May 13th, 2012 
Chie 
Thank you for taking care of me and my family. Thank you for the many times you put our needs ahead of yours. Thank you for all the sacrifices you made so we can have a comfortable life. I know words will never be enough to thank you for everything you have done. I am truly blessed to have you as my mother. May the Lord allow us to be together again very soon. I miss you, Mama. I love you very much.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there! 
April 11th, 2012 Chie I think the world would be a better place if we would STOP looking down on others, STOP judging them and just focus on ourselves. A friend of mine once forwarded a message to me and it says, “When you realize how hard it is to change yourself, you begin to understand what little chances we have of changing others.” It’s true that we will encounter difficult people sometime in our lives but let’s be careful in dealing with them because we might appear so self-righteous and end up just like them. I guess it’s really important that we evaluate ourselves from time to time and treat everyone with extreme conscientiousness.
April 2nd, 2012 Chie 
Category: Desserts
March 30th, 2012 Chie It was September last year when I thought to myself that sometime in February or March of 2012, I’d be writing a blog about how faithful God has been in my life. I was about to start with my intensive review for the Philippine Nursing Licensure Examination then and I was quite overwhelmed with fear, pressure and anxiety. I was not so confident because my last year as a student nurse was one of the hardest times in my life. Problems kept on coming. Aside from the great pressure from academic and clinical requirements at school, I also encountered heartaches and pain. Our family was also struggling financially and my husband had a hard time looking for a new job. I was on the verge of giving up but then God made a way to reveal Himself to me in a whole new way.
Through reading His Word and spending more time with Him in prayer, my faith was renewed and I was able to surrender everything to Him. One by one, as the day of the exam was fast approaching, God answered my prayers. A month before the exam, my husband found a job but because he was just starting, our budget remained tight and we needed to prioritize. I was not able to attend my review classes regularly and it was quite depressing. I decided to just read my books at home. I would spend hours reading and answering questions online. There were people who didn’t understand what I was going through and thought that I’m just being lazy and that I’m overconfident. Through God’s help, I was able to look at the positive side of things and just continued praying, studying and reading at home. I asked God to holistically prepare me for the exam. I knew in my heart that knowledge was not enough in order to pass. So, I asked the Lord to be with me in every step and I’m pretty sure He never left me. Waiting for the the result was even harder than preparing for the exam. Doubts and negative thoughts tried to creep into my mind but God was so quick in taking them away! I asked God to include my name in the list of passers and He did! Praise HIM!
It was February 15 when the result came out. I was on my way to my husband’s basketball game when my friend called me and told me that we made it! I screamed and couldn’t stop uttering a thanksgiving prayer to God. From the day I started with my intensive review up to the day the result came out, He never left me. People who know me personally know how imperfect I am and that I made terrible mistakes in my life which I am not proud of. I do not deserve any of the blessings God has been giving me and it’s so humbling to know that He has compassion for a sinner like me. The people close to my heart know exactly what I went through in life and would agree with me that I am living under the grace of God. To my surprise, God did not just include me in the list of passers, He gave me a good board rating. HIS GRACE STILL AMAZES ME!
May this post be an encouragement to everyone who will take the examination in July. I have close friends who are going to take the examination in July and they sure have my prayers. Just stay focused, study and read intensively, do what pleases the Lord, seek His will, have faith.
March 22nd, 2012 Chie Hello, my dear friends and readers! I’m back!!! I’ve been away from the blogging world for quite sometime and I miss everything here! There’s so much that I want to write about, I hope time would allow me to do so. For now, let me share with you some photos from my birthday celebration last weekend.
I’m 30. It’s such a blessing from God to be given a chance to live in this world for 3 decades and I’m grateful for everything He has done in me, for me and through me.
It was November last year when I told my husband that I want to celebrate my birthday away from Manila and that we should start saving for it. I tried searching online for places where we can have a private time as a family but due to the husband’s work schedule, the plan to go out of town did not push through. And with the help of one of our closest and sweetest friends (who also gave us dinner buffet coupons and movie tickets as wedding anniversary gifts during the early years of our marriage), we were able to book two nights at a superior twin hotel room at The Richmonde Hotel in Ortigas at a very affordable rate. Check-in to the hotel was fast and hassle free.
We got room 1520 and it’s on a non-smoking floor. I was hoping to get a room with a beautiful view of the city at night but those rooms were not available, not a big problem for me anyway.
My boys spent most of their time doing this.
This is the hotel’s heated indoor pool. We swam on our first night at the hotel and it was just the three of us in the pool so we were able to enjoy a private time as a family.
The hubby’s plate
My husband and my son availed of the buffet breakfast and both of them said they loved the food.
My plate
I ordered a continental breakfast which includes soft rolls, muffins, banana cake with nuts, butter, strawberry and pineapple jam and a plate of fresh fruit slices.
