DIY: Princess Theme Candy Buffet

Better late than never. Finally I have found time to share this DIY of mine here, This post have been sitting on my draft folder for so looooong, So without further ado, let me present to you my Princess Theme DIY Candy Buffet for my little girl 1st Birthday last year.

  

Our color motif was Pink, Yellow and Purple. I bought candies from the grocery and creatively name them with words associated with "Princesses". 

Royal Lollipops, stuck in my DIY "Castle Lollipop Holder", I made the castles body using an empty can of milk, and empty milk box for the castles bridge at the middle, and a styro foam for their roofs. Stick them all together and paint. 

Jelly Gems, this jelly candy's shape was so perfect for my "Princess Theme" candy buffet, lucky I found them on a local store near us, I just have to cut them into single pieces though to make it more look like a gems, you may use the regular circular shape if you can't find one like this.

Cupcake Tower, I just bought a mini cupcakes at the grocery and topped it with those cute girly stuffs cupcake toppers that I bought on a local baking store as well as the pink cardboard cupcake tower.

Gold Choco Coins, can be bought also at the supermarkets & groceries.

Candy Jewels, in pink, yellow & purple, perfect for our color motif.

Crown Shape Choco Pops, which we made out of melted chocolate and a crown shape mold.

Others that don't have a close up photos were Magical Twisted Mallows, Enchanted Choco Cups, Wafer Scrolls and Yogurt Wands.

I printed out princess quote & the candy names that I made on the photoshop. 

For the letters J-A-S-H-L-E-Y, I bought it at Divisoria and decorate it with colorful strings.

And for the "sweet treats" backdrop, I made a pinwheel out of colored papers, and printed out the banner that I downloaded from the net.

Other stuffs like table cloth & tall food server were provided by Max's Restaurant which was our venue/supplier for that day.

I hope you enjoyed reading this candy filled post. Happy DIYing  Everyone. =)

-♥♥♥-

Busy

Hi guys, sorry I wasn't able to blog for these past few days, or weeks na ata, suoer duper mega over busy kasi on work. We have project submissions kasi today so since last week I do overtime for 2-4 hours a day, our team leader wants us to come pa last Saturday, I said, I cannot work on saturdays because it is Sabbath day, so I tried talaga to finish as much as I can, thank God we we're able to finish more than half of the drawings needed, so whats left is  enough na to finish from Monday until today. I thought relax na kami this week, kaso eto na, come Monday, our Senior Architect in Dubai is asking additional drawings, which will be needing to submit on that day. Guess what time we were able to finish it? 2:00 Am, yup madaling araw na. I Arrived home 4:30 AM na, ang tagal magpuno ng pasahero sa terminal. I slept na agad agad when I got home, I woke up 7:00 AM, so I only slept 2.5 hours. I came to office around 10:00 AM na, then I did overtime nanaman until 8:00 PM that day, kaya naman na tapusin the next day (which is today). As of now uploading na kami kaya I have time to blog saglit.

Anyway, I have kwento about Jashley, she's very madaldal na talaga, nakakatuwa sobra. And she's into "kos" these days as in "Mommy Ko", "Daddy Ko", "toys Ko", "bear ko", then one time on our way home, when we passed by a Jollibee, she suddenly shouted "Jollibee Ko" sabi ng Daddy "Anak pati si Jollibee inangkin mo na." haha..


Another time naman, when we arrived home, sabi ni Papa, anak pakinggan mo ha. Then she asked Jashley.

Papa: Jashley, what is your Mommy's name?
Jashley: Jow-shey-mey.
Papa: How about your Daddy's name?
Jashley: Bayan.
Papa: Eh, your Papa's name?
Jashley: Judee.
Papa: How about your Mama's name?
Jashley: Panget!!! (shouting while giggling)

Tawanan kami then I said "That's not Mama's name, again what is Mama's name?

Jashley: Juliet.

