OFF for a Few Days!

I'll be off in the blogosphere for a few days because I am taking care of my mom right now who is in the hospital. She will undergo an operation this coming Saturday and the next few days will be again busy for me.

To all my blogger friends, the memes I'm joining and to everyone else...please bear with me as of this moment. Hope I can visit again your blog once everything is in order. Please help me pray for my mom too. Please pray for a successful operation and hope everything will turn out to be a blessing.

I'll be back soon...

YS # 5 - "Suman"

"Suman" or sticky rice is one of my favorite snacks.I like to dip it with sugar.Yummy!!! especially with hot cocoa or "tablia"

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Blessings in cancer

My doctor said the result of my thyrogobyrin test was very good. He confirmed that there is no recurrence of my thyroid cancer. When I heard the report, I felt like it was my birthday again. Yippee!

You know what, my 'cancer experience' a few years ago gave me a new life. When I came into the reality of possibly facing death I was able to ask why. "What if God would take me now or later. Was I ready? Was I able to live my life in fullness or was I able to fulfill my purpose in life here on earth? In short, I was able to value my life.

I was then able to see the world in a new perspective .I learned to appreciate life more, and appreciate whatever blessings I received whether big or small. Whenever I encounter difficulties, these do not affect me so much anymore because my cancer experience helped me to know God deeper and everything is ALL about HIM. And no matter what happens, He is the reason of our existence and ultimately, we will all face Him in the end.

And since we are not in control of our time table here on earth, I learned to value my love one's more and the people around me especially those who are lost.

To God be the glory!

For The Football Fans

Generally, Filipinos love basketball and billiards, the British love soccer while the Americans love Football!! Different nationalities have different favorite sports but if you ask any football fan they would say that, nothing beats football. Well to all the football fans out there, it's the time to get busy and be glued to the television or better yet, buy your tickets because it's already the football season.

For this season, would you want to get more coverage, player news updates, football analysis, strength of schedule rankings, player projections, player comparisons, among others? Then, you can sign up for an In Season Pass for only 9.99$. What am I talking about? Oh, I'm actually talking about the favorite game for football fans and that's fantasy football at WaiverWire. You see, most of the football fans can not have enough of the real football and would want to continue the game through fantasy football.

So, if you're one of these football fans, then better check out Waiverwire's special promotions for this season. There's the In-Season pass for 9.99$ ( originally priced at 49.99$) and the Full Season pass for 29.99$ ( originally priced at 99.99$) now these are great deals, right? So, check them out now.

5 Things friday #3

5 Favorite saying

1.Praise the Lord! when I feel blessed and thankful.

2.In Jesus name! when I feel that I need God's protection.

3.Really? when I'm surprise.

4.Amen ba? when I teach in church and ask the congregation's agreement.

5.Sure! ? As a question or agreement.


Can you share also your 5 favorite sayings? Please join us with JEAN STOCKDALE

Friday Photo Flashback #1

This is my first time to join Friday photo flashback And here is my first entry.This picture was taken when I was 2 yrs old.Sorry for my photo is so small.

wfw #11- The Lord is my Shepherd

Psalm 23: 1-5 "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

My Thyroglobulin test

I just had my thyroglobulin text (Tg) last week. The Tg is primarily used as tumor marker to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment for thyroid cancer and to monitor recurrence.

I am so thankful that Tg is available here in Cagayan de Oro City now. A few years back, my husband and I had to travel by a vessel to Cebu City just to have this test. Just imagine our expenses for our fare and hotel Accommodation including the hassles and time spent for it.

Every time I have this test my heart starts to beat faster because I will be able to remember the things I went through when I learned that I had a thyroid cancer - the anxious feeling about the sickness, the thought of where to get the money for the expenses and the tiring check-up going in and out of the hospital plus traveling to Cebu for RAI scan, the no salt diet, the isolation because of radiation and all sort of things.

But those feelings was just a spur of the moment because God is in control and always there to remind me of His promise. Read my post, "God Healed Me From Thyroid Cancer."

