Clarizze @ Home

Archive for December, 2011

Today is a holiday, the first day of the last long weekend this year. People were busy in preparation for tomorrow’s (midnight) New Year’s eve. Me and my two daughters were out yesterday to buy foodies we needed for our media noche celebration. And, the mall in the city were teeming with shoppers, each one is seen pushing out grocery cart out off the mall’s entrance. Restos were full, we couldn’t find a seat. We ended up at Pizza Hut, to the dismay of the little miss who were always wanting to dine out at the flightless bee.

Exiting the mall at nearly 6 in the evening, traffic was the worst at the main thoroughfare. Whew!

And, today, the holiday that was to celebrate our national hero, I was watching my two boys repairing our nipa hut. Termites have eaten out the bamboos so fast that in just three weeks all the wooden posts had nearly collapsed.

Hmmm, I am not so sure if the two boys could finished this project before the long weekend gets over Woot, woot, guys

For now,

• I am busy in the kitchen…as always This holiday season is eating out too many energies in me. Glad that the foodies at many events turns out to be  gastronomic feasts…

• Then, I will be busy preparing chicken wrapped in bacon, a take two menu after getting thumbs up from the whole fam last Christmas eve.

• We will be sharing the foodie as hubby’s siblings and kids were going to have potluck dinner tonight. Hayz! Foodie feast again…too bane on the diet

Have a Blessed and Prosperous New Year every one

Smiling is synonymous to a confident person. The very reason why losing my front teeth in a freak accident sometime in 2006 made me lose that confidence. Fell off a motorbike due to faulty break that caused two of my front teeth broke in half. Dentist in our local hospital told me that it is best to extract both teeth, but I hesitated. I thought, there could be better option. But, definitely, I am at the losing end.

How I regret the day knowing I could no longer flashed a smile so contagious, it reflects the lively person in me. A smile that is a symbol of peace and a key to generating friendship. A smile that even my heart laughs out loud whenever I let out even a sheepish grin. And, I could never imagine being grumpy at losing those precious teeth. What would become of those smiles?

Good thing a dentist brought back the flawless smiles in me, a dentist so experienced as if trained by cosmetic dentist NYC. They evaluated what procedures to be done to save my teeth from extraction and provided the best treatment possible, so I could have the best option. I could never felt happier. Achieving the goal I ever wanted. To show off that flawless smile again.

I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.

It pays to have a handyman in the house. I can get free labor cost on plumbing repairs, even small painting jobs, a little carpentry work, and much of electrical tasks.

Here was my “handyman” placing his 100$ (forgive him, please, he could be a lot too ostentatious  ) electrical outlet on an old tv rack that I have decided to convert into a computer table. And, yes, he was beside me now reading what I am posting. He was telling me that the unit was only $50, hah! But, vowed it was too durable it could withstand higher voltages. Oh, was anybody making a contradiction? I couldn’t asked for a better handyman

He said investing on quality electrical units/supplies compensate the safety it would give to every home. Knowing how much load a computer unit carries, plus, the printer, the speaker system, the voltage regulator, the adapter from the internet provider, and, the router. Two-outlet gang is not enough. Thus, this unit was imperative. Safety is his primordial concern.

I have always watched HGTV, and, on several episodes, they keep reminding home owners that to create a clutter free home, it is always necessary to keep stuff at a minimum. If one must placed a new stuff or fixture, one or two must be removed.

Bad idea. As, I always find it hard to get “detached” from my “stuff”. Call me a sentimentalist. But, then, as our place gets smaller especially when the kids were getting bigger and needing more spaces to moved around, I felt it necessary to LET GO. But, no, I am keeping this almost 20 years old tv rack in lieu of the iron-cast computer table which began to rust and has in years lost its two castor wheels.

