New Gadget Again!

This year has been a mixture of good and bad experiences for our family.  For one, I would like to think that this year was good for us financially and career-wise.  First we were able to get the company car, and since we had some savings, we were able to add some cash to upgrade the company car to an SUV (Ford Escape).  It makes us a bit more confident when it comes to heavy rains.

While we were drained financially when I miscarried last March, we were not exactly in a rut.  I'm really thankful that I had a great job that at least paid for all the bills, and hubby is able to save a bit while I cover most household expenses.  

Last month I was able to convince hubby to help me get a Macbook Pro.  Since my office laptop did not allow me to install Photoshop, I had to have a reliable laptop to use.  The laptop hubby was using had an LCD problem so he has to use it with a monitor, and that is not exactly handy.  The old netbook is being used by my college student-househelp, and its not also exactly the best in performance when it comes to Photoshop -- meaning it hangs a whole lot and is really frustrating (happened to me the first time I tried to make the backdrop for the bazaar).  Anyway, I digress. The MBP is now my home laptop.  The office laptop only goes home with me on weekends.  Its 12 months to pay at 0% interest so it isn't as heavy to pay.  Always been my dream gadget (yes, I've wanted this one ever since I can remember, and I can live without ever getting an iPhone but a Mac is one thing I've dreamed of owning).  

Now that the bazaar planning is already in the works, I've decided that the next business investment for me would be a DSLR.  

Background, since I started with organizing bazaars, I bought another business investment every run.  The past two years (2009 and 2010) it was for the digital printing business --- heat press last 2009 and the pvc card package in 2010.  This year we bought a DSLR.  Hopefully by 2012 we can already seriously start the digital printing business. Always told myself that I should make sure to teach the hubby how to do it in Photoshop since its not something I can do all by myself.  That's my target in 2012.  

This is what we got:  Bought it from Kimstore and although there was a slight glitch and I'm waiting for the replacement SD card, I'm happy with the ease in dealing with them.  Happy that we have this and hoping I can learn how to use this well soon!

Cannelloni di Portabelli with Red Pepper/Goat Cheese Sauce

This is an example of ingredients dictating dinner. We had a some red bell peppers and a whole bunch of portabello mushrooms. Lindz wanted to do something special for dinner, something Italian. Talk of a pasta dish naturally followed, and the comforting nature of a baked pasta dish appealed to us.

We went to Trader Joe's for various groceries and the other ingredients for our meal. We were also hoping to catch my brother at work. We added things to our cart, and details of the meal appeared in my head. A baked pasta dish during winter demands to be shared, so we asked Bryan over for dinner. The time was around noon when we left the store.

I spent much of the afternoon in the kitchen, and it was a pleasant afternoon indeed. I made some pasta dough (it's pretty standard, but I always use the recipe from a well-used, stained page of Pasta Improvvisata) and put it in the fridge. I blackened some red bell peppers under the broiler and peeled them. I cleaned the portabellos and grabbed my knife, and I soon had a mountain of chopped mushrooms. I sweated them down in my beloved iron deep skillet with a bulb's worth of minced garlic and a few handfuls of frozen spinach. The skillet was actually called a chicken fryer when I bought it, but the item I've hyperlinked to is almost identical. I put the reduced mushroom/garlic/spinach mixture, salted and peppered, in the fridge.

I attached my pasta roller (a birthday gift from Lindz) to the Kitchenaid mixer and took the wad of dough from the fridge. I rolled out a bunch of thin sheets and put them on cookie cooling racks to dry (in the process, reminding myself how little counter space the kitchen has). Proceeding according to Signore Batali's cannelloni technique in Molto Italiano, I boiled a pot of water and prepared an ice bath. I cooked the sheets (each 4" or 5" by 6") and shocked them in the ice bath.

Bryan arrived and was soon sipping a beer at the table, perusing cookbooks. I mixed an egg into the mushroom mixture, and Lindz helped me fill the cannelloni. She placed a nugget of goat cheese on top of the spoonful of mushroom filling on each pasta sheet, and I rolled them up and put them in a baking dish (two baking dishes, actually; we ended up with quite a few). I put the dishes of naked cannelloni in the fridge and turned my attention to the sauce.

I pureed the roasted red peppers in the food processor with a bit of salt and pepper. Lindz suggested that I add the remaining hunk of goat cheese, so into the red vortex it went. The creamy tang was evident in the finished product - very nice. I heated up a saucepan and turned on the oven. I made a roux and added some chicken stock (I had no milk for besciamella), and when it thickened, I added the pepper puree. I hope there's no law against topping cannelloni with veloute instead bechamel.

