A Grateful Month of May

The month of May was relatively uneventful for me. It was timely I had cardiac catheterization on Star Wars day (May 4). It was that week that policies were made stricter because of growing clusters. My doctor said it was good timing also because they didn't know if procedures would be delayed. They got a memo the day after to delay all non-urgent procedures. 

I'm grateful for this month because Sweetie was able to stay home to care for me. The procedure went well. I just couldn't walk properly for a few days, but the wound healed properly. It took me awhile to adjust to the new medicine dosage. I would pray everytime I drank meds. I feel the rest and adjusted medication is finally working. I'm happy that I'm now able to do more activities at home. 

I also completed a writers retreat. It ran for 5 weekends. I was hesitant to join at first because I wasn't sure if I'd hold up. I did! And I'm very happy I got a nudge to join the workshop. I finally started the challenge Kuya gave me a few years ago. I hope I could finish it this year. With the support of family and new friends I hope I'll finish the project. 

June is coming up in a few minutes! I hope it will be a jolly month since it's a huge birthday month for my family! 

CB///*Yr2/51  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/78 #StayHome #BeKind

May Challenge Completed!

I challenged myself this month to level-up my sewing skills. Majority of my projects have been sewn by hand. Sweetie got me a sewing machine, but I only use it for a small part of my projects. I pushed myself to learn more by taking on an advanced project - a quilted tote bag. 

Hand sewing is therapeutic for me so I combined embroidery and hand quilting. It took me ten days to finish the project. I discovered a few things about myself while making the project:

One - I really can't draw! My friends thought I was trying to draw an oversized avocado. I was in fact trying to draw a pair of scissors. LOL. 

Two - Tastas is life when something isn't up to par. Learned this from my Mom. 

Three - Still can learn new things. I've always been wary of using the sewing machine. I just needed a little push. 

Of course, I made a how-to video. Here it is -

More details on how to make this bag on my sewing blog.

For the month of June I plan to finish the Harry Potter blanket. I need to finish it before my scheduled cardiac catheterization! (My doctors are hell-bent on fixing me!). 

Happy Sunday everyone!

CB///*Yr2/50  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/77 #StayHome #BeKind

Pruning Hurts

I saw a video the other day of a woman pruning a tall bush in her garden. She had to use a ladder to reach the top and she used an electric trimmer to do the job. What she didn't know was she angered the snake that was living in the bush. The snake bit her hand. She took a step back when she saw the snake and promptly fell off the ladder. Luckily a neighbor heard her cry and rescued her. 

The snake bit her so fast. She felt the pain, but she only reacted when she saw the snake looking at her. I can't help but relate what happened to her to my experience. Sometimes we just go on and on with our life. We miss signals when we're supposed to take another direction. We stubbornly stay in our comfort zone, even when things get harder. 

They always say, look to your left and right before crossing a street. It's also suggested that you use a stick when walking through a forest or cogon land. If the woman looked through the bush or wiggled it with a stick, then maybe the snake would've been alerted and could've ran away before she started trimming. Much like our life, if we assess things often and ask for guidance from Him, then we could avoid being bitten when it's time for pruning. 

I related to the video because I went through a difficult patch earlier this week. While doing a project I had to look back at my painful past. I have moved on from it, but it's something I rarely think about now. Of course this triggered the pain from recent events. I had a hard time sleeping and I had bad dreams. I was only able to calm down after I prayed. I remembered that I have to trust that God is navigating me to the right direction.  

Pruning time hurts, but you can look forward to a more beautiful life to blossom after. 

Photo of me by Ralph Sarmiento. 

Mr. Snake from Singapore Zoo. 

CB///*Yr2/49  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/76 #StayHome #BeKind

Brownie Fail

I finally got around to baking the box of brownies that's been sitting on the counter for awhile now. It looked perfectly okay, but something was terribly off taste-wise. I'm not sure if the mix spoiled while waiting to be baked or it must've been the oil. Oh well, so no brownies for us tonight. Boo. 

I'm happy though I had enough energy to bake today. Earlier this week I spent two days just sleeping. I play things by ear and do activities based on how I'm doing. Yesterday I was able to do some mat exercises and I made some progress with my quilt project. Yaaas! 

