My Son's Favorite Blanket

I went to church today and attended the mass that the Kindergarten class  was spearheaded.  The kindergarten did a great job with their reading and singing, they even danced in front of us, they truly made my day.  Looking at them and how little they are, it reminds  me how quick time passes by.  It seems like it was just yesterday  when I had my son but suddenly he  has grownup.  He had his first confession last night and he was very nervous.  We were all there to support them  but he got through it just fine.  

I kind of miss when my babies are still little.  One of my favorite picture of my son that I always look back to is the one below when I awaken him with the flash of the camera.  I was trying to take a photo of him as he was peacefully taking a nap  and he woke up and cried lol.  The blanket that he  is holding is his very favorite blanket till now.  He is now 8 years old but still uses his baby blanket.  I guess he find comfort whenever he sleeps with it.  

Having babies at home is just pure happiness.  You get to wrap them up  with the most comfortable Blankets from Tesco that you and your  family bought before  the baby arrive and it's a lot of excitement.  It's amazing how life evolves.  I sure do enjoy being a stay at home Mom  specially now that my children are still in the stage where they want  us.  I am sure, as I heard a lot of this from other parents, time will come that they would distance themselves from the parents trying to find their own individuality.  For now, I just want to enjoy them under my care.  I maybe missing  great opportunities out there career-wise, but I wouldn't trade it for the best paying  job in the world.  Being a Mom is awesome!

Family is a Little World Created by Love

These are the photo coasters that my son gave me for Christmas.  I  put photos in them and placed it at our coffee table.  

 He was very proud that he found such nice  item for  a very affordable price..

 My daughter on the other hand got me these tea light set.  I love it since we do light candles  often.

 Then a friend of mine  sent me this candle holder  with a  decorated glass  that say "Family is a little world created by love".  For some reason, this became my son's favorite saying.

 These are my treasured gifts last Christmas!

It's great to  know that my kids are learning from their Mama, that gifts   doesn't have to be extravagant.  As long as it comes from your heart, that's all that matters.  Thanks sis Dhemz and Burritos!

New Addition

I got these four bear ornaments from Listia and thought it is perfect for the four of us so I  wrote our names on the balls.  I think I would  use a glitter or something to  make the names visible.  That would be my next project for this year's Christmas.  For now, they can sit in the storage.  

I also bought some bells on sale at KMart  that I could  use for our front porch this year.  

Gift Ideas

When  hubby and I were looking for Santa's gift for the kids, we looked at guitar and violin but decided to just get the keyboard.  I told him that I want to get  our son a guitar for his birthday and he agreed.  His birthday came and  the Dad changed his mind, he got him a  bow and arrow, ugh.  Oh well, I just remember the topic  because I  stumbled upon this denon dj online.  I think I want to  nurture my kids interest in music but my husband wants  our son to  do  manly stuff lol.

Christmas Pine Cones and Colors

Few years ago, my sister-in-law gave a basket full of pine cones.  She also   gave me some paint and glitters.  So my daughter and I painted those pine cones and made it part of our c\Christmas decor  ever since,  

 They make beautiful accents to  Christmas garlands or wreath.

This would even make beautiful Christmas tree decoration.

 This Tutu Christmas tree is really cute.  I won this few years back from a blogging giveaway.  I got the snowman and  small decors from Listia.

 I love this  Christmas Stocking hangers  made of  steel.  There are three of this that I put  on top of the book case.  I bought this from Goodwill last year.

 I think I got this from Goodwill as well, not so sure.

 I love this electric bulb turned into a snow man.  I got this for free from Listia.

 This is a softball ball turned into a snowman as well.  I also got this from Listia.

The two below are my kids project from their Art class last year.  EJ made this candle holder.  An inverted/painted  wine glass.

 I believe  my daughter's class made this from play dough.  Isn't it cute? I can't wait to see their project this year. I told my kids art teacher that she will always be part of our Christmas because of these  beautiful creations that she did with our children.

