Made a Tablet Case Out of Scrap Fabric

I decided to make a new case for my tablet since the last one I made has seen better days. I made it when I started quilting again in 2015. It was a practice piece and I told myself I'll make a proper one someday. "Someday" arrived and I wanted to make something useful for my last scrap fabric project (for now!). 

Since my last tablet case was pretty colorful, I decided to stick to black, red and white fabric. I went through a quilting magazine for inspiration. Chose a simple design that would fit the scraps I had on hand. I also used scrap wadding and binding to finish the project. 

Here's how I made the tablet case:

And how it turned out:

Side by side with my 2015 project :)

Measurements and other info available at: https://www.needleadventures.com/2023/10/scrap-fabric-project-diy-tablet-case.html

#BeKind #StaySafe

Had Our 10-Year Old 2-Seater Sofa Reupholstered

We've only ever bought 2 sofas in the past 13+ years Sweetie and I have been together. We originally used a sala set from Sweetie's home in Marikina for a few years. We bought a 2-seater sofa when we moved to our condo ten years ago. The space was small, so that's the only thing that fit. The second sofa we bought when we were in Singapore. It was convertible into a bed and we got to enjoy it for a few years. Unfortunately, we had to leave it in the last place we rented.

We enjoyed using the 2-seater sofa. We pulled it out from the condo and have been using it at home. I had many restful naps on it. It was also the only sofa we had since we moved. It became a prime spot in our family room, hahaha. Eventually, it broke down. One of the legs snapped. Miggy was able to replace the legs with a new set. It worked, but the foam also softened up. Sitting on it gave us backaches. 

So, I had the sofa re-upholstered together with Mom's sala set. The cost is honestly more expensive than buying a new one, but I figured it would be more eco-friendly to reupholster it. The structure of the sofa was also still pretty solid. I chose the same fabric color. You'd only know it's new because the foam is back to being solid. I napped on it a couple of times already since it was delivered, haha. 

Using one of Mom's quilt blankets to cover part of the sala set. 

Few things I learned about getting your sofa re-upholstered:

1. Find a reputable and trustworthy company. I first searched on FB and sent several inquiries. I decided on one a few weeks later, but when I tried to find the company page and messages again, it was gone. 

2. Don't search on FB, search on Google Maps. Most of those I found on FB were far from where I live and well since they didn't seem to be trustworthy, I went and searched for upholstery service near me on Google Maps. I found two that seemed promising. I researched about them and even went to see the one near me. I contacted both by calling them up and decided to go for the one a bit farther from me since the company seemed to be more established. 

3. Choosing fabric can be overwhelming. We at least knew what kind of fabric and color to choose. That made it easier for us to decide on what to use. 

4. Ask about payment and delivery schedules. The company forgot to inform me that I was supposed to pay 50% down in cash. I don't keep that much cash in my wallet, so they agreed to receive payment via GCash. They required me to pay in cash when the items were delivered.

5. Get to know the crew if you have a chance to meet them. That way you can also gauge how much experience they have doing upholstery work. Mang Jojo said he's been with the company for over a decade now. He was also able to assess that Mom's sala set was made of solid wood and would last a long time. 

Overall, I think getting our sofa and Mom's sala set re-upholstered was a good decision. It would have probably cost us four times the cost to purchase a new 2-seater sofa and a 5-piece sala set. We had been scouting for a set for our home for many months now and I just couldn't justify the cost. Mom would be very happy to know that we eventually took her sala set. She would have been very disappointed if we just let it go. :)

#BeKind StaySafe

I Didn't Know Mom Kept a Lot of My Childhood Things

We've been working on decluttering Mom's home the past few weeks. The team breezed through the common areas of the house, but things slowed down when they got to Mom's room. I was told that Mom really had a lot of knick-knacks. 

I went over to inspect the sorted boxes and was surprised to see a lot of things from my childhood. She kept all my piggy banks, my Hello Kitty mirror and comb set, my first sewing kit, my Millionaire's Game play money etc. I had thought they were long gone already. She had been nagging me to get my piggy banks since I got home. I didn't because my house was a huge mess. I made space for it already, so I got some of it. I know the rest she kept in a cabinet we haven't opened yet. 

Told my siblings I found our inheritance, LOL. 

What also surprised me was seeing the table by her bedside with my first communion photos. It wasn't there the last time I visited her at home, so she must have put it there recently. She must have been praying hard for me since I was getting sick a lot before she passed away. 

I've also started going through the papers she left behind. A lot are Dad's stuff. My Mom was really good at organizing things especially paperwork. All I need to do for now is change the envelopes they're stored in. Most of the papers are properly labelled and I'll find time to scan them. The photos though will be a huge monster to tackle since Mom loved to frame photos. Will hopefully be able to save them. And that's a different scanning project, let's see if my old HP printer will hold up, haha. 

I think Mom hung on to my things because I lost a lot during typhoon Ondoy. It broke my heart because most of the things I lost were items I bought with my hard earned money. My heart was heavy on the way to my childhood home. I didn't really want to see my Mom's things sorted in boxes, especially the ones in her room. My sadness though turned to joy when I saw how Mom painstakingly preserved my things. She'd been wanting to give some to me the past few years. I didn't want to since my house was (is!) still messy. She probably wanted to show how much she loved me by keeping my stuff. 

