Another Scrap Fabric Project

I need a couple of things for my bag. I've been annoyed with my powerbank juggling around inside my bag. I had been putting it inside a pouch with my pill box. I realized though it's not good to do that since the power bank warms up when I use it. 

After making the pillow cases from Mom's unfinished projects, I set aside the scraps for future use. Found some long strips and thought I'd finally make a pouch for my power bank. I didn't bother measuring it and just decided after I pieced it how it would look. 

Here's how I made it:

I also used franken-batting, an old pillowcase (as back fabric), and leftover binding to close one side. I like how it turned out and I've been using it. I finished the project in two nights. I still have a lot of leftover fabric and will probably make a case for my eyeglasses. Let's see how that goes next week. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Happy, happy birthday Sweetie!

May the Lord bless you and grant all your prayers. Let's stay healthy 😺 

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Happy Birthday Miggy!

Another 365 days around the sun for my son, Miggy! 

Happy, happy birthday my love 💕 😘 💕 

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Rainwater for Your Plants

Mom's lawn is magically alive again because it's been raining. Everything is green again and this would be a good time to see what else I can rescue. Rainwater is really good for plants. It brings extra nutrients for the plants and helps cleanse soil too. 

We set up two stations to collect rainwater. The official one was actually built for us. The plumber added a diverter to the downspout. When left open we are able to collect water from the roof. We got two big water drums to collect water. We cover it when it's full to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. 

The other water drum (in photo) is located in our garage. It was meant to be extra storage for rainwater (transferred manually by Sweetie with a pail). The downspout though was damaged. We haven't been able to have it fixed, so water has been falling directly to the drum with help from bamboo leaves (yay?). It's actually convenient for me since I don't have to walk far to get water for the square garden plants. 

If collecting rainwater, just make sure to cover the drum/pail. Mosquitoes breed fast. To get rid of them you can add some hydrogen peroxide to the water. This will also help to prevent root rot and get rid of larvae/eggs of pests. Just make sure your furry pets don't drink this water!  

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Tried K-street

We're honestly holed up at home most of the time. Since I scheduled a family haircut day, we thought it would be nice to try dining at a new place. We saw an ad for a pad Thai place near us and headed there the other day. We thought it was located beside the Vietnamese place we tried. We were surprised to see a new nook of restos built before the area of the Vietnamese place. 

There were a couple of restos in the area. The pad Thai place was located on the second floor. Miggy chose the Korean place, K-street, so that's where we went. It was an odd hour and we were the only customers. The place was cozy and built for quick meals. We each ordered what we wanted to try. 

I got bulgogi, but it was strangely spicy (haha). I think they may have used a different sauce (one of the staff was new). It tasted good and I managed to finish the meal in-between gulps of strawberry lemonade. Miggy had the house special and Sweetie ordered the hickory barbecue. The meal was really filling and the good news is you can order their food via Grab or Food Panda. Maybe next time we'll try the bento meals so we can have some veggies. 

The nook of restos was interesting. We hope to try the other chicken place next time and we'll probably order from the pad Thai place one of these days (sorry, avoiding stairs for now). I wish the cafe will be open next time. Sweetie tried calling, but no one was answering. 

If you're from my `hood and want to try this place, here's the map to K-street: https://maps.app.goo.gl/XguqV46hJQZHkGNU8

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Family Haircut Day

Sweetie said he wanted to get a haircut before his birthday, so I declared a family haircut day. The last haircut I had a few months ago reminded me why I never went back to that salon (LOL). I grew my hair a bit longer so I could have it properly cut. 

Anyway, after trying out a relatively new place near us, we headed to the salon I used to frequent. It's a different branch, but I figured they probably cut the same way. I'm glad I took the chance with this branch since it's nearby. I hope it will be our go-to salon from now on since I've been orphaned for a couple of years now.

I just had my hair trimmed. I don't need anything fancy since I don't go out often anyway, plus I don't want to shock my cats with a new look (haha). I also skipped having bangs. It just annoys me to no end. Good ol' haircut for now. 

