My Kitchen Table

Shopping for Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:50:00 +0000

Unlike last year when we spent summer in UK and Italy, this year was great just the same as we explored the outdoors and camped in the Cape. It was our first time to camp with our little boy so the experience was really unforgettable. The excitement in my little boy's eyes was priceless. We planned to do this every summer now and we will explore other New England states too. But we might need another tent next time so I'm looking at Big Agnes King Solomon tent and accessories online. It's not too early to plan for summer vacation at this time, maybe I could enjoy some Christmas deal too.

Great Deal Online

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:49:00 +0000

Have you finished doing your Christmas shopping yet? It's only five more days before Christmas and my shopping list is still full, I should be panicking already! But I wish I could do something about it, but finishing my online course is far more important than shopping right now. But it's good that I was able to do some online shopping at least for my two boys and few of my friends. There are tons of good deal online that I was able to use too like the 2012 american eagle coupons. First thing I look for when I shop online is free shipping deal and big discounts off the total purchase. So even if I couldn't find the time to go to the mall, I was not missing on any sale or deal at all. There are tons of great deal on shopping online.

Hey It's New England Weather

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 04:24:00 +0000

Honestly, I feel like Autumn never came. Most of the time it was raining so the foliage never really changed color that much, and now all of a sudden we're experiencing winter-like weather. Yes its weird but it's been snowing like crazy in my neck of the woods. It's funny how New England weather changes abruptly. Early this morning it was very sunny but chilly and windy. By early noon it became cloudy but still windy and then it rained unceasingly. And then the temperature dropped and the rain turned into wet snow late in the night. Well I've lived here long enough to get used to this kind of weather changes. I'm just glad I have heated blanket to keep me cozy during the night.

Safety Over Money

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:15:00 +0000

On my last trip to my dealer for my car's regular oil change, I also asked them to look at my tire that was slowly leaking. I hated pumping air like every two days. I also asked that they check my emergency break as it was not working properly anymore. There was one time that I drove a good distance with my emergency break still on. I didn't feel any dragging at all so that break was really useless! After waiting for two hours and seeing too many cars come and go on automobile lifts, I decided to just ask for a service car that I could use to get me home and relax. It was a good call as it took them three more hours to get everything done. They changed the break shoe and plugged the nail hole on the tire and also suggested to replace the four wheels in time for winter. It's so expensive to maintain a car, no kidding. But it doesn't matter really, safety is always important.

Tour Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 03:24:00 +0000

I have some friends who wish to come over to visit for longer period of time as in for several months. Though they are welcome to stay in my place, they opted to just stay in one of those houses for rent because they didn't want to get in the way of our busy schedule, which is really very nice of them. Also the idea of just renting a house instead of staying in costly hotels is really brilliant. The money they could save on hotels they could use for tours and sight-seeing. Though they're not staying with me, I will be their tour guide of the city.

Loves to Drive

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 03:04:00 +0000

One of my son's wishes is to have a real ATV that he could actually drive. Though he's into Lego nowadays, he hasn't really outgrown his love for toy cars, trains, monster trucks and atv's. Even if some of his ATV Tires came off already from too much playing, his creative imagination still make them work. Though I've seen small kids drive their own ATV's, I still feel that my son is still too little to have his own. I'd wait till he's big enough to ride his bike without the training wheels, then maybe I'd agree for him to have one.

Happy for a Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 02:53:00 +0000

When I heard that a friend had lung cancer I was so shocked. I couldn't believe that for a person who is so health conscious and never smoked, she would be the one to get this dreadful big C. I know there's nothing I could probably say at that time that would make her feel better but I opted to send get well present overnight and it made a difference. That present took her mind off the big problem even only for a moment. I recently learned that after several sessions of chemo and radiation she's now on remission which was a great news. Now she's back to normal and I'm happy for her.

I Love Personalized Gifts

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:54:00 +0000

Oh the start of the months of BER (SeptemBER, OctoBER, etc.) reminds me that Christmas season is just around the corner. Like I've done traditionally, I give personalized presents to my loved ones, relatives and very close friends. I normally place my orders online at Personal Creations as early as I can so I won't get overwhelmed when the time comes. Well not only on Christmas season do I shop at Personal Creations, also on birthdays, anniversaries and christening of my friends' children too. They loved the personalized gifts I've given them, they are something to cherish for many many years. I've been a fan of Personal Creations on FB so I'm on the know of their latest deals and offers which is really great, so you should too!

Big Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:12:00 +0000

We had a very nice dinner with friends at Cheesecake Factory a few hours ago and I believe I might have pigged out again. I ordered a big serving of my usual Fettuccine with Chicken and Sundried tomatoes and capped it up with a few bites of Hershey's Cheesecake with mousse. So now I guess I need some fat burners to even things out, I feel really bloated. Well for any consolation, I didn't eat much during the day since I've anticipated this big dinner would happen, but even then I still feel bloated. Next I know better not to order the main course, I'll settle for some appetizer or some light dinner.

