I have some time off from work and all its shebangs while the Honey-Buns (Husband) doesn't, so I decided lets head down to the main capital Abu Dhabi and surprise my mom for her birthday!! 

My moms birthday is Dec 19th and she is turning the BIG 100 ;) so what better way to celebrate it then to bring her to Texas Roadhouse and put her back on the saddle to yell YEEEEHAWWWW!!! we did this before and now its turning into a tradition kinda thaaaaang XD 
That is why she has THAT LOOK below on her face like "Oh not again!" XD 

For her birthday gift I chose to personalize it with making her a birthday card themed with pink carnations because they symbolize a mothers undying love.  Another idea that popped in my brain was when my mom was telling my sister and I the other day about how her grammy used to make her shortbread thumbprint cookies filled with raspberry jelly for her as a kid whenever she visited her house making it smell like a cookie bakery. So my sis and I searched up a recipe we thought best matched her description and baked away adding a dash of sugar icing to give it a bit of extra sweetness. 

The hand made card was designed by first sketching out an image I saw of a beautiful carnation with butterflies that had leaves going out from both sides of it; making it perfect to place it across the middle of the card as shown below, so I can some room to add in the sweet birthday message around it to complete the cover. 

Here is a cute (some say annoying) snap I made JUST before heading out to surprise my mommy <3

And finally made it to my mommy after having to endure a long and painful ride down sitting next to my loud mouth nephews ... okay it wasn't that bad but I gotta add in my dramaticness #DramaQueen ! 

to My forever smiling mama <3 I LOVE YOU!!! 

Oh and here is when she first tried out the cookies; had my nephews CRACKING UP !!!
OF COURSE I had to get that on cam! and yes, my mom doesn't deserve me XD 
​Enjoy :D 

I have been recently longing for a mini vacation OUTSIDE of my current country to somewhere new and in a galaxy far far away...
It's a habit of mine to start to freak out and feel claustrophobic when I have been in the same "area" for consecutive months! FYI the last time I went on vacay was in May so not so long ago, but my body works in mysterious ways... Also seeing my family and friends visiting new places and posting their amazing experiences does not help either! I am a JELLY type person like STAAHHHP! I kid... not really. 

But its not all THAT bad, I mean I still have those days where I just want to literally DO NOTHING! chill in my baggy pjs, playing games all day while having my supply of "Comfort Foods" to num num on... is  really what I need sometimes. 

However, I am trying to learn to just chillax and enjoy what I have around me. Its difficult at times because I want something new and different almost always, but sometimes taking a step back and enjoying the things right in front of me i.e. family, friends, COFFEE, netflix, you name it, can be fun (even if its in the same place) but only if you WANT to make it fun. I truly believe it all relies on your attitude in the end. Let me explain further.. 

FOR EXAMPLE, My family and I usually have "Thanksgiving" dinner together every year, where my mother and/or sister usually do all the cooking, we come to the table only to devour it all and then its over with the dreadful cleaning up afterwards. Usually my mom and sister do that as well . 
This time around during "Thanksgiving" I really wanted a different, more engaging experience. I realised that it is a nice opportunity to come together and enjoy each others company, laugh and talk about random things, and just BOND together. I didn't want my mom nor sister to be all tired and tasked with the whole menu of cooking and cleaning. So we decided that each one of us will contribute with a dish to make. I was in charge of the Mac n Cheese. My sister with the veggies including mash potatoes, and my mom with the big beast TURKEY. In addition to that, I wanted all of us to dress up nicely then we normally would. Because how you choose to represent yourself DOES in fact effect your mood and emotions. something I truly believe in 

And it WORKED, I noticed we were in a lighter mood, taste testing each others foods, complimenting one another on our joint efforts in making this amazing dinner, and enjoying the company around us. We made the men clean up the mess afterwards, so that was nice as well hehehe!!! I also made killer cookies that were gone within seconds! 

Here you can see the happy pappy family together, smiling looking all nice.... I had to force them to take a pic

The food up close which was SO GOOD! 

So in conclusion to what I am trying to get at.. is that if we try to engage ourselves more with what we have around us, try to make it better in our own ways, and appreciate it while it lasts, can indeed make it worthwhile! and not have to escape reality to go on a vacations just to FEEL happy. you can be happy with what you have around you, but it relies on how you choose to live it. 

Something this hot tamale taught me, and has to remind me :D