14 September 2010

Tea Time

Having tea in my hot choco mug...teehee
I love tea. Especially the flavored ones. Sad though that I haven't had much of the brew in ages. I had turned traitor and gulped in more cups--or should I say mugs--of the ever popular coffee. I honestly don't remember how the switch happened. 


All I know is that my husband and I used to swear off coffee. We drank Milo instead or hot cocoa. But people assuming that we were common coffee drinkers kept gifting us with this huge glass jars of coffee. It used to be that our church musicians were the ones who emptied our coffee cannisters. That when we used to live above the worship center. It was a short trek for them from the worship hall to our kitchen to get their caffeine fix.


That's why I gave a squeal of delight when my mother-in-law handed me several tea sachets of the London Fruit & Herb Company. The flavors were delicately named, matching their delicate aroma--Blueberry Bliss, Orange Spicer, Apple & Cinnamon Twist, and Lemon & Lime Zest. 


The Blueberry Bliss was true to its name. Its flavor was so delicate I thought I could dab some on my wrist like perfume. The Orange Spicer was really perky and the Lemon and Lime Zest was a delicate version of the commercial instant iced tea. But my fave was the Apple & Cinammon thingy. It strangely brought back childhood memories and spooning imported oatmeal with somehow the same flavor.


Anyways, sipping those tea was so heavenly. I realized how much I missed tea. I hope my momma-in-law has more of them. Hmmm...maybe I'll ask her when we go visit.


Ok so maybe a strong cup of java gives the kick necessary to start one's day. But I will tell you, a warm cup of tea is a grand way to wind down a really stressful day.


*sigh* And the take away of this tea post is that people should respect tea as much as they respect a good cup o' coffee. Tea has cancer-fighting anti-oxidants, helps lower cholesterol levels, and helps stimulate the immune system. So there! Cheers to tea!


Keep moving forward, guys and gals!

Mom's 70th

Mommy turned 70 last August 31. 


My Mom and her birthday cake =)


70. Imagine that. We haven't been able to visit for a very long time. The last time I remember that she was over at our house was last Christmas when she agreed to look after my kids while my hubby and I jumped on our motorcycle and sped to Baguio for a Christmas roadtrip.


So when my sister texted me to say that she was throwing a party for Mom and that it would be great for us to be there, well, we had to go. My husband agreed that we all should make that long trip up north. Yup, my Mom and I live at opposite ends of the region. Haha!


The trip was kinda weird but fun. Well, for one thing, we really didn't know how to get there exactly. I had to ask my Mom to text directions to us while we were on the road. And we could start the trip only after 9pm that day. Schedules! But the kids were excited. My hubby and I were concerned but were excited too. So off we went.


We realized my Mom lived far far away. Really. We arrived at her house at about midnight. Uh huh. But were welcomed with open arms and smiles. My sister Neal and her hubby Albert stayed up until 3am just to mingle with us and do some catching up. They were already tired from the celebration after the Bible study earlier in the evening and they had to be at work at 8am the following day. I was really touched they put up with our ungodly hour visit. It was really great to see them again and their lovely daughter, Macie. So tall and only 10 years old!


Family Pic--with me and my crazy face
Food was great. The calderetang itik was a winner! Mom's cake was so nice. The family photo ops was noisy and crazy. Ok ok, I was the only one who looked crazy...haha! My kids "partied all night" so to speak, rummaging through their cousins' toys and playing. Playing! From the time they finished their late dinner till about 4am. And I think Ivin, my sister May's son had fun as well. He's an only child and it's the first time he's been around kids close to his age. He probably thought he dreamed up my kids once we left. It was such a short visit.


We finally had to leave at 5am. Everyone at Mom's place needed to sleep. And though I didn't have to travel to work, I still had to get to my PC at home and log in at 8am. I know, I know, a laptop would have solved the "problem."


*sigh* I hope we could visit them more often. Medyo bitin. And I love roadtrips anyway. Neal texted when we got home at around 8:30am. She said something like, "Next time ulit...Christmas." Now that's something to plan for as early as now. =)