That anxious feeling is then replaced with a feeling of peace and gratefulness of how I overcome those trials with God's help. I am truly amaze every time I recall those times how God provided everything.

I am so glad that I have a faithful God!

YS # 4-Roasted pig

"Lechon baboy" or roasted pig is our National dish.I was able to taste this dish once again because it was the death anniversary of my father in law so we went to my hubby's home town in Cabadbaran.Yummy!!

For more Yummy Sunday entries,please click the button above.

Country village hotel

The Country Village Hotel. This is where Thea, Z boy's cousin celebrated her birthday. This is actually a hotel but functions like birthdays and weddings can be held here too. Their place is nice but we were quite disappointed with the food they served. Nevertheless, they have the best amenities for kids. They have a kiddie swimming pool and a playground in the area. It's just a perfect venue for a kid's pool party. The kids were overjoyed at this party and in fact they just wanted to linger in the place and didn't want to go back home anymore.

Z had fun splashing in the water.

The kids enjoyed the slides in the pool.

My brother and brother in law enjoyed just dipping while talking.

After the swim, the kids got to enjoy the playground.

The party actually started at 2 pm but we went home at night time already because the kids just had so much fun.

Saturday Sale!

This post was sponsored by Kmart. All the opinions are mine.

I love sales and great promotions! Whenever there are special sales in the city, I would always want to go and see if we could get something that has a great deal. Well, for those in the US, there is a BIG sale that is going to take place ONLY this Saturday. It's a great sale in which you can get special offers in a wide variety of items from patio furniture to diamonds - at Bluelight special prices!

For those who are not familiar with Kmart Bluelight specials, they occurred at surprise moments when a store worker would light up a mobile police light and offer a discount in a specific department of the store. Now, that's a truly exciting way to shop!

For this Saturday, there are over 40 great Bluelight Specials throughout the day in-store plus other great offers. Offers like; a wide array of Patio furniture will have 70% off their regular prices. That's right, 70% off!! So, hopefully you haven't bought a new set of patio furniture set yet. For those fond of jewelries or diamonds, there will also be an extra 10% off on diamonds that already have a 70% discount!

Oh, how I wish we have Kmart here in our place. Just imagining this great sale is already enough to make so excited! So, if you have a Kmart outlet near you, better hurry and take advantage of the sale this Saturday. And don't forget to follow Kmart on Twitter to get the latest updates and promotions .

Piggy bank

This pictures was taken last December.My Mom has a big piggy bank for each of her grandchildren. So,when it was full , it was time to open their piggy banks, everyone was so happy and couldn't believe the amount reached for each piggy bank - 1K plus!

The grandchildren were so excited and were already planning what to buy from their piggy banks. I'm sure they will never forget this loving gesture from their Granny. In fact, Z has his own piggy bank now as he has already learned the value of saving.

Thank you so much Granny!Your so special to us....We love you!

Bluelight Specials Are Back!

This post was sponsored by Kmart. All the opinions are mine.

" Attention Kmart Shoppers, the Kmart Bluelight specials are back!" This season must be an exciting time for all the loyal Kmart shoppers. Back in 1991 and 2001 , the Bluelight specials has been a hit to its customers. Even the phrase " Attention Kmart shoppers..." has been a very popular phrase and has been used in different movies and media like Rain Man, Troop Beverly Hills, Six Days Seven Nights, and Beetlejuice.

As for me, I love clothes and shoes and would want these items to be included in the bluelight specials too. But for those who are looking for patio furniture and diamonds, this weekend would be the best time for you to shop at Kmart. Since ALL patio furniture has 70% discount from its regular price! Now that's a great deal, isnt? And for those who are looking for diamonds for their loved ones, there is a very special offer this weekend - that is an extra 10% discount to diamonds that are already 70% off!

I guess there is no better time to shop at Kmart than this weekend! There are over 40 great Bluelight Specials through the day in-store AND other great offers - only for this Saturday! So, you better be ready and on your way to the nearest Kmart Shopping Center now!

And oh, by the way, you can get updated to Kmarts latest news and promotions because Kmart on Twitter now.

