Jake's BRUNCH party

A few weeks back, we celebrated Jake's 26th birthday over brunch together with family and relatives. The party, believe it or not, was held at our tiny home. We had about 20 guests who came in for brunch and surprisingly, nagkasya sila lahat, or should I say.... pinagkasya ko silang lahat! Hehehe! I even had floor layouts and drawings to be precise. Funny how I even asked my cousin-in-law to actually bring two of their ottoman cube stools at the party for extra seating for guests. I should've renamed the theme to "Bring Your Own Chair Party" nyahahaha!

Anyway, as I am a beginner cook who just learned the basic Filipino recipes, and because we were working on a specific budget, we opted to host a brunch celebration wherein food is much easier to prepare and is proven to be a hit for all guests! As we served the usual brekkie menu, we did offer various selections from appetizers to desserts- buffet style so guests would feel the reason of them having to wake up so early for the party is indeed worth it!

As soon as Jake agreed to the theme which is BRUNCH, and with colour palette of yellow, green, and orange, I started looking for pegs right away at Pinterest. I went gaga as there were just sooo many pretty inspirations online and I was really excited to shop for props! I knew exactly  where to get things that I needed and ideas just flooded my mind... "I want this"..... "Oh this is perfect for the party".... "Guests will surely love this!" and I could just go on forever and  then I thought, we were on a budget nga pala kaya nga nag brunch party.... but.... what is a party without an element of kaartehan anyway? So I still went ahead with the plan. Hihihi!

A few days to the party, Jake helped me set up the tables. We had one table mainly for the starters and refreshments, and the other one for the mains and desserts. I thought of dedicating a separate table for the sweets but then we were not able to find a table that was just enough to fit the corner, as well as rightly spacious to house all the treats so we resourcefully used our kitchen trolley to place the birthday cake and the brownies. The rest of the desserts were then placed on the same table as where the mains were.

Here are the foodies that we served for Jake's BRUNCH party:

STARTERS:

1. Cereal Bar (Corn Flakes and Coco Pops)
2. Mini Pancakes topped with fruit slices- strawberry, blueberry, and banana
3. Butter Croissants
4. Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots
5. Quiche
6. Hash browns

MAINS:

1. Fried Rice
2. Kranksy
3. Beef Tapa
4. IKEA meatballs
5. Baked beans
6. Scrambled Eggs

SWEETS:

1. Blueberry Cheesecake
2. Mango cake
3. Brownies
4. Fresh fruit slices in ice cream cone topped with whipped cream

DRINKS:

1. Charlie's Lemonade
2. Charlie's Orange Mango
3. Apple Mango
4. Coffee
5. English Breakfast Tea
6. Swiss Miss Hot Choco

Invite by Moki Gray, Cutleries, streamers and buntings DIYd by me

Cute little pancakes and our Starters Table without the milk and cereal scoopers yet

The kids enjoying their bowl of Coco Pops cereals

Yum! The Kransky and Tapa was everyone's favorite :)

Guests :)

See how close we are as a family?? Figuratively and literally true hehe!

with the birthday boy

Whewww!!! That alone tired me! Even most of the food we served were "ready made" (ready to be fried, ready to be baked, ready to be assembled), nakakapagod pa rin ha?! Jake was even joking me "Ginusto mo yan!"Oh well yes, but then again...nakakapagod pa rin sya. Period.

I slept at about 11Pm the night before mainly because I finished cutting up the fruits ready for assembling the next day, marinading the tapa, finalising my DIYs, cleaning the house, etc etc. Jake helped me by taking in charge of the dishes, vacuuming the carpets, and cleaning the toilet and bathroom. I set the alarm for 6AM the next day. I was a bit anxious when I went to sleep because it's going to be the first party that we will ever host in our new house. But I was excited as well.

So I woke up at 6 for a 10.30 AM party. Albeit I organised myself a timeline, I went with my instinct instead and started working chop chop! I wasn't really panicking because every time I look at the clock, I am on the dot so I knew I was doing really well. Jake was awake by 9, took a shower then headed to the mall to pick up the fried ricethat we ordered. My mother-in-law arrived at about 9.30 and helped me make the mini pancakes. Then guests started coming in at 10.45 (Filipino time forever), and I realised I haven't showered yet! In the end, late pa rin pala ako hehe! On the other hand, I think all of our guests were happy despite being canned like sardines hehe! They appreciated the styling and of course the food (which btw, was wiped out) and they were also wowed of how I was able to pull of my plans by myself.  I think also we were the first to host a brunch party for the family. It is usually always for lunch or meryenda or dinner that our family parties are set so it was nice to be able to do something different.