She knows naman all our names lalo na Mama and Papa's name mas nauna pa nga nya natutunan bigkasin yun kesa sa name namin ni Hubby, I don't know where she learned that, di naman daw nila tinuro yun. Now, whenever you ask her what is Mama's name, her answer is "Panget" while giggling, then she will correct herself and say "No... Juliet", may pagka-pilya nadin ang batang to. I wonder kanino nagmana.

DIY Photobook/Guestbook Layouts

As promised, here are the photobook layouts I've made for Jashley's first birthday last year. I made each layout using photoshop then set it on the software from Photobook Philippines.  

Till next time. =)

DIY Guestbook Photobook

Today let me share with you guys what I did for Jashley's guestbook on her birthday last October. I know its super late na, but still I wanna share it here.

I made the layouts (I'll share each pages on a different blog entry) in photoshop using the digital scrapbooking kits I have downloaded from the internet. I started this project since Jashley is around 2 months old, I have nothing much to do that time at home so I decided to create a few layouts for her. I stopped doing layouts when I started working na. Then during Jashley's birthday party preparation, I was looking for Photobooth deals on Groupon when I saw a Photobook "free voucher" from Photobook Philippines, you only need to pay the shipping fee that cost P300.00, because the book will be printed in their main office in Malaysia.

Since it's free, I grabbed it and started digiscrapping again to complete the 40 pages of the book. I had so much fun creating layouts and exceeded the 40 pages, It's hard to choose which layout I won't include, good thing additional pages is allowed on the type of book stated on the voucher, with additional cost (P120 fo 4 pages). So from the original cost of P3,250.00 I only paid P420.00 for this Photobook.

I got a little problem with paying it since I don't own a credit card nor a paypal, I only have my visa debit card but unfortunately their system won't accept my card for the reasons I don't know. I emailed them and told them my situation and asked for a different mode of payment like bank deposit. At first they advised me to borrow a credit card from a friend so I can proceed immediately because bank deposit process takes a while, but if thats not an option for me, they will put my order on offline payment so I can pay thru bank deposit. Since I don't know anyone who was willing to let their credit card be borrowed, I settled with the alternative mode of payment which is the bank deposit. I emailed them again to let them know that I will proceed with that offline payment. However, according to them they will allow me to pay with this method once only. Anyways after I got home I uploaded my files on their system and choose the bank deposit mode of payment,

The next day when I was about to go to the bank, Hubby called me telling me that he was able to borrow credit card from his officemate. I don't want to borrow na sana but since I only have 2 weeks before Jashley's birthday, and the production time and delivery timeframe for the book is 5-7 working days, if I opt for the bank deposit It will be needing a couple of more days for them to received my payment before they start the production. Baka di umabot sa birthday ni Jashley. I called the Photobook Philippines to ask them if I can use credit card na lang eventhough they send me their bank details na and sa sytem nila I have choose the bank deposit option na. I said sorry nalang baka kasi naguguluhan na sila sakin, but according to the person I spoke with, theres no problem naman daw since they prefer the credit card payment. Ayun, after 4 working days I received na the package, Ang bilis.

Thank you Photobook Philippines for the free voucher and most importantly for patiently answering my queries kahit na in the end I used credit card din.

I'm still in number 1 spot

Jashley were barely 6 months old then when I decided to work again. I wanted sana to wait for her to turn 1 year old before I go back working so we can have more bonding times pa, but masyado na malaki ang monthly house expenses namin. Hubby can provide naman, he can cover for our daily basic necessities. and I am very thankful to God that I have a responsible Hubby, but I admit we're still kinukulang, we can't have any kind of luho, and most importantly we're not able to save for the future. So when I found out that the previous company where I worked, before I go to singapore is currently hiring, I contacted the manager and asked if I can apply, he requested for my updated CV, the next day after I submitted it, I receive agad the Job Offer letter, I signed it and thats it, in 2 weeks time I'm back into the corporate world. 

