WEEK 13 ..continued

so hello again!! its finally friday and i am just so excited with our trip this weekend. we will be going to st. maur to visit the carmelite sisters!! its quite far from here...about 6 hours drive. and while we are there we will be checking out the snow!!! we wanted to show my mom-in-law some real snow!!
so anyway, i got the clothes packed and the snacks i will just pack later. let me first write something here before i get off for a long weekend. i know a lot of my friends have mentioned having been here at my little corner...so i want to THANK YOU ALL!! i thought of mentioning all your names but i might forget someone so i decided not to. but...but...but... may i just ask for you guys to please just leave a comment here when you drop by so i would know you. after every blog entry (topic) you will see a portion that says 'comment', just click on it and leave me some love.
just continue reading... and till next time!! you will hear more about our trip to st. maur!!

march 27, 2009
so this is my picture for today!!sofia with her ever so bright and sweet smile. but hey..she so have serious moments.


march 26, 2009
can you believe i started reading this book sometime mid 2007. ok..don't be shocked!!! its not the i am a very slow reader (gosh...!!), it's just that when i set it aside late 2007 i never got the chance to read it again...or read any other book for that matter. i was busy!!!!!! so fine...sorry. but now i am back reading and i finished this one!! and i will show you i will be reading more...but please don't rush me.
p.s...jake, take note!! im reading the twilight already!!

WEEK 13

march 25, 2009
this is sofia eating cereal on her brother's bed (gosh...i don't like my kids eating on the bed...but at the moment it is really difficult to argue with this little girl especially early in the morning!). so i let her bring her bowl out the kitchen and she climbed the bed. she was sitting there peacefully munching the cereal while looking out the window. i quickly ran for my camera and i slowly approached her, just close enough to get a good shot. but she felt my presence and she noticed my camera..so there, not really candid photos of her.

march 24,2009
i have been bringing my camera everytime i pick up the kids from school. i wanted to capture something new along the way that i can take a photo of. so as i was walking along ave. de versaille i saw these movers. so i decided to take a picture of them. i don't know if this is how it is done in other countries (but definitely in the philippines i haven't seen this). anyway, so they basically use the window to bring in or take out stuff. the stairs here are usually too narrow for furnitures to fit and elevators are build to fit the stairwell of a building (and i tell you you will definitely see some unusual elevators here..one time i rode an elevator where you have to stand side by side like a line...hehehe). anyway... after taking the photo, i noticed the black thing around the window. it was like they caught fire. i got a little worried. i hope no one got hurt.

march 23, 2009
well, i really think this motorcycle is neat!! my son likes this bike because he thinks it is earsier to drive because of the two wheels in front. hehehe i wonder how it feels to drive this...

WEEK 12

march 22, 2009
this is a kind of sea food..it is called bamboo shell. i really don't know this but when my mom-in-law saw it the the grocery story, she insisted that we try it. she cooked it in a little oil, garlic and oyster sauce. it is really good!! and the green leafy thing were boiled in water with a little salt and oil. then drained and topped with a little oyster sauce too. they were a perfect combination!!

march 21, 2009
rafael saved enough money for another dragonball book so i let him buy one to complete his collection. a book costs €6.50, there are 42 books in the collection, and he is only missing 3 now. the others i bought as a reward for every A and every perfect grade in his report card.