It was Miggy who had the biggest change. I think the hair stylist cut at least 20 inches of his hair. That amount of hair can help clean up oil from the sea! I was also asked whether I wanted to keep my hair. The hair stylist said it can be made into bangs! Maybe next time! Haha. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

My New Favorite SNR Branch

We've visited a couple of S&R branches. They all look the same, but the newer ones have some nuances that are better than the older branches.

As a PWD with lung and heart issues, there are things that make it harder for me. My #1 kryptonite is heat. Steel parking spaces doesn't work well for me and after experiencing immediate heat exhaustion from one branch, I get dropped off in the entrance before parking. I also appreciate shorter walking distance from parking to the entrance is better for me so I could avoid inhaling car fumes. Clean CR and less people, the better.

We took the chance and visited S&R Sucat. Since it was a weekday, parking was easy. The area was spacious and with higher ceiling, air circulation was better. Thee walk to the entrance was short too.

Layout of the store was also much better than other branches. Area for membership concerns was located before entering the main store. It wasn't squeezed in a small area like other branches. The restaurant was also spacious and they put a fence around it. This prevents shopping carts from bumping tables and dining customers. And more importantly, the toilet was clean and had toilet paper. 

The shopping area was very spacious. It was a weekday, so there wasn't that many people. We forgot to bring our grocery list, so just got essentials, haha. 

We'll most likely go back to this branch and maybe just drop by to eat. They have a new offering, spinach roll. I liked it and it went well with their hot sauce. Before leaving we also had some ice cream. Miggy and I had our favorite flavor, cotton candy. Their serving was seriously bigger than other branches, heehee. 

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Completed Mom's Unfinished White Quilt Project

I found six squares of pieced together white fabric. It was hand sewn by Mom. I looked at it for a long time before I decided to make throw pillow quilt covers with it. I also used some of the scrap fabric she left. I broke this project into two parts. 

The first part of the project was for the bigger throw pillows. It was perfect because there were two larger squares. I took the chance and experimented on making cats. I posted about it a few weeks ago (check it out here). The second part was to make four throw pillow covers for the smaller pillows. 

The squares were not even, so I decided to simplify and just added scrap fabric to the sides to frame the white squares. I wanted to highlight the fabric Mom used (eyelet? I'm not sure what it's called) and I chose some of her scrap fabric to frame it. I quilted diagonally to add some flair. 

Here's how I made it:

Mom still has a lot of unfinished projects. No wonder she kept telling me to finish what I start because she left a lot of stuff for me to finish. Most of her unfinished projects are big enough to make more throw pillows. I have to wash all of them and see if maybe I can make a blanket out of them. Well, we'll see. I'm just glad I managed to make something out of her unfinished project :)

#BeKind #StaySafe 

Anakin's First Year Clip Compilation

I finally managed to sit down and make Anakin's first year clip compilation. We think it was Grey who brought him in and at that time he was probably about 2 months old. Grey was probably his father and he probably thought he'd survive if he lived with us.

Surprisingly, Anakin never left. He became fast friends with Bailey. Meredith, who lost her babies due to dystocia, immediately took care of Anakin. She took care of cleaning him and teaching him the ropes of how to be a cat. I think Anakin gave her peace since she couldn't have kittens anymore. She still babies Anakin until now.

Here's the video:

https://youtu.be/R8ULzx1CZ7g?si=Sp8mbamkmOMilAMC

Anakin brought us a lot of joy. He's the most affectionate among all our fur babies. We've never seen him fight with anyone, but he's very protective and hangs out with me whenever I putter around the garden. 

Ahh, I can't imagine not having Anakin around. I named him Anakin because he was really dark when we first saw him. Eventually, his beautiful markings started to show. No idea who his mother is and some have said he probably has some breeded blood. Whatever it is he is well loved and part of our pawmily.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Happy Father's Day

Missing Daddy especially today. Happy Father's Day, Daddy. Wish you were here to celebrate!

Of course, Happy Father's Day to Sweetie and Dad! Love you 😘 

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Rainy Season Pests

I haven't had to water the plants everyday since the rainy season started, but I've had to be vigilant with pests. They started showing up last week and if I'm not careful they will eat all my plants.

