Happy Plants

It's going to be a very hot summer like the past few years.  Hopefully the drought is not as bad as last year's.  But I can already see cracks on the ground in the yard.  We are worried about the foundation of the house because it will have a big gap again.  We have to soak the foundation few times so the ground will maintain it's moisture.

Two nights ago we had a good rain because of the storm.  The garden looked really good and the tomatoes are bearing fruits now.  The string beans reached the first bar of the trellis.  Few herbs that we planted (from Hometownseeds.com) have already sprouted.  All in all, the plants look very happy.  My husband said it will be by July before we can harvest some tomatoes, eggplant, okra, string beans, peppers, and cucumbers.  Feeding the plants with plant food once every two or three weeks helps them grow big and healthy.

Wordless Wednesday: A Beauty Hanging Up There

Weekend Snapshot: Cooling Down A Bit

After a nice day of garage sale, baby and I went to the grocery store to buy some groceries.  The fridge is almost empty and we need some meat, veggies, fruits, and milk.  My husband is planning to do some barbeque tomorrow.  Despite of the high prices of meat in the grocery stores, we have no choice but to buy them.  What's going on with meat prices today?  It's ridiculous!

Anyway, to wind down the heat from the weather and the thought of prices sky rocketing, I thought I'd try McDonald's Mocha Frappe.   Oh it's refreshingly good.

Neighborhood Garage Sale Today!

Three weeks ago, my neighbor and I talked about having a neighborhood garage sale on this day.  She usually does the organizing for this event.  My husband and I made the flyers and road signs.  Our neighbor distributed the flyers two weeks before. A week before the garage sale, I got busy gathering unused baby clothes, toys, furniture, and baby gears.  On Thursday night, I gathered my unused winter clothes, shoes, and handbags. 

Today, my husband is supposed to get the dinnerware sets from the attic.  But he was quite tired from work and making the road signs so he did get them.  So we did not have much to sell.  Anyway, the neighbors across the street has LOTS of stuff.  Well, they moved in the neighborhood few months ago and looks like they're getting rid of the unwanted baby stuff.  Since they have the most items for sale, being in the corner also drives traffic in the neighborhood.

We did good today.  We got rid of the furniture that we wanted to sell.  And that's one of the best thing in having a garage sale.

Wordless Friday: Cooking Show

This Might Be The Moment To Switch

In our home television  is one of the important thing to have especially if it is associated with a fantastic satellite service provider. When it comes to TV satellite service?  We find Direct TV as one of our best choice.  We are a subscriber of Direct TV for several years now and so far, we are very much satisfied with their service from signals to channels.

Direct TV offers a lot of  packages to the subscribers.  If your family watch the most of the sports, news, movies, TV shows or programs, and HD channels, they have all the selection.   They have something for everyone to enjoy each package that you choose plus all local channels are included in each package.  In addition, you get the best HD direct tv channels with all the popular and latest movies that are fun to watch.

If you are interested to switch to Direct TV Satellite service just visit dx3 direct tv for more information about their satellite service especially the five packages available for you.  Also dx3 hotline is always open to assist you with  the best deals you can get from Direct TV.  So, if you are tired of your cable service then this might be the moment to evaluate the service and subscribers package at dx3 direct tv.

Less Worries

The air-conditioning is working good again.  Hopefully the problem won't happen again.  It would be a big bill if it breaks.  We have to call for service for sure.  So far, it is cooling back again.  My husband changed the filters and checked the exhaust.  Equipment problem like this one irritates him.

Our house is well-insulated but it still needs help from the ceiling fans to keep the good air circulation inside.  Also, the air-con will not keep on running more often.  We want our home to be not too cold and not too warm - just comfortable all the time.  Now that summer is getting closer, eventually the electricity bill goes up this time of year.  As much as possible, we want to conserve energy and save money.

Knowing that the air-con is functioning well now, we worry less.

The Summer Heat Is Here Again

The summer heat is here.  Everyone is busy planning for the summer vacation and the upcoming 4th of July celebration.  Sunblock sales are increasing again even swimwear and swimming gears.  It is peak season for hotels and resorts once again.  Stylish men and women are now in hunt for new trends in summer fashion. 

