PLACES, PEOPLE, EVENTS, GOOD FOOD AND MY LIFE

Hi guys! It's been a while since I updated you about what's going on with my life and pregnancy. Anyway, we were invited to a Filipino-American Christmas party more than 2 weeks ago and I wanted to share with you some of our pictures. The organizers of the party invited about 200 people and we had a sumptuous and palatable dinner with 2 roasted pigs "lechong baboy" and other Filipino and American dishes. There were also some special dance numbers presented by some Filipino and American ladies and my husband and I won a special gift in the raffle. By the way, I am proud to show you my 2 months pregnant pictures during the party ^_^. My tummy is getting bigger and bigger each week ^_^.

As for my pregnancy, there are days that I feel fine and there are some days that I still feel nauseous. My nausea is still on/off and I am still listening to my body as to when I will be back to bloghopping.

Thank you to all my visitors and friends who visited my blog even if I can't return back the visit. I promise you that I will visit you as soon as my nausea is over. Again, thank you very much.

Here are the pictures that we took. Scroll down please...

My husband and I
me together with one of the Filipinas I met here in Illinois and
her daughter
Look at my tummy! It's getting bigger! (2 months pregnant) hehe! ^_^
roasted pig "lechon" ..yummy!
happy couple
At our home(after the party, posing again for a shot in front of
our fresh Christmas tree that we bought in a Christmas tree farm)

Here are the rest of the pictures that I got from other
Filipinas:

dance number
Kainan na!Filipinas from different parts of the Philippines. I am from Luzon
and some of them are from Visayas and Mindanao.
dance number

First of all, I would like to greet everyone a Very Merry Christmas!!!Hope your Christmas preparations went smoothly and your Christmas Celebration will be great.
I would like to share with you some of our pictures that my husband and I did for our Christmas preparation right after Thanks Giving Day.

This year, we bought our fresh Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving Day at Alfeldt's Christmas Tree Farm. At Alfeldt's Christmas tree farm, you can choose and cut your own Christmas tree. There is also a gift shop where you can buy Christmas decor and your kids can have picture taking with Santa Claus in costume. (More pictures here.)

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Club House. All opinions are 100% mine.

Here comes Christmas Eve! Wooohoo! Oh I am so excited about cooking our Christmas dinner tonight! My husband and I will be having roasted turkey with gravy as the main course for our Christmas dinner. By the way, do you know how to make great gravy? I am not really good in making gravy because every time I make it I can't achieve the right texture and color that I want. Plus it is so lumpy!. Thankfully, I have found gravy tips video online. I have learned that using Club House gravy mix and adding roast drippings to it can make a great gravy. Club House Gravy is easy to prepare and can help me make great tasting gravy with no stress or fuss! Now I can make gravy just the way I want it to be and I'm sure my family will love my new gravy! Not only can I make a great tasting gravy, I can also make several dishes perfectly because there are several cooking tips and recipes that I have found in the Club House site.

By the way, You may want to check out the newsletter sign-up and contest entry page. You can create your personal recipe collection and share your Spicy Story tips. Plus, by entering the contest and sharing your Spicy tips, you may have the chance to win a Club House Gravy Gift Pack! Joining is fast and FREE! So what are you waiting for?.

If you want to buy a real/fresh Christmas tree, you can choose and cut your own Christmas Tree at Alfeldt's Christmas Tree Farm located at 509 N. Cherry Street, Oakdale, IL 62268. They also have a gift shop where you can buy Christmas stuff and have picture taking with Santa Claus. They will even give you a free small Christmas tree plant that you can plant in your yard.

Since I am nauseous when we went at the Christmas Tree Farm this year, I am not in the mood to take several pictures ( I just took 2 pictures) but I would love to share with you some of the pictures we had last year at the farm.

Here are the pictures last year. Scroll down please:

I was wearing 2 winter jackets in this picture. It was so cold that day.

the Christmas tree farm.
My husband lied down to cut our Christmas tree,
my father-in-law assisted him in handling the tree.
My bro-in-law cutting his own Christmas tree.
the Christmas tree farm.




