Choosing Who To Hire

There are a few things to consider when you begin to look for a contractor. Make a list of questions to ask and exactly what you want in the remodeling project. When you know what you're looking for, it will be easier to choose someone from a potential long list of home renovation contractors.

Know exactly what you are looking for in the project. You don't want someone coming in the home who will do random work just to get more money out of you. Think about the way you want the area to look after the work is completed and if there are any special amenities that you want included. One option is to hire a design consultant to give you ideas about how the renovation can look once it's completed.

Don't settle for the first contractor that you speak with. Interview several contractors before choosing the one who will give you the best price and who will provide the best work. Check references in order to see how previous work has been completed. Some companies will lower their price if they find out you are talking to another company, so be up front about meeting with potential contractors.

It's alright to do a background check. Find out if the contractor is licensed and how long the contractor has been in business. One thing you should check on is if the contractor has insurance. This will help if there are any repairs that need to be made due to any damages that the contractor may have made. Look at the contract, and know what you will be paying for so that there aren't any surprises when the job is done. There should be dates on the contract of when the job will start and when it is expected to be completed. After you examine the details of the company and what is offered, it will make it easier to make a final decision on who to hire.

A Beachless Summer

This is one extraordinary summer for me and my family. Often times, as early as October, we already have plans for summer. This has got to be an experience to remember with summer being beachless.

It all started when we received a call late last year that we're already approved to move- in our new place. We got all excited and executed every plan for our home. Planning was easy, but the roll out got a little delayed because of the requirements we needed to submit in order to do the finishing touches. Having a friend who is a contractor is a blessing because he made things fast, sure and easy for us. With all these, it looked like our summer will go around with the adjustment and fixins of our new condo. But all is good for the whole family because we have a large pool to enjoy as part of the amenities of the community we chose to live in.

Every week, we go swimming. To a point that it feels like we're in a resort, only we don't pack our things to go home, we're here permanently and that's awesome! It's summer but the pool is often empty. We were told that most residents are balikbayans or prefers to hangout somewhere else or even go to the beach at this time of the year.

Not only that, we didn't have to enroll  our son for swimming lessons, because with a pool around, my husband personally instructs our son. And still to our surprise, a famous swim school  offers swimming courses here in our place. Perfect! we'll never run out of choices.

Summer 2015 may be beachless, but we sure do love the fact that anytime we want to freshen up from the tropical heat, we'll just take an elevator down and yeah, SWIMMING!

Mother's Day 2015

Hi guys! Let me begin with this month's first post with the Mother's Day celebration I shared with my mom. This year's gathering for the moms in our family was the simplest in all our years that we've celebrated. Well, to share some good news, both me and my brother just bought our new homes, so we're kinda in the process of fixing, managing and adjusting to the new life we have now. 

My brother and I with our families went to our hometown to honor our Mom.

With my sisters and our mom

My dad prepared turbo- broiled liempo, shrimps, grilled tuna with pako salad, and then we ordered our favorite pancit from Isaw Haus. The evening went on with talks on our new homes, future plans and of  course the grandchildren, who are growing so fast.

As always, events such as this, is a moment when we can bond together so we try to come up with something where we can all see each other even with our busy schedules.

As for my own mother's day celebration, my husband got an advance gift.

The 2 Turntables

As promised from my post turntable is love, here is an image of our 2 turntables together. The following day, after posting the article to this blog, my husband surprised me with a Satchmi Motorino Mk. II and a vinyl of Taylor Swift's 1989 album. Love!love!love!

I thought that it will take weeks or even months to get a Satchmi Motorino, I mean, we still do need to save up for it. But here it is...

I won't go into details for now. I'll make a separate post about this product, it's specifications and include a video as well. I'm still trying to get a hang of it because even if it's new, just the idea that turntables and vinyls are sensitive or  fragile, extra care is a must. Once I'm fully comfortable handling it, I guess that's the only time that I'll be able to discover more of this music player.

My very first vinyl is Taylor Swift's 1989, I just love it! Now saving for the next worthy one.

Box Of Happy: Origami Owl

This is one of the most treasured gifts I received during the Holiday Season last year. A set of Origami Owl Custom Jewelry. 

Rose Gold Twist Linking Locket with Crystals

Rose Gold Twist Living Locket with a Rose Gold 24" Mini Curb Chain 

Charms that represent my 3 boys and of course myself. Crystals are by Swarovski by the way.

My mother-in-law never fails to let me know how special I am to her. That's exactly how I feel with every gift she would send, with every prayer and kind words she would utter. We're oceans apart and yet with a simple remembrance it brings us closer to each other.

