Caroleen’s Treasures

I was up until 3 in the morning looking at photos of cakes. Donald brought up the idea of baking cakes and pastries again and I remember when I wrote about some wild thoughts October of 2008. I really wanted to learn how to bake especially cakes and we actually have a plan on buying oven and baking equipments before Eman was born. Then came Eman March the following year along with the unexpected hospital bill and the  bills that came from him being hospitalized for three times last August 2009. I have no regrets at all because I can trade all the material things for the life and health of my kids. And came the idea of baking again which I think would be a great business. Well I have proven that getting into a business don’t have to be big. It should be something that you love to do and baking is not difficult to love. Who could resist the cakes?????? I fell in love with fondant icing. I can’t wait to get my hands to it.

There is one thing that made me have second thoughts. It was having a handful to do. I have sew cloth diapers and baby slings plus I make personalized gift items. I told Donald that maybe we are jumping from one project to another…..but he said doing that is not good if we have not perfected the craft and yet start another thing again. He said I have perfected the sewing and hand-painting of gift items so to start a baking business is not a bad idea. That I really need to hear from him so I won’t feel guilty. Why not try? After all all of the successful entrepreneurs does not focus on one business only. So we are now buying an oven for me to bake cakes and cupcakes. I am so excited! I wish I can bake cakes and cupcakes for Eman’s 1st birthday.

Anyhoo, I was not easily convinced to buy an oven if it will be only for baking cakes and other goodies. After much thought, I gave in to Donald’s idea because I can use it for baking ceramics and polymer clays. These are things that I want to do but without an oven, it will not be possible.

Okay back to browsing photos of cakes.

10:03 PM - I guess I am not very sure if we will ever buy an oven. I did find one that I want. The cheapest among the La Germania freestanding ovens but a couple of online friends and fellow bloggers wants to order crib sets which means I might get into this items sooner or later. This will need another working capital. So I am torn between focusing on my sewing and hand-painting crafts or doing it with baking cakes and goodies.

11:42 PM - I still want to bake. I really do. I think I will focus on the sewing and if I can outsource it, then I will pursue my baking plan. That is all for now. I hope this post will end here….no more updates or change of plans. LOL

Eman turned 11 months old yesterday and I am such a bad mom for not being able to take decent photos of him. We went to my SIL’s house warming party in the evening and though I knew he turned another month old…….I didn’t bother to take even a single solo picture of him maybe because I was so tired and sore. We traveled an hour to get there so imagine how my back hurt. So to make up for it, we went out tonight to have some sort of late celebration. We actually  had no plans on going out but I just asked if we could go buy ingredients for mango float. I ate almost half of the whole batch that was served last night yet I still crave for it. So off we went with the kids in their jackets because we are also heading to Jack’s Ridge. It is a restaurant on top of a hill. We have been there for several times before I got pregnant with Eman so this time it was his turn to see the place. The good thing there is that you can just hang in there the park overlooking Davao City, Davao Gulf and the islands of Samal and Talicud without needing to dine in their restaurant. So that’s what we did.

This art seemed nicer during daytime. The word DAVAO is a sculpture of Durian, waling-waling, native people and Pomelo. Read more… »

It’s Sunday and like usual, the internet is in slow motion. LOL  Last week, the little boy cut his 8th tooth and I can’t believe my baby has a bunch of teeth when he turns 1. He is also attempting to make his first steps. He crosses his playpen hands free and he does that in fast forward mode. He’s just too cute! I guess he will be walking on her 1st birthday and I am so excited. It thrills me because Ella didn’t have a single tooth and could not walk yet on her 1st birthday. Oh how many times did I mention it here? Read more… »

Last Saturday, I went to SM to meet my high school friends and of course my whole family tagged along. We are inseparables ya know. We were at SM a couple of hours before the agreed time. We brought the laptop to Thinking Tools to get the DVD ROM checked. Then we went down to the Food Court (our favorite tambayan) and pigged out on cheese flavored french fries and choco fudge black pearls. Nom nom nom.