Our Christmas tree last year! (@ home)
our nativity

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of DiscoverLosAngeles.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

We don't have a fixed plan or itinerary yet as to where we will be having our New year's vacation. Oh how I wish I was in Los Angeles this coming New Year to spend a relaxing vacation with my spouse. The next time we will visit Los Angeles, we will make sure that we will explore the city and have a fantastic vacation. I remembered our days in Los Angeles last year spending the nights in a nice, cozy and relaxing hotel. I am actually browsing some los angeles hotels online a while ago and I would probably choose one of the Los Angeles Beachfront Hotels the next time we will stay there. Oh, I would love to wake up to the smell of the ocean breeze. I would also love to go sunbathing on pristine sand, sight seeing the romantic view from our own private patio, cycling, nightlife and more. I am choosing from Beach House at Hermosa Beach, The Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club, Venice Beach Suites & Hotel, Venice Beach Suites & Hotel , Ocean View Hotel, Malibu Beach Inn , and Shutters on the Beach . All of those hotels are the most popular beach spots. By the way there are lots of LA new year's eve hotel specials you may find online so if you want to have a vacation in Los Angeles you may want to check it. If I were to choose from Los Angeles New Year's Eve Hotel packages, I would choose the special package of Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. Their special package includes luxury guestroom accommodations, a Champagne welcome amenity, preferred dinner reservations in Ocean and Vine, complimentary parking and 2 p.m. late checkout time. I would really love to enjoy the luxury and contemporary comfort of the hotel which provides beachfront setting and ocean views. I'm sure my spouse and I will enjoy every moment we spend at Santa Monica Beach.

Are you a fan of the tv series Jon & Kate Plus 8? Maybe you want to get updated on them, right? Jon and Kate Gosselin officially divorced after 10 years of marriage on Friday. Read more about the news here.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Gimmepleez. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you used GimmePleez.com? I have learned about Gimmepleez just recently. For those of you who are not familiar with GimmePleez, it is a social networking site that helps you save for the things you want, the things you need, and the things you dream about (source:gimmepleez.com). This site is pretty interesting and you might find it beneficial to you too. Their goal is to help you achieve your dreams whether you are aiming for a car, saving for college, computer, vacation, wedding, honeymoon or simple things like new clothes, pair of shoes and many more. No matter how big or small it is GimmePleez will help you achieve your dreams.

Registration at GimmePleez is FREE and joining is so simple. Once you become a member, you can create your profile, upload a picture of something you are dreaming about, when you'd like to achieve it and how much money you need to save for it. Then provide savings information to start accepting donations and invite your friends and family to donate for your goals and dreams. Aside from that you can also stay in touch with your friends and family through this site and share your photo albums.

This holiday season, wouldn't it be nice to ask your relatives just to contribute to start saving for the college of your child instead of buying you other gifts this Christmas. Not only this Christmas can they donate, even at your birthday or whenever they want to. Since your profile at GimmePleez is public, anyone can read your goal and those who might be interested in helping you achieve your goals can donate whatever amount. It is also interesting to see what exciting things your friends and relatives are saving for.

Do you have a goal or dream and want to save for it to achieve it? Sign up at GimmePleez and make your dreams turn into reality.

Chris Henry, 26-year-old Cincinnati Bengals receiver suffered serious injuries after falling out of the back of a pickup truck during a domestic dispute with his fiancee. Read more about the news here.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's nice to remember the great experience that my spouse and I had in Branson two months ago. It's the best vacation we had this year and we are planning on going back there probably for our holiday vacation next year. We will definitely not miss the Ozark Mountain Christmas there! Speaking of holiday vacations, are you still thinking as to where you will spend your holiday together with your family? Branson is one of my top travel destinations and I highly recommend this place to you. At Branson, you find the fun, adventure and excitement you are looking for because Branson has it all! I can say that we enjoyed all the places we've visited at Branson and one of those places is the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum. Right before we had our helicopter tour we went to Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum which is just in front of the heliport. This attraction is one of the most popular places to visit in Branson and one of the strangest places in the world. There are lots of interesting exhibits in the museum in seven uniquely themed galleries.

We stayed in Branson for several days and of course we chose a fabulous hotel which is accessible to almost all attractions in Branson like golf courses, museums and more, and which is walking distance to specialty shops and stores like Belk Department Store, Bass Pro Shops and more. We had a relaxing stay at the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing. Our room had complete amenities including high speed Internet and this hotel had a swimming pool and gym too. If you are looking for a hotel, Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel and Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing are great hotels to stay at. These hotels have wonderful holiday packages this coming holiday that you may want to check out like the "It's a Wonderful Life" package here and the "Santa Claus is Coming" package here. With these exciting holiday packages at Hilton Hotels, you are in for a true holiday treat!.