After the party, I went to our room just to change clothes and thought of having a small rest just before proceeding with after care. Okayyyyy in my dreams, because I was plakda right then and there the moment I I set my bum on our bed. Pagoda at its finest!

Jake hugged and kissed me thanking me for what I prepared for his birthday. He knew I was dead tired and so he voluntarily (read: with no feet dragging) tidied the place up, washed all the serving plates and cutleries, vacuumed the carpets, took care of the rubbish that when I woke up, everything is back in its place. It feels so gooood to do something special for the one you love but it feels 10000000000x  better to be appreciated.

Just before the night ended, I was busy telling him all of my plans for the next party--- and my birthday is not even until August hehehe! I already have a theme in mind and in fact, I made mood boards pronto for the props and food and even down to games. Ako na ang party planner freak!

Happy Boytday, Mah-cus!

My original baby boy, Marcus Andre just turned 7 a few days ago. Marcus is Jake's first  pamangkin and though he was born here in Australia, he was fortunate enough to come home to the Philippines about twice or thrice while he was still a baby. I babysitted him, changed his nappy, put him to sleep a few times during his vacay in Pinas and gee, he is all grown up now. Where did time go??? Ang bibilis ng lumaki ng mga bata ngayon! Oh no, signs of aging! Honestly now I understand how our titos-titas, and ninongs and ninangs felt whenever they tell us, 'Eto na ba si (insert name)? Ang laki laki na nya! Parang kelan lang!' I used to think it was just something that is automatically being said when you haven't seen someone for a long time. Actually, totoo pala talagang masasabi mo sya! Hehehhe!

Anyway, Marcus is really TALL and SMART for his age. His vocab is above average! I'm sooo proud of this boy as he has grown to be an obedient son to his parents, very respectful of his elders, and a caring and patient kuya to his two younger brothers. When people does something nice for him, he appreciates and thanks that person and in return, makes an effort to do something nice for him/her too. Now you won't find all kids like that nowadays. He was really brought up well by his parents and family.. Ahem ahem kasama ako dun! Hehehe!

So as to celebrate his actual birthday, the entire family threw him a simple pizza-KFC-cake dinner at their home last Saturday to celebrate this very special occasion. Jake and I haven't gotten him a formal 7th bday present yet but we did give him a bag containing all of his favorite treats and boy did he hug me so tight and flooded me with kisses. This boy is the sweetest!

As it is his 7th birthday (special event just as the 18th and 21st), he will be having a bigger party with 'Ninja Turtles' and 'Lego' as his theme. And it's going to be this coming Saturday! I was tasked to decorate his sweets and favours table so I'm really excited! Sinuyod ko nanaman ang Pinterest! This is going to be a challenge though because I don't quite fancy boy themes. I'm no sexist, but diba, mas nakakakilig naman talaga mag ayos for girls?? Anyway, I accepted the challenge nonetheless, and so we shall see! Wipeee if only I could go to the mall now to start shopping for decor stuff- Ok exagg, it's already 10 at night. Hehehehe!  I'm just really a sucker for parties so Im really really excited! Jake's not working on that day too so it's triple the fun! Can't wait to blog about it soon!!!

Meanwhile, here are our photos during Marcus' party#1!

Sky lanterns lovin!

It was actually part of the original plan to include the release of sky lanterns for our wedding reception. It kinda adds onto the "magical" aspect of the wedding itself. Not everyday are you given the chance to do this, hence the best way you can is during a wedding. I have not done this before either so I was really excited!
Apparently just a month before our big day, we were advised that the Mckinley admin no longer allow this. It was major heartbreak just imagine as this dream was spot on from the beginning of our wedding preps.

I thought it would be too impractical and disorganised to change venues with little time left in order to push through with the plan, and besides I realised, we had to be more flexible and choose our stressors really well so we obviously just had to  scrap the whole idea. But then again, my heart broke into pieces as I already have envisioned our wedding to have that as part of the program.

Anywayyyy, we were able to let it go. And the wedding came out fun still so no regrets. However, if given the chance of experiencing or let out sky lanterns, I'd be number one to volunteer!