MM #9 -I gotta wear shades

Today's mommy moments theme is " I gotta wear shades".

So,here is my son Z with his Daddy wearing shades.

For more Mommy moments entry,please click the button above.

5 Things friday #2

5 things I know for sure:

1.I know that when I die I will go to heaven.

2.I know that I'm a sincere person.

3.I know how to treasure friendship.

4.I know how to bake the best chocolate moist cake and lasagna.

5.I know how to dance.

This is what I know for sure.How about you? What 5 things do you know for sure?
Please join with Jean.

My Reconciliation with my Mom

Remember my story entitled " Emptiness" and hugs, kisses and reassuring words? There was more story to it.

When I was a little girl my mom beats me with bamboo sticks cause I was a naughty girl unlike my other siblings. In High School, I started to talked back at her. As I had said, my mom and I argued a lot and had a fight almost every day. But even then, when it comes to running errands I was her favorite. There was one time, she was so mad at me because I talked back at her. My Mom she was shaking out of anger, scolded me and I saw tears fell down from her cheeks. At that moment I just looked at her in the eye and in my mind I thought "now we are even".

I loved it when my dad gave me additional pocket money for school but I don't tell my Mom about it or else she would take it back. There were times my Mom puts her arms on my shoulder but I always I shrugged it away. I didn't feel comfortable when she did that because I was not used to it and I thought to my self , "She was just showing off her affections now because for we are in public". I even reached to a point when I got tired of our everyday arguments and fights. My heart was heavy at that time that I shouted over a pillow on my mouth for them not to hear me. I said to the Lord "Lord, I am so tired hating her, I am helpless for no matter what she is my mom and we are living in the same house. If you are real please help me to love her and help her to love me back." Then I cried and cried....

Then, the Lord just ordered everything. My little sister was studying in Manila at that time and my older sister was married and stayed in Cebu so we had no choice but we only had each other. We were already attending church at that time but I was not fully committed to Christ yet.

The revelation:

We didn't have electricty in our house, so the two of us where just in the sofa. Since we can not see each others expression , I took the courage and told her how I felt about her, I was bitter and hated her. She asked 'why?" Then I told her everything and she said "That is not true! She said told me that she love me so much and then she remembered that they had made an agreement with my dad...

The agreement:

When I was much younger, most of the people praised me that I looked like a doll while they asked why my little sister looked different and wondered where did she get her looks? For at that time her teeth looked like a rabbit. But now she looks pretty because my parents let it fixed through braces. Well, to continue ,their agreement was; so that I will not be conceited they will not give their attention to me but instead only to my little sister for they pity her also. Unconsciously my mom was able to take it seriously to the point of unconcsiously hurting me and giving me insecuties. Afer we opened up to each other, we then prayed and asked forgiveness with each other.

And now we are like best friends and funny that God even allowed her to help me take care of my kids which she was not able to do it with my nieces and nephews. Yes, because at that time she was working in the office but now she is retired.

I'm so thankful to GOd for restoring my relationship with my Mom. He indeed changed my heart and now I can truly say that I love my MOm with all my heart!

Of Premiership and NFL

The premier league is soon to start next week and my sister's family is looking forward for Liverpool's first match for this season. For all the football fans out there, it's going to be an exciting season. But I'm not just talking about the 'football' matches in England but also for the American football fans since NFL is starting in September!

So, who's your favorite for this years NFL? I can see that Tom Brady of New England Patriots has a promising career this year. Brady enters 2009 with a record of 101-27 (.789) in regular-season and playoff games. It is the best record of any NFL quarterback in the Super Bowl Era (since 1966) with at least 100 starts. So I think he will perform extraordinarily at NFL this season.

And to those football fans, you might want to sign up for the free "Stimulus package" at WaiverWire to whet up your appetite for the upcoming football season. Waiverwire is a fantasy football site. With this free package you will be able to get the latest news, statistics and advices for the game as well as join the social network where you can access your profile, forum, the weekly guru challenge and network with other players.

So, better sign up now and prepare yourself for the upcoming season!

