My Cute Gardening Assistant

Since Kaley only comes to have a snack, Meredith has replaced her as my gardening assistant. She follows me around whenever I water the plants. Sometimes Grogu joins her. I'm actually glad they get along now. They used to hiss at each other when they were in the same area. I kept telling them that they should be friends since they live in the same place. 

I give them some treats to keep them in one place when I water the plants. The treat has catnip in it which I think makes them thirsty. I learned to place a fresh bowl of water before I start watering the plants since they tend to drink from the pot plates! Last night, Meredith drank from my watering jug, haha. 

My efforts with the garden are paying off. It takes me an hour everyday to water the plants. It takes a long time  because I use a watering can to water the pots individually. I was happy to see my gumamela plants flowering again. I recently gave them some banana peel tea. I have to continuously figure out what plants need to make sure they flower. 

Having Meredith and Grogu around whenever I water the plants makes it more fun for me. Lately, Brimsley's kittens have been exploring as well. They're pretty shy though, so hopefully they'll learn to play with me too. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

It Finally Rained!

It took a few days before the forecast for rain finally came true. I've been closely monitoring the weather since it's been hot. The worst day in our area was last Wednesday when the heat index hit 47'C. Ugh. It was so bad I had a dizzy spell even though I'm well hydrated. 

For a few days the forecast showed it would rain. It would start at 11 am then move to 3pm to 4pm to 5pm and well into the night. It was paasa. We've been diligently watering the plants to make sure they don't die. Good thing majority of our plants can survive without much watering so I focus on my potted plants and the veggies. Rain water provides plants with some vitamins too, so they need it badly. 

Went downstairs last night to water my potted plants. It was drizzling. Soon enough it started to rain harder. Just a regular summer rain shower (not thunderstorm level). It didn't last long. It was only enough to wet the leaves of the plants. Not bad, at least it rained.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Choco Mallows is Love

I ordered some groceries and added a box of Mallows in the cart. It's been awhile since I had some. I always bought Mallows and Chocolate Crunchies whenever I visited from Singapore. It was always part of my grocery list. Both are childhood favorites. 

I chose Mallows for now since there's just six pieces. Choco Crunchies I think have 16 pieces per box. I'm not sure if we'll be able to finish it that's why I just got a box of Mallows. My order arrived this morning and I ate one as a reward after watering the plants. Oh my! It's so good! They made some slight changes to the packaging and I think it helped keep it fresh. 

Now I regret just buying one box, haha. Anyway, It'll be easy to buy another one next time I do groceries again. Or maybe I'll get some Chocolate Crunchies. I'm so glad these childhood favorites are still available! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

The Heat is Not Funny Anymore

The heat index in my area reached 46'C today. I felt dizzy and had to use an ice pack to cool down. I think maybe it was made worse because I took a diuretic. Even with hydrating more I felt off for a few hours. The ice pack helped. I put it on my armpit and nape. A friend said to also put it on your groin. I moved to the living room since it was cooler there. 

I think things would be worse if we didn't have plants around our house. Good thing I decided to delay having our front lawn landscaped. The bushy bamboo trees are helping keep our area cool. Good thing they are not water guzzlers and can survive with minimal watering. I moved my potted plants under the bamboo in our pocket garden to provide them some shade from the terrible heat of the sun. 

I have also been keeping an eye on my boys. I remind them to drink after they come back inside whenever they step out. We also starting making ice using ice bags. The ones in trays are not enough to cool drinks anymore. Maybe I should make some ice candy too? 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Planning My Sewing Room Triangle

New flooring for my craft/sewing (a.k.a. maker) room has been installed. It made the room look more cozy and it removed the "bland" feel to it. It previously had off-white tiles which gave the feeling you're in a commercial space. I had the door with glass changed last year since it made me feel I was at a doctor's office. 

Since I removed everything in the room I now have a chance to re-organize my fabric stash and other materials. The room is quite small, so I have to be smart about the space. I joined a quilting/sewing room group to see how others with small rooms organize their rooms. 

Kitchens normally have a work triangle. I learned this from an architect. The kitchen workspace should have the refrigerator, sink and stove in a triangle. I did some research and found out that sewing rooms also have a triangle. In this case, it's your sewing table, cutting table and ironing station you need to consider.

I've been using my sewing table to do everything. It's annoying since I can't multitask. I have to do everything by step, so proper planning is key. I'm going to take advantage and plan first before I return all my things. I also found a couple of unsorted boxes and will re-categorize everything before placing them back. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

New Gate with Paw Prints

We finally got rid of the polycarbonate we've been using to divide the cat family areas. We had a gate installed last weekend. We chose to have the bottom part to be transparent to socialize the Brimsley family with Meredith. The kittens have grown and have been itching to explore the rest of the house. They have to be friends with Meredith so they could pass through to the other side. 

The work finished a bit late last Saturday. We were told that the paint was still wet. We inspected the gate just before we went to bed and funnily saw some paw prints on it already. Haha! It's probably Grogu's paw prints since he's the most adventurous one. Either his or Grey's since we saw him visit the kittens. 

Now that there is a gate, it would be easier for us to access the side garden. We'd be able to water the plants easily. I hope they're still okay since I haven't been able to go to the area because of the work being done. 

The heat today was terrible. Heat index was at 42'C. I think that's the first time it reached that number in our area. I could still feel the heat from the window even though I was in an air conditioned room all day. Whew! I hope we get some respite from the heat. Stay hydrated! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Relax, He's Got Your Back

I thought I'd try something different today. Blog while spinning! Yes! I'm on our exercise bike right now and spinning as I type. We got an exercise bike with a table before I started my second set of pulmo rehab sessions. It was an unplanned purchase, but we thought it would be useful since I do my sessions through video calls. 

Kuya mentioned last night I look much healthier now. I was under the weather when he last visited last month. I told him that the CPAP machine and better nutrition has been helping improve my stamina. I also consider the daily plant watering chore as exercise. It takes me an hour since I water the plants individually with a jug. It's like walking around with dumbbells. By the end of the session I'm covered in sweat and Fitbit says I reach the heart rate that burns fat. Yaas!

It's not all been a bed of roses. I just also recently finished taking a round of antibiotics for an infection. I still get sick randomly. I've also been able to cope better because of praying. Whenever doubts creep in I just say a quick prayer. Whenever I worry about the boys when they go out, I just pray for Papa Jesus to protect them. Whenever I worry about provisions, I just pray for blessings. 

We are all children of God. He loves all of us, so don't worry, He's got our back. 

#BeKind #StaySafe