I can't believe it! I've won my 1st blog giveaway! Wow! Wasn't expecting that!

I've been reading Asian Aisle for about a month now. I love this blog. It is all about different foreign foods around the world; mostly snack foods. Since I've been to the Philippines 3 times now (getting ready for my 4th trip in 3 more months!) I'm intrigued by foreign foods & snacks. There are really some interesting ones out there!

So excited! Here is what I entered to win. I have to admit the Philippine dried mangoes tempted me- they are so good and I can't find them anywhere around here! F.B. & I used to buy a bag every time we went to the supermarket. I love wandering around the supermarkets in the Philippines. I will have to take some pictures of interesting products my next trip back!

Edited 8-6-09: Thank you so much Cindy, from Asian Aisle! My package from the giveaway arrived today and check out all of the goodies! So exciting! I just love the little ribbons too & the ducky stationary! I can't wait to have a taste testing with my family this weekend. I will try to blog about all of the neat products! Thanks again!

For Mother's Day I made my mom chocolate covered strawberries. White chocolate and milk chocolate with different colored sprinkles. Yummy!



I also made her chocolate covered cherries with maraschino sundae cherries. They taste soooo good, but they don't look as nice because the cherries were bigger than my candy molds, so no pictures of those!

Tomorrow for lunch I'm taking both of my parents out to Red Lobster. We're doing a Mother's Day early Father's Day lunch. Then we'll stop at the mall to go to Bath & Bodyworks so my Mom can pick out her favorite anti bacterial products.

I upgraded to Internet Explorer 8 from Internet Explorer 6. Once I upgraded, I had to edit my blog layout a bit because it was not appearing correctly for me. If you are having any issues with the pictures on my blog not being aligned correctly you may need to upgrade to IE8. The resolution on my computer is also 1280 x 800, so if any of you reading are having issues with the alignment of my pictures please let me know & I'll try to see what I can adjust.

I really love Bakerella's Blog! She is so creative! I think her creations are stunning; I'm always so impressed with what she comes up with. I've been wanting to try making her cake pops for awhile and I thought it would be easiest to start with her recipe for cupcake bites!

I used a store bought chocolate cake mix & chocolate fudge icing for my cake balls. I made the cake last night and let it cool, then after I mixed the cake & icing together I rolled them into mini balls and put them on cookie trays to freeze overnight- (only because I didn't have enough time to do everything last night!) The cake mix made nearly 70 of these!

When I came home from work today I got the cake balls out of the freezer and got my dark chocolate melts ready. I dipped the chocolate into candy molds and placed the cake balls into the chocolate to make the base of the "cupcake". I used white chocolate melts for the tops and I dyed them pink & purple with food coloring, and I used cinnamon drops to make the "cherry" on top.

I found it very tricky to coat the top of the "cupcake". It was hard to get the chocolate very smooth and even around the base. I am no where even near the quality of Bakerella's gorgeous cupcake bites! I did take a few pictures of the "cupcakes" I thought turned out best. There's quite a few "rejects" though, haha!

It also takes a heck of alot of time to prepare all of these. I would say I spent 2 hours each night making them. 4 hours total. They look cute though and they taste so unbelievably good! You have the crunchy dark & white chocolate coating on the outside and inside is moist chocolate cake & icing. Mmmmm! Heavenly!

I'm taking a bunch to work tomorrow to give out to my co-workers. And I'm taking some up to my cousins house for our "movie" night tomorrow. I won't be making these all the time, but they are fun for special occasions & holidays! :-)

Missguided Mommy started this game and I wanted to play along. It's called, "What's in my bag"

Here's my bag: It's a Converse One Star tote bag I got at Target and it is HUGE. I also have one in black. This is actually the 2nd silver bag I've gone through. On the outside of my bag I have 2 keychains from the Philippines. One is the Philippine flag & the other is the bible verse 1 Corinthians 13:4 'Love is patient, Love is kind."



















Now inside... is my life... I'm not even kidding! Bet you didn't think anyone could have so much stuff in their purse! Now I'm embarrassed, haha!

