Made a Card Holder for Bulky Rewards Cards!

While sorting my Mom's stuff I found the hand sewn wallets I made when I was a child. Mind you, I actually used them in school (not much to put inside anyway!). I giggled when I found it and I'm lucky I couldn't find the photo of the project because it was obviously the work of the child who was only starting to sew, hahaha (I honestly don't know why my Mom still kept it!). 

Anyway, I needed a card holder. Those rewards cards from shops accumulate and I couldn't close my wallet anymore. I had some scrap fabric from a previous project and so I decided to use it for this project. It was easy to make and I'm happy I now know how to make a holder with several compartments. Here's how I made it -

Easy peasy as long as you understand the logic for folding the fabric. If I put my mind to it I could probably make this as a Christmas gift. If you'd like to make it, you can check out the tutorial on my sewing blog.

Now I need to check what other cases I need for my stuff :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Finally Reduced the Heat in Our Home

I monitor the weather closely because heat is my kryptonite. Temperature above 30'C hits differently for a person with heart and lung issues, so you can just imagine what the 40+'C heat index does for me. 

My comment got featured on Architect Ed's channel, hehe.

We have been working on reducing the overall temperature in our home in the past 3.5 years. We chose unobtrusive solutions since we live in the house. We did the following:

• Tinted windows - https://aileenapolo.blogspot.com/2022/04/home-improvement-reducing-heat.html
• Added vents in the eaves
• Installed whirly bird/whirlwind vent - https://aileenapolo.blogspot.com/2023/04/home-on-mondays-whirlwind-vent.html
• Added ceiling vents and one more whirly bird on the kitchen roof - https://aileenapolo.blogspot.com/2024/03/make-your-home-cooler.html

I just realized we've been trying to do something annually since we moved. Well, my heart and lungs are in really bad shape, so we had to try again another unobtrusive solution. Sweetie was working on a project to get his childhood home's roof fixed and chanced upon a provider that specializes in painting insulation paint on roofs. 

So that's what we tried this year. We discovered our roof needed restoration. Parts of it had started to rust and the gutters didn't have gutter guards. After fixing the roof, insulation paint was placed. We had it done in mid-March and the roof temperature was at 36'C before restoration started. 

The roof temperature went down to 26'C. Not bad and leaving our windows open during the day made it easy to walk around the house even without the fan on. I had happy days cooking in the kitchen before summer started. The temperature inside our house has improved a lot compared to last summer. The heat though is crazy and I usually go straight down to the basement during the day to avoid the heat.

If you want to try this solution, just buy insulation paint at Wilcon and get a painter. It requires 2 to 3 coatings (dry a day between coatings). Best to get a roof specialist if you need to restore your roof. From our experience some regular contractors don't really know what they're doing. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

May the Fourth Be With You and How My Yoda Collection Grew

It's "Star Wars Day" again and we'll definitely watch the new episodes of Andor. We always watch Star Wars related films as a family with Miggy as our guide (he's also read loads of books so understands a lot about it better than me). And maybe we can watcha movie or two as well since it's easily accessible on Disney+.

I was really thrilled a few years ago when we were able to visit the Yoda Fountain in San Francisco. There are only two in the world, SFO and Singapore. Of course, Sweetie brought me to see the one in Singapore as a surprise.

I have been fascinated with Yoda since I was a child. I got to watch the films in the theater with my siblings (I was their ticket to be able to go out, hahaha). And that's why I collect Yoda (and now Grogu) figures. 

It did start with just one. Hadi had a brilliant idea to join an office contest. We had to decorate our area. I was travelling and was just surprised my desk was decorated with Yoda figures and colors. The Yoda figures stayed and people started to give me anything Yoda. 

Majority of my Yoda and Grogu figures and toys are gifts. I've kept all of them since they are precious gifts of love. You just gotta love the little, big guy 😁

Have a nice, blessed day everyone.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Finally Gave In and Installed a Plant Identifier App!

