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Baking Obsessed

I am taking a break right now. I am sipping a hot cup of coffee, surfing the web, and relishing the peace and quiet. Ate and Kuya just left for school and Bunso is sound asleep.

This day started really early for me. I woke up at around 4 in the morning, an hour earlier than usual. Yes, to do some baking.

One of the reasons why I wanted to learn baking was to experience waking up my family to the smell of treats fresh out of the oven. Today is the first time I did just that.

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Photo from GettyImages.Com

Continued…

Posted in In the Kitchen.

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I Just Baked My First Bread!

Tada! Here’s my first banana bread!

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Forgive me for tooting my own horn, but really, it was great! I never knew the banana bread I buy at bakeshops can be so easily prepared at home, and with the same quality, too (Hubby swears it’s better).

Posted in In the Kitchen.

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The Smell Of My First Cookies

I just baked my very first batch of cookies. Actually it’s just a Betty Crocker mix I picked up from the grocery.

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I got a thumbs up from the kids as they wolfed down the cookies. I know the cookies don’t look so great though. They were supposed to look like stars and hearts but yeah, they looked more like a toddler’s first playdough project.

At least, I was finally able to get over my fear of using an oven. Baking is one of those things I used to find intimidating. “Used to” – because I am now looking for baking recipes for beginners. Woohoo!

What prompted me to square my shoulders and get to baking is the smell wafting from the oven. I love the idea of my husband and children coming home and being greeted at the front door by the smell of freshly-baked bread and cookies. Like the smell of fresh flowers on a vase and a hint of sweet vinegar on the floors, I think the smell of something baking in the oven is the smell of home.

So when the cookies were placed in the oven, the children watched them happily while I went to every nook and cranny of our house to check if I could smell them baking. Yessiree! My home smelled like home sweet home!

Posted in In the Kitchen.

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Hello Again!

Welcome to my newly-refurbished blog! How do you like it?

I am also ditching my old name, Lady Cess, and from now on will use my other name, Cessna.

Hence, my new blog title. But my content will still be pretty much the same.

This blog is still a work-in-progress, so please bear with me. Techie stuff gives me nosebleed but I have to deal with it.  Other than that, this blog is good to go.

Thank you Cef Malicse for the lovely header!

Posted in With me.


Lady Cess Was In The PBA

This humble blog was nominated by IMom and later chosen as finalist in the Philippine Blog Awards 2009.

I didn’t get the trophy, nonetheless I feel great. My efforts have been recognized and appreciated, and grouped together will all those amazing blogs! Yes, me, and those wonderful bloggers. I still can’t believe it.

Congratulations to the finalists and winners of PBA ’09. I am honored (read: kinikilig to the bones) to be  lined up with you. Thanks to IMom for believing in me, my beloved FMB family for the love and support and the “pala,” and the PBA for taking notice of this simple blog. Salamat po.

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I think this blog needs a makeover, don’t you agree? I have been mulling over this for months now, and I think it’s time to put the plan to action.

Stay tuned :)

Posted in With me.


The Nightmare That Was Ondoy

My internet connection was gone for almost three days. No electricity for a day, and no water for two.

That was all we lost when Typhoon Ondoy wreaked havoc. We turned on the tv as soon as the power came back, and I watched the news with horror. I couldn’t believe how much tragedy could happen in so short a time. I couldn’t help sobbing as I watched the pictures and videos on tv. Sobra talaga.

We have already dropped off food, jackets, babies’ and children’s clothes blankets, and towels in SM Operation Tulong booth in The Block. I think all SM branches have put up these booths which makes it easier for many of us to extend help. I heard there is a call for more food, blankets, water and medicines, and we plan to answer the call in our own little way. The Lord has allowed me and my family to survive the storm unscathed that we feel we must do anything and everything to help.

I mourn for those who died in the typhoon. The grief must be too much to bear for their loved ones.

Posted in Thru life.


