Have a nice day!

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have a nice day from carolcreates!

To Market! Market!

masskara
No, I did not go to Bacolod. I went to Market! Market! today primarily to watch the winning dance troupe of the Masskara Festival reprise their winning number. I'm no culture vulture, just doing some research for a future project.

Market!Market was WILD! We loved the Fiesta Market, where I gave my daughter a getting-to-know-your-fruits tour. Husband had breakfast (we got there before 10!) of Lucban Longganisa. As he ate he made us try the stuff on his plate (son, daughter & I ate breakfast at home), probably making people think, "Kawawa naman yung isang pamilya, pinagsasaluhan ang dalawang longganisa! 'Yun pa naman 'yung babaing nagtitinda ng Australian Steak..." he he.

Today's bounty: China apples @ P5 each, seedless grapes @ P179, red rice @ P32, more Lucban longganisa (33% cheaper than the ones sold at the church yard), 3 long stems of Easter Lily @ P10!!! (I was so happy!) plus sisig, dinuguan, palabok and fish head sinigang for lunch. We were frustrated not to have tried the famous Ineng's barbecue. I was already in line but Son was too hungry to wait. Some other day perhaps, when the place is less crowded (grabe, Taguigsters all over!)

Photography plate # 5,231?

My favorite girl

Many many years ago, I took a Photography class in college. I'd say it was one great preparation for a full time job I had much later: motherhood. Since the days my son and daughter were born, I must have taken thousands of photos. I loved it when I handled Kodak because I could get a discount on film. Now that we have a digital camera, photography has taken a whole new turn for me. No more expensive film to buy and develop! But it saddens me that Kodak is closing its film production facility in Australia because the world's demand for film has considerably gone down in the advent of digital photography.

Anyway, the shutterbug in me will keep on going. And I've found my favorite subject!

Make my day

Second issue

After three months of labor, Code Red's second quarterly issue is out. This quarter's theme is GIVING--- giving time, donating an organ, giving up a career for love, giving way in traffic, giving and growing old gracefully, and so much more.

This made my day: Last Saturday, I brought copies of the mag to my son's Father & Son Activity, where I was part of the Registration Committee. I was busy with my chores so didn't have time to man my "stand." When there was a lull in the arrival of father & son teams, I approached some Moms, told them about the mag, and sold some. When the event was about to end, I approached some Dads and succeeded in selling them copies. It was only later when I learned that one Dad approached my daughter at the stand and asked if the mag was for sale. He bought one, without any prodding! He sat on one corner and proceeded to read it. After about 10 minutes of reading, he approached me, and asked if he could also buy the first issue!!! I was so thankful I brought a back issue with me. I thanked him and he said, "I'm happy to support your advocacy!"

Whew! Mission accomplished :-)

Dreaming

haagen daz banana split

It's been a while since I had this (taken at the Haagen Daz parlor at Shang a few months ago) and I sure feel like having one now, even if it's 6 o'clock in the morning :-)

'To do' list

DONE
* Magazine proofread and sent off to press, 1
* Delivered steak since Friday, 69 kilos
* Steak orders for Wednesday, 45 kilos
* Concept presentations on Powerpoint, 2
* Glass bead bracelets, 1 and 2 halves
* Lunch date arranged, 1

UNDONE
* Event concept brief, 1
* Powepoint CDs, 2
* Glass bead bracelets, 2 halves
* Loose string of beads on left slip on, 1
* Books to be covered, 10
* Uncle's letter to his client, 1
* Unsent email, 1

another kikay phone

sweet dangler, created 3 October 2004

Of course the not-so-little girl wanted one for her phone too. So she chose her colors (pink & purple beads) and even wanted a silver heart dangler to be added as well. She initially wanted a butterfly but it didn't go quite well with the heart beads. Let's just hope it doesn't scratch the phone :-)

My kikay phone

phone dangler, created october 2, 2004

I've been wanting to glamourize my phone for the longest time. After finding the right cord and choosing the perfect beads, my Nokia is now one-of-a-kind! It also matches my watch and earrings!

Amazing Race

The search for the 10 treasures

Just before midnight, I challenged the not-so-little girl to an Amazing Race to find her birthday gift. I handed her an orange note with the words
The hunt is on for 10 treasures to make your birthday a perfect 10!!!Clue # 1: Go out of a blue door and into the night to find clue # 2, alright!!!
She jumped in excitement and opened the door to the terrace, where clue # 2 waited:
Go right back in,, sweetie.
Inside the cabinet number 1,2,3, is clue numba three!
She went straight to the cabinet to find clue # 3:
It’s blue & lumpy, d’ya know what it’s for?
It’s bag & a seat and it’s got clue number four!
She couldn't quite figure it out so I sort of led her to the bean bag to find clue #4:
Take 14 steps down, and look straight right up. . .
What you will see will make your eyes pop!
She ran down the stairs and saw clue #5 above the curtain rod.
Now go to the house’s hot spot
And dive into a big white cooking pot!
Off to the kitchen she went to open a pot on the range. Yukk!, she said as she fished out clue #6.
You’re halfway there, you lucky one,
Just look under the time to have more fun!
She immediately looked at the wall clock but as she was lifting it, a lizard came running out! She screamed and asked me to get clue #7 instead:
Now search a “Hawaiian Goose’s” bed,
underneath what cradles her head!
I had a problem with this earlier. "Hawaiian Goose" is Nene, her Yaya's name. But Yaya Nene had fallen asleep by then and her room was locked. So I had to scribble something else instead: "Now search what in the mornings is your bed, underneath what cradles your head." So she made a dash for the sofa and found clue #8 under the throw pillow:
Hooray, hooray, clue # 8 if I must say
Is where you ride when you want to play!
She headed for her bike and found clue #9:
You’ve come so close, but wazzup, wazzup, my dear
Right where you wash your face & hair?
Whew! She rushed back upstairs to her bathroom to find the final clue:
You made it, you’re a perfect 10!
Coz right behind a pink kitty, your 10 treasures are hidden!!!
She paused for a while and went to her room, found the pink Kitty pillow and screamed!
There she found 10 books, one for each of her 10 years, all tied by a huge white bow!!!

