Autumn Favourite Things

I can't deny it. I'm pretty biased when it comes to seasons. I love the cooler months leading to winter. I enjoy wearing warm clothing and parading my boots around. I am an autumn/winter kind of girl.

With the coming of Fall Season, I cannot help but smile and remember all my favourite things about the season. I may live in the middle of a very hot continent but my family and I always make it a point to visit the US every Fall, almost towards Thanksgiving and spend the holidays there when our vacation permits.

So, to honour the onset of Fall, here is a little illustration of my favourite things about Fall. And they are all about warm colours, nice warmer clothing, and lots of pumpkins!

(artwork by ©Ria Cervantes/riablahgs.com)

Blog Leave For A Few Days

Hi everyone!

I will be on blog leave from Feb. 11 until 22 due to my daughter's debut! Yey!

I will be busy with family stuff so I won't be posting much but I promise to keep up with the latest in deals and promos, health and wellness, business stuff and other topics you wish to talk about here.

For now, I'll just focus on my daughter's birthday party and the blogging activities will have to take a back seat momentarily.

I'll chat with you all on Feb. 23!

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Back To The Grind Again

And I'm baaaccckkk! Yup. Vacations are always short when you really, really need them. I'm glad I had this weeklong leave to spend with my daughter to bond while she is vacationing here in Dubai for her long summer transition break. It refreshed my spirit and soul. I always need vacations. I think everybody does no matter where you go or just intend to stay home. A vacation is a vacation.

I am back to the grind. It's back to facing the realities of my life, pending product reviews to complete, blog articles to post, dreams to catch, health issues to deal with, bills to pay, house to clean, clothes to wash and press and work to face come Sunday.

Ah, why are vacations such short lived? Anyway, I still had fun. It's the first time I've seen my daughter enjoying the trip so much that she was very proactive. I can't blame her. She was very young when we visited Europe and this time around, she's more mature and very eager to soak in the European culture, art, history and food.  I have to admit that I equally enjoyed her company now because she's older and wiser. There'll be more mom-daughter trip in the offing.

Well, so much for vacations. Hello reality!

More Products To Review and Promos and Deals

The year 2015 came with so much positive vibes and energy in all aspects of my life (well, in my career, that remains to be seen as the first email I read when I came back from leave is a "rejection" mail from a position I have applied for last Nov. 2014). My blogging activities is in full throttle already when it comes to reviewing products and services and I don't see myself slowing down in this category anytime soon. I'm just having so much fun (and also putting in so much time and effort!) doing all these blogging stuff.

I have more products to review which are all lined up until end of February. I am even thinking of a mini-giveaway with 2 simple prizes just to give thanks for a wonderful start of the year which I hope will sustain until the years to come.

Please do subscribe and read more of my reviews, articles, coupons/deals/discounts and promos to post in this blog. You'll learn a lot and also, you'll benefit from the discount codes I will be sharing here too every now and then from companies who are generous enough to share their coupon codes to my readers so YOU, yes that is right, YOU can also save money and enjoy their products.

Tuh-tah for now and keep reading my posts for more interesting facts, news, reviews, discount codes and offers.

Merry Christmas To Everyone!

From our home to yours, may this season fill your heart with love, joy and peace. Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy this special day with the people you love.

Slowing Down in Blogging Activities Until The New Year

I'm going on leave soon and I won't be posting as much as I used to because it's Christmas and it's our family time. We don't spend Christmas every year back home so this time, I'll try to refrain from posting and doing threads until I come back here early January 2015.

So, to everyone, enjoy the holidays whether you are here, going somewhere, flying back home or even reporting to work. Make this season special, how? You tell me. :)

Merry Christmas everyone! Make the most of the holiday season. Spread Joy, Love and Peace!

Christmas Gifts From My Husband

My husband knows very well, how much I love bags. Forget jewelries! Bags? Oh yes!

We went to the Coach boutique few days ago and I was really eyeing 2 bags that I like amongst the ones on display.  Both of them are great for my office attire and one is even ok to use along with casual getup. And I took one from the two thinking my budget was just enough for one and I was going to gift that to myself for Christmas.