We had a really wonderful time and we should start saving for another family getaway soon. We didn’t have the time to take good photos of ourselves since we were so busy enjoying each other’s presence.
I must say that this is one of the best birthday celebrations I ever had! The hubby’s siblings were able to drop by to visit and swim in the pool. How I wish my Del Rosario family (family of origin) was also there to celebrate with us.
I have so much to thank God for. He has given me so much blessings in my 30 years of existence. I know I haven’t been a perfect daughter to Him. I failed Him so many times but His grace never fails to amaze me.
Last month, He has given me my license to work as a professional nurse. I am planning to write a separate post for that. He has proven to me that nothing is impossible to a person who depends on Him completely. My heart and my strength fail but His love and direction bring me back to the right path. In all the trials and challenges I encountered, He’s my constant companion. Today, I realized that it’s never enough to just know God, I should walk with HIM everyday and have an intimate and growing relationship with Him because it is the only way to live an abundant at fulfilled life. When you walk with HIM, you will LIVE.
October 14th, 2011 Chie Yipee! I’m soooooo happy! I logged in at my Facebook account this morning and saw a very pleasant surprise. I won Marriage and Beyond’s Facebook Page Likers Raffle! As a way of thanking them, I decided to blog about the 3 reasons why I like Marriage and Beyond.
1. The website owners are very dear to me. I have been friends with Pastor Jeff and his wife Jennie for more than a decade now. They have always been a blessing to me. Jennie was my accountability partner, when we were still attending the same church. Her wisdom, thoughtfulness, honesty and sincerity really inspire me a lot. Jennie is also my blogging mentor. She taught me how to improve the content of my websites, how to make money online, how to create backlinks to my websites and a lot more. I am thankful for everything she has taught me.
2. The website content is informative and relatable. Couples would really benefit from reading their posts about love and relationship. Aside from posts about marriage and family, you can also find posts about gadgets and computers, health and beauty, sports and recreation, travel and destinations, events and product launches, food and restaurants and many more. I really love the travel and destinations posts! I get ideas about the beautiful places I could go to someday, prices of accommodation and food and the activities to do in those places. The pictures that go with the posts are all beautiful. I also love their FOOD posts and Jennie’s mouthwatering recipes.
3. Giveaways!!! It’s such a blessing to learn something from a website and get a chance to win in its contests at the same time! Marriage and Beyond, along with all the other websites owned by Pastor Jeff and Jennie, give out really COOL stuff. They have such generous hearts!
Pastor Jeff, Jennie and Jed (their super cute and smart son)
Thank you, Pastor Jeff and Jennie! May you continue to inspire and be a blessing to other people through your websites! May the Lord bless you more abundantly!
October 7th, 2011 Chie The “collective buying” trend is now emerging on the on the web and is now being used to offer big discounts and provide significant benefits to businesses and consumers. I’ve seen several websites which offer products and services at rock bottom prices. Everyone loves a good deal and I have seen a tremendous response from thousands of people. To tell you honestly, I find myself checking out new deals from these websites almost everyday. How wonderful it is to find cool stuff to do with family and friends at low, low prices!
One perfect example of a website which offers products and services at unbeatable prices is Healthy Deals Philippines. It is the first health and wellness group-buying website. It has unique deals which offer products and services which can be beneficial for a lifetime and it’s simply because, the deals are related to health and wellness. We all know that good health is essential to every human being. Good health contributes to a person’s lifespan, it helps us achieve our goals and dreams, it gives people a chance to save their money and it has a lot to do with a person’s success and happiness. I believe that offering these products and services at a very low price is a great way to promote health and wellness.
One of its latest deals is the Whiter Teeth with Dentista’s Whitening Package (Conventional Gel Tooth Whitening + FREE OTHER DENTAL SERVICES) valued at Php 11,000 instead of Php 20, 400. Maintaining healthy teeth and gums is part of taking care of our overall health and if you want to have whiter teeth that can give you the confidence to meet and socialize with more people, visit Healthy Deals Philippines now!
Or, if you are a blogger, you may want to join the “What’s a Healthy Deal?” Bloggers Raffle Contest and get a chance to win an Apple iPad 2! You have a few more days to join.
To keep yourself updated on the healthy deals and promos, you can follow Healthy Deals Philippines on Twitter and like its Facebook page.
September 30th, 2011 Chie Time flies REALLLLLY fast! Today is my son’s 13th birthday. I love my son so much and I always tell him that there is nothing I wouldn’t do for him. I love him with my whole being. My son gives me joy and there’s just so many things that I appreciate about him. He never fails to surprise me with his little acts of kindness, his generosity, his concern for the people around him, his sweet and thoughtful ways of showing love to us and to other people, his faith in God and his forgiving heart! He loves his family and friends unconditionally. A lot of times, he teaches me how to be patient, considerate and understanding.
