Dhemz's Giveaways from Vegas

A good friend (Dhemz) of many including me is giving away stuffs from Las Vegas where they just recently had their two weeks vacation. Those giveaways can be found in her blogs, and if you are interested to get those great goodies, head on to her blog or click the badge below.

And by the way, you need to hurry because the deadline of submitting your post link is on July 10, 2010,11:59PM PST....Good Luck to us!

Mommy Moments: Father's Day 2010

Father's Day celebration at home this year was very unusual than before. We were in the process of moving in to our new house and so that day, the movers decided to move our stuffs on Sunday instead of Saturday night. We were very busy that we didn't get the chance to go to church or go out for a nice lunch/dinner. Jake and I just handed hubby HF cards. Hubby woke up early (7am) and headed to our apartment to help the movers. He didn't get home till lunch time; he just stopped by at KFC and ordered us 6 plated meal (3 pieces fried chicken), and t'was it. After lunch, he begun helping movers unload the truck. Indeed it was a very tiring Father's Day for my sweet husband. He was dead tired that he fell asleep right away as soon as his body hit the bed. Anyway, here are some photos I took on father's day (2010).

Hubby wished for this work bench on FD, haven't buy it yet...good thing because the price is still going down :-). Hope to get it next week.

The lunch we had on Father's Day, sorry I forgot to take pictures of it, and so I took the liberty of borrowing the photo from KFC website, but really this is exactly what we ordered, lol!

Photos of cards and Jakes art will be posted later since it was downloaded on hubby's desktop in our bedroom; he is sleeping right now and don't want to to bother him. He needs to go to work tonight again.

Thanks for Chris for hosting this wonderful meme where I can brag about my wonderful husband and son :-); head on the her blog by clicking the badge above.

To hubby, Happy Father's Day, Honey! Thanks for all the hard work you did on your special day! We love you so much!

Ken Block and DC Shoes Collaboration

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PacSun. All opinions are 100% mine.

Some people are simply brave to face anything they encounter; some are fearless just like Ken Block who is very skilled when it comes to car control. His rally career began in 2005 and quickly nabbed Rookie of the Year in the Rally America Championship because of his skill. Block has continued to race in the series, and has completed many action events boasting podiums appearances and countless medals. Aside from car performance, he also became the driving force in shedding light on the sport within the United States, thus becoming a co-founded of DC Shoes, a worldwide leader in performance skateboarding shoes and a renowned action sports brand. He is now a newly appointed chief brand officer of DC shoes. His keen branding and marketing acumen not only elevated DC to their current eminent status, but has allowed Block to achieve global fame as a national rally driver through his wildly successful viral video campaigns.

Ken Block is a living testimony that for an athletes such as skateboarders, snowboarders, motocross riders, and rally racers and more to succeed, you need special sports gear like shoes. To learn more about Ken Block Gear, check his new line at PacSun.com. As I visit their website, I found more items such as swim wear, vests and jackets, jeans, sunglasses and more.

Busy as a Bee!

Oh, after long week of moving in to our new house, we are finally home. Though there are plenty of boxes that haven't opened and unpacked yet, I say that our work is nearly done, but painting the inside of the house. Painting will take much of my time and so, I will still be not very visible online except for occasional posting of sponsored post and intermediate posts in between. Hoping that you, guys will understand me. Hubby is back to work after 10 days off while my poor son is stuck in the house entertaining himself. I feel so guilty and so starting tomorrow, I better take him out somewhere where he can have fun. We might go swim at the pool or just go to a park.

Mommy Moments: Moments with Daddy

Father's day is just around the corner, in conjunction with it, here is another entry for Mommy Moments about the Fathers. Here is my share for this week. I am so lucky to have a husband who spends time with my son no matter how busy he is. He always makes sure that we don't stay at home doing nothing, so every time he is off from work, he never fails to take us out. We all go anywhere we want and do something we all enjoy and have fun with.

Some of these are taken back when Jake was still little....
they love hanging out together; my son indeed is a Daddy's Little Boy...
with Daddy trying his first cotton candy...
before going to church....
during one of our visits in a state park....
and last but not the least...taking his son to school after a long night at work.

Saturday 9: Goodbye to You!

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

1. Have you had to say goodbye to a good friend or lover because they were moving?
~~ Yes, who didn't?
2. Have you ever wanted to use personal information about someone to sort of "blackmail" them? If yes, tell us about it.
~~ No!
3. What two things influenced the choice of your present job or to stay at home?
~~ Love for my family.
4. Do you like warm weather? How warm does it get where you live? What is the best way to spend a hot, summer day?
~~ Yes, as long as it is tolerable. Up to 3 digits (you know TX?). To the beach...
5. What do you find "hot" in a man/woman? What is the first thing you notice about someone who is hot? Do you ever think of yourself as hot?
~~ I don't, but hubby does:-). I find someone hot when he has good sense of humor.a
6. Are you quick to anger? How do you react when you are angry or frustrated? What do you do to cool down?
~~ Sometimes, when I am angry, I keep my mouth shut for as long as I could. I don't want to say something I'll regret after.
7. In your family, who is the least like the rest of you?
~~ My youngest brother.
8. What are a few great books that you've taken along to the beach or on vacation in years past? If you aren't a big reader, what do you do to while away the lazy hours?
~~ I used to read a lot, but not anymore...I try not to be lazy during those times.
9. Do you like going outside during a thunderstorm and watching the lightening?
~~ Nope! I don't want to die yet :-).

