Miracle Sundays: Be Not Afraid

Today is the Transfiguration where Jesus brought some of the disciples with him and told them to "Get up...and Be not afraid". They were terrified after hearing a voice from the clouds. 

What Jesus is telling us here is that we should not be afraid of the unknown. The disciples got scared because they were not familiar with the voice they heard. We all get scared. I was terrified of reciting in class and performing on stage. I still felt the same way when I had to present in front of an audience. I also got the hibbie jibbies whenever I to present my quarterly report. 

Survived all of it by praying. A lot of people asked me if I wasn't scared when I had heart surgery, twice. I was strangely very calm when I was wheeled in the operating theater both times. I had a decade to prepare for surgery and I just left it all to His Will. I had no doubt that the doctors would take good care of me. It was many years later when they told me they almost lost me. They said my Will was very strong and I fought back. I told them it wasn't my will, but His. 

Today's Gospel is a good reminder for me not to be afraid. The past year has been very rough health-wise. I need to constantly remind myself that I should just live everything to Him and live my life the best way I can. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Plantita Saturdays: Composting Coffee Grinds

Since being weaned away from instant coffee, we've been amassing a good amount of coffee grinds from our daily cup. It was a shame to just throw it out, so I read up on composting coffee grinds. I learned it's best to let it dry a bit first before using it. 

Composting coffee grinds.

I've been using the grinds as compost in two ways. I sometimes put it directly on the plant. I just put a little since I'm not sure if it might be too acidic for the plant. It's a good fertilizer for the bamboo, they seem to like it. 

I read and watched a couple of videos on composting and for a few months now I've been adding the coffee grinds and filter to the compost bin. I just started a new one since I had a huge pile I dried in the past few weeks. 

Found a used broas tin, cleaned it up and asked Sweetie to put some holes in it. Placed all the grinds in. To hasten the process, I added some compost from the existing bin. That effectively transferred some of the worms to the new bin. To make it more delectable for them I add fresh discard veggies every so often.

The compost has to have a good balance between green and dry ingredients. Green ingredients are usually veggies, grinds, and fresh leaves (big plus if you can add malunggay leaves). Dry ingredients are the filter, dry leaves, paper or cut up toilet rolls. If your bin is smelly it means you need to add more dry ingredients.  

Keep the bin moist, so add water every few days. Don't cover the bin fully because the critters need a bit of air. I learned that the hard way when we fully closed the second bin, all the worms died from too much water and lack of air. They eventually came back when we fixed the issue. Mix the content weekly so the workers go through all the material. You'll know the bin is ready when the worms move out of the bin. 

Next time I want to try the three layer compost bin. I'm eyeing to use an old plastic drawer. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Foodie Fridays: Air Fried Cream Dory

Our kitchen is semi-functional again. We thought it would be a good time to learn more air fryer recipes. Our goal is to learn more seafood recipes since it's Lent. Found some cream dory in the freezer, so I thought that would be a good place to start. 

It was very easy to prepare. Just sliced the fish, added salt, pepper, lemon and melted butter. Left it for awhile to marinate. The boys took care of frying it. I told them I'll leave the frying to them. Works for me since I'm not really fond of frying and I get anxious with using newer kitchen gadgets (those I didn't grow up with). 

Here's how we made it -

The air fried cream dory was cooked perfectly. The boys liked it, but it was a bit too salty for me. Perhaps next time I'll use unsalted butter for the marinate. It would have been nicer too if we made some tartar sauce. Sweetie took care of plating it and we enjoyed eating it for dinner. Maybe next time we can try making calamares. A friend warned though that there are dishes better fried in oil. We'll see :)

Full recipe is at https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2023/02/recipes-for-my-son-air-fried-cream-dory.html

#BeKind #StaySafe

Throwback Thursday: One Second Everyday | February 2023

February was a much better month than January. It went by so quickly though and has been the busiest month for me. I say busy because I was able to move more, but I still had a lot of bad days. Needless to say, I'm happy i was able to be more productive. 

Here's a short highlights video of my month -

The highlight for the month was Sweetie's Valentine surprise. He brought me and Miggy to Nuvali to have lunch at Amare La Cucina. It was a joyous occasion because the last time we ate at Amare was during their soft opening in Baguio many, many years ago. I've wanted to try their pizza again for a long time now, so the surprise was a happy one. We were also finally able to visit Landmark again on the same day (not our usual branch though). 

I rarely go out and it sometimes takes weeks before I get to go out again. I'm content when we go on a joyride around the park to spin Pokestops. Still need to be cautious since I'm immunocompromised. I've made it part of my Lenten 40-day challenge to go out at least once a week. That way I can move around more. So I'm really grateful we were able to go out almost weekly in February. I think that has helped me generate more steps at home. Yay!