Kitchen Makeover Wish List

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 03:15:00 +0000

I watch Home and Garden TV shows a lot so when we had our kitchen makeover few years back, I knew exactly what I wanted. We upgraded our counter top from laminate to granite which made it more elegant and of course easier to clean, and the sink was upgraded to double undermount kitchen sinks. The cheap looking linoleum floor was upgraded to terracotta tiles. I also have beige back splash installed that compliments the dark granite. I still have a lot of ideas but budget ran low so I have to hold it up for some future time. In my wish list would be a walk-in pantry for all my groceries, small kitchen appliances and pans and pats and more! I'd love to have a separate laundry room cum craft room too.

No More Running Out of Batteries

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:59:00 +0000

I'm sure most moms like me would agree that they spend a lot on batteries since most toys nowadays are battery operated. Most of my son's toys need batteries. His latest fave toy is the one he got for his birthday - a remote controlled car that uses six triple A batteries on the remote control and another 6 double A batteries on the car, how expensive! If he plays with the car for maybe two hours in a day, which he really does since it's new and he's still excited about it, in three days the batteries will be out. Thank God for aaa rechargeable batteries, I don't need to spend too much on batteries. My son won't bug me to change the batteries in his toys anymore and I don't have to rush to the store if I ran out of batteries too. It's a win-win situation for everybody, everybody happy!

Be a Wise Online Shopper

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:30:00 +0000

I shop online a lot so I'm wise enough to look for coupons codes available in the net before buying anything. If you're a smart shopper you will look for the best possible deals you can get online like I do. I always look for free shipping deal on top of the percentage off the product, why not? Imagine aside from getting all the convenience of online shopping you also save a lot of moolah, who wouldn't like that? Anyway, on Father's Day I recently bought my honeybunch a fish pail as he loves to fish. I also bought a matching pail for our son and I saved a lot by using online coupon codes.

Summer Clothes

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Sun, 29 May 2011 03:21:00 +0000

So after the never-seems-to-end rainy days, the sun finally came out and it shone really good. We had a summer-like weather in the 80's yesterday and it was scorching hot. Now is the time to wear shorts and sleeveless tops but hopefully minus the little cellulite and spider veins. I'm sure I could use spider veins and some cellulite treatment but hb said I shouldn't worry about them anyway as they don't really look bad though I'm still conscious about it. But vanity aside, I look forward to wearing my summer clothes once again, no more rain coats and sweaters please!

Equal Opportunity

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Thu, 26 May 2011 04:04:00 +0000

You look at career websites and you see tons of available jobs like sales jobs. But how is it that statistics still show a big percentage of unemployment? I was watching a show on tv a couple of nights ago that featured professional men and women who have been out of work for at least a year. One pointed out how some employers have a ridiculous requirement that applicants should be currently employed for employers to entertain their applications. That is insane and in my opinion does not foster equal opportunity. I can't imagine how some people can still manage to make ends meet in this economy while not gainfully employed for a year. Hopefully employers would be much kinder and extend equal opportunity as required.

Summer Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Sun, 22 May 2011 02:25:00 +0000

When warm weather arrives it makes me think about makeover projects for the house. There are tons of things I want to organize, change or repair in the house, some of which are insulating and organizing the garage, repainting exterior walls and installing metal building shed in the backyard to house equipments like lawn mover, snow blower, tiller and the likes. Having a shed would free the basement of chunky equipments so then I'll have more space to store things that we don't always use but don't want to throw or give away yet.

No Rain At Last

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Sun, 22 May 2011 01:10:00 +0000

For the first time in long wet week, I saw sun and felt warmth longer today. What a perfect day! Hopefully tomorrow we'll have the same nice weather again so I can finally finish planting all my flowers in the bed. On the upside of things at least the rains really hydrate my plants but also the downside to it is the grass grows faster than they should so hb has to mow as often as possible. And also I would much rather take the light rain and drizzles even if happens everyday than get devastating heavy rains that caused great floods just like in the south. It's hard to imagine how the people who have lost all their properties are coping up after this catastrophic incident. I'm sure it is hard to build again, motorhome repairs would have been better than building anew.

Smart Phone Batteries

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Thu, 12 May 2011 03:59:00 +0000

My smart phone and ipod batteries run out quickly because I use them like crazy. Well actually my son uses my ipod now for games but I am so dependent on my smart phone for just about anything - to check emails, browse the news, play games, facebooking, sending text messages, storing database of addresses and phone numbers and a lot more. I need a new battery pack for my ipod touch and I've been looking for online stores that carry them. I saw an online store that sells replacement batteries like samsung mobile batteries and a lot more, so its my best bet to get the battery pack that I need.

Skin Problem

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Fri, 06 May 2011 03:05:00 +0000

One will know when I'm stressed, it usually manifest on my face. You'll see pimples normally on my chin and the T-zone. I hate still getting pimples at my age, but I can't seem to escape them. Now that warm season is here, I'm sure not only my face but my back as well will suffer from these annoying skin problem. I have my normal facial cream to prevent acne and wrinkles too, but I might add back acne treatment to my daily regimen if I want clear and smooth skin.