One of the popular items to shop for in the summer is eye wear.  If you are looking for a nice pair of eye wear that will protect you from the bright sunlight, wrap around sunglasses from Firmoo.com are in style and very affordable.  The need for the perfect eye wear depends on the condition of your eyesight.  Firmoo.com also provides reasonably priced prescription eyeglasses. 

I am in style in the summer season too.  'Got my new pair of sunglasses today.

Weekend Snapshot: Dinner Tonight

We spent the weekend at my in-law's house.  My husband has planned to grill hamburgers and sausage so his parents don't have to buy or cook food for us.  His dad cleaned the barbeque pit before we arrived.  

It is always nice to own a barbeque pit.  You can do barbeque chicken, pork, and grill  fish whenever you want.  It is considered as one of the priced possession a household can have.  Oh, barbeques are good!

hamburgers and sausage

Pina Colada cake from sister-in-law

After nice early dinner, my sister-in-law gave us a slice of the Pina Colada cake she brought.  Man, it was so good!  I love the pineapple flavor.  I am not crazy about the coconut, but I really like the flavor of the cake.  It was a wonderful weekend at my in-laws' home.  My little one enjoyed the company of everyone. 

Needs Recovery From Wilting

The sample from MiracleGro Expand 'n Gro has arrived.  I cannot wait to use it for the plant by the front door.  You see it looks unhappy. :(  I feel bad about it.  Hopefully this sample will be able to recover it from wilting.  It was my mother-in-law's 'welcome back' gift when we moved back to our house.  My father-in-Iaw said the plant needs re-potting so we will do that and mix the Expand 'n Gro in the potting soil I bought from Walmart this afternoon.  I don't want to lose this plant.  It looks really pretty when fully bloomed.

MiracleGro sample

Wilting plant

High-Tech Tools

My husband is skilled in wood works.  He made a toy box for his nephews few years back and it came out very nice.  Now he is planning to make one for our daughter soon.  He is also a good painter.  In fact, he painted our daughter's nursery room last year.  And it looked very pretty.

Besides my husband, I admire skilled men especially skilled workers like my father and brother-in-law.  My father and brother-in-law worked as construction workers back home.  They were among those of the hired men who worked on road construction several years back.  They also did carpentry.  Up to now, they accept part time carpentry jobs.  Though my father did not have high end construction tools, he always does a very good job.

When I got here in the US, I saw high-tech construction tools in stores.  I thought of my father whenever I see them.  He would be very happy if he has tools like these.  Even in small construction work in the house, these tools are of great help.  It is big advantage for workers like my father and brother-in-law to own tools like these.  My husband already owns home construction tools.  And he is proud that he can fix simple maintenance problems around the house.

Problematic Night

What a problematic night.  All of a sudden the air-conditioning in our house is not working properly.  When my husband got home from work, he complained about the house being warm.  So he turned on the ceiling fan and adjusted the temperature of the air-condition.  Okay, so when he left for the grocery store to buy milk for our daughter, I noted that the air-con is running.  My husband was away for about 30 minutes and the air-con is still running that made me concern.  So I turned it off.

As soon as he came back from the grocery store, I told him that the air-conditioning kept on running for 30 minutes while he's gone.  And still the house is warm.  So, he found out that something's not right with the compressor.  After few minutes working outside or at the attic, the air becomes cool again.  Geez, it is always something.  The roof was fixed and now we have to call for service for the air-conditioning.  Bills coming again.

It Feels Good To Have A Home To Call Your Own

When looking for home building ideas, it is best to refer to a reliable builder and ask for a portfolio.  Once you picked the home style that you are interested in, you can start negotiating.  Building a new home is difficult if you do not know where to live or if you don't feel good with the area.  

Home building materials are getting more and more expensive.  That is why up to now, my parents don't have a house of their own because we still keep on looking for a better area where to settle in case my husband wants to retire soon.  We receive offers from homeowners back home selling house and lot for an average price.  But our concern is that, the location are a bit far from the town proper.  Still we are optimistic that good timing will come to us very soon for the right home.

