Hugs & Kisses

One of the nicest treasuries CookieBits has been featured at was done by consentiodesign. You can find the beautiful selection of peace, love, hugs and kisses items HERE. Beautiful, beautiful. I'm so pleased to be part of it!

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38 Days til Christmas!!! Are you counting too? Our Christmas tree is all decked up already. Now I just have to get busy with wrapping presents. The house always feels like Santa's Little Workshop during the holidays.

Give This Christmas

I'm having absolute fun making Christmas cards! It is, after all, my most favorite occasion of the entire year. LOVE IT more than my birthday!

Christ has blessed me so much this year that I thought of giving back, though still inadequate given His most awesome grace. From now til the end of this year, I will feature the GIVE SERIES in my Etsy shop.

30% of the proceeds from the sale of these cards will go towards the Nazarene Global Mission whose framework is centered on reaching those who do not know Jesus as Savior and Lord and to help them become Christ-like disciples.

On top of this, anybody who purchases any of the Give Series cards and mentions this promo from my blog will receive a 10% off their next purchase of other cards/items in my shop. Neat, huh? :-)

"For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten son,
that whosoever shall believe in Him
shall not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16

On Loving

"...you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don’t, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology."

Adrian Tan, author of The Teenage Textbook (1988)

I Am Ninja Features ^__^

Thanks to imeondesign for including my Ninja Pop Up Card in her treasury, her cowabungga I Am A Ninja treasury got featured in Craftcult too! Now wasn't that a lot of links? ^__~ She was so nice to post a screen capture of the feature. I wouldn't have seen it otherwise.


I am making ninja gift tags for Christmas. They're so addicting to cut!

Ninjuuuuh!

Because my precious Domo Kun Pop Up Card got deleted, here's a shy NINJUUUUUH instead! NINJUUUUH! LOL

Get yours HERE! ^__^

Paper Flowers

Besides the dreaded flu after the flu shot, beautiful things made out of nothing have been keeping me busy as a bee these past few days.

I love how the things we throw away could morph into such lovelies.

Domo RAWR!

Is it just me, or is it sweltering HOT in here?! My brain is getting baked big time! Our garage exhaust has been running non-stop since this morning, and it really doesn't rest until the temperature is cool enough. HUH! It's already getting dark outside and still no love from the winds? Can't complain though... Gotta enjoy all the seasons in their entirety, right? ^__~

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Domo Kun in the house! The hubby has been badgering me to cut Domo for the longest time. I was going to make a Domo Kitty (you know, a Domo Kun wearing a Herro Kitteh costume. YAHOO!) but decided against it. I made this sweet Domo instead.

Pulling Pork

I seriously pulled pork like a rockstar! WHOOT! Look at that glorious BBQ sauce dripping down on my slow-cooked-but-rushed pork butt. I braised it in... merm... rootbeer since I didn't have any broth in the fridge. Turned out quite well anyway ^_^

Labor Day Weekend

HURRAH! For hot air balloon rides and absolute cheeziness in the deserts of Arizona! ^_^

The -BER months & Profiteroles

What better way to celebrate the coming of the -BER months, aka the holiday months, than by whipping up some of these glorified cream puffs? I call them profiteroles, aka rounded eclairs, just cause they're smothered with chocolate rather than dusted with confectioner's sugar. Either way, they're filled with my favoritest-test filling of all time - ooey gooey, chilled pastry cream.

Oooooh, yes. I'm currently having a dangerous love affair with pastry cream... Want to share?

Pichi-Pichi

This be some crazy yummy, crazy colored, Filipino dessert! It's called pichi-pichi and my steamer is going nuts churning these yummy goodness. Have I already told you they're yummy?

I love breaks cause it means I get to play in the kitchen! ^_^

Featured

A long hiatus from posting new finds... Business has been extremely slow this month. I couldn't really complain though, with the waves at the beach calling my name. A few more months of this beautiful, sunny weather before the festive holidays will just swoop us by, I'm sure.

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CookieBits has been twice featured in lovely treasuries this month! The I Miss U Pop Up Card graces thesedefineme's Long-Distance Relationship themed treasury, and my new Hand-Cut Couple Card adds a cute touch to creativityismessy's Let's Get Personal themed treasury.