Bella the founder of Origami Owl achieved her goal and the purpose of this jewelry line--- to fulfill dreams and be an inspiration to others. Personally, I've strengthened my connection, my relationship with the mother of who I'm married and whom I will love forever. 

To choose the Charms that represents the initials of the important people in my life is something meaningful. Because Mama truly knows that my world goes around my family, my 3 boys. I've met my purpose of becoming a mother and a wife.

Through this gift, my love for Rose Gold has blossomed. Such elegant pieces yet simple enough to be paired with anything and be worn at any event.

The Rose Gold Twist Linking Locket with Crystals didn't come with any chain or strap. It's common that we get a chain to match, but when I followed Origami Owl on Instagram I saw that the linking locket is often paired with a Genuine Leather Wrap Bracelet, which is pretty cool and I'm talking about those lockets with crystals. So I went to The Bead Shop, a store here in the Philippines that's famous for custom made accessories. I had a braided strap made for the linking locket. I can have it changed anytime by the way. With just a strap, it won't be too catchy but still irresistible to look at.

My Charms play around the 2 lockets. But recently, I chose to wear Mama Mary close to my heart.  The pendant of Mama Mary came from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Lipa City. It is a very small pendant, it's blessed and it's very special to me for all the miracles and good times that's being poured over my family. 

You see, with these lockets, I get to share my faith as well...

Having A Turntable Is Love

I grew up listening to vinyls because my parents had a 1980s VTG SONY TURNTABLE CASSETTE PLAYER RECORDER COMBO EX-2K (photo to follow). It's still with them but it's not working anymore because it was mistakenly plugged in the wrong outlet.

Here's what I get for having a husband who's a musician. Early last year we purchased a second hand turntable. As planned, we've been itching to buy one for our new condo. Anyway, having a turntable brings music to our home on a different level.

The vintage sound makes everything peaceful and calm.

We got our turntable from a collector who just happen to be my husband's office mate. He chose to sell his turntable to my husband because he knows that he is a musician. Well, somebody who's expected to appreciate these things and will really spend time on anything related to music. This office mate of his is a collector of turntables and vinyls. Aside from entrusting one of his priced possessions, he also shared some thoughts on how turntables and vinyls work. 

Turntables are back. Vinyl shops, thrift stores are making some noise for old and new record albums. We buy our vinyls from The Grey Market Records. From Jaco Pastorious, Pat Metheny, Nat King Cole, Stan Getz. They have a wide selection for a very reasonable price. We still go to some shops that sell second hand vinyl records, but one should be patient while going through piles and piles of vinyls.

Well, the old ones are considered vintage and should be handled with great care.

Moving forward, having an 1980s Sony turntable is a great start in knowing what this machine can artistically do. When I was a kid, all I hear was plain sound. It comes in one ear and comes out to the other. Now, I can really appreciate the music that vinyl records can produce. It is indeed a timeless materpiece.


We plan on expanding so that we can preserve the 1980s turntable we have and that's when Satchmi Motorino will come in. It's sleeker, stylish, it's modern but once it starts playing, it will automatically take you back in time whether you're listening to new music or not. My husband took me to Satchmi, 4F Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall so that I can choose the Motorino I like. It's perfect, because I intend to buy a much newer set of vinyls like Taylor Swift's 1989 album and Adele's.


I'll post a photo of the 2 turntables together once we have the Motorino.

Quality Time with Family and Friends

Just a few days back we were able to find some extra time to unwind and relax. Moving from one home to another is also stressful. Once we got settled, we received an invitation from one of our close friends. It was their daughter's 1st birthday and it was held in a private location in Tagaytay, City. Perfect timing right? considering the weather was still cool, we just have to go.

The hosts chose the perfect venue. They rented the whole place and they also treated us for an overnight stay. Well, it was also a get together for us. We arrived early to help prepare for the birthday party. I piped the icing on the cupcakes and frosted the birthday cake.

Like us and everyone else in the group, the whole theme of the party had a personal touch to it. It was quite a big event but they didn't hire a caterer, the hosts prepared and cooked the food themselves. Shopped for materials, made the giveaways and games personally. I just love it!

It was a wonderful gathering. After the party, when the other guests had left, we stayed in a small patio. It was nice to be surrounded by friends, in a private place with mother nature watching over us.

The following day was a cool morning, so after we ate, we went for stroll to discover more of the enchanting place.

It was truly an experience for the whole family especially that we haven't been anywhere since the last quarter of 2014. Then with the build- out of our home, with school and work and transferring on the side, quite an adjustment I must say. But we went through it, a new life is about to begin.