(Click on photos to enlarge.)



















What are we even looking at here? I try to keep things organized by putting some of my stuff into smaller bags, instead of everything inside my purse. There are 3. One is a silver makeup bag from Watson's drugstore in the Philippines. Another is green & white Clinique bag and the other a small grey mesh bag. I will go over what is inside them later.

To the left: Pens, Makeup, My checkbook & calculator. To the right is my 80GB Video Ipod, Monkey Gloves, Hairbrush, Eyeglass cleaning cloth, my keyring with all of my keys, keychains & tags for stores. Down at the bottom is my real Louis Vuitton wallet (I got on ebay ages ago.) to the left of my wallet is Philippine & Hong Kong money... I don't know why I carry these in my wallet all the time along with my american money... but I do. Hehe. Such a mess. Let's look at what things look like when it's more organized in my bag.

Here's what is inside my makeup bag:
















1 Eyeshadow Applicator
1 Makeup Brush
2 Makeup Sponges
1 Comb
1 Clean & Clear Oil Aborbing Sheets
1 Eyeliner (Avon Glimmersticks: blackest black)
1 Maybelline Concealer (Ivory)
6 Lip Balms (Carmex, Watson's Mint, Watson's Lemon, Watson's Tinted, Burts Bees, Dr. Pepper Bonne Belle.)I confess... I am addicted to lip balms!
1 Lip Gloss: (Victoria's Secret Aphrodisiac)
2 MAC eyeshadows (Naked & Jardin Aires)
2 MAC powders (Medium & Light Blot Powder)

Here is my bigger organizer bag it's from Clinique. Inside is:















My hairbrush, Vaseline Lotion (Cool & Fresh), Bath & Bodyworks antibacterial hand gel (Honeysuckle). 1 1/2 Mentos Mints (addicted!), Orbit Gum from the Philippines. A Cherry Push Pop because I was feeling nostalgic one day. A little purple notebook I got in the Philippines, my checkbook & calculator, tampons & tissues. This great styling stick from Bench that I also got in the Philippines. Its keeps flyaway hair down.

My little gray mesh organizer I've had for years. On the outside is a key chain that says 'F.B. & SLC' that F.B. had made up. The other side has our picture. Inside is:















3 pens. (Bic Atlantis, Black, Blue. 1 Silver Parker pen from F.B. with my name 'Sarah' engraved on it.)
1 Tupperware pill case, (ibuprofen & aspirin inside.)
2 Kopiko Coffee Milk Candies. (From the Philippines! Love them!)
1 Blue 256mb Flashdrive (gift from F.B.)
1 Revlon nail file.
1 Purple Rosary. Gift from a co-worker years ago. (I'm not Catholic, I'm Christian, but I keep in it my purse like some people keep rosaries or angels over their rear view mirror. I feel it keeps me safe.)
2 Safety pins.
1 backup Blackberry battery for my cell phone.
1 Clear Eyes eyedrops.

With everything in my purse it's pretty heavy! I had the idea to weigh it and see how heavy it was on my postal scale. Since Misguided Mommy is doing a giveaway with her post, I am also going to do my first giveaway here on my blog!

If you would like to enter the giveaway all you have to do it post a comment and tell me how much you think my purse weighs. Whoever gets it correct or guesses closest wins! I will pick a winner next Sunday night. (If there is a tie. I will do a random drawing to see who wins.)

I have 2 prize sets & the winner will get their choice of 1. (I thought this idea would make it different since some of you might like a good book over makeup & vice versa.)

1st Set is a Makeup Set. With 4 brand new items.

1 Clinique Mild Facial Soap
1 Clinique lipstick in: Raspberry Glace
1 Clinique Mascara in: Black
1 Eyeshadow set from: Jasmine La Belle. (5 colors)














2nd set is:

2 Yankee Candles: (1.75oz) Scents: Buttercream & Vanilla Cupcake
1 Book: Elizabeth The Queen by Alison Weir. (Also titled as: The Life of Elizabeth I.) Non-Fiction, Paperback Biography.















