My new found hobby..

Taking pictures! I've enjoyed doing this for quite some time now but never really had the chance to buy a good camera. Anyhow, now that I have a digital camera along with me, i'll try to show you how I see things my way.=)

Take a peek at my new pHoto bLog!

My Ice Cream Indulgence


If you haven't added ice cream to your grocery list, then do include Selecta's Choco Hazelnut Brownie ice cream. I would say this is better than any ice cream flavor and brands I've tried thus far. It's not too sweet but it tastes very chocolatey and it has real soft hazelnut brownie cake (not that chewy type of brownie) that melts in your mouth like heaven! Truly yummy!! My kids especially Missy doesn't stop eating and is always asking for more. I think she even ate like a half pint size of ice cream..!



My Chocolate Heaven : Now has Chocolate Fountain Services and Rental!

I'm just so excited and ecstatic about this new venture I am having. Last weekend while we were at the mall I saw some chocolate fountains being sold (not sure if it was on sale but the price was good) which I think would be a good addition to my chocolate business. We're planning to get the chocolate fountain within the week and start of with the chocolate fountain service asap.

Here's mychocolateheaven chocolate fountain services: (Updated as of 12-09-08)
Chocolate Dessert Station Services

Bronze Package

Php 1,500

- Rental only w/o attendant

- with free 1kilo chocolate bar (good for 100 pax)

- Add a Php 1,000.00 refundable deposit

Silver Package

Php 2,000

Rental with attendant and table setup

4 hours service (inclusive of setup)

Your choice of 1.5kl chocolate fondue

One chocolate fountain

Your choice of 3 regular dipping

Your choice of 2 regular fruit dipping

Good for 100-120 pax

Gold Package

Php 2,500

Rental with attendant and table setup

4 hours service (inclusive of setup)

Your choice of 2.5kl chocolate fondue

One chocolate fountain

Your choice of 3 regular dipping and

1 special dipping

Your choice of 2 regular fruit dipping

Good for 120-150 pax

Platinum Package

Php 3,500

Rental with attendant and table setup

4 hours service (inclusive of setup)

Your choice of 3kl chocolate fondue

Two chocolate fountain

Your choice of 4 regular and

2 special dipping

Your choice of 3 regular fruit dipping and

1 special fruit dipping

Good for 120-150 pax +

Diamond Package

Php 4,500

Rental with attendant and table setup

4 hours service (inclusive of setup)

Your choice of 4kl chocolate fondue

Two chocolate fountains

Your choice of 6 regular and

2 special dipping

Your choice of 2 regular fruit dipping and

2 special fruit dipping

Good for 150 – 200 pax


Available Cup Cake, Cookie/Biscuit/Wafer

Regular

Special

1. Chocostick Wafer

2. Vanilla Wafer

3. Breadstick

4. Marshmallows

5. Graham Cracker

6. Pretzels

7. Mini Donuts

8. Chocolate Chip Cookies

9. Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

10. Butter Cream Biscuits

11. Mini cup cakes (in choco, ube, and cheese)

12. Churros

13. Rosquillos

Available Fruits

Regular

Special

1. Banana

2. Apple

3. Pineapple

4. Orange

5. Melon

6. Watermelon

7. Grapes

8. Strawberry

9. Blueberry

10. Kiwi

Available Chocolate Fondues

- Bittersweet Chocolate, Darksweet Chocolate, Semisweet Chocolate, Premium Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate, & Regular Colored Chocolate (Orange, Red, Pink, Blue, Purple, Yellow)

Available Gourmet Fondues (Available in 2009 )

Swiss Fondue (Cheese Fondue)

- A cheezy blend of wine, swiss, and spices

MyChocolateHeaven Fondue

- Our signature fondue with yummy chocolate cream that will surely wow your guests

Caramel Delight Fondue

- For those sweet those with a unique touch


Mocha Fondue

- For the chocolate and coffee lovers

Add-Ons:

Php 50.00 each

Sprinkles, Ground Roasted Peanuts, Mini Chocolate Nips, Cheese, Raisins, Crispies


Php 100.00 each

Ground Roasted Almonds, Ground Roasted Cashew, Ground Walnuts, Ground Peppermint Candies



Kindly check my online store for our terms and services.


