Quicker8...

I love pasta! And I'm craving for Rigatoni all' Alfonso from Cibo for years now. I tried to look for the recipe online but I couldn't find one. I taste so many pastas from different restaurants here but I haven't found a good pasta as Cibo has! Anyway, just sharing the list and photos of my all time favorite at Cibo :)
Insalata di Mare - Salad
Rigatoni all' Alfonso - pasta
Uva Nera - shake grapes
Te Freddo.Limone - iced tea
Tiramisu Croccante - desert
yummy!!! I will try the make my own Te Freddo tom :) It's perfect for a sunny day!:) And since It's going to be a long weekend, I'm planning to cook Rigatoni all' Alfonso and Tiramisu on friday :) weeeee!!! Anyone who can help me to find the recipes?:) Let me know!:)

That's it for today, I have to go now. I need to do some research about asbestos mesothelioma
for my cousin's assignments :)

have a nice day! everyone!:)





photos from http://www.cibo.ph/

these gorgeous bags!
I really love these but I know I can't afford it now =( as much as I want these bags I can't buy it for myself even as a birthday gift. You already know why... I want the Prada more than Gucci, I like the color and the style, very classy. I'm hoping to have it as a birthday gift from my husband perhaps, but I doubt it! hahaha He wants me to learn to handle our finances and save for the rainy days. His intention is good :) So here I am finding ways to earn extra bucks for myself but for sure it will end up buying things for the house! I showed it to him earlier and guess what he have said "we can buy two tv stands for a price of one bag!" Well, that's Prada and Gucci, what do he expect?:) Do you think I can have it before the year ends? Let's see :D

I'm spending less time online lately. I've been busy doing some personal stuff and enjoying our new home :) There are still some home improvement to be done, bathrooms and garage need to be painted. I will do all of this before my next project ;)
Anyway, have you noticed the on going sale around the corner?:) I saw very nice modern dining tables and couches online! Well, I like it but they are not in my list and besides we just purchased our dining set just a month ago :) What I'm itching to buy for now are these beautiful Calphalon cookware!
photos from Macy's website
Yes, my priorities changed since we moved to our townhouse. From bags and shoes to cookware and home decor :) As I posted in my previous post I just bought my first corelle and corningware last week and It's all worth it! I convinced my husband to keep it and we already used it some friends visited us last weekend :) I hope these cookwares will be mine soon ;)

I almost forgot to post this! I got my loots from my friends Litzie, Ems and Peachy!!:) thank you mares!:)
Sto Nino from Litzie :)
Talisman from Peachy and Ems,
Dzi bracelet for me and for my husband :) Thank you Mares! I hope this charms will bring luck to all of us!:)

Most of us know that baking soda can be used for more than just making homemade cookies and other dough rise. It's not uncommon to see an open box of this leavening agent deodorizing refrigerators, for example. But did you know that there are at least 40 different ways to use baking soda?

Baking soda makes a perfect stand-in for many personal care, cleaning, and deodorizing products. The list of benefits is long: It is inexpensive, free of toxic chemicals, versatile, and effective.

And so without further ado, here are some of the many creative ways you can use baking soda.

Personal Care

1. Make toothpaste
A paste made from baking soda and a 3 percent hydrogen peroxide solution can be used as an alternative to commercial non-fluoride toothpastes. (Or here’s a formula for a minty version.) You can also just dip your toothbrush with toothpaste into baking soda for an extra boost.

2. Freshen your mouth
Put one teaspoon in half a glass of water, swish, spit, and rinse. Odors are neutralized, not just covered up.

3. Soak oral appliance
Soak oral appliances (like retainers, mouthpieces, and dentures) in a solution of 2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in a glass or small bowl of warm water. The baking soda loosens food particles and neutralizes odors to keep appliances fresh. You can also brush appliances clean using baking soda.

4. Use as a facial scrub and body exfoliant
Give yourself an invigorating facial and body scrub. Make a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Rub in a gentle circular motion to exfoliate the skin. Rinse clean. This is gentle enough for daily use.

5. Skip harsh deodorant
Pat baking soda onto your underarms to neutralize body odor.

6. Use as an antacid
Baking soda is a safe and effective antacid to relieve heartburn, sour stomach, and/or acid indigestion. Refer to baking soda package for instructions.

7. Treat insect bites and itchy skin
For insect bites, make a paste out of baking soda and water, and apply as a salve onto affected skin. To ease the itch, shake some baking soda into your hand and rub it into damp skin after bath or shower.

8. Make a hand cleanser and softener
Skip harsh soaps and gently scrub away ground-in dirt and neutralize odors on hands with a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water or 3 parts baking soda with gentle liquid hand soap. Then rinse clean.