So, hubby pretended to ask if the other one I was eyeing, a tan satchel Coach bag, was also nice. So I said yes and he took 3 other bags as well. I was thinking they would be gifts for some family members so I took the first bag I really like, another dark chocolate leather satchel. We both went at the till and next thing I know, he was paying for the bag I was going to buy for myself. And here's the good part, he whispered, "That's my Christmas gift to you." One bag solved! Yes!

This is the dark chocolate brown leather satchel I chose for my Christmas gift to myself which hubby paid for.

Then few days have passed and I keep looking at that other tan satchel bag in his closet. I told him, if I could just buy it from him since I really, really love it. He kept saying "no, you have too many bags now." So I'd shrug my shoulders and move on. Then yesterday, he caught me examining the bag and I teased him again if I could buy it. He asked, "Do you really like it that much?" Of course I said yes. And then he said, "Ok, that's another Christmas gift for you." Double whammy! Yes! Yes!

And this is the other tan satchel bag I like which hubby bought and later on, gave to me as Part 2 Coach bag gift. Wow! 2 Coach bags in a span of few days! I have to be good now because next year, I'll ask for a Louis Vuitton. Hahaha!!!

You see, if you're a nice person, you'll be in Santa's "good" list. *Smiles and winks!*

Thanks Honey! And I do hope you'll like my gift too. I ordered it from the US. *Winks!*

Merry Christmas!

Cool Breeze Ahead

The weather is starting to become bearable now that autumn is officially on. It's a good thing to be able to stand outside and not get drenched in your own sweat even for just a minute. The breeze is inviting. It's cool and such a respite from the long, withering, summer months of the Middle East.

I am looking forward to a nice fall season this time and hopefully, winter will be ok (not that it snows here). I just miss the cold season and my winter outfits!

Welcome autumn. I will welcome winter very soon too!

The Fall Equinox 2014

Photo not mine

Fall is one of the best season I like amongst the four, spring being the first. I love this season so much because the temperature is still bearable, the foliage is a sight to behold and the falling of crisp leaves to signal the onset of the colder months are just few of the reasons I hold autumn close to my heart.

And today, 22 September at 10:29 p.m. EDT, signals the start of the Fall Equinox according to the Almanac.com. Fall equinox is the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Equinox means "equal nights" and that translates to 12 hours of day and night. In reality though, it is not exactly half and half. You will know more about Equinox from the skyandtelescope.com.

For me, whether it's equal hours of night and day any given day in fall has, I still love it. I just can't get enough of autumn's beautiful warm-colored foliage which is a contrary to the atmospheric temperature that it brings.

It's time to take those winter clothes out, close the window shutters, save logs for the fireplace and prepare those yummy recipes that are very nice to cook during this festive season.

Happy Fall!

Halloween is Fast Approaching!

Why am I excited when Dubai does not even recognize this occasion? Well, it is because my BuyCostumes affiliate will be offering plenty of fun discounts and deals in the coming days.

BuyCostumes will be posting costumes per week that are awesome, unique and so cute that you just have to have them!

So, don't miss out my blog's future posts. You might as well subscribe to my feed so you don't miss a thing, especially the giveaways and deals.

Changing Furniture Soon

After several months (I think years!) of bugging my husband relentlessly, he has finally agreed to change our furniture, especially the one in the living room. I never liked the one he bought few years ago but since he paid for it, I kept mum about it. Now that he is willing to replace the one we have now, I am very happy to show him around Ikea and what I liked there and fitting to be in our home.

Aside from the living room set, I hope to change our dining table too complete with new chairs and some accessories to go with it like a new burlap faux - burlap-tablecloth.com tablecloth and candelabra.

We're fixing the whole place again so when our daughter comes for a visit during her college break, she'll find the new arrangement, new furniture and new decorations very inviting. I also hope she'll like all of them.

Dealing with Hypertension

It's been several years since I was diagnosed with hypertension. I was not even 40 then. Lifestyle and bad eating habits and not to mention genetics have all played a big role in this condition that I rue to have today. Mostly, it's also because I haven't exercised when I used to, not eating very well and more importantly, I just didn't give much attention to my health when I should.

I have been on sick leave for 2 days now. I have mostly utilized my sick leaves for the current year and we just entered September. I don't know what repercussions this will bring to my career but I have to listen to what my body is telling me - I need a rest. I need a break. I need a vacation from the craziness of work, problems and blogging.