march 20, 2009
now i have a very interesting story about this. but let me tell you how this really started. during the first week of school (in september), isabelle cried everyday. then one day she came home with this lump under her right eye. i thought it would go away after awhile, but after a month, it seemed to get bigger. first we asked our pedia about it and he said to see an optometrist if what he prescribed didn't work. apparently it didn't. we saw an optometrist for consultation. he gave us another prescription for her eyes and he said to apply it for 10 days. after 10 days nothing happened. so we visited him again and he said she might need an operation. we should directly go to hopital necker (they specialize on children) and have an opthalmologist see her. so we called the hospital in december and got an appointment in january 2009..so as you can see -- she had the lump in september, check-up with the pedia in november, check up with the optometrist in december, called the hospital in december and an appointment with the opthalmologist the following year because it was already the holidays. we weren't really worried because it wasn't bothering her -- not itchy nor painful. so there. came january my husband and isabelle went to the hospital to be checked, it was confirmed she needed the surgery. they were given another appointment with the anesthesiologist in february. after that, she was finally given the date for her operation... march 3. a few days before march 3 the hospital called to inform they were re-scheduling it to march 20. the week before that we received a letter from the hospital informing us to take her in march 19 since the operation would be at 7:30am the following day. came march 19, isabelle didn't go to school so she could rest. my husband called the hospital after lunch only to find out isabelle could just go there early march 20 since the operation was moved to 10am. finally march 20, we got to the hospital at 9:30am to be sure. at around 10:30 they gave us a room to where we could wait, they gave isabelle her tiny hospital dress and her thermometer. so we waited again. isabelle didn't eat anything that morning because it was the doctor's instruction. 1pm no word from anybody. around 2pm someone came who gave isabelle something to make her a little drowsy and took her temp. then that same person came at 3pm to tell us the operation was cancelled (again!!!) and we should call for another schedule. so there...
we were just thinking maybe it was a sign that isabelle doesn't need the operation anymore since the lump is now gone (though we really don't know if they need to take something out so it will not come back..or whatever.) we just decided we should just see our pedia again for advise before we call the hospital again.

march 19, 2009
i am really glad my mother-in-law is here, i get to do some important stuff without having to drag my little sofia along. so while my mom is here, i see my doctor and dentist for check-up.i was a little bit worried because there was a public transpo strike that day... but somehow i managed to get to my doctor and come home without trouble.

march 18, 2009
this was the second day i was having this headache. i couldn't think of anything else to photograph except my advil. 2 advils and a short nap were all i needed to get rid of my headache.

thank you W&W!!!

so the big news first!!! i finally got the gift from Weeds & Wildflower for keeping up with my 365 project! i got this very cool add-ons that go perfectly with the 365 tool kit. to gina who designs this gorgeous stuff...THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
ok so here are my photos for the first 2 days of the week:

march 17, 2009
after i picked up the kids from school, we passed by the grocery store (just across our apartment) to buy some stuff. when i saw these strawberries i just had to buy them...they are beautiful!!! and delicious!!! so this was our dessert...sliced strawberry with a sprinkle of sugar and whipped cream...yummy!!

march 16, 2009
this picture was take at 12:31 in the morning!! so you must be wondering why i am riding a bike this early in the morning. this is the story -- me and my hubby met up with my former boss for dinner at champs elysees. we ate at leon de bruxelles, his favorite restaurant. the mussels were really good!!anyway, after a wonderful dinner, we walked him back to his hotel. after that we had to meet up with another friend. she was my OB-GYN back in the philippines and she was here in paris visiting. her schedule was very hectic that we could only see her at the hotel late that night. apparently we went there too late (it was almost midnight)that when we got there she was already going to bed. i didn't bother asking her to come down and meet us. i just left my gift for her at the concierge. then it was time to go home. didn't want to take the metro (subway) and there was no more bus. we ended up renting bikes!!! so there...

sharing with you my weekly layout

ok...so here is my 2 week layout (for march 1-15).
i will put together my daily pictures and create a two-page layout summarizing 1 week of photos. i am actually doing this project 365 with Weeds & Wildflower. i am trying my best to keep up with the project because they have incentives for everyone who does. so i really hope i get one this time. if you want to see some very interesting stories and layouts you can visit their site.

