I started writing when I was 8. My mom got me a journal where I could rant (prob so I won't be an annoying brat). I stopped writing for 8 years until the pen and then later on the keyboard called on me again. I blog because I like writing and that's just about it. Hope you get inspired though... Bite the apple!
The prices of vegetables are crazy nowadays. We're lucky we are able to buy affordable lettuce from a neighbor, but other must haves like onion, carrots and bell pepper are really expensive.
I was ecstatic when we were able to harvest a couple of bell peppers. We were able to use it for our cooking needs. It reminded me why I'm spending time in the garden.
So, for this year I'd like to work on getting more produce from our garden. I'll just focus on a few vegetables that we regularly use. I already saved seeds from the bell peppers I used during the holidays. I'm also letting roots grow from garlic and onions. Then I'll show some seeds of greens and carrots this weekend.
This time I'll be armed with the lessons I learned the past few years. I think I know how to control pests now and how to properly nourish the plants. I just need to find spaces where the plants can get better sunlight and humidity.
I quickly looked at what I could do with the papaya we harvested from our tree. There were two and one was still green. We also got two small bell peppers and have a number of ginger in pots. I did a quick search and found out that I could actually make atsara from our harvest.
I liked Chef Tatung's recipe since you actually cook the atsara. The other recipes I watched only poured boiling vinegar on the veggies. I figured the result would be tastier if I cooked the veggies together. The recipe was also on one of the first Simpol cookbooks, so I got to work last weekend.
Using the food processor was really helpful. I'm a klutz when it comes to using knives. I just cut the veggies and fed them to the food processor. Preparing everything took longer because I took videos, haha. It was easy to make and I'm glad I had everything on hand. Maybe next time I'll make more when we have a bigger harvest and I'll share it with friends.
Full recipe: https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2026/01/recipes-for-my-son-homemade-atsara.html
2025 was a good year. We faced some challenges especially with my health. I broke my non-hospitalization streak by late July and had the misfortune of missing a step on the stairs. We spent most of the last quarter doing physiotherapy and exercise.
The fall was a blessing in disguise. It was painful, but it forced me to do physiotherapy. Exercise was light, but more movement means more stamina. It helped me care for our garden better and we managed to harvest some produce!
Aside from our usual home maintenance projects, our biggest project was to clear my childhood home. Oh boy, I really did not expect that Mom kept a lot of stuff in her cave-like cabinets! I had to go through each and every box organized by our decluttering coach.
The majority of the things were donated, stuff that were not useful anymore was thrown away, and some stuff were distributed among us siblings. I still have some stuff I need to pass to relatives. I am so glad we finished this project and don't have to worry about it anymore.
Here's 2025 in 3 minutes -
One thing that's still a work in progress is saving Mom's plants. We moved a big batch in mid-December and have started working on re-potting them. This project will continue until we finish what we can save from her plants. It's a lot of work and a good daily workout!
I like where I am now and have settled into retired life much better. I want to be more productive though, but to do that I have to be healthier. That's something we're working on together as a family. 2025 was a quiet year and that's the way I like it.
A new year has finally come! I'm so glad the fireworks last night were less than usual. There were just pockets of it around our neighborhood. We didn't dare go out, plus we wanted to make sure our cats were alright. They all just hid somewhere and allowed us to stroke them more than usual. Well, by 10 in the evening I already had asthma, so I didn't dare go out of our family room.
I'm looking forward to starting new things this year and working on interesting projects. We will continue to work on our health and do things that would enrich our faith and our mind. I skipped writing down goals last year and that got me nowhere, LOL. I'll write some down for this year and maybe make big hairy goals. I think I can do more than what my body allows me (with caution).
I plan to continue blogging everyday. It keeps my mind busy, plus it pushes me to be productive for the day. I made a promise to Dr. Koo and Dr. Shankar that I will continue to write. They said I have to so my mind doesn't go to waste. I hope, I'll be inspired to write everyday.
Anyway, a Blessed New Year to you and your family. May you have a fruitful and great year ahead!
I'm writing this as I cringe since a neighbor just lit what sounds like a large size Judas belt. It ended with a loud bang. I never really liked firecrackers and I'd hide inside the house on new years eve. I'm just glad none of our immediate neighbors use it (well, so far). We've set up hiding places for our cats. Bailey had me stroke his back longer than usual earlier since firecrackers were going off as early as 4 in the afternoon.
Anyway, I'm just grateful I have a nice hiding place in our basement. We turned on two air purifiers to make sure I don't have an asthma attack. We'll just have some pasta and barbecue for media noche. I also got a small basque burnt cheesecake from a neighbor, so we have something sweet.
I'm happy I was able to complete another year of one second everyday (#1SE). I just make it a point to take a photo everyday to remember what I did for that day. Majority are probably photos of cats, my plants and us dining somewhere. Here's the video for December -
I wasn't as productive as I wanted to be, but I still managed to finish some useful projects. I didn't make any homemade gifts this year. My theme was to make items from Mom's unfinished projects.
The biggest set I made was throw pillow covers for our couch. I made them from Mom's unfinished projects and leftover fabric. I didn't even make a dent (she has more craft stuff than me).
From the throw pillow covers, I made a pouch for my powerbank and embarked on other scrap fabric projects. And then I made a bag out of squares Mom pieces together. I use it everytime we go out.
I wasn't able to make a lot of projects since we were very busy with other stuff. I also had an accident which prevented me from using my sewing machine for a few months. I focused my time on PT.
When my leg was a bit better, I embarked on my Christmas project. I always wanted to make new covers for my kitchen gadgets. I finished two and I'm still working on another one. I hope to finish it before the season ends!
