Happy Holiday Celebrations!

The Christmas season of 2011 is over! Feels like it went by in a flash~ I had a wonderful Christmas week filled with joy and with all the people whom I love. ^^ Spent Christmas Eve with my Grandma. She's such a crack up. Since we were kind of in the area, we decided to take her to the Balian house. The Balians have their own ice cream business, which my Catholic school used to have supply us the best bullet popsicles ever!!, and every year since I can remember, this family's house gets decked out with lights and Christmas themed displays. The electric company helps display all their lights, while the family just pays for the electricity. They must be still making bank!









It's a quick stop for some holiday lights, but it always bring me back to my childhood memores. I love Christmas lights. During this time of year, I could drive for hours just to look at how people decorate their homes. As a kid, my parents would always take me out to see the lights, and that feeling of joy upon seeing those lights has stuck with me up until now.

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Christmas luncheon feast! So much food! (And we're still munching on the leftovers. YUM.)

 

My friend JLYN gifted this blinking red bow headband to me for Christmas (along with a cute mug!) Senkuu~ ♡ So ready for the next kpop concert!

 After our luncheon, I spent time over at my dad's...mainly doing this kind of stuff...  

I kid. I tried, and I failed. It's been so long since I've got on a bike! Shameful. :3

   

With the sister. 

 All in all, it was one of the best Christmas holidays ever. The food and the company...I'm so grateful to have all that I do. ♡ Until next year! But I think this one will remain in my heart forever. I hope all of you lovelies had a wonderful Christmas holiday as well!

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On to the kitties! They're both doing 99% better! They've stop sneezing so often and coughing. Snowball is now eating on her own and drinking on her own. SO RELIEVED! We were all so worried about her this entire week, but I guess it just had to take its course. Now she's chowing down! Her little tummy's getting filled up fast! She better catch up to her brother's level. That little fatty. lol. Taking them in Thursday for their check-up and to have Snowball's stitches out. Poor baby...

He's up to no good I tell ya!

They love being under the tree.

Can you spot the Snowball?

♥♥ 

Oh yeah! And yesterday I went to see this movie! It was definitely a feel good comedy. It wasn't as cutesy as "Valentine's Day", since it had more family related stories, but I liked it nonetheless.  I recommend it to all of you! Someday I'd like to visit New York during Christmas and and New Year's! It'd be quite the experience.

 

Plus, it was a big reminder that the New Year of 2012 is upon us!! Are you ready?

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Less than a week away from the end of my 1st giveaway! If you haven't done so already, join now! (JewelMint piece of your choice, WnW, Baby Lips, Revlon Lip Butter, and more!)

Soft kitties. Warm Kitties. Little Balls of Fur.

If you're a fan of the sitcom "Big Bang Theory" like me :D, you'd know of the song, "Soft Kitty", that Sheldon's mother used to sing to him whenever he was sick. And, if you read my last post, the surprise was our two little kittens which we have adopted from a local human society. This past year has been quite a rough one...as we lost two of ours due to illness and unfortunate events. My mom and sister (and I) were very attached to our previous cats, so in celebration of Christmas and bringing in the new year, we decided to adopt this time around.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to present...

Miss Snow Ball & Mr. Beamer

Why Snow Ball? Because it's the holiday season. Why Beamer? Because it's short for BMW and my mom has always wanted a new "Beamer" to drive. ;]

At first, we had decided to just get one little kitty to bring home for the holidays. But, it wasn't until my mom called saying that we were going to adopt two. My mom then told me that two young girls had adopted the orange tabby from the same litter, and mentioned that having two cats is better since they won't be as lonely.


We don't know too much about where they were found and what those conditions were. But, their whiskers are very uneven in length due to whoever were the previous people who had them and most likely burned them. Poor babies! And they're only 3 months too. ><


As you can already tell, we've all grown very attached to these little ones in such a short amount of time. They definitely bring much needed warmth into both our hearts, and thus turning out "house" back into a "home".



They've been adjusting slowly here in their new home. But, lately they've been sneezing non-stop and starting yesterday, they because super congested. It worsened today. =/  Apparently it's very common for stray/shelter cats to have such a condition because of all they were exposed to from before. So, we took them into the vet and got some anti-bodies and supplements. Poor kitties. Hope they'll be back to their normal selves soon~

So, in that being said, be prepared for more kitty pictures! ^^ Will update on how they're doing as the holidays draw nearer and as we bring in the new year.

I'll definitely be eating lots starting tomorrow on the eve!  AND, we're having a Christmas lunch on Sunday here at home for the first time in 2 years! My aunt was always the one who did the cooking so...ready or not, I'M READY TO COOK UP A STORM! haha.