I've been slowly rescuing my Mom's plants the past two years. I was able to get by using Google Lens to identify the plants, then I research about what it needs - soil, watering, sunlight and fertilizer. It was useful and it still works for me.

Lately though I discovered Mom's other plants. Some were in really bad shape and didn't have soil. Some grew new plants and were squeezed in a pot. I had a hard time identifying the plants because of their state. Before transplanting any of the plants, I make sure to research what kind of soil it needs. I have a bad habit of overwatering too, so I make sure to understand the kind of plant I'm dealing with. Mom won't be able to save me anymore from ruining any of the plants. 

So, I gave in and installed a plant Identifier App. I signed up for the trial first to see if it's useful for me. The app basically asks you to either take a photo of your plant or access the photo from your gallery. It was late when I started to use it, so I just got photos from the gallery to try out the features. 

I didn't really read up on the app. I just selected one that had a high rating on Google Play and jumped into it (I don't really read manuals, haha). I was surprised that it does more than just identify a plant. It also tells you if your plant is sick and gives recommendations on what to do. It also has a section where it provides detailed information about the plant. 

And the feature I like best is you can save the photo to "my garden". You can then click on your plant list and access the information. Another section is where you can check the diagnosis for each of your plants. I had no idea that some of my plants are sick and just need to be sprayed with baking soda once a week. Hopefully, this will help make my garden as lush as Mom's!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Two Years Without Mom

It's been two years now since we lost our Mom. I got very sick when we lost her and I was practically immobilized from being productive for a year. I knew I needed to get going especially sunsetting our childhood home. I got help and had everything boxed. It was only after Mom's first year death anniversary, that I finally got moving and started sorting her things. 

One year later and I'm not done yet. I only realized that she had kept a lot of stuff in every nook and cranny of our home. Sorting her things is what helped me through the grief journey. I found a lot of mementos from my childhood, Miggy's childhood and my siblings (although not as many). I stayed the longest in our home (from birth) and it was really a surprise to find a lot of things that brought me joy as a child. 

We have since donated a lot of pre-loved home items and books to charities. Old outdated appliances were sold to the mambabakal and we used the proceeds to get help again to clear the back area of the house. I've only kept Mom's albums. There are more than 10 boxes! It will probably take time to scan the photos. Some of the albums are irreparable already, so I just removed the photos and placed them in safe storage boxes. 

My grief journey started in 2019 when Dr. Koo said Mom's heart was deteriorating. He advised against surgery and told us to just let her enjoy. Mom did and was gardening until the day before she passed. She left a beautiful garden and what she considered her treasures (essentially our childhood stuff and a gazillion photos!).

I hope to finish clearing our home before the end of the month, so I can focus on saving her plants and propagating what she left in her garden. I'm figuring out how to get the huge cacti that's still growing! We have since restored her plant stands and I've been busy re-potting her plants. I'm in awe that they're still alive! I feel closest to my Mom when I'm working on her plants :)

Love you Mom! Enjoy your bottomless Coca-Cola up there! Kisses to Dad, Mama Lola, Papa Lolo, Titay, Tito Ben, Tita Ming, Tito Tony and Tito Mom! 

#BeKind #StaySafe 

Mega Throwback! Prep School Days

I've been slowly finding old photos and negatives the past few months and much, more slowly scanning them. I found a bunch of smaller negatives (I think 110 size?) and tried to see if I could still retrieve the photos. One set were Christmas family reunion photos and with it were some photos from preparatory school. 

Bangs forever!

I only realized how old I was when I saw a photo with my teacher, Mrs. Alfaro. Yes, I still remember her name! She was the nicest and most caring teacher a 5-year old could have. I probably remember her because I got very sick once (tonsillitis!) and she took care of me. 

Anyway, the photos are I think from a field day/parents day. We wore a Filipiniana costume and performed at the St. Cecilia's Hall. I was obviously at the back (I had bad coordination even back then!). Here are more photos with my classmates! (Please holler if you're part of it!). 

I know the quality of the photos aren't good, but hey, you can still recognize me since I was very fair skinned! Haha.

#BeKind #StaySafe