[KRISPY KREME is GREEN]

We stopped by KRISPY KREME for some coffee, donuts & iced tea after an hour of store-hopping in Marquee Mall last weekend.

I was already into my second sip of my cup of Cafe Americano when I saw the universal recycling symbol printed on the brown cup sleeve.

[my WEDNESDATE with mom]

My Wednesdays lately have been spent hearing mass & going to the local 'palengke' with my mom. My midweek dates with her sometimes include eating out. Maybe a not so good idea for someone who is forever on a diet but I guess my once-a-week time with her is reason enough to just go for it & forget calorie-counting & healthy-eating. ;)

Last week, we thought of doing brunch at Razon's of Guagua after buying our household's one week supply of veggies. The restaurant was just a stone's throw away from the church.

[sale alert : REGALONG PAMBAHAY]

If you are into buying nice home decors, accessories & gift items that have that global feel but locally handcrafted, then make sure to drop by Regalong Pambahay at SM Megamall. They are temporarily located at the 2/F escalator lobby, in front of Petit Monde.

One big reason to visit the place - they are on sale now at 20% off! ;)

[design peg series : LOUIS GHOST ARMCHAIR]

While waiting for Kirsten's turn to see the doctor,  the four of us stayed inside the skin care clinic's lounge. Then I saw a familiar modern iconic chair near the room's entrance.

[a box of BRAZO CUPS]

Maggie's yummy brazo de mercedes cups became the other star in the surprise baby shower party we hosted for Aimee. ;) 

[good food & HIGH SCHOOL memories]

Being an SAHM has its perks & one of the many is having the luxury of meeting up with good friends over lunch & coffee or tea for three hours tops.

I did just that when I went to see three high school buddies on separate occasions.

The first one was with Gemma & Miriam. We had a chance meeting at Mary Grace Cafe in Serendra Piazza earlier but decided to spend the rest of the day catching up.

[store finds : CANDLE HOLDERS & PICTURE FRAMES in ceramic white]

My penchant for all things white got heightened as I spotted these ceramic candle holders in the home section of an Ayala mall* near my hubby's hometown.

You can surely create pretty vignettes with these white pieces.

candle holders
(Php 699.75)

[store finds : CHRISTMAS ACCENT PILLOWS & WOODEN STAR ORNAMENTS]

*Throw in just a hint of Christmas in your homes by placing one or two of these canvas pillows in your living areas. I like the simple typography & designs printed in gold & silver. Affordable at Php 130.00 each. 

[BLOGGING our way to friendship]

We are a tight bunch of momma bloggers who simply found ourselves gravitating toward each other. Virtual strangers in the beginning, but all that has changed in so short a time. All the blog-hopping & dropping of comments sparked an on-line camaraderie among us which later extended to meet-ups that happily led to this 'sisterhood'. :)

Finally, after missing a few playdates, I got to be with them during the Mommy Fleur Day in Acacia Estates, Taguig

l-r: Fleur with Anika, me, Dew, Maqui,
Maggie, Sha, Em & Aimee

[store finds : HOLIDAY-THEMED TABLE NAPKINS & TIN BOXES]

I have been mall-hopping these days to look for holiday spruce inspirations, a delightful preoccupation actually. ;) From SM the previous week, this time I was at Landmark twice recently. I had a heyday looking around their picture-pretty Christmas tree displays. But unfortunately, they had this 'no picture-taking allowed' policy, so I am not able to share with you some of the nice things they have there. 

BUT, as I went around further, I eyed these 2 holiday-themed items for the home. These can work too as giveaways. :)

table napkins  

[store finds : THROW PILLOW CASES, MEMO BOARDS, WALL ART PIECES,PICTURE FRAMES]

At noon today, I managed to squeeze in some window-shopping time at the home section of my fave department store.

Here are my latest fab finds.

*Throw pillow cases in light canvas material with vintage & travel prints. Php 120.00 each.

