A Poor Woman's Dream

My definition of success is the ability to buy as much as I can. I feel more valuable if I have more money. People are nicer to you when you buy things from them and or give things away. Thankfully, I am not obsessed with my so called definition of "success"

How I define success probably came from my upbringing. My mother valued earning more than staying home. She wasn't that kind of woman. She spent all life earning every bit of income so she could provide proper education for all of us six children. Maybe, that's what molded how I see success.
As a child, I remember thinking,..
 "I hope my mother would get enough money to buy everything, so she can finally stay home and be with me".
It didn't happen. Till this day, she doesn't stop working so she had something to give to down her grandchildren.

At the airport

                                 

 Recently, she traveled to visit me in U.S to check on me. It was our great chance to bond. I heard backstories that made her cry,.. that also that made me cry. I always saw her as my mom. To hear her backstory, it was like seeing her as a person for the first time

My mother is the strongest woman I've ever met. She faced unfortunate situations since the beginning of her life. I've always wondered what her dreams were when growing up. The answer broke my heart.

My mother was never allowed to dream. She had no idea that there is life beyond poverty. To her, comfort doesn't exist and all there was, only surviving the next day. She had brothers and sisters died  at a very young age of disease and hunger , some of them were, I imagine were infants. School wasn't an option, but at least she made it to third grade. She started working at six years old. Being the oldest girl, she was expected to help and take care of her younger siblings.

Eventually, she fell in love and hoped to start a happy family with the man who promised her the stars. But her marriages didn't work quite as she hoped. Her in-laws oppressed and maltreated her during her first marriage while her husband brought another woman home and cheated right in front of her.

My mother was a young, naive teenager who was forced to climbed over a glass-spiked wall as a chance of escape, carrying all her three kids under the age of four, including a breastfeeding infant.

Out of poverty, her father (my grandfather) suggested that she put her children to orphanage, for they too barely have anything to live on. In spite of circumstances, she managed to send all her kids to college and bought lands as their inheritance that presently helped them start their own business as a means of welfare

My mother made her life's mission to make sure all of us have a comfortable life. She made sure she gave the six us proper education so that we have options in life.

 I've always resented her absence in my life. But now as a mother, I understand she did what she had to do, and life made her who she was and is. I know, if she was given a choice, she could have lived differently, but that wasn't the case with her upbringing.

Life can sometimes be unfair, but my mother found a way around it with hard work and determination that her children would live differently from the life she had.

My mother gave her best to protect her children. She succeeded. It was tough on her when I, her (baby) left to live to another country. There was this fear that she couldn't protect me if anything goes wrong.  She never pushed me to marry in exchange for a comfortable life. In fact, she was against the idea that I leave the country and get married. It wasn't what she taught us. She taught us that success has no shortcuts. It can be achieved in any place. But I fell in love with this man who just happened to be from another country.

There was a calming sense of relief on her part to see I am living a life she never had. Happily married to a kind and wonderful man whom I have three beautiful children with and with In-laws who love and accepted me as their own.

I cannot take all the credit for  the blessings I've been given. Maybe part of that was my mother's reward for winning life's challenges even when odds played unfairly. 

Who would  know, that little vendor girl who sold tomatoes in the slums of Manila would one day see the other side of the world

I guess, not knowing what to dream worked on her best interest. She believed actions spoke louder than ambition. She loved all her children equally with all her heart and strength, and the result of that is a reward beyond dreams she could imagine. She succeeded to win in this game called life. Family is her crown. Her story is my heritage

Happy Mother's day to the queen of my life!

"Moving with In-Laws"

I cannot believe it has been five months since the family talked and thought about merging two families in one big house. Everything went so quick. Although it wasn't considered as an impulse buy. The family was convinced that this is meant to be, for as everything is going so well, though not perfectly.

It hasn't sink in to me yet, being our house is not in the market yet. We still have a good amount of time to wait till we are close into closing our newly purchased home.

