Birthday Dinner at Mint Cafe

I was thinking of something special to do for this milestone-ish birthday so I took my family to a restaurant in a hotel, something we had never done before. My siblings and I grew up not having too much but I also did not feel like we had too little.

When we were so much younger, my parents would always throw birthday parties for us. A party would mean having to blow candles on our cakes with friends and relatives around but as we grew older, the gatherings became simple. You know, life happened. :) Cakes would sometimes be absent but there was always something because in this family, every birthday is a milestone worth celebrating.

I made a pact with myself that on my birthdays, I'll take my family somewhere special rather than throwing out parties ('cause I am not really the party type. Hihi.) . Mint Cafe at Greenleaf has this luxurious feel but friendly on my pocket. I honestly wouldn't have cared paying a little extra because it was my gift to my family but really, this restaurant is budget friendly. 

I like looking at my mama watching her family happy and noisy during a meal. I like how my papa wants to copy a recipe from every restaurant we go to. This here, my friends, is what I live for. I am the giver type of a person. I love making my loved ones happy. That makes me the happiest human being. 

Oh, thank You God for the 30 beautiful years. I am deeply grateful! Thank you to the people who made me a part of their lives and for making this day extra special. My heart is full. The photo below pretty much sums up my birthday wishes. :)

Have a happy heart friends! :)

Caela turns two!

As the cliche goes, "Time flies so fast." Our baby just turned two on Philippines' Independence Day. My sister and I decided for a green polka dot and stripe pool party. Mint green was on my mind while planning the party - for a feminine touch. It turned out that bookstores in Gensan have scarcity for color variations. Oh, craft stores, I wish you exist on this side of the world! But a trying hard good craft-maker is resourceful. :) Thus, we made use of whatever was available and I think everything turned out to be beautiful. Love is on the handmade details.

Customized polka dot and stripe balloons

Polka dot and stripe balloons

    I pumped the balloons using a balloon inflator sold for about Php50 in a local department store. These big balloons were sold for about Php100 per dozen, balloon sticks about Php30 per dozen. I accessorized the balloons with white polka dots and stripes using bond papers.

Bunting

    My sister made the bunting from used cartolinas and bond papers.

The Number 2

   My brother-in-law made the giant number 2 from a used styrofoam - the one from an appliance packaging. Who would have thought something good could result from an almost trash thingy. 

Cupcake toppers and monograms

    My sister is such an artist. She designed the cupcake toppers and the monograms for the loot bags. She even made those pretty ribbons.

Loot bags

   These striped yellow green loot bags were made from wall papers. The bear key holders were bought for super cheap prices.

   
Cake and cupcakes
    The cake and cupcakes were made by Caela's ninang Marian. I also made some banana muffins but failed to take a photo of them.

 

The prettiest pool in Gensan is in Gensan View Resort. It was just fitting to celebrate Caela's birthday there. They have clean pools, well maintained landscapes, photogenic venue and most of all, friendly staff. They did not give us a hard time booking them. :) I really like it when the crew of a business establishment are accommodating and extra caring. It means to me that they have good employers who don't just want put up a business for the sake but to offer excellent service.

Happy birthday our smart and pretty little one. I'm excited for the day when you can read Tata's blog and find this post. :) As of now, enjoy your water colors and colored pencils. You already know how to draw rainbows, pigs, and stars, at least in your eyes and ours. :) You also draw faces of Papsy, Nana, Mama, Papa, Tito Jan, Tito Bobet, Mommy, Ko May, and mine. We say that you're doing good at it although we only see scratches of small circles and spirals all over your crumpled bond paper. Keep up the good work baby girl. Surprise us in your next art work. You are loved! :)

Turning One

My super adorable niece, Caela, is turning one! Yey! ...on June 12, 2012. Ooopss. Am I overly excited?! I actually am! It will be the first baby party in the family so I'm super excited... even more excited than the mother because I was the one who brought up the idea to start preparing by now. Exaggeration? I guess not. I'm just excited. Hehe. (Redundant?)

As the first stage of planning, we browsed for ideas from the most reliable world wide web and found cutie pieces of just about anything for a first birthday party. (Images from Google.)



There are lots of party ideas! Loving party preparations! :)