The winner will also receive with their prize a brand new bag of Kopiko Coffee Milk Candies, I brought back from the Philippines in December. They are amazing!



















Good luck! (Remember, anyone can comment. You don't have to belong to blogger.com!)

If you play 'What's in my Bag' on your blog, leave a link in my comments!

I haven't updated in a few days, I was so busy this past week and yesterday was spent cleaning my entire room and doing laundry. Sugar had her visit at the vet on Tuesday for her sprain. He did an x-ray to make sure it wasn't a broken bone. Pretty weird seeing the inside of your rat on an x-ray! It was just a really bad sprain. He prescribed some metacam an anti-inflammatory for her to take for 2 weeks. She has to get it once a day and she just hates it, she will try to drool it out of her mouth. The swelling is decreasing slowly and it definitely doesn't look as bad as it did. He skin was really dry and peeling on her paw when the swelling started to go down though so I was putting a dab of olive oil on it to help keep it moisturized.

Finally got a quote on insurance for a new car. It would be $119 a month for full coverage from our State Farm Agent. That's not bad at all. I have to call one of the Nissan dealers back on Monday. He called twice during the weekend but I've been busy this weekend so I will get back to him on Monday. There's about 4 dealers in our area. And once I talk to the one dealer my dad & I are going to check out all the dealers maybe this coming weekend or next weekend. So maybe I will have a new car by March or so! I'm still interested in the Versa Sedan. I also found out one of my co-workers recently got the same car from the dealer right near my house. The same dealer I have to call back on Monday.

My own car was having issues with the shocks last week. I actually had to get a ride to work on Tuesday. It had snowed in the morning and when I started driving the car it was shaking and bouncing so badly I thought something was wrong with the tires. My dad ended up dropping me off at work and my co-worker gave me a ride home. Turns out my car has just entered old age. (It is a 93') I now have to let it warm up for 10-15min in extremely cold weather or else my shocks freeze up. I will be so happy if I am able to afford a new car this year!

F.B. & I were talking recently about snow and what he would think of it. He was wondering how he would drive in the snow & ice too and what it would be like to experience 4 seasons when he moves to the USA heehee.

I visited my Nana on Friday night. I haven't seen her since before I went away to the Philippines and I had some gifts for her and she wanted to see my trip pictures. The ratties paid her a visit too. I took the girls last time I visited. She loved my new girls Ginger & Nutmeg and she gave everyone a Hershey kiss. She said, "See if you come to visit Nana- you get candy!" So funny, heehee.

I ordered 'The True Life of Mary Stuart' by John Guy off of Ebay. I just started reading it and it's really good. I've been reading alot of books about Mary Queen of Scots lately.

I have to start working on getting Valentines stuff together for F.B. too. Though I think he may get his package after Valentines. I'm going to get our trip photos printed up and put into albums like I do every year for us. And I've got to get him a card and write a letter. I'm finally getting a paycheck this monday. I always hate coming back to work after being furloughed because it takes 3-4 weeks before you receive your first paycheck again!

I thought I would share some pictures of the girls enjoying corn on the cob and yogurt peanuts. Hehe. They just love corn on the cob occasionally. Spice especially LOVES it as you can see from the pictures, hehe! (They clean the cob better than a human!) They love yogurt peanuts for a treat too. Though they all have different ways of eating them. Cinnamon will eat the yogurt off and leave the peanut. Spice will eat the yogurt, take the skin off the peanut & then eat the peanut. And Sugar eats the whole thing! Cinnamon is my chunky monkey. Ever since she had her emergency spay she's really chunked up. She weighs 1 pound 2 ounces, while Sugar & Spice weigh 15 ounces each.

Spice:

I'm discussing possible dates to return to the Philippines to visit F.B. I'm thinking I'll be going October 6th and returning December 2nd. I want to stay 8 weeks. I'm applying for a tourism visa from the Philippine Consulate in New York. (PCGNY). I shouldn't be working those months and I will still get to spend the holidays with my family (though I'll miss Thanksgiving.) I'll also get to be with F.B. on his birthday this year if I go on those dates. His birthday is October 9th.