March is here now and the biggest challenge would be the change in the weather. We need to make a few adjustments at home to keep the temperature down. Hopefully Architect Wansi and his team can squeeze it in their busy schedule because I don't want to be stuck in the bedroom all summer! 

Let's all make March a grateful month!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Wellness Wednesdays: A Little Added Care a Day Goes a Long Way

I was having more bad days than good days the past few months. It's annoying since I'm unproductive on those days. I've accepted the fact that it's going to be that way. My doctors have helped the best way they could, but if I want to increase my energy and stamina I have to work harder. 

For this Lenten season I have resolved to take better care of myself. For the 40 days of Lent I have resolved to do the following everyday:

• Exercise - to be consistent I tied the mini-exercises I do with some chores. Wall push-ups while preparing coffee and more movement through chores (i.e. dishwashing or cooking). The general aim is to walk at least 1,500 steps per day around the house. Stop when feeling unwell. Aim for a long walk at least once a week.
• Self-care - daily skincare. I realized that I've been so lucky because my skin has generally been unaffected by my medical issues. I have to take care of it though, so I have resumed my skincare routine. I also started to have more white hair, so I'm taking care off my hair too. 
• Keep my mind working - found it easier to blog ahead. I feel a bit anxious if I blog on the same day, so I've been trying to write at least a day ahead. If my muse is in the mood I try to write up to 3 days ahead. This gives me time to do other things. 
• Have a working goal - I have so many interests and hobbies. I sometimes get overwhelmed with everything I want to do. I now use the area on my planner where you can write out your weekly targets. I just write 3 priorities for the week and do what I can. 
• Pause when needed - I know what triggers my issues, so things sometimes change in an instant. A good day can immediately change to a bad day. So I check the weather and the AQI before I go out of our bedroom. 

I have to find the best balance between movement and rest. Being a bit more productive is important for me because it helps with my overall well-being. I thought the best thing I can do this Lent is work on being at least 1% better than the day before. I have not been able to see my doctor regularly because she's always busy. This means I have to take better care of myself. I hope I'll have more stamina by Easter. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Creative Happy Tuesdays: Vinta Inspired Hand Quilted Throw Pillowcase

It's been a year since I made the vinta inspired hand quilted throw pillowcase. I finally edited the tutorial video and made the how-to guide. After I made this I focused on finishing the t-shirt quilt blanket and some odd projects. Filming while working on my craft takes away the fun in creating. My friend Cherry though told me I should continue to make these vids. 

It was indeed a good reminder because I normally go back to my videos for reference. Yup, even I forget about some techniques I learn along the way. Sharing what you learn also makes it stick more to your memory bank. My original plan after retirement was to teach. I can't do that anymore so I guess sharing what I learn when I'm being creative would be useful. 

One of the things I want to do is to create Filipino culture inspired quilts. Drawing isn't one of my skills. I also consider myself still a beginner at quilting. But I could work on creating designs that can be broken down in regular shapes. The vinta was manageable for me to make. It didn't have any crazy shapes and it was fairly easy to hand quilt. 

The project took me two weeks to make. I worked on it while watching TV at night (that's why some of the clips were a bit dark). Anyway, finally unearthed the clips and did some editing. 

This one is for you Cherry, haha. May my lazy bones create more. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Home on Mondays: Condo Masters Bedroom Makeover

Last week I shared about the changes we requested for the masters bedroom bathroom in the condo. Our masters bedroom was generally okay, but the biggest pain were the closets. We added built in closets when we moved in, but made the mistake of using cabinet swinging doors instead of sliding doors. We had to move stuff just to open the cabinet. The cabinets also looked dated. The cabinet was the main focus then for the master bedroom. 

Midway through renovations.

Old look of the masters bedroom

The space was just enough for a bed and closets. I tried to fit in a dresser and we eventually got rid of it because it got wet (the a/c dripped). On Sweetie's side of the bed, he was frustrated with his cabinet. Opening the cabinet was difficult because he had to move a stool everytime he had to open it. My cabinet was a pain to open also because I had a fan in front of it. 

Here's what we changed in the masters bedroom:

Cabinet doors changed to sliding doors

Changed color of cabinets

Changed the flooring

Changed the lighting fixture

Installed blinds

Added side tables since there was space for it now

We stayed in the condo for a few weeks and got to experience the changes. We brought only essential items. Our experience was amazing. The unit was also much cooler and we didn't use the a/c most of the time. We didn't bring a lot of stuff, but we managed. It felt good actually not to have so much things. The cleaner who came to work on our balcony said he was so surprised to see the unit empty. He said it looked beautiful. 

Staying in the unit for a few weeks gave us a better idea on some minor issues that need to be addressed. Will share next week on what to prioritize if you're acquiring a condo unit. :)

#BeKind #StaySafe