9. Help your hair
Vinegar is amazing for your hair, but baking soda has its place in the shower too. Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda into your palm along with your favorite shampoo. Shampoo as usual and rinse thoroughly — baking soda helps remove the residue that styling products leave behind so your hair is cleaner and more manageable.

10. Clean brushes and combs
For lustrous hair with more shine, keep brushes and combs clean. Remove natural oil build-up and hair product residue by soaking combs and brushes in a solution of 1 teaspoon of baking soda in a small basin of warm water. Rinse and allow to dry.

11. Make a bath soak
Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your bath to neutralize acids on the skin and help wash away oil and perspiration. It also makes your skin feel very soft. Or just focus on soothing your feet. Dissolve 3 tablespoons of baking soda in a tub of warm water and soak feet. Gently scrub.

Cleaning

12. Make a surface soft scrub
For safe, effective cleaning of bathroom tubs, tile, and sinks — even fiberglass and glossy tiles — sprinkle baking soda lightly on a clean damp sponge and scrub as usual. Rinse thoroughly and wipe dry. For extra cleaning power, make a paste with baking soda, coarse salt, and liquid dish soap — let it sit then scour off.

13. Hand-wash dishes and pots and pans
Add 2 heaping tablespoons baking soda (along with your regular dish detergent) to the dish water to help cut grease and foods left on dishes, pots, and pans. For cooked-on foods, let them soak in the baking soda and detergent with water first, then use dry baking soda on a clean damp sponge or cloth as a scratch-less scouring powder.

14. Freshen sponges
Soak stale-smelling sponges in a strong baking soda solution to get rid of the mess (4 tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in 1 quart of warm water). For more thorough disinfecting, use the microwave.

15. Clean the microwave
Baking soda on a clean damp sponge cleans gently inside and outside the microwave and never leaves a harsh chemical smell. Rinse well with water.

16. Polish silver flatware
Use a baking soda paste made with 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Rub onto the silver with a clean cloth or sponge. Rinse thoroughly and dry for shining sterling and silver-plate serving pieces.

17. Clean coffee and tea pots
Remove coffee and tea stains and eliminate bitter off-tastes by washing mugs and coffee makers in a solution of 1/4 cup baking soda in 1 quart of warm water. For stubborn stains, try soaking overnight in the baking soda solution and detergent or scrubbing with baking soda on a clean damp sponge.

18. Clean the oven
Sprinkle baking soda onto the bottom of the oven. Spray with water to dampen the baking soda. Let sit overnight. In the morning, scrub, scoop the baking soda and grime out with a sponge, or vacuum, and rinse.

19. Clean floors
Remove dirt and grime (without unwanted scratch marks) from no-wax and tile floors using 1/2 cup baking soda in a bucket of warm water — mop and rinse clean for a sparkling floor. For scuff marks, use baking soda on a clean damp sponge, then rinse.

20. Clean furniture
Clean and remove marks (even crayon) from walls and painted furniture by applying baking soda to a damp sponge and rubbing lightly. Wipe off with a clean, dry cloth.

21. Clean shower curtains
Clean and deodorize your vinyl shower curtain by sprinkling baking soda directly on a clean damp sponge or brush. Scrub the shower curtain and rinse clean. Hang it up to dry.

22. Boost your liquid laundry detergent
Give your laundry a boost by adding 1/2 cup of baking soda to your laundry to make liquid detergent work harder. A better balance of pH in the wash gets clothes cleaner, fresher, and brighter. Or you can add 1/2 cup of baking soda to the rinse cycle for fresher sheets and towels or to neutralize gym clothes and odoriferous clothing.

23. Clean and freshen sports gear
Use a baking soda solution (4 tablespoons baking soda in 1 quart warm water) to clean and deodorize smelly sports equipment. Sprinkle baking soda into golf bags and gym bags to deodorize and clean golf irons (without scratching them!) with a baking soda paste (3 parts baking soda to 1 part water) and a brush. Rinse thoroughly.

24. Remove oil and grease stains
Use baking soda to clean up light-duty oil and grease spills on your garage floor or in your driveway. Sprinkle baking soda on the spot and scrub with a wet brush.

25. Clean batteries
Baking soda can be used to neutralize battery acid corrosion on cars, mowers, etc., because its a mild alkali. Be sure to disconnect the battery terminals before cleaning. Make a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water and apply with a damp cloth to scrub corrosion from the battery terminal. After cleaning and reconnecting the terminals, wipe them with petroleum jelly to prevent future corrosion. Please be careful when working around a battery — they contain a strong acid.

26. Clean cars
Use baking soda to clean your car lights, chrome, windows, tires, vinyl seats, and floor mats without worrying about unwanted scratch marks. Use a baking soda solution of 1/4 cup baking soda in 1 quart of warm water. Apply with a sponge or soft cloth to remove road grime, tree sap, bugs, and tar. For stubborn stains use baking soda sprinkled on a damp sponge or soft brush. Eliminate odors by sprinkling baking soda directly on fabric car seats and carpets. Wait 15 minutes (or longer for strong odors) and vacuum up the baking soda.