I felt both happiness and sadness at the same time. I am happy because I actually missed my job, my profession, and of course I will be able to help Hubby na with our expenses. But that means I have to leave Jashley to Mama everyday. No more 24/7 hours of play, hugging and kissing. We only have mornings before I leave for work, at night and during weekeends for that. And what actually scared me is the thought that she might get more closer to her Lola (MIL) than to me, don't get me wrong I love my MIL and very thankful that she is willing to take care of Jashley so I am able to continue my profession. But of course being a mom, as much as possible I want to be the first in my daughters heart, me and her daddy, kaso paano nga yun kung both of us is working. 
Anyways here's our set up, during weekends we made sure that Jashley is with us, kami ni Hubby ang nag-aalaga. As much as possible my in-laws won't take her from us during these days so we can have some quality time with her. Si Jashley naman whenever we're home she doesn't want to come to either Mama or Papa, she wants only me & her Daddy. But nowadays kahit kay Daddy ayaw nya din paminsan, I always tease Daddy that number 2 lang siya sa puso ni Jashley ako padin ang number 1, hehe. Whenever I was around kasi, she didn’t wanna be washed, changed or carried by anyone else except me, minsan nga lalapitan lang nila tatakbo na sakin akala nya siguro kukunin siya. If bigla ako mawala sa paningin nya, sisigaw na yan ng "Mommy...Mommy...Mommy" until she saw me again. When someone is taking her from me, she will hug me tightly so no one can get her from me. Buti nga recently when I really need to excuse myself from her to be able do something, I will just tell her "Mommy will need to go to the toilet" and she will let me go na. 

In mornings naman, di naman siya humahabol when I leave for work, I always explain kasi sa kanya na Mommy is going to office. Kasama sila ni Mama tuwing hinahatid ako ni Papa (FIL) sa sakayan ng bus. When you ask her "Where Mommy will ride?" she will reply "Bus" then ask "going to?" she will answer "Office". While inside the tricycle, we will be exchanging a lot of bye-byes, kisses, i love yous, and after I alight she will send me flying kisses, then I will let them go home na, I don't want to let her stay longer dun kasi masyadong mausok since its a highway. And I tell you that it is always the sad part of my day, I also see on my baby's eyes that she's sad too, she will just stare at me as if telling me na "iiwan mo nanaman ako" habang lumalayo sila. 
On the other hand according to Mama, during the day when she knows that her Daddy and I are not home, si Mama  naman ang ayaw nya hiwalayan, Mama was able to work lang daw when Jashley is sleeping or if Papa will play with her, kasi that's the time lang na sasama si Jashley kay Papa if they will play, kaso madalas hinihika si Papa after they played kasi harutan pala ang trip ng bata. 
At night, we usually arrive around 8:30 or 9:00 pm, she's still awake pa naman most of the time, upon seeing me and her daddy, she will run towards us tuwang tuwa. She will make kalkal my bag to find a pasalubong. Then will pull me through the back door while saying "tamon...house" meaning come on, let go to our house. And then ayun, no pansin nanaman sa kanya ang Mama at Papa until I leave again for work. 

Before when she was in "nangingilala" stage already she doesn't want to be carried by anyone except Me, Daddy, Mama & Papa. When she turns 1 year old she wanted Me and Mama mostly. Then naging Me and his Daddy whenever we're around. Pero ngayon etsapuwera na talaga sila lahat if I'm around. Sabi ko nga kay Daddy mukang kaagaw pa nya si Mama sa number 2 spot kay Jashley, hahaha.
Anyway Mommies, especially working Moms like me, though we can't be with our babies 24/7, I know no one can replace us in their tiny hearts.

Puyat moments

After I gave birth to Jashley, almost all of my Mommy friends would tell me that it will be the start of our sleepless nights. Apparently it is not the case with Jashley, I didn't have any problem with her during night time because she sleeps althrough out the night, though she wakes up early around 5am the same time that her daddy wakes up to prepare for his work. But during day time maximum na yung 30 mins of sleep for her, I already tried turning off the lights, blocked the sunlight coming through the windows, don't make any noise, but still she cannot sleep longer than 30 minutes. One time after I lulled her to sleep, I didn't put her down to see if she can sleep longer on my arms, guess what? she was able to sleep for 3 hours straight. Since that moment, during daytime I let her sleep on my arms so she can sleep longer. We do this everyday until she is aorund 5 months, finally she was able to sleep lying down na during daytime. On night time she still sleeps from 7pm to 6am the next day. I really didn't experiencd waking up in the middle of the night for any reason other than I have to feed her. After that we can both resume our sleep.