WFW # 11- Flood

This picture was taken during the flood in our place last January 2009.It was the first time that this happened in Cagayan De Oro City.

Psalm 69:15 "Let not the floodwater overflow me ,nor Let the deep swallow me up."

Thank God! He spared the lives of my family and neighbors. And He restored everything that we had lost.

When problems overtakes you,let God take over.

YS #3 -My Favorite fruit

Durian is my favorite fruit.My hubby brought 3 pcs. last Monday.We had a great time eating this fruit with my brother and his wife Jeaneth.Yummy!!!!

For more of Yummy Sunday posts, you can click the Yummy Sunday badge above.

Face Painting

Last Saturday Z boy and his cousins had a blast painting their faces.

They took turns in painting each others faces.

See,how creative they were.They were so happy seeing the result of their work.

I loved it too that was why I didn't miss this chance to take a shot.

Premium Movies

My Hubby and I love to watch movies. My Hubby use to go to the DVD shop and buys the latest titles and movies. So, whenever we have the time, we both watch movies in our DVD player. Sometimes, I would wish that we're subscribed to a cable TV or satellite TV but their packages are quite expensive with only a few channels available.

I've just found out that in the US, Direct TV is much cheaper than cable TV. Not to mention that Direct TV Satellite has got over 45 premium movie channels. I didn't know that HBO has actually 7 premium channels. The satellite TV available here only has one HBO channel. You can actually have a wide selection of packages to choose from, depending on your budget and channel choice. But with the Premier package, you can get as much as 265 channels!! Wow! That's really a lot! So, better Order Direct TV now!

5 Things Friday # 1

This is my first time to join this meme and it sure looks fun.So, here are the 5 things of my favorite summer activities I can do with my children.

1. Going to the beach.
2. Staying up late to watch movies on DVD.
3. Going out of town trip.
4. Z boy my son attending DVBS while I facilitate them.
5. Doing outdoor activities like last summer I had fun watching Z learning to ride a bicycle.

MM #8 -Part of the Family

This week's theme for Mommy Moments is entitled, "Part of the Family" which features our kids favorite relative. So, here's my entry:

My son Z with his Ate Thea and Rinnah

My son, Z boy's favorite cousin is Thea ( the one wearing pink), they don't see much of each other since my brother's family is residing in Vietnam. Now, that they are here in our hometown, Z boy is very happy and always want to be with her. But sad to say that their time together is now almost over because Thea's family will be leaving to Vietnam on Aug.26,2009.

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Spread The Word and Help Charity

Have you heard about these charities, WWF, Make a Wish and World Vision? I'm sure you did. They are 3 of the most reputable charitable institutions worldwide. We can see their projects everywhere and have heard of the stories of lives that has been changed and helped.

Now, we can have a chance to be a part of these charities. We don't have to give them money. All we have to do is to spread the word about www.HotelsCombined.com and they will be the one to donate money to the charity of our choice. This program from www.hotelscombined.com is called Spread The Word For Charity.

How we can participate?

1) Through our blogs - Just write a post about www.hotelscombined.com and the charity you want to support and they will give 20$ as donation to that charity.
2) Through Facebook- If you have a Facebook account, simply become a fan, leave a comment and tell them the charity you choose and that charity will get a 5$ donation.
3) Through Twitter - For Twitter users, just tweet about the site, mention the charity and it'll get 10$ as a donation.

I just hope that indeed these charities will be able to raise a lot of donations and will result to more lives helped and changed.

WFW #10- The Rock

Psalm 18:2"the Lord is my Rock,my fortress and my deliverer;my God is my rock,in whom I take refuge.He is my shield and the horn of my salvation,my stronghold."

God's protection of his people is limitless and can take many forms.

• Rock-That can't be moved by any who would harm us.
• Fortress-A place of safety where the enemy cant follow.
• A shield-That comes between us and harm.
• Strength of salvation,a symbol of might and power.
• A stronghold high above our enemies.

If you need protection,look to God.
(From Life application study Bible)

A Walk to the Main Road

Our family compound is far from the main road and thus, going to the city proper without our own transport is quite a task- we have to walk quite a distance and commute using the public transport 2 or 3 times depending on our destination.