Deodorizing

27. Deodorize your refrigerator
Place an open box in the back of the fridge to neutralize odors.

28. Deodorize trashcans and recyclables
Sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of your trashcan to keep stinky trash smells at bay. Clean your recyclables container periodically by sprinkling baking soda on a damp sponge. Wipe clean and rinse. Also, sprinkle baking soda on top as you add recyclables to the bin.

29. Deodorize drains and garbage disposals
To deodorize your sink and tub drains and garbage disposal and keep lingering odors from resurfacing, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain while running warm tap water — it will neutralize both acid and basic odors for a fresh drain. (This a good way to dispose of baking soda that is being retired from your refrigerator.)

30. Deodorize and clean dishwashers
Use baking soda to deodorize before you run the dishwasher and then as a gentle cleanser in the wash cycle.

31. Deodorize lunch boxes
Between uses, place a spill-proof box of baking soda in everyone’s lunch box to absorb lingering odors.

32. Remove odor from carpets
Liberally sprinkle baking soda on the carpet. Let set overnight or as long as possible (the longer it sets the better it works). Sweep up the larger amounts of baking soda, and vacuum up the rest. (Note that your vacuum cleaner bag will get full and heavy.) An added bonus: You'll also deodorize your vacuum cleaner.

33. Freshen closets
Place a box on the shelf to keep the closet smelling fresh.

34. Deodorize pet items
Cover the bottom of your cat box with baking soda, then fill as usual with litter. To freshen between changes, sprinkle baking soda on top of the litter after a thorough cleaning. Eliminate odors from your pet's bedding by sprinkling liberally with baking soda, wait 15 minutes (or longer for stronger odors), then vacuum up.

35. Deodorize sneakers
Keep odors from spreading in smelly sneakers by shaking baking soda into them when not in use. Shake out before wearing.

36. Freshen stuffed animals
Keep favorite cuddly toys fresh with a dry shower of baking soda. Sprinkle baking soda on and let it sit for 15 minutes before brushing off.

Miscellaneous

37. Cure all camping needs
Baking soda is a must-have for your next camping trip. It's a dish-washer, pot-scrubber, hand-cleanser, deodorant, toothpaste, and fire extinguisher, and has many other uses.

38. Extinguish fires
Baking soda can help in the initial handling of minor grease or electrical kitchen fires, because when baking soda is heated, it gives off carbon dioxide, which helps to smother the flames. For small cooking fires (frying pans, broilers, ovens, grills), turn off the gas or electricity if you can safely do so. Stand back and throw handfuls of baking soda at the base of the flame to help put out the fire — and call the fire department just to be safe.

39. Care for the septic system
Regular use of baking soda in your drains can help keep your septic system flowing freely. One cup of baking soda per week will help maintain a favorable pH in your septic tank.

40. Scrub fruits and vegetables
Baking soda is the food safe way to clean dirt and residue off fresh fruit and vegetables. Just sprinkle a little on a clean damp sponge, scrub and rinse. Here’s another way to clean your vegetables as well.

My special lunch last Friday prepared by my dear friend Chef Ila :) smoked salmon with gnocchi and balsamic glaze :) yummy!:) Thanks Ils!

I love it!:)
Arugula and other spices were straight from the garden :) I told my husband that I like to have a small garden like this at home!
As expected he said "no"! hahaha mamamatay lang daw, same as what happened to my orchids it died huhuhu nausog yata after the housewarming party :) Seriously, I want this!:)

My priorities changed since we moved to our townhouse, before whenever we are in the mall I went home with shopping loots -shoes, bags and a lot of stuff for myself but now I went home with these :) My first corelle!
Thanks to my friend Ila she drove me to the outlet :) I went home with a lot of stuff! My husband was not happy with my loots though even if it is on sale :( He wants us to save money for the mortgage. Well, I understand - we are aiming to pay the mortgage immediately. We are inspired by our friends because in less than eight years they are almost done paying their mortgage :) That's why my dear husband are keep on reminding me not to buy stuff that we don't need, even if it is on sale :( syempre ayaw kong mapalo sa pwet so I have to obey his rules or else katakot takot na sermon aabutin ko hahaha I will try to sell these to my friends but not the plates hahaha I love it! Honestly, I don't want to sell the pyrex and the corningware as well, we need it right? And besides I got it at very good deal! Let's see if I can convince my dear husband to keep it :D
Have a nice day!:)

Sharing another inspirational article from my favorite writer, Andrew Mathews :)

The Law of the Seed

Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples on the tree, each with ten seeds.

That's a lot of seeds! We might ask, "Why would you need so many seeds to grow just a few more trees?"