Monday Dec. 14, 2009, lava cascades down the slopes of Mayon volcano in Legazpi city (the Philippines's most active volcano). Read more about the news here.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Yamaha. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hi guys! Do you enjoy using your iPhone? Maybe you are one of those people who can't live without their cellphone just like me. L.O.L! I love using the iPhone and it's part of my daily life. I use it's internet feature anytime anywhere when needed. I even check my e-mails with it and use it to call my loved ones, receive important calls, play games, watch videos and a lot more but most of the time I use it to play my favorite kind of music. By the way, do you know that you can experience your iPhone games, music and movies wirelessly anywhere in your room through a powerful speaker system with no sound delays ? Yes! That is through the use of the powerful Yamaha PDX-60 Speaker Dock! With exclusive Yamaha yAired (tm) wireless technology you'll get an Instant connection. It allows you to stream music from your iPhone to your speakers without the device being docked into the speaker but by just using it's wireless adapter. You may have the convenience of dual charging if you have both an iPhone and an iPod, so if your iPhone and iPod's batterries are low, you can charge them on the speaker and at the cradle at the same time. When listening to music or videos, you will surely enjoy the strong, rich and dynamic bass sound. You may want to check out the Yamaha PDX-60 Speaker Dock online with four color variations that you can choose to match your iPhone/iPod. Colors are blue, pink, gray and black. Enjoy your iPod/iPhone music, games and movies wirelessly through the powerful Yamaha PDX-60 Speaker Dock!.

Forrest M. Smythers Jr. , 54 years old and Virginia resident, was sentenced on Monday to life in prison. He had wanted to take down their Christmas lights, but his wife had opposed the idea. Read more about the news here.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of LeapFish Inc. All opinions are 100% mine.

What is real time search? Real time search is the concept of searching for and finding information online as it is produced. Meaning you will be able to see search results of web content that has just been published. It's like taking a picture and then seconds later, it's posted for the world to see or, let's say, you tweet on Twitter and your tweet is shared as soon as you publish it. Real time search is very beneficial as we can discover late breaking news the moment it happens. When you use real time search engine to search for something, you may find results from Facebook, Twitter and other partners on search results. By the way, there is a new social network and real-time search engine that is rising in popularity, leapfish. In my previous post I have mentioned to you that LeapFish is a multi-dimensional search engine that combines the best of the web in a single search and delivers search results as you type. It offers one of the world's fastest search services with instantaneous results as each character of a search term is entered. Now, LeapFish uses social media to promote the launch of their Real-time search engine and just this week Google used social media to promote their release of Real-Time search. So let me introduce you to Google's video from this week. Watch this:



Watch this video too:


You may also want to check out the site of leapfish. It's http://www.leapfish.com.

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Rebecca Forsythe, 61 years old, suffered two fractured vertebrae, a broken leg and cut to her head when she was hit outside the Crouse Hospital. Read more about the news here. Watch the video here.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Bidazzled. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you want to save money, up to 90%, on great merchandise while funding a charity? Now you can get great deals with the hottest products at Bidazzled while helping a charity. Bidazzled is an online auction site where brand new merchandise like laptops, digital cameras, iPods, LCD monitors and much more are auctioned off for pennies on the dollar with the objective of funding a charity (promoting education and awareness of small cell lung cancer) through profits from auctions. How to start with Bidazzled auction? Simply register for FREE and they will even give you five free bids to learn with. You can then purchase bid packages for long term bidding. The price increases a few cents with each bid placed and a few seconds are added to the countdown clock to give others a chance to bid. The auction ends when no other bids are placed. For example, you bid on a new laptop. If the laptop ends at just a dollar, then you win the laptop for just a dollar! It's pretty cool, isn't it? Auction winners usually save over 80% off retail.

Don't feel sorry if you lost at the auction because at Bidazzled nobody loses! Even if you don't win, you will receive up to 50 Bonus bids as their way of thanking you for participating in the auction! You can then purchase the auction item for less than the investment you had in the auction and if you win, Bidazzled typically makes an offer to buy the item back for either cash (paypal or check), cash and bids, or bids. Not only that, 15 additional bids will be given to my readers if you use this code until January 15:

* Blog: BBP1202A
* Twitter: BTP1202A

Simply enter the code on the registration page and there is no obligation or cost of any kind. By the way, Bidazzled has a lucrative viral referral program where you can receive bonus bids! So what are you waiting for? Join the auction now and also encourage your friends as every little bit counts. You can get great merchandise at a great price plus you too can have the chance to help others through the charity.

Kenya Brown, 28 years old and a mother of 5 children was arrested charged with risk of injury to children, drug possession and illegal possession of a gun. Her 11 month old baby swallowed cocaine and had to be hospitalized. Read more about the news here.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dr. Oetker. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you want to win a $20,000 kitchen makeover? If you are a legal resident of Canada then you have the chance to win a kitchen makeover or other fabulous prizes by entering the Dr. Oetker Kitchen Makeover Contest! I will tell about this great news to my relatives and friends who are Canadian residents.

