My dolling up essentials =)

Inside my make up kit, you will find...

 not much! hehe =)
  just these...
my dolling up tools :)
 my four beautifying tools :)

Lewis & Pearl body and face powder in White Blush
>it's cheap! just P17.00
>keeps oil at bay
>oil control can last up to 4 hours

Sophie Magic Pink Cream
>love love love! =)
>just P70.00
>staying power is really good
>blendable
>gives me a "just exercised glow"

Mentholatum Lip Ice Sheer Color
>just P145.00
>the color adjusts to the color of your lips
>you need to re-apply after a couple of hours

Human ♥ Nature Organic Lipbalm in Watermelon
>just P59.75
>really moisturinzing
>not sticky

These are all I need to look blooming whenever I go out :)
without anything on
and after




after 4 hours, doing house chores
I do own a few pieces of make up, but being a SAHM, I rarely use them.Maybe when joaquim is older and mommy can have a night life again..hehe =)
hmmm...really need to do something about my dark eye circles...

kath

Alexia's Gift Box


Stephanie Zografakis, a buyer and co-owner
 of  Alexia's Gift Box  with
 her new line of  glamorous beach hats.
She has bags too match 


Frankie Pezza and  Stephanie Zografakis have opened up this amazing little accessory  boutique tucked in in a shopping strip at 25 W. Eagle Rd. in Havertown.
Stephanie named the boutique after her daughter Alexia. Inside this fabulous space are all types of jewelry, silk braided scarves, handbags, wraps and even belt buckles for that special someone. 
They have gel watches and fashion rings and bracelets.
 Each month they run a special on an item offering a discount. This month, gel watches; next month, fashion rings and bracelets. 
 This aunt and niece team have created an atmosphere where every corner you look you will find something unusual and interesting without being overwhelmed.  It definitely is a fashionistas paradise.  Frankie makes you feel at home.
 The beauty is that you will find one of a kind of an item unique in color at prices you can afford. Teens can come in and find clay bracelets for $6.50 and everything is tasteful. 
If you are looking for a gift, Frankie can help you out and you definitely will find something for that special someone.
 The women carry local artists like Sherry Tinsman, Angela Duffin and Susan Rifkin.
  Waxing Poetic is a new line of jewelry. Stephanie and Frankie have been lucky enough to have these pieces in their store as its been hard to get this jewelry on the East Coast. It's a line of jewelry and charms  made of sterling silver, brass and gem stones which makes beautiful gifts for anniversaries, new babies and just because. You can build on the chain adding charms and spacers. 
So make it a point to visit Alexia's Gift box when you are in Havertown. Keep Styling in Delco. 

Time to get out theShape-ups

My first pairs of Shape-ups.
Shape-ups for the legs.

Last year I discovered Shape-ups, a very thick sole shoe that firms the buttocks, the thighs, the abdominal muscles and calf muscles. A sneaker but so much more. Yes, you can feel the burn and when you first wear these shoes you shouldn't wear them all day. Try 30 minutes in the beginning. If not your knees will hurt.  Gradually you can though the whole day in them. Don't run though.
Shape-ups made by Sketchers features an unique soft kinetic wedge insert and dynamic rolling bottom to simulate walking on soft sand which in turn burns calories. What more could a girl want in a shoe?
So for my birthday last year I asked for a pair. Shape-ups aren't cheap and when you have small feet you can't find them on the sale rack so you have to go toSkechers website. ( Some stores like Macy's has sales though if you have the right size foot.)  They start at $80 and can be as high as $110.
You have so many to choose from on the website though. It literally took me hours and in my practical thought process I opted for the white, gray and blue for capris and  the black ones for jeans. too.Yes kind of expensive for a sneaker but think of it this way, no jiggly thighs. As swimwear season approaches, time to wear those Shape-ups. Can they truly reshape your body. Think the Biggest Loser...diet, and exercise with Shape-ups will reshape your body.DIET and EXERCISE. 
 But hey look at Kim Kardashian, the Shoe Diva's has given her stamp of  approval. Wedges are back you know. Keep Styling in Delco.
.
    