Nature has something to teach us here. It's telling us: "Most seeds never grow. So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more than once."

This might mean:

You'll attend twenty interviews to get one job.

You'll interview forty people to find one good employee.

You'll talk to fifty people to sell one house, car, vacuum cleaner, insurance policy, idea.

And you might meet a hundred acquaintances to find one special friend.

When we understand the "Law of the Seed", we don't get so disappointed.
We stop feeling like victims.

Laws of nature are not things to take personally. We just need to understand them - and work with them.

IN A NUTSHELL

Successful people fail more often. They plant more seeds.

As much as I wanted to take all of these gorgeous bags I can't, I'm only allowed to take one =( If I will take the Gucci bag, that will be my last last bag for the year... no excuses, I have to follow the rules in the house or else my dear husband will be angry at me =( So which one?



We have to set our priorities and he want us to prioritize the mortgage because we are aiming to pay it immediately... not in five years time but hopefully in less than 10 years.... So we have to tighten our belts and take it seriously... No major expenses this time. My Calphalon casserole has to wait and no major purchases this year ....... Our planned vacation in my hometown has to wait as well :'( Oh I miss my grandma so much but what can I do? :( There's a lot of things to be settled first than having a grand vacation.... That's the real life is, we have to set our priorities so we could have a better future. And I'm glad I learned to handle it early and not the hard way ;)

This is my painting yesterday
Then I thought it was kind of plain and dull so I ask some suggestions from my online friends. Thanks to Joy for giving me some advice, she said maybe I also could try warm/summer colors . So I enhanced the painting and I used some warm colors and it turned out like this. I thought there's something missing in this painting.... maybe the colors ... hmmmmm.... Let's see....
I saw the color orange, the bottom of the painting, why not use it in the painting as well? Since orange goes well with color blue and white, I tried it. Then it turned out like this!
I think this is better compared yesterday! yipeee!!! hahaha I love my own! hihihi :) I'm excited to show it to my husband when he gets home from the office... I guess he will say "pwede na!" nah! hahaha what do you expect? he's always teasing me! :D But I'm pretty sure he will love this compared to the first one :)

What do you think?:) any suggestions?:)
Have a nice day everyone!:)

I find ways to save money :) So instead of buying an expensive paintings for the house I told my husband that I will make one. But of course he said no, he thought that I might ruin it and it will end up in the trash can. But knowing me, I will get what I want hahahaha so here it is.... My first painting!:)

I did this for like 7 hours LOL I'm not kidding it's true! I have to change the concept for the last minute because my husband said that it's not nice because it look like plain. So i did some research and revised it :) The 2 tubes of paint were empty and when my husband saw this again yesterday, he love it!:) I'm thinking to hang it in the loft :) what do you think?

I tried my luck again this is the my craft today :) I'm happy with the outcome! I made it for 2 hours, see I'm improving :) it's perfect for the master's bedroom since the colors in our room is brown, white and blue green :) I love it! I would like to paint another one, this time for the 2nd bedroom :)

Does it look nice?:) Let me know :)
Have a nice day!:)

Just sharing some photos from last sunday's housewarming party :) My husband and I were very happy that almost all our friends made it! We cooked bicol express, the all time favorite Chris' sisig, spareribs and chicken barbecue. Imagine they were more than 40 pax and it's like we were in a fiesta from afternoon till night!:) It was a tiring but happy day for us :)

My husband and I are very lucky to have friends like them, actually they are not just friends but a family :) We're helping each other and crab mentality is not welcome in our group :) That's why my husband and I are very thankful to have them ;)
Thank you guys for coming and thank you for the housewarming gifts, we will save the wines for our anniversaries ;)

Finally I had a chance to post this, the perfect gift from my Glo, Aggie, Kathy, Peachy, Kaje, Ate Jen, Mai, Diane, Litzie, Toni, Alpha, Jody and Abie. Thank you ladies!!:) Opted to cash their gift so we could see the paintings personally and we could choose the perfect paintings for our living room :)
Chris and I appreciate these gifts :) Maraming salamat Bebots!!:)
Anyway, I have more photos to share taken from last Saturday's housewarming party, I will post it late ;)

Have a nice day!:)

I got my free photos from Artscow! yipeee!!! :) The quality of the prints are great! I saved as much as $100 bucks from these photo prints! Thanks to Artscow and thanks to my dear husband as well! He bought me tools to do the works at home :) I installed these frames in the wall and I still have more frames to be installed, I'm just still waiting for the photos that I ordered from Artscow two weeks ago. Hopefully it will be delivered today :)

Since my husband and I are saving some money, we agreed that we will mount the tv ourselves :) see, we did it!:) we saved $150 bucks for the installation fee ;) weee!!!!
That's it for today! Got to go need to prepare for tomorrow's housewarming party!:)

Have a nice weekend everyone!