On Trend…Navy Blue!

A few things caught my eye while browsing online through the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale…mostly in the hues of navy blue.

Let me tell you about online browsing through shopping sites–it is more dangerous than actual window shopping at a mall! One moment I am at nordstrom.com, the next thing I know, I am browsing Tory Burch looking at a LOT of things I can’t afford…LOL!

But here is one thing that caught my eye…

Tory Burch Patent Double Wrap Logo Stud Bracelet ($95)

Isn’t it just GORGEOUS??!?!

It would go so well with these other key Fall arm candy pieces from Stella & Dot…

Stella & Dot Lakra Bangle ($79)

Stella & Dot Emerson Bangle ($59)

Of course, back at the nordstrom.com site, I also eyed the Classic Navy Canvas TOMS shoes…

Because a stylish mamma needs to be comfortable! TOMS Classic Navy ($44)

Isn’t NAVY just a beautiful, classic color? It really is seasonless, but I think it’ll look especially gorgeous in the Fall.

What are your favorite online shopping sites?

What other outfit essentials do you see yourself wearing in Navy Blue?

I know one thing’s for sure…

I need to shop my closet!!

Hobby Lobby

My hubby and I chanced upon this store over the weekend while out getting garden supplies.

It’s a place called Hobby Lobby…it’s a “Homegoods meets Michael’s” type of place. As its name suggests, they sell anything and everything you can think of that hobbyists do: home decorating (my hobby), scrapbooking (I do a little of that, too!), sewing (I wish!), and all sorts of arts and crafts.

I was surprised by the amount of home decor items that they had. I mean, they literally had rows and rows and rows of shelves with every home decor theme you can think of.

I wish I took pics, but we had Miggz with us and he was getting antsy in the shopping cart, and we had to keep him away from all the goodies to be ogled and touched–I have to admit, I was getting excited myself!

In one area, they had items for cowboy, race car, fire engine, Route 66, Americana, baseball, and other themed rooms! This is a baby room designer’s mecca! You can easily get carried away and pick up decorative items that will fit your theme.

Of course they had a safari themed area! It had animals, African masks, just gorgeous stuff! A bit pricey, but cheaper than you would get at name brand shops like Pottery Barn Kids.

The day that we came, Hobby Lobby was doing a half-off sale on all metal and wood decorative items (including all free-standing decor and wall art!) Naturally, I had to pick up something for Miguel’s safari room.

After many moments of ogling, we decided to give this little giraffe a home…

[Clock-wise from top right] The giraffe is actually made of resin, not wood, but the clerk was nice enough and gave us half off anyway, talk about meant to be ours! | I LOVE the little cologne bottles. They are from Bench (a popular brand store of trendy clothes in the Philippines). | The top of Miguel’s storage drawers. The giraffe completes the look, don’t you think? | And his “explore” garland that I made. I relocated it from its original hanging place by the window…with the blinds and valance I thought it was just too much. It is now hanging by his closet doors, which I think is perfect.

Like many of my projects, Miguel’s room is a “work-in-progress.” It grows with him.

Just recently I finally put away his changing pad, which we haven’t used in ages.

[Below] This is now the once changing area…those DIY storage box and tray now have a home. Also seen here is the framed printable I got from Pinterest, and those plain storage boxes that I made “un-boring” by adding a little safari flair.

How do you keep your little one’s room growing with your child?

Philippines: On My Visit After 16 Years

I’ve been wanting to blog about our travels since the day we got to the Philippines. I’ve mentioned before that I have so much to blog about (travel reviews being the main thing on my mind). Now my hubby, Miggz and I are back to the States, enjoying the comfort of our familiar home (but not the jet lag). I have yet to write my detailed travel logs, but here’s a short list of what we’ve done during our past two-and-a-half months in the Motherland:

– Celebrated Christmas and the whole month of December with my grandmother 🙂

– Braved the crowds and bargain-shopped at Divisoria, a shopping district notorious for its dirt-cheap goods (with prices less than 50% off or more than those you’d see at the malls)

