Mulberry Tea Morning

A friend gave me dried mulberry leaves that I could steep and drink last Monday (thank you, Carlis!!!), and I finally got to make my own pot this morning! Prior to this I didn't know anything about the tree, except that it produces berries that look a lot like cute, miniature grapes. Mulberries are amazingly full of nutrients. In fact, the Japanese have been brewing mulberry tea for years as a health drink. Some studies have also shown that the tea can lower your blood sugar levels, making it a potentially healthy drink for someone with diabetes (more info on that study here.) 

The tea was very good, not unlike the green tea that I usually have in the mornings. Will definitely be including this drink in my collection from now on. Now I only have to find myself a mulberry cutting so I can start growing my own tree! 

Family {Sheena's Baby Bump}

When I received Sheena's first text, I thought she was one of the girls I went to school with. Turns out, we were not even friends on Facebook! Sheena and Lando both work in Dubai but they are here for Sheena's delivery, since his family is in Dumaguete. They only had two weeks before her due date, but this did not stop her from thinking about having a bump love shoot before she popped. She added me and from there went conversations on babies and a maternity shoot that would get pushed back two days late because of a tropical storm. But everything was good! We both thought expectant mothers (she's due this week!) and tropical storms are not a good mix, so we waited for the clouds to part before we went shooting. 

When we finally met for the first time to shoot her baby bump, she and hubby got into the  groove of posing, laughing, hugging and smiling like it was the most natural thing (because it is!). This is probably the reason why as I reviewed their photos, I couldn't help but smile myself.

Can't wait to see this couple finally complete their adorable little family with their baby boy.