Surviving September

A few years ago I was introduced to the concept of ghost month. Yes, apparently in our Chinese household this was not a concept we followed so it was quite foreign and well, not something I really believed in.

According to traditional belief, the gate of the “Lower Realm” or hell is open during this period and spirits of the dead are free to wander the earth “for 29 days.”

This makes August “the most inauspicious time of the year” to undertake important activities such as “weddings, engagements, opening new businesses or closing business deals, starting new construction or renovations and other major actions and decisions.” - 

Sourced from BusinessInquirer.net

 But this year was a different story. August was a slow month for me. Not a lot of things happened and well, I was able to relax and take things easy...a prelude to the hell September was going to be. Let me tell you about why this blog has been on stand still...

I personally cringe every time someone I know says "wake me up when September ends" once we hit September. Ok, ok, we get it...you know the song...move on already. But then again you never realize how true those words are until you've lived it. Maaaaan, I thought September was never going to end. Although let me clarify that, I am very thankful because I  had a busy month thanks to the many blessings that came my way. But maaaan, did it tire me out. There were actual days when I felt lost because I didn't know what task to do first. They were all URGENT! WTF right?!? Lucky for me I always had people I could turn to for help and once you put everything down and take it one step at a time things just get done. :D

So what have I been up to this month? Well, work has been awesome. This month has been my best month so far! :D See, not complaining, just saying. Work has been crazy busy, I do some things on the side too and that has been crazy busy as well. But what I personally made sure I did not miss out on was Luke's First Birthday! Yaaaaaaay!!!

See, I'm a stage godmother! That little boy will grow up to be spoiled loved and I'm going to make sure of it! For those of you who don't know, Luke is my brother's son. He is the cutest little boy ever. He knows exactly when to give you the smile making sure you don't have a choice but to do what he wants.

See what I mean...
***photo from Ninong Laya

Because I went crazy and bought him 2 football kits the parents and I agreed, yes I was part of the decision making, we would throw him a sports themed party. Both my brothers grew up as football players, they both sadly lack basketball skills but they know how to kick some balls. hehe...and you may not believe it but I used to be sporty too. "Used to" being the operative phrase. 

Since I've recently discovered the wonderful world of pinterest I thought it would be a great idea to make our own decorations. Yes, I thought it would be a great idea. Halfway through I wanted to bonk myself on the head. It was not so much a great idea as a what was I thinking idea. I need a team next time. hehe...but I think we were able to decorate the place well enough. 

I had my younger brother make the field centerpieces using a green mat that had a grass feel
the bu and I spent the whole night making the centerpieces.
Figuring out how to make those things stand was hard.

since the tables were tiny we only put the candy centerpiece

I printed out those Thank You cards and design panels and sis-in-law put them together

I bought a new printer because I wanted to try out making stuff
found awesome sports themed banners and made this myself. :D

printed out all sorts of sports themed toppers

The party was actually an adults party, Luke only has 3 other cousins his age and 1 wasn't able to come so the guests were all mainly friends and family of the parents. 

Despite the extremely busy and tiring month, I don't have anything to complain about. I am blessed beyond anything I ever imagined and thankful for everything that has come my way. :D

Look who fell asleep during his party.
As tired as Ninang.
 

But before I end this post let me leave you with my favorite photo of Luke. I had them printed out on A3 sized boards and posted them around the room. This is by far the cutest. :D

Lucas is Love. :D

Let's all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the last 2 days of the longest month of the year. Wake me up when September ends.

Gratitude

Since I'm in the office and most of my clients are on break I don't really have much to do. So I decided to make a few lists...

First List: Things/people I am thankful for:

1. My parents. Of course they're on top of my list. We didn't grow up rich, we grew up comfortable and that's more than I could ever ask for. I'm an adult now who has her own bills to pay and responsibilities to take care of but I still cannot say that I am ready to be responsible for another human being let alone a child. My brother and his wife recently had a baby and I can see that although they could not be happier it is indeed very hard. So I am always thankful for the fact that my parents were there when we were growing up. They made it a point to spend time with their children and to build relationships with us. Don't get me wrong, growing up I had those I-wan't-to-pull-my-hair-out moments with them too. But as you grow older, you realize that what your parents have been saying are right and well, you just wish you realized it sooner.

2. Family. Because just as I wrote in the blog before this. Family is love and with my huge family there's always enough love to go around. :)

My Barretto Family at our last Grand Reunion. Cant' wait for the next one.

3. My job. With today's economy everyone is struggling and yet I still manage to pay my bills and do what I want, within reason. I am thankful to have found a place where I am allowed to do be creative, meet new people and work on things I like. Add to that the fact that the people I work with are awesome and being around them is always fun.

Nuffies! :)

4. My friends. I love my friends because even if we don't see each other all the time the friendship is still the same. We pick up from where we left off as if no time has passed. We really are F.R.A.N.C.E (Friends Remain And Never Can End). :))

5. The kids. I love kids. They're adorable, they are super innocent most of the time and you can be a total kid when you're with them. This year we were blessed with Lucas. My oh-so-gwapo godson who is the eldest of my ahia. He's a total cutie and he's so pleasant to take care of until he starts crying for milk because he's a mellow baby. And then there's my goddaughter Fif. A total laughtrip. She's as naughty as her mother. She speaks her mind. Tells you what she wants, when she wants it. It may sound like she's a brat but she's also thoughful and sweet and super malambing. Those traits I think she took after me! :P What makes the babies even more fun? The fact that atchie Sofia loves little Lucas a lot. She keeps insisting to carry him despite the fact that he's about half her size. Isn't that adorable?

***Photo from Coley

6. The bu. Of course I save the best for last because I'm cheesy like that. We've been together a few months short of a decade and I still wake up to the thought that I couldn't have been blessed with someone better. Bring on the cheese. I never like making decisions without first consulting with the bu. It's because he always balances me. He makes me see things from a different perspective. He challenges my decisions when he thinks I'm being stupid or stubborn or most of the time both. He supports me when he knows I want to something but am too scared to try. In the end, he's the perfect yin to my yang. ahahahaha...gross I threw up in my mouth a little Seriously though, I am lucky to have found someone who knows me enough to know what I need be it support, love, understanding or a big bonk on the head. :)

List no. 2 coming up after I have a quick lunch! :))