Halloween For Real...

I have been missing out on blogging again because there really is so much on my plate now.  We have no cable at home today (waaah!) so God must have been pushing me to get back into writing again.
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It was technically his third Halloween but this is the first TRUE BLUE celebration not only for my little boy but also for us.


Last year, my little boy attended the Office Halloween only where there were a gazillion other kids waiting for candies and stuff.  He was Handy Manny which was the least creative since his only props were a hard hat and the tools/toolbox.  To top it all, Handy Manny was not his favorite.


This year, we made it a bit special... yeah, still not creative, but at least he was a superhero.  Meet our SUPERMAN!
And this time around, we had the authentic Trick or Treat activity where houses were decorated in scary themes, village kids wore their tributes to the Halloween and adults were excited to give out candies / treats.  Of course, because we are Pinoys... we always give the Western culture a twist -- there was a pre-Trick or Treat party/show for everyone to see.
See how our neighbors made their places as scary as can be.
And here's how our place turned out so Halloweeny...
The bats - drawn, traced and cut by me (with the help of my angels).
The gravestones - conceptualized and made by, again... me.

Hubby's contribution... but with no picture... A Friday the 13th doll seated in the car right next to the candies.  Cool, huh?


There were tons of candies/treats.  Everyone was excited since this was the first ever Trick or Treat in our place.  Most importantly, the little guy had the best time ever... feeling like Superman even for just one day.

Menu for Tita Lei.

Tita Lei, my mom's sister, recently came home to the Philippines for her annual motherland visit.  Everytime she goes home, she makes sure to have a blast.  This visit was no exception -- she went to Singapore with Tita Amy and my cousins... and wore her smashing swimsuit at the top of the Marina Bay Sands!

As usual, hubby and I were so busy with work and a lot more stuff... we never really got to spend time with her.  So, when Mom asked us to host a lunch / dinner party for Tita and Tito Joseph, we said yes right away.

It was a good thing that the Mom and the Titas (and Dad) are always the best when it comes to potluck events.  We were able to come up with sumptuous, very Filipino and somewhat healthy (?) menu.

Pansit from Tita Baby.  Inihaw na Samaral from Daddy.

Hipon from Daddy.  He is really into seafood...

...and greens.  His Talbos ng Kamote dipped in bagoong.

There was also Ensaladang Mangga and Steamed Okra (also dipped in bagoong).

My Mom's specialty - Dinakdakan.  It's Inihaw na Baboy with ginger, onion, kichay (?), with calamansi or suka.

For dessert, there is the classic saging...

...and the good ol' Mango Float made by moi.

Not caught in pictures but equally yummy are Tita Amy's lumpia, puto, and kakanin.

We had a great time that day.  Everything ended late that night.  I hope Tita Lei and Tito Joseph had loads of fun, too.  The next time they come for a visit, perhaps, a dip in the clubhouse pool would be part of the menu, too.

*pictures grabbed from Thea Esteban.