I have thought of possibility moving to a new house, but never in my wildest dream that the home will be built from the scratch. I feels so unreal. I feel I don't deserve it because I am just a stay home wife/mom who doesn't earn an income and my husband earns just enough to support a family of five, but the Lord blessed us with an amazing relationship with my in-laws who we can share a future home and live together.

prepping the ground

We went to a process of which I've only seen on TV, where we went to a design room to pick all the elements we want to put in our design. It's a builder home so the choices and designs are limited. Thankfully, we nailed the time record in picking the designs, considering there were four opinions sitting at the table.

Pipes are lining and getting the foundation ready

Although, our decision to live in one house is a little unorthodox, as I have received a lot of wide eyes reactions when I said, we are are living with my in-laws, the house is good enough to cater two families. My in-laws will make an apartment type space, perfect for empty nesters who wants to be as close proximity as possible around their grand children.

Structure up soon!

We are so excited about this. I am very close to my in-laws. They adopted me as their very own daughter since I am a country away from my family.
I miss my family, it hurts. I feel the Lord has heard my heart's desire to re-live my cultural values (family ties)and apply it with my new family.

To us Filipinos, family is everything.

Bathroom Refresh under $200

With a motivation in mind, family from abroad visiting and selling this house, two months later, I finally finished three bathrooms, upstairs hallway, stairs hall redos. It was a crazy journey but I did it! Just a tip, if you have three kids 4 and under, homeschooling and working from home... don't do it. Unless you really have no choice. However, it's doable 

It is a beautiful bathroom, but it needs refreshing. There were popcorn ceilings to be scraped and the right lightness paint color for more of updated look. 

I find it unnecessary for a giant mirror. I found an antique wood mirror and painted it. I added a narrow shelf for more storage and a space saver. 
This bathroom doesn't have an impressive source of light. It is best to paint the solid wood vanity white.

We are on a tight budget. There were a few things in my original plan that wasn't executed. It was frustrating but it challenged me to be creative and be more resourceful, using what I already have in hand, including using wood palettes I hauled for free and made a cute decorative storage.

Tiles are still pretty intact and beautiful. I spray painted old hardware to save a few bucks.

This bathroom is in great shape. It needed some fresh caulking and a good floor scrub.

This is my under $200 budget bathroom redo and yes, that included the decorations.

"Moving-in with In-laws!" Series

We were driving our mini van home from Christmas vacation. My husband and I had a side chat with an idea of us all living with our mother in-law and father in-law. I wasn't against this idea. I get well along with my in-laws. They adopted me in the family like a daughter, so the idea of us in one place doesn't scare me one bit.

It was just a playful idea. One month later, we found ourselves buying/building a new home from the scratch that would cater 2 families combined. The idea was to combine our resources to get our dream house that ends up costing the same as what we were paying right now.

I like our current house, but it is not the house I imagined to function for our lifestyle. We have done a lot to make it more updated and livable. There will be a hint of sadness because I felt I failed to execute everything I wanted for this house. But I guess, there's someone who would love the layout of this house and not change how it was supposed to be built.

prepping to paint the cabinets from oak stain to white.

Now, I am on time crunch to do the best I can to complete renovating our bathrooms in small budget but does not compromise the design. I want the future owners of our current house to fall in love with it the way we did when we first bought it.

With all what's happening and responsibilities of homeschooling, taking care of toddler twins and started a small business, it's going to be a rough few months. But all in all, we are in awe of how much our hard work and patience was blessed.

Sincerely yours,
#CastleLemon

Keeping Traditions

When I'm lonesome for home, I summon every culinary skill I have to make myself feel better.

New Year is not celebrated abundantly in U.S as it is in Philippines. Growing up, I remember, the cooking frenzy starts in the morning in preparation for New Year's eve dinner at midnight. Everybody must be awake (or wake up to eat dinner). 