Sunday is family day!

Last sunday, we heard mass (well, technically "I" heard mass! because joaquim is in play mode, he kept moving around and jhe had to watched him!) then went to Metro Market Market. This is our go to mall because it's just about 5 minutes from home. :-)
And what luck, they were on SALE! hehe!
So we grabbed a light snack at Mcdo for energy! hehe!











 While looking for joaquim's clothes he amused himself with the life-size figures of Garfield and Snoopy at the children's section of the department store.

having so much fun!
We bought him 3 polo shirts (about P200 each) and I was able to buy a reversible pink polka dot bikini (for only P300! score!)


Also bought multi-purpose box for joaquim's and my "abubots"! :-)
only P45 each
 For dinner we ate at Sushi King. Their food is good and we were satisfied for just P370+

After eating we decided to call it a day and I went home a happy camper! :-)


kath

Bohol Countryside Tour

On our second day in Bohol, we did the countryside tour. We went to 12 tourist spots that began at 09:00 am and we were able to go back to our resort at 07:00 pm.

First stop - The Blood Compact Site
Historians later found out that this was not the actual site. We were able to go to the actual Blood Compact site (see photo below)

Baclayon Church
Baclayon Church is the second oldest church in the Philippines

the inside of the church
Prony the Phyton
claimed to be the longest and heaviest python in captivity

Tarsiers
known locally as the Maumag

Loboc River Curise
because it rained the whole night, the floating resto was just docked, but still food was good :)

Bilar Man Made Forest
our driver, Kuya Dennis, shared that back then, they can't graduate from high school without planting a tree

Butterfly Farm
photo taken by daddy :)

Chocolate Hills
the view was amazing!




 Hanging Bridge

 Actual Blood Compact Site

Hinagdanan Cave
Our guide was very good with the camera settings :)
 Bohol Bee Farm
love love love their malunggay ice cream!!

It was a tiring day but very, very rewarding! We were overjoyed to see these wonderful places.

we enjoyed the beach on oujr third day


kath

Prayer

Let's offer our prayers for those who were affected by the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami.

Our anniversary trip in bohol

Last 02/28/11 was our 4th wedding anniversay. We usually celebrate by going out and eating in one of our fave resto but we decided to make this different.
We decided that we should have an out of town trip.
So we decided to go to Bohol because of all the good reviews from people who already went there. Right after that, I read the Bohol thread on Girltalk to get ideas on how to do a DIY trip.
Girltalk was a great help on making this trip successful, with all the input of my sisses there :)

This was joaquim's first plane ride and mine too! hehe! I was quite apprehensive on what his reaction would be, but it all went well, the only problem is that he doesn't want to wear the seatbelt! We need to distract him so we can put his seatbelt!
lollipop as distraction! :-D
We had a smooth flight and joaquim only realized that he rode a plane when we were getting off from it. He was really amazed and can't stop looking at it, he didn't even care when we were taking pictures!
At Tagbilaran airport, we were approached by Kuya Dennis and offered to take us to our resort. While on the way he asked if we already booked someone for the countryside  tour and we told him we already got the services of Kuya Tatsky (recommended by many gtalkers :-)). To our surprise he said that he actually worked for Kuya Tatsky, so he said that he will ask him to just assign him as our driver. And since he seems nice, we agreed.

We stayed at Alona Tropical Beach Resort, we got their fan room for P1.320.00 plus P300 for an extra person because my brother in law was with us. The room is really nice and clean, the staff are also very accomodating. We enjoyed our stay there.
Oh, I miss Bohol and I hope we can go back as soon as we can! :-)


have a good one!
kath

(our coutryside tour on my next post)

Meet my two boys

my life
Jhe and I had been together since 02/28/1999 as boyfriend-girlfriend. After 7 years, we had our civil wedding (but we didn't lived together yet). Then at excatly 8 years of being together we had our church wedding.
Then after 17 months of living under one roof we had Joaquim, our darling little boy. He's now 2 1/2 years old. A very curious, active and sweet toddler.
I love my two boys! They are my source of happiness :)


kath

Hello world!

