful, and memorable Christmas season yourself. :)

Check out all my Instagram Monthly posts here.

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Faith Talk Instant Photography Married Life Photo Dump

On Christmas traditions, Sendong typhoon victims, and being still

December 29, 2011 – 10:15 am

Exactly a month ago, we put together our little Christmas tree at home, and I think I may have said I was “excited” to post more photos. So much for my excitement. The month has been packed with so many things, and uploading these photographs was the first to be pushed down my list! Anyway, here they are, for traditions’ sake.

It’s our first Christmas as husband and wife, and I love that we get to start our own Christmas traditions. Last year, I had some instax photographs up on my Christmas tree, and this year, we thought we’d do the same. We picked some of our favorite photographs from the wedding and the honeymoon and printed them out with our Polaroid Pogo. It’s a cute little project, something we hope we can keep on doing for years to come.

On another note, I know it has been a challenge for our country to celebrate Christmas this year when Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City are still under the state of calamity. We don’t have a television at home, and quite honestly, my husband and I have only seen and heard so much. I know we’ll never really have a clear picture of what’s happening out there, but our family feels somehow involved. My eldest brother is there since last week; as part of his job, he’s with the ABS-CBN Engineering Crew which covers the relief operations there. It’s our first Christmas Day without him, probably even New Year too. Ergo, we had to let go of certain Christmas traditions this year to make way for my brother to be where he’s needed more.

I look at Ate Imy (my sister-in-law) and Isaac and I imagine how difficult it must be for them to celebrate Christmas without Kuya. But then I think about the thousands of families in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan who lost their loved ones and friends over the flash flood, and how devastating Christmas and New Year must be like for them. As I stare at our Christmas tree here at home, my heart goes out to the victims of Sendong who lost their homes and didn’t get the chance to put up their trees this year. At the time of this writing, the death toll has reached about 1,500. This is even more tragic than Ondoy.

Suddenly, no personal issues or problems are too big.

It’s easy to question the goodness of God at a time like this, but words from the Bible pop up like bright stars in the dark sky: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) God sees everything in a bigger perspective, and as far as His grand scheme of things is concerned, everything happens for a reason and for our own good. His ways are higher, we only have to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10)—and believe that with all our hearts.

For the rest of us who are not in the center of this tragedy and are watching this from a distance, it’s our chance to help and make a difference. I’m not directly connected with any relief efforts for Sendong, but I think the surest way for our donations to reach Cagayan de Oro and Iligan is through Red Cross. We have 2 more days left before 2011 ends, let’s make it count.

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Life as I Know It Web Hopping

Meanwhile I’m putting up more twinkle lights

December 5, 2011 – 5:49 pm

I like quoting from movies, even if no one gets it. And sometimes I like explaining them too, when no one gets it. :p

In You’ve Got Mail, when Kathleen Kelly’s book shop was starting to lose sales after Fox Books opened within the block, she confidently shrugged off the concerns of her worried employees and simply said, “They’re new, it’s a novelty. It’ll all shake out. Meanwhile, I’m putting up more twinkle lights.”

I love that scene. I love how Kathleen said that line as if putting up those lights was more important than worrying about her business. We all could use some of that attitude, don’t you think? (:

Last week, I woke up from a quick nap to the sight of this beauty *points to the picture*. We were supposed to do this together, but the husband thought he’d surprise me so he went ahead putting the Christmas lights up while I was sleeping. A word to husbands out there: big or small gestures like this are very much appreciated. Never get tired surprising your wives with kindness, rest assured, your act of love will be returned tenfolds. ♥

x o x o

Here’s some linkworthy stuff to start the week:

+ Interesting thoughts on making disciples by Laura Hamilton. I agree with her, Christianity does involve a bold, unashamed declaration of faith, rather than a quiet commitment you keep to yourself.

+ I cried like a loser, watching this Coca-Cola OFW Project. Good job, Coca-Cola! You make me want to buy boxes of Coke and give them away for Christmas.

+ Alie Edward’s December Daily hybrid journal project makes me wish I have time and skills to do one of my own. Paislee Press and Paper Relics are doing it too. I started scrapbooking (again) lately, I just don’t think I can do it with the same passion and commitment as these ladies here. At least not yet. Maybe someday. (;

+ Pentatonix won the Sing Off last week. I love this video I found in Youtube, a montage of all their performances this season. We still watch them at home until now.

+ I love how Seth Godin’s blogs transcend both business and life. He may be using marketing terms like “products” and “customers” and “services” or may be directly referring to entrepreneurial principles in his posts, but for all we know, he’s actually imparting to us important life lessons on achieving real-life breakthrough one step at a time. Oh, and he’s got some interesting thoughts about Christmas lights, too! This guy thinks about everything! LOL.