New blog header and we have been approved!

Hoorayyyy for my new blog header!!! Thanks to +Moki Gray  for adding character to my lonesome looking blog page! Love you, Moki! Mwahhh!!!

Okay, so I really think this year is OUR year. So many exciting things have happened and we're still halfway of the year! We got married to our dream wedding (love your own, ofcourse!) early this year, which we believe really, really magneted all the good vibes around us. Next was we were able to finally move out of my in-law's place and find our own small house and fill it in with stuff in  no time, and now..... (drum roll, please!!!).... We have been granted our Permanent Residency! Woohooo!!! We were blessed with a very considerate and humble case officer that it only took her less than a month to approve our application. Jake and I are sooooo ecstatic, we had to do our crazy chicken dance because of so much kilig and disbelief!!! I think our case has to be written as one of the most fast visa applications to be approved ever! Record breaking at its finest! Truly, when it rains it pours! So God, please keep it comin! We don't mind the downpour of blessings at all!!!

I am still waiting for God to answer one of my deepest wishes still. It is something that we have been praying so hard for since last year. It may be taking so long, but we can feel God working on his plan and we can almost smell and feel it coming now... I believe in God's perfect timing. I believe it would be worth the wait!

Happy Moms' Day!

My strict but awesome MOM!

Meet the most wonderful woman in my life, my mom, Mrs. Josefina "Penny" Valenzuela.

My mom was always strict ever since we were kids. We weren't spared from the nagging sessions, "luhod and squat" stints, and I would always get really scared to go home after school back then because for sure, she already had discovered that I have a boyfriend. She knows instantaneously when something's troubling my mind (could also be my very transparent self) and/or when I am being bullied at school, and she would always be on my rescue. She never allowed any of her children to be compromised in any way. She's the first to cry when we are hurt and the first one to jump for joy every time we reach a milestone. More than you could imagine, she is the numero uno imbestigador in our family. No one could ever succeed keeping secrets from her. Grabe lang ang radar, or should I say, mother's instinct ng nanay ko!

Despite the fact that she is most of the time masungit and PMS-ing (sorry mommy! hehehe), there is a kind and soft heart that lies within her being a mother. What I love most about my mom is how she is willing to sacrifice 100% of herself for her family at any given day, and at any given time..... even if that meant losing her career. She gave up her blossoming Nursing career abroad early on just to be with her growing kids. A lot of times in the past when were still little, she didn't pursue with her orders at Jollibee to accomodate for my sisters who wanted their fries uplarged or an extra order of sundae. I recall her constantly shrugging  off my dad's comments (up til this day) of her repeating the same clothes as she would rather spend the money on us rather than herself. She had to endure many, many years of being apart from my dad who worked in another country just to give us, her children proper guidance. Being the most selfless person that I know, my mom sets her needs aside and puts them last in line in order to prioritise ours.

We have had plenty of dramas together and heaps of misunderstandings but I never for once doubted my mom's love to me and my sisters. I remember so vividly how I used to be so ashamed of some of my mom's ways- collecting styropores from Jollibee and sachets of chocolates, biscuits and cleaning stuff to be used as entries for this "Lottong Bahay" game portion at Eat Bulaga many years ago. Looking back, she would attend all these seminars to learn how to make tocino, siomai, dishwashing and fabric con products and I never really understood on why she had to do all of those. We were never poor. My dad worked abroad and he was earning decent money just enough to sometimes accommodate for our little requests... But thinking about all of it now, the things that I once felt ashamed for actually explains on why we lived a much comfortable life growing up. And it made a lot more sense to me now. Mommy did it all for her love for us. There is not much logic about it, but really  how many of us can lower our pride for the betterment of our children? How many of us would painstakingly come out of our comfort zones just to secure them of  having a good future?? How many of us could easily say "I'm quitting my job because my children are most important to me."? I could not even decipher on how far I am willing to sacrifice once I become a mother myself. But my mom's love for us is just so unconditional.................. it's exceptional, beyond boundaries, like no-other.

Now that I am living my own life, I'm learning to appreciate her more and I reap from the life lessons that she  has planted on me since I was a little girl. I'm sure she is proud of me now that I have grown  to be much more mature and a responsible adult. I miss my mom everyday like a child and I wish I could be with her more often. I have so many dreams for my parents and I pray everyday that I live long to serve them as my way of gratitude to their unending and unquestioning love and support to me and my siblings.

