Belated Mother's Day and Chocolate

The "real Mother's Day" was the day of AC grad and that was a busy weekend for everyone at HQ pretty much, so my mom and I decided we would "postpone" our mother's day until Memorial Day Weekend Sunday.  We had fun.  Soaked our feet, watched movies, sipped a glass of wine each, I cooked, we ate.  On the "real" mom's day I had called my grandma who lives hundreds of miles away, and I made a mistake, BIG mistake of asking her how old she was.  I am fascinated with age b/c wisdom does come along with the older you are, but I forgot women of her era NEVER disclosed their age, so I asked her, her age this year.  As soon as I asked her my mom, her daughter, immediately started waving her arms at me and was like no you just asked your grandma that...she's going to get you and even moreso get me for not raising you to know that women shouldn't disclose their age.  That is big to her.  ha, ha!  My grandma didn't get me b/c I'm apparently the granddaughter with the pretty much identical personality to hers, but she told me these exact words in response:  "Let's just say I'm on top of the tree looking down on all of you."  Great answer.

The Padua's from Philippines gave me chocolate via their son from JAPAN that they picked up on their way here to visit the US.  When I saw that the chocolate looked different, lighter color as you can see; tastes different...has more of a fine coffee flavor, and that the ingredients and everything else pretty much on the box were in Japanese I was excited!  I don't know if they check my blog out, but if they do...THANK YOU!  Way nice chocolate!!!

NEW Ottoman Formal Dress Design FINISHED!

 I had a 40% off coupon and visited the fabric store now that I'm back into my sewing mode.

This ottoman skin look alike fabric was originally $19.99 a yard, and I needed 2 yards, so without the coupon it would have been $40.00, BUT with my coupon I saved $15.99 and got the full 2 yards for only $25.97!  What a blessing.  That's a good deal for a nice formal dress.

 The beginning phases of sewing it after designing it in my head and then cutting it out to the shape that I had envisioned.

The Front View!

Tada!  Three Hours later ALL DONE!

The Back View.

I designed the back to drag the floor a bit with a small elegant train.  Also, the waist sash belt ties in the back as shown to add a bit more elegance to this design.  Also shown in the photo below is the front view up closer of the wide sash belt.  It's made to blend in w/the dress, but up close you can really see the elegant touch that it adds.

Back to Sewing!--Two Skirts Done!

After about 2 months of non stop activities beginning late tonight I am actually able to get back to fashion designing .  A friend asked me to sew her two simple skirts shown.  I've had the fabric for about a month, started it, got busy, had to put it away.......so just now late tonight the machine surfaced and her skirts are finished!  Felt so exciting to push the fabric with my fingers through the machine while pumping the foot petal.  Summer season has arrived which means more time for SEWING!!!

Made her two belt sashes with the extra fabric leftover.

Now on to sewing a formal dress for me until I fall asleep at the machine!

My AC Graduation Candid Photos

AC Graduation was THE BEST yet.  I took a few candid photos with my cell phone.  Sorry for the low resolution and quality.  All of the pics that I took are on my password protected site of www.royaltruecolours.com

A Few Pics From a Private AC Graduation Party!

Had an private AC graduation party at my home today.  Went really well!  Thanks goes to Gladys Welsh for co-hostessing with me, and AC Senior and Student Body President Reniel Padua for making this get together a success!

ALL PHOTOS from this get together WILL BE on my password protected site of royaltruecolours.com later on this week w/a few more people shots that I won't on this public blog.

\ABOVE:  AC Senior Laskey Hart and AC Freshman Justin Goodearl have fun posing in my chair.  Long story short, the guys helped me move my furniture back into place and afterwards Justin sat in this chair, and said "Wow I feel like a king in this chair."  So above they are playing a royal court scene.

 Tiffany Watson, my Mom, Michelle Cuenco, Mrs. Heyer, and Mrs. Harrison pose for my camera.  Love this pic!  Lovely ladies!

 I thought this was a good shot of Brent Nagtegaal using the pillow to relax on while chatting.

 ...while Sarah Icasiano relaxed with another pillow.

AC Senior and long time friend Justin Bacon looks at me with his typical, "why are you taking my picture" pose.  :-)

 I LOVE this shot of the Saranga's.  

 The teens and kids getting cake!  I'm usually a health nut and the rest of the meal was healthy, but b/c it was a grad party I went all out with the desserts and baked them with sugar.  I called the dessert table "Egypt."  

:-)

 Paula Powell, my parents, and Rosa Vejil pose for my camera.  I think they enjoyed themselves.

 Senior Jessie Beezley smiles for me.  We will all miss this gal when she moves away after graduating.

 Mr. Saranga and Tiffany Watson chat.

 The food spread went great.  I baked all of the cakes Saturday night and got done baking at the time shown below on the photo in the wee early hours of the morning and went to bed after 2AM, and then bright and early Sunday morning Gladys Welsh came over and we both cooked all of the food and prepped all of the snacks.  A LOT of work and little sleep, but we had sooooo much fun.  LOVE almost killing myself cooking.  What's wrong with me!  ha, ha!  It's wroth it to give others a good time.  I think so anyway!  The pizza shown above went fast!

 Gotta have fresh fruit at a party, Gladys' idea!

 I made homemade sushi for the party.  It seemed to be a hit.  Lots of sushi fans.  Besides the fact that I smelled like raw fish, ha, ha, it went well!  Thanks to Anita Barkei who showed me how to make homemade sushi last summer when I visited her family in NJ.  It has come in handy for me this year!

 Made chicken stir fry.  Yummy!

 Beef stir fry for the non chicken fans.

Yummy Egg Rolls

 More Fresh Fruit

All of the cakes!  Even in the times that we live in we are still blessed with an abundance of food in this country.

 Gianni Welsh checks out the strawberry cake.

 Jamie Hawkins smiles

 Sean Welsh chats

Deepika Azariah smiles right after she arrives

 Seniors Liz Blondeau and Reniel Padua chat with Deborah Douglas

Senior Monica Antonio smiles