How to join Dr. Oetker Kitchen Makeover Contest? Visit the link to enter and simply pick up a Pin from specially marked packages of Casa di Mama Pizza. The grand-prize winner will get a kitchen makeover. Aside from the grand prize winner of a kitchen makeover, there will be eight secondary winners who will have the chance to win one of the following appliances: freestanding electric range, dishwasher, fridge/freezer, or microwave, all courtesy of Whirlpool! Not only that, an additional two thousand people will instantly win a Casa di Mama Pizza or a pizza cutter. Also, I encourage you to sign up to become a member of a Savoury Moments. By joining, you will get a bonus PIN to enter the Make It Like Mama Giveaway, right away! If I were to win the grand prize, I will make sure that I have a spacious counter with built in sink on it. By the way, you may want to check the contest rules here.

So what are you waiting for? Enter the contest now for the chance to win a kitchen makeover with Dr. Oetker Casa di Mama! Contest ends January 4, 2010.

Kenneth Biros, 51 years old, an Ohio killer, was executed and was pronounced dead Tuesday(December 8). He was given the nation's first lethal injection using single drug at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville. Read more about the news here.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Lighting by Lux. All opinions are 100% mine.

My spouse and I have been married for more than one year now and we still have some light fixtures needed in our house. Usually when buying stuff needed for our house, we prefer buying online. It does not only save our precious time but also saves our money. Thankfully, I have found an online shop for lighting fixtures, the Lighting by Lux. They offer a wide variety of attractive light fixtures from ceiling,wall, and outdoor fixtures, to fans, lamps and more with different styles to choose from. They offer great prices that are within our budget.
I like the elegant looking chandelier "World Imports 81023-62 Bijoux 3 Light Convertible Semi-Flush" like what you've seen in the picture above. I can save more than $100 from it! Aside from that, it has no tax, no restocking fee and comes with a free one year extended warranty included. Plus this item qualifies for free shipping. I also like the energy efficient lights that they have which can conserve electricity. Oh by the way they also have a sale from 30% to 70% off! You may find the discounted items in their sale section page! I suggest that you visit their site. See how great the products and their prices are and choose the item you are looking for. What are you waiting for? Visit them now!

During a book signing event at the Mall of America in Minnesota, a man threw two tomatoes at Sarah Palin from the 2nd floor of the balcony that caused his arrest. Read more about the news here.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of TwitterHawk. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you heard about TwitterHawk - Social Media Marketing? In my opinion, this is really a powerful tool for local marketers. TwitterHalk generate a list of matches for you so you can track someone talking on Twitter about a specific topic in a specific location and send them an automated response that is somewhat relevant. You may also choose to remove some matches from your match list if you want to. Let's say you are a photographer in Missouri; you could track someone in the area mentioning "wedding photographer" and tweet them saying something like " I am a wedding photographer in Missouri and would be glad to discuss with you my photography packages and services". You can set up different drafted responses so it doesn't appear that you are always sending out the same response when people view your account. TwitterHawk can really help you market yourself or your product, right?

Sign up for FREE at TwitterHawk! By joining, you will have ten credits for free so you could test the service out. When credits are purchased they are at the rate of 5 cents per tweet. TwitterHawk also has click tracking on links placed in tweets so that you can monitor how effective your campaign is. The current cost-per-click (CPC) is around 2 cents per click. If you want to enlarge your Twitter influence, create more leads, gain more followers, get more traffic to your site and make more money, try TwitterHawk! So what are you waiting for? Sign up now!.

Lauren Johnson, a 12 year-old Virginia girl who sneezes up to 12,000 times a day was diagnosed with Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus, which is also known as PANDAS. Read more about the news here.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of USC. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are you aspiring to become an educator with the convenience of studying online and right in the comfort of your own home? Now you can earn your degree online through a prestigious online degree program! An internationally renowned research institution with a 100-year history of educating teachers to be agents of change is offering a Master of Arts in Teaching degree. So if you are a current educator or aspiring teacher, you can be part of a School of Education which has been ranked #22 in the United States, and #9 among all private universities by US News and World Report. By joining, you will enjoy the benefits of an innovative combination of highly interactive online learning with field-based experiences in your local area, groundbreaking tuition reimbursement programs designed exclusively for MAT@USC graduates, and you have the opportunity to learn from distinguished USC faculty recognized for their contributions to modern education. Aside from that you have full USC student status and benefits, participation in commencement ceremonies and free lifetime Alumni Association memberships. You can get more about program information today by visiting here.

I will suggest this prestigious online degree program to my friend who aspires to become a teacher as this will truly help her in the future. How about you? Are you an aspiring teacher or a current teacher who wants to earn this highly respected Master's degree? Check them out now and earn a Master of Arts in Teaching degree!.

Amanda Knox, 22 years old of West Seattle, is on trial along with her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito for the slaying of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, on November 1, 2007. Read more about the news here. Watch the news here.