She finished the Amazing Race a few minutes before midnight. She went straight to bed, saying she will no longer wait til 12 midnight. And she slept with a smile on her face...

Perfect 10!

'no party' favors

Yesterday, my not so little girl turned 10. It being a schoolday, there was no party but I slaved for an entire day and a sleepless night working on these favors. My original plan was to put 10 pieces of chocolates in a plastic party bag (1 for each year) but I realized midway that it will consume too much chocolates and worse, too much time. So I settled with six. After all, the list that Birthday Girl prepared had 70 classmates, teachers, best friends and busmates! I finished everything (melting, molding, wrapping) a few minutes before her school bus arrived at six.

carol's choco factory 

Another creation's creation

My daughter wrote this short story as an entry to a short story writing contest in 3rd grade. It didn't win but in my heart, it did!

Butterfloat, butterflip, butterfly!

One day, a pupa was hanging on a leaf of a mango tree. Right beside it was a building. And there on that floor near where the pupa hung, was a ballet class. And each time the pupa would hear the music, it would swing back and forth, back and forth.

One morning, as Tara was practicing her dance for her ballet recital, the pupa cracked open. Slowly the butterfly stuck out its left wing. After a moment, it stuck out its right wing. And in the next few minutes, the whole butterfly was out of its pupa. But instead of flying away, it just hang on.

It watched Tara practice; and slowly tried to imitate her. When Tara stretched her arms, it tried to stretch its own wings. It tumbled and laughed. When Tara put her arms together, it also tried to put its wings together. Luckily, it worked! As Tara was practicing dancing, the butterfly was practicing flying!

Little by little, the butterfly let go of the pupa. First floated. Then flipped. And then at last, it flew! What a graceful butterfly dancing in the air!

Crossings

slash... and cross! 

I was up so many nights and mornings helping out on this girl's cross stitch project. The last time I did any cross stitch was more than five years ago when I once again attempted to finish the personalized Christmas stockings I started for her and her kuya when she was born. She turns 10 on Thursday.

Sadness

Four years ago, after a seeing yellow bells all over Subic, I decided to get one for my garden. I went to Claire's Greenhearts, and got myself not just yellow bells, but purple bells as well.

Four years later the purple bells must have grown four malnourished branches, each one measuring three feet. But the yellow bells? Oooh, they fluorished in the sunshine and in the rain, draping lazily on our front fence, creeping sneakily over our side wall, prettily guarding the huge empty lot. But the 'sneaking' was short-lived. Shortly after, a big new house rose from the barren land, now protected by a 10-foot wall. Were my yellow bells disheartened? After all, their 'growth room' was now twice as high, blocking their daily playtime with the sun. And so they climbed... higher, longer, up and over the 10-foot wall, where they finally held court, basking in the all-day sun, stretching in every direction, dozens of blooms dotting the curtain of green.

Nice as they looked, my husband felt uneasy about our one of our own trespassing in the neighbor's territory. But they look good, I protested, and they made their side of the fence look good as well. But there was a bigger, less aesthetic problem: the vines had viciously made their way up, in and around the neighbor's main power line, and would pose an electrical problem in no time. And he was right. After all, he'd seen the neighboor eyeing the yellow bells in a not-so-appreciative way a few times. And so we sent the maid to tell the neighbor's gardener to feel free to trim the traspassing vines should they really get in the way. But for many more months, the yellow bells still bloomed in full glory, their overstaying status simply ignored.

And then last Thursday morning it happened. First to go were their Japanese bamboo, their bouganvillas, and then MY precious yellow bells---all limbs that grew over the wall, 'round the post and up the dapdap tree. I ate my breakfast in deep sadness.

The next day I sent Claire a text message about the amputation of the yellow bells. She texted back a word that summed up the mood and tone of the entire experience. "Condolence."

surprise bloom! 

it's beginning to look like a garden blog... 

more blooms 

what grows in my garden 

pretty danglers 

choco lolly bouquet

i made 30 of these (with 10 tinted white chocolate lollipops each!) for my friend's daughter's 1st birthday. took me three long nights, but who cares, i really enjoyed making the lollipops and making them bloom!