If you are looking for some unique holiday decor design on sale, there's so many to choose from online.

Man Cave? How About Something for the Ladies?

These days, the concept of a "man cave" is practically ubiquitous, but for some reason, there is less awareness about the female equivalent – the lady haven. Women can benefit just as much as men from having a space in the home specifically designed for their tastes, interests, and comfort. Three simple steps can help get you started on designing your lady cave.

Step One: Claim a Space

Recognizing the importance of creating space for yourself is crucial. Every woman can benefit greatly from having a place to unwind and temporarily disconnect from the busy world of kids, work, and a constantly full email inbox. Once you have made the decision to make a room or area of the home your own private space, you are well on your way towards the lady haven goal.

Step Two: Make it Yours

Assess the space you have designated as your future lady haven. Its size, natural light, and other features can help you determine how best to decorate and furnish it. It may also be a helpful exercise to envision yourself occupying the finished room – how do you hope to use it? Will it be a calm and quiet space, or one suited to loud music and impromptu dance parties?

Step Three: Enjoy

Once complete, your lady haven may just be your new favorite place in the world. The space can insulate you from the stress of the outside world and serve as a platform for pursuing you hobbies. It is also worth noting that your lady lair can be an ongoing project, ever changing to meet your whims or new interests. What is important is that you have begun the process, and have thus invested in your own comfort and wellbeing.

Your Sanctuary

Whether your idea of bliss is curling up with a book, having your girlfriends over or stretching out on a yoga mat, having a space in your home in which to relax is vitally important. Designing a lady haven can be an exciting opportunity to create a space that is truly yours, and which lends itself specifically to your comfort and entertainment.

Relaxed Chevron Throw - Dot & Bo Review

Disclosure: The author of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review. Opinions expressed is solely my own and may differ from others. The product/s being described in this review was provided for FREE for evaluation purposes.

During the Thanksgiving break, hubby and I have been busy at home.  I put him to work with the new  curtain rods that we snagged on sale.  

 We bought the oil-rubbed bronze decorative rod set by Kirsch.  It was originally priced at $22 but we got it for $5.99, the day after the Black Friday  sale.

For the past couple of days, I have been working on some projects, HAND-SEWN throw pillow cases.  It's funny that I have three  electric sewing machine here but none of them seem to work so I just sewn them with my hands.  

 Our throw pillows  have  the same  color as the love seat and couch when we bought them.  So I thought of adding some colors to our living room.  I found these beautiful fabrics at one of our old sewing machine cabinet so I made them into pillow cases.  

BLUE by the way is the family's favorite color! ABC Wednesday

I thought the pattern of this light blue printed  fabric goes really good with our painting on the wall.   

I also bought two mink throws on sale to keep us warm when we watch our favorite shows on TV.

I LOVE the new addition, another splash of color to our living room, the Relaxed Chevron Throw   that Dot & Bo sent me for review.  You can buy this on sale for $49.99 with a 40% discount from the original price of $83.

This throw gives you a bold pallete of color without sacrificing the cozy feeling.  I love that it somehow ties with  the color of our couch and love seat.  This is  made from 100% cotton from India so it is so soft and very cozy  for snuggling.

Just look at this  little lady of mine who is always feeling cold.  She just love this  soft throw.

 Even our dog, Bolt wanted to snuggle in it too but he isn't allowed lol.  Sorry buddy, this isn't for you but  I might buy you a new cushion if you behave hehehe.

Now my living room doesn't look so dark anymore because of the new splashes of color that I added.  It's not the best living room  set up you'll ever see but it's good enough for us to stay warm on this freezing  weather.  Interior decorating is not my cup of tea but I  try my best to make our home a bit presentable.  

Thanks a lot Dot & Bo for the beautiful Christmas present!  If you are looking for  unique home decor and products, Dot & Bo is the place to go.  I love everything that they have!