Sweet Sibs

I love this photo so much I made it our PC’s wallpaper. Look at them smile. Look at how tightly Kuya hugged Ate. Look at how much Ate enjoyed Kuya’s hug. Nobody would think that days before this photo was taken I was at my wits’ end trying to keep the two from arguing over which tv channel to watch, whose turn it was to use the computer, and whether or not the Disney Princesses are powerful enough to beat the Transformers.

The tv, the computer, and the battle between damsels and robots were set aside for their fill of slides, trampolines and a sea of balls. This beautiful photo was brought to me by a visit to Active Fun in SM North EDSA.

Many thanks to Apple Morales, the owner, for the invitation to me and my fellow mommy bloggers.

Read more at The Filipino Mom Blog.

Posted in With the family.

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Stuff For The Baby

“Sanay sa karga” means the baby is used to being carried. Which, for many folks, is not good because this means the baby gets spoiled and therefore fussy when put down, thus mommy or whoever the caregiver is cannot do anything else.

But me, I prefer my baby to be “sanay sa karga.” I noticed that Bunso is not at all fussy when he is near me. I agree, though, that watching tv seems the only thing that is easy for me to do when I carry the baby.

And so I got this baby pouch.

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I have tried a couple of baby carriers fit for my 2-month old baby, and this one is the easiest for me to use. Just fold it, wear it, place the baby in the pouch, and tada! I’m wearing Bunso.

With this pouch, I am able to eat with both hands. I could hold a shopping bag in one hand while holding Ate’s hand in the other. Or help Kuya with his homework. I am wearing Bunso as I write this post. But of course, some things cannot be done even with Bunso in the pouch, like cooking.

Sometimes, Bunso is very fussy prior to using the pouch. But as soon as he is safely in it, he is peacefully asleep in about a minute or two.

Unfortunately, babywearing also attracts attention. I have been using this pouch for weeks in public places and I have yet to see anyone wearing a baby, thus I get stared at and ogled often. There was even this young couple in a bookstore who tried not to look too curious  by pretending to scrutinize the shelves beside me.

Another way to get gawked at is to use this boncho.

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I have used breastfeeding bibs in the past, but this boncho, or a breastfeeding poncho, is the best! With this boncho, I have breastfed in restaurants, in Star City, and even while hearing mass. Yes, I’m getting pretty used to feeling like a fish in an aquarium, haha!

Bunso does not get sweaty and hot under the boncho unlike the bibs I used. It can be worn in a variety of ways, but the one above is my favorite because it also covers my back.

Both pouch and boncho were ordered from Indigo Manila.

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Rainy Days Mean Shabu-Shabu

I don’t like rainy days, but it sure is the perfect time to cook one of my favorite foods. Shabu-shabu!

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I put garlic, onion and satay in a pot of beef broth to make the soup base. Then I add sukiyaki-cut beef, the cute seafood balls I got from SM Supermarket, egg noodles, bok choy, chopped onion leaves and crab sticks. Add salt and pepper to taste, and tada! we have a steaming hot pot of homemade shabu-shabu!

Honestly, I’m not sure if that is really how to make the soup base. Nanghula lang ako, and the result is good enough for us. But if you have any tips to make yummier shabu-shabu, I’d love to know them!

Posted in In the Kitchen.


This Post Is Brought To You By My Favorite Vinegar

Yikes! I saw molds on the upholstered seat of our dining room chairs. Must be the changing weather, or the fact that my kids must learn how to keep their food and drink stay on the table.

I took my bottle of white vinegar and sprayed on the seats, and told my husband to let me be as he complained yet again about the smell. “Eto na naman si suka,” he muttered. You see, the vinegar has become one of my must-haves in housekeeping, it’s no longer uncommon for hubby and the kids to get in the bathroom or the bedroom and find that I have used it to clean the floor or something. They are still not used to the smell of it though, while I actually think it  smells kind of sweet that I prefer it over branded air fresheners.

Ah yes, the chairs. I checked a few hours later, and the seats were free of molds! They looked good as new! I’m so happy! I just wish I took a picture.

Posted in At home.