I had been contemplating on creating a blog for the longest time, and now I finally got the guts to do so. :)
Take a peek on my everyday life: on being a wife, a mother, on having a business, our travels, my simple pleasures, the photographs i love to take, my love for "ukay" shopping and bargain hunting :), my  love for organic products for my baby boy and everything in between!


Enjoy!

MODEL SEARCH IS ON!!!


It's that time of year, isn't it.  Time to clean out the closets - out with the old, in with the new...or something like that.

On B100 last week, I told you about some easy ways to start cleaning out and organizing your closet.  I also promised that I would list some quick 1-2-3 to wardrobe organization here...so here ya go!

When it comes to wardrobe organization, it is very simple to tackle this item on the 'to-do' list with 3 easy steps:

Step 1 - Separate tops from bottoms, and make some piles
Keep all of your skirts and pants together in your closet. Separate these pieces from your tops, sweaters and jackets. As you are going through your clothing, look at each piece and consider if that piece is something you’ve worn in the past year. If not, then set it aside. Look at it and determine if it needs to be cleaned, is it stained? Does it need repair? If so, set it aside. 
photo from: http://navaniknows.com

Step 2 - Separate colors
Next, go through each section created in step-1, and separate each item by color. For example, your closet should have all the white tops together, and then cream, pink, red, blue on to black.  For patterned or striped items, fit those in with the dominant color in the piece. A white striped blouse would go with the white section. A red tartan plaid shirt would go with the red section and so on.

Step 3 - Separate lengths
First, shirts. Put all the tank tops together, then short sleeves, ¾ sleeves, long sleeves and then blouses, sweaters and jackets.

With pants and skirts, start with skirts, again by length. Then move to cropped pants, casual pants and dress slacks.

TIP: Hang pants on pant hangers (not folded over a shirt hanger). Folding your pants will leave a crease, and the part of the pant that is folded over the hanger will collect dust.

OTHER TIPS

Shoes - There are several schools of thought to how you organize your shoes, and it all depends on how many shoes you have. Some organize shoes by brand in the original box. Some people can’t remember (or don’t care) what brand of shoes they have in their closets, or don’t keep the original boxes. In this case, purchase clear plastic shoe boxes.
It is important to keep your shoes covered or in boxes. Closets are dusty places, and those shoes you are not currently wearing (out of season) will get very dirty if left sitting on a shelf.

Belts / Accessories - belts should be hung on hooks or on a belt hanger.

Storage - Plastic or woven storage tubs are great for things like handbags, shawls/wraps/scarves, and seasonal items like holiday sweaters, bathing suits. 

Hangers - One fast way to make your closet look better instantly is to have nice hangers (all the same kind of hanger). The ones I like are Ultra Slim Flocked hangers from Bed Bath and Beyond – use one of those 20% off coupons you get in the mail!


Good luck in your wardrobe clean up!  I'd love to hear what you decided to keep, and what you decided to donate to your local Goodwill store!
Kathy Friend is a wardrobe coach and fashion stylist. For over 15 years, she has consulted with thousands of men and women all over the world to help improve their self esteem through image. She is the Fashion Editor of The Family Magazine and regularly provides information on the WSBT Morning Show as a Fashion Expert. Kathy provides fashion advice regularly through FASHION DAY events at Goodwill stores in Northern Indiana. For information on upcoming Goodwill events, please visit the Goodwill Website.

Get ready! MODEL SEARCH!!!

Keep your eyes peeled for details on our GOODWILL LITTLE BLACK DRESS FASHION SHOW model search! Details on how to enter to be released soon!





photo from http://www.tamicollins.com

Spring Cleaning the Electronic Waste From Your Life


photo credit: dio5

In a world where your phones and electronics become obsolete within a year, it should come as no surprise that there is a lot of electronic waste lying around that could be put to great use and recycled today. In fact, the EPA estimates that in 2007, 157 million computer products were discarded (CPUs, monitors, notebooks, keyboards, mice, printers, faxes, and copiers). Just imagine if those items would have been donated and processed by Goodwill instead how much we would be able to keep out of our landfills?
As the season for spring cleaning is around the corner, consider a spring cleaning of the electronic warfare that is taking up residence in your basements, garage, and home office. Today I wanted to share with you the beauty of donating your electronic items to Goodwill and how some of the items gathering dust in your home could benefit someone in your community!