Since we will have  dinner together with my friends, we brought the stroller so the little guy will be comfortable just in case he naps. The whole time we were there Ella was the one pushing the stroller around. She would get mad if we will take over.

She was showing his little brother around the windows we passed by, stopping for a while to let the little guy see those mannequins in fancy clothes. Read more… »

Credits: Moody Blues from Shabby Princess

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So our little guy, who is 10 months and 16 days old today, can now clap his hands and he does it with great pride. The picture can tell. I realized that teaching my baby should be in a fun fun fun way and doing it just a couple of times a day is just perfect. So after showing how I do it for four days, he did it all by himself the other day!!!! Isn’t that wonderful? Sometimes he gets confused what he was asked to do, whether to clap or close and open his tiny hands. Can’t blame him because the two goes with a song that has the same tune. LOL So each time he closes and opens his tiny hands when I ask him to clap, I will hold his hands and clap it for him. He is really making us proud. Read more… »

Last February 8 was our 7th wedding anniversary and that day we had the worst meal.

Daddy, who is in Pagadian City, sent an sms greetings early in the morning. Donald was surprised he still remembers it. Well of course he does because he was the mastermind of our wedding date. LOL Daddy is not Chinese but he suggested it should be on the 8th or any date that the bottom does not points downward (like 1, 4, 7 and 9).

There in so specific plan for that day but Ella wanted it to be special by making a greeting card for me and Donald. We went to SM and did our usual walk around the ground floor and checked for a good deal at the second floor. Good thing I didn’t find anything worth buying because I have no plans in spending for anything but food that day. Then we passed by this new section at the second floor that really bothered Ella.

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Credits: Summer in the Hampton kit by Danielle Engerbretson

“Somehow, out of all the twists and turns over our lives could have taken,

and out of all the chances we might have missed,

It almost seems like we were given a meant-to-be moment…

to meet you, to get to know each other and to set the stage for a special togetherness.

When I am with you, I know that I am in the presence of

someone who makes my life more complete than I ever dreamed it could be.

I turn to you for trust and you give it openly.

I look to you for inspiration, for answers, and for encouragement.

And - not only do you never let me down. You lift my spirits up

and take me to places where my troubles seem so much further away

and my joys feel like they’re going to stay in my life forever.

I hope you’ll stay forever.

I feel you’re my soulmate.

And I want you to know that my world is reassured by you,

my tomorrow’s need to have you near.

So many of my smiles depend on you,

and my heart is so thankful that you are here.”

Excerpt from Inspiringthot.net

and hopefully will be the last. It happened yesterday morning and I feel so bad for him but before you freak out (like what Ella did) he’s okay now and he’s back to his old self. When we woke up yesterday, we stayed in bed longer to breastfeed. When he had enough I put him in his playpen, gave him toys and made our bed. Suddenly I heard a cry that sounded like he was hurt.  He’s just at my back so I immediately checked on him and I saw a yellow and black thing smeared on his mouth. I knew it right away, it’s a bee!

So I was in panic (what can you expect from me?) but I managed to keep calm. Ella was the one who was in real shock. I carried Eman right away and checked first his mouth because I suspect he attempted to ate it. He did. That bee was already in “coma” after Donald sprayed the night before. I don’t know where these bees come from but we have occasional visits from them. So we have a water-based insect spray ready each time they show up. I usually squeeze each of them with my slipper when they drop from the air and I didn’t know there was one that landed in the playpen. Apparently the little guy saw it and thought it’s delicious. The bee can still move and can still sting even when it’s almost dead or even when its head has came off. I carefully removed the sting and tried to make him feel comfortable by giving Paracetamol. Ella was like, “Mommy! Anong nangyari kay ading? Bakit ang laki ng space?!!!!!!!!” (Mommy what happened to my little brother? Why the space is so big?). That made me laugh. Read more… »

This face looks like I have to keep an eye on him.

Mother’s instinct proved to be right again. He has plotted another mischief but this time it’s too cute and I can’t help but giggle. Ella was playing with her bears last Monday. She loves playing mommy to them. She tucked them to bed and left for “work” and this little guy thought it’s cool to join them. Read more… »