"Tis the Season

.... for all sorts of viruses, that is.

Youngest DS was hospitalized last week due to a viral infection. DS suddenly suffered diarrhea and when it didn't get get better after a day I quickly hauled him for a check-up. At the hospital, he was given medicine which he promptly threw up. Better safe than sorry so we agreed to have him confined. The diagnosis? Severe gastroenteritis which the doctors (and nurses) claim to be specially common during the months of October to December. We stayed 3 nights & 4 days and I must say that DS was absolutely bored. He was actually feeling better on the Day 2 but we wanted to be on the safe side. On the Day 3, DS was already shouting, singing and playing with his dextrose stand just to occupy himself. Thank God he was cleared for release on Day 4!

Good thing too because I was able to catch Lasting Impression's 2nd aniversary celebration last November 15. The very nice & talented April Lim taught a class on how to make a calendar. I do appreciate all the many great (and practical) techniques shared by April. My favorite was how to use double-sided tape! You can use it to put glitter on chipboard, tie down a ruffled lace without sewing for that so in look, make a flower, etc. I can't wait to try it all out. Aside from that, I was able to snag a few of Lasting Impression's new stuff. Yummy, yummy!.

Here's DS celebrating his favorite holiday of all.... Halloween. Every year, he eagerly awaits it. He looks forward to it even more than Christmas. I used Teresa Collins' Spooktacular line and Scrapworks Shimmer Shapes which I got for a huge discount at the store. Wink!

Tagged by Nina

One of the best scrappers whose works I truly, truly, truly admire tagged me! Nina makes absolutely gorgeous ATC cards, minis and layouts that knocks my scrapper's socks (if ever there are) off!

The Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. List 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up!

Random Things:
1. I get regular monthly debilitating migraines which starts off with a tiny speck of white aura in my eye then explodes into a light show in my brain. Eeeewww!
2. I've been driving since I was 18.
3. I've never seen a ghost but am deathly afraid of one.
4. I love the smell of basil!
5. I had a 22 inch waistline when I was in college.
6. I love taking long, quiet walks.

Consider yourself tagged too!

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

..... to Lasting Impression! May you continue to bring scrapbooking cheers to all scrappers! Check out the store and activities lined up to celebrate this anniversary! See you all there!

Thankful for So Many Things

I missed so many events! I missed Scrapbukan's anniversary, Scrapfest, a couple of birthday parties (thanks, Anj! for the kit) and countless crops! Despite all these, I have so many things to be grateful for!

Conspiring events over the last 2 months forced me to put scrapbooking to a backseat as I was preoccupied with being a Domestic Goddess. It was not without infinite blessings though. My youngest son & I bonded and I must say that we are now even much closer. We were together all the time! My 2 older children, in their own little way (ok, ok... with a bit of gentle nagging) have learned to appreciate running a household and sporadically helped around the house. I especially appreciate my DD for looking out for her little brother when I was busy with a million & one things. Oh, and DH was an angel! He was my rock and kept me sane amidst the domestice chaos. LOL! Things are finally back to normal and I eagerly look forward to the coming Christmas season.

Last month, 8 scrapbookers were featured at the Daisy Bucket Designs blog and yipeee!!!! I was one of them. Thanks, Pia Lopez & Daisy Bucket Designs for this opportunity!!!

It's a bit late, but you might want to check it out:Daisy Bucket Designs » Guest Designer - Maybs Tan-Ngo

Our family was lucky enough to take another short vacation in Baguio (our 2nd this year) during the semestral break. Yippeee!!! If you're planning to get to Baguio any time soon, I strongly recommend you guys to take the SCTEX then the La Paz/Magilas Trail/Binalonan route!! You get there via NLEX and if you're the adventurous type... check this out!

We left the house about 7:30 & had breakfast along NLEX. We made a mistake in stopping at the first gas station. I suggest that you stop on the 3rd!!! which is called Lakeshore. Why, I'll tell you later. We were done eating at about 8:15 & proceeded with our journey.

I was the designated driver while DH was my map reader. The new highway is just so amazingly beautiful! There's just miles and miles of big wide open space with outstanding view! Looking out, I am just amazed at how big and beautiful our country is with so much natural wealth & beauty. God has truly blessed our country!

Our adventure began as we exited the SCTEX. The alternate route we took (La Paz/Magilas Trail/Binalonan) is a beautifully paved 2 lane highway which allows you to cut through the traffic usually encountered in Tarlac and Urdaneta. No need to worry because the signs are are quite visible. Just use your car odometer and faithfully follow the designated turns and you won't get lost. To be sure, I suggest you make a print out of the directions like we did. The only thing that hampered our travel was all the "palay" stretched out on half of the road and a few "kuligligs". Thankfully, there were no stressful daredevil bus drivers at all! We just encountered a few when we finally exited to the main highway in Binalonan.

Here are some pictures DH took. Pardon if they're a bit blurry as they were taken inside our car while we were travelling at speeds I can not disclose... lol!

I remember we exited the SCTEX at about 9:45 and got to Baguio at about 12 noon. Not bad for a road trip huh!!! Remember I suggested to take the 3rd gas station if you intend to eat? It's because there are no eating establishments let alone bathrooms on this alternate route. The moment we hit the highway, we stopped at Caltex for a pee-stop. That took us a good 20 minutes as our bladders were awfully full. LOL! Oh and do bring lots of snacks!

Let me know if you intend to take this alternate route and I can run you through it. You won't regret it! I leave you this picture of the breakfast I had at Cafe by the Ruins on our last day: camote bread with guave/strawberry jelly & butter, coffee and iced tanglad & pandan tea. Yum!