Are You Ready for NYE 2008?

For details of Sydney's New Year's Eve 2008 Fireworks, click on:

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nye/

You can also get your Transport Guide NYE 08 at any train stations.

May we all have a safe, fun and fabulous New Year's Eve!!!

Fab Holiday Finds: Red Hot Accents

Red is the dominant color for accents inside the home nowadays. Not only because of the season but because I love red. And as far as the Husband is concerned, it is the only color for the home that we never argue about. Believe me, it's not easy deciding colors for the home when you have an artist for a husband.

Since it's Christmas time, our dining table looked like this on Christmas day:

The Husband and I conceptualized the centerpiece for the dining table. We decided that our Christmas colors would be red and silver. I initially bought the red christmas placemats (cost was AUD$5.00 each) around October.

For the centerpiece, it was made up of the following: red and silver square platter (AUD$20.00), red and silver balls (approximately AUD$2.00 each), silver candle (AUD5.00), silver candle holder (AUD$5.00), tall red candle (AUD$2.00) and red star-shaped trimmings (AUD$5.00).

Other red accents we found for the home:

Red throw pillows for our grey sofa. We found these during the year-end clearance sale, from AUD$40.00 it was reduced to AUD$25.00/each.

A red bean bag. This wasn't on sale but the beans for the bean bag was. The bean bag was about AUD$20.00, while the beans were AUD$11.00 per 500grams. Our bean bag contains 1,000 grams of beans.

This entry is for The Filipino Mom Blog's last week of Fab Holiday Finds.

Post-Housewarming Photos

Housewarming photos taken by Richard (thanks!).

In our colorful camping chairs and the electric fan in between! At sa photo na ito, parang napakaraming stripes :)

With the excited parents-to-be, Rich and Rache :)

Krispy Kreme Belat!

Re-upholstering of Dining Chairs

We finally found the time to re-upholster our dining chairs.

Our dining table and chairs were hand-me-downs from my relatives and they advised us to spray paint and change the upholstery of the chairs so it would look like new again.

And so we bought gold spray paint, black fabric and a tacker.

From blue we changed the chairs to black because we wanted something neutral to go with red (which has become the dominant color in the house).

Our re-upholstered black dining chairs

Since the Husband did most of the work re-upholstering our dining chairs, I prepared a special afternoon snack for him--Mais Con Yelo! (sweet corn with ice and milk)

weekend-snapshot

Mattress Topper

This mattress topper is our best bought item for this season's year-end clearance sale.

Since we moved to our new home, we've been on the lookout for a mattress topper (preferably on sale) because we want a softer feel of the bed when we sleep. We discovered the magic of a mattress topper when were in the Philippines in 2007 and vowed that as soon as we have a place of our own, we're getting ourselves one. It's just so comfortable and soft.

So when the clearance sales started on Friday, the mattress topper was first on our list of things to buy for the home.

Today we were lucky to find one last piece at Target priced at AUD$149.99. I knew that beddings were on sale but I didn't really care how much the discount prices were. The regular price was already cheap compared to the ones we've looked at (ranging from AUD$200-AUD$400.00) so I really had not plans of letting the topper I found go.

When we paid at the counter, Chris and I were so surprised when the register read AUD$41.21!!!! OMG!!!! Such a great deal.

As soon as we got all the stuff we bought put away, we immediately fitted the mattress topper on our bed. It's perfect!!! Now, our bed is as thick as this...

Top layer : 70% duck down for super softness; middle layer: 30% feather base; bottom layer: bed mattress.

...and so much softer.

Christmas Isn't Over Yet

...because I just had to do one more special gesture for the Husband because he's the greatest husband I could ever want and hope for.

Woke up early just to write on a Christmas card I bought for the Husband...

Cooked breakfast, got his coffee ready and placed the card on the table.

Woke him up and when he took his seat on the table, he saw the card and gave me a big smile and a sweet good morning kiss.

Max Brenner at Blacktown!

The chocolate by the bald man is here!!!!! In Blacktown that is. ;)

Boxing day today in Aussieland so Chris and I went to Westpoint to look at sales.

Boxing day is related to giving and opening of gifts, celebrated day after Christmas day and is a public holiday in Australia. It is also a day for shops to start their year-end clearance sale so most purchases are about 50-90%off. This is the best time to shop!!!

