Penpal

Topic of the Day: Penpals!

[Update 9/24] - I am posting this up NOW even though Bett has yet to receive the items and the only reason why is because I don't want any items missing! She knows what's in there and can tell them something is missing if there is. Hopefully not!

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Did you ever have one growing up? I did. My aunt used to live in California and my older sister and I visited her one summer. While there I met a girl my age, had a sleepover and we became instant Penpals! We sent letters and presents to each other pretty often - until I reached late high school/early college in which I fell outta touch. We reconnected over Facebook recently and I found out she got married and has two kids! How time flies. We met when we were around 10 and now look at us - 24 yrs old.

I met Bettina over an online gaming website I played growing up called Neopets. We traded our 'pets' online and then became Neofriends. Over the years I would play off and on and one day I asked if she had Facebook. Enter in - a genuine friendship. She's pretty awesome and has a blog of her own called Life in Technicolor. She's from the Philippines a place I would LOVE to visit one day. She posts such beautiful pictures and delicious food, some day I hope we can meet in person!! We seem to have endless things in common, we're into arts and crafts, baking, reading, traveling and just having a positive curious outlook on things. :)

One day she asked me if I could send a postcard from where I live. I told her "yea definitely!" That's a great idea, something nice to collect from friends around the world. It's a great scrapbook feature. Then I thought well why not send some things from here that I think she would really love! We're always chatting it up on Facebook so even though I've never met her in person I think I have a pretty good idea of what she likes. Or at least I hope so! She reads my blog so although I'm writing this on 8/14 it probably won't be posted until much later when she receives her items. She told me she received a postcard from Texas and it took a month to reach her! I just need to find a way to ship the items that's not going to cost over $100! :/

The first item I bought for her is this Canon Mug that replicates a real life Canon Lens! A perfect replica!
I know she loves photography and anyone that loves cameras would love to have this I think!
I asked her what kind of cameras she owns and one of them is a Canon. PERFECT!!

 It came in this super cute (and very real looking) camera bag.

 I got the stainless steel version as those reviews seemed to be better.
It's very good quality, I want one for myself now too, lol. :)

 The attention to detail is amazing. Everything is clean cut and fresh.
The buttons on the side 'work'! They slide back and forth imitating the real thing.

Next item(s) I thought of are Bath and Body Works products! She told me she loves their products but they don't have a store in the Philippines. Well I have numerous stores around me! :P They had a sale going on the other day so I bought five items! :D

I thought to get all different sort of scents and uses. :) Sea Island Cotton Body Butter, Eucalyptus Mint Deep Cleansing Soap, Cashmere Glow Body Lotion, Japanese Cherry Blossom Shower Gel and Raspberry Hand Sanitizer!

Next up Baking Supplies! I love baking and she loves baking.
So why not get something that any baker would love!

While browsing at Michaels (craft store) I came across these cute cookie cutters!
They are so adorable I'll probably go back and get some for myself too!

One product that I've noticed she is obsessed with lately is Washi Tape!
It's basically cute colorful tape that you can put on anything! :)

On her blog she shows how she covered up her laptop keyboard and her charger. It's a nice little decal feature and I think I'll be buying some to wrap presents with. It adds a nice touch to it and shows you cared that much more to add in a little detail. ;)

Of course I shouldn't forget adding what she originally asked for!
So here's my Postcard that shows my state and what it's famous for! ^-^

Love from my home state of Maryland! :D

THE END!

❤ Me

Mother Goose

Topic of the Day: Geese!

I usually eat lunch in my car everyday at work. It's sanitary, no one bothers me I can use both my hands to eat while talking on the phone since I have Bluetooth hooked up in my car and I have everything I need such as hand sanitizer, tissues, etc. I always park in reverse so it's easier to leave at the end of the day and more importantly I like to people watch. I can see all the way down at the end of the parking lot. 

I remember seeing this same family of geese when they were babies in the spring.