Oh, and it was a very hot day when we went. It surprisingly started to rain when we parked in front of the house. I guess, Mom wanted us to stick around for awhile. The rain made the house a bit cooler :)

#BeKind #StaySafe 

Bought Some Gumamela Plants from Mahogany Market

When I saw the gumamela (hibiscus) plants at Mahogany Market, it elicited happy childhood memories. Mom had it in her garden when I was growing up. I used to get flowers from it to make bubbles. I asked my Malaysian friend if they would grind some gumamela flowers, add water and detergent to make bubbles (and use alambre to blow bubbles with). He had no idea what gumamela was used for since they probably had ready made bubble juice in his generation. #signsofoldage

I had no plans to buy flowers when we went to Mahogany Market. I ended up getting four pots of gumamela on a whim. Aside from Mom having gumamela in her garden, I remember we had them in school too. It used to be very common also in our village. I don't see it often nowadays and probably plant collectors don't see much value in them. It's valuable to me because it brings back happy memories. 

To be honest, it took awhile to figure out how much water the plant needed. I read it liked its soil to be moist. The plants shed leaves and the flowers soon died after they opened. I immediately read more about hibiscus care and figured out it probably needed more water. I checked the soil in the afternoons to see if it was dry. It was, so I experimented for a few days to see how much water it needed. 

The plants have been with me for a month now. They look healthy. I've started to remove new leaves as instructed by Manang Lydia. She said I should do this to encourage the plant to grow more flowers. Since they re-potted the plants already, I will probably add some fertilizer by month end. That's one thing hibiscus plants need according to my research. 

I hope the plants last long with me. My plan is to also see if I can propagate it so I can give some to my friends.  :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Homemade Arroz ala Cubana

Now that I'm retired, I've been teaching Miggy how to cook. I recently taught him how to make arroz ala cubana. I had him cook while I was instructing him. Normally he takes care of filming, but this time I wanted to see if there were any more cooking skills I could teach him. I noticed he needed help with how to wield the cooking utensil. He was having a hard time mixing the meat with the veggies. Last time I taught him how to hold the pan handle while cooking so that the pot doesn't move around. 

Add egg if you wish :)

They didn't have cooking in their home economics in high school. We had it, although I only started really cooking in my 30s. I reviewed the basic through YouTube (knife skills, proper mixing etc.). What I remember from high school cooking class are the measurements and how to use most cooking gadgets. 

Arroz ala cubana is one of our favorite meals at Pancake House. It's gotten pretty expensive, so I whipped out the recipe we use since we had some ground beef. It's pretty easy to make, so this is now one of Miggy's dishes. Next time I'll let him cook it on his own, haha. 

More info and complete recipe at: https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2023/10/recipes-for-my-son-arroz-ala-cubana.html

#BeKind #StaySafe

That Time We Met "Forrest Gump"

A lifetime ago I used to attend a lot of events. I eventually stopped attending because I felt it wasn't aligned with what I want to do with my blog, plus I got busy with work. One of the most fun events I attended was at Bubba Gump. They flew in the Forrest Gump impersonator, Steve Weber, to help promote the restaurant. 

Forrest Gump is a memorable movie. Tom Hanks played the role well and I guess Forrest resonated with a lot of us. Who could forget the line, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." I rarely remember movie quotes, but this is one that I do remember. And like a lot of the events I've attended, this event with Forrest Gump was memorable. 

Anyway, it seems Bubba Gump closed down here in Manila. Last time I was able to eat at Bubba Gump was in the US with the boys. Their food is good, most of it has shrimp in it (unfortunately I'm now allergic to shrimp). Do try it in case you are near one. Aside from the food, they have a lot of memorablia from the movie. 

I don't know why I randomly remembered this event from 2008. I guess the universe is telling me to watch the movie again, haha. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

I Did a Sleep Test

One of the things I've been struggling with is falling asleep. More often than not I still feel tired when I wake up in the morning. My Fitbit tells me my oxygen saturation while asleep when I wake up. It used to go down to 93 to 94% before I started pulmo rehab. It has improved, but I still feel tired and my energy is still limited most days. 

My doctors have been working on finding ways to improve my endurance. I've done my regular tests and my new pulmo is also a sleep expert. He appraised me and Sweetie and recommended we do a sleep test. I finally did it the other day. Told the medtech it should be easy peasy since I just need to sleep. We were lucky because we were able to do it at home. 

Not yet wired at this point.

So I thought it would be a walk in the park compared to other tests I've done in the past. I knew they were going to stick some wires on me, but I didn't expect it to be a lot. It took 30 minutes for them to stick everything on me. Good thing my PT advised me not to use conditioner because they needed to stick stuff on my head. It wasn't easy. 

I was fighting sleep the whole day, but was told not to take a nap. After an hour and half of paperwork, setting up the machines and wiring me, I finally settled in and tried to sleep. It took awhile before I fell asleep. Sleeping while there are strangers monitoring you and not being able to curl up on my side was hard. They also moved me whenever I defaulted to my usual position. At some point they also put a mask on me. It made me feel like I was wearing Darth Vader's mask, haha. 

Got the results and I apparently have moderate sleep apnea. I have to schedule to see my doctor to find out what we need to do. Hopefully, it would help my quality of life since there's so much I want to do at home. Pulmo rehab has been helping, at least I can do one activity per day now versus 2 to 3 activities per week. I was told to rest though since I have the tendency to push hard whenever I feel okay, haha.