Lindz toasted some walnuts and made salads for us. We opened a bottle of wine, too - Epicuro Aglianico Beneventano 2004, $5.99 at Trader Joe's. It's a delicious bottle, one for which I'd be happy to pay $15. The pear-Gorgonzola salad dressing also came from The Joe.

I poured the sauce over the two baking dishes of cannelloni (the one pictured above is the more handsome dish, an Emile Henry), grated some Parmiggiano-Reggiano over them, and put them into a 375 degree oven. We ate our salads (baby greens, feta, dried blueberries, toasted walnuts and the dressing), and I pulled the cannelloni out of the oven when it was bubbly, about half an hour.

I was pleased with the results -it was tasty and comforting oven Italian, and it tasted like its ingredients. It also provided a very nice afternoon's activity for me. I'm glad Lindz wanted Italian. Next time, I'll actually go out and get some milk. Besciamella would have been better. We followed dinner with some vanilla Joe-Joe's, and then we watched Annie Hall.

Beef Penis

Bathroom Floor

My inlaws gave me an extra heapin' helpin' of construction aid this weekend. Lindz had chiseled out the granite on the floor, but concrete board remained under that. Her parents unleashed the full fury of a couple who enjoy home projects and were recently rejuvenated by an Alaskan cruise. They busted out the old concrete board like a couple of game show contestants who have been put in a room with money nailed to the floor.

Next, we removed the toilet (always enjoyable). The flooring under and behind it had been rotted by a water leak that had occurred long ago. It had been fixed the old fashioned way: covered up with more boards and crap. We ripped out the offending boards:

We got a big piece of 3/4" plywood and made some cuts for the toilet and shower drain. The floor is now stronger than it has been in decades:

At this point in the project, we reached the turning point from demolition to construction. Everything old and undesirable is gone, and we have begun adding new material.

NBI Clearance Rants

Yesterday I decided to get my NBI Clearance already.  This is in anticipation of the fact that I want to go to work very soon and this is surely going to be part of the pre-employment requirements, hence I decided to get it already since its an inevitable thing to do anyway. So I went to NBI Taytay at 7am hoping they were open at that time already (which they were not). There was a long queue already and I was hearing conversations about how you should be there by 4 or 5 am to be first in line. Like duh! So it was 7:30 already when they started to give out numbers, I was 148 of the 150 numbers they gave out. Huge relief? Another thing is that you should be using Taytay Residence Certificates, not Antipolo, not any other Rizal or Pasig residence certificates. So there were some tricycle drivers even asking people there to just get from barangay offices nearby (and of course you will ride their trikes).  I didn't, I had enough time already waiting for the 147 other people in front of me.
At 11am I was starting to panic. I needed to be back home by 12 to prepare for my 2pm interview. Lo and behold, at 11:15 they declared they will stop at 141. And I was 148!!!! Grrrr... We tried pleading to let it finish till 150 but they were rude. :-( i ended up leaving (and bringing the number 148 with me!) empty handed and frustrated.  I just decided I'll try out Megamall branch after the interview, maybe I will have better luck there.
Which I did. I got to Megamall around 4pm. The line was short, around 8 or 10 people ahead of me, and after payment took me around 5 minutes to get the clearance. Five minutes! As opposed to the 5 hours I wasted in the morning. Call that irony.
I'm just looking at the bottomline now. At least I accomplished my mission for the day. However frustrating it was. That's it. No regrets, but lessons were learned. ;-)

Mein Camp

This weekend, I camped with some folks from work. One of these folks has a piece of land near Swansboro, and a fine campsite it is. It probably won't be so pleasant in August, but it's perfect in April.

He's also got a boat down there, and we spotted this ocean sunfish a few miles off shore:

The dolphins always dove before I could catch them.

The dock and storage shed are the only structures on the property. It was a very fine getaway.

rainy sunday and baking

Ok its been a while again. Last time I blogged it was still about the typhoon frank. Now its another rainy sunday and I'm here whiling away the time. Well, I'm hoping I can make some blog entries, and later on I'm hoping I can work a bit. But really part of me wishes that the rains will continue because if it doesn't stop I can file for an emergency leave tomorrow!

Anyhow, I have quite a restful weekend now, at least as far as I think it is. no fuss, no long trips out of the house, had time to rearrange my closet, and I had time to practice driving (well, a bit), had time with jessica, had time to watch TV, and I had time to bake! yey!!!!

