Wedding Invitations and Bridal Shoes!

I am currently taking a break from addressing the envelopes of our wedding invitations.  I've been on this task for quite a while now, seven hours to be exact!  

It's just so hard when your guests have titles -- lawyers, doctors, engineers, priests, politicians, judges. I have to stop every now and then and make sure I address the envelope properly.  It becomes doubly hard when the husband and the wife have two different titles, like the wife is a doctor and the husband is a lawyer.  Or if the case is already like that and the children are still invited!

Here's what I have learned:

No titles are used for engineers in addressing invitations.

When the husband is a lawyer and the wife is a doctor, the wife's name comes first and the husband does not have a title.

ex.  Dr.  Ann Santos and Mr. Tim Santos

So you see, I am already having a headache with all of these social etiquette!

But here's something that makes me happy....

.

I bought my bridal shoes yesterday and despite my tiny feet, they fit me!

I can't wait to wear them!

It's a Happy Thursday

Today there was only one thing on my mind...and that is our wedding.  

Ruel and I started our day early. He picked me up at 6:30 am.  It was not raining but we knew the weather was not going to be good.

We were hoping to get to Tagaytay at 8:00 for our interview with the priest there.  We thought we would be the first if we were early but we were not.  When we got there, there were already four couples waiting in line.

So, we didn't have any other choice but to wait...and wait....and wait, until the priest was done with all of the four early pairs of lovebirds.  

The interview went well but the weather was bad.  

Storm signal number 2 was up in that area and the wind made it very hard for us to walk.  I literally felt the wind pushing me!

Ruel and I were both wearing our jacket but we were still shaking from the cold weather.

It actually made Ruel crave for some bulalo.

And so we stopped for lunch at Rose and Grace, a place famous for its bulalo.    

There was so many appetizing dishes but most of the ones I liked were seafoods.  Unfortunately, because I just had anti-rabies shots, I couldn't have any of those!


So we ended up ordering only the bulalo...

and some lechon kawali (deep fried pork) which came with yummy sauce

Ruel and I shared three big cups of rice.  Although I kept thinking about the prawns and the crabs, I can honestly say that I enjoyed the ones we ordered.  The meat of the bulalo was soft and tender and the soup was so tasty.  The lechon kawali was, I think, one of the best I have ever tasted, if not the best.

After that, we went back to Manila and shopped for wedding things!

our secondary veil --- this is going to be used to "clothe us as one"  

our ring pillow - it's identical with the arrhae pillow

my pouch

I'm still thinking of adding some sequins to the lace.


We'll be paying our florist a visit tomorrow.

I'm so happy it's our semestral break....now I have time for my wedding preparations!


Happy Thursday!

This Weekend I....v. 3

Yay! The stress-filled month is over and hopefully, I can  now return to my regular blogging activities.  

For the first time in weeks, this weekend was totally free from work!  It feels so good not to have anything in my mind!  I actually felt so free!  

So, let me tell you first about the weekend that was.

1. This weekend I went to the Animal Bite Center of San Lorenzo Hospital.  My dog, Chelsea, accidentally scratched my thigh when she was so excited to see  me Tuesday last week.   I was told by our school doctor that I had to be vaccinated so I went to the Animal Bite Center which was filled with people with scratches and bites.  I would probably have enjoyed the weekend more if not for this.

I will go back there tomorrow for my next shot.

2.  This weekend I went to see the test printout of our wedding invitations. Yehey! Happy time!  I loved how it turned out...just simple and dainty.   I think my personality really shines through the invitation.  It's like it is actually shouting, "It's Claire's wedding!"

The blue shade you see there below the pink petals is just a shadow of my finger.

So that's basically how I spent my weekend.  How did you spend yours?  

Go and link up at Sar's or at Syndal's.

This Weekend I...

Hello friends!  It feels like forever since I published my last post and I am truly sorry for that!

I have been terribly busy with my wedding preparations and work. .....well, honestly, I think it's work that has kept me from updating this blog.  Things in school are pretty hectic and that would be the case till the end of this week.  Ooooh! I just hope that Friday would hurry.

Oh well....I won't dwell on the school stuff because just thinking about it makes my head hurt.  

Let me tell you what I did this weekend instead as I link up with Syndal and Sar.

This weekend I....