Will be adding these on my online store later this evening. You can contact me on this blog or email at mychocolateheaven.info@gmail.com.


A-Z Tag

Thanks for sharing this tag sis Shiela..=)

A. Attached or single ? — Attached
B. Best friend? — my hubby
C. Cake or pie? — cake
D. Day of choice? — friday
E. Essential item? — laptop
F. Favorite color? — red
G. Gummy bears or worms? — gummy bears
H. Hometown? — lingayen, pangasinan
I. Favorite indulgence? — shopping
J. January or July? — january, where i start doing
K. Kids? — my missy and cj.still deciding if we want another one in the future
L. Life isn’t complete without? — my family
M. Marriage date ? — my birthday, April 15!
N. Number of magazine subscriptions? - none
O. Orange or apple? — apple
P. Phobias? — cockroach, spiders, lightning,
Q. Quotes? — the best things in life are free
R. Reasons to smile? — my kids and my
S. Season of choice? — christmas
T. Tag 5 people - Quinnie, Paolyn, Toni, Eds, Jane
U. Unknown fact about me? - sobrang kulit
V. Vegetable? — lahat ng veg na ginagamit sa chopsuey
W. Worst habit? — nagboblog while at work sometimes
X. X-ray or ultrasound? - during APEs for the x-ray, and 6 times sa ultrasound
Y. Your favorite food(s)? - anything with cheese and chocolates!
Z. Zodiac sign — Aries




Wonder Woman Award , wohoo!

I am really touched by online buddies and friends who send blog awards. But this one is quite exceptional since its a super (of some sort) extra award for you (not your blog). So for this Quinnie , thank you so much! You're a wonder woman yourself;)





It's my turn to award this to Rocks, Shiela,Julliefer, Toni, and Jan.


Happy Birthday to my loving husband!

We had a two day celebration of my hubby's birthday last weekend. His real birthday was yesterday but since my MIL requested a celebration on Saturday (so she can have time to spend on chores and prepare for work on the following day), we held the celebration on the requested and the real birth date. I felt a bit guilty though for not getting him anything special on his day. From his simple personality and lifestyle, it is a little hard to think of something that might interest him.

Oh well..everyone loved the Carbonara pasta I cooked last Saturday. I'm so happy that all of them did enjoy their meal. Both Missy and CJ ate plenty of pasta and ice cream=). I also made garlic bread to match the pasta plus fried potatoes for our appetizer. Our celebration ended with a yummy and chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream dessert.

Again, happy birthday to the man of my dreams, my hero, and my life.. Your birthday won't end without a surprise dad, so hold on your seat coz I've got something special stored for you=)




Having fun on the Internet with your Baby

I so much enjoy the internet because it gives me vast knowledge and new insights everyday. And so I thought, wouldn't it be nice if we could also share, enjoy, and let our kids learn new things through the internet? Lucky me I found this Fisher Price website last weekend that is made especially for our little ones. The site has featured games and materials that caters infants, toddlers, and preschool. All of which are colorful and interactive so your babies will definitely have fun.

My 1 yr old enjoys pressing the computer keyboard keys while playing peek-a-boo. Her 2 yr old sister is now learning ABC's with animals from A to Z, Numbers, Colors and Shapes, and Musical Instruments! I am so happy and amazed that kids as young as 1 and 2 years old can now use the computer as an aid for learning and enjoyment.

This for us has become one of our educational bonding activities. I greatly encourage all moms to try this one out. I'm quite certain that your kids will enjoy and at the same time learn from it.

Have fun!




Vote for my post Having fun on the Internet with your Baby on Mom Blog Network

What happened the year You were born?