I Love to Give Personalized Gifts

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Fri, 06 May 2011 02:48:00 +0000

I find it difficult sometimes to get gifts for people who already have everything, just like my hb. But you can never go wrong when you give something personalized, something that the receiver can identify with. I love giving personalized gifts mostly to kids of my friends. I've given personalized photo albums, personalized Christmas ornaments, personalized wedding crocks and mugs. The last personalized gifts I ordered were kids' stools as birthday presents. Now I need to think about what gift to give hb on Father's Day, and I guess I have an awesome idea, nickname beer glasses! Yup, I know my hb would love to have his fave refreshments in a cute personalized beer glass.

Yard Work

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Fri, 06 May 2011 02:32:00 +0000

For the past days I've been busy doing yardwork cleaning and weeding my flower beds and planting annual and adding more perennial flowers. I went crazy again with buying flower plants, if only money is not an object I could have bought a lot more. Aside from impatiens, day lily, lily of the valley, ground covers and pink flowers, I also planted petunia, marigold, and begonia of various colors in flower boxes and pots and I put them in the deck. I still have mulch to apply in one of the flower beds and some more flowers to plant on the edges of the beds too. I can't wait to see all my flowers in full bloom. There are still a lot more to do in the yard, but I just couldn't do everything alone. I hired the services of a landscaper to do clean and edge the middle bed and around the trees. And I guess it's hb's time to do his part and put his honda lawn mowers to use. With all the rains we get the grass grows fast and needs to be wowed frequently.

Donating to Charities

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:03:00 +0000

I spent half of the day yesterday going through my son's closet and drawers of clothes. He's got tons of clothes that he must have worn once or twice only but unluckily don't fit him anymore. I've bagged three big garbage bags of used pj's, long sleeves, shorts, jeans, active wear tops and bottoms, overalls, winter clothes, blac label clothing including sandals, sneakers and boots. I bagged a lot of old toys too. My son sometimes has a hard time parting ways with his toys but when I showed him pictures of less fortunate children from the Philippines, he agreed to give the toys that he doesn't play with anymore which is really sweet. It's good to teach kids compassion at a young age. I planned to donate them to charity this time, instead of handing them down to friends. I know my friends can afford to buy these things anyway, there are a lot of people who can't.

16 and Pregnant

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:17:00 +0000

Guest post from: Marion Slater

I think one of the most interesting shows on television is "16 and Pregnant." This is one of the most tragic shows to watch, but it also shows how teens deal with being young mothers. I love watching this show on my satellite tv from http://www.tvbydirect.com for how it exposes me to all the different realities that teens have to face when they get pregnant. Teens truly have to deal with so many struggles when they get pregnant too young. This show exposes that hard reality.

I think this show is interesting, because it offers the perspectives of fathers and mothers. Young fathers also have a lot of stress to deal with, when they choose to impregnate a young woman. Young fathers always end up having to pay child support, which costs thousands of dollars. All too often, the young mothers do not have the financial stability to support their children and they have to take up a second job. It is so sad to see how hard these mothers have to work at such a young age. I am always amazed to see how young mothers can do so much and still manage to raise young children. I think it is so remarkable and that these young mothers surely deserve a gold medal of some sort! I hope this show encourages young women to not get pregnant.

Rewarding Myself

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:52:00 +0000

I have a 'shopping' account online that I only get to touch when I want to splurge on something that I feel guilty buying and yet I couldn't sleep at night thinking how much I'd love to buy it. Rather than sort of taking on a cash advance when I dip into the household budget, it's good to have an alternative source of shopping money. I seldom splurge on anything but if I did, it's really a big ticket item. Well let's just say that it's only my way of rewarding myself for all the hardwork of homemaking. Then it won't bother my conscience anymore that I spent too much, LOL.

Simple Corn Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:22:00 +0000

It's no joke preparing hot meals for the family everyday, it takes a while from prepping to cleaning up. Today I just made a simple lunch of grilled chicken breasts, green salad, corn soup and corn on the cob.

SIMPLE CORN SOUP

1 can (15 ounce) Corn Cream Style

1 can (14.5 ounce)Low Sodium Chicken broth

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a saucepan, combine the cream style corn and chicken broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water, then pour into the boiling corn soup and continue cooking for about 5 minutes until thickened.

3. Gradually add the beaten egg while stirring the soup.

4. Remove from heat and serve.

Work Out Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Mira) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 11:35:00 +0000

So my hb went back to the gym at the beginning of the year. He was so driven till he got asthma attacks, then he had to take a break and then he never went back since. Sometimes it gets frustrating when you're at the peak of momentum then you have to pause and slide down. Not for the reason of building muscles like the effects of creatine supplements would give, but most of all hb goes to the gym to build strength and stamina. That's my goal too, and of course to lose weight and get toned. But squeezing in work-out into our schedule is something we really need to work hard on too.