How Long it Took to Clear and Save Mom's Plants

Every plant on the frontage of my childhood home was planted by my Mom. It changes every few years. Everytime I visited she was doing some gardening. She was still gardening the day before she passed away. I knew it her plants are very important to her, so we've been doing the herculean task of saving what we could.

I tried to bargain with the contractor if we could leave the frontage plants alone. They explained that they had to construct a new front wall and it would affect the structure if they're not able to clear the area. I've been propagating some of the plants the past few months as back-up. Luckily, our gardener was finally available last week and helped set-up plants to propagate. 

It took three full days to clear the front lawn. My Mom packed in a lot of plants and some had poked the front wall already. We bought several large pots and soil and prioritized what plants to keep. The gardeners helped pot the plants and we hope they'll grow this rainy season. The back-up plants I propagated the past few months have rooted and are growing nicely. I just need to make sure they are watered regularly, so we can transplant them eventually. 

My current small garden is now full of Mom's plants. The gardeners said we look like we're selling plants (haha). I know it's just a small fraction of what Mom had in her garden. I'm just grateful we're able to save her hardwork. She loved her plants dearly and she'll be happy to know we have a starter set we can bring back when we move back home. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Frankenstein with a Heart

Miggy and I watched "Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein" on Netflix the other day. It was a 2 and a half hour film that made us enthralled while watching it.

I first saw Frankenstein at Universal Studios when I was a child. He scared me a lot, so I avoided anything related to him. Miggy chose the film, so I agreed to watch it. I basically had no idea what to expect, but I've always been fascinated by films made by Guillermo del Toro so I knew it would be good. 

Conquering my fear of Frankenstein. I was very freaked out on this day.

I realized I never really watched a Frankenstein film. I only knew he was put together using different parts and was given life through lightning. Miggy said the film was made very close to how the story unfolded in the book. We saw how Dr. Victor Frankenstein created "the monster" and the film showed further how the creature developed. The creature who'd never die grew a heart and can live forever.

The film was made really well. Kudos to Guillermo del Toro, the actors and the whole production team who put the film together. It's a masterpiece and the best so far of all the Guillermo del Toro films I've watched. It's still on Netflix and go watch it this weekend if you haven't seen it yet. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Visited DLSU as a Child

When I was a child, my siblings would bring me with them to school. Both were enrolled in engineering courses at De La Salle University and were active in their organizations. I'd go with them to ensure they went home early (haha).

The flour game

I remember one visit so well. My sister had an org activity at the College Canteen. What I remember most from that day was a game where they had to find coins hidden in a pan full of flour. Ate explained that they disinfected the coins since the players had to find it with their mouth. It left a lasting impression on me and I had no doubt I'd eventually study at La Salle. 

c1996 (?) Me and Tappy in the CR, haha

True enough, I eventually walked the same halls and ate at the College Canteen, ten years later. By this time both my siblings were already professionals and had their own families. Everything still looked the same by then, but eventually new buildings were built and the College Canteen was painted. 

2011

The last time I visited a few years ago, I barely recognized some areas of the campus. The College Canteen was gone and the library moved to a new building. I'm sure a lot more changes have been made in the past few years. 

2018

*I still have to scan photos when I was a student

#BeKind #StaySafe

Anakin's Second Gotcha Day!

Yesterday, we celebrated Anakin's Second Gotcha Day! He was a surprise since at that time the only kitten around was Bailey Boo. We suspected that Grey brought him in. We originally planned to have him adopted since we had at least 10 cats and kittens. Luckily, the adopter backed out. 

The kitten was darker than the rest of the brood. I decided to name him Anakin since he reminded me of Darth Vadar, haha. He's the complete opposite of the character though since he's very vocal and affectionate. He originally looked like a rat though, but with TLC and lots of food, he grew up to be a handsome boy. 

Anakin's quite a climber. I've seen him run up the neighbor's tree when he's going after a bird or a lizard. He's also very chatty and never fails to greet me by rubbing my legs when I go out to water the plants. I'm actually glad he came to us since he became Bailey's playmate and bestie. At 2 years old, they still play like they're kittens. 

To our bunso, Anakin, thank you for coming into our lives. You certainly changed the force in the cat-fam and you made Meredith a full time mom. She's very fond of you and Bailey. We love you to Dagobah and back! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Made a New Quilted Bag

It took over a month to finish this project, but it's finally done! It's been over five years since I made myself a proper bag. I realized I've come a long way since I made this bag. The last one I made was mostly hand-stitched and back then I didn't know how to use fusible interfacing. 

I wanted a bag that would remind me of the sun and lemon flavors. I gathered yellow scraps and cut to make small squares. I decided to use them for huge pockets as additional storage. I matched it with denim fabric to bring out the happy color. 

Luckily, my Mom left a lot o zippers and I was able to use one for the bag. I just DIY'd the handles with interfacing. Using interfacing for the handles makes a huge difference. I didn't put any in my previous bag and I had to add a new handle to make it sturdier. 

I like the size of this bag (9" x 3" x 12") since it fits my prescription envelope. I thought it was too slim, but it fit my stuff perfectly. Now, I can't wait to bring it to town, LOL. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Demolition Day One

I was confined in the hospital when the workers moved in. We scrambled to empty the house before the move in day and I guess that made me so stressed out. We had to send Chris and Pops to the province and completely empty the house. 

Funnily, there was still one cabinet that was filled to the brim! Mama Lola's vintage mirror kept it inaccessible. My Mom had cleared out Mama Lola's stuff and in it were more craft materials! It took me another three months to sort it.

Anyway, I managed to get home before the crew started to demolish the house. They had to build their lodging and storage area first. Then they removed all the furniture we were keeping (the big ones we can no longer store in our current home). 

I shed some tears when I saw what they removed first - my parents cabinets. The same ones that were installed when the house was built back in 1969. The foreman commended how the house was built. He said it was built really well and they would probably have a hard time removing everything.

I had mixed feelings about seeing my childhood home demolished. It was taken apart slowly. My siblings knew how it looked while it was being built. I slowly saw the opposite. I only saw what was being done through photos and videos since I had the misfortune of falling down the stairs a week after I got home from the hospital. I'm a total klutz, so for safety, I've been banned from going to my childhood home. It's probably better that way since aside from being a klutz, I may be an emotional wreck. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

The Past Few Weeks

There's been a lot of tension politically in the country the past few weeks. Well, more than usual. It's honestly, stressful since it ultimately affects each of us.

Since we got back 5 years ago, prices have gone up a lot. The budget I had before for groceries and food had to be adjusted. Luckily, we had solar installed a few years ago and we've been able to keep our electricity bill at a constant (we don't have batteries). Gas prices went up, so we only went out as needed. Water is also expected to go up this month. 

I hope it will be a better week for our country. I pray that truth and what is right will prevail. 

Happy Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe