favorite little something

My favorite little something today is finding myself trying to choose love and saying yes to  the not-so-easy kind of mission. It gives me a deeper kind of peace and joy. What's yours? 

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random

Singing with my crush. Don't worry dear husband he is just a crush. You are my love :D

Busy with Easter goodies. 

Trying my best to forget my migraine.
Tea time with Momi Tin.
Cooking this and this.
Anticipating Easter Vigil. The most important night of the year.
Clinging on to Him so as to maintain my heaven in this chaotic and sometimes very tiring and not so heavenly world...

The last one is quite deep and sensitive =) I wish to talk more about it with  tea and a cheesecake with a dear friend or a family. I sometimes hate that they are so far from where I am. I CAN SMELL HOMESICKNESS.

Change topic.

Here's one of the minis I have done for a workshop long ago for Jodi. I miss this beautiful kid.

Wishing you love and peace this Lenten season...

what happened to me?

I seem to have already forgotten how to blog. 

(silence) 

Help! 

(silence) 

(more silence) 

Oh dear. (Not even my own. It's my son's fave expression lately).

I'll be back tomorrow. Maybe something will come out of this brain. 

Goodnight. I miss you all. 

Love, 

Gen 

(sigh) 

note to self: stay you

This week at Made With Love, we are assigned to work on a "then and now" theme. So here's a layout about me... the baby me and the mommy me :) I want this layout to remind me of my roots... of how I used to be.... of how I should be no matter how much the world and the people around me have changed. 

As a child, according to my mother, I was really nice and polite. And growing up, I remember myself to be sweet, thoughtful, friendly, caring... optimistic, hopeful, always inspired, thankful and happy! Or at least I thought I was like that. I always wanted to please my loved ones. I can't stand it if someone is feeling bad or sad. I would do everything to make everyone around me smile. Because I am like that. I smile even when I'm hurt. Hoping in my heart that tomorrow will be better. I decide to be happy in my sorrows, believing that I have a God who takes care of everything. Smile. Laugh. Even in bad days, I can blog about it and end my posts with happy thoughts. 

But then... 

Failed attempts to please others, fake friendships, life's disappointments, hurts ... led me to brace myself and be someone I don't like. Tough.  Dry. Indifferent. Unconcerned. Selfish. Self-absorbed. Hypocrite.  Because the world seems to find this cool as opposed to the "corny" personality I used to have. Oh how wrong I was. I was not always happy being like that...

Why should I let these negative events dictate me to be a monster. Call me corny, call me weird, call me uncool. Alright. But I don't want to be a bitchy monster... but to be honest I  think I already am :(  I miss the old me. 

So this 12x12 layout will be displayed on my desk to remind me in my journey back to uncool nice-ness. God I'm gonna need help haha! 

Used a mix of papers from Lilly Bee and My Mind's Eye, embellishments from my stash,  and a "stay you" cutout with the help of my Eclips. You may wonder why I kind of covered my (baby) face with the title. There is actually an explanation to that. See this photo?...

... look at the pen mark on my nose ( I believe one of my siblings did that. When we were small, we would ruin each other's photos when we had fights! LOL! ). I don't know how to photoshop (it's an item on my bucket list so maybe soon ok) so I couldn't think of any way to cover that up so, cover-with-the-title it is! :) 

(By the way, I noticed how much I like to make side comments on my sentences using open and close parenthesis. Have you noticed too?! lol!) 

Close-ups... 

... the longer I scrap, the more I realise that I am not a medium-type scrapper. But I am still in denial. I still want to believe I can play with mediums (hahaha !) So there, I sprayed the title with Mr. Huey's clear shiny mist. hmmmn. Looks ok to me :) 

Hope you enjoyed (and was not bored to death by) my very honest post :) Till next time! 

Love, Gen :)

notebook & pen

Why do I have to go through this?

Like every month?

Cry in the toilet for no apparent reason? (Okay, there was actually one but I won't tell you now coz really, it's no biggie...)

Eat Mcflurry everyday for one week? 

Skip workouts. 

Skip prayer times.

Be negative. 

Be very negative about everything.

Feel like sh*t for being negative about everything. 

Be in hell. 

Every month. 

January.

February.

March.

April. 

May.

June. 

July. 

August. 

September.

October. 

November.

December.

Repeat. 

Every single month. 

PMS. You are my worst nightmare. 

But thank God I woke up. 

With prayers. Lots and lots of prayers.

Minute by minute struggle to be up. 

Conscious effort to mentally count blessings. 

And that one trip to Popular to get this notebook and pen: 

Yes. A new notebook is almost always my 'big hug' whenever days are gloomy. I decorated it with stickers, wrote my thoughts on the first page, doodled some good things, plans to look forward to...  and voila, instant smile on my face!