– Ate at our old-time favorite places to eat (Jollibee, Chowking, Shakey’s, Greenwich, Goldilocks, Red Ribbon, The French Baker, etc.), and tried a million-and-one other food stalls/eateries/restaurants (Mang Inasal, Shawarma, House of Minis, Racks, Breadbox, Bibingkinita, Tia Mare’s, Cygma, Kogi, Conti’s, Vivian’s, and a few more I’ve yet to recall)

– Visited relatives from both Terrence’s and my sides of the family

– Shopped some more at Manila’s many malls (from the posh shops of Eastwood, The Fort, Podium, to the mid-range stores of SM Megamall, Robinson’s Metro East, Sta. Lucia, and even the bargain stalls at Tiendesitas and Greenhills)

– Visited our old neighborhoods in Kaimitoville VV2 and in Marikina, if not just to see what has changed on the outside edifices of the places we used to call “home”

– Met up with childhood friends, old schoolmates and cherished acquaintances

– Visited popular Philippine vacation spots (Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Camarines Sur and Albay) and enjoyed what this country is all about: its natural beauty

– Experienced Philippine traffic and pollution, though we could have really done without those…

– Watched a local concert by the ASAP Sessionistas

– Flew nine flights with a toddler (Phoenix to Honolulu, Honolulu to Manila, Manila to Caticlan, Caticlan to Cebu, Tagbilaran to Manila, Manila to Naga, Naga to Manila, Manila to Honolulu, Honolulu to Phoenix), rode a SuperCat ferry somewhere in between (Cebu to Tagbilaran), and SURVIVED each one!

– Learned to pack our luggage within the constraints of Hawaiian Airlines, and carry them through check-in, security and customs with finesse, I must say, thanks to my hubby

– Had the trip of a lifetime

When a friend of mine inquired through email how I felt about returning to the States, she asked if I were “excited? sad? or satisfied?” In a sense, I was all three combined. I felt excited about coming home to our usual comforts (the main things being our well-appointed bathrooms, wide roadways and Miguel’s high chair), but I was also extremely saddened by the fact that we were leaving (though THIS did not hit me until we were at the airport…saying good-bye to my grandma was tough!).

All in all, I was…satisfied. A couple of friends and relatives questioned why we chose to stay there that long, and after this experience, I must say that I would not have had it any other way. I am happy for the chance we were given to come home and enjoy every single aspect of our trip, and have enough down time in between to just, well, LIVE there. Having Miggz enjoy the company of my grandmother is probably the biggest “pasalubong” I can give her, and the memories of which the best one I can bring back.

For myself. For my family. And for Miguel.

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A Day at the Mall

Today Terrence, Miguel and I had a nice day out together. We went to our favorite mall in the area…Scottsdale’s Fashion Square Mall.

Scottsdale is about 20 minutes to half an hour from where we live. We headed there after church. It was an unplanned thing — Te suggested going to Scottsdale right when church ended. Of course I wasn’t prepared to hit the mall today (wore my non-mall friendly Banana Republic flats…cute but very blister-giving prone, which is why I only wear them if I expect to only be 1-sitting a lot while I’m out, or 2 – walking for literally no more than 10 steps at a
time). But I was game anyway, because I knew we would be shopping for my birthday gift =)

After a quick lunch when we arrived, we hit the following stores: Bath & Body Works (for some Wallflower plug-in refills — a must for homes with babies/toddlers. Or that cook a lot of fried food), Pottery Barn Kids, Janie & Jack (got some cute clothes for Miggie), Nordstrom (we got him a pair of Puma sneakers we hope he wears, now that he’s walking around and all. We made sure they fit his chubby-wubby feet!), Sony Style (tried the Playstation Move…a wee bit hard to maneuver, but it was a bow and arrow game that was on…and THAT requires a lot of coordination skills in and of itself…not my biggest strength, but Te did pretty well), and Louis Vuitton of course, where Te bought me my 29th birthday present. I will post it once I have taken pics… =)

I have to note how extremely patient my hubby is at the mall. It really is something to be proud of. When I am browsing, not once did he ever rush me out of a store. The cute thing is the way he shows Miggie all sorts of stuff at the different stores, as if the mall were a giant museum of things to be touched, felt, and experienced. He’s SUCH a doting dad, very sweet and playful and patient with both me and Miggie. He teaches me everyday that all of life is to be enjoyed. I love him so. Both him and Miggz 🙂