Thank you for sharing this informative tag Eds=)




In 1981 (the year you were born)



Ronald Reagan becomes president of the US

Minutes after Ronald Reagan becomes president, Iran releases 52 American hostages that had been held captive for 444 days

President Reagan is shot in the chest by would be assassin John Hinkley

Space shuttle Columbia, the world's first reusable spacecraft, is sent into space

A suspended walkway in the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel collapses, killing 113

A female former lover files a "palimony" suit against tennis star Billie Jean King

President Reagan appoints Sandra Day O'Connor to be the first woman on the Supreme Court

The Pac-Man video game is introduced in the US

Alicia Keys, Elijah Wood, Kelly Rowland, Anna Kournikova, and Britney Spears are born

Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series

Oakland Raiders win Superbowl XV

New York Islanders win the Stanley Cup

Raiders of the Lost Ark is the top grossing film

"Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes spends the most time at the top of the US charts

MTV debuts on cable television, playing music videos 24 hours a day

Gimme a Break premieres



JODY - 1977; (your name - birth year)
JOANNE - 1980
GRACIE - 1978
MANDY - 1975
CHRIS - 1976
EDS – 1980
EMZ - 1981


I'm passing this to : Jannese, Chelle, Quinnie Ann, Janis, Paolyn, and Irmee

Gmail's New Themes!!

Are you using gmail? Well, if you are then you should have already heard and used its new feature. I was soooo amazed after trying out one of their themes=) I will definitely enjoy browsing my email even more=)

Here's how my gmail looks like after changing my theme..



This is still on its beta version but it already has 30 different themes for you to choose from! If you haven't used this yet, all you have to do is go to the setting page, click on the Themes tab, and choose your style;-)



The Flower Blog

Thanks for sharing this cutie tag April!





The Rules:

1. Each blogger must post this rules.
2. You need to choose ten people to be awarded and list their names.
3. Don't forget to leave them comment telling them they've been tagged and to read your blog (soon).

Now here's a list of my Power Blog picks: LipstickAddict, Sheila, Kaye, Imelda, Claire, Issa, Laya, Emzkie, Umma, and Lorei



My First SocialSpark payout=)

I'm just so happy that finally I have received my very first SocialSpark payout. Hope I can get more opps for 2009.

Here's a snapshot I took from Paypal account just awhile ago.


Happy Monday and enjoy blogging everyone!


Plans for this year's Christmas bonus

Bonuses given at the end of the year is something that all employees are excited for. This extra money is what people use to buy those big amount of items they've always wanted. For us, we normally spend our bonus to celebrate and treat our family for a short vacation. The rest is spent to buy gifts and items we want for our home. But this year is different.

We have already planned on renovating some areas of our home, particularly the bathroom, the kitchen, plus we wanted to add an additional room for our daughters. But due to this disappointing economic and financial crisis that we are having, we had to change plans and pursue our home renovation 'til next year=( Instead, we've decided to get into a small business.

My parents home is situated near a school where computer shops and photocopiers are off the site. And this is where our small business comes in. Our plan is to start off with a small photocopying and typing job shop. I believe this is a good investment, is wise spending, and makes the cancellation of our home renovation worth it.

What are your plans for this year's Christmas bonus?


Chocolates!!


With this economic and financial crisis that we're having, getting a sideline or part time job is something that mom's should start taking into consideration. As for me, I'm starting to think of a chocolate store online. I enjoyed making chocolate goodies when i was still young to earn extra income and now that our budget has started to get tight, I am more and more convinced to pursue this idea.

Right now, I've started to do some research about the different types of chocolates which I would also use for my soon to be chocolate products. Here are some of the varieties of chocolates that I found (I'm sure chocoholics like me are already familiar with some of these):

1. Unsweetened Chocolate
- This is a pure chocolate liquor and is also know as the bitter or baking chocolate. It is usually used to bake cakes, brownies, and cookies.

2. Dark Chocolate
- This is produced by adding fat and sugar to cacao. It's know as the plain chocolate, the one without any milk additive.

3. Milk Chocolate
- This is chocolate with additional milk powder or condensed milk. The US government requires a minimum of 10% concentration of chocolate liquor but EU government requires at least 25% of cocoa solids. Maybe this explains why European chocolates tastes more chocolaty and thus more expensive.