I was surprised when I started to see more snails in the garden. I haven't tried the beer trick yet. I'm afraid the cats might get curious and try it. Sweetie has been helping me scoop them up. We've been catching at least 20 per day! I know there's much more since each one can produce hundreds. I have to research how I can prevent them from multiplying.

I have been dealing also with caterpillars, green fat wrigglies and the brown hairy ones. Ugh! They've been eating my calamansi and Mom's ornamental plants. I'm actively inspecting plants to make sure they don't multiply. I still spray Neem oil weekly, I know that helps. The rains though wash it off that's why I need to check and remove the pests.

I saw a beetle on a bamboo leaf the other night. I left it alone since it can help eat invasive pests. 

We're also actively trimming trees, bamboo and bushy plants. This will help control the pest population and hopefully discourage other pests from using our plants as shelter. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Nanyang

Squeezed in a date after doing some errands. We were really happy when Nanyang opened a branch nearby. It easily brings us back to the days we'd enjoy merienda at Toastbox.

For merienda, Sweetie got me a set. It includes butter sugar thick toast, 2 eggs, and iced teh. It was filling and perfect for a quick bite. I love how they provided dark soy sauce and white pepper for the egg. I felt like I was back at Toastbox Vivo City! 

What about you? What's your favorite non-Filipino merienda?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Araw ng Kalayaan 2025

I only have one wish for this year's Araw ng Kalayaan (Independence Day). It's for our country to be freed from the hands of corrupt and evil people. 

:'(

#BeKind #StaySafe

Watched "Everything About My Wife"

The day after watching "My Future You", we decided to watch the Jennilyn-Dennis flick, "Everything About My Wife". We watched the trailer a few months ago and thought it would be an interesting romcom.

The first part of the movie delivered the fun moments as the main characters went through their courtship. It was still light when it fast forwarded to the 7th year of their marriage where they moved to Cebu.

Sam Milby played the perfect "third party". His job was to stir the marriage and hopefully break it up. After that part, the film suddenly turned too serious and left the audience hanging at the end. It felt like the writer ran out of ideas and someone took over to finish the film.

Well, maybe that's what they intended to do, but it left me disappointed especially knowing that the main characters are married in real life and gave their love a second chance. I've watched other movies by Jennilyn and they usually end on a positive note. 

Sigh.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Anakin's First Gotcha Day

Three hundred sixty six days ago, we found a black kitten traipsing around our garage. It noisily demanded us to feed it. 

Our first reaction was to find someone to adopt it, but the kitten proved to be the most affectionate. Luckily, no one volunteered to adopt him. I named him Anakin because of his color. 

From the first time we saw him, he never left. We suspect it was Grey who brought him to us. By then, Bailey also decided not to go with his Mama Kaley whenever she left. Anakin and Bailey became fast friends. They became besties and would play all day.

We made sure Anakin was vaccinated and neutered. He's always in the mood to play and would be very affectionate during meal time. We always have a hard time reeling him in whenever we need to leave. He never wants us to go out, haha. 

He made us worry one time when his eye was accidentally scratched by Bailey. We immediately brought him to the vet. Good thing the wound didn't affect his eyesight and it eventually recovered after a month of daily eye drops. 

Anakin, the youngest of our pawmily. Happy first Gotcha day with us. We love you forever!

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Tried Panda Express Ice Cream

The boys stepped out for an errand and came back with Panda Express' Ice cream. They were surprised that the resto had ice cream, got curious and bought some.

They have two flavors available: cookies & cream and coffee almond. I got to try the coffee and almond flavor. 

I like coffee flavored ice cream and usually buy a pint every so often. I was eager to try what the boys got for me. Sweetie ate his right after dinner and said it was okay. I had it after doing some sewing.

I was expecting the cup to be full almost to the brim (like how Magnolia does it), but I was surprised to see it looked like just a scoop. I'm not sure if they just scooped it and put it in a covered cup for takeaway. 

What I enjoyed about the ice cream was the nuts. They were chopped bigger than usual. The coffee flavor though was too mild. Maybe I've been spoiled by my favorite brand. Oh well, at least we got to try it.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Watched "My Future You"

Netflix just added a whole bunch of MMFF movies the past week. We were looking to watch something light yesterday and selected the FranSeth film. 

