At Home With MrsC

Raising a family, making a home.

Everyday Life

How Has 2014 Been For You So Far?

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I spent the first day of the year with an upset stomach from too much YOLO-ing (Read: Too many bottles of SMB Pale Pilsen) on New Year’s Eve. I rarely ever have a hangover after a night of drinking, and I think it might be a sign that when I actually do, it’s my ever-so-sensitive stomach that lets me down. It’s definitely time to cut back on certain things because I am officially getting old(er). I will take the two bars of slimming seaweed soap that I received from two different cousins as Christmas presents as signs, too, that a total diet makeover is in order.

New year's eve spent with family
New year’s eve spent with family

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It’s Time To Say Goodbye to 2013

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It’s mid-afternoon, and so far my last day of 2013 has already been eventful. I woke up an hour before I intended because my little boy needed to go number two, and that meant I had to deal with poop upon waking. Then, right when I was starting to fall back asleep, he woke me up again because he was hungry. So I got up and fixed him breakfast. I made coffee while he ws eating, and he and I watched Duck Dynasty while he finished his breakfast and I loaded myself with caffeine.

I’ve been in the mall with my sister since noon. She and I have been on a sister-bonding pampering spree since yesterday, something we’ve not been able to do in a very long time. It’s given us a great opportunity to catch up on each others’ stories. It has also given me a chance to finally get my hair and nails done, in time for the new year. I decided to do something totally different with my hair, which suits the coming year because 2014 is gonna be filled with change.

Later tonight, we will be spending new years eve with family, like we always do. MrC and I are planning to indulge in a bottle of wine or two, or more. No big parties for us, which is fine coz we never liked parting much anyway.
I was planning on writing a long, potentially profound post to close 2013, but I decided to use my time pampering myself and enjoying the last day of the year with the important people in my life instead. I think that was a smart move. So now, as my hair is cooking and I am enjoying the free WiFi at Azta Urban Salon, I want to greet everyone a happy new year. I hope that you are all getting to spend today doing stuff you love with people who count.

xo Patricia C. via WordPress for Blackberry

Laptop-less or Laptop-free?

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For the second time this year, I am without a laptop. I am now calm and collected again after spewing out a series of four-letter words and questions like, Why is this happening to me?, What kind of cruel joke is this?, Why can’t I get a break?, and Why is the universe messing with me?

We dropped my two-month Lenny off at the authorized service station earlier, and thankfully the service and part replacement is all covered by warranty. Afterwards, MrC treated me to lunch at Starbucks, a chocolate chip and macadamia cookie, and a red velvet cupcake from My Little Buttercup. I’m lucky to have a husband who knows what to do. Chances are, the sugar is responsible for my sudden mood shift.

The bottom line is that I will be computer free for 1-2 weeks. I flipped out a little bit when I found out, but I am now choosing to see things from a different perspective, that is that I am not laptop-less, but rather, laptop free. Yes, there is a difference. Essentially, one is pessimistic and the other optimistic. Allow me to explain.

If I were laptop-less, I would be panicky and possibly crying right now. I would be freaking out over the work that I need to complete over the next few days. I would be thinking about all of my unanswered emails, the photos to edit and blog posts to write. I would be panicking over the online posts that I have yet to schedule. I would be worried, cranky, feeling hopeless and defeated. I refuse to think that way.

Instead, I choose to see this as me being laptop-free. That means one less distraction and an opportunity to manage my time better. I will be working on a shared computer and that means that I need to work more efficiently and say no to procrastination. I hope that means that I will get things done faster. It also means that I will be forced to take more breaks from work. Having no laptop will mean more time to spend with the family doing things that don’t involve gadgets. It means that I will have extra time for crafting, too. See, doesn’t that sound like a lot of fun already?