Experience the Avalon Waterways New All-Inspired Panorama Suite Ship!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Avalon Waterways. All opinions are 100% mine.

If there is one thing I would like to do right now is to go for a summer getaway. A cruise maybe somewhere in Europe with my husband and son. It maybe a very expensive summer but I think it would be worth it. Anyway, if you are planning for a European cruise, why don't you check
www.avalonwaterways.com ? In here you can watch the 3D ship tour where you can expect about Avalon Panorama Waterways River Cruise interact with the Open-Air BalconySM, view their photo gallery, and see fleet-wide amenities offered by Avalon itself. Avalon Waterways has more than 80 years of experience designing the very best cruise experience; and they are the expert when it comes to great plan and guided tours all over the world. Their customers are the very reason why river cruising and made even better. If someday soon my dream is materialize, I will never think twice, I will use Avalon Waterways because of their superb amenities that includes: Panoramic windows throughout every ship, spacious designs provide you with your own personal space, headsets for shore excursions, maintain your fitness routine in the fitness center, chef-inspired regional recipes using local ingredients, included shore excursions with an expert Local Guide, and more. Their open – air balcony is great for quiet moment as well as a party for few person. Did I get your attention yet? If so, then it is time for you to Request a free cruise brochure for more info about Avalon Waterways as well as the special deal they offer like the River Cruise Deals. Wait no more, book your summer vacation now!

Mommy Moments: Dear Daddy

Today theme for meme is one of my fave because it's for fathers. I am always excited to post something that talks about fathers and here is my entry.



Happy Father's Day, Honey! We Love You...Cecile and Jake :-)

Jake loves to hang out with his Daddy and play. And here is a picture of the art he made for Daddy when he was still learning to draw.

Taken one Sunday afternoon last month at Lake Ray Hubbard lake, one of our fave lake in TX.

Father's Day is just around the corner, and since my father is millions of mile away from me, I won't be able to celebrate it with him, that is why I will just send him a card with short and simple message that goes like this:

Dear Ama,

Though I never say I love you in person often, I want you to know that I do love you. To me, you are the "best" father a daughter could ever have. We maybe apart but you are always in my thoughts and on my prayers. Take care; we couldn't wait to see you next year.
Happy Father's Day!

Love,
Cecile, Jake And Matt

Pixel Bug: Relaxing By The Lake...

As I always say, we love outdoors. If you don't find us home...you'll find us relaxing by the lake, camping, shopping, at the park picnicking, visiting my in-laws, and nature tripping. We get bored easily when home especially if you live in an apartment. Blogging and Facebooking or watching my fave tv shows are not enough to ease our boredom. So here is one thing we like to do as family when hubby is off from work.

Playing on the playground...Jake and the beautiful Lake Ray Hubbard...

Jake smiling at me...under the tree playing by himself...
...with Daddy watching people boating.
Resting after playing and walking together...
and yours truly....as usual taking picture of myself :-).
We love nature and outdoor indeed! Anyway, there were plenty of people that day...there were Indian people partying and riding boat, and people para-sailing.

And this is my entry for this week's Pixel Bug. Join us by clicking the link.

MM: Unforgettable Summer

The most unforgettable summer we had so far was back in Virginia before we moved back to Texas. Here are the pictures when we went to Virginia Beach for three days and two days in Outer Bank North Carolina. We had so much fun because that was an advanced birthday celebration for me :-). It was memorable, too because we get to see my BIL and his family before we left VA, as well as attend Jake's last activity at school....now we are back to TX where there is no beach nearby.

At Virginia Beach, VA
At Ocracoke Island, NC
Jake last day of school in VA...we attended family activity day.
On board a ferry boat on the way home to Ashland, VA
In front of the Lighthouse

My Son

This is great, take a moment to read it; it will make your day! The story indeed is very touching; it made me think of how much Heavenly Father loves us! What do you think we can do to show our love for HIM. If we love Him, are we willing to sacrifice our most priceless possession even our own life?

Take my Son.....

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art..

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas....

There was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands..

He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life.' He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly... He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.

Opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.'

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?'

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.'

But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?

Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the the Rembrandt.'

Get on with the Real bids!

But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting...' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

We have $10, who will bid $20?

Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.

They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel.. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!

A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'

'What about the paintings?'

'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will... I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.

The man who took the son gets everything!

He gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The son, the son, who'll take the son?'

Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH IN HIM WILL NOT PERISH , BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE...THAT'S LOVE!