I'm sure my mommy knows she is loved by us three and I wanted to tell her that despite the challenge and hardship of having to raise us all these years and having to put up with our differences, that she could have not done it any better, because for us, she is the BEST mother that we could ever have. We glorify and thank God everyday for blessing us with a golden hearted mom that was very much influential to helping us form to the kind of persons that we are today.

What a blur!

A couple of weeks ago, I have been complaining a lot to my husband about getting frequent migraines. It was that bad that I could not get up and cook lunch or that we had to rush home, unable to finish mass because I could no longer take the throbbing, pulsating pain around my head which was encircling throughout my right eye. I have had migraines since coming to Australia, particularly when approaching the colder season, and it is something that comes and goes so it wasn't really a bother to me. On occasional times during the past weeks, I thought I was seeing blur from a far. I had to ask my husband each and every time what the poster across the street says because I couldn't read it well. I normally could sing through church songs when attending mass by following the lead from the projector screen without trouble, but recently it has not been the same. I must be tired, and I should rest my eyes more, I thought to myself.

Last Friday, Jake and I had our medicals done. We had the usual Chest Xray, visual checks, bloods and GP consultation. When it was my turn to face the Snellen chart and was asked to read the letters on the bottom  part, I was not able to recall any of it correctly. I remember even taking my time to focus on those letters, but all I could see was just a clear line of blurred minute scribbling. How could that be??? I used to ace these visual exams before. I even remember feeling so proud of myself for having a perfect 20/20 vision. Going back to last Friday, the lady then handed over a paper with a film, something resembling to a pair of spectacles but not quite, and asked me to try reading all over again but with that. You must have guessed that I did better the second time. But, I wasn't happy.

I knew that she was going to advise me to get my eyes checked by an Optometrist. She actually tried to reassure me that she has seen someone worse, but not even that worked to make me feel better.

I haven't had the opportunity as of yet to see an eye specialist after Friday although that is something that I plan to do very, very soon. I am 105% certain that I will be required to wear glasses and to be honest, I am not excited at all for that! And mind you, you can never let me wear contact lenses as anything that involves inserting into the eye just makes me want to pass out. Anyway, eyeglasses never suit my face and lifestyle but it's not so much of my choice now, is it? I think with the current condition that I have, a new pair of spectacles can actually be my new best friend.

Anyway, how I wish I could be like these ladies who can still rock despite having to wear glasses. Sigh!

Wedding songs

Pardon me, as I am still not over our wedding just yet that infact, I'm still drooling over all the  teeny weeny details of it. Expect me to bombard you with some more in the days and weeks and even months to come. Bwahahaha! 

Anyway, I've been telling my friends who are set to get married this year on how choosing the "right" music is so crucial to a wedding. Music in weddings can either make or break the "feel" and "mood" that you would want to extend to your guests. It is a great way to reflect your personality and set the tone for the party, whether you like a romantic, elegant feel, or a modern, clubby vibe.

One does not need to be OC to details (ahem, like me!) to execute this. Let's just say, carefully choosing the right songs should be part of your preps falling under the "Personal" category. With "personal", I meant to say that this particular assignment should not be delegated to anyone else but you and your partner. You could ask for suggestions from your sister, or your parents (for classic songs, if you wish), your best friend, your barkada, your coordinator, and yes, even from your musicians by all means, provided that each of these song suggestions should be meticulously filtered by you and in accordance to a lot of considerations- the couple's personality, the nature of the event, your guests, and  the time of your wedding (some people find it a bit odd for a full band set up to actually perform on luncheon receptions) to name a few.

Jake and I opted to get both A Cappella Manila and Serenata Strings to perform at the church ceremony for our wedding. We were both members of our local church's chorale group named Burning Bush Choir (BBC) in Manila and it is through that organisation that we met each other 10 years ago. We feel that songs, may it be liturgical or love songs, are most sincerely felt when sang by a choir. ACM sang the majority of songs for our ceremony. They aced my bridal march song, "The First Time I Loved Forever" and many of our guests were moved into tears, thanks to their perfect rendition. Liturgical songs were delivered so grand that Jake and I wanted to clap our hands each time. They are that good, no wonder how they are always invited to perform abroad. 