4. Semisweet Chocolate
- This is often used for cooking purposes. In it's powdered form, it is the one used to make champorado or chocolate rice porridge.

5. Bittersweet Chocolate
- This is chocolate liquor or unsweetened chocolate with some sugar, more cocoa butter, vanilla, and sometimes lecithin is added. It's like semisweet chocolate with lesser sugar.

6. White Chocolate
- This is a confection based on sugar and fat without the cocoa solids. And this is one of my favorites!


I've started creating the online store and will tell you more about this and the products that are soon to come out.=)


Proud Milestones of my daughters as of Today

For the past few days I noticed that my youngest has already started practicing on her jump. She smiles and gets thrilled every time she sees her sister jump up and down. And she looks so cute when she attempts to do it because her feet don’t really get off the ground yet. Lol:) My hubby said that he saw her lift up her feet off the ground a few centimeters high when she attempted to jump from the bed. But I didn’t see it so I won’t count that yet. Haha. Anyway, I hope I get to take a shot of this new milestone that she’s learning within the week.

Here are some funny things that CJ can do at age 1 yr and 1.5months olds:

1. Knows how to bless (part of our Filipino culture, a sign of respect for elders)
2. Dances when you say dance
3. Says up when she tries to stand up
4. Dances and imitates some of our actions when I, her dad, and her sister sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and I have two hands.
5. Brushes her teeth on her own
6. Climbs on the sofa and toy box
7. Playfully turns off the television and laughs or grins when you try to scold her
8. Asks you to carry her on your back by tapping your back when she sees you kneel down.

And here’s what big sister Missy can do at age 2 yrs and 4 months old:

1. Can sing action songs like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star; I have two hands;
2. Can sing A-B-C, not yet perfected but tries her best to finish the tune:)
3. Greets good morning in the morning and good night before going to bed
4. Knows how to say thanks or thank you when given something
5. Knows how to say you’re welcome when you say thank you
6. Enjoys playing with other kids
7. Says hi and hello to everyone she meets (even to strangers!).
8. Answers you with yes, no, and okay.
9. Says I’m sorry when she has a fault
10. Says it’s okay when you say sorry to her or when she sees that you’re sad
11. Interacts and imitates the song or actions she sees on television
12. Knows colors, shapes, and numbers very well
13. Know some of the animals though sometimes she still associates rabbits with cats. Lol:)
14. Forces to wake up her dad when I tell her too:)
15. Enjoys eating solids and seldom requests for milk once she’s asleep





Vote for my post Proud Milestones of my daughters as of Today on Mom Blog Network

Caring for your Eyes

I never thought that being an IT professional also means marrying the computer and gluing my eyes into the monitor for an average of 10 or more hours a day. And with the UV radiation that the monitor emits plus the fact that I’m starring and working in front of the monitor for hours, my eyes will certainly wear off and get strained easily if I don’t protect it with eyeglasses.

But at this age, even non-IT individuals nowadays cannot avoid from sitting in front of a computer to connect with friends and relatives or to maintain a blog. So if you’re one of these individuals I’m talking about, I suggest you check out ZenniOptical right now. ZenniOptical was on Fox news so you definitely can be assured of its credibility. You don’t have to worry about the cost since they have tons of great eyeglasses for less.

Here’s a pair of eyeglasses I found cute among the variable dimension frames from Zenni.





Zenni on Fox sells eyeglasses for as low as $8! Plus, you can even get an AR (anti reflective and anti radiation coating) for only $4.95. So go visit their site and start purchasing your eyeglasses.



Ranting about this so called Net Next Media, LLC

I was totally shocked this morning after finding out that my Paypal account had a $45 deduction due to an unknown and unverified transaction with a certain company called Net Next Media LLC (netnextmedia.com).

I have never made any transaction with this company. I do not know what this company is all about and do not use any of the services, if any, they provide. I have also never received any email from them stating that I subscribed to them and also have not received any notification from Paypal that an amount of $45 has been deducted to my account due to an apparent subscription to this company. Has anyone here had the same experience as mine? Or has anyone here had or has an existing transaction or subscription with them? Beware of this scammers!

