Parrot on a PorchA Journey Toward the Little Mansion Dream

What I love most about weekends is the quality bonding time that my boys (the husband and my 2 year old toddler) and I share during our TV watching nights. That is why I’ve been saying that Cable Television is the wisest invention ever. Not until a friend from NJ corrected me and said that DIRECT TV is way better compared to Cable TV not only in terms of the price but more on the overall service and satisfaction that they provide.

Truly, after browsing the DIRECT TV Packages on their website, I felt like calling up our Cable TV operator right away to request cancellation of service. I’m instantly enticed to try out even just the lowermost DIRECTV Packages because albeit the cheapest and most basic, their package is brimming with High Definition channels for just a cheap and fairly reasonable price. Simply put, one gets more for less. What’s even more alluring is that they offer irresistible online deals all year long such as their ongoing promotion of 50% off for one year plus free shipping. Not only is my wallet will be satisfied but more importantly this makes TV viewing a more pleasant and enjoyable experience for my family.

The patio, yard, porch and the garden must be equally clean, organized and decorated just like the indoors. Actually, all the more that we should keep the outside area of the house presentable because the outside is what gives the house an overall impression and a glimpse of how lovely and homey it is inside (or it can be the other way around). The outdoor patio furniture add spice to the landscape of the garden. Not only we should choose stylish and striking ones but also we see to it that they can be easily cleaned and maintained.

Among the outdoor furniture I have browsed over the web, the woodard furniture featured at Outdora seems to be the most complete, the most elegant and the most inviting garden décor pieces I’ve browsed so far. We’re visiting our Little Mansion this coming Sunday and as it’s nearing its completion, we’ll likely have an idea how the outdoor landscaping will be like. That is why I have bookmarked the outdoor furniture’s pictures that we’ll have as options. And guess what, my browser’s bookmark tab is already brimming with outdoor furniture designs and inspirations. I’m pretty sure that we’ll have a grand, tough time contemplating which to choose and order.

Woodard Cromwell Bench

I’m also currently researching reads about the material types that are elegant but just easy to clean. Like for example, for the patio dining furniture, I’m comparing the steel and iron ones versus the aluminum versus the teak or other type of wooden furniture. I have learned that teak needs little or no maintenance but quite more expensive compared to the steel ones. However, steel and iron furniture’s coating paint, when it chips, oxidizing starts that will lead to rust and degradation. I have much more to know about these outdoor furniture. But for the mean time, let me share the outdoor furniture that caught my fancy.

For my little toddler who is celebrating his birthday tomorrow and is so fond of animals, we’ll be trooping to our local Oceanarium this coming weekend as a birthday treat. We won’t be having a grand party on his second year but instead just an intimate and simple get together with close families over snacks tomorrow. I am sure that he will enjoy viewing the fishes and I bet will ask for more. If only, Zoobic Safari and other zoos are nearby, we would allot a one whole day of field trip in those places to satisfy the little one’s great fancy.

My little one loves butterflies so a visit to a butterfly haven or an insect zoo like the O. Orkin Insect Zoo would be perfect. The said zoo is a special exhibit hall on the 2nd Floor of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. where visitors can observe and even take pictures of live insects and their many-legged relatives. A zoo that is sponsored by Orkin, a pest control company, this features different entomology-related habitats such as a freshwater pond, house, mangrove swamp, desert, and rain forest and how particular insects adapt and thrive in the said environment. This is an ideal educational destination where students can learn more and even interact with different animals through feeding demonstrations and other hands-on & immersive experiences with the volunteers’ aid. By the way, what’s nice about this zoo is admission is free.

Have you noticed how owning a vehicle now has become a necessity? One interesting and odd reports during the hype of the world financial crisis and oil price hike was that car sales have remained the same meaning people may have scrimped on some other things and luxuries but they deemed that having a vehicle is seemingly a must for a working man or even more for a family man. However, consumers now have become choosy as to which car make and machine type that is cost effective to maintain. It’s undeniable that the frequent and unstable oil price hike can really hole a wallet big time. Thus, car makers are continuously on research and hyped to build a budget and environment friendly vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf.

LEAF stands for Leading, Environmentally Friendly, Affordable, Family car. It’s electrically powered, has a range of 160 kilometres (100 miles) and a 24-kilowatt-hour battery pack. This is really brilliant because not only it’s cheaper but also healthier for the environment as there is no need for expensive crude oils and gas to run it. While it may be quite a new technology and there may be some disadvantages or it may not give the full satisfaction a gas powered vehicle gives, this type of car is actually promising. I’ve heard that the LEAF will be on the road in some US states in 2010 while mass production will begin in 2012.

Here comes another beach related blog post.

But first, my apologies if you’re from the other side of the world, still experiencing snow and badly enticed. I don’t mean to get you guys envious but conditioning my mind for summer as early as now is brought about by the extreme heat we’re also unusually experiencing here in the Philippines.

