Happy Thanksgiving Day

Here in the United States, we often talk about provision in November, with Thanksgiving Day almost upon us and the year nearing its close. We like to recount the awesome things God has done-giving thanks for His kindness, patience, and generosity. Yet, even as we remember the ways He has taken care of us, it seems there’s always something more we’re waiting on God to provide. Truly, no matter what we lack, we have every reason to give thanks at all times. Thankfulness is an essential ingredient for joy. Joy is an inner sense of contentment, which flows from a deep assurance that all God’s purposes are good and He’s in complete control of every situation. With that kind of supernatural joy, it’s easy to be thankful. Expressing thanksgiving to the Lord is a way of honoring Him by acknowledging all that He has done. I am heading north to spend a wonderful day with my husband’s family. It will be a day filled with good food, good people and good fun. What more do I need to be thankful to God but for this day. It seems this time of the year that everyone gets caught up in the commercialism of the holiday season, but they forget to thank God for all of the wonderful things He has given to us. Many people do not have enough to eat, or even a place to live. If you are reading this post, you have the resources to do so. You should thank God for the bountiful life that you have been given, and maybe to pray for those who are not so fortunate. Let us pray to God that, through His goodness, all of his children may one day be able to thank Him for the type of fruitful life that He has blessed us all with. Happy Thanksgiving Day everyone.

Give Thanks in Everything

Give Thanks in Everything

Happy Mother's Day

Charles F. Stanley
God tells us to honor our mother. And He does not set any limits to His command. Because she's our mom, we are to treat her with respect and love.Mothers don't always live up to our expectations. Sometimes, they experience hardships and challenges that affect their ability to offer what we need or want. Or, they might have a personal weakness that negatively impacts us or our families. But we're to follow the example of our heavenly Father, who loved us even though we didn't have any qualities that deserved His favor. Romans 5:10 says He chose us to belong to Him through His Son Jesus, even while we were still His enemies.God loved us when we were unlovable. We can express our gratitude to Him by giving unconditional love to our mother. With the Holy Spirit's help, we can choose to do so genuinely and consistently.To love the significant women in our lives without any strings attached is an important part of showing them honor. No mother or wife should have to wonder if she's living up to what loved ones hope and expect from her. After a while, she'll feel trapped by the burden of unmet expectations, rather than accepted by those closest to her.Mothers have the same needs as all women: to be loved, listened to, and cared about. Take time to show the important women in your life how much you care for them. Be a willing, attentive listener, and demonstrate your love to them in meaningful ways.

I’m Thankful

Thanksgiving should last much longer than just one day. It needs to be a way of life for the children of God. So as you gather with family and friends this holiday be sure to express your gratitude to the One who has given you all that you have. Keep God in the center of your celebration, and may God continue to bless you as you seek and serve Him wholeheartedly.

A thankful heart begins with understanding what it cost God to forgive my sins and have a relationship with me. All our lives we have problems and things don’t always go the way we want them. But if we believe in God’s ability to help and guide us, there is nothing we cannot overcome.

We should always be thankful for what we have and not worry about the little things that may not be perfect. We wake each morning to another day of life. We are given a new day to make things better, not just for ourselves but for everyone around us. We have food, homes, and people around us to share this great bounty we have been given. No matter how bad you feel things might be, just remember there are probably many people who have it much worse. We should be thankful our life is not real bad, and should give prayer that the lives of others will be as good, all over the world.

So on this day of thanks, let us all be grateful for what we have, wish better for those who have not, and may we all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

Filipino Community

Every year we celebrate the Kalipay picnic where all the Filipino people gather together. The majority of the people, who attend, are from the Visayan islands originally. Now they live all over the United States. They attend the big picnic to mingle, eat all different kinds of food, play all different kinds of games, dance, sing karaoke, or just relax and talk. I love to attend the Filipino community events because they remind me of the Philippines. I am so grateful to see Filipino people, my kababayan (fellow Filipinos). Whenever we get together we always have many dishes to pass, especially letchon (whole roasted pig). My favorite things at the picnic are the letchon, the music, the games for kids and adults, everything that makes the day enjoyable. We call our party “Kalipay” meaning happiness.