Which leads me to make kwento that ever since we got the gas range and the lpg tank, I've been more and more learning other stuff to cook. I'm proud to say I've already mastered pizza preparations, already tried roasting a chicken (rosemary blend+barbeque sauce), buffalo wings, and the latest addition: Revel bars!!!! For a first time baker, my revel bars were a huge success!!! If I can say so myself. Which makes me really want to buy a hand mixer (I don't really think I need an industrial type mixer anyways), for my baking needs. I intend to pursue baking of course, and in the course of time, I'm hoping I can up my skills and be able to work out a truly fulfilling hobby again.

The Reveal

We completed tiling and grouting today. Aside from the toe kick, a bit more grout sealing and a bit of moulding, this kitchen remodel is full-wrought.
In an effort to diminish the green pallor cast by the fluorescent lights, I used an incandescent work lamp (you can see its reflection on the fridge).
Big Red looks rather handsome with a backdrop of subway tiles, wouldn't you say?
And my favorite part: the capacious single bowl sink and the Great Faucet.
We moved into this house in the summer of 2004. Of the items in the kitchen at that time, only the floor and the window remain unchanged. Old carpeting in the hallway will next undergo our wrath.

THE @#&*?! TILES ARE ALL IN PLACE

If you look closely, you will notice that we've done a bit of grout, too. Grouting among the river rocks will take a bit of time, but the wall will be transformed.

This trowel has worked very hard. It gives me great pleasure to put him out to pasture.

Lindz and I have worked extra hard on this the past few weekends. What remains? Grouting, attaching the fixtures, caulking and installing a recessed light in the ceiling.
This would be a good time to commit a crime; we've worn our fingerprints off.

Reviews for kmbuy - Unique Korean Vintage Preppy Style Unisex Casual Fashion School Travel Backpack Bags with 15 inch Laptop Lining (43cm*28cm*14cm) (blue)

kmbuy - Unique Korean Vintage Preppy Style Unisex Casual Fashion School Travel Backpack Bags with 15 inch Laptop Lining (43cm*28cm*14cm) (blue)

Brand : kmbuy

Sales Rank :

Color : Blue

Amazon.com Price : $26.03

Features kmbuy - Unique Korean Vintage Preppy Style Unisex Casual Fashion School Travel Backpack Bags with 15 inch Laptop Lining (43cm*28cm*14cm) (blue)

Material: 90% nylon + 10% PU
Dim: 43CM(Height)*30CM(Width)*12CM(Thickness), shoulder straps adjuestable from 75CM to 95CM
Weight: 650g / Capacity: 17L (medium capacity)
Linings: 1*outer and 1*inside zipper bag, 1*back zipper bag, 1*laptop tablet Linings (27CM width for 14 inch laptop)
For the crowd: Male and Female with height 150CM to 190CM

Descriptions kmbuy - Unique Korean Vintage Preppy Style Unisex Casual Fashion School Travel Backpack Bags with 15 inch Laptop Lining (43cm*28cm*14cm) (blue)

Features
- The backpack made with high-grade durable nylon, simple but refining design.
- Mixmatch with qualify accessories, make the bag looks more elegant and fashionable
- Plenty capacity design, most of your living necessities can be fully loaded freely.
- Scientific and reasonable pocket and lining design will make your goods lay in the bag systematically
- Specially equiped with thicken laptop linings, provide fully protection for your laptop or tablet.
- The bottom finished with quality material craft, durable and strong for daily carring.
- Casual Easy style using for: School, Excursion, Going out, window shopping etc..

Package includes
- 1 X Durable Backpack

Important Note:
- The actual item's colour maybe slightly different from the picture shown due to the lightings of shots
- 1-2cm error of measuring is a reasonable range due to different method of measurments
- The backpack are packed immediately once produced, so sometimes the bags will arrive with some smells from original material.
- Please kindly suspend the bag in freely circulating air for 1 to 2 days to loose the smell.
- Each backpack will be double check carefully before shipping, but it's still very hard to guarantee there's no extra thread. please understand.

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Mexican Lasagna and Hard Work

Bryan came over with a bunch of ingredients and a plan. We set to work, and here was the result:
Goodass crap. As a refined little apertif, I got a giant can of Budweiser Chelada style beer. Purely out of morbid curiosity. It is beer (sort of, it is Budweiser after all) with Clamato, lime and salt. It was kind of weird, as you might expect from a beverage built of light beer, tomatoes and mollusks. We dumped it out and drank some Ommegang Three Philosophers instead.

