Christmas In Style

Happy Christmas!

Feeling under the weather after staying up late from the blue party last night.

Yes, the color -- blue.  We have been color coding holidays, parties and events at our house for pure pleasure.  Glad I end up with a sister-in-law who loves to dress up like myself, so there isn't ever a time we'd drag ourselves to look fancy when an occasion calls it.  Hee.  I kid.  Don't take me so seriously.  I just meant to say, dressing up is fun.  Nothing wrong with trying to look good and feel good every once in a while, right?

Color blue aside,  some of our dear guests came in their red ensemble.  Please don't shoot them.  We were actually very forgiving than you seem to expect.  Hee.  They came over last year's red party. Apparently, they thought we'd all wear red outfits each year.  Christmas is very much associated with red too.. so, you get it.

We pretty much invite the same people on some of our gatherings.  And, obviously just very few of them.  We appreciate the fact that these awesome girls (more of sister's. their friendship is over a decade!), would always find time to celebrate with us.  Not to mention, show up wearing whatever color we call for!

Christmas also surprised us with pretty dust of whites and ice.  A little unexpected as it never snowed this much, since winter started.  So, we all put on our coats and boots to join the pseudo-reindeers.  To gush at the naked trees.  The snow-coated rooftops.  And pinetrees.  Dancing lights.  Blown-up santa. 

From our family to yours, a wonderful Christmas to you.  And you, and you.

 

Geb is One : The Rundown

In between blown candles and mashed cakes every 19th of the month, I'd clear my head and think about that one big day brewing at a distance.  The procrastinator in me, a hardcore one, would constantly put off first birthday party plans.  Because the thought of it just makes me smile, the kind that reassures it's gonna be fine.  And that, it will be-- perfect.

But, I did have to work out a plan.

So there I was, planning AND getting things done at the same time~

.. about two days before big day.

Months back, I confidently told Brian I'll take charge.  Sister takes care of catering (all home-cooked food. my sister,she's a star) while the husband run errands and roast whole pig (lechon is ridiculously overpriced around here. aside from too much cholesterol, the price alone could already induce heart-attack). 

Sounds like a party dream-team, yes?

..if only we had plenty of time.

 
Deciding for a theme was, in my case, a no-brainer.  Not bragging here.  Truth is, I was more than a hundred per cent sure (if you are that sure, you are one lucky woman) that it's not gonna be a Disney character (they're cute. so please, no offense), nor a creature on land, air or at sea. Hee.  You see, Geb's gonna travel overseas this summer. Just a thought of it loudly screamed:

AIRPLANE!!

So, yes, the theme was clearly a give-away.  And, yes, I was one lucky woman.

 plane ticket-inspired invitation

 our baby pilot

The Making

When I pledged I'll take charge, specifically it meant we will print, cut and tie buntings, party hats, theme tags, cupcake cups, labels, spray-paint wall letters and whatnot~

Then, this.

Customized t-shirts as party favors.  We printed our own design to plain cotton shirts with an ink jet printer.

you will need:  a cotton shirt, fabric transfer paper, ink-jet printer

The magic peel.  Here you go~

 

And, voila!

I thought the decors alone were quite over the top, considering we did almost everything from scratch in so little time.  That said, I had to let go of this exciting plan to make my own cloud out of polyester batting (the kind used in quilting), as a supposed backdrop of the dessert table.

Imagine suspended clouds enshrouding a bare wall. 

It would've completed the look, but totally outrageous, granting the meager-- err, time.

Amazing themed sweets hand made by the-great-Ninang Jha.  She had been very introspective for weeks, probing about the party's theme.  I, on the other hand, kept the theme a secret until I sent off the invitations.  Hee. What do you know, she came with these ultra special treats at the party.  I was deeply blown away.  

A sky-sized THANK YOU, Ninang!

awfully inexpensive cake from a local supermarket. but it came too small and plain-looking (you get what you pay for).  cutesy ribbon and set of 3 cardboard mini-suitcases, did the trick! 

Moreover.

The party teaser~

..enter photo-opp.  No less.

 

That, my friends, took us a handful of patience-- lots of it, a sunny blue-sky weather, creatively distracting a sleepy kid and of course, some mad photography skills. Okay, the latter part is simply an overstatement.  I don't have such skill. 

Overall, the party went fine. The weather, though, was a real downer.  The event was ideally outdoor.  But of all days, weather-gods decided to burst out heavy rains on Geb's birthday.  Probably the biggest downpour since the start of Spring.

The party, I guess, was a novelty (in my own standard).  The theme wasn't entirely unique, as some of our guests thought it was.  Sure, there are already a slew of birthday parties with the same theme before us.  Perhaps one thing that sets us apart, is our crazy grit to achieve ingenuity, despite the challenge. Say, personal touch.  Like an olden song, remake(d), to sound fresh.  And strange (in a good way).  

The downside?

God knows we were a bunch of run-ragged-junkies during the party,  overstrained from time pressure and lack of sleep. Which is totally not the case if we were cleverly prepared.

Anyhow~

..hope you had great fun Little Geb! 

Years from now, when you get to read this, and see photos (goodness, we got evidence), you'll know how much you are loved.  


That's an all-powerful love, my child.  
 

 

Baby Junior

I'll take you back when we rack one's brain to come up with a perfect name for our boy. If you are a parent, you know it's a big deal as it will stick with our child for years,  their whole lifetime.

Deciding for our baby's name was such a daunting task, we end up having a Junior.  Not that the husband's name is disagreeable.  Of course, no.  In fact, I wouldn't trade it for Tiburcio, given a choice.  

**Please don't get offended if you happen to have a father/brother/boyfriend/pet named one. Worst, if you are named Tiburcio yourself. It's a matter of preference.  I named my son 'Maxx' before birth, remember?  (see HERE)

Last July 24th, we made Geb Brian R. Ramiso Jr. official. 

Most importantly, we let Geb take the step of obedience in publicly proclaiming our faith in Christ.

Welcome to the Christian world, Geb Jr.

To the godparents, friends and those who weren't able to celebrate with us yet sent their presents, thoughts, and love ~

Thanks very much.

As to why he is crying wailing on top of his lungs~ 

Don't be fooled.  I assure you, he had a blast!