What made us curious about it is the time travel aspect of the film. We wondered how it would work out. I was also curious why the film got several awards. 

It was unpredictable. We couldn't really say what would happen next. They were able to intertwine the timelines perfectly. The story was also able to convey family values across the film subtly. I like how it wasn't over the top. 

I won't spoil the ending for you, just go watch it. We were so engrossed we ended up eating a lot of tacos made by our friend Nina. It was yummy! You can order through her IG at https://www.instagram.com/therapynitita?igsh=aGN2b2RwZ2hyamZs

Happy Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Zinnia!

I planted some zinnia seeds last April. It took awhile before it sprouted. The stem grew longer when I transferred the pot to a sunnier spot. I started questioning myself whether I planted zinnia seeds or sunflowers since the stem was really long.

I supported the stems with bamboo sticks. It was really surprising that it kept growing. My garden doesn't get enough sunlight because of our location. Anyway, I monitored the plant closely as it grew.

I was surprised early this week when I saw a bud growing from one of the stems. It was the longest stem. I was still unsure whether it would be a zinnia or sunflower (LOL!). It's been raining also so I kept my expectations low.

It was sunny the other day and I was surprised to see a blossom. It was a beautiful orange zinnia flower! Woohoo! I'm so happy I was able to grow a plant that produces flowers!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Brunch at Nono's

We used to avoid dining at Nono's because it's quite expensive! We relented when it opened a branch nearby. After trying it we've made it a point to dine there once in awhile. 

The announcement about EDSA's new regulations, the rising health issues and heavy traffic had us re-programming our trips to BGC/Makati. We now plan to spend the least amount of time when we need to go to BGC/Makati. So, we ended up having brunch at Nono's the other day.

I like the food at Nono's and I try to order a different dish everytime we go. It's just frustrating that my first choice is always unavailable! I ended up ordering the waffle eggs Benedict. Oh my! It was huge! The waffle was completely covered with ham, eggs and hollandaise sauce. Of course, weird lil me ate it with ketchup, hehe.

Sweetie got a pulled pork sandwich and it was huge too! He said he liked it. Miggy got his usual chicken (I forgot to take a photo, haha). We were all properly full after the meal and then left for our appointment.

Our plan to eat nearby worked. We were able to avoid heavy traffic. Luckily, we didn't wait long to see the doctor and was in and out of the hospital in an hour. We went back towards home immediately to avoid traffic and just had a stopover to buy meds. 

It's been a long week! Happy long weekend everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Booksale, Again!

A trip to the mall nearby is not complete if we don't drop by Booksale. We finished our appointment early, so we dropped by the mall to buy meds. Of course, we dropped by Booksale before we did our errand.

We usually park on the other side, but since it was just a quick visit we parked in the building where Booksale was located. Oh boy! The elevator sounded scary! We originally thought the strange sound was from a car. We realized the weird sound was the elevator! We'll stick to parking on the other side next time!

Anyway, we reached Booksale safely. The staff smiled after seeing us. She always tells us to come on a Tuesday. They get new stocks on Mondays, so there's always fresh books on Tuesdays. 

Sweetie got a huge haul. Twelve books for just PhP220! I saw a number of books that interested me. A few were craft books, but one was a music book of nursery rhymes. That's where I started when I learned to play the piano. My first recital piece was "Old MacDonald" :)

I haven't been buying fiction books since I have a huge pile of unread books. It's Miggy who's been buying fiction books. He got a book by Michael Crichton, "Sphere". We had it before, but it perished during Typhoon Ondoy.

Before we left I saw a child holding a magazine about ships. We always try to find books about ships for Dad. I told Sweetie about it and I went to the back part of the store and promptly found a book on naval aviation. I know we probably won't find a similar one, so I got that too. Dad received the book today and he was fascinated with the book, especially with the emblem. I'm glad we got the book for him. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Got My Ears Checked

Finally got to see my ENT yesterday. It was a good timing since ear pain woke me up at dawn. I was groping in the dark to find some paracetamol. I ended up taking my migraine meds. I also had a headache anyway. Played the white noise and I soon fell asleep again.

We headed to the hospital after eating breakfast. We had a hard time finding a spot to park (as usual!), so Miggy and I went ahead to the clinic. We didn't have to wait long and the doctor immediately checked my ear after I told him my symptoms.