Anyway, I commend Paypal for their immediate action on this. Just a few seconds ago I got an email from Paypal telling me that the unknown subscription has been canceled. And I did saw the refunded money on my account when I rechecked my Paypal balance! Thanks to Paypal's file claim procedure. Now I believe that they truly mean business.



Friendship Flowers

This tag is all about "FRIENDSHIP OFFERING" with someone whom you know, to someone whom you already knew or will know in the future, globaly. Thank you for passing this on to me Imelda and Lissa, I am happy to have found new friends in the blogosphere like you=)


Start copying here:
Here are the rules for this tag;
1.) Copy the badge and put it on your blog,
2.)Link back who pass you this tag,
3.)Spread this tag to at least 7 or more bloggers who you think you are friend with.


And lovely are the blossoms
That are tended with great care,
By those who work unselfishly
To make the place more fair.
And, like the garden blossoms,
Friendship's flower grows more sweet
When watched and tended carefully
By those we know and meet.
And, if the seed of friendship
Is planted deep and true
And watched with understanding,
Friendship's flower will bloom for you.


I am passing this Friendship Flower tag to my old, new, and future friends:
Lorei, Eds, Gigi, Carmel, G, Irmee, Rocks, Quinnie Ann, Sheila, and B



Change has come to America

Image credits from wikipedia.com

I got extremely happy after finding out that Mr. Obama has won the election for presidency yesterday. As I watched the news last night, I saw everyone getting exctatic about the election's outcome. The entire nation was celebrating and some were even crying as they listened to President Obama's speech in Chicago. For me, having an African American president will indeed make a lot of changes not only in America but throughout the world. One thing is changing for sure, the gap between the white americans and black americans which undoubtedly is still rooted in some people will be tapered off. Everyone is holding big hopes and dreams with the new president and I'm quite certain that he can make that all happen.


Here's what I've learn about President Obama:
1. He is only 47 years old
2. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii
3. He graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School, and has earned double Grammy Award winner for Best Spoken Word Album
4. He was also the first Afican American to serve as president for the Harvard Law Review
5. He taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004 while serving as a Senator from Illinois




Must haves for your Baby's Medicinal Kit


Since I have a number of new moms and moms to be viewers on this blog, I thought that it might be helpful to share my ideal must haves for a baby's medicinal kit. These items I'm sharing are my well tested and pedia-subscribed items that I'm sure is also commonly found on medicine cabinets from other experienced moms out there.

1. Desitin - It's an anti-diaper rash cream that helps prevent diaper rash. Note that this cream is quite strong for baby's delicate skin so make sure to put only a small amount of this product on your baby.

2. Petroleum Jelly - Before, I only use this one as a lip balm and skin moisturizer. But I've been hearing from my mom that this one is also a good anti-diaper rash cream. So one time when we were out of Desitin, I tried using this cream on my youngest baby and was surprised that it does have a good effect on her. It did prevent the rashes from spreading further and I didn't have to worry on how much cream to put on her since it's just a mild cream.

3. Travacort - This is an anti-fungal/steriod cream that can be used together with an anti-diaper rash cream. I use this product to cure my babies diaper rash. And I must say that this is really my best must have at home.

4. Tempra - For emergency cases, it is always best to have Tempra drops (for 0-1 yr only babies) or syrup (for 2+ yrs old) on your baby's medicinal kit. This product lowers your baby's high temperature if he/she has a fever.

5. Betadine - This is an anti-bacterial solution that is generally used to wash open-cut wounds. We can never tell if our babies get caught up in an accident that's why I always have this one on mine. Note that it is not advised to use alcohol to clean open-cut wounds so use this one instead.

6. Chamomile Oil (Acete de Mansanilla) - This solution is used for gas pain and is specially essential for those with new born babies as they tend to experience gas pain more often that the older babies.


If I missed out on anything, send me your comments=) I'd love to know what's in your baby's medicine cabinets too!