You can just barely see them at the end of the lot stepping out of the woods.

 Slowly making their way in a very organized line across the pavement.

Mama Goose raised them right! Walking in such an orderly fashion.

 There's a hotel to the right in the direction that they were going but she changes her mind.

And turns in the opposite direction to walk across right in front of my car! :)

Poor Meeka

Does this make me a mean person? :P

Bracelets

Apart from getting some sweet cash for Eid from most of my Aunts,

One of them, Shanno Khala, gave me (as well as all my girl cousins) a set of beautiful bracelets!

She wrapped up her gifts in these beautiful zebra print gift bags with colorful wrapping!

I love the bag! Works with all ages since we range all the way from 24 down to 11!

I got a set of some gorgeous silver bracelets which can go with any outfit!

Fall in the Air

Autumn is my favorite season - I'm so happy it's almost here!
It's beautiful weather you can feel it in your soul and see it with your eyes.

 

 Sunsets are always so pretty.
I think I like them more than Sunrises.

 

The leaves are slowly starting to change color.

There's a wonderful breeze that's begun to wisp through the air.

Eid Presents #1

Topic of the Day: PRESENTS!

Continuing on with my gift giving extravaganza, let me show you what I'm getting for my immediate family. I wanted to get something for my parents, they've done so much for me, as many times as they've bought me presents growing up I want to reverse that now and give them presents! Now that I've been getting into the zone of thinking of thoughtful presents for everyone I really can't understand how people say they CAN'T think of anything to get someone. All it takes is a little brain power, creative thinking and how well you value that person, knowing them inside to get them something that they would really love.

I know my dad loves eating nuts. It'd be a tough competition between him and a squirrel on who loves eating nuts more! So I got him a variety of different kinds that I think he'll enjoy. One is the classic honey roasted which is my favorite as well! The silver in the back is trail mix that also has dried fruit with salty nuts and the last is barbecue flavored that looks like it tastes good! For my mother I got White Cookies and Cream Godiva Chocolate and that pink bag in the front holds products from Lush! My mother has been commenting that her feet have been very dry lately and she wishes she could moisturize them somehow. Enter in moisturizing foot therapy! I bought a green massage bar in the shape of a foot called the Stepping Stone, as well as something called the Volcano Foot Mask! These two paired together will give the ultimate in dry cracked skin relief! :)

Pictures Courtesy of Google

For my younger sister I got her a Lush product as well. It's my new craze this year. I bought one for myself and loved it so much that I'm buying it for everyone else too! My mother always told me to share with people what you love most. I wouldn't want someone to give me something only because they didn't like it. I remember when I was younger and I would get candy I would give my brother all the lemon flavored ones because they weren't my favorite but then I would feel bad I wasn't sharing.

Pictures Courtesy of Google

Anyways.. The first time I used my Lush Bath Bomb my sister wanted one too so I went ahead and bought her the Sakura Bath Bomb, it was the prettiest one there and smelled really good. :) I messaged one of her friend's when I was trying to decide on a birthday present for my sister and she gave me a whole list, lol. One of them was a phone case cover for her iphone. I'm like hm, iphones have an insane amount of phone covers out there (unlike for my s3 - boo) so I started shopping around on Amazon and came across this adorable makeup one! My sister loves makeup, I think she should be one of those makeup gurus who make videos on YouTube. She's that good. Whenever there's a wedding or a party to go to I always ask her to put on my makeup. :)

Next up my older sister and her family. For a little background information my sister whom I call Appie, (which literally means older sister - a term used in a matter of respect) is a doctor who works in the ER in downtown Philly, PA. She works crazy hours, barely has time for herself to do anything. She enjoys working though so I guess that's all that matters. :) My brother in law, Riz, does something in computers and last but not least is my nephew, Momo, who just turned three not too long ago.