WEEK 11..continued

to those who read my blog, how are you? i hope you have a wonderful monday. as for me, i still have this really bad cough. but other than that things have been great. spring is just around the corner and we just can't wait for winter to end.
so here is what happened to me the rest of last week..

march 15, 2009
my former boss is in paris right now for a business seminar or meeting. it was nice to see him last night and have a little chat about things back home. we had dinner at leon de bruxelles, it is his favorite resto. 'thank you, sir, for dinner!'


march 14, 2009
i brought my son to the dentist. one of his tooth was removed. i really admired how brave he was (i wasn't that brave when i was his age...gosh i cried everytime we visited the dentist). his next visit will be after 6 months.


march 13, 2009
ok...don't be deceived. i am not a good singer but i love to sing. when we moved here, i joined the choir at church. then after a year, i volunteered to be a cantor (one who sings solo during the mass...pretty courageous huh?!)i just felt that they needed more voluteers. i believe singing for God is not really how well you can do it but how willing you are. i think i have been cantoring for almost 2 years now but i still get nervous every time i sing in front of the congregation. anyway, this is how i practise the hymns at home.


march 12, 2009
every morning, i will turn on the tv and put on a barney cd for sofia to watch. even if she wakes up early, she will stay on the bed drinking a bottle of milk and watching barney. and i do some scrapping!!! then when she gets tired of watching, we will be playingn together or she will just watch while i do chores in the house.

LOTD - Layout of the Day at Gotta Pixel

i really feel bad not saying 'thank you' to everyone who left some love to my layout especially when it was featured 'layout of the day' last march 2, 2009. i am really sorry...but THANK YOU very much for choosing my layout as lotd. here is the layout that was chosen:

and also...i would like to thank KAREN LEWIS, my ever so kind, understanding and generous designer, who believes in my talent. i have been with her for almost 2 years now...i think. i really owe her a lot. and for all those scrappers out there, you should check out her designs! you can find them here:
Digital Freebies
Gotta Pixel
karen...thank you very much!!

WEEK 11

MARCH 11, 2009
today i realized how diffucult it must be to grow old alone. we saw this old lady lying on the sidewalk, her head bleeding. i wondered what happened to her. good thing help arrived right away.
i see lots of old people here walking alone with their cane in one hand and their caddy in the other. walking slowly crossing streets finding their way to the grocery store. i even saw a lady one time with her oxygen tank with her while doing grocery. i mean i hope they have a child looking after them or just a care giver or...just somebody.
anyway...im just so grateful someone helped this old lady right away.

MARCH 10, 2009
it has been raining the whole day... though it doesn't rain really hard in paris, it is still difficult to go out in this kind of weather. as my dh and kids cross the street, i took a picture of them....walking under the rain.

MARCH 9, 2009
early morning i went to meet some doctors from manila. dr. aquino is my dad's pulmunologist and dr. padlan was the one who operated on my wounded foot. i really wanted to invite them over for dinner...but their schedule was so tight. so i just decided to meet them at their hotel (which is not that far from our house) and spend some time with them. on my way back i missed the bus so i just walked home. it was a bit far but it was a nice walk home. and as i was crossing pont mirabeau, i took some pictures of eiffel tower and our apartment.

WEEK 10: march 2-8

so let me share with you my photo journal for the first week of march (and the 10th week of the year...i hope i am right with my counting...). but i included here march 1 photo just to start march all together. i know i am a bit late in updating my blog but i will try to post some missing dates so i can complete my project 365. i think it is a very interesting project!!... keeping an everyday journal of little things in my life. so i guess you will learn a little of me.

a time for my family - PART 3

Last February 11 we celebrated dad's 78th birthday. It was difficult to find a gift for him so we decided to give him something that we made. We designed matching shirts for mommy and daddy that say they are the BEST grandparents. And we gave them a photo of the most recent picture of them with all the grandchildren present in the philippines. I really hope we made mom and dad happy.