+ I’ve been thinking about this SEO and Online Marketing industry I happened to have been exposed to for the past 6-7 years, and I thought, even though I don’t really see myself doing this forever, perhaps I shouldn’t give up on it just yet.

+ Lastly, you might want to help Wikipedia, since, you know, we’ve all somehow benefited from it at one point or another.

Here’s to starting, and ending, the week right! (:

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Instant Photography

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

November 28, 2011 – 6:12 pm

It’s December in 2 days and I bet you’re wondering too where on earth November went! Time flies fast, no?

Last night, we put up the Christmas tree at home. We started putting up Christmas lights at the veranda, too, last week, getting the place ready for some Christmas parties and get-togethers. It’s our first ever Christmas together since we met 12 years ago, and I’m kinda giddy about celebrating it with him! I used to think that Christmas is the saddest of all holidays (I had my share of depressing blog posts, IKR), but this year is bound to be so much different from all the other Christmasses we’ve had apart. Sweeter, and happier, for sure.

So I had my brother deliver to me the old tree I’ve had since 2009. We deliberated on buying a bigger tree this year, but we thought we’d save the money for a much-needed, much-awaited Christmas present we want to give ourselves instead. Besides, this little Christmas tree is perfect for our little home, for now. The idea of using Instax photographs as ornaments came about last year, and we thought we’d do it again this year.

This could be the start of our very own Christmas tree tradition or something, putting up photos on the tree like a timeline, representing milestones and beautiful memories of the year that was. I’m all for traditions these days, especially now that I’m starting new ones with Bud.

I’m excited to post more photos, for some reason. I think Christmas looks really pretty in photographs because of the Christmas lights. (:

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Life as I Know It

I’m keeping the twinkling lights

February 5, 2011 – 12:53 am

So I finally boxed away my tiny Christmas tree three months after I put it up. I wouldn’t even bother, really, after all, I live in a country that self-proclaims itself to have the longest Christmas holiday in the world; but I woke up this morning with the collapsed tree on the floor, as if it resigned by itself and I was like, “okay okay I get it, it’s time to give you a break!”

And so I took away the tree, but I decided to keep the twinkling lights just because I like bright and pretty things, and just because I like the idea of keeping a little remnant of Christmas the whole year.

While it was a quick and uneventful experience, I have to admit that boxing up the Christmas tree had a subtle way of reminding me that life is softly (and swiftly) turning its pages, and everyday takes us a little closer to the life ahead of us and a little farther from what used to be, you know what I’m saying? Sometimes, in my self absorbed moments, I feel like the whole world is sighing with me.

Anyway, hello! It’s been a while, but for once I don’t feel so bad abandoning this blog for a couple of weeks because I was too busy actually living (and working!). I get tired easily, yes, but I love that God has given me so much that I never seem to run out of things to do!

I hope 2011 has so far been good to you as it has been to me. :)

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Family & Friends Love Photo Dump

Too early for Christmas?

November 3, 2010 – 10:33 am

I had this on my list of things to do before the trip. I didn’t plan on doing it this morning though, until I found myself unable to go on with work stuff because my brain’s too drained out after an all-nighter, and I thought I needed to do something that didn’t require too much brain power.

True enough, the twinkling lights, fake poinsettias, and instax photographs made a whole lot of difference to my mood. I took the old Christmas tree from out of its box, and put up the embellishments in less than an hour. Instant pick-me-upper! :)

Notice the difference from last year’s Christmas tree? :) Here’s something you can do with your instax this Christmas!

Photo dump:

The sight of the twinkling lights, and my loved ones, is sooo making me tear up! *sigh*

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Photo Dump

On Starbucks Planners and Decembers

November 28, 2009 – 6:29 pm

(This is an obligatory 2009 Starbucks Planner post.)

Have you got your SB planner yet? Got mine about a week ago, and currently halfway through the second sticker card.

I’m not crazy about this year’s planners, I actually don’t dig the calendar’s experimental vertical format. But since about 5 or 6 years ago, collecting Starbucks stickers has become something like putting up Christmas trees in December. It’s irresistible, it’s tradition, it’s something you just have to do because hey, you go to Starbucks like, everyday, anyway.

Starbucks Planner 2009

Starbucks Planner 2009

Starbucks Planner 2009

Starbucks Planner 2009

Now what I’m really crazy about is Toffee Nut Latte. Ahh. Just saying its name out loud makes me crave. Up to now I still don’t understand why it’s available only during the Holidays. Then again, it’s a reason (one of the many) for me to look forward to this time of the year.

So forget all my sad thoughts about Christmas, there are just a lot of reasons to celebrate, and to be happy, and to be filled with hope whenever this time of the year comes by. (That’s a schizo moment right there, I’m preaching to myself, don’t mind me.)

I think I’m ready to face December now.

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