On to a different subject. Lindz and I began the kitchen project. We replaced two base cabinets on Saturday (my back is still sore). Behind one cabinet was evidence of how attractive the kitchen must have been in 1981:
And here's me leveling one of the new beauties. It's actually made of wood, rather than sawdust!
And the payoff. this drawer is nearly three feet wide, and it comes all the way out. We're going to need some partitions in there. It's so big, you could call it zoning. Note the attractive masking tape flag serving as a drawer pull until the new ones arrive.

Lindz and I had a good time demolishing the flimsy old cabinets. No complaints, really - they served for two and a half decades, but their era is at an end.

Best Offers for HotStyle TrendyMax Series Print Eyelet Pattern Backpack Rucksack (blue)

HotStyle TrendyMax Series Print Eyelet Pattern Backpack Rucksack (blue)

Brand : hotstyle

Sales Rank :

Color : Blue

Amazon.com Price : $28.99

Features HotStyle TrendyMax Series Print Eyelet Pattern Backpack Rucksack (blue)

Multipurpose casual daypack / school backpack issued by HotStyle.
Material: 90% nylon (600-denier) + 5% polyester + 5% PU
Compartment: Basic main compartment and a front pocket. Extra inner zipper bags, inner organizer pouch for phone and cards. Also built-in a laptop / tablet compartment with 11.02''width and fits 15.4'' device perfectly.
Storage 1,006.9 cubic inches; Measures 11.8 x 16.1 x 5.9 inches (W x H x D);
Shoulder straps adjustable from 29.5'' to 37.4''. Fits for the crowd with height 4'11'' to 6'30''.

Descriptions HotStyle TrendyMax Series Print Eyelet Pattern Backpack Rucksack (blue)

Brand new unique artist pattern, simple but so special. Let's hit the road, break the banality, light up the planet.

Product Description
Classical exterior, sturdy 600-denier nylon construction. Stylish maples pattern printed with modern heat transfer printing technology, ensure the backpack fade in a very slow way for years to come. Mix-match with quality PU padded shoulder straps [2.36(W) x 0.20(T) inches], elegant, fashionable, also comfortable to carry. Specially equipped with a laptop compartment to address your laptop / tablet and protect them from dusts and scratches, besides, the adjustable fastening tape will hold the device tightly when you are moving. Roomy enough to store most of your school / daily necessities such as textbooks, binders, spiral notebooks, a calculator, pens and pencils, a lunch bag case, small coat or shirts, cell phone, cards, portable chargers, MP3 player and a laptop / tablet with 15.4''. Also the backpack is ideal to carrying the personal stuffs of two to three days short term trip.

Specifications
- Max capacity: 1,006.9 cubic inches / 8.82 lb.
- Dimensions: 11.8 x 16.1 x 5.9 inches (W x H x D)
- Weight: 17 ounces

Package includes
- 1 * HotStyle backpack rucksack.
- 2 * Replacement strap buckles

Friendly Reminder
Color difference may be occurred from the reflection when photographing. Measurement error of 0.39'' to 0.78'' may be occurred from the method of manual measuring. Please allow 1-3 pieces of loose threads exist due to the overlook by accident when checking and packing. Please leave the backpack in freely circulating air for 2-3 days to lessen the smell of fabric. Loading weight beyond the max capacity will reduce of service life.

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The Unbearable Blizzard of '08

Hoo-whee! I do declare, Mother Nature is one ruthless lady. We're purt-near buried under snow, and it's colder'n eighteen witches' teats.
It's cold enough to freeze water solid!
Yep, this here storm's a real sonofabitch. Came up on us like celery stalks at midnight. Fortunately, I had time to go to Caspian Interational Food Mart on Brentwood Road, and I got some good, God-fearin' processed meats to see us through this ordeal.
They had plenty of news people standing out in the rain and snow on television, 'cause that makes it more serious-like. As you can see from the pictures above and below, there's enough snow to justify the 383 closings and delays reported on WRAL.com.

They're worried about black ice. Black ice?! Who ever hearda such poppycock. Nice, shiny, regular ice is the ice for me. If I'm gonna go tumblin' into the ditch, ain't no make-believe black ice gonna do it, it's good old regular ice.

