irene carole: 12/01/2008

california in dc

It seems to be the year of California visits,
and as the beginning of the year

started out with a California visit,
so does this year end with one too.

I've been spending lots of time with this little
missy and having adventures in DC.

Romantic dates in DC are grand ..
especially with friends from a far far away.

There's much to blog about ...
and possibly a NY trip by the week's end.

A holly Jolly Christmas

I hope your Christmas was Jolly for you,

spent with the ones you love and the ones who love you.

Though the trees are bare, I hope your heart is full

Of loving,

and laughter,

with a full stomach too.

Surprises for everyone in cards ..

or big boxes.

And of course a big party down at the Laxa's.

There were trees trimmed in lights,

And Family time ...

And awesome presents from love ones of mine!

Enjoying good company,

and games like Taboo.

Singing, and smiling and Christmas cheer too.

Though Christmas is long gone and the year's almost over,

God's love and blessings, a simple thanks can not cover.

It was the birth of a child away in a manger

that still moves and inspires my life forever.

Hope your holidays were bright, and this new year much brighter ...

May God bless you fully with "happy ever afters"

To you and the ones you love ...

Merry Christmas-ing !!!

Headband craze

I've been making an army of headbands everyday and after

shipping them out, it's the same process the very next day.

Happy Headbands at Rini & Faith

These are a few of my favorite things

"brown paper packages, tied up in string"

One of the most exciting things for me this season

has got to be the gift giving and making.

I know it's a little soon in posting with Christmas still a few hours away, but most of these presents have been opened and received already so I believe it's safe to share. I wanted the kids and some of the girls to open their handmade presents all together at church so I could see how they look, fit, and also see their reactions at the same time. Oh what fun it is to wrap and give out some handmade!!!

After the kids .. it was my bunsoys who were next.

My other best friend opened the wrong present
.. lol .. but she's still a cutie!

I've still got a little more handmade goodness to spread around

.. but what great fun this has been!

Collection of the week {56} - Sharpie Room

Creatively I've been like a well drying up, I continue to craft for the holidays but without any artistic inspiration to replenish the creative juices I've been running low on. But thanks to my dearest Tim, I get inspiration flooding my inbox everyday. I told him about my creative dry spell, and he's been a sweetheart doing his best to find inspiration to feed me everyday. It's been a huge blessing and creatively, it's been a real encouragement. I'm so grateful for his thoughtfulness!!

Well this week's collection is one of the many Tim has shared with me these past few days. And I love love love it! It's something I want to do on my own walls .. if I had my own, but really painting or drawing a mural like this on the walls of one of my house's rooms is on my life's to-do list. And all this was done with "$10 worth of Sharpies". I love sharpies, this is such a creative way to put that love into action. hehe. Read the FULL STORY here.

Sharpie anything of your own lately?
The Sharpie Room

All I want for Christmas is Us

Watch: Jennifer Chung

Saran Wrapper's Delight

Why saran wrap cars when you can saran wrap your friends!!!

This was about four years ago ... yet remembering it

still makes me laugh just as hard as if I did this yesterday.

High school feels like it was a lifetime of it's own, and I've got a multitude of memories to look back on ... but this particular memory has accidentally resurfaced itself for my enjoyment ... and yours as well. I can't say I was the "class clown" in high school, but I can say I was one of the silliest girls around. Also one of my closest friends, the closest to the camera in the photo above, was dubbed "class clown" our senior year ... so I always had someone to be silly with. Even now old friends from high school expect me to bring a case of laughter with me where ever we go. Anything less would be a disappointment for them all. I'll be having dinner with a bunch of them tomorrow night at a place that takes me right back to the 'good old days' and I'm super excited. There's nothing like a Fudd's night with friends in Annandale.

Anyways if you've been wondering Here's the story of how I saran wrapped my friends!

Senior year of high school we went on our Spring Trip to Myrtle Beach, SC.{A trip me made every year but at a different destination with each year's passing}. Me and my closest set of girlfriends made sure we roomed together to ensure our last trip together would be an unforgettable one. It was to our delight April fools fell on the dates of our trip, and knowing me and the group of girls I held closest to .. we weren't going to let an opportunity like that pass us by unnotice.