I've just about paid off my last trip. Only $300 more dollars to pay off before I can make a new debt on my credit card of $1,100-1,500. Getting a new credit card again with a 0% APR for a year. That's usually what I do. I hate interest! I always get a new credit card without interest for year when I buy a new plane ticket. I should be getting my new place ticket in April sometime! I'm excited!

It would be great to spend 8 weeks (2 months) with my boy! 3 weeks just goes by too quickly and it's so expensive to fly there. I want to stay as long as I can! So will be getting my plane ticket and applying for my visa! And then I can look forward to spending time with my boy again!

I wanted to share some of my FAVORITE Philippine products. I always stock up when I go over there.










1. Vaseline Shampoo.


Vaseline Shampoo (Unilever Philippines)

Buy Vaseline Shampoo from Pilipinomart!

Ahhhh! This is the best shampoo ever! I've tried them all except the blue one with aloe... haven't seen that one yet. But I always bring back several bottles of the stuff. It works so well and leaves my hair clean and shiny. I wish we had this in the USA! You can buy it online, but it costs $7 for the smallest bottle- compared with under a dollar for the same bottle in the Philippines! Which is why I stock up on it when I'm over there!









2. Closeup Toothpaste (Philippine Version.)

Closeup Toothpaste

For some reason Unilever Philippines isn't showing up on Unilever's website. Not sure why. It's no fair! In the USA we only have Red Hot regular and Red Hot Whitening Closeup. In the Philippines they have even more Closeup flavors than the picture above! My favorites are: Crystal, Icy Chill & I love the Lemon Mint Twist. Don't think I'd like Menthol though... blech.

Weird thing is... you can find Menthol Halls Cough Drops in the CANDY aisle in the Philippines! Yes Candy! F.B. & I would walk by the candy aisle and I'd get aggravated and say, "Cough Drops are not candy! Menthol is not candy! Come to our drugstores and you'll find Halls next to the sore throat medicine! Menthol is medicine!" (BTW- if you ever need cough drops while in the Philippines just go down the candy aisle!)











3. San Mig 3-in-1 Sugar Free Coffee Mix


San Mig 3-in-1 Coffee Mix

Buy San Mig 3-in-1 Coffee Mix

OMG! This coffee is BETTER than Starbucks... better than Wawa coffee! It's Amazing! And it's INSTANT! It's also sugarfree and comes with the sugar, creamer & coffee in one packet. And the coffee flavor is AMAZING! I've never tasted coffee so good in my life! My brother didn't believe me until I let him try some. Then he made me bring him back some. I emailed the place I buy some of my Philippine groceries from (Pilipino Mart) last week and asked if they would ever consider carrying San Mig coffee. They emailed me back saying they were adding it to their new products! So you know I stocked up! (You cannot get this coffee anywhere else online! I've looked!) There's a link above, if you would like to buy some too! I'm thinking when I visit the Philippines again I might ship a box back over to the USA for myself. It's cheaper to buy there and it's sooo good! I've only got 2 more packets left until my order comes! Hehe!











4. Choc-Nut


Buy Choc-Nut at Pilipino Mart!

Choc-Nut candy is sooo good! It's like a peanut butter chocolate powder candy. It melts in your mouth! You can actually buy it online from Pilipino Mart. I ordered 2 packs when I ordered the San Mig Coffee, hehe! Yummy! F.B. got me addicted to Choc-nut. Hehe!









5. Kopiko Coffee Candy

Kopiko Coffee Candy

Buy Kopiko Coffee Candy on Amazon.com

I think the Kopiko coffee candy I get in the Philippines is made in Malaysia. But it's still sooo good! It's a creamy coffee hard candy. My Mom makes me bring her a bag back whenever I visit the Philippines. It's the best coffee candy around!

So those are some of my favorite Philippine Products I wanted to share with everyone!