I wonder, do you ever feel this way? Please say yes so I'll feel better completely. lol.

XO :)
Gen

prayertime...

Dear Father... please help me, give me strength to carry my cross. Please give me the grace to be humble. Take away my pride. Please purify my motives. May I do the things I need to do because I love doing it. Like I always have since high school days and not because of competition. Please grant me the serenity to accept and love those who are trying to copy me, put me down, reject me, or hurt me in any way. Because You love them too. You are working in their lives. You allow them to cross my path for a reason. One is so that I will always look up to you and cling to you.  I give you thanks for the people who appreciate and support me. But most of all I give You thanks for this little moment of prayer with You. Thank you for the peace and joy. Thank you for loving me.
Amen.

*poster/photo credit: pinterest

thankful tuesday

I feel a little sad about a few things.

I thought I was being thoughtful to somebody, but it looked like that somebody didn't like what I did.
I was so excited to spend time with my family this Christmas but I found out this morning, one of my sisters will be spending Christmas somewhere else.
I have been trying very hard to lose weight, but the more I do, the more weight I gain!

So?

Should I stop being thoughtful? No. I will still be the same person I am, Because I know there are more people out there who know how to appreciate. Besides, I should not expect anything in return when I do something for others :)

Should I feel bad towards my sister? No. I will understand and I wish her all the happiness she deserves. Besides, she will be with my brother's family. I'm sure my brother will be so happy too.

Should I quit exercising? And eat as much as I want? No. I will still keep going. It may take long but I know I will achieve my ideal and dream weight. Maybe God will grant me my desired weight when He sees that I'm not doing it for vanity reasons but for good health and well being.

Those few things are but so little compared to the great blessings God gives each day.  Like what happened yesterday morning after breakfast...

... I wanted to take photos of my projects, and I had to go down for better and natural lighting. Suddenly hubby and the boys wanted to come along.  So even in their pajamas, it was an instant "picture perfect" moment :)

... thanks to this guy for the very lovely photos!

moments

There's no better way to spend "the last day" than say a prayer, to cook a sinful pork meal, dance with hubby and kids in a total of 10 tracks (making them so tired they all sleep) and scrap, most definitely!

This is my "last" layout...

Love this photos so much. It was one candid moment in our bedroom. Naptime. Tickle time. Cuddle time. We do that daily. And when in times I'd forget to have that moment. The little one would say, "Mommy, I want to yab yab (love love) on the bed!" Oh so precious precious everyday moment I will never ever get tired of doing. 

Used toy box and neighborhood collections from crate paper (my latest paper crush!) and to make those heart and star shapes, I used this die:

Do I really think it's the end of the world? Who knows? It could be today. Tomorrow. Next year. Next decade...  I don't really make a big fuss out of the prediction. It could happen anytime. To anybody. That's why I always try to remind myself to choose to be happy each day. To capture each ordinary but genuine moments. To choose  time with family and loved ones over earning more money. I am not saying I have perfectly done it. I falter at times. But it helps to try and try. Little by little. In God's grace. Because only through Him are all these things possible.

But really, though I try to live as if it's my last,  I don't think it's my last day today :D and so I was just joking when I said it's my last layout :D

Hugs to you XOXO :)

what's up

Lovin' my days lately :)

I prayed for this. And God heard me. I have learned to focus more on the things that really matter. I'm not the usual scatter-brain anymore (so far!). It's funny how God works though. At times, He allows heartbreaks to lead us to something good. Now if only I remember this at all times. So that the next time trouble comes, I'd welcome it with open arms trusting that He is up to something so much better than what I have in mind.

So here's what I have been up to ...

... some hand made stuff to fill my online store soon :)

... a peek at my kitchen!

... and i just wanna document in this blog the invite with a poem I made for my little fellow for his supposed to be picnic party. For some unavoidable reasons, the picnic won't push through ... up to now, we are still not sure how we would celebrate his 3rd birthday.  Whatever we come up with, I just want to make sure he will be happy :) 

be you

The past days have been so challenging. I got sick, Kuya got sick. We are both well now, but It's Miguel's turn now. I am still thankful though because they are both playful and happy as they are, and they eat a lot :) Those are the only things I watch out for when they get sick. Do they smile? Do they eat? I am grateful more than ever for my part-time job, which enables me to choose my own schedule so I am there for them when they get sick and be able to take care of them, give them my 100% attention. Just being there, watch TV together, nap together, play together. Precious precious moments I won't trade for anything in this world.

