Tag: Table Top

Made with love, DIY time!

Rhiza2 Comments

Yesterday, we publicly dedicated Dawn & Rain to the Lord, publicly being the operative  word, because we’ve already dedicated these babies to Him right from the time we knew they were conceived. And while I’m still sifting through the gazillion photographs, here are a few shots from last Friday, the day before the event, when my dear friend Mae and I went on a DIY frenzy! (She was also the one responsible for the prettification of our baby shower.)

DIY Party Decors

DIY Party Decors

DIY Party Decors

Buntings, paper pompoms, cupcake toppers, personally designed cards, check! Thank you Mae, for all the help and all the love.

And thank you Hey Kessy for making these cute washi tapes and paper straws available here in the Philippines! It’s not the first time I ordered from them, and I’m always a happy and satisfied customer each time.

But of course the Thank Yous don’t end here. The whole event was just made with love—from Lola Amy’s best-selling candy corner, to Josiah‘s delicious food and ever-reliable catering service, to the support and love from our SBCC, CDMC, and TCC family and friends.

Which is probably best described with photos, soon as I get them organized and uploaded.

For now let me just say, it feels good doing something you love (crafting) when you’re doing it for someone you love.

Is that why motherhood is so awesome? :)

Week 18: All I Think About is Food

Rhiza3 Comments

It’s Friday, about a couple of minutes before the work day ends and the weekend begins, and all I can think about is.. food.

My food cravings this past few weeks, on Instagram.

It’s like I have two hungry monsters inside of me! These days, I particularly like sweet stuff and korean food. I was a little worried about getting gestational diabetes because of the sweets, but as far as my last medical test is concerned, my sugar levels are perfectly normal. Yay.

I feel like I should have gained over 30 pounds already with all the food I consumed, but for some reason, I’ve only gained 10 pounds. Does that mean the babies are absorbing all the calories out of me (which is good, right)? Or does it mean I should eat more?

Coz I don’t mind eating more. Really. :)

Have a great weekend, you!

Double Blessings

Rhiza19 Comments

Saturday, March 31. “God must really love us.. in a really special and weird way,” my husband said, laughing as we tried to recover from the surprise that came with our first ultrasound. One week after we tested positive for pregnancy, we confirmed that we’re not just pregnant.. we’re having twins!

To say that we were surprised is an understatement; we were, mostly, blown away. We never prayed for twins, never expected it, never crossed our minds. There haven’t been any twin pregnancies from both our lineage, at least none that we know of, or none that we can trace. And yet, here they are, growing in my womb. It’s like I could hear God’s still small voice, and see a smile on His lips, “Riz, my dear Riz, you can never predict Me. I have more surprises for you.”

So you must have seen this ultrasound print already, if you’re connected to us in Facebook. We managed to be mum about being pregnant for a few weeks, only our family and a few friends knew. But when we found out that we’re having twins, it’s just so hard to keep it to ourselves! Suddenly, my husband was announcing it in the pulpit of our church before he lead Worship, and excitedly sharing the news on Facebook. We’re overwhelmed by the response and the excitement around us, it’s a great feeling to know that friends and family are praying for us from (literally) all over the world.

I’m on my 9th week now and the morning sickness has been horrible; whoever named it “morning sickness” has no idea what he was talking about, really! This “sickness” is more like an all-day-round-a-clock sickness! I’m always sleepy, and tired, and nauseous, and bloated. They say it’s even worse when you’re carrying twins. Which explains why I have a pile of unprocessed photos and unfinished drafts, why this blog has gone quiet for the past week, and why I haven’t seen a lot of my friends like usual.

On a lighter note, a new level of respect and appreciation has been growing in my heart for mothers who have endured so much pain while the rest of us can only see the cute baby photos and pink little tutus and adorable feeding bottles. Pregnancy sure is a lot of work, and one won’t know it until she experienced it.

So my husband and I have been adjusting to pregnancy—easier on some days (like today!), more difficult on most days. But my heart rests in the assurance that all of this will be worth it when we finally hold our babies in our arms. We’re excited to have our 2nd ultra sound any time this week or next! Hopefully we’ll start hearing some tiny heartbeats too. :)

Meanwhile, on those moments I’m not feeling dizzy and sleepy, I’m actually feeling artsy!

I’m currently playing around with my not-so-new stack of art stuff—some doilies, manila tags, and washi tapes I bought before we found out we’re pregnant. I want to put together a pregnancy journal, something I can show the babies when they’re older. I can’t wait for this first trimester to be over, they say I’ll get my groove back after the first 3 months.

“Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward,” says Psalms 127:3.

Multiply that by the power of two, and that’s how blessed my husband and I feel. :)

New journal, new adventure

Rhiza4 Comments

I have a new journal, and it’s pink!

I say, it takes some serious brand obsession familiarity to spot a Peter Pauper Press journal in local book stores here in Manila. Especially since there are many other pretty journals of various brands and sizes these days, piled up together in one place. Peter Pauper Press doesn’t have an exclusively labeled section, but for some reason, one quick scan through a pile of notebooks and I already know if PPP’s available or not. So you can just imagine my delight whenever I find one when I need one!

I found this Pink Ascot Journal at National Bookstore in Greenbelt 1, just in time for my last journal to run out of pages. It’s a different shade from the other Peter Pauper Press journals I had (I obviously prefer blues and greens), but hey, change is good.

It’s that time of my life when I want to just.. write down everything! Every thought, every verse, every prayer, every name who’s touched our lives in a special way. I want to remember these days, preserve them in the pages of my journal so that someday, I can look back and remember how God made things happen.

Now if only I can get over the first trimester’s nausea, then maybe I can actually write (and blog) more! Ahhh, the dizziness is just too.. overwhelming! Like, no amount of sleep is enough.

I remember blogging one Saturday in March,

Do you feel it too, when something BIG is about to happen—a new adventure looming in the horizon? Time spent in solitude, they say, prepares us for changes and challenges that are about to come our way. My husband and I don’t know what our new adventure is going to be exactly, and when, and how, but something inside me is feeling giddy and restless these days. In a good, bring-it-on-Lord kind of way.

I didn’t know I was pregnant already when I typed that!

It makes me smile now; oh the humor of it all! Be careful what you ask for, is what they always say.

This God we live for, He’s so full of surprises. :)

Hello, I’ve been scrapbooking

Rhiza6 Comments

I take a lot of photos (you know that already), and sometime ages ago, I got hooked with digital scrapbooking too. But lately I enjoy doing traditional scrapbooking again. There’s something about putting together patterned papers, instant photographs, and library sticker labels that make me fall in love, in the same way I love keeping and writing on journals.

Here’s something I did last December. I wish I have more time doing non-digital stuff like these.

I love browsing through a completed scrapbook project, but the process is long and can be really frustrating (because it takes time, something I don’t exactly have so much of.) You know what I’d really like to have in the Philippines right now? I want Project Life to be available in local art stores and specialty stores here. Is that even possible, Becky Higgins? I could really use a hassle-free way of preserving photographs. Project Life would have been a breeze. :)

Oh well, in the meantime, I make use of whatever we have in this side of the world. Here’s what’s inside my little scrapbook project:

Continue reading “Hello, I’ve been scrapbooking” →

6 Things I Learned from doing the 30-Day Blog Challenge

Rhiza6 Comments

DAY TWENTYNINE. Remember how it was like in high school, just before graduation day? The seniors, day after their final exams, wouldn’t have classes anymore and would just come to school to rehearse for the graduation ceremony, maybe work on their last remaining requirements, but mostly spend the remaining days of high school hanging out, relaxing, and reminiscing the years that passed.

I know. That’s kinda how I felt the past few days, like graduating. Still two more posts remaining to end this 30 days, and already, I was taking a break and celebrating the end of it. That, or I really just felt like stalling. :P

Okay. Now on with my last two posts.

30 Awesome Things

To say that I learned a lot of things from this little project is an understatement. Now I’m happy to say with conviction that creating a habit and developing some form of discipline is *really* possible in a span of 30 days.

Here are some musings, which you can also consider as “tips” in case you’d like to embark on this project too.

1. 30 days is just right. There are so many numbers to choose from — 365 days, 52 weeks, 1000 awesome things, 500 days of summer (heh) — but 30 days is, IMO, just enough to be considered an achievement without making you feel obligated at some point. Sure, there were days when you’d feel you wouldn’t be able to make it, and you’d like to just drop everything off.

The first week would be spent feeling your way around. In the second week you would feel a bit of pressure, and maybe some doubts if you really can make it. Third week, you’d start to feel like you can blog with your eyes closed, as if it’s as normal as eating or washing the dishes. And in the fourth week you’d start relaxing a bit, along with feeling sentimental about ending something that somehow changed you for the better.

Overall, 30 days is just right for me. (And for you, too!) IMO, it’s perfect for those people who’ve been keeping their own blogs for years but are only updating them sporadically.
Continue reading “6 Things I Learned from doing the 30-Day Blog Challenge” →