[one friday night at STACY'S]

Two Fridays ago, coffee time in a quaint diner somewhere in QC became a happy accident. Hubby, Kirsten & I spent a good couple of hours there while Jill was in a dance concert/fundraising activity nearby. I have heard a lot about STACY's from friends & I am glad we got to try it out that night. 

It is a cheerful place to dine in, with the interiors speaking for itself - white-washed walls, country-style furniture, vintage French chandeliers & pretty buntings as adornments. 

[winning the ZINIO giveaway]

I love reading home & lifestyle magazines & to have digital copies of them has been a long time wish. Good thing, a fellow mommy blogger Sha hosted an e-zine subscription giveaway from ZINIO.  I took my chance & joined. Three weeks later, I found out I won. Yay! ;)

[the hunt for CHRISTMAS DECORS - SM]

The onset of the -ber months signals the start of the Christmas season. Yes, as early as September, because by this time, holiday preps have begun. 

Of late, I have been doing the rounds of department stores to get holiday decor ideas. 

My first stop - SM. 

From among the many on display, these are some of the things that caught my fancy.

Faux Christmas trees in green - choose between simple with just the tivoli lights on or one bedecked with ornaments.

[CLAIRE'S for GIRLS]

One time, my youngest mentioned to me a name of a store that sells 1D merchandise. It's CLAIRE'S, an international specialty retailer of jewelry & accessories & she said it recently opened somewhere near BHS/BGC. I remember having seen it In Market!Market!, so I took the girls there a couple of weeks after.

That day, the store was on sale. 

(an EATING SPREE with three at PAN DE AMERIKANA & PINK CHIFFON]

Two Thursdays ago,  I was with my best mommy buddies, Joy, Auji & Didit. Our last gastronomic outing a couple of months back took us to RUSTIC MORNINGS & QIZIA. I always look forward to seeing these ladies because we get to catch up on each others' lives while trying out restaurants & cafes. Fully aware of my blogging venture, they help me look for places to review while we share stories. ;)

Our day started early with breakfast taken at Pan de Amerikana. I had tapsilog (beef strips, fried rice & sunny side-up) with a cup of brewed coffee. Deliciously affordable at Php 95.00.

[OBRA PARA SA MUSIKA (OPM) : a PSID 2013 exhibit]

To mark its 46th anniversary, the Philippine School of Interior Design (PSID) Advanced Class of 2013 holds a graduation exhibit dubbed "OPM - Obra Para sa Musika" to showcase livable interior spaces inspired by select OPM songs of various genres & styles.

[customized ROMAN SHADES]

Window dressing our newly-built home was a predicament then. Never the frilly type, I thought of putting up roman shades instead. But the supplier we inquired from gave us a quotation of Php 50,000+ for all rooms on the G/F & 2/F. Talk about highway robbery! =(

So, when my mom mentioned that her curtain-maker, a local seamstress, does roman shades, I immediately contacted the lady & asked for an estimate. It was half the amount I initially got from the other supplier, but still way out of my budget. :( Since I wanted more savings, I decided to go for the roman shades only in the living, dining & family rooms. The seamstress then gave me another amount, this time at around Php 15,000.00 - Php 18,000.00. Still a no-no for me. Then she gave me an option. She would buy the mechanisms & other accessories at cost while we would provide the wooden support brackets. The latter would be easy on our part because hubby has his reliable handy men to do it for us.

This is what we came up with - our customized roman shades.

pulley mechanisms

[a REWARD for every cup of COFFEE]

My family loves to 'chillax' in cafes after having a hearty meal. We would spend an hour or two just enjoying the coziness of the place, reading a magazine or surfing the net. Two of our favorite hangout places are STARBUCKS

[my girls in their SKATER SKIRTS]

A lot of teen girls these days  are seen sporting skater skirts. 

Including my daughters.

Considered as a wardrobe staple, the skater skirt has been called such because it resembles a figure skating outfit-fitted at the waist & flared out into an A-line silhouette.   

source

Here are some stylish celebrities wearing theirs.

miranda kerr

taylor swift

ashley tisdale