The stuff we bought today were bedsheets, quilt covers and throw pillows to match our sofa bed in the living area. Stuff that are quite expensive when bought in normal prices.

Since we left home late, we also had lunch very very late. So instead of having the usual kind of lunch, not to mention that we saw that Max Brenner's already open, we had belgian waffles for "lunch" at 4pm.

I also had Toffee Milk Frappe.

I told husband I finally have a place to hang out again (because the Starbucks branch in Blacktown closed). Yay!

First Christmas TOGETHER.

Gone are the long distance phone calls during holidays. Gone are the phone cards that seem to not work especially during Christmas and New Year (or probably because phone lines are quite dysfunctional during holidays due to so many people calling overseas). Gone are the "I-miss-you" and "Wish-you-were-here" dialogues we say to each other, hoping to ease the sadness we feel. All gone, thank God...because we celebrated Christmas together! :)

The month of December will always be special to us because it was the month we became a couple in 2002...and it was the month we got engaged in 2004. We have so many fond memories during this time of the year.

This year, we celebrated Christmas as a married couple (physically together), here in Sydney, in our first "munting tahanan". Triple wow! :)

So how did we celebrate Christmas this year?

We celebrated early. The husband's gift arrived on Monday morning. Since I gave Pink away, he got me a 8gb iPod Touch. I thought he won't be buying me a new MP3 player because he lent me his Creative Zen already...but it was all camouflage.

He could've bought the gift in store but he wanted my gift engraved and the only way to have it done is to buy online.

His gift came with a clear case and screen protector--these ones he bought from the Apple Store, so I also got a bag which I can use as a lunchbag hehe.

And because I'm clumsy, the Husband had to put everything together for me.

Since he gave his gift early, I gave mine early too.

Monday night palang puyat na kami...sa kaka-set-up at kakalaro ng mga bago naming toys hehehe.

On Christmas Eve, I took a half-day off and had lunch with the Husband (he left work at 2pm). Before he went back to the office, we went shopping for clothes at French Connection (they were on 50-70% off). I went home after buying a pair of shoes at Novo, so I can get noche buena ready. I just prepared lasagna and fruit salad. I bought ham and chocolates to complete the menu. We had dinner at my kapamilya's place to celebrate our Tita Bess' birthday. At 11 o'clock, we were back home talking to our parents in the Philippines. My mother-in-law and brother-in-law spent Christmas at my parents' home. Chris and I are very lucky to have parents who became friends, a dream come true for us since from the start we wanted our families to be one. At 12 midnight, we ate Noche Buena and opened gifts. We love all the gifts we received, mostly for the home, so everything will definitely be used.

We woke up early on Christmas morning to attend mass at St Mary's Cathedral. The Cathedral is the most photographed church in Sydney because it's really beautful.

After mass, we walked to Darling Harbour and had lunch of Fish 'n Chips while watching seagulls fly infront of us.

This was a dream come true. :) I've waited so long to do something like this with the Husband--just having a lazy day, hanging out by the harbour, eating fish 'n chips--very Aussie, very laidback. We took our time eating lunch and talked and talked and talked. I love it!!! Christmas spent with the Husband was the best present I have ever received. :)

And if that wasn't enough, we ended our day having coffee at Starbucks. Just perfect.

Season's Greetings from the Sanchezes

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

...coz my gift from the Husband arrived today!!!!

It's funny how we're living in the same country and he still had my gift ordered and delivered at the office.

current mood:

• very very happy with the gift
• still having butterflies inside my tummy due to the excitement I felt when the package arrived
• loved...very much loved. more than loving the gift he gave, it's his gesture that made my heart all warm and giggly.

Wii Party

Spent Sunday at Louie and Teena's place for a Wii Party!!!!

Endless games of Wii Sports, Wii Fit and Mario Kart. It was so fun and noisy!

We also had a relaxing time catching up with everyone over great food, wine and ice cream, and playing with our godson, little Caleb.

Palabok, Salpicao, Adobo, Baked Potato

Magnolia's Ube Ice Cream (bought from the Filipino Store)

Wii and Wine :)

It was a good day-out for everyone, spent indoors, that is. At least all of us were able to de-stress before plunging into the busy Christmas celebrations.
weekend-snapshot