Thank you to both!

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Enjoy the summer sun, everyone! ^_^

"Healthy" Roasted Potatoes

Tonight, I had the following conversation with the hubby...

Me: "Do you want rice or pasta tonight?"

Hubby: "Fasting."

Me: "..."

I roasted potatoes :-P And that, up there, is my version of "healthy" roasted potatoes, fasting-sized portion if it makes a difference.

Being Thankful

Today, I am most thankful for

my younger brother trusting his secrets with me :-)

Bountiful Harvest

Our little planter out back is starting to produce! What prettiful tomatoes and nectarines. Hello, delicious! ^_^

Happy Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Have fun, be safe, and don't forget to thank our heroes!

Life Is Good

I don't remember when

I stopped taking life too seriously,

but I know it got so much better

from then forth.

I love life.

July? No, I Did Not.

Hellooooo, July! July? No, I did not. (I hope someone out there got that. HAHA!)

It's official! We're half way through the year! To celebrate, I'm thinking of remaking this over the weekend:

*Nyomnyomnyom*

Or maybe this to celebrate the red, white, and blue day...

*Double nyomnyomnyom*

Wow... I sure miss the culinary world and all it's colorful beauty! We're having a bunch of people over from overseas this coming weekend so these projects seem like a justifiable splurge, don't you think?

Poladroid

Oooooh... This is some crazy, cool schnitzel for Polaroid addicts - Polaroid-looking prints! Whoa-za! I stumbled upon Poladroid while surfing the wonderful world of web, and downloaded us this application for free! F-R-E-E! @_@ Ooooh... It's so cool, it even makes Polaroid-sounding clicks and runs out of cartridge, which you have to "refill." HAHA!

Oh, just in case you're wondering, that's me and the hubby clowning around cause we have nothing else better to do ^_~

Here are some more pretty pictures taken from a regular camera and Poladroid-ed by the application:

Hello, SUMMER!

Father's Day passed us by without a hitch. I hope all fathers out there had a great time with their loved ones and families. Here's a card I made especially for the wonderful dads and the in-betweens for this occasion ^_~ It's not late, it's just 363 days early! *TEE-HEE*

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Hello, Summer! I missed you so.

And You Blue Me Away

A big thank you to SilverLinesJewelry for featuring the Personalized Hand-Cut Couple Card in her beautifully collected treasury, "and you Blue Me Away." Isn't the collection so calming? I love how she integrated all those hues of blues... Truly gorgeous. I'm so honored to be part of it!

Green Tea Ice Cream is Love

Maeda-en just filled our freezer with love this afternoon. Have you ever tried their green tea ice cream?! OH-EM-GEEEE!!! I tell you, it felt like I died and went to heaven when I placed a spoonful of this yumminess in my mouth just a few moments ago! Here's how the container looks like:

Now I'm all scared to be alone with this party size tub cause I might finish it all by myself!

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On another note, I don't know what blog CookieBits happens to be featured in at right now (if it is), but orders for the personalized hand-cut couple card just came rushing in! Is there a love-y occasion currently going on that I am not aware of? In any case, I am happy to be laboriously cutting away! :-)

Have a great weekend, you! ^_^

June!

Hello, June! ^_^

Oh, beach season, please do come faster. The hubby and I miss you terribly! GAH!!! Can't wait to try out my never-been-used boogie board! It's been resting in eternal peace over the hubby's workshop since the house was bought. Summer, come, come, come!

Long Weekend Ahead

I love it when we could sleep in, wake up, and do nothing at all the entire day and not worry about being extra unproductive. I love it more when it involves Pistachio Almond Ice Cream from Baskin Robbins.

It is pure, unadulterated love.

Personalized Hand-Cut Cards

I just sent my good friend, Donna, this Personalized Hand-Cut Couple Card to give to the love of her life. I hope she likes it when she receives it, and I hope her boyfriend likes it, too, when she gives it to him! I am such a dork for hand-written love notes. They give me butterflies and dragonflies and ladybugs in my tummy!