1. finally attended a half-day Pre-Cana seminar which ironically, was held at the church where my first 

    wedding was held.   It felt a little weird but other than that, I enjoyed the seminar.  I've always been 

   an attentive student.

    There were around twenty other couples who attended the seminar with us.  After the seminar, we 

    were all given a booklet about love and a printout of useful tips on how to have a happy marriage.

our pre-cana certificate

    

2. Ruel and I went to the Manila office of Ibarras to finalize everything that we had to finalize regarding the venue and the food.  We also decided on our cake which is going to be just simple with green and pink flowers.  

It was actually I who did most of the talking and Ruel complained that the meeting was even longer than our Pre-Cana seminar.  Of course, I think he was just exaggerating but I admit we spent probably around three hours or more in that office.

3.  went to Mass with my son, which is actually a weekly practice for us.  Breakfast at McDonalds came aftewards and a trip to the bookstore.

4.  cried watching a local movie about a man who was sick and died during his honeymoon.  Depressing!

5. cried again watching Life of an Icon on DVD.  I watched this with my son who is an avid fan of Michael Jackson.

6. made this as a pen holder for my wish tree.

it's made from sandwich spread glass container, lace that I bought and some sequins which  I had in stock

So, that's basically my weekend, less the part where I worked on my work requirements.

Now, it's time to go back to them..... :(

Stressed Again! (And I can't talk about it!)

This is the fifth try in starting this post.  I keep on changing the first sentence because I cannot make up my mind whether to talk about a big problem in our wedding preparations or not.

And now I choose not to because  writing about it would just add to my stress.  Let's just say, it involves an additional amount of roughly 20,000 pesos because of a broken promise on the part of one of our suppliers.  At this point in time, we are still trying to solve it and I am keeping my fingers crossed that everything would be fine and in our favor.

Right now, I'd rather focus on the good things that happened last Saturday.

That day was extraordinarily stressful for me and Ruel because of that problem I talked about earlier.  Still, I can find something good about it.

We went to Tagaytay for our food tasting.....that was not the good part.

The good part was we went with my sister and her husband so in a way, it was a form of bonding for me and my sister.

My brother-in-law took some shots of Ruel and me.  I wanted to share some of them with you.

I am really at my low today because of the problem that has still yet to be solved.

At least we look happy in the pictures although I was soooo not in the mood to pose.

And my mood has not improved in any way.  

I wish our problem was just our flabs.     

But it's not.  

2nd Liebster Award...fourth of four posts

A week ago, I was nominated for the Liebster Award by three different bloggers.  I have answered each of their sets of questions one post at a time and now, here I am with the nominations I have promised .

And the nominees are..........

Amanda of A Smidgen of Spice
Jenny of Jenni Bebe
Anna of Anna's Joy
Abbey of Finding My Forever
Celeste  of Crazy Beautiful Unique
Sara of Maurer Power
Jessica of Something Beautiful
Jennifer of Too Goodin' to Be True
Hannah of Cupcake Mumma
Samantha of Hooah and Hiccups


So the rules are:

1. thank the one who nominated you
2..you have to write eleven things about yourself;
3.  you have to nominate eleven promising bloggers who have less than 200 followers and tag them in your post;
4. you have to give them eleven questions to answer;
5. you should not tag back.

Here are eleven things about myself:

1. I hate rain.
2. I am a hopeless romantic.
3. My face turns red too easily.  It totally gives away my emotions!
4. I sniff all the kitchen utensils before using them.
5. I check the gas tank over and over again before going to bed.
6. I am a Clark Kent fan.
7. I love to travel but am not fond of long drives, planes and ships.
8. I am stubborn and opinionated.
9. I usually stand up for what I believe in.
10. I am a very meticulous customer.
11. I can be so paranoid sometimes.

And now for my questions:

1. What is the color that best personifies you? Why?
2. Who was your celebrity crush while growing up?
3. Ice cream or cake?
4. Show us your favorite dress.  (I know this is not a question, but hey, maybe we can bend the rules a
    little.)
5. If you were a season, what would you be and why?
6. What do you want for  Christmas this year?
7. What make-up item can you not live without?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9.  What did you do on your very first date? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
10. What is your favorite expression?
11. What is your favorite movie?

Congratulations to the nominees and I hope you enjoy answering the questions.

You Know You're a Teacher If.....