My ENT in Singapore told me that ear tunnel is narrow. My ear issues recur every 5 years (more or less) and an ENT has to clean it. I'm glad my new ENT is very adept with cleaning. I didn't feel any pain and I felt I could hear clearer.

The ringing and buzzing reduced over the weekend. My hearing wasn't affected, but the doctor advised to monitor for the next two weeks. If tinnitus persists I have to do a hearing test. I hope my ear will heal in the next few days. 🙏

#BeKind #StaySafe

New Eyeglasses

Miggy and I have been overdue to get new eyeglasses. Five years overdue! My eyeglasses frame broke while I had it on. We immediately visited an opthalmologist last week

It takes a week for my eyeglasses to be made. I've been using progressive lenses for almost a decade now, so I was happy when the shop pinged me this morning that our eyeglasses were available.

Got our new eyeglasses today. I selected a plastic frame since I've been using a steel frame the past five years. It's lighter and with the correct grade the world feels brighter. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

The Month of May (2025)

Completed another month for my one second everyday project. May will always start heavily for me since Mom passed on the first of May two years ago. After that we celebrate Dad's birthday by the 19th. We spent most of the month at home. It was still too hot to venture out, so most of my daily 1SE was taken at home. 

We focused our time on health maintenance. Got our annual flu shots and did some check-ups too. The cats weren't spared and unfortunately Grogu got a deep wound which had to be stitched. We brought him home yesterday, but he kept licking and biting the wound. He was brought back to the vet and would best stay there until he completely heals. We have no idea how he got his wound. 

I spent a lot of time tending to Mom's plants. I tried propagating her bougainvillea and I re-potted a couple of plants we rescued from our childhood home. It's a lot of work and I'm still sorting her stuff (it's bottomless!). The boxes for donation is now a huge pile. We have to follow-up to have it picked up. 

The most important thing we did for the month of May was to vote! Only two of those who I voted for senator won. It was also very hard to chose who to vote for the local positions. Oh well, I hope the new generation can produce more diligent and effective leaders. 

Here's the one second everyday video for the month of May:

Since we only went out when needed, we squeezed in time to eat well. We were able to try Panco Cafe and the newly opened Brooklyn pizza place near our home. I also did a quest to find the best spinach pizza. Tried Pizza Telefono's and luckily got a free experience pizza from Shakey's. It was both good. Maybe next time we'll try Angel's Pizza. 

I'm so glad the rainy season is around the corner. The weather has improved a lot in the past week. We've also been able to collect rain water and the plants love it!

June will be about the birthdays of my boys and we have to plan for the second half of the year!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Checked Out an Australian Surplus Shop

Randomly watched a video about an Australian surplus shop at midnight. Found ourselves at the shop the next day, haha. We were curious, plus Sweetie needs a few things for Dad.

It just took us 10 minutes from Bicutan to reach the location at Tunasan, Muntinlupa. A far cry from the 90 minute travel time to BGC! The store was inside a warehouse in an industrial complex. Parking was relatively easy.

The store had a mix of goods. They had appliances, house ware (mostly from Anko), furniture, tools, toys, gadgets and cat stuff! I think it was the tail end of their sale, but they still had a lot of stuff. 

The furniture selection was on the second floor. The stairway was pretty steep and was a workout for my knees and lungs. They had a myriad of stuff, but what caught my eye were the garden furniture. I'll come back for something in the future. 

They had Chromebooks, but it was already sold out by the time we came. They have tablets for under PhP1,000. Useful if you know how to install earlier versions of apps or you can use it as a photo album.  

A lot of the houseware items were useful. They even had a small aquarium. I didn't need anything so just enjoyed looking at stuff. Don't expect much on the toy stuff, most were for younger children. 

I think the JVC branded gadgets are on 50% off until month end. Most were speakers for partying, you can check it on their FB page.

We skipped the tools and equipment section, but I saw they had a lot of lawn lowers and hand tools. Oh, I forgot to check the power washer! Maybe next time!

Here's the addy:

Shop and Save Australian Surplus 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/9wciKE3bA335nG199

#BeKind #StaySafe