What is the Dell Reconnect program?

I never truly understood how amazing the electronic donation program was at Goodwill until I took a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility and got to see the processing of donations as they were happening in real time. It should come as no surprise that the donations that come in aren’t all in the best condition, but the way that Goodwill looks at donations is that every component of that donation has a valuable part to it. Some of the items that cannot be sold in their stores are processed simply as raw materials, such as metals, plastics, and textiles.

Goodwill has a partnership with Dell to process electronic waste in a technology recycling program that can greatly benefit our community and reduce the waste in landfills. The program is called Reconnect and it offers you an easy, convenient and responsible way to recycle your used computer equipment. You can drop off any brand of used equipment - working or not - at Goodwill's Drive-Thru Donation Centers at their retial stores.

Project Earth 365:  Day 008

photo credit: tiramisu_addict

What types of items does Goodwill take?

While you may already be aware that you can donate those computers, printers, & scanners, there are some items that you might not realize Goodwill will take for you. For example, Goodwill will happily process those cords and cables (power cord & USB cables) that no longer have a use in your home, your ink & toner cartridges (either full or empty), computer speakers, televisions and software. We even take cell phones!

Items where the glass could be broken, like computer monitors and scanners, just need to be placed into a trash bag or box and clearly labeled that they are broken and the date of your donation. Isn’t it nice to know that even those broken items in our home can be processed for donation?

Old Hard Drive... circa 1982 (1)

photo credit: Taran Rampersad

What do I do about the confidential information on my hard drive?

Unfortunately, Goodwill cannot be responsible for the information that may exist on your hard drive. Just imagine if they had to process that along with the millions of donations that they process each year?

Before wiping your hard drive clean, be sure that you back up whatever you might need from it. Remember that when you clean the hard drive that you will not be able to get anything back from it that you might need later down the road.

It is easy and free to erase your hard drive and there are many free online programs that can help you with this process. This site, for example, offers easy instructions and a program that you can download to help you erase your confidential information. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, you can always hire a third party company to assist you.

Charlotte Clean & Green

photo credit: goodwillsp

Where do I drop my donations off?

To get your tax donation form, be sure to drop those donations off at Goodwill's Drive-Thru Donation Centers at your nearest Goodwill store. The bonus that makes the trip entirely worth it is that our Michiana Goodwills offer coupons for every donation that you make. After you create a little space in your home from that donation, you can do a little shopping for another great piece to continue organizing your space!

If your donation is a bulky one, you can call 574.472.7334 and Goodwill will be happy to pick up. There are some areas they cannot pick up from, so call ahead to see if your location is within their range.

Basically, there are just no excuses for not getting rid of the electronic waste in your life!

My Story: Goodwill Industries International employee Sekeno Aldred


Why should I donate my items to Goodwill?

All of that electronic equipment that you donate to Goodwill has value. Whether it is an entirely working operating system or it is simply your empty ink cartridges, your items help Goodwill’s mission to provide jobs, training and placement services for people with barriers to employment. You can feel so proud that you finally weeded through your electronic clutter, happily accept your tax receipt, keep your electronics out of the landfill, and provide jobs for others.

I can think of no other reason than that to make Goodwill a place to unload the electronics gathering dust in your life!

*****************************


Time to confess! What electronics are you hanging on to that you haven’t been able to part with? I will start the discussion with our Super Nintendo, a whole bin of random cords, an extra printer, an extra scanner, and two old cell phones. What is gathering dust at your house?






Amy Allen Clark is the Founder of MomAdvice.com, a web community where she shares advice on parenting, money-saving ideas, recipes, and solutions for work-at-home moms. Visit her site for more ideas on ways to live on a frugal budget!