As I have said, I am no expert when it comes to decorating so rearranging is frequent.  Any  expertise that you may have in decorating or how to properly put stuff  is quite welcome through the comment.  

Why You Should Start Blogging if you Don't Already

It might come to shock you that most ecommerce websites do not have a business blog. Whereas there are several sources asserting as to why a business should have a blog, quite a few have been targeted at the e-commerce sites.

Business blogs do much for increasing online traffic to general website platforms. They also have various other benefits specific to e-commerce sites. However, what’s better even is that since several e-commerce sites are not taking advantage of having business blog, this may be one aspect setting your site apart from the rest.

The below are just a few of the reasons why blogs are important for eCommerce.

Blogs are vital for SEO in getting your content crawled

Through content and links, search engine “crawlers” may reach billions of interconnected documents. Since blogs regularly contain specific phrasing, links, and content that’s related to your e-commerce site, making it easier for search engine bots to classify and rank your site. This will translate to better rankings in Google searches.

Informing your Reader

A blog is an excellent way to help visitors gain more insight as to what your products or services are all about. To gain more following for the blog, you should produce quality content offering valuable information. The readers will keep coming for more, and the more they come, the more they know about your product.

Begin or Reply to a Discussion about Popular Questions

When trying to write content, look at the previous comments on the other posts, or look to the social media accounts and try answering a question that a customer or follower is having. This demonstrates that you care about your readers. Asking questions is an ideal way of creating an ongoing dialog. This creates a personal relationship between you and your customers, and people normally shop and buy goods from businessmen who personally connect with them and make their clients a priority.

Share a Relatable Story or an Experience

When writing a post, and you sharing a personal anecdote, client story, or other experience, make sure it’s in your opening paragraph. This draws readers to what you want to say, and shows that you are an expert on this topic. Emotional connections play a large role in any business that exists, even more so online as you have a short time to make the connection with your customer. Give them a reason they should ignore the back button.

Conclusion

When internet users buy services and goods online, they normally care about who they are buying from. Thus, a business blog helps in indicating that your e-commerce site values the interest and the needs of customers. It establishes credibility, provides valuable information, have your site ranked higher in search engines. Blogging is going to set your eCommerce site apart from other businesses, and with time, it will build content that will be valuable to your business and the customers.

Edrick Hypolite is a blogger with a focus on tech and internet business. He writes in order to help aspiring ecommerce entrepreneurs improve their sites and hopefully be more successful in the future. For those who have set up their site and just need a secure checkout process, he highly recommends third party providers like FastSpring. You can learn more about Edrick on Google+.

Making Simple Christmas Decors at Home

I have been busy  tinkering  here at home with small  things that we have collected over the years.  I am recycling empty containers into simple Christmas decorations using the  pretty little things that my kinds have found during our walks or small things that they got as  gifts.  First up are the small tree jars that was given to the kids by the homeroom Moms last year.  They were filled with chocolates.  Now that they are empty, I filled it with the small figurines that we have.

 My son  collected these baby pine cones last summer during one of our walks so I thought of using it to fill the  tree jar, it made him happy that I used his collection.

The card that says "God's love is the Heart of Christmas" was given away by the second grade homeroom moms this year so I out it  by the nativity  scene figurine.  

 

 It is now sitting in our little  corner nook that the kids have initially decorated.

I filled the other tree jar with  sweets  (tree cane and  small candy canes).  The kids received these sweets last year but they never really ate them so  these would serve as decorations from now on.

 Ain't that cute?

 Another thing that I tinkered is this empty  candle jar.  I put two of the baby cones that daughter and I painted and a one holly  branch.

 The small pine branches are also  from my   son's  nature collection.  They are real  pine leaves that he dried out so they smelled good.

I don't really decorate for any other holidays but I make sure to decorate on Christmas.  If you are tired of putting up  the same decor every year, you can alter them.  Make something new out of something old.  Pink Saturday