I already have a dream home pictured in my mind for my parents.  They do not want a huge house.  Just a good size for two-bedroom home.  I want it to be like a one-storey house with a garage and a front porch.  It would be nice if stainless steel railing systems would be installed.  I can imagine how nice the front porch would look with it.  With God's grace, my dream will come true.  

It feels really nice to have a home to call your own.  Patience is a virtue.

No Recommendation

We need to shop for cheap curtain rods for the bedrooms and the living room.  Hopefully little by little my home decorating will be half way to the finish line before we go on a month long vacation to the Philippines.  Haha!  We will be having a big spending this year because of the travel plans at the end of the year.  Whew!  Just thinking about the whole thing makes me dizzy.  Plus this big unexpected bill from the roofing company.  Someone told my husband a lower cost but when we received the invoice, it's not the same.  Oh well, they will not get a recommendation from us.  That's for sure.

Sending An Invitation Is A Formal Gesture Showing Importance

My husband's niece had a bridal shower party two weeks ago.  It was a pretty party attended by family and close friends of the bride-to-be.  The shower was held at her step-mom's house in Allen, TX.  My mother-in-law and I had a great time.  I love parties you know.  It was nice that the invitations were sent to us guests two weeks before the party.  That gave guests to check and finalize floating appointments or plans.  Like everyone else, I have appointments set and events planned two weeks ahead.  So if ever something comes up or special invitations come in, I still have the time to check and prioritize.

That's what I do with my own events.  I send invites to people early as possible so I do not have to rush on my party preparations.  When I had my baby's first birthday last year, it was successful and well attended.  No pressure and stressful days at all.  I searched for invitation designs online that fits the birthday party theme for my little girl.  It did not take me very long to find one that I really liked.  A simple yet informative style of birthday party invitations were perfect.  My friend helped with cooking the food for the guests.  My husband and I took care of the chairs and tables.

Same thing with my husband's niece's bridal shower.  It was pretty neat and pleasing to the eyes.  An invitation does not have to have a lot of things going on in it.  As long as you have the information about the event, time, venue, and specifications indicated, it's fine.  Remember that invitations have to be clear so the guests will be well-guided about the event or occasion.

 

Sending party invitations is another way to show family and friends that they are special.  It is a formal gesture of showing importance. 

Wordless Tuesday: Happy Mother's Day

Maintaining And Decorating Our Home Is An Investment

I always admired the interior designs of hotels' rooms.  When my husband and I met for the first time, we went on a summer vacation.  The hotel resort was very serene and the rooms were accommodating.  You know, there is always a special feeling as soon as you step inside a classy hotel.  

The hotels' interior decor is undeniably elegant and the furnishings are well-made. One thing I notice closely checking in a hotel is the room lighting.  It is my fascination to look at good quality wall sconces.  Even though I do not have any skill in home decoration, my choice of lighting fixtures is between classy and modern.  In fact, I want this golden lighting fixture in my bathroom.  It seems like a calming ambiance when I turn this light on in my bathroom.  The idea came to me  when we went to Oklahoma last month for our wedding anniversary celebration.  The hotel's bathroom have this type of lighting.

Maintaining and decorating a home is an investment.  These require lots of money in order to fulfill the preference on how a home should look like.  We do not need to hire an interior designer just to make our house look and feel like a hotel's.  It is our responsibility as a woman to gather home decorating ideas.  And if we find something needed to be replaced or upgraded like the home lighting, a consultation with the husband and approval is very important.

Special Gifts For Moms On Mother's Day

Tomorrow is Mother's Day.  What special gift are you thinking to give to your moms?  Maybe you might take into consideration giving your moms new kitchen supplies or electrics.  If she likes cooking or baking,  a new set of baking dishes or utensils will do.  Like my mom, some mothers love to cook.  