Of course its a different story whenever she's sick, worse when she have flu and congested nose. Because the only way she can sleep well is if I carry her and sleep while on sitting position. So the first time she got sick is also my first sleepless night experience with her.

But these past few days, she keeps on whinning at night, and I don't know what's the exact reason. I checeked her but looks like she's not sick naman, like last night. She's a little fuzzy and whinny. We arrived home late last night because we dine-out with hubby's office friends. As expected she's already sleeping when we arrived, When I carried her upstair and lie her down on the bed, she's awake na pala. I told her to gp back to sleep again, usually she's able to sleep back. But this time she didn't, and she suddenly speak;

Jashley: Daddy. Higa. (while pointing on the space on the bed beside her)
Me: Opo, dyan higa si Daddy, wait mo lang nasa baba pa si Daddy.

After a couple of minutes hubby entered the room upon seeing her Daddy she stood up and went to her Daddy.

Daddy: Bakit nagising ka na? late na, sleep na ulit. (While putting her back into bed)
Jashley: Dito. Higa.
Daddy: Opo, Higa na si Daddy, sleep ka na din.

She then burried her face into her pillow, matagal-tagal din so I thought she's already sleeping na. Until I heard her soft cries, I pat her gently while telling her that there's nothing to worry because Mommy is here. She stopped for a while then she whine again and keeps on turning and turning. I asked her if she wants milk, she said "milk" so I gave her milk. After that di padin natulog she wants to play daw, kaso ako naman sobrang antok na. I let her watch on my phone nalang her favorite mickey mouse clubhouse so I can sleep, kaso everytime the video ends or she accidentaly press the home button of the phone, she will wake me up and ask me to resume the video. She keeps on waking me also to tell me whatever was seeing on the screen, like she's explaining to me what is happening there, for example "Mommy...dog...awww-awww-awww" (while pluto is barking), or "Mommy...mouse...dance" (because mickey mouse is dancing). Kahit na antok na antok na ko I try to respond parin, so she won't feel that I ignore what she was saying.

Anyways, around 4am nagisingan ko nlang she's already sleeping na and then the phone was on my hand, I don't know how it happened, I just remember that I tried taking the phone from her one time and asked her to sleep na but she said "no, ayaw" so I let her continue watching. Maybe I tried it again then she let me and she sleeps na. Ayun para tuloy akong zombie sa office kinabukasan sa sobrang puyat.

There are times na 3 consecutive days siyang ganyan, we're taking turns nalang ni hubby so one can fully rest kahit papaano. Several times hubby wasn't able to come to office due to his headache cause of lack of sleep.

There is also this instance that we are sleeping on the living room, we arrive home late also that time so inorder to not wake her up we decided not to transfer her upstair and just sleep there nalang din. Around 1 am she wawkes up crying and keeps pointing at the door through the dirty kitchen while saying "dayaw" which we don't know the meaning. We offer her milk, to watch, to play but she refuse it all. She still keeps on pointing at the door, I ask her if she wants to go to Mama's (MIL) house, by the way my in-laws house and our house is just right beside each other and connected through the dirty kitchen at the back.

When I asked her if she wants to go to mama, she replied "Mama", so hubby then called Mama, but when Mama is getting her from me, mas lalo pa sya umiyak and again point to the door while shouting "dayaw" again. Hubby said maybe she wanted to go to my in-laws house so we brought her there but after getting to my in-laws house she again points back to the dirty kitchen outside. around 5 times we've been going back and forth to our house and my in-laws house. When we were inside the house, she will say "dayaw" while pointing outside but when we're outside she will say "house" while pointing naman on either our house or my in-laws house, the weird thing is she will stop crying while we're passing through the dirty kitchen. It's a little creepy but as much as possible I don't want to entertain that idea. When she finally stops crying hubby and I pray and ask God's protection.

How about you Moms out there? What are your puyat moments with your babies?.