I celebrated my birthday in the Philippines. I missed my husband and my kids but my celebration was still very memorable. We had an appointment with my dad's doctor that day and we(me and the rest of my siblings) all wanted to hear from the doctor what the real health conditon of daddy and so we can all ask questions directly. Anyway, while we were waiting outside the doctors' office, we were joking and laughing!! You would not even imagine that we were there because our dad has cancer. I know it was not really good news but we were just happy being together and besides we have decided we will just make the most with our remaining days with dad! But of course after the meeting with the doctor, we were quiet. Then we still went out to celebrate my birthday. I will never forget my 34th birthday celebration when I am with all my brothers and sister.

a time for my family - PART 2

Up til the last minute I had friends to meet. My last sunday in the Philippines was spent for last minute shopping, lunch with Tita Del and Tito Mike, and late afternoon miryenda with Naida's and Meg's families. Then had to stay up til 2am to finish packing.

Okey, so that week started really good. I had dinner with my college friends: Bing, Ann-Ann,Sheila and Alma. But the following day I had a little accident. As I was entering the kitchen door of my sister's house, my foot got caught at the corner of the aluminun door. It was pretty sharp so I got wounded really deep. I went to the hospital to get anti-tetanus shots (scared to die huh?!!) but when the doctor saw the wound, he said I needed some stitches. They brought me to the operating room and after an hour I was good to go. Oh...they still gave me anti-tetanus shots!! Anyway, my in-laws visited my again that night ang they were really surprised with what happened. (Good thing my mom-in-law will be flying back with me to Paris. With an injured foot and a baby I really don't know how to handle everything alone..). So February 11 we all went back to batangas for dad's birthday. I will be posting a separate layout for his birthday.

a time for my family... PART 1

so finally i finished a couple of layouts and i want to share them with you. just work your way up... or whichever way you want. you'll figure it out eventually.

More people came the following week. Fr. Jonas came and brought us some goodies (really yummy!!). Tita Esther and Tita Adela also surprised us one morning!! Oh they were really sweet to see me and my family.They made my dad laugh. Another old friend of my siblings dropped by, her name is Emy.
The highlight of this week was our visit to a famous church in Lucban, Quezon. It is quite far, 3-hour drive actually. We attended a healing mass of Fr. Faller.


Another sister of my dad, Auntie Esther also came that week. My cousin Jesselyn (daughter of my dad’s sister who passed away) visited with her nephew who just got married. Our family friend in Paris who is now assigned in the Philippines, Ferdie, came with his family. My in-laws also came!!


We were really surprised with all the friends and relatives who came to visit us. My aunt (from Mindoro whom I haven’t seen for the longest time) came with her husband , daughter and son-in-law. My dad was really happy to see his sister. Then late that night my Lolo Simeon, Tita Charity, Lola Loring, Tito Rudy and his wife with their sons Sherwin and Joseph all came to see dad. Dad and his uncle, Lolo Simeon had a really nice talk. My good friend from elementary, Fr. Russel Matuloy was kind enough to see us in such short notice. Some good old friends of my brothers and sisters also drop by every now and then to spend time with us.


the following day we ‘the girls’ went out for a make over, i needed a proper haircut and my mom wanted to color her hair. but we all ended up having our hair cut. then we had our first family dinner that night. i couldn't remember the last time we were complete on a dinner table. it was definitely something to remember.
then we went home to batangas, my dad insisted of going home (to our batangas house). and we just played madyong all the time. and every weekend the rest of the family would all go to batangas and just spend time together.



the day i arrived...the first thing i noticed --- it was very hot (gosh..what do i expect!!). too bad i was still wearing my turleneck shirt. and because my hands were loaded (carrying sofia and my hand bag plus my heavy back pack) i had to wear my trench coat. anyway, i manage to come out of the airport alive (hehehe) and my niece jake was waiting for us outside. so happy to see her.
it was a short drive from the airport to their house in san lorenzo village (makati). i was so happy to see my dad. he got thinner but still very jolly (that's what i love about my dad). after resting for awhile, we started ‘videoke’ right away!! it was really nice to be home..