A Time For Gifts...

I got him a 22 inch desktop. Seems he's happy and when he's happy, I'm happy. : )



and he got me these...

Merry Christmas!

I'm finally done wrapping Christmas presents! I always find it fun to wrap gifts especially during the holiday season. I love-love the different colors of ribbons and wrapping paper... Gifts definitely bring out the spirit of Christimas time even more!

We'll be spending Christmas eve/day at home with family. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! Keep warm and have fun! : )

Lyna Update

So, for those interested in the Lyna regimen the hubby was doing for almost 2 weeks now... well, I noticed his skin has gotten a little smoother. I think it's working little by little for him.

However yesterday, we noticed two red marks appeared on his face. It seemed like a scratch, but they weren't scratches. The marks appeared when he woke up yesterday morning. I asked him if he accidently scratched his face or if he bumped into something. He said no... but then again, they weren't scratches.. they were red marks. One was under his left eye and looked like a line about an inch long (but the thickness was like when you use a crayon to write a straight line... that thick! so it wasn't extra fine lining) and the other "mark" one was on the bridge of his nose. It appeared like a half moon (smaller than a dime).

But today, the red marks have faded.. they are not as red. He didn't put on the cream last night.

We were thinking... perhaps it could be the Lyna???? ... one of the Lyna effects?!

And after reading Adriyah's post on Lyna and the whole mercury thang,,,, I think I'm gonna have to discourage the hubby in using it. He'll probably be sad, but if anything has a negative affect to one's health, why risk it?

Thanks, Adriyah for sharing that with us. : )

And sorry that I cannot post pictures of what I am trying to describe. The hubby is kinda shy. But I do wonder if anyone experienced the same? Please let us know.

Have a good evening everyone!

Lucky Me!

Off to the NEX on base I went late this evening to buy more Christmas gifts. Actually, I didn't buy so much as I thought I was going over our budget. I was definitely trying to keep a look out on the better deals. Unfortunately, there wasn't much left, at least I thought there wasn't. A place where they offer low prices and no tax, ofcourse thing's would just evaporate! lol Anyway's I did find some cute things to give away, but they weren't on sale. They were just too good to put back so what the heckerz, right? 'Tis the season to be GIVING!

I got in line to pay like after 2 hours of looking around. I had my SCRATCHER ready, which I always assume it's an extra 5% off of my total purchase for that day. It's been like that for nearly 3 years now, hence that explains my vivid assumption of the aforementioned scratcher. When I reached the cashier, I laid out my items for her to scan. My subtotal came out and next was time for her to scratch the scratcher.

When everytime they scratch it, I have a habit of looking away assuming it's just 5%.. %5... 5%... 5%! No big deal, 5%... but I gotta admit it 5% still helps on BIG purchases so we can't be hatin' now, can we?! Moving on, as I am looking away, I hear the cashier excitingly saying, "WOWWW! FIRST TIME!!!" And so I'm thinking it's just probably 15%, which by the way, I have gotten before once long ago. However, I turn her way and look down only to find out that the scratcher was a whopping 25%!!!!!

My heart began pounding... my adrenalines were racing. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT! Everyone was too excited for me and jokingly wanted to use my scratcher for their purchases. Since it is the Christmas season, I was wanting to let the people in my line use it (there were only like 4 people and they didn't have much). BUT I didn't think it was allowed and the other people might have complained so I didn't say a word.

Right after paying, I stayed a lil bit more for round 2... Actually, I was tooooo excited myself that I didn't know what to buy anymore. I mean there was just too many things that came to mind all at once that I got DIZZY... literally! All I was seeing were 25%'s popping out in front of me. Then suddenly I stopped and thought to myself, "Why the hell am I stressing on this?!"

Before they had scratched my scratcher, I overheard that this scratcher can be used this whole week! YES, THIS WHOLE WEEK! Normally, it's only good for one day. So, I stopped looking around and went home. I was sooooo tired! When I got home, I told my family about it and my mother-in-law found it hard to believe and the hubby, he was surprised!