Now to the crafty stuff... I made these three simple tags side by side with hubby while he was also doing photography stuff. I love that moment. We were in one room together, having simple chit chats, sometimes silent and busy, then noisy again... How I wish we do this every Saturday. Hmmn. Why not? Then maybe we can call this our "hobby room". Why not? But it's our kids' playroom? But play is also a hobby right? hahaha! Ok here are the tags before I go on talking nonsense lol!

...  for Tita Nene. She's our neighbor when we were still at Blk. 778. She'd surprise me every now and then with her visits. We'd talk a lot. And I was always comfortable talking with her about my boys, my problems... Apparently, I learned later on she also belongs to Neo Catechumenal Way.  I miss her. 

 ...for my sister's BFF, Vivian. I have seen how they both grow together since first year HS. And I am in awe of how their friendship survived life's difficult moments... victories... their relationship is a proof TRUE FRIENDS exist :)

... this one's for me. I want to just be me. The good the bad. The ugly. I am not perfect. Not yet, It is between me and my God. Just let me be me especially in times when I NEED TO JUST BE ME. And I will be the same for you. If you are still there while I am me then you are worth keeping. But if you only like me because I am pleasant and pleasing to your taste, then maybe it's a waste of time. . Life is too short. Let's get real. Hmmmn. That was serious. But that's been in my mind for the last couple of days. That's just me. Take it of leave it :)

today

I won Iris Uy's birthday giveaway here :)
Spent the whole morning with my boys somewhere out there.
We had ice cream, pancakes, fries.... their favorite, and mine :)
Cleaned up my work area.
Received another confirmation for a private class.
Had coffee and leftover Garrett (we bought jumbo on our valentine date y'know haha).
I didn't work out :( (maybe later).
Thought of someone and something. Sad but God is bigger. Amen.
Then just a moment ago, I made this...

It's for my coming class... for kids! :)

new home

It's not our home yet, we are still renting. But hubby and I are hopeful that in time, He will provide us :) I will let you know if that happens! Meanwhile, I'm loving our new place....
Especially this...

 

... makes me so inspired to create... but the whole house (and a gallon of Dettol) is calling my name. So fixing my 'haven' in between unpacking and cleaning and sorting is such a treat :)


I have got lots of plans for this room ... but I always remind myself, it must be God's plan, not mine. Because lately, He has been extremely generous to me and my family. And I believe it's because we said yes to His plans.  Eventhough at first it felt like it was not what we wanted, but in the end He surprised us with blessings, things and happenings beyond our hopes... He is the potter, we are the clay. 

Happy to share with you the very first project I made in my new room (I mean, our room. Coz I share this room with my boys, it's their playroom too, lol) It's a birthday card for our little sister, Juris.

      Happy Birthday Juris! We love you! :)

Let's do it!

Hello there! For the past 3 days, I've been typing and erasing and re-typing ... Just ending up canceling my posts ... It's never easy to be back just like that after 2 months of vacation to my hometown... Homesickness kills me ... I just miss home, my family, nephew, cousins, friends, food, the crazy life back there... But God, my ever loving ang faithful Best Friend, and his assistant BB, with my adorable boys, and some angels here and there made things better and now I can say that I'm somehow back :)

And what better way to be back than these little things that push and inspire me bring my mojo back!

...this year's planner, a present from Maggie :)




... adaptors for my iPad! a surprise pasalubong from BB... Now I can upload and organize photos directly from my usb and sd cards :)



...and this uber cute notebook from Swee Ching! :)




Thank you guys! Now I got no more reason to just dilly dally ... Gotta get this butt moving! Have an excellent weekend you guys! :)

foretaste of heaven

Just got back from a 4-day convivence in this nice resort hotel in Malaysia. That retreat with my hubby and 83 more brothers and sisters from our Neo-Catecumenal Way community, I want to say out loud, really changed my life. It changed my perspective on life in a great great way. The life experiences of many, the message of hope about death, heaven and hell, here and now in my present life, my sins, my weaknesses, and God's great love for me despite all of those were laid clearly in front of me --- and I never felt this peaceful in my entire life. I pray that this state stays with me for the longest time. I am truly happy. Happiness from deep within. The kind of joy without the loud laugh. It makes me cry in fact. The kind of happiness that I need not show and tell because it's just between me and God.

I was saying to a brother while we were on board our bus, I'm scared of going back --- to the real world, outside the comfort zone of that spirit-filled retreat. But I quickly reminded myself to just be ready all the time and look up, beg for His mercy. So now, I am back, with a prayer: Holy Spirit please be with me and my hubby in facing life... and occasional "deaths"... hoping that You are always there for us lifting us up in each and every "resurrection"...

Sharing with you some of my favorite photos :) hope it shows here how our two boys loved the vacation as well :)

... more photos  HERE.