So there are times when I want to go out, I would check first if anyone from the compound is going out, like my cousin who has a motorbike or brother in law who has a 'multicab'. Sometimes, my Hubby will fetch me if he has free time. If all these options are not available like when our transport has some problems like a broken steering rack or engine defect, then I walk to the main road by myself and take the public transport. And I take that as an exercise for the day. :)

And by the way, speaking of steering rack and steering box needs, you can order them online now with free shipping!

Hugs, Kisses and Reassuring Word

It is said that everyone needs at least 12 hugs a day;

Few weeks ago I received a text message that one of our friends son had passed away because of stroke. He was only 28 years old. When I heard about the news, I was in tears because I felt the pain of a mother's heart of losing a child. Thus, I was able to say to my mom who was with me at that time that we really need time with our children and give them all the love and affection since we don't know when God who's the real owner of life takes it back.

When I was a little girl, I longed for my mom's affection. I felt that she was not that affectionate especially when my sister came into the picture 4 years after I was born. Every time I want to sit on her lap or made a gesture for her to cuddle me, she would say, "you are too old for that". That was one reason that I didn't like my Mom before (read my other post "Emptiness"). And because of that, I cling to my dad. I could vividly remember that even up to my high school years, he often embraced me and tickled me. I loved it so much because I felt reassured of his love.

Now, that I have my own family, I make sure that I will be able to give all my love and affection to them so that they will not seek that outside home. If that happens other people will have a chance to take advantage to them. I make sure I cuddle, kiss and hug them. We do family hug altogether and when they wake up in the morning, I make sure the kids will give me their good morning kiss.

The best play for my son is "tickle tickle". We tickle him and he giggles and laughs his lungs out and beg for more. We always remind our kids that we love them and they are especial to us. If I say, "Z boy is God's ---- "he will complete the sentence"---gift to Mom May and daddy". I always say to Z that "He will always be my baby".Before his response was "I am not a baby!"Lol!. but now that he understand what it means that I will always love him no matter what, he says"Thank you,Mom May"

Then, Bbefore my hubby goes out to work he always give me a smack and hug and we say "love you!" to each other because for him whatever happens at least we were able to be reassured of each others love.

How about you?don't forget to kiss ,hug and say "I love you" to your love ones now before it is too late....

Creative Ministry

I love to choreograph dances and mimes for church presentations. I do know that I can't do and think all the steps and actions on my own. So, every time I try to create some steps or move for a dance, I make sure that I pray first and ask God for wisdom. And true enough, ideas just pour in and I myself am surprised of the overall outcome of the presentation. To God be the glory!

And speaking of dances and mimes, I also like to see and download different presentations from other countries. Now, that there's Powerfull Rapidshare Search Engine, I think I will have an easier way in searching and downloading these presentations.

Emptiness

Do you feel that your life seems empty or meaningless?

That's how I felt before I had a personal relationship with the Lord.I felt that my life seemingly had no meaning. I sought from my family to fill in that emptiness that I felt but I failed. Before, I didn't have a good relationship with my mom. I was bitter and rebellious for we fought almost everyday over small unimportant matters. I felt insignificant because I felt that their attention was only to my little sister and my older brother. I also felt rejected because when I was younger, the family teased me especially when my mom gets angry with me. I could remember that they 'joked' that they just saw and picked me up from the garbage can when I was still an infant. That innocent joke was instilled to my mind as a " fact" because I looked different from my sibling. That was why when I was still small, when people praise me that I look beautiful or I look like a doll I don't get flattered but instead it 'confirms' in my mind that maybe it's true that I'm just an adopted child. So, I grew up without confidence and insecure. I was thought to be a tough child but that was just to camouflage my insecurities.

Since I was not contented with my family's affection, I sought love from my friends but then later I realized their love for me was just superficial. Then, I sought love through having male relationships. I had 2 boyfriends before my husband but I realized that the more I sought their love and affection the more I get disappointed, frustrated, rejected and the more I got hurt.