Happy weekend everyone! Just keep going!

CB///*Yr2/48  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/75 #StayHome #BeKind

I'll Never Get Bored

When I was a child I didn't really like having birthday parties. I was always apprehensive about mingling. I remember peering through the window to see who arrived for my seventh birthday. My Mom had to push me out to welcome the arrival of my classmates. We continued to have those parties until I turned 13 and then they let me do what I wanted after that. 

I rarely had playdates because I was perfectly happy being alone. My favorite toys were Lego and Barbie. During summer my Mom would teach me different crafts. She taught me how to make Christmas cards which I sold during the parish fiesta. Then I learned how to make pincushions which I sold to my neighbor Titas. Then I learned how to quilt, make straw bags, and crochet. It was my Mama Lola who taught me how to use a sewing machine (on her vintage Singer sewing machine). 

Remnant from my pincushion production days (c.1987?). I still use it.

I just watched Janice de Belen's vlog featuring her craft room. I had one before in our old place. I couldn't help but laugh when she said she has this compulsion to buy everything she needs before she makes something. Yup, I think it's an addiction of crafter to buy so many materials. I used to have a shelf full of beads. It's now with my Mom and kept in Daddy's old tshirt cabinet. Now I have boxes of fabric and the collection is growing. And the other day I may have accidentally bought a boatload of buttons. Hahaha. 

I'll never get bored. Between chores, exercising, writing, reading and working on crafts there's just so much to do. I can't imagine now how I used to fit in work across all of that. 

Are you doing what makes you happy?

CB///*Yr2/47  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/74 #StayHome #BeKind

How I Forgave Myself from Slowing-Down

Conquered Borobudur Temple
3 months after OHS.

I'm used to being busy. I take pride in being very productive everyday. It made me very happy when I'm able to tick off a lot of my daily tasks. I'd be deliriously happy when I'm also able to work on my hobbies after work. I was an Energizer bunny on steroids. 

My health though forced me to slow down. It brought me a lot of anxiety. It was the guilt from being unproductive. I'm lucky I have a friend who kept reminding me that it wasn't my fault I was sick. He said I should focus on getting well and I shouldn't feel guilty about it. 

I felt I was letting everyone down. That's what ate me up day in, day out. I used to be able to work before even when I was sick. I even flew to Rome after being diagnosed with a huge blood clot in my lungs. I was bleeding like crazy, but I pushed on. My will was very strong. Looking back though, I shouldn't have done that. 

It took me five months before I realized why I had to slow down. It was God's way of re-directing me. He's been trying to do it for a couple of years already, but I've been stubborn. I finally accepted that this is a time for me to heal and do nothing else. When my heart and mind opened to the re-direction my breathing and stamina started to improve. 

Sometimes we get so stubborn and try to stick to what we're used to. We forget that we're here for a higher purpose. Just sit back, relax and let Him navigate your path. All will be alright. 

CB///*Yr2/46  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/73 #StayHome #BeKind

*OHS - open heart surgery

Making May Marvelous

At the beginning of the month I told myself I was going to make May marvelous! I started the month by joining a writers retreat. I was quite anxious about it since I was iffy about making it through. We had weekly homework to get our project started. I'm surprised I was able to do the challenges considering there are days when I have to completely rest. I'm inspired to continue and pray I will finish what I started. 

The writer's retreat was a huge step for me. My health has kept me from doing much so I keep to myself mostly. The other thing that I focused on this month is my stamina. I make sure to do my exercises everyday and I'm working to increase what I can do. At least I'm a bit more useful now at home compared to last month. 

Also working on a quilt project. I had to set aside the Harry Potter quilt blanket for now. It's so heavy! That's one of the reasons why I've been working on strengthening my arms. I just received today my fabric order from Spotlight. I'm excited to work on my other projects. 

I continue to blog everyday to keep my mind busy. It helps me focus and has been my way to track my progress. I had to drastically adjust my lifestyle since I need to cope with what my body can do for now. I rest when I need to and that's okay. 

CB///*Yr2/45  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/72 #StayHome #BeKind