Before ever leaving for our trip me and my girlfriends threw around ideas and pranks we could do each other, or those on the trip, we even planned out things we could try out on our teacher ... that wouldn't get us into major trouble but would give us all a good laugh. So when our trip was underway "the games were on" and no one was safe from a April Fools prank. For most of the trip it was quite and no one pulled any pranks worth remembering if pulling any at all ... but little did my friends know I had a secret stash of saran wrap hidden at the bottom of my suitcase.

Of course it was crazy little me, "Rini" ... who thought saran wrapping two of my friends to a bed while they were asleep would be a fun idea, but I couldn't do it alone and needed an accomplice. In our hotel room we had four girls. Me and my friend Jessie slept on one bed and our two other friends in the other. Of course I couldn't do it to Jessie because I wouldn't have a place to sleep if i did it to her, so I recruited her for the job and chose our other roommates as our victims. We waited all night till the two feel asleep ... which too forever, but when they finally did it was "go time". While suppressing our laughter and trying to make as little noise as we could, which is impossible to do when working with saran wrap, we slowly wrapped our two little friends to their bed in red saran wrap like a little cocoon. {I picked out red so it was visible for us when working in the dark .. hehe}

One of the girls actually did woke up in the middle of the process. She sat up eyes closed and not fully conscious, and though it scared us she fell right back asleep in seconds and our cover was never blown. It's still boggles my mind that they never woke up to catch us in the act because it took us forever and with saran wrap in hand we were quite a noisy pair ... but we did it. The hardest part was passing the saran wrap to each other under the queen sized bed, it's the wrappers stickyness to itself that slowed us down. Finally the next morning arrived and instead of our alarm clocks waking us up, all you heard was russling and movement and the sound of stiff saran wrap around a bed and two girls. "What the heck? What is this? Why can't I move?" were the mermers coming for under the covers of the other bed, and from ours all you could hear were sleepy giggles of victory and delight. The end.

Silly memories are so fun to look back on.

Book maker

So far I have three published and printed books in my name, the fourth and latest one has been created but not yet printed and or purchased {which is the wedding book for Rang and Wesley}. I've also made one as a present, and received one as a present as well. These little books have been my joy and maybe you too should make a book of your own.

Wes & Rang

By Irene Carole Diongzon

Book Preview

Wes & Rang's W...

By By Irene Carole Di...

Book Preview

I'd love to hear what you think.
Even if you can only preview the first 15 pages.

{All photos of these two books are © 2008 Irene Carole Diongzon}

A bag full of packages

It's surprising they haven't banded me from the post office yet.

Wrappers Delight

1, 2, 3, 4 ... Wrap your presents on the floor!!

hahah

Warm me up

Hot apple cider in the winter time = joy.

december eighteenth

I won't ever forget this day eight years ago.

I can't believe it's been that long since Judy's been gone, though when I recall those memories it still feels like yesterday. I've grown up a lot since then, it's safe to say we all have, but I can still remember being so young and feeling my heart break into a million pieces for one of the first times in my life, when I got the news. It doesn't bring me sadness anymore, because knowing that God's plans were and {still are} perfect I am comforted knowing Judy is right where she's suppose to be, right by His side beautiful and perfect Praising Him as she did among us.

I know we were all just kids, but every single friendship I've had or made ever since, has been build around the lessons of friendship loving and loosing Judy has taught me.

Some of those lessons I've learned are that friendship {though stronger through the passing of time} is not measured by how long you've know a person, nor the exchanging of words, nor distance, but the ability to change someones life with your love and allowing them to change yours. Judy also reminded me that our time here on earth is fleeting, like a vapor in the wind, so make ever second really count not for yourself but for Christ, and cherish your loved once now and cherish them well. Judy also taught me that be the best version of you today, now, for God and for those you love because they deserve the best from you without delay. Be the best friend you are able to be even when it's hard, and also be the best servant you know how to be while you are still able to.

I remember my life changing eight years ago, even if I was only a kid, but God knew that .. He had plans to change all of our lives, and through it all His love has never left us but has seen us through, as well as hold and strengthen us.

We miss you Judy, but thank you for being apart of my life,

our lives and for changing our lives with yours.