Hypertension is also a tricky condition. One moment you're all normal and then it shoots up like a rocket ship. Since Saturday, I was feeling dizzy and nauseated. My blood pressure gauge is broken so I couldn't take a proper reading for my pressure but I suspected that it was my BP that was causing my on and off migraine for the past few weeks. So I decided to go to the doctor yesterday, once and for all and have scheduled a blood chem (the whole nine yards!) to see what was wrong again. My suspicion was laid to rest when the reading came out for my BP. It was very high. The diastolic is more than the normal. A normal reading for adults is around 120/80. Mine was way over that and scary for a small built like myself.

The doctor scheduled me for a blood chem this morning so I am off again. I don't feel dizzy as I was the past few days but I am certainly very hungry due to the fasting. NO water, NO solid food until my blood is drawn and then back to the doctor again tonight for the reading. I pray and hope I didn't have other issues to deal with my health. I'm scared. My family has a history of maladies that contributed to poor health. But the doctor said, there's one thing I can do - lose weight. This time, I'm listening. I'm listening really, really good.

Closing My Beauty Blog

I am closing my beauty and fashion blog for an indefinite time until I figure out what I want to do with my blogging activities. It's so sad that from PR 2, it went down to 1 then to 0 and I somehow lost my blogging mojo because of that. Aside from losing it's page rank, I have also lost most of my sponsors and advertisers which help in paying my hosting plan and domain registration.

I love to blog but somehow my effort is no longer met with an incentive which is to also earn on the side. I have thought about this many times over but I have to shift my priorities to something that will benefit me and my family - my health. Yes, my focus will be my health now. I will still be blogging but not as often as I used to. I will still commit my 100% in product reviews, sharing my insights on current events, write stuff that I am passionate about and host giveaways when the need arise. However, for now, my main focus is my health and I have to get back on track on keeping fit and healthy.

I have been falling ill very often lately and it's not a joke anymore. It's time I put my blogging on the side while I put my priorities set for my health.

So, it's goodbye for now for my Red Lips and Pinky Toes blog. I'm not if I will reactivate it again but most likely, I won't. So, whoever wants to buy my domain, please message me. I don't know how to sell or transfer domains but maybe you do. Do let me know. Otherwise, it's going, going, gone.

Too Exhausted!

I only slept for 5 hours today and that's very unusual because I love to sleep longer on weekends but because I had too many things to clean at home, attend to the pending posts I have to complete, review some products and quickly go to Ikea to buy some cabinets and knick-knacks.

My head feels like it's going to explode because it's throbbing so bad. I had to complete cleaning and go back to blog hopping. I hope next week will be a more quiet weekend for me where I'll just relax and recover from my sleep deprivation and exhaustion.

Here I go again, pushing myself to the limit of what my body can do. Anyway, I'll just consider all these activities as exercise. At least I burned some serious calories there!

Means Of Recovery For Addiction

Not all addictions are the same. Other addictions stem from wrong choices to inadvertent exposure to addictive elements such as alcohol, substance, medications and even odd behaviours to being with the wrong set of people. However, in the eyes of those people who see their loved ones suffer from its ugly effects, addiction is a serious matter.

I have known addiction in a personal level. I always have the ill memories that come with addiction and when it is up close and personal, you do not just turn your cheek, you handle it head on and you battle it. Such is the story of someone near and dear in the family who fell from the wagon - my brother.

The tell-tale signs of the initial stages of addiction were baffling but most noted was the change of behaviour and next the character. My brother was a cheery and bright bloke who enjoyed the company of his family and peers. Suddenly, he became dark and brooding and manners were thrown out the door! The family was confused at first until the other signs of addiction came out. He was not sleeping at normal times. When the whole family was awake and going about with their daily routines, my brother was asleep and couldn't be bothered. Then the eating pattern became erratic. There would be days that his appetite was tantamount to a whale and there would be consecutive days with very little food to none. And then things started to get lost around the house. Things that could be sold were sold. Our family decided it was time to intervene and confront the matter. We never waited long enough to really saw the changes to our beleaguered family member. It had to stop. So, we took my brother to the rehabilitation and detox center to stop the onslaught of addiction. And this was fought hard by my brother. We had to nip it in the bud.