My mom has been talking about new pots and pans.  I don't blame her.  We only had two pots and two pans.  Now that we have the opportunity to buy these kitchen items, my mom is very happy to get new sets of cookware.  She's thinking of cooking and selling food so she will have extra income.  I remember that she used to do that when I was younger.  As a supportive daughter, I will do the best I can to provide my mom and the whole family with any assistance I can give.

Mothers are wonderful.  They give everything for the sake of the family.  Love your moms.

Happy Mother's Day!

Good Nutrition For Your Dogs

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of homemadedogfood.com for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Taking care of a pet sometimes need lots of time and hard work.  We take them to the vets for wellness checks.  Daily exercise like walking and play are very important to our pets' health too.  All in all, we take care of our pets like we do to our family.  We include their needs to our weekly budget -- food, pet supplies, and grooming.  The most essential thing that our pets need everyday is food.  But it is getting expensive in stores.  So how can we save on pet foods?

If you have a dog, Homemade dog food dog food is a good idea to save money on dog foods.  I remember when I was younger, we have a dog and my parents make their food from simple ingredients.  Of course, the food includes vegetables from our garden.  Making an Easy cooked dog food recipe can save lots of money.  In this time of budgetary concerns, we need to become a little resourceful.  Homemade dog food is somehow healthier than canned pet foods.  Dogs are man's bestfriend, they say.  They are loyal and compassionate.  Not everybody loves dogs though.

My husband's parents have a pet female dog for years and she is spoiled to the max.  When it comes to dog food, they make sure she's getting a good nutrition.  And she's loved as a family.

The Front Yard Garden

We went to the home and garden store to buy some flowering plants and vegetables for our garden.  I saw plenty of colorful flowers but couldn't make up my mind on what to pick.  My husband suggested to get the same ones that we planted last year but this time in different color.  Below are some flowers I considered buying.

Yellow Cosmos

Orange Cosmos

Hubby watering the newly planted flowers

The flower bed

My husband bought 10 sacks of garden soil for the vegetable garden.  Depending on the weather, we water the garden at least three times a week.  Plant food like Miracle Gro has to be given twice a week.  If good rain comes, we don't water too often.  I will post some pictures of the vegetable garden in the next posts.  The string beans have sprouted along with the cucumbers too.  We have high hopes for the garden this year.

Brighter Kitchen

Finally, our kitchen is bright again.  For few weeks of waiting for the light to be fixed, my heart is happy because I can see better inside the cabinets.  Our kitchen is the only part of the house that has Flourescent Lighting.  To me, it is more important to put a brighter lighting in the kitchen because we need to see better when cooking.

My kitchen has to have six fluorescent bulbs.  So my husband rushed to the store to buy some replacement.  It seems to me that keeping the kitchen lights on for a long period of time does no good to the bulbs, and costs lots of electricity too.  I am always good in conserving energy and turn the lights off, unplug electric appliances (except the fridge, washer and dryer) if not in use.

Our Garden Trellis

Well, here's our vegetable garden.  We have cucumbers, tomatoes, string beans, peppers, and okras.  My husband built a garden trellis for the string beans to climb on.  I thought it's neat that he stained the trellis.  My husband really likes gardening.  Although he complains a lot sometimes when he gets scrapes on the skin or blisters, he loves tending a garden.

The string beans sprouting out.

The string beans trellis

Weekend Snapshot: The Supermoon

Nope.  It's not a name of a super hero.  When we heard about the word 'supermoon', my cousin and I thought it was kind of a lunar eclipse.  We're wrong.  It is a term for the moon's brightest moment because it is closer to Earth than usual.  I took some moon photos this evening.  My husband was in the back porch and called me to see the beautiful bright moon.

Taken about 3x zoom

Taken with 12x maximum zoom in Night Snapshot without flash

Taken in 12x maximum zoom in macro without flash

It's hazy this evening so not much of a clarity.  There should be a halo of colors around it, but I don't have a DSLR camera.  I took these supermoon photos through Canon Digital Elph.  And this is my entry to Blog Photo Challenge.

Wordless Wednesday: Ride A Harley Davidson...Vrooomm!