Currently, 25% is the highest percentage-off that you can get and very rare. Geeez, I musta been really good this year... another one of 'em good blessings! : )

His Other "L"

So today after lunch, we went to Seafood City. Why? To get the LYNA cream that everyone's been raving about and good they had some in-stock!

Well, it's not for me. Ya see, it was the hubby that has been constantly begging me to go with him to the store and help find it.

Because he has acne, I had once mentioned about the Lyna cream perhaps 2 months ago, and never did I think he'd actually remember it. So so funny how he kept buggin' me to buy him one... his own!

However, we did see 2 kinds... One thats brown and the other - green which they said was medicated. We werent sure which to get so to play it safe, we started with what i saw the others using - the brown/pink one.

As of now, it's 12.30am and he has it on. And I must admit, someones smelling like an old granny tonight! lol

He said he doesn't mind as long as it works. He's giving it one week. We'll see how that goes. Hope it works.

On the other hand, I definitely plan on getting my own Lyna... Maybe sometime next week!

~ L.T.

For the Second Time...

Thanksgiving weekend is over, and so is Mark's surgery. They finally took the screw out of his shoulder, and yes, it is now in our possession.

This time, he was case #1 so we were at the hospital by 5.30am. Honestly, I am NOT a morning person! I waited in the OR for nearly 3 hours but for the most part, I slept or atleast tried to. It's so hard to sleep on a chair for crying out loud!!!

I was sent to the PAC-U by 10am to accompany the hubby to the recovery room. He looked so much better than the first time. His doctor talked to me and said he was fine and so I definitely am thankful for that.

By noon, he was up and ready to go.. No wheel chair, no canes, no nothing. He was feeling good. We ate lunch at Panera then headed home.

Thank you to those who thought about us and took the time to pray. We really appreciate it.

~ L.T.

Black Friday Haul

We were not planning to sleep on the night of Thanksgiving, but we decided to take a nap to have some energy for our Black Friday shopping. We were set for Walmart and Bestbuy BUT we ended up at FRY'S! We just thought they had better deals.

The plan was to leave at 2am and head for Fry's. Everyone went to bed at 1am, but my stomach was aching so I wasn't able to get my full hour sleep. The next thing I knew, my alarm went off so I had to wake up and get ready. When we arrived at Fry's, the line was more than half way around the building! The first 20 people/family had tents up in front.

Anyways, the guys stayed in line until it opened (at 5am), while the girls stayed in the van and joined them 15 mins. before opening. The line going in moved along not quickly, nor slowly. It was okay. When we got in, I was surprised because it wasn't crowded at all. Fry's did a great job in coordination with people coming in and out. I seriously thought it was going to be a hustle and bustle kinda thing where it was crowded and people would just grab things and step on toes.. but nope, the shopping was fine. The only thing was the line which was hecka long, but then again, it moved pretty decently.



We were after the Sony Blu player which cost $178.00 which is almost at half price, but they were all sold out by the time we got in. However, I did get a new motorola bluetooth (from $79.00 to $40.00)since the clip of my jabra broke! Bummers, I love that headset! Anywho, I also got a cordless phone as a gift for someone (from $119.00 to $49.00).



We went to Walmart after and there was no line to get in. We were able to get some excellent DVD deals! We only got House Season 1-3 at $14.95 each (normally $40.00 each elsewhere) and the Disney DVD which always brings out the child in me cost $27.00 (normally $40). So it wasn't all bad... good, good deals! So yeah, it was definitely an experience!





Sorry, no makeup this time. I would never go shopping for makeup on Black Friday unless they're discounted at 50% or more. Apparently, our CCO didn't have good deals on makeup so I totally dissed that.

Our Thanksgiving Feast

Oh my, I can't believe the long awaited Thanksgiving day is over! The whole family cooked, decorated and laughed all day. It was such a happy feeling of joy and warmth. Came evening, Mark led the prayer (this year), then we had our Thanksgiving dinner with some friends and relatives.