You know you're a teacher if.....

.....you say the words "Quiet please" and "Go back to your chair" too many times in a day;

.... you stay up late computing grades and writing lesson plans;

... .you work even on Saturdays and Sundays;

.... you go around  your workplace with chalk dust on your pants;

.... you cry out of pride when someone else's child graduates or gets an award;

.... your legs and feet ache too much at the end of the day for standing way too loooooooong;

.... your sense of achievement comes from seeing someone else's child learn to read or write;

.... when your table looks like this on Teachers' Day!

      Happy World Teachers' Day to all teachers!

     I hope you enjoyed your day like I did.   

     I had a slice of chocolate cake....

                                                               got some gifts and lovely letters,

received some flowers and chocolates,

                                                                                         more chocolates...

                                                                                                   and more chocolates!

I'll probably end up with no teeth if I eat everything.  

But I won't....Ruel, my son and my parents all love chocolates.

I'll be sharing everything with them, specially with my mom.  It's her day too!  She's a retired teacher.

2nd Liebster Award ....3rd of four posts

It's  time for the 3rd part of my Liebster Award post. ...and to answer Katie's questions.....

1. Would you rather be a bird or a fish?

I'll probably want to be a fish. It's so pretty under the sea!  But then again, I'd also want to fly to Paris, Rome and Barcelona!  Oh, this question is just too hard!

2. Lake or Ocean?

I love lakes!  

3. If you could have one superpower what could it be?

I'd love to be able to fly and to make things move by sheer will.

4. Why did you start blogging?

I used to have a diary which I updated every after a  few days.  I stopped when I started working but I missed writing down my thoughts and documenting my life so this year I started an online diary called The Secret Notebook.  

5. What do you do for fun?

I read, write, watch movies, eat out, talk, and  travel (when I have money).

6. What does go green mean for you?

It actually means a lot to me because I love nature and the environment. I always want to discover what I can use that's more earth-friendly.  I try to live a "green" life and try to influence my students to do the same.

7. Favorite food?

Zambales mangoes, crabs, prawns, crepes, chocolates, potato chips, pasta, all kinds of desserts.....I love food!!! 

8. Secret Obsession?

Hmmmm......probably ROMANTIC LOVE.

9. Favorite time of year?

The happiest time of the year....Christmastime!!!

10.  What did you want to be when you grew up?

There was a time I wanted to be a nun!

But then I said, I couldn't go to the convent because I laugh too loud!

11. Name one thing on your bucket list?

The one I'm excited about --- fit my wedding gown!

Sorry Katie for my late answers.  I will name my nominations next post.

2nd Liebster Award ....2nd of four posts

This is my second post on my second Liebster Award.  Today, I will be answering Jovell's questions.

1. Dog or Cat? Why?

I've always loved dogs!  

This is Chelsea, our dog.

Cats are beautiful creatures but sometimes I look at their eyes and I think that they're plotting something sinister about me.  Weird huh? That's just what I think.  They do have beautiful eyes.

2. What's the best lesson you learned in school?

I can pretty much do anything if I put my mind to it.

Nothing is difficult if you believe that everything is easy.

3. What quote do you hold dear to your heart?

There are so many!

But here's one of them:

"Blind unbelief is sure to err
and scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter
and He will make it plain."

4. Who's your favorite "hunk" actor?

I don't think I have any....

I'll just go with favorite actor:  Tom Welling when he's Clark Kent.  I think he is so cute and sooooo Supermanly (!!!) without a cape.

Source: google.com.ph via Marie Claire on Pinterest

5.Fiction or non-fiction?

Definitely fiction!

I do enjoy non-fiction too but I can't live without fiction!

6. What do you deeply wish for in your life?

I'll say what I wish for at this moment:  that I had enough money to be a stay-at-home-mom.

7. What is the most favorite dish of your family that you've cooked for them?

My family does not have any favorite dish but there's a a dessert that's always present in our gatherings and that's leche flan.  I've cooked that for them. Our recipe is super.

8. What is love?

Love is sacrificing your own happiness and welfare for the happiness and welfare of the one you love.

9. What's your favorite cartoon?

I don't think I have any.   Am I boring?

10. What's the thing that you dread most?

natural disasters, fires, floods and explosions

There's two more upcoming posts for the Liebster Award ....my nominations will be on the fourth.