In a tropical country such as ours, I have come to realize that beaches aren’t widely demanded every summer period but actually for some, it’s all year round. The reason is that beaches are favorites and also popularly booked for destination weddings. Just like in the divine beach coast of Riviera Maya in Mexico, the five signature hotels of the Karisma Group have been a wedding destination favorite. Apart from the romantic setup and heavenly vacation, their gourmet inclusive concept perfects the ultimate wedding experience.

Whoever thought of and designed this Itsa beach towel is a genius!

It may be a little too early to plan for summer outings but the extraordinary hot temperature in our country as early as January will probably make people to start planning out their summer getaways the soonest. In fact, my sisters and I just booked a resort for our family outing on April. I’ve just also blogged recently about the new rash guard set I bought for my son the other day. Talk about being excited. I really am. And I got even more ecstatic when I saw this brilliant beach bag that can be turned into a beach towel or a sun lounger cover.

This is absolutely cool and just perfect for our beach getaway. I like how it comes handy, functional and stylish. With such, I have some place to put on my sun protection lotion, a book, my sunglass, my iPod and even a few of my toddler’s small beach trinkets and toys. Then, on the beach, I have an instant towel or mat to use. It comes at a reasonable price (as low as $14.95) in different vibrant and beach colors and made from a high quality material.

It’s a great beach companion, indeed. Simply, itsa-mazing. I guess I have to contact my friend in the US right away to place an order for me just in time for our April swimming.

This exhibit is very apt for those who are currently building, planning or even just dreaming about their homes’ interiors.

Venue:
SM X Convention Center
Pasay City, Philippines

Show Dates:
March 03-07, 2010
(Wednesday to Sunday)

* Exclusive to Trade Visitors: March 4 – 5 (Thursday and Friday)
* Open to Trade Buyers and the Public: March 6 – 7 (Saturday and Sunday)

If you are on the lookout of any of the following, then pre-register now to avail free entrance:
* Furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, garden and office
* Occasional furniture, tables and chairs
* Reproduction and period furniture
* Upholstered furniture
* Avant-garde furniture
* Other items of furniture

Home Furnishings and Accessories
* Lamps and lighting fixtures
* Decorative accessories
* Gazebos and trellises
* Artificial plants, planters, jars and pots
* Antique reproductions

More information about this exhibit are available at Manila Now’s site.

Guess who’s all set now for summer. Well, it’s never too early anyway here in our country especially that afternoons lately can be extremely hot and humid. I bet my little tot will be excited to wear the Rash Guard Set swimwear I bought him yesterday afternoon at SM Makati. I didn’t have actually plans of buying until I passed by the swimwear racks and saw varied designs for all toddler sizes. Best of all, it’s reasonably priced at just less than Php 400. I figured, they’ve just newly displayed these swimwear thus, the rack is still overflowing. Come March, I bet Moms will start to scour as they prepare for their summer swimming getaways.

I’ve posted about my good buy at FB and a friend asked what a rash guard is. It is actually a type of athletic shirt made of spandex and nylon or polyester. It is used as a protective clothing or for light coverage in warm to extreme summer temperatures for swimming and for several watersports like surfing and scuba diving. The one I bought is very similar to this one from Old Navy.

The facade is what the guest notices first in a house. The outdoors also gives the impression of how and what it’s like indoors. So it’s just right that a house owner also should make it a point that the exteriors are decorated well and designed invitingly. One way of infusing that goal is to make use of elegant Address Plaques strategically located in the garden, by the front door or in the front lawn.

There are several types and designs of Address Plaques. A lot of suppliers abound online but I’ll discuss the ones that I saw from Outdora as this particular online shop has among the widest collection of address plaques. The Wall Mounted Plaque is the most common type and is placed usually by the front door. Made only from rust‑free recycled aluminum and weather‑resistant paints, these can be further customized into a carved stone or artisan metal looks with traditional designs or playful themes as designs to choose from. Inscription options include the house number, the street, your name, or a combination of any of these.

There are also called address lawn plaques which usually have stakes so it can be driven into the ground. A strategically placed address lawn plaque makes it easier for your house to be spotted by guests, service and emergency attendants for food and special services delivery (repairman, telephone and cable installers), fire truck, etc. Some are specially designed as illuminated plaques and reflective plaques for added visibility. Some lawn plaques can also be wall mounted.

A commemorative plaque, on the other hand, has the same material as the address plaques but are used differently. An inscription of a special event or happening can be made into a plaque for memory preservation. Like let’s say for wedding and cardinal anniversaries, memorial and a “welcome family” inscription for the house.

Surely, there are a lot of options for address plaques requirements. Browsing at Outdora is the easiest way to choose the one that fits our requirements best.

How would you want to have this space-saving and functional ironing board in your pad?

It functions as a mirror when the board’s upright then as an ironing board (fondly coined as “kabayo” locally) with a lamp on the side when the board is opened.

Designed by Nils Wodzak, this Mirror Ironing Board Closet is manufactured by Konzept Design from Germany. The price ranges from €200 to €300 (about Php 12500-19000).