This will be my last post before the 25th, so I want to wish all of you lovelies a wonderful Christmas! 

"The children were nestled in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads..."

"Soft Kitty. Warm Kitty. Little ball of fur. Happy kitty. Sad kitty. Purr, purr, purrr..." ♡

Homemade Banana Nut Bread (+ a surprise?)

Greetings! I have a new type of post to share with you guys today, and yes~ it involves some holiday baking! During this time of year, my mom and I have always had the tradition of baking cookies for Santa for d-day of Christmas Eve along with a full glass of milk soon after being read "T'was a Night Before Christmas" (usually narrated by Mr Kris Kringle aka. my dad). It seemed to work every year though, as I would always wake to wonderful presents sitting anxiously under the tree just waiting to be opened! I can clearing remember, and my mom will never forget, when I actually woke up at 5am, checking the living room/fireplace are, running to my mom's room yelling "HE CAME! HE CAME!" The tradition continued throughout the years when my brother and sister had become part of my lives. Guess who became Mrs. Kris Kringle?

Now that my siblings have grown (13 years OLD to be exact), Christmas has turned into a day of happiness and giving. In preparation for the 25th (in 4 days!), my mom gave me the "honor" of baking all the goods for both our little luncheon as well as bringing some to work. What challenge was I about to take on? Banana nut bread and chocolate cookies!

Banana nut bread has been my mom's specialty and for me to take over the reigns, I right away feared a burnt bread pan. I was chatting with both Kat & Jian during my attempt...and they assured me that I'd do fine....... ^^' *breathe in ⋄ breathe out*

Hm, let's see how it turned out!

Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter (amounting to 1 stick; shortening or margarine works too)
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup of walnuts
5 over ripened bananas *** (regular bananas are ok too)
2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

And...start-o!

Preheat oven to 350°F.


And then gather all ingredients. Let's do this!


Make sure you get a bag of CHOPPED walnuts, otherwise you'll have to break them apart to little pieces yourself. Any brand of semi-sweet chocolates will do, too! ^^


Mix together the butter (softened after 30 sec. in microwave), sugar, eggs, and nuts.


Should look something like this. YUM.


The key to super moist banana nut bread is the bananas! Though this may looks kind of gross, trust me on this one. So, if ever you have a banana that looks like it's too ripe to eat from the peel, throw 'em in the freezer to save them to make yourself some warm banana nut bread.


The good (slimy) stuff.


Didn't have enough overly ripened banaas, so regular bananas will just have to do.


Sift together: flour, baking soda, and salt. Our sifter looks quite ancient btw...lol. Works perfectly fine though.


Add all 5 bananas to the mixture. I broke each banana up with my hands just to make it easier for mashing. Just like mashed potatoes, mash those bananas and mix it well!


Get your bread loaf pan and prep it well with a light amount of butter and flour to ensure that it comes out clean.


Pour it all in~ I shook it intensely to get it to an even height...lol. Shake 'n bake?


Pop it into the oven for 1hr-1hr15min. The longer time turned out to be best for our oven at home. Just make sure you continuously make sure that it 1.) isn't overcook; 2.) burn by checking it with a tooth pick. (There are two loaves since my mom is taking one to work, so I just doubled all the ingredients.)


After the patient waiting and/or distractions, take your loaf out. Let it cool, and it's ready to be served!


And don't forget the most important step of all! ENJOY. Mmmmm~


I also successfully made chocolate chip cookies! This recipe was really simple as well! I didn't take pictures of the process of this one though...darn it! But, if you guys are interested in this one...I'll make note of it. ^^

I've been inspired by my fellow bloggers who have done great posts on foodies that I still want to try!:
D and her "Crustless Cranberry Pie"
Jian and her "Chicken, Leek, and Bacon Pie"
Tiffany and her "Light Ver.: Lemon Pound Cake"
Yumeko and her "Key Lime Pie"

...and if you have a recipe post, please link me! I'd love to try it out. :D

I hope you all enjoyed this post of banana nut bread! I encourage all of you to try it~ especially with the  over-ripened bananas. It really does the trick. :D If you have any questions, let me know in the comments! Happy Baking!

And on to the SURPRISE! 

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Our new family additions. ♡ Upcoming post on these babies...SOON! 

This Week in Photos ♡ 12/12-12/18 'Tis the season to be jolly.

