Happy Nu Yr

What have become of me posting a New Year blog on January 4th? I have been busy really. This is what I got by beginning the new year procrastinating. My Kiwi nieces are coming over tomorrow to join our family swiming party to be held at Covelandia.

This morning I washed the linen so the Kiwi nieces will be satisfied when they lie down to sleep in our big bed. The linen are now smelling sweet. I used two sachets of Del fabric softener that's why. I replaced our pillow cases with new floral prints. It has pastel shades of green, blue and violets. Lovely.

By the way, the pic of fireworks above was taken by Richard, my prospective future son-in-law. I was really trying to shoot pics of the fireworks display myself but I can't capture it. I kept jumping and scampering away whenever our neighbor Alfie lights firecrackers in front of our gate.

Mum's being fidgety again whenever visitors are coming over.

Oooops!

I forgot to check the time and it's already 7 minutes before 11 pm. I intended to post something interesting tonight. But I have committed myself to attend dawn watch tomorrow at 430 am. S0 as soon as it's 11pm I have to log off so I can have a longer sleep. 5 minutes to go. Aside from dawn watch I also plan to attend a cell group although it ends around ten pm every Wednesday. The cell group's meeting place is quite far. 2 minutes to go. I also have to prepare my clothes. Thanks to the Lord because this morning I asked for tranportation money and early this evening I already have the money. Mayaman si Papa!

Ok, bye for now good nite. Sleep tight.

The Lion in Baguio

This lion's head carved from a giant rock is the landmark to motorists that they have finally reached Baguio.

The Sunday Before Christmas

The Sunday before Christmas, le famille attended a Sunday worship at a church downtown being pastored by my brother in law. Bro in law led the worship singing and a visiting preacher preached the word of God for over an hour. I'm wearing my pocket talker but I did not try to use the extension cord so that I can position the mic near the speaker. We were just visitors in that church and I thought not to bother with the hassle of installing my ALD all over the place. Oh how a I endured and suffered an hour of not understanding anything the preacher was passionately saying at the pulpit. I kept pinching my arms so I can stay awake. You will never know how hard it is to sit for an hour trying to understand a preaching but failing miserably. The proper word is angry. I was very angry that I didn't understand. I heard sounds but my mind cannot proccess the sounds as meaningful speech.

Then after the preaching a little girl sang a special number. I was delighted because I can lipread and understand the song as it was my childhood Sunday school song.

When Christ is in my vessel I can smile like the storm

smile like the storm, smile like the storm

When Christ is in my vessel I can smile like the storm

Until He takes me home.

Sailing, I'm sailing home

Sailing, I'm sailing home.

When Christ is in my vessel I can smile like the storm

Until He takes me home.

Anyways God is really good and His mercies never end. He saw my anger and He aproched me by letting me "hear" the song. I shed a tear secretly not because of self pity but because I experienced God's love at that moment in church, the Sunday before Christmas.

We are only whole to the extent that we are experiencing God's love everyday, as my eldest sister loved to say.

Le famille spent the hols in Baguio from Decemeber 22 to 26. We were 45 in all including the kids. Half of us rented a transient house for five thousand a night. The other half stayed in my sister's house in Baguio. Then each of the adults contributed 550 pesos for food. We had a party on Christmas eve, we exchanged gifts, had parlor games and sang Christmas songs. The kids were happy with the toy gifts they recieved and wanted to play with their new toys the whole night. Mum offered a long closing prayer then we chatted while sipping coffee until after midnight.

We also went to church last Sunday then had lunch out afterwards. We went in groups and I ended up joining my eldest son and his family at Yellow Cab. Soon after my other nieces found us and joined our holiday lunch out. I was hoping son will invite me to have coffee at Starbucks come evening but he didn't. I want to have coffee at Starbucks in Baguio as I love the ambience of the coffee shop and the fact that it's very cold as the wind blows in there.

Mum's birthday cake

Le famille

It's urgent I should blog before December ends. Mum's birthday bash was a big success. Her guests were so blessed by how well we tried to make Mum happy on her 80th birthday. My comic brother in law composed and recited a poem in praise of Mum. Then with the help of his two daughters he sang Only You to Nanay.

We were dressed in our finest and in all imaginable shades of purple. Even the three layer birthday cake was purple and white. Beautiful!

Of Nieces and Party Dresses

One of my nieces, Carla

I promise to blog more often this month of December. I really haven't found the time yet to put links on my blog, invite friends, and join blog explosion so I can generate traffic to my blog.

Anyways, I have already finished the party dresses of my nieces Nimai, Sara, Carla and Dianne and the dresses of my granddaughters Betina and Chloe. Nimai's and Sara's dresses were lavender pink tafetta with chiffon and organdy combination. Carla's and Dianne's were a daring violet shade. I think Betina's and Chloe's dresses will be the knockout ones as I even told their parents Bird and Chi that the design of their daughter's dresses were Tessa inspired. The style is not only daring but fearless that only my granddaughters can carry with aplomb (?).

My sister and her family arrived last Thursday from NZ to spend their month long holiday in the Philippines. And know what I got as their pasalubong? A pocket talker! This is an assistive listening device, a sound amplifier and I'm learning to use it now. I wore it at church this morning and some church folks were looking at me, maybe wondering why I should wear an ipod at church. I didn't bother to explain that it's not an ipod but a pocket talker. I can now hear sounds and speech altho I still miss some words, it's better than not hearing anything at all. I'm able to hear music as well and I find myself tapping my feet to the music. I think I will have to write in a separate post my feelings about hearing thru the pocket talker.

Tomorrow I will have to work early so I can finish the dresses of my other nieces Trisha, Jillian and Janna. There is a dawn watch at church beginning tomorrow until Saturday, December 8. I hope I can join but I have to finish the dresses. Sad.

It's already quarter past 11 in the evening here but I am not sleepy yet as I had an evening coffee to go with the donuts my future son in law brought here early this evening. I pray to God the tomorrow will be lovely, stress free day and I will be able to finish the dresses I'm making and my nieces will be very happy. I ask God for strength and joy without grumbling I may be able to work for His glory.