Lets see... we had a 21 lb turkey which turned out perfect in taste, we also had egg-rolls, mashed potatos, breaded shrimp, honey baked ham, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, corn bread, pancit, stuffing, greenbean casserole, chocolate cheese cake and leche flan. We had apple cider instead of alcohol since we were planning to do Black Friday. hehe! I sensed everyone had a good time!

To wrap this up, I would like to say that I am always thankful for having a loving and supporting famiy and ofcourse, wonderful friends! And, I try not to forget to count my blessings too. God has blessed me with so many good opportunities and other things that I am very grateful for. : )

O.C. Tripo

We went out on a short trip on Nov. 19. Actually, it was a SPECIAL day... just did our thang and all of a sudden, right then and after, the hubby decided to go to OC just to have lunch. However, we stayed 'til dinner! Needles to say, the both of us are very SPONTANEOUS in situations like this. But I must admit, we always have FUN, which I think matters the most in the end.

We had lunch at KOJIS. You can find it at The Block in Orange. It's my favorite shabu-shabu restaurant! I just LOVE it and crave for it at times. I had the Angus Prime and so did the hubby!


And ofcourse after that, we visited the CCO located inside Saks Fifth. I've been there a couple of times before but their selection isn't the greatest. Although, they did have the MAC SCULPT AND SHAPE DUO that I've been searching for since months back! It took me by surprise when I saw they had 3 different shades! And yes, I did get myself one.. yipeeee!



After, we went to Kinokuniya Bookstore in Costa Mesa. If you love Japanese books and supplies, this is the place to go! Oh, and they are next to YOGURT LAND, another one of my favorites! Anyways, got me a Hello Kitty planner. I can't wait to use it! Did a little shopping at nearby stores.

For dinner, we went to a place my sister-in-law discovered. It's called, Guppee's House. Had Pineapple fried rice, popcorn chicken, pork cutlets, and gyoza. For desert, we ordered this thick toast.. yes, a big ass toast that looks like a cake! I think we got the Coconut-something flavor. SoooOooOoo GOOOOOD!!! Mark loves it!




Also, we ordered this Strawberry-Banana snow ice desert which they said was good for two people... 2 PEOPLE! But when they brought it to the table, I thought they made a mistake because the order looked more of FOR 6-8 PEOPLE!!!!! SHHHHEEEESSSHHH!! Everyone was just looking at us. But, but, but.. there was an even more bigger one. MY GOD, THIS WOULD BE FANTASTIC FOR SUMMER! Geez, I didn't realize my make-up had worn off. haha!



We had to come home that same night since Mark had work the following day. I was so knocked out. I needed it... definitely got good sleep. hehe!

MAC + HELLO KITTY COLLABORATION

OMG! OMG! OMG! This is going to be the bomb! I've heard the rumors since September.... and I guess it's finally confirmed that there will be a Hello Kitty Collection that MAC will be launching soon! WOOOHOOOO!!!!!!!! I love MAC and I love HELLO KITTY and when those are put together... that equals A COLLECTION MUST-HAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I'm so excited, and to think our estimation for just the Hello Kitty Colour collection came out so close! But ofcourse, there's the extra stuff... hmmmm... I said I was going to get the whole freaken collection, but I don't think I'll be needing everything, BUT WE'LL SEE. By the time it comes out, it will be almost Valentines, and that means I'll have a legit reason for the hubby to get it for me, or maybe he will just SURPRISE ME???? Hehe!

But I am kinda glad that it will come out in February 2009 (February 10, I heard) because it gives us to time to recuperate from the Holiday spendings. So it's really perfect timing!

Anyways, I've come up with the ESTIMATED GRAND TOTAL FOR EVERYTHING IN THE COLLECTION (Hello Kitty Colour + Hello Kitty Kotre + the extra stuff + tax)
= $1,128.29.00

Sleepless Nights

Good evening... It's about 11.20pm and I'm in bed having trouble sleeping so I decided to blog. Actually, I think I have insomia again. *sigh*

 I know its fall now but the days still feel like summer. Although, we had some days that felt nippy last week as well.  I suppose winter is soon to kick in. I just don't understand our weather here.

 I recently developed a few rashes near the corner of my lips. Freaken stings when I move my mouth! I'm not sure if it's the weather or the toner I've been using. I'm still trying to figure out the cause.

Anyhow, thought I'd make a list of some of the things I need to pick up at MAC the next time I go.

* Fix Plus
* Brown eyebrow pencil (forgot the name... Think it was lingering??)
* Contour brush (with white bristles)
* Sculpt and Shape - I know they don't sell this but if anyone comes across this and knows where to buy, PLS LET ME KNOW! :)
* Makeup remover
* Vanilla Pigment

I guess that's it for now. Not a big list. Just the things i feel i really really need. Well, hope everyone is doing good! Bye for now.

~ L.T. 

 

A Surprise from the Hubby

Gee, I was only wanting two.. but he got me three! How crazy is that?!!! I guess it's his other way of saying I LOVE YOU????! lol

Seems he's crazy about me as much as I am crazy about MAC!

Oh, boy...

Brushes from Costco

My mother-in-law and I did some shopping last Sunday despite the cold and gloomy weather. First stop was at Costco... YAYYYY!!! Yup-yup, I got the brushes, and this is actually the FIRST time I purchased a set of their Borghese Professional Brushes. I only opened it yesterday. So much for excitement, yeah?! But, wierd cuz I do have this habit of buying things I really really like, but the moment I get home, I just leave them in a corner then open them days or even weeks later. haha! I know, a very odd behaviour there.

This year's set comes in white handles and a rhimestone on each of them. For me, I don't like the kabuki brush with the attached bottle of white shimmer powder. However, the kabuki may be removed though under it will be a sifter, which is where the powder goes through. As long as it's detachable, then it'll work fo rme.

Well, upon opening the set of brushes, the first I touched was the kabuki brush with shimmer powder and ofcourse the rest followed. Whoa, whoa, whoa! The bristles are amazingly soft and I mean AMAZINGLY SOFT! Well, for the price you are paying... YES, VERY SOFT! I wish they were a bit more dense, but other than that, I CAN'T COMPLAIN for 10 brushes and a pouch that costs $21.99. Sheesh... that's the cost of ONE small MAC brush. Though I do collect MAC brushes just because I am somewhat a MAC addict.

I don't know if the bristles of the Costco brushes are natural or synthetic... but the bristles on the kabuki sure does seem natural. I can't stop running my fingers throughit because of its softness. Hopefully they get softer after I clean them.

My final conclusion: It is definitely worth buying SO GO GET YOURSELF A SET before they run out!

Cookies Galore

The hubby baked cookies this evening. It was crunchy and chewy in every bite. Just how I like it! Great snack for tomorrow, too!

Another Manic Monday!

I was out today doing errands and after the important things, I stopped by at the mall and tried to continue doing my early Christmas shopping. I discovered most of my coupons expired yesterday!!! Had I known about the cut off dates, I would have gone yesterday, even if it meant last minute! I even saw good gift ideas that I could have bought today. *sigh* On my way home, my car was hit. An old woman backed up hitting my front. She was trying to make way for a fire engine and ambulance... But she was only 2 feet away from my car and was far from blocking the intersection so that definitely was not an excuse! She admitted she was at fault. Luckily, there is no damage on the outside. However, I'm not sure about the inside so with that being said, I got her info just in case. I kinda felt sad and just wanted to disregarded the incident but the hubby, who by the way was with me insisted I get all her info. She was cooperative at first, but started raising her voice at me in the end because she got inpatient when I was asking her for her insurance and license info. I got upset and lost my respect for her at an instant. I won't go into details as I know it'll make me sound rude on my part, but no one can just put you down like that... And I mean NO ONE especially if it's not your fault, and I don't care if she's old or what not. Anyways, I thanked her and left. That's how my Monday went... Obviously not a great day!

Sephora Haul

After doing a little testing and comparison at Sephora's, I was able to make my list and order online. I probably had so many things listed down at first, but after realizing how much I spent a few days ago (not just on makeup), I seriously had to calm down. Hence, I ended picking the ones I really needed. Here is what I got:


1) Urban Decay Primer Potion - I gotta check out this talk of the town good stuff!



2) Urban Decay Surreal Mineral Makeup - Hope this works for me!



3) Too Faced Shadow Insurance - always good to have another eyeshadow primer around, yeah?! Gotta try this baby out too!



4) Nars blush in Orgasm - tried it in-store. Looks great! And that's pretty much it.


I'm so happy with the 20% discount. I wish I could have bought more stuff! But on the other hand, I should be contented.... Or arleast, I am trying to be. Hehe!  Well, I should be getting my goodies in the mail this week. Can't wait!  

They're Here!!!

I just got word from my sister-in-law that Costco has started selling the Borghese Makeup brushes for this year's holiday season. YAYYYY! We've been waiting for these brushes for a long, long time! Unfortunately, we were not able to get last year's and the year before. I know, it's so depressing. Well, I'll have to go this weekend and buy me a set, they look pretty! : ) I hope they don't run out... I have got to try them out! : )

FINALLY!

Look what I got from the mall today...







I love it, love it, love it! I thought it was too much for it's price ($225) but when I opened it the first time, I could tell the quality was just different... it feels smooth and sturdy, and when you expand it, you can see everything right in front of you...4 tiers, no hide outs...it's AWESOME!

Now, I got to think of a way to fill this bad boy! : )

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Pumpkin carving this year was a hassle for me! I had to buy our pumpkins last minute and frustrating as it was, they were NOT on sale!!! However, I managed to buy a nice BIG pumpkin at Target yesterday and began carving in the evening. Like never before, my pumpkins had so much gunk in them! Scraping the insides and carving gave me a serious workout! I think I overused my right hand that it became painful this morning. Anyways, during the course of carving, one of my tools broke! I had to work with the other one which was a little longer, but I had less control so my cat design didn't work out that I had to pick out simple layouts... one of them was similiar to what Richard did last year, but it's all good... it all worked out.

Everyone was home this Halloween, most especially Mark. Good way to start the holidays with the whole family home. I was wanting him to help me with the pumpkin carving, but no can do since his right arm is still somewhat dysfunctional. Although, he did bake some brownies! Mark and I stayed home and gave out candy. We didn't get as much kids like last year. The hubby says they've all grown up. hehe. Sherilyn, Ian and Allen went trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. And whoa, I couldn't help but eat candy. By 11pm, we were all hungry so we went to Sergios and ate there... good times!

What were we? Hmmmm...

Allen - "L"
Ian - Iron Man
Sherilyn - Tina Turner (LOL!)
Me - Dark Fairy
Mark - ???

A special shoutout to Sherilyn, who did my "fairy makeup." Thank you! : )

The Lucky One

I finished reading the book this evening. After reading the first two or three chapters, I didn't think I'd liked it, but I encouraged myself to keep reading, and with every page after that, I found myself thirsty for more! So, it took me about 3 days in a week to finish it. I actually liked it better than "Dear John." Perhaps there are such things as lucky charms. Mine would be ... hmmmm... I don't know... but I do know I believe in them. What's yours?

MAC PRO and CCO Haul

Look what I got at the MAC PRO store and CCO. The hubby decided to go to OC/LA last minute and like always, we had FUN, FUN! We went early this month, but I got so busy that I forgot all about blogging. Not much stuff this time, since I've been trying to control myself knowing I've spent lots last month. Geez, NOT GOOD! Also, I am going to try to set my mind more on things that I really, really NEED. So we'll see about that. Here are my treasures:

Boo!

I took this short clip this afternoon. Watch the two play! I thought it was funny.

