One Second Everyday: July 2026

I'm trying to make sure I post my one second a day a week after the start of the month. Good thing I remembered to do it today for Throwback Thursday. 

The highlight of the month was celebrating Mando Laura and Grogu's birthday. They were born on different days, so we celebrated across the week. We even got cake! Haha. I couldn't figure out where to get cake that's safe for cats? The cake I got was devoured by the hoomans...

The rainy season is back, so I got to re-open my kitchen and cook homemade meals. Gardening time reduced a lot because of the rain. I water only when needed to make sure the roots don't rot. It will probably be this way for the next two to three months until the weather changes. 

We also go to see two friends from abroad. One from Australia earlier in July and the other one from Singapore at the end of the month. It's really fun to see friends who come and visit. I must admit, we've been hibernating and only go out when really needed, haha. It's hard to get around when you're on a wheelchair. 

I only finished one measly quilt project. We got busy with other stuff, so I had to de-prioritize sewing for the month. I've been a bit picky also on what I do since I have other ongoing non-sewing projects which take up time. I'm now choosing between three possible projects for the month. I'm having a hard time choosing since it will definitely take more time to make, heh. Here's my 1SE video for the month of July:

I hope the month of August would be a bit more productive. It's been raining like crazy, so we'll see...

How was your month of July?

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Brain Fog

Is real...

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Made Another Cat Quilt

I finally finished the cat quilt I've been working on. It was inspired from Pinterest and I used scraps to put it together. Making it took longer than I expected because I embroidered some parts of it. I also asked for advice from Miggy to make sure the measurements were correct.

Here's how I made it:

And the end result:

 

Nonetheless, I enjoyed making it. I'll use it as part of my new sewing machine cover. I haven't made one in more than 5 years. I hope it will turn out cute :)

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How We Resolved the Water Pump Issue

After two weeks of just getting water directly from Maynilad and experiencing an almost 24 hours water interruptions, we identified the issues to determine whether we should replace our water pump. This is how we decided - 

El Nino + health issues + 3 to 6 months wait for repair = get a new pump.  

We asked our architect what water pump he used for his projects. He recommended Grundfos. What followed was a week of research and checking the nearest place where we could buy a pump. The store said they didn't carry Grundfos anymore since parts were expensive (based on feedback from customers). They had another brand, Calpeda, which we found out has been around since 1959 and an Italian brand. We also looked at other cheaper brands, some which I experienced using growing up -- they broke down a lot. 

With Maynilad having frequent water interruptions, we decided to get Calpeda. We got a discount for it since it was included in the 3-day sale. The next day, the installer came to inspect the area. We decided to move the placement of the pump to keep the cats from using it as a stand to jump to the roof. The installer explained also that it's better to put the pump close to the bottom of the tank so it doesn't have to work harder. 

The pump was installed a few days after. It made a huge difference in the water pressure and we got to use our shower heater again. We were relieved that the heater wasn't at fault for the crazy extra hot water we were getting a few weeks ago. Ahh, Bhagwan water heaters are really for long-term use! To be honest, I was having a hard time taking showers without hot water and it made me feel unstable. 

We're still thinking whether to have the pump fixed and use it or sell it. What do you think?

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Friends

We had a surprise birthday celebration for a friend's 50th birthday. It was a heartwarming get together with friends I grew up with.

I always look forward to our get togethers. Even though it doesn't happen often, we usually just pick up where we left off. That's what decades of friendship entails.

During his thank you speech, my friend said he suspected something was going to happen. He was told to wear running clothes because that's where the family was doing this afternoon. He thought there might be a get together with us since we're all in the same area. He was surprised to see relatives from far away and his colleagues. It was a big happy surprise. 

Happy birthday, Denz! We hope you enjoy our gift!

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Rainy Gardening Days

It's been raining a lot in the past few days and it's been hard to figure out whether to add water to the plants or not. Our pocket garden looks like a jungle now because the plants had a growth spurt. 

Well, some plants continue to bloom even though it's raining. My new gumamela plants have been blooming every week. The new marigold plants were fine for a few weeks, but it hasn't adjusted well. I need to read up more about caring for marigold plants.

Surprisingly, the kalachuchi (desert rose) continues to bloom. I thought it would somehow hibernate since it prefers sunny days. I guess the chicken manure I added last summer is still providing it vitamins to make more flowers. The bonsai ones though are healthy but not flowering. 

I'm still amazed by the caladiums that just grew suddenly. We moved some empty pots from Mom's garden and apparently those pots had caladium bulbs in it. They just suddenly grew when it started raining. Not only that, they also grew much bigger than I expected! They are so lovely to look at and I always smile when I see them because it's also called "Heart of Jesus". 

The dark side of the rainy season are seasonal pests. We've been battling caterpillars that have been feasting on our calamansi plants. They had eaten about half of the leaves. The plants luckily bounced back, but the caterpillars keep coming back even though I've been spraying Neem oil mixture twice a week. What has helped is watering the soil with hydrogen peroxide which helps kill larvae. Oh well, we'll just need to be more vigilant.

When the weather clears, we'll also trim the plants. The grow spurt has been exponential with just a week of continuous rain. At least our rain drums are always full. It helps us keep the plants hydrated especially during water interruptions. 

How's your garden doing?

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Made Chicken Paprikash Again

Chicken Paprikash is a dish that was suggested to me by an aunt a few years ago. I was looking for tomato and cream based dishes to cook at home. This one though uses sour cream instead of all purpose cream. I just researched about it and found out it's fairly easy to make. 

I'm honestly not familiar with Hungarian cuisine, so trying this was an adventure. We all liked it and it's now part of my list of dishes to make at home. It's so delicious!

Here's how I made it -

For full recipe, visit https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2026/07/recipes-for-my-son-chicken-paprikash.html

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