Best Price for Outdoor Military Tactical Backpack Camping Hiking Trekking Rucksack Day Pack Bag (ACU Camoufage)

Outdoor Military Tactical Backpack Camping Hiking Trekking Rucksack Day Pack Bag (ACU Camoufage)

Brand : eBuy9

Sales Rank :

Color : ACU Camoufage

Amazon.com Price : $31.06

Features Outdoor Military Tactical Backpack Camping Hiking Trekking Rucksack Day Pack Bag (ACU Camoufage)

High intensity and durable.
Backpack Molle webbing system peripheral , more convenient to mount other small packet kit.
Features spacious main compartment with zip around closure, interior zip pocket and mesh pocket.
Front storage zip compartments.
Padded and adjustable shoulder straps.

Descriptions Outdoor Military Tactical Backpack Camping Hiking Trekking Rucksack Day Pack Bag (ACU Camoufage)

Products Description :

Outdoor Military Tactical Backpack Rucksack Camping Hiking Trekking Bag

Features:

High intensity and durable.

Backpack Molle webbing system peripheral , more convenient to mount other small packet kit.

Features spacious main compartment with zip around closure, interior zip pocket and mesh pocket.

Front storage zip compartments.

Padded and adjustable shoulder straps.

Side compression straps.

Breathable mesh backing for comfort.

Velcro design on the back for hydration compatibility.

SKU:SKU20133344.

Item Type: Backpacks

Backpacks Type: Soft back

Backpack Usage: Normal Camping & Hiking

Closure Type: Zipper

Pattern Type: Solid

Occasion: Outdoor,Wargame,Travelling,Hiking,Trekking,camping ect.

Style: Sport

Gender: Unisex

Capacity: 25L

Size details:

Main Compartment: 42 * 28 * 24cm (Height * Width * Depth)

Secondary Compartment: 32 * 20 * 8cm(Height * Width * Depth)

Color:Tan / Black / Desert Camoufage / CP Camouflage.

Material: 1000D Nylon

Quantity:1pcs.

Package includes:

1× Outdoor Military Tactical Backpack Rucksack Camping Hiking Trekking Bag

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Hedonism

This past week, Lindz was out of town on a business trip. When she's gone, my life loses its backbone and slumps into self-gratifying disorder. I went to work, went to the gym and took out the trash, but everything else was centered around food and wine (with some Netflix DVD's thrown in). I stayed up too late every night.
The experiences:
Mantra Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County 2004 (I think it was 04, but possibly 05): I bought this at a wine shop near my office. I just had to escape the gloom of the office, and it was too hot to enjoy a walk. I opened it that evening, letting it breathe while I was at the gym. It's a nice, deep crimson color with a heady aroma. I smelled black currants and a wee bit of coffee or chocolate. Maybe tobacco. It was a brown smell. It was a big, balanced wine with nice tannins and alcohol. It kept up nicely with the roasted goat steak I ate with it. I watched some Space:1999. I had some left the next night. I had salmon with the last bit of it.

George DuBoeuf Moulin a Vent 2005 Domaine des Michelons: Traffic was pretty bad Thursday night, so I got off the freeway to go to Total Wine and wait it out. I picked out this Beaujolais because it apparently got a 92 from Robert M. Parker. I dropped it off at the house and dutifully went to the gym. This wine was a clear garnet, with a clean bouquet (think of a bowl of raspberries with some cedar chips and a sprinkling of tobacco in it). It was a really elegant wine. It had the typical bright berry Gamay flavor, but with nice woodsy, earthy notes. It had good acidity; it was very nice with the sauteed beef liver I had for dinner. I watched Sunshine as I ate.

Saintsbury Pinot Noir Carneros 2005: I forced myself to go to the gym Friday evening. Afterward, I changed my clothes and went to a local Mexican place where I hadn't gone before. I had an ice cold Dos Equis and a satisfying, if unsurprising Steak a la Tampiquena (it's still North Carolina Mexican food). I went home, full and sleepy. I talked to Mom for a while, and by the time the conversation was over, I regained some energy. I was reading The Emperor of Wine, a book which has had the effect of filling me with ungovernable urges to run out and get a bottle. It happened at about 10 pm. It had to be Pinot Noir, but the good shops were closed. Lowes Foods had a sure thing: the Saintsbury. While I was wavering between that and another wine that I hadn't tried, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on some fellow shoppers. Four college boys were debating the merits of various cheap, fruit-flavored wines (cheapness and sweetness being the desirable traits, apparently). It took me back to my college days, when price and alcohol content were the only criteria we considered. I brought my Saintsbury home, and I happily sipped and read until after 1 am. This one has the things that I love in California Pinot: soft, fleshy cherries, hints of cola, chocolate and smoke, an indulgent experience. It's mouthfilling and ripe; it gives itself to you without a battle of tannins.