Many years later, I could recall the day I visited my brother in the treatment facility. He became matured and wiser for his age. It pained me to see him undergo treatment away from his family but it was for his own good. This is one experience we will all remember, not fondly but it all taught us a lesson.

Every addict deserves a second chance. And this is where family solidarity, loving support and professional help come into picture. Help such as counseling, treatment at rehabilitation and detox center to  facilitate the first step to recovery and withdrawal from any form of substance or alcohol abuse and other types of addiction.

I am very glad that we interfered and took matters to our hands than seeing my brother suffer from what would have been an irreparable damage to his whole being and could even be fatal. We saw not an addict but a person deserving another lease in life with a clean bill of health and a more positive approach to living with a purpose. It was not an easy road to recovery. There were plenty of fighting and emotional rollercoaster ride we all had to endure before we reached the end result of what a treatment can do to a "once an addict."

There is hope so don't lose one if you have similar situation or you know someone who needs help direly. Let the resistance ensue but don't give up. Addiction can  be heartbreaking but with the treatment and the full love and support a family can give will be one of the steps to a full recovery.

Product Reviews and More Giveaways!

My paid opps have dwindled but the demand for product reviews and giveaways increased significantly since May. I am very thankful that the free products keep coming and the opportunity to host a giveaway never runs dry.  I wish the paid opps come back in throves too because I miss them badly.

I am happy that this blog is always teeming with reviews and giveaways and other articles I have to post here and there. There are more to come and I am just fixing my schedule to accommodate all the reviews and giveaways I have to do and host for them.

Thanks for trusting me dear sponsors! :)

More Product Reviews To Come

The assignments are trickling but I have plenty of products to review and post in the coming days. I have mini-giveaways to host as well so watch out for them!

I am glad that even if I don't get much tasks, I still get a lot of products to try and test and keep as well. I consider this a good blogging perk because some of these items are really not mass produced and can only be bought in limited quantities. Aside from that, they are high-quality products produced by emerging companies in their respective industries.

So, more reviews to come and hopefully, the other tasks will start picking up soon. It's already almost 3rd week of the month.

Smoothie For Breakfast

Well, it's been a while since I prepared myself and my daughter a healthier drink to have for breakfast. I decided to cleanse for a while in time for my weight loss goal regimen.

I started yesterday with a glass of banana strawberry plus honey smoothie. I added low fat yoghurt and half the small packet of frozen strawberries with cuts of fresh strawberries too just to make the smoothie a bit thick in consistency.

It was refreshing and we felt full even way past lunch time.

To get my super easy to prepare smoothie, head on to my other blog here: Home Is Where The Heart Is

Feel free to add some variations just refrain from using sugar and full cream style yoghurt or else, you'll just defeat the purpose of trying to cut down on calories. As for my daughter, she's not having this every day and she's not trying to lose weight like I do. It's just a more healthy option to have in the morning rather than a cup of coffee with sugar in it.

Father's Day Greeting To All!

To my hubby, to my dad and to all my relatives and friends who are dads and to every fabulous dads out there...Cheers!

Losing My Creative Streak

It's been a while since I last created a card or scrapbook project. I just stare at my numerous patterned papers, paper flowers, various glues, embellishments, ribbons, art pens, electronic cutter and so much more. They are gathering dust and I cannot bring myself to use any of them nor sell them.

I think and feel that my creative streak is slowly seeping out of my system. I am just too preoccupied with many pressing matters that I don't have time to sit on my desk and really think hard on what I can create out of my passion. And speaking of passion, it's one thing that also scares me right now. I don't have the urge to create anything.

I am already contemplating of selling my unused and barely used craft items to some people who deserves them. I feel bad to put them in a box and label "craft items" only to be put into oblivion later on. I'm really sad that this is happening to me but I can't explain what it is nor have an iota of a doubt why it's happening. All I know is that, I don't have the time, the energy and the creative mojo to make something. If this is a phase, I don't know how long I will be in this hiatus. I'm concerned and a bit worried because it's not me. I always have the drive and energy to commit to something I am deeply passionate about. If this is the case, does this mean, I no longer have the passion to be creative? Bummer...