 Have the warms feelings of the holidays infused your heart with love and cheer? Christmas is less than a week away...I still can't believe it, but I'm definitely in the festive mood; equipped with all the trimmings to share. I love the holidays. ♡














Celebrated the holidays early with my family since my cousin was back home from her PA schooling back on the east coast, but wouldn't be able to stay until Christmas. Haven't seen her since...I can't even remember, but she's almost done! We're hoping to maybe take a trip to the east coast when she graduates. Excited!

 Received my SHINY FING from Yasumi of Worship Blues (post coming soon!) // Oh, Christmas tree! Oh, Christmas tree! // Stockings hung with care... // All decked out~ // FOOD (another platter of prime rib and a chocolate pie not pictured~) // Mr. Snowball Snowman with my non-alchy drink. ;] 

 It was a lovely night spend with my relatives. And, it's always nice to catch up with my cousins who I don't see as often as I really should. I would have been in the bay (up north) for a VIP Christmas party with all my gurls, but when two parties land on the same day, it's tough to be two places at once. Ah, but all hope is not lost thanks for technology! A successful video chat was made <33 got to see everyone all dolled up wearing their cute VIP crowns with all the food and drinks and decoration. It really brought true warmth to my heart seeing all of them together, and it made me feel as if I was right there too. Oh, and I even posed for pictures and had some food and dranks! hahaha. I seriously felt so loved and spoiled. My sense of sight was most heightened that night! I ♥ and miss you all. xxxxx kissssss ;]

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Golden sweet potato pizza (with sweet potato crust filling) // flickering light air freshener from Shecky's // Blood oranges grown straight from our yard. // Strawberry Royale. 

Hope you all had a wonderful week! 

And BTW, if you're interested in trying some products from Missha, their US site is having a HUGE sale and it ends tonight! I just placed my order and I'm super excited for everything to come since it will be my first time trying out their products. Check them out! 30%, 40%, and even 50% off on select items. :D

And don't forget to join my giveaway if you haven't done so already by either clicking on the top picture in the right hand column, or simply by clicking here.

Recap of Shecky's Girls Night Out~

Last Thursday, a friend and I went to an event called "Shecky's Girls' Night Out" for a fun filled night! (or so we thought...). Regular ticket admission was around $30, but my friend was able to score tickets for $11 that included a gift bag. Not a bad deal, right?

Long story short, the event wasn't that great. First of all, we went by the address posted on their website, and got "lost" because the city was wrong! Parking was $9 as well, which was kind of lame in my opinion. The event was 21+ so everyone attending had to show their IDs.

After we checked in, we took advantage of the photo op with the background~ not sure if they sent the picture yet, but yeah. Next, we entered what seemed to be a room that resembled a gym? I don't know, but there were old stadium seats above. Hmm, kinda strange.

The room was filled with different vendors of clothing and jewelry. Basically, if you didn't have money or if you weren't interested in shopping that night, this event would have totally been a waste in my opinion, especially if you didn't get the ticket for the gift bag. We did get to try Pharell's new girly drink called "Queam". LOL. I think the name is a mix of "queen" and "cream"? It was light pink and smelled delicious..but BOY WAS IT STRONG. Ok, so I don't drink but...I would if I could! lol. :3

Shiny rings! *o* I believe they were $10 each at this booth. Some were pretty, but most were way too bling bling for me. 

See...strange blue stadium seating. And vendors we were really interested in.

Maybelline was one of the sponsors and they were giving complimentary spot make-overs.

The bag that came with a whole bunch of randoms. Yes, that is a air freshener. 

The stuff that I kept for myself: a cocktail mixer, samples of the Body Shop scents, deoderant, hair elastics, and Soft Lips lip balm. Also included were a bunch of Body Shop samples, 2 random soda cans of brands I've never heard of, an energy bar, some curly hair taming cream, and uh...something that shall not be named. LOL. If you ask in the comments, I'll tell you...

Excuse me blemishes. >< They've been acting up all over my chin. -sigh- 

I really wanted to use the Revlon Lip Butter in "Cherry Tart" since it was a red that wasn't too overwhelming for a first time red lippie wearer *raises hand*. I also used the NAKED palette for a neutral eye along with a more dramatic cat-eye. I was all set to go! Oh yeah, and the turban headband I got from H&M. Trendy, ey?

Overall, the event was just ok. Was the bag worth the $11? I guess if you price everything and add it all up, yes. But for the regular price of $30, I don't think so. Would I attend this next year? Probably not. I shall be waiting for the next IMATS next year or any Beautylish events!

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Some old school kpop Christmas feel good, cheesy music. ;] Just 10 more days 'til the 25!