Serenata Strings played at the ceremony too for the entourage walk and for half of the photo sessions. Everyone was praising them on how good they delivered "A Thousand Years" which initially set the mood for everyone as to signal that the ceremony was about to start. I did hear a part of it and I was in awe at how good they really are considering the fact that I never got to be present during any of their rehearsals for the wedding and that I only booked them online. They also did a magnificent job serenading our guests to lovely music during the reception. It was also a plus for me that they requested for a one run rehearsal with three of our guests who they'd be accompanying.

We also got Rejectkrew for our sounds. They were at par with all of the sound effects right on the dot when needed. I gave them the freedom to decide on the songs for the games and after party and yeah, they gave us some awesome purtyyyyyy music!

Kudos to the entire ACM, Serenata and Rejectkrew team and thank you sooooooo much from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of our most special day!

I've been thinking through some of the best weddings I've attended, and often, the music was a big part of what made them so special. So now, allow me to share with you some of the easy tips on choosing music that will help guarantee a memorable wedding for you and your guests.

1.) Define the mood of your event and decide on what kind of music you would like to be played at your wedding

Are you having a religious ceremony, perhaps a church wedding? Make sure to ask of the church's restrictions when it comes to choosing songs. Some churches do not allow love songs to be played during ceremony. This is one of the "must-ask" questions when looking for a church to begin with. As for the reception, will it it be a formal sit-down dinner, or an informal, relaxed celebration?

Would you like to have a string ensemble-- from a soloist to a full orchestra, or  a chorale and/or a ready CD to be played during ceremony? Would you rather prefer a quartet for your reception or a full band for a more modern ambiance? Talk this over with your husband-to-be and from there, it would be much easier for you to shortlist and/or  narrow down your choices for your musicians.

2.) Know the parts of your wedding where you need music

For the ceremony, you can be guided by your misalette. Most videographers don't want any music played during the exchange of vows. This is for them to document that special moment without interference. You will also be needing music for your recessional and the photo ops. Allocate a playlist as well for the Cocktail Hour as to not bore the guests while waiting. Most importantly, make sure to provide an entertaining set during dinner time.

3.) Consider your guests

Most weddings include guests from all age groups and walks of life, and your music choices should be sensitive to their needs. If you or your partner happen to be a fan of rock music, consider that not all of your guests will appreciate rock music in a such a formal gathering as a wedding. Likewise, chatting with your father-in-law with Madonna's "Like a Virgin" on the background is no fun. 

4.) Do a thorough research on the lyrics

Most people think, "Oh choosing songs for a wedding should be easy!" It is actually not. Not all of your all-time and current faves can be included to your wedding playlist. Remember to listen carefully to each song, look it up in the internet if possible, and you'll be surprised on how many of them you can cross off from your list. Most, if not all, love songs nowadays depict heartbreak so bride-to-bes  should really take a lot of precaution on this. Please please please take time to choose your song selections wisely and prioritise the lyrics more than the melody as this is what truly matters. For example, not many people realise that the song, "Dance With My Father" by Luther Vandross is actually a song for those whose dads had passed away. I've been to a few weddings before wherein brides used this song for their Father-Daughter dance and I cringed! I wanted to tell the bride, "You are actually having this dancing moment with your dad who is in front of you right now and is very much alive." It is quite a confusing a song, I believe. And for this reason, couples should spend a considerable amount of time to do GOOD research for their wedding music.

5.) If you are hiring a DJ or a band, personally choose the songs, if you can. Otherwise let them know of your dislikes.

Be sure to be clear on what  your musical preferences/ genres are and most especially, your dislikes. Let them know that you do not like "Gangnam Style" or "Gwiyomi" to be played at your reception. Make it known to them- and in writing.

6.) Finalise and copy furnish your playlist to the necessary persons at least a week before your wedding

Be sure to email your final playlist included in your wedding program (both for ceremony and reception) at least 1 week before your wedding day to give your musicians or band enough time to practice. Don't forget to copy furnish this list to your coordinator, host and sound suppliers for everyone's organisation and continuity of work flow on the big day.

I've come up with some great playlist from a variety of genre which I will be sharing within the week, but for now, check out on some of our selected songs that we used for our own wedding. Enjoy!

Turning Page (Prelude))

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A Thousand Years (for the Processional)

The First Time I Loved Forever (for my Bridal March)

Sparks Fly (Recessional)

Moon River (First Dance)

Butterfly Kisses (Father-Daughter Dance)