I finally got out of bed Saturday and drank a French press of coffee with my breakfast/lunch. What the hell, there was a glass of the Saintsbury left; I drank that as well (it was just fine with coffee and blueberry chicken sausages). To pretend to myself that I was an industrious individual, I did a load of laundry. I put on some clothes and drove downtown to Seaboard Wine Warehouse.

Their usual Saturday tasting was going on. This day, it was French whites. They were all nice (the Vouvray was a little sweet, though), but the only tasting wine I bought was a white Burgundy. It had a really nice lemon-zest note to it; I'll have to write about it when Lindz and I drink it. I wandered around the store for a while with the goal of getting a couple of bottles for the wine rack and one to enjoy that day. I looked at a few $60 bottles that I want some day, but I held to moderation. I got, in addition to that white Burgundy and a couple of tasty everyday wines, a bottle of Plungerhead Zinfandel Lodi 2006. I stopped at our local pizza place on the way home and got a 14" pie with mushrooms, sausage and anchovies. I watched Solaris (the Clooney version). The wine was huge and gooey. Lots of ripe fruit with a sort of medicinal, black licorice, eucalyptus underpinning. Hard to describe. The movie was slow, psychological and visually well done. Everyone else seems to hate it. I'm going to watch the 1972 version next. Anyway, I watched, drank, ate, loafed, read and briefly dozed. I got up and went for a walk. I was totally useless, and I loved it.

Sunday, I got up, had breakfast and coffee, did some more reading, ran the dishwasher to keep up the ruse of productiveness, and went out for sushi with Bryan. A while after that, I went to gym, and then Lindz was home. Like magic, as soon as she was in the house, I started bustling about dinner. When she's gone, I do not bustle under any circumstances.

The fact that I had showed up for work is the main blemish on this otherwise respectable streak of hedonism.

Dedication

All right, y'all! This long-distance dedication is going out to Zeuthen! The Blauhaus wine cellar has German wine that isn't riesling! Come on, let's make some noise!

The Polar Kangaroo

I harvested a bunch of fresh chocolate mint and shoved it into a bottle of vodka. 24 hours later, I took it out. I stirred some of this vodka with ice cubes and a wee bit of dry vermouth, and voila! A Polar Kangaroo! A kangaroo is the purist's name for a martini made with vodka instead of gin, and it's polar because of the minty freshness.

A tasty cocktail for those evenings spent telling Commander McBragg stories to your buddies at the Royal Exploration Society Club.

"There I was, surrounded by box jellyfish, with only my trusty diving knife and a few feet of kitchen twine..."

My stash and latest projects

Been on and off being busy the past few days with new projects and have more items on my list. Unfortunately my list of things to do have also drastically lengthened! :-p

But to give a rundown of my new projects, here goes:

1. A box out of old corrugated boxes here. Then I wrapped it up in fabric so it looks really cute. I still don't know what to do with it, but I like the look just the same.

2.  Here is baby Alive's diaper. :-) I'm sure she would have loved to thank me, but its ok, I'd rather not hear her speak. ;-p

3. At last, my dream of making sofa covers for our matching L-shaped sofa. They're not together now, but they now have the same fabric. I'm kinda wishing it could just replace our old (i mean old) sofa set we got when we bought the house, but then its too bulky to take out so it stays there.  Its not perfect, but it does its job of hiding the dirty sofa. :-p

4. Kikay Kit!!! - I've always wanted to match up my kikay kit, and here are some samples. There's a tissue holder, a case for the powder + lipstick, and another for my brushes (I use mineral makeup btw). The brush kit is foldable and can be tied with a ribbon, like the pic below.

5. Fetish: Here's a case for my USB Card reader, such a delightful companion with the digicam since I always upload pics. ;-p Coming soon: Similar case for my internet dongle. This one is made from Catcha fabric, and some brown bias tape.

And just this morning I went to Divi for some fabric shopping-slash-much needed retail therapy.  I didn't get to buy the usual stuff I buy like clothes or house stuff, but I had a grand time building up my fabric stash. Now I don't envy the website I've been looking at anymore. :-) What I bought are just simple cotton fabrics in cute designs much like the ones I also like when I digiscrap.

pinks!

green

blue!

orange!

yellow/brown

stripes!

florals!

bought some threads too.

Love love love my collection!!! Can't wait to start with my new projects!