closed door

I am still in some form of denial that my yoga studio may be closing for good.

Maybe that is a good thing, there are always new studios to checkout and different classes to try.  It is also a good opportunity for me to find somewhere more convenient.

I guess as I am such a creature of habit, my not-so-conveniently-located-yoga-studio feels like home and swapping for a closer one doesn't really entice me.

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There is a set of yoga clothes stored in my office drawer, something I keep there in case I have the sudden urge to go to class.  And while there is no chance at all that I am going this week, I had not brought it home yet.

Hoping?  Maybe.

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I practiced a little bit at home yesterday.  I needed the stretch.  And my short vacation caused some softness in the midsection. 

(Thanks Mom for keeping me well fed.)

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I feel a little bit melancholy. 

Somehow, my studio closing feels to me like a good friend is moving away for good. 

Maybe it is because of the strong association of the practice to the physical place.  My first yoga class ever, I took with this yoga company.

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I have started looking around and while there are two I had shortlisted, I don't think I am ready to commit.

I think I need more time.

Meanwhile, I have the feeling my yoga mat and block at home will take some beating till then. 

my one and OILY you

I told my husband that somehow, I had become a hippie.

That was me, exaggerating.  

It did not happen overnight, and I am still somewhat surprised with the number of natural treatments I embrace.

Tea Tree Oil.  That is what I use when I have insect bites, minor cuts and pimples.  We literally never run out of this at home.  It is the second most used oil in our home.

Rose Hip Oil.  I had stopped buying night cream for more than two years now.  A few drops of Rose Hip Oil on my face before heading to bed.  That's it.  

Peppermint Oil.  Lately I have been using a lot on this during that horrible time of the month.  Ladies, you know what I mean.  

Lavender Oil.  This, I put on the soles of my (and my husband's) feet at night.  It is supposed to help you sleep better at night.  Placebo?  Maybe.  But I love how it smells!

Baking Soda.  I use this for everything--the most obvious is for baking ;) but I also occassionally use it as an exfoliant, laundry soap, silver polish and... shampoo!   

family of growers

kindergarten

I think it was my mom who posted a a link to some 8 plants you can start growing quite easily.  It was about vegetables you can buy once and grow yourself.  

Road to self sustenance?  Maybe for some.

I'm doing it for fun :)

Now that I think about it, Red Onion was not even listed.  I'm a rebel like that. 

It also makes a good blog entry, the dish I'd prepare using my 'harvest'.  Maybe I'd use some Calamansi from our plant too.

Can't wait!

my sister's scallions

 Meanwhile, the women in our family decided they'd do it too.  These are my sister's scallions after less than a week.  

She says seeing the new leaves makes her smile.  She is adding a few more stalks, seeing how fast they grow.  

I don't have the photo here, but making smoothies a few weeks back, she decided to throw two avocado seeds into separate pots.  And guess what?  They are plants now!

Of cours it would be years until the avocado plants bear fruit, but it's still cool!

Miss Miami: Celery

My Aunt in the States chose Celery.  The photo here is Day 1, I'm sure we'd see her baby's progress as we go along.

I have a funny feeling she would grow other vegetables pretty soon ;)

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We are waiting for my Mom.  Not sure what she is growing but she swears she's starting in September.

señorita french toast

ba-na-na & cheese french toast
with walnuts, french vanilla almonds, maple syrup

As I was asleep before 9PM last night (yes, feeling feverish still!), I was up early this Sunday morning.

I looked at my sleepy husband and asked him if he wanted breakfast.

"Yes!  French toast!" he said with his eyes half closed and a smile on his lips.

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Thirty minