Home • Author • Mommy Journals • Sassy Lawyer • Dream Home • Photography • Entertain Me • Food & Cooking • Contact

'Dream home' archive

Almost an antique wall clock

View the photo »

Before Valentine’s Day

The last time Speedy did any drilling in the house, we were installing blinds for the first time. That was two weeks after we moved. A year and a half ago. He was using a borrowed electric drill and he really didn’t like it. He complained so much that, months later, when I decided to take down the blinds in the living and dining areas to replace them with curtains, I...  (more »»)

Home decorating 101: a bowl of eggs on the coffee table

Foreword: For those who read this blog for the photo tips, all photos in this entry were taken with an aperture value of 2.2 to create the bokeh effect. I love jade. But there’s the ultra expensive jade and the less expensive jadeite. When I saw these handpainted jade (jadeite, I’m sure) eggs in Singapore, I couldn’t resist. Two inches long without the stand....  (more »»)

Christmas decorating is a family affair

So there was this wreath, a wreath I was very happy with because it was unique — no holly, no acorns, no berries, no poinsettias. And I was mighty proud to put it up on the front door. We did that yesterday afternoon. Then Sam woke up from her nap, saw the wreath and declared it was fit for a funeral. Pang-patay were her exact words. Shit, that hurt. Bad. But then I taught...  (more »»)

Wreath, garlands and lights

Most of my friends put up their Christmas trees and lanterns almost as soon as Halloween was over but not us. We don’t even have a tree yet. Speedy refused to make a deposit for a fresh fir tree because of what happened last year — S&R dropped the price of the tree from P4,000.00 to P799.00 a week or so after we paid the full price. Excess supply hence the...  (more »»)

They may look fragile but they’re really tough

Over a year ago, I posted photos of empty planters on top of two posts on the garden fence and another on the corner of the second floor balcony. You can see them here. I had forgotten about them, lost in the frantic pace of our day-to-day lives. Then, a month or so ago, I noticed that one of the three planters had been planted with flowers. Who did it, I don’t know....  (more »»)

Building an outdoor kitchen

We have a gazebo in the garden. A small one. It looked like this before we moved in. We always intended to use it as an outdoor dining area. And we did. We placed an outdoor dining set consisting of a round wooden table and matching chairs. And installed wind chimes too. Because it’s a small gazebo, it can only accommodate a dining set that seats four. Fine when it was...  (more »»)

I miss Cardinal ceramics

For the past decade, we have been hunting for the perfect candle holders. Not for decorative purposes, really, but because in this Third World country where storms and typhoons often mean power outages that can last for days, candles are still useful. We don’t like crystal candle holders which may look gorgeous and classy but which will probably make me cry if any of...  (more »»)

The dragon in my garden

Feng shui believers and practitioners say it is lucky if your house or building stands on a lot with a dragon underneath. But it is unlucky if the house or the building is right above the head of the dragon. Or something like that. But what if the dragon on your property is suspended in air and right beside your house? Last Sunday, Speedy had the mango tree in the garden pruned....  (more »»)

The gardener

There are parents who have their babies’ heads shaved because they believe that it will ensure that the hair will grow thicker. Whether or not it is true is something we were never able to try nor prove. We’ve never done it with either of the girls — they were both born with thick hair. Sam, especially, and that made her easy to spot in the hospital nursery...  (more »»)