My Home: Interior Details Part 3

So I've been updating the look of my simple home and moving things here and there. Below are the amazing results! It's always lovely going home and I thank my hubby he doesn't give a damn when things are all white around the house! LOL

I can't wait for Christmas! I'll show you the look of our home after I've put on all my DIY decors, promise! Have a lovely day, everyone!

Luke 2:11 - Christ Is Born

Below was my Saturday night's status on Instragram.

"So I can't sleep and super stoked to start my Christmas decor projects! Creativity adrenalin is so on but can't do as family time starts early for Freedom tomorrow. So goodnight everyone. Ilonggamommy signing off! Thank you, Lord, for today."

And so on Sunday morning, our chalkboard behind our coaster cabinet was like this. It may remain that way until I get the time to create another Christmas doddle!

Favorite Verse of All Time

I am so excited to finally add this page to my mommy blog! Simply because my journey to God has changed me 360 degrees! I'd like to give credit to my loving husband in my faith walk. For I know that being a mom, it is my main responsibility to raise a God-loving person in Freedom. For I know that the word of God should be spread first at home. For I know that I am under God's light today because of Him. Because He loves me and He didn't let go of my hand when I turned my back on Him.

This is my favorite verse of all TIME! Jesus Christ is the loving God.

John 3:16

 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Living The Dream

Am I really living my dream? I'd say YES. Well I guess my dream is not at par with everyone else's typical dream. A 1000-sqm lot? A 5-car garage parking? A 8-bedroom house? After all, happiness and contentment are still subjective perspectives. You only know what makes you happy. I guess it still doesn't matter where you live but how you live. And I strongly believe that everything we do in life is all because of our choices. And our choices in the past can do a tremendous domino effect in our future.

I am a simple woman with a simple dream. If you have asked me 15 years ago though, I would have answered differently. But as I mature as a woman, wife and a mother, I decided I wanted to live happily and simply. I don't need a big house with a pool if I can't afford it. Why stress what you can't have, right? I'm hoping to own a car or two. A complete, functional small kitchen will also do for me because I love cooking! But oh I am super blessed. God has blessed me in so many ways my human mind and heart could ever imagine.

I learned that to live simply, you have to minimize stress in your life and focus on what really matters. It's not bad as well to aim high but sometimes, doing what you just love will bring you to heights while not stressing it. And oh, being calm and gentle in approaching life and its challenges will help you a lot.

To best describe how I live out my dream today, I'd put it in four words: Simple, fresh, spacious and clean.

They say pictures can paint a thousand words and so I am sharing with you the version of how I simply live out my dream. This is my dream. To live in a place where I hear dozens of birds chirping morning and afternoon. Where I see dragonflies and colorful butterflies in the garden. Where I can smell and breathe fresh breeze of air. Where I see 360 degrees of blue skies. Where my son can enjoy outdoor play. Where I can plant organic vegetables to cook. Where I can have morning coffee in the garden. Where I can see sunsets in full view. Where I can be near nature.

Psalm 37:3-4
Trust in the LORD and do good. Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Amazing skyline!

Morning coffee here? No problemo!

Afternoon walk with this cutie.

Learning about butterflies.

The blue butterfly.

The yellow butterfly.

I can imagine inviting friends and chill out here.

I can imagine my son playing ball here in the coming days.

I can imagine to get sunkissed here in the summer!

How I love this duo.

Dining al fresco anyone?

My humble organic garden.

Giving the kid some responsibility.

I jumped in joy when I first harvested these.

And stoked to harvest a bowl of okra from these babies.

Cooling off the old school style.

Having some normal childhood.

The moment you have your first remote controlled car on a Christmas morning.

Ah yes. I am living my dream.

Ilonggos Rock!

Being an ilongga, it is quite normal that we have ilonggo dishes prepared weekly at home. My son doesn't eat pork or beef and when he eats chicken, he only eats fried chicken from main fastfood chains like KFC, Jollibee and McDonald's. His tastebuds sure are bisaya and ilonggo through and through and we are so proud of that! We may live in Cavite but our hearts truly remain in the Visayas!

Sharing you some photos of ilonggo dishes we normally eat at home or at relative's home.

The Famous Kinilaw! This was prepared by my Tita Haydee when we got to visit them for lunch one day in May. She used dilis in this recipe. Kinilaw is a dish every ilonggo is familiar with. It is composed of deboned fish (usually tanigue, nipis or dilis), minced ginger (many of them!), onions, chilies and sinamak! Sinamak is an ilonggo spiced vinegar btw.

This is one of my favorites! Sinigang na alimusan! Alimusan is a local fish found in rice ponds and it is very cheap! Ilonggos use batwan as a souring agent, a local sour fruit in Bacolod and Iloilo. This one is very easy to make. Use any fish like milkfish, tilapia or even hito. Bring water to boil with tomatoes, batwan and salt. Put in the fish until tender and mix in some banana's heart. Season to taste!

See these golden lobo-lobo disc yummies? My son loves it so much we cook it every week at home! Just mix dulong with an egg and a little cornstarch, then fry small disc portions and voila! Be careful not to put salt though because dulong is already salty in itself.

Give it up for LASWA! The ultimate ilonggo nutrients-packed vegetable viand soup! Gotta share with you a separate recipe post on this one. Yeah, laswa is that special it needs a separate page on my blog. Watch out for it!

Home Cooked Meals on Weekends

How I love cooking for my family! Sharing all these gorgeous photos of my home cooked meals (summarized) on weekends where I find the time to do grandiose dishes in the kitchen!

Prepare to salivate......

I believe this was our Christmas lunch at home. Ham, corn, egg surprise.

Our lunch during the famous Pacquiao-Mayweather fight! Fight din kami sa kainan!

One lazy Saturday with buttered shrimp and corn.

My birthday lunch! Baked spaghetti with garden salad and vinaigrette.

Since siblings were in the house, pizza making was timely!

Freedom the ultimate sabad!

Was happy with the new Imarflex oven hubby bought, I had my first try on this mac-n-cheese!

Dahil diet-dietan ako these days, I had these clean, egg white, romaine lettuce, cucumber with vinaigrette salad for breakfast!

Home is really where meals are great! Happy eating!

Bento Box Ideas For Toddlers

Hi mommies! This year marks a major milestone for me as a mommy as we have enrolled Freedom to daycare classes. At 3, he was so happy to go to school already and we are so amazed with all the things he learned from there. His eyes would lit up every time he shares stories on what happened in school every afternoon, and me and his Tatay always check out his star marks given by his teacher.

To tell you honestly, I was a bit worried at first that he couldn't adjust well due to his young age. But I guess my son is just a social person. I sure know where he got that!

When we talk about school, baon ideas come in mind second! This is a bit challenging to every mother out there and so I wanna share with you all the bento boxes I prepared for Freedom to bring to school. I prepare them just before I leave for work -- at 2AM!

Tantararan........

grapes, cheese sandwich bars, boiled egg

Boiled corn, green grapes, crackers and cheese bar

Freedom's fave corn, egg whites, red apple slice

Hansel Premium cheese crackers, boiled corn, scrambled egg, Spam

Corn, mocha muffin and sliced mangoes

Grapes, peanut kisses, Hansel Premium cheese crackers and Dutch Mill yogurt drink

I promise you I'll share more bento box ideas soon!