Thus, the computer table OFF to the dark and dusty storage and HELLO to this tv rack that repurposes back as the new computer table and doubles as storage junk for the kids’ stuff. This is where the hubs placed the electrical outlet because I always get  migraines as to the many wires dangling at the back of computer unit. Wires, wires, wires…

And, oh, thanks again, dearest handyman, you took off that old tv rack because this plasma tv couldn’t fit in it and you managed to take my green hutch OFF THIS PLACE and placed this TV, instead. And, yes, you STOLE that brown center table to make it as a stand. Hope it will be temporary. As, I have envisioned this tv hanging on the wall. You say, I have to wait after New Year and that huge window will be covered permanently with plyboard and moldings. Hmmm, can’t wait.

I know, I should take easy on your budget…I drained it much this Christmas. Ahermmm…but, many many thanks to the free labor Luv yah much, My. Handyman!

Linking this post to Wednesday Whites and Thursday Brownies.

If I will be blessed with time and finances, I will have no second thoughts on going back to selling groceries in our public market. It is something that makes me want to do, all over again. Too bad, the grocery shop was closed down some seven years ago because of personal burden that leads to effecting the business closure.

It came at a time when debts are highs and needed to pay its monthly dues. Without any other means to pay it off, interests piles up and any other means of income is not sufficient to pay off debts. Collecting offices began to send demand notes too threatening and scary at a time when hope is boiling down. What we were supposed to do? If there would be any process to stop the payment method or even lengthen the duration the payment. It will ease off our financial burden.

Securing another loan is too dull an option. What option, then, we have had? We do not want our property to be sold out or that whomever we owed could placed a lien on such properties. That would lead to more losses on our part.  We have had sleepless nights thinking about how we could solved the dilemma that came before us. We do not want other family members to get involved with our own trials. We know, they have problems of their own, adding more will be an insult.

Looking back through those difficult year, it is a relief at how we managed to escaped the rough times. We may lose the shop, but twas happy we are free of debts now and are venturing on another business. Thankful that there were people who helped us inch our way towards a sound and peaceful sleep every night.

I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog for California Bankruptcy and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are my
own.

Have been on the lookout for cake/fruit tray. All I have found were made from glass, smoked glass that didn’t suit my interest. Then, while accompanying my sister-in-law to buy gifts, my eyes caught this one with a 25% discount.

Unmindful of the long queue at the mall’s cashier counter, I paid 280 pesos (less than $7) for this round and white stoneware before anybody else could get it. It was the last stock. Never felt luckier that day .

Here’s the tandem of the little miss and her dad assembling the tray…the upper tray is revolving…find it cute e

Sharing this post to Wednesday Whites

Oh, I have been in search for “pinks” lately. End up with this cute teapot found in the hutch.

Found this set couple of years ago in a rummage sale, have forgotten the price, but, however frugal am I in buying this, I wouldn’t sure forget how pretty they are in “pinks”.

Linking this post on Pink Fridays, Pink Saturdays

Last weekend, I found the “leftover” tile grout that were used in making my mom and dad’s stone marker in the cemetery. I was supposed to throw it away so as to free few clutter in the usually cluttered store room.

Then, I came into thinking, why not used it instead in the old bathroom. Applying the gray tile grout would at least “revamp” the old and weary look of the the area.

Look here, the shower area, notice the tile grout in its original cream color. Grouts usually were washed away by water over time, getting dirtier and thinner as years go by.

…and the dirt sticking into the tiles, yaiks! A good ol bathroom cleaner will do magic on that…

Things needed:

-tile grout 75 pesos/kilo or 1 pack (we used half of the package that were lef)

-water just enough to turn the grout into a cake mixture:)

-bowl and a spatula

-small rectangular foam or cloth to clean up the messes

Me and the hubs then began working on the tiles by simply putting small amount of the dough-like mixture into every tile spaces…

Hubby’s the one applying the grout…I was tasked to clean out the excesses and the splatters…Remember to clean out immediately as grout dry up fast.

And, after two hours of labor…here’s the bathroom now. All gleaming. Note that it was not yet washed up with water. It is important to let the grout settle and dry up for say 24 hours before using the area.

 ”It looks new”, says the little miss.

Cost of the project? Not a dollar honey^_^.

Linking this post to White Wednesday.