Seeing how my sister works unusually long hours I thought about what I could give that she would really benefit from. Her birthday was in May and I really wanted to get her an electronic foot massager but the specific brand and kind that I wanted (and store where I wanted to buy it from - Macys) was not for sale and wasn't going to be sold until Christmas. I used to work at that and I saw it every year, the price was around $80. I thought well I don't want to wait till Christmas so I checked on Amazon to see what they were selling it for. The starting price was $120 minus shipping. I can put $40 to a lot of good use, like Eid Presents!! So I put my creative thinking skills to use and came up with these great gift ideas:

Have you ever heard of aromatherapy? I took my cousin to a spa once to get a facial for her birthday, they placed me in this aromatherapy room while I waited for her to be finished. I could fall asleep and have heavenly dreams in that room. It was so relaxing, it smelled wonderful - I was at peace. I think smelling aromatherapy can end wars. So starting off with the first picture on the left is the relaxation water lily oil with the beautiful electronic oil warmer. I think the blue with the brown design is very pretty and it would fit in with my sister's décor. I smelled the water lily at the store and it smelled soothing. The socks on the right hand side are aloe vera infused socks. They have lotion on the inside that are supposed to help moisturize your feet. Knowing my sister her whole life I know that she's had drier feet and standing long hours at work can't help. If she wears these overnight (specially during the winter when dryness is at its peak) it should help her have healthy smooth soft feet. :)

It's hard shopping for men. Always has been - always will be. However one thing that pleases them is FOOD. You can never go wrong with giving men food. I know my brother in law likes electronics but he already has things that I've thought of getting him. Like an electronic flying helicopter? Awesome. He has it. I also bought one for myself actually after playing with his but my cousin's son loved it so much he shoved it in his baby backpack and broke the propellers. :/ There goes $50 down the drain. Anyways I asked Appie what sort of snacks does her husband like and I'll put together a basket for him. He likes Orbit Gum, I didn't know which flavor so I got Spearmint as it looked like it was the most popular. Chocolate Chip Chewy Bars are always delicious, Hickory Smoked Almonds that sound so yummy I wonder what it tastes like, some Trail Mix with m&ms (the best part) and last but not least dried mango slices! Appie said he likes Nuts, Choco Bars, Gum and Mangos.

I asked Appie what I should get Momo and she said NO MORE TOYS! Haha. I guess since he's the first grandbaby everyone is spoiling him left and right and there's no room left in their house that isn't taken over with his toys. She said he needs clothes because he's a growing little fella. So I bought him a Superman outfit that has a cape on the back, it's the cutest thing! He has a Spiderman costume with a mask and everything that he got and he would run around in it night and day.

Here's a picture of him running around the house in his Spidey clothes!

I'm glad my sister has instilled a love of reading in him. He loves books and will drag his huge 365 book of stories across the room and onto your lap and have you read chapter after chapter after chapter of stories. I love doing it but I start to lose my breath and my throat gets dry after awhile, lol. I was super happy to find that they make record-a-story books now! I was returning something at the card shop Hallmark and came across a few books where you could record telling the story in your own voice. EPIC!! Unfortunately the price tag was also a whopping $30. I checked out a bookstore and got a much better record-a-story book for $15! The Three Little Pigs. Even though I'm far away it's like I'm sitting there reading him a story. :)

TO BE CONTINUED..

Eid Presents #2

Topic of the Day: PRESENTS!!

I wanted to give all my family wonderful presents! I'm not one to grab a gift card or some easy cash, so if you know me - don't ever expect that! I'll usually do that as a last resort when there's nothing else I can think of to give to you - however it will be a gift card to a specific place that I think you'd enjoy! For example, a co-worker of mine would always chat with me that she would love to go to a spa and we'd talk about it all day long. For her birthday I surprised her with a $25 Spa Gift Card that can be used at 1200+ spa locations in the United States. If I see you staring at an item long enough.. Well I remember EVERYTHING. ;)

I wanted to get my aunts something as well - just because -
so my sister and I chose these. A different flavor for each aunt! :)

      Next up are my cousins that are closer to my age range. Here is a picture of us together:

So I wanted to get something similar that I can get them both but have them be different but have no hard feelings that I favor one more than the other since I like them equally the same, lol. Tough huh? Well I figured out what to get them and I think they both really loved it! Guess what I got.. LUSH PRODUCTS! They come packaged in these beautifully wrapped gifts with 2 products.