Bulgogi Night

I discovered a Korean BBQ restaurant on Yelp last month when I was looking for a place to celebrate Mark's birthday. I suggested it to Ian who asked me what would we like to do for dinner after church today. He thought it was a good idea and so did the hubby, who has been craving it since we went to LA. After quickly mentioning it was an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ, they had their minds set for it and was excited to go!

The place was very, very small but people just kept on coming! We made reservations at 8pm but found out they gave our table to someone else. It wasn't too long before we were seated though so it's not like we waited hours. Like the usual, having gone to other Korean BBQ's before, we were given 2 sets of exotic appetizers. lol The kimchee seemed to be too spicy for me, but the sprouts, the cucumber, the radish, etc. was good... I liked them! I think we ordered 4 kinds of meat: short spare-ribs, pork belly, chicken, and the all time favorite, BULGOGI! Yummmmmy! We probably had 3-4 orders of Bulgogi (a kind of meaty beef bbq). That was all unlimited including the rice, soup and salad!

The owner - Sukcha was nice enough to talk to us, and gave us Korean cocktail which, OH MY GOD, tasted sooo goood! I could barely taste the alochol in it. I couldn't drink too much since I was the driver for the night, but I did have one and a half shot glass of it. Sukcha was too nice.. hehe.. I guess she wanted to make up for not having us seated at the time of our reservation. But, we had a good time! And surely, we will be back again!

Pretty in PINK!

I went to Sephora today and returned the Shu Uemura Eyelash curler I bought a few days ago. It's a great eyelash curler, but I think the MAC one works just as well. They both do not pinch the eyelids, and with today's crisis, I saved $5.00 more buying the MAC one.

But after returning the curler, I finally saw in-person the KABUKI BRUSH by Too-Faced. I have come to know about this from Sherilyn, who showed me it off of Sephora's website (www.sephora.com). I thought it looked pretty... just pretty, but after reading the reviews (which earned a 5 out of 5 star rating), I encouraged myself to go check it out. It looks so much prettier and cute at the store!!! The design and the pinkness of it makes it stand out. And again, the bristles of this brush is very-very SOFT... super-soft sweep!!! I wasn't going to buy it since I already have the Mac #182 (Kabuki)... but this brush is different because it's retractable and good for carrying it in your purse! See... see, how obsessed I am with brushes?!! And to think, this is ONLY the beginning.

* You can click on the pictures to get a more up-close look.

Mini MAC Haul #2

I bought a little more makeup stuff today... I know, I know, I should be spending money wisely, BUT what's a girl gotta do? As women, we have our own weaknesses, and we only live LIFE once so therefore, we need to have fun... and this is what I call MY fun, fun! Don't mind me, I'm just trying to defend my insanity. L0L Anyways, I'm trying to focus more on makeup that I will use often, so I came home with a little haul from the MAC store.

I got a better eye lash curler, a primer for my lashes since my lashes are so short and brittle, a paint pot for my eyeshadow base, and a liquid foundation. I was able to get some MAC pigments too which seem to be so popular lately. Thought I'd also give those a try. See, just the basic makeup must-haves... It's not like I am going crazy, crazy! Hmmmm... maybe just on the brushes... that I admit!

The MAC Belt

Guess what Sherilyn came home with this evening??? MY MAC PRO TOOL BELT!!!! She did me a favor by going to South Coast Mall (yesterday) to get it for me. WOOHOOo!!!! It's sooOooOo nice, that I don't want to even use it! Yeah, yeah, I know I'm so anal about my things, especially my brushes!!! But I'm so happy she got it and, I was able to save like $20.00. THANK YOU, SHERILYN!!!!

My New Read

"The Lucky One" is Nicholas Sparks' newest novel that just came out on September 30, 2008. Since I had finished "Dear John" the following day, I decided to buy his new book, but this time I got it at Borders (earlier today), which had a lower price than B&N. By the way, "Dear John" was just ok for me. From what I think, it certainly didn't beat "The Wedding" either. Seriously, they should make a movie for "The Wedding!" It should have gotten the credits rather than "Nights in Rodanthe." Anyways, I will start reading the new book soon! I hope I won't be disappointed. hehe.