The card is available in my Etsy shop, too! Come on over and let's all be googly-eyed givers of love notes. *TEE-HEE*

Too Early for Christmas

I know it's still too early to ask for a Christmas gift, but... Can I have a hippopotamus for Christmas?! It's soooo cuuuuuuute!!! (I would so include a source for the photo but I don't know where this adorable one started circulating from.)

Sashimi

There was love in our fridge...
That is, until the hubby and I finished it off in 2 minutes.

I *heart* sashimi!

My Soul Cries Out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades.
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame.
And the cry of my heart is to give You praise
From the inside out, Lord, my soul cries out.

New Mother's Day Card Just In

New card just in time for Mother's Day! I thought of expanding the card line to hand-cut cards this year. They can be folded inside-out or right side-in, depending on preference. They could also be personalized to text of your choice! I think this particular one came out pretty nice after laboriously working on making it look right one entire afternoon, don't ya think so? :-) The newly hand-cut card is available for purchase at my Etsy store, here.

Nimbus Cloud

Photo courtesy of http://www.centennialofflight.gov

How wonderful is it to see the color of your newly-painted house in the sky while driving from a long day's work? Awesome, I tell you. You couldn't wipe off the awestruck smile from my face even if you tried.

I Thank the Lord...

...for a husband who prays when we quarrel.

Mama Goes Front Page!

GAH! How can one of my cards go front page on Etsy without me getting even a glimpse of it on there? @_@ Luckily, my Etsy is linked to my Facebook page and announced the front pager while I was away.

YEY for technology! ^_^

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Over the weekend, the hubby, the mom-in-law and I finally began our long-awaited exterior house project. The hubby and I have been busy painting the house a beautiful "Nimbus Cloud" color, in perfect contrast with my mom-in-law's newly planted dwarf nectarine and semi-dwarf Shinseki pear trees. Add this to the vegetable planter we just set up with cherry tomatoes and eggplants and kabocha squashes and peppers... Ooooh... I can't wait for all of them to bloom and bear fruit and vegetables come Spring! I bet they all taste yummy and sweet! ^_^

Duckies Wanna Play

My sweet tutee, Hayley, has this thing for ducks. She's like a little sister to me, so I made this pop up card thinking of her. They're waddling just in time for spring! :-) Aren't they the sweetest, cutest pair? ^_^

Crossing Off Something from the Bucket List

The hubby and I got through our 3 years together with flying colors last Saturday *HURRAH* Unlike last year, we actually remembered it was coming and cram-planned something a few days before. Beautiful skies were forecast that weekend so we thought of bringing our relationship to new heights... literally.

Guess what we did on the 3rd?! ^_^

We even got to wear the whole SHE-BANG! ^_^

Hanging loose!

WHOOT! YEA! ^_^

The jump itself was not the expected "thrill-ride" everyone (who hasn't experienced it yet) thinks it is. It was more of a peaceful experience, if anything. Very silent and still up there -- I couldn't even hear myself hooting my heart out.

But ahhh... The beauty of crossing something off our bucket list together. ^_^

April 1st

Happy April Fool's Day! ^_^

Pink Lemonade Chicks

Would you take a look at this GORGEOUS treasury entitled Pink Lemonade Chicks by deadspider! It's so cheery, pink, and sunshine-y, I LURVE IT! I definitely HEART!

4 Books In

4 books in, 16 more to go. Not sure I'm fairing too well though since all these love stories get crazy jumbled up in my mind... So when the hubby goes, "What's it about?" I start chanting about this one ginormous story with all four books' plots mixed in, plus a couple of movie plots here and there... Hrmmm...

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By the way, have I ever shown you the first ever pop up card I've made?

I made it out of the scratch paper that I used to jot down my Anatomy notes in a couple of semesters ago. Then I colored it with my hubby's Sharpies strewn all over his computer desk... If I remember correctly, I was studying for a long exam that night (memorizing bone parts, I think) but was too restless and distracted that I needed to do something, ANYTHING, with my idle hands.

The fruits of boredom, eh?

Lecturing in Nature

My History of California professor decided to teach under the trees in lieu of our make-shift trailer classroom. A beautiful day to be lecturing by the blooming trees, don't you agree? :-)