During my first time in U.S, it came to me as a shock when there wasn't a feast on New Year's day.

The closest reason I can remember why we throw a feast on New year, was the common belief that the whole year will be determined on how we welcome the first day of the year, so we filled our tables with all kinds of food big and small. 

We followed superstitions that believed to help achieve a prosperous life! In the course of my life, I stopped believing these silly superstitions but there are some things I want to keep. 

Suman or sweet sticky riced cooked in banana leaves. Click here for Suman Recipe

I held on to those sweet memories that there was someone who cared enough to prepare a feast for the family to share.

I would always remember our nextdoor neighbor Aling Berta who always shared her fresh cooked "Suman" and handed a plate through our window. They were deprived in abundance of food, yet, she still shared what they had happily.

Halaya is one of my happy memory. I learned from watching my mom. She had stirred that thick sticky "yam"-mmy goodness until her arms fell off (metaphorically speaking). I knew something good was coming after all that hard work.

Halaya or purple yam pudding. Recipe for Halaya

How we celebrate New Year will vary depending on traditions. I personally do not believe prosperity comes from observed superstition. But there are some things I want to keep not because of old belief, but mainly to keep as special memories. 

We always find a reason to celebrate a certain thing in a certain way. The feast on our table is our way of celebrating our gratefulness for what we were given to survive the whole year and for what we look forward to for the coming New year. 

For us, to be with the family is reason enough to celebrate the coming year and we celebrate it around the table.

How do you celebrate yours?

Happy New Year!

-Myric

Stamped Cookies

I live on happy accidents. I'm starting to think I should have named my blog "Happy Accidents", like these cookies. 

The original idea was to use my snowflake cookie stamp for my sugar cookies. It didn't work! So I reached for my next one that says "Home Made". 

It looked plain and un-Christmas-sy to bring to a cookie exchange party! I had an idea to use my ornament shaped cookie cutter. It wasn't the intended plan, but I like how it turned out!

Tip: You can find cookie stamps like this on TJMaxx or Marshalls. Ornament shaped cookie cutter at a thrift store. 

Sincerely Yours,

Castle Lemon

Favorite Things Party 2.0

There's no denying, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. It's when little twinkling light transforms everything into something magical. It puts everybody in spirit of festivity and gift giving.

In keeping tradition alive, I hosted "My Favorite Things" party for the second time. Maybe it's that Filipino in me, that can't say "NO" when friends asked me if am I doing the party again.

Throwing a party is something I am not used to. I stress out about it even though an event is a months away.  I can't help it. It means, I care so much about it.

It gives me a sense of accomplishment when the house is made up. I want to welcome guests with some good old Filipino hospitality.

I want to set the mood with natural warm colors and a pop of minimal reds. Cardboard house lamps as table settings brings more festivity for the coming good food that was about to come on the table.

Fresh, natural greenery from the backyard and cranberries adds a romantic flare. 

Snowflakes for snow effect for those who love "White Christmas". It looks messy on the photo, but I swear it looked magical in person.

A party doesn't have to be elaborate. The fellowship is what matters. It was an intimate gathering with close friends. I want to celebrate these wonderful women who inspires me.

Fun games were played and slaughters were shared. In one game, I had them write their favorite Christmas  song, only to surprise them, that they would lip sync it. It was so much fun and talents, were discovered.

The ladies not only shared great simple gifts, but each gifts symbolizes a part of their hearts. It gave way to knowing each other better. One of the ladies had a great idea, sharing her collection of essential oils, so all of us get to concoct our own personalized mixture! I thought that was pretty awesome!

Situations can change our life schedules and dynamics. I looked forward to this gathering so we could catch up from the things we have missed and keep our close friends closer.

I am not a wealthy person, but I want to give back the blessings that God has blessed me, be it with a simple talent in crafting and good food to bring smile to others.

Here is an idea how to do a "Favorite Things Party", inspired by Magnolia Journal. Have a nice Day!