This purple one had wrapping paper that glowed in the dark!

You could smell the luscious scent of soap through the box!

I have a boy cousin that I had bought a Wii for on his graduation but with no games. So I went ahead and added onto that by purchasing a Wii Fighting Game that I hope he likes as well as a Wii Controller that looks real but is candy instead!

Moving on, there are three cousins of mine that are the youngest bunch in our family. They are 15, 13 1/2 and 11. So obviously they can't drive or go anywhere. I want to be a good older sister to them and remember their birthday, take them out to spend the day randomly like to a theme park, go kart racing, mini golfing, etc and give them presents for Eid and other occasions!

Here is a picture of them when they were little munchkins:

I don't remember how old they were in this picture.. such cutie pies. Now they're turning into such pretty, smart young girls. The oldest in the purple her name is Z, the middle wearing blue is Hopscotch and the youngest in the pink is Emonster! :) 

So I'll start off with the oldest, Z. Short for Zainy Brainy, because she's a smart young lady. Booyah. That rhymed. Totally off the fly. ;) Anyways I know she loves clothes and jewelry as any 15 year old does. So I bought her an outfit which I think she'll like, a beautiful scarf that she picked out and a necklace to match her shirt. I think I did a pretty good choosing if I do say so myself! :D 

I got the I love Paris Shirt from Papaya, the Turquoise Scarf is from Macys and the Paris Necklace is from Forever 21! The shirt has pearls lining around the heart and I think it goes so perfectly with the necklace which has a single pearl dangling at the top. 

Next up I have who I like to call my middle twin since we're both squashed between our siblings! Hopscotch! She's got little dimples that you can sometimes see when she smiles real big, like here! Outspoken and speaks her mind - like me! She's like her sister - in that she loves clothes. I bought her one shirt and found another in my closet that I never wore and made my legs look way too long because it's a crop top. So I thought "hm, what shorty person is a size small and will fit them perfectly?"

 

Then of course to complete the outfit I bought a set of cute earrings to match! I saw these and thought they fit perfectly with what I had gotten for her. The gold round studs go with the button shirt while the owl & rose works for both.

Lastly we have the youngest of her sisters and in the family. Slightly spoiled and gets away with it all - Emonster! Since she's still a bit smaller than her sisters, her interests also vary from them. Whereas they like reading books and playing outside she likes staying in and is glued to her electronics, ipad/phone/tv/etc. According to her Instagram she can't wait to go back to school - so why not get her school supplies! The most fashionable things so she can go back in style and show off to all her friends! ;)

I came across this really cute polka dot backpack at Aldo Accessories, the original price tag was a whopping $50 but I got it on sale for an amazing $20! It's a bit on the smaller side but she's also 11 she's not carrying heavy college books. I didn't want to just give her a backpack and call it a day since I'm giving her sisters multiple things, so I filled her backpack with cool surprises!

I started off with some really pretty folders I found. It's two in one, the first on the left has pretty designs the purple on the right has a zebra pattern both have a lot of sparkles in them. I also got her a pack of airheads, lol. I know, it's kinda random.

       I also found the cutest pencils! They have the little sweaters you can slip on for a tighter grip. I thought they were simply adorable. I always loved doodling in my notebooks so I thought a set of colorful ballpoint pens would be fun to have too. :)

       I've been seeing a mustached craze going around lately. Everything has mustaches on it. I thought this was such a cute notebook to have and I've been buying everything turquoise/teal lately so why not get a notebook to match, lol. :)

It looks so cute all bundled up together!