Of course, he isn’t perfect. I know that my husband and I should continue to instruct him and direct him to do what is right and pleasing to the eyes of God. I know that this is a crucial stage of his character development. He needs proper guidance in order to understand the things happening around him and in order to make the right choices. I appreciate that he tells me what’s in his heart and he asks me questions about life, love, relationship and money. He also asks his Dad questions about God and the Bible. I admit, I am not always ready to answer his questions, but I try my best to give him an honest response.
He told me his 3 wishes for his birthday and I pray that his wishes do come true. I also pray that he would grow wiser and better with each passing year.
Gerard,
Happy birthday to you my dear! You are the greatest gift God has given me. No matter how many birthdays come and go, you will always be my little boy. I love you very much.
I will post pictures of our son’s birthday dinner in my food website soon.
September 21st, 2011 Chie It’s the middle of the week and I’m glad I have accomplished a lot of things already. I know I am going to be very busy in the coming days since I already have my own review schedule and I will be starting to follow this schedule tomorrow. Next month, review classes in Manila will start and it’s going to be more stressful for me. Good thing it has been re-scheduled. At least, I was able to complete all the requirements first. I thank the Lord for He is slowly preparing my heart for whatever it is that I am about to face.
Anyway, it’s a very special day for our family today because the Lord answered one of our prayers. I am praying for victory today and trusting God’s sovereignty. May His will be done and even if sometimes I do not understand the things happening to me and my family, I know that by trusting the Lord, I can never go wrong. Sorry, I cannot get into the details right now but I would appreciate your prayers for our family. May the Lord continue to reveal His wonderful plans.
Have a great day ahead. See you soon!
September 16th, 2011 Chie 
If I remember it correctly, it was year 2002 when Jennie, my good friend who is also my blog mentor gave me a very special book entitled Fascinating Womanhood. It’s written by Helen Andelin. I consider it one of my most prized possessions. I believe that a lot of women all over the world have read this book and have their own stories on how the teachings of this book made an impact on their marriages. The book offers guidance for a new generation of women – happy, fulfilled, adored, and cherished – who want to rediscover the magic of their own feminine selves. It offers practical advice and old-fashioned values which I admit are not easy to practice especially when you are in a modern and sophisticated environment.
I want to share with you today, some of the teachings of this book which made a tremendous impact on me as an individual and as well as on my marriage. These are just some of the truths revealed in this book which can make you a fascinating woman in the eyes of your husband. For me, applying these principles require patience and determination and often times I miserably fail, but I keep trying and little by little, I see positive results.
1. Accept your husband at face value and don’t try to change him. Acceptance means to accept him as a human being who is part virtue and part fault, to stop worrying about his faults and look to his better side. The key to acceptance is humility – realizing our own human frailties and limitations and therefore looking to ourselves for change.
2. Love in marriage is the most important element in its success, and a happy marriage the foundation of a successful family. There is no way a man and a woman can create a truly successful home without a happy marriage based on a true and abiding love for each other.
3. When you try to improve your husband, you reveal a serious flaw in your character, the fault of self-righteousness. You indicate that you consider yourself better than he. When you criticize or condemn your husband you take the position of being a judge. But, are you qualified to judge his worth? Are you a better person then he?
4. Get rid of an attitude of bosiness, control, or command, and acquire a spirit of sweet submission. It’s better to surrender your point of view to a man than win an argument. It’s more feminine. When you treat him like a king, he will treat you like a queen!
5. A mark of true character, especially womanly character, is to smile through adversity.
The Real Charm
“There is in this world no function more important than that of being charming – to shed joy around, to cast light upon dark days, to be the golden thread of our destiny, and the very spirit of grace and harmony. Is not this to render a service?”
6. Live Your Feminine Role: Let him make the living, and you make life worth living! Keep the home intact so it is running smoothly, with all daily needs met. Be feminine, cheerful, and do all you can to bring a peaceful spirit in the home. Such an atmosphere will relieve his anxieties and help him succeed as a provider.
What made the book more interesting is that, it teaches women how to deal with heartaches caused by the man they love, how to deal with a hot tempered husband, what to do when your husband is cheating on you or when he is addicted to alcohol and other substances. These things made the book more helpful and balanced. The author is not suggesting that we become submissive in our moral convictions. We should defend them firmly. In my point of view, the book is saying that there is a great possibility for husbands to be SUCCESSFUL when they have FASCINATING wives and both of them will find FULFILLMENT in their marriage.
There’s so much more that you can learn from the book. I’ve seen the price of the book online and it doesn’t cost much. You might want to consider having your own copy. I trust it will bless you as it has blessed so many.