Honestly, I’m not sure how difficult the next few weeks will be, and I’m a bit worried about how I will cope. But instead of wallowing on my worries, I’m choosing to see the bright side instead. And suddenly the situation isn’t so bad. 🙂

Wish me luck?

xo Patricia C. via WordPress for Blackberry

September Crochet Roundup

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I have been happily reunited with my hooks and yarns over the last few weeks. I’ve decided to make a conscious effort to make time for the things that make me happy so that I can manage to relax more and not burn myself out with work. I realize now that one of my weaknesses as a WAHM is being able to properly manage my time, and making sure that there are hours dedicated specifically for family, for work, for errands, for learning, and for relaxation. A Facebook conversation with Dainty Mom, Martine, and some of my other friends over at our WAHM group actually triggered this need in me to allocate blocks of time for different things within the day, and that most definitely includes crochet, sewing and my new-found love, felt crafts, all of which really help to relax me.

Since it’s September, I’m starting to think of Christmas gifts already. Like I said yesterday, I hope to DIY most of our gifts this year, which is gonna be a major challenge. So my crochet hooks and I have been working overtime, making little and big things that might make good presents for the special people in my family’s life. Here’s what I have so far.

For the kiddies
For the kiddies

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August Snippets from a Delinquent Blogger

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I haven’t been blogging much. I haven’t been posting baon plans either, like I promised I would. Life has been full of a lot of things lately, and I’ve been allowing things to sort of just “happen” first. I’m actually surprised that it’s September already! It’s like, hello, where did the rest of the year go? At the same time, I’m excited for Christmas (yes, already, I am Filipino after all), for my in-laws to come home, for my sister-in-law’s wedding in November, and for our first-ever visit to Bohol. I’m also excited to be celebrating our second wedding anniversary in Taal Vista in a few days. I still feel so lucky that I actually won Topaz Mommy’s contest!!!

Ever since I switched to this new computer, I’ve not been feeling in the mood to write. I think I still can’t get over the fact that I have folders and folders of edited photos sitting in my old hard drive, waiting to be recovered and written about. It also doesn’t help that I don’t have Photoshop on this computer yet (God knows where my installer is!), and I just can’t bring myself to post unedited pictures. But anyway, excuses aside, here I am today, trying to write. [Read more…] about August Snippets from a Delinquent Blogger

My Relationship with Longganisa (Or Finding My Writing Triggers)

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After typing the title for this post, I realized that it kinda sounds like the title of an x-rated film. Lol.

At last Saturday’s Write On Workshop, one of the topics was time management and finding time to write for your blog. Martine said that one of the ways we can keep our writing momentum going is to write while an idea or inspiration is hot. During the discussion, I got to thinking about my writing triggers, or what usually gets my creative juices flowing. I came to the surprising realization that some of my best ideas for posts (or scripts, articles and other stuff I need to write) have come to me while I was cooking longganisa. I kid you not. A couple of weeks ago, I actually composed an entire pitch for a blog post series that I want to do on my BlackBerry while cooking longganisa at dawn. Talk about striking while it’s literally hot!

Another successful Dainty Mom Writing Workshop!
Another successful Dainty Mom Writing Workshop!

I also get really good ideas while in the bathroom taking a shower, brushing my teeth, or doing other stuff that I’m sure you guys do in the bathroom too. Ever since I was in school, bathroom breaks were great thinking opportunities for me. In fact, when I was still working and someone would ask me for my inputs on things, I would think a little, go to the bathroom to pee, and come back with so many different ideas. Too much info, but totally true. These bathroom ideas though aren’t as good as the ones that I get while cooking, and really, the best ones happen when I’ve got longganisa in the pan.

It sounds weird, but it really works (for me, at least). And yes, I cook longganisa that often haha. My family loves sausage in general, and when we feel like having Pinoy food for breakfast, it usually involves a silog of some sort. Most of the time it’s longsilog. Not very good for the waistline, I know, but great for work! Here’s proof: I thought up this post while reheating some leftover longganisa for brunch this morning. True story!

How about you? What are your writing triggers? 🙂

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P.S. I actually tried to make my own longganisa once, using a recipe I found online. It came out really yummy! The link to the original recipe can be found in this blog post. 🙂

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