Then, later in my teens, I finally discovered that only God can fill in that emptiness inside of me. I then on never hesitated to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior and thus I decided to have a personal relationship with him.

After that, everything just fell into places. God fixed my relationship with my Mom and we have become like best friends. God gave me genuine friends in church and gave me a loving husband.
I therefore can say that we need God to reign in our lives and in our family. I know that even before, my family for was trying their very best to raise us well but everything was just in vain, empty and meaningless without God. And whatever kind of relationship that we have, God should be the center. As the bible says "Satan came to kill,steal and destroy"and that includes to destroy relationships.

I hope that your life is not empty right now and you have found your purpose in life.
For me, my life is no longer empty nor meaningless like before because I finally found my purpose in life which is to glorify God.

1Peter 1:18-19"For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors and the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver.He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ,the sinless,spotless lamb of God."

I'm a Newbie Blogger

I am not ashamed to admit that I am still new to blogging and all the stuff around the internet. Since I am just at home my sister “Love” taught me everything about blogging and computers. Until now I’m still trying my very best to be a very good student on this so that I will not be asking a lot of questions in the future. I was happy to know that I have already learned few computer vocabularies like URL, HTML, and etc. At first, people would usually laugh at me because I really don’t have any idea on what these words are.

While browsing over the internet, I came across this word “ web hosting” and was curious what this word means. In my own understanding, it has something to do with making your website accessible to the World Wide Web. Recently, my sister decided to have her own webhost service for her site. Thank God a good friend of hers helped her find the cheapest webhost service. If you’re also looking for one, you may check out webhostinggeeks.com. This is one good site for a newbie like me. This site provides a very detailed review of all webhost providers which will help us find the best webhost provider. While browsing over to the site, I have learned other new terms by reading the post entitled “Advanced Webhosting Technology”. I’m so glad that I am learning a lot of things in here.

Z boy's Favorite Cousin

Today is Thea's Birthday. She is my older brother's daughter and Z boy's favorite cousin. Though last year when their family came back to the Philippines from Vietnam for a vacation, they always had a fight. Z boy was just a toddler then for he was barely 3 years old while Thea was 7 years old at that time. They must have clashed at that time because of their age gap, gender difference or simply for being just as they are, KIDS. But in spite of their fights before, Thea remained to be Z boy's top of the list of his favorite cousin. But now I am so glad that they get along very well.

In fact they spend more time together now since the rest of his cousins are in school the whole day while Z boy classes are just in the afternoon. They've spend so much time together recently too since there was a 10 days suspension of classes due to N1H1 virus.

Thea turn out to be a fine little girl.She is hospitable,generous and obedient child.

Our Home and Satellite TV

Most of our relatives and friends love to stay in our place because it is located near the river. Everyone loves to visit our place because of the cool atmosphere it gives to our visitors. Years ago, we don’t find our place convenient because we couldn’t enjoy what technology has to offer. We wanted to have a cable TV connection but it would be very expensive then because of the location of our house. Good thing my Dad purchased a home satellite TV from a family friend. Beginning that day, my family enjoyed every moment in our house because we can now enjoy watching shows from different channels. My kids are also enjoying what my Dad has bought for us. It was indeed a blessing to all of us especially my mom who is now a widow.

Anyway, if you’re into finding the best deals on Satellite TV both from Direct TV or Dish network according to your location or if you're looking for Free Satellite TV Systems , you can check out Kaptain Satellite. This site will help you choose which satellite TV providers fit your house location.

Oh, got to go now! My little boy asked to watch Disney channel together.

YS #2 - CRAB CURRY

Few weeks ago my husband arrived home with fresh crabs. A friend from Surigao gave it as a "pasalubong" to him.



So, I thought of cooking crab curry! I was so excited to eat and was able to eat a lot that's why there are only a few crabs was left in the serving bowl. It was only then I remembered to take a picture .Lol! Yummy!

By the way, I used the curry powder that my brother in law brought from Malaysia and mixed it with our curry powder here in the Philippines so that it would not be so spicy.Thank God my husband like it, but sad to say that this is all what's left for him.LOL!