I love watching happy people; I also love taking pictures of my kababayan. Everyone was relaxed and enjoying the good weather. The kids were playing in the surrounding park, or participating in the games. There was so much food that everyone was full and content. No matter how busy our lifestyles are, we always have time to get together and have some fun. I saw all my friends from fifteen years ago and they still look young, happy and of course beautiful. They all were happy to see me again and we spent many hours reminiscing about the good times. I love Kalipay parties. We will do it again each year for as long as we live.

Traveling meditation

Sometimes, even with careful planning, life can become hectic or stressful. Traffic delays, unexpected calls, and unforeseen events can all play havoc with our daily lives. Problems may arise and may seem insurmountable. At times like these, when all you can do is watch your peace of mind go out the window, try these quick meditations. This meditation is particularly good for relieving stress when you are running late. It can be performed anywhere: on a train, on a bus, in a traffic gridlock; but for safety’s sake make sure you are not driving while you do it. Let the whole of your body go loose, relaxing any areas of tension, and take a couple of deep breaths. Accept that you have now done all you can to make up the lost time. There is nothing more you can do to help get you there any faster. Focus on your breathing, and visualize the anxiety or worry simply floating away with each exhalation. Don’t follow it, just let it go. Each time the anxiety tries to come back, gently silence it and bring your mind back to its inner calm and peace.

Mindfulness meditation

Meditation is much more than simply relaxation. During relaxation the mind wanders uncontrollably, whereas during meditation the mind stays alert and focused. By using meditation to restrain the wanderings of the mind, we can bring ourselves back to full awareness and experience things as they really are. Meditation is for everyone, whatever their lifestyle. We owe our advances to the power of the mind, but we need to learn how to control it. There are all kinds of ways you can meditate and even a few minutes can make a difference to the way you feel. I love mindfulness meditation. This meditation is excellent for cultivating mindfulness. I try to do it whenever I can. First, pull your mind away from wherever it is, and concentrate on what you are doing at that moment. It doesn’t matter whether you are standing up, walking home, eating, having a shower- start doing it with all your senses. Smell the fragrance of the air around you, taste every mouthful of food you are eating, feel the sensation of water against your skin as you shower. Ask yourself what you are doing, and what you are experiencing and feeling. After a short while, you will probably find your mind trying to distract you. Notice the thoughts that arise, but don’t follow them. Let them go, and bring your mind gently back to the present moment. Mindfulness meditation helps you to see the beauty in everything from the tiniest flower to the people closest to you. Mindfullness helps us to reclaim each moment, to live in the present so that nothing passes us by.

How I Maintain My Weight

The best gift I can give to my family is to maintain my good health. One key to good health is to have a healthy weight level. There are many ways to maintain a good weight, but here is what works for me.

The first key to keeping my weight down is to eat a healthy diet. This is accomplished by eating mostly healthy foods, such as whole grains, fresh leafy vegetables, fruits and lean meats, preferably fish. I try to minimize my intake of fatty foods and also my intake of red meat. I also can eat beans as a source of protein instead of meat. I eat many of my meals with whole grain rice. This all helps give me energy while not giving me too many calories. It is also important to me that I eat breakfast everyday. This is the most important meal as it gives you your energy for the day and you also have the whole day in which to burn off the calories.

The second key is to keep moving! Exercise of any kind will burn off more calories than if you are just sitting around. I like to keep active. I often go with my husband to the gym, where I do treadmill exercise for cardio and also lift weights for strength training. But this is not the only way I get exercise. I also do many household chores that require me to make numerous trips up and down our stairs. This added movement also helps burn calories. During warm weather, I spend a lot of time in my garden, and this exercise also helps to maintain my weight. I often walk with my friends in the morning when the weather is good, or we can walk around indoors during bad weather. The point is to keep moving!

Through healthy eating and good exercise I am able to keep my weight at a healthy living. These things are the type of things anyone can do, so I hope others will have success as I have.

Friendship Chain

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This is the easy way and the fastest way to :1. Make your Authority Technorati explode. 2. Increase your Google Page Rank. 3. Get more traffic to your blog. 4. Makes more new friends. Rules: 1. Start copy from “Begin Copy” until “End Copy” to your blog.2. Put your own blog name and link.3.Tag your friends as much as you can. 1. Picturing of Life 2. Juliana’s Site 3. Hazel-My Life, My Hope, My Future. 4. Jeanne-The Callalily Space 5.My Family is my Life 6. The Simple Life of a Baghag 7. On A Wonderful Day Like Today 8. House Everything 9. The Creativity in Me 10. Travel and Photography 11. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 12. Nora’s Notes 13. Noras Family Treasures 14. Fil-Oz Blog 15. What A World 16. More on Health 17. Everyday Life 18.Pinaywifespeaks 19. Pinaywife Atbp. 20. Laugh Out Loud 21. http://usasianliving.blogspot.com/
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Please spread the links, Kerslyn, Eva, Ruby

My Scary Moment

This morning I started with positive energy. I felt good and everything was perfect. I was not thinking of anything going wrong today. I thought it would be just a regular day doing my routine tasks. I never counted on anything wrong happening at any time, any day, especially at home. I thought my home was the safest place I could be, but once again there is no such safe place.

My daughter and I were eating our breakfast when the Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detector beeped, so we both began panicking. This was a very scary moment because I didn’t know what to do. I told my daughter to grab her school stuff and to leave the house right away to save her life. I immediately opened my windows to let the fresh air ventilate my house. Other than that I really didn’t know what to do so I turned on my computer to read about Carbon Monoxide. I am thanking God that my CO detector was only beeping because of a low battery.

My scary moment will give me a reason to educate myself about CO alarms. I learned my lesson that I need to prepare myself for this kind of situation. I am sharing this experience with you because anything can happen at anytime and any place. Carbon monoxide is a flammable, colorless, odorless, tasteless toxic gas produced during incomplete combustion of fuel - Natural Gas, Oil, Coal, Wood, Kerosene, etc. Hundreds of people die each year from CO thousands of others are treated in hospitals for it. It has symptoms similar to the flu, so may often go undiagnosed until it is too late. Everyone should invest in a CO alarm to give you peace of mind about this dangerous chemical.

Save Money - wikiHow

Save Money - wikiHow

Spring into Paradise

Planning for a sunny escape or just dreaming about one? Wearing pretty, flowery clothes is a first-class ticket to a shopping paradise. Spring is about the fresh and the unexpected. The fit of the clothes should be relaxed. I love my long and bold floral dress. It makes me feel relaxed when I am wearing a long breezy dress. A breezy dress is an effortless pick. I put my hair down with this dress and I’m ready to go in paradise. After winter’s body-skimming shapes, it’s a relief to wear something light and uncomplicated. This floral dress is stylish and versatile enough to wear anywhere during the spring season. Once again, this is an outfit that cinches at the waist, to accentuate the figure, but is loose enough not to be too revealing. It is a good way to say “hi” to a new warmer season after a long cold winter.

What I'll Be Wearing

I want clothes that don’t take themselves too seriously. I love the idea of having a wardrobe where everything goes with everything else, but is still unique enough to keep me feeling stylish and cool.

I love this amazingly beautiful animal print dress. This dress I’m wearing is actually very lightweight, perfect for when the weather gets warmer. I balanced it by pairing it with an oversized cardigan. This gray oversized cardigan is thinly knit, so it doesn’t add bulk. I love this dress because I can pull it together in a number of ways. I can complete the look by just simply wearing black tights and black high heeled shoes.

I turn this simple animal print dress into something classic and comfortable when it gets warmer, I wear it with black flat shoes for a more relaxed look. I simply wear it by itself without the oversize cardigan. At first glance, I’m pretty basic, but every piece I wear looks stylish and sophisticated.

My Romantic Valentine’s Getaway

Today is February 14th, the day we have all been waiting for this month. This will be the day to show our love to everyone around us, but especially to our significant others. Today, my husband and I have planned a very fun filled and romantic day. I am sure it will be as enjoyable and exciting as we planned for. I love my children, but sometimes you need to get away from home to keep the spark in your relationship. If you are always at home, after a tiring day, with the kids around, intimacy becomes something of a routine. You need to go away somewhere so you are not distracted by things of the past or the future, but can concentrate solely on the moment for the highest level of intimacy.

The day will start with us having lunch at a nice seafood restaurant. I am very fond of lobster, and will have a large one for my meal. My husband is still partly a steak and potato man, so he usually has steak and shrimp. This will be a good start to the rest of the day’s events. We will spend the afternoon shopping at one of the nearby malls. This is only because the main event cannot start until 6:00 pm, so, being a woman; I will find a useful way to pass the time.

That night we will check in to a room that is designed especially for couples. It has a pool, a whirlpool, a bed with many mirrors, and many other romantic things. Here we will partake in all types of fun like swimming, drinking champagne, taking pictures and videos. Of course, there will be a large quantity of intimate physical bodily contact. This will heighten the passion, the pleasure and bond our souls tighter than ever. It will be a total uplifting experience for the mind, body and soul.
If we sleep, it will be as late as we can endure, and will be only long enough to remove the heaviest fatigue so we can start again early the next morning. This will be a Valentine’s Day for us to cherish and remember for all our days. After this is all done, there will be another outcome that I will use for my blog. Look for postings on fashion to follow soon. Everyone have a safe, loving and happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentines Day Not Just for Romantic Love

It is February, and with the Superbowl being done, all minds turn to the biggest event of the month, Valentines Day. This season, with the help of advertisers like Hallmark and FTD Florists, has become a major commercial event. But that is not what Valentines Day means to me. Also, Valentines Day is not just a romantic celebration of love, but is a celebration of love at all levels.

I believe that we need to show our love to everyone on Valentines Day, not just our spouses or other lovers. We need to show our family that we love them. We need to say “I love you” to our children, our parents, our siblings, and to every one of our relatives that we can. These people are very important in our lives and this is a good opportunity to show that we love and appreciate them. We also need to let our friends know that they too are loved and are very important to us. On Valentines Day we should try to show kindness and appreciation for all of the people we contact.

Valentines Day should not be a matter of “how much did you spend” or “he went to Jared’s”. Valentines Day is not about how much money you spend, but how much quality time you spend with others. Valentines Day should be a state of mind; we should have these feelings for those we love every day of the year. Unfortunately, this is not always the way things are in reality, so let’s try to show our love for at least one day this year.

Keys to Our Happy Romantic Relationship

These are the keys to our happy relationship for fifteen years. My husband and I learn from each other everyday of our marriage. We make certain that we are never both angry at the same time. Neither of us needs to win an argument, we let the other one win. Eventually, if we are right, our spouse will see it, but no conflict is needed. If we criticize each other, we do it gently; constructive criticism is always good if delivered in a nice way. We both learn never to bring up mistakes of the past, keeping anything we are discussing to current situations. We try to say something kind or complimentary to one another at least once a day. My husband and I learned, as the years went by, to admit we have done something wrong and to ask forgiveness for it. We are not so proud that we cannot be truthful to each other in situations of fault. We do our best to never go to sleep with an argument unresolved. My husband and I try not to ever take each other for granted. These are the keys to our happy, loving and romantic relationship.

A Day with My Son

Today we had a snow storm so my son‘s school was closed. I was so glad that I could spend good quality time with him. After breakfast he played with his PSP. A few hours later, after I was done with my routine household tasks, I prepared our lunch. Both my son and I love to play scrabble. We decided to play a game of scrabble after we ate our lunch. It was really fun playing scrabble because we always find new words and look up the meaning of the words in the dictionary. Some times we would find a word that is not in everyday use. It is one way of exercising the brain. We were so carried away that we forgot the time. My son and I really had a great time. Playing scrabble with my son is priceless. It was a simple way to spend good quality time with my son.

I Love You

Everyday I say " I Love You" to my teenage son and my daughter. It seems the most natural thing in the world to tell my younger children “I Love You”. As they grow older it is not so easy for them to say it to me. I believe they need to hear these words, though. They pretend that it does not matter or that they really do not want me to say “I Love You” but deep inside I know they feel great about being told that they are special and loved. It is important to me that they hear this everyday.



I say “I Love You” when they go to school each morning. I say “I Love You” each night when they go to bed. I express my love to them every time, whether or not they do something good or something bad. Teenagers are not perfect human beings. I say "I Love You" anyway, no matter what. I only say “I Love You” to them when they are not amongst by their friends because I know they might feel embarrassed. Expressions of affection for teenagers are best made in private.

They are my precious gifts from God, and they are lovable and worthwhile people. My son and daughter will grow into the loving, Godly, wonderful human beings that God created.

Role Modeling in Parenting

We are role models in our children’s lives. Some believe they can tell their children to do one thing, then go and do something else themselves. Which do you think a child is more likely to remember, what they are told or what they see. This is why it is of the utmost importance that we try to be as good a role model as we can.

It is not hard to be a good role model, it just requires us to think before we act or speak. We need to decide whether our actions or words might not have a bad influence on our children. Our actions must be consistent with what we tell them. Telling your child not to swear, meanwhile using profanity in the process will only confuse them. Do as you preach is a very good quote when raising children. If we pray as a family, then our children learn to pray. Bigotry and hatred, amongst other learned behaviors, are often first seen in ones parents. Likewise love, openness and kindness can also be learned through the parents’ actions. The best way to bring up loving kids is to show love openly in the house. Saying “I love you”, kisses and hugs are just some of the ways we can show our love. Parents who express love to each other and their children will plant the seeds of love in their children. These seeds will be nurtured by love around them and bloom into loving adults, who will do the same for their children.

We live in a world where our children are often given mixed signals of what is right and wrong. It is up to us as parents to make sure that we give them the strongest example possible to help them through these confusing times.

All Mothers are Loved

This is for all the mothers who probably won't win Mother of the Year. All the runners-up and all the wannabes. The mothers too tired to enter or too busy to care. This is for all the mothers who froze their buns off on metal bleachers at soccer games Friday night instead of watching from cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see my goal?" they could say, "Of course, wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's OK, honey, Mommy's here." This is for all the mothers of Kosovo who fled in the night and can't find their children.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and made them homes. For all the mothers of the victims of the Colorado shooting, and the mothers of the murderers. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely. For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.

What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a school shooting, a fire, a car accident, a baby dying?

So this is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't. This is for reading "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year...And then reading it again, "Just one more time."

This is for all the mothers who mess up. Who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair and stomp their feet like a tired 2-year-old who wants ice cream before dinner. This is for all the mothers who taught their daughters to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead. For all the mothers who bite their lips - sometimes until they bleed - when their 14 year olds dye their hair green. Who lock themselves in the bathroom when babies keep crying and won't stop.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse. This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot. This is for all mothers whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home.

This is for mothers who put pinwheels and teddy bears on their children's graves. This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them. This is for all the mothers who sent their sons to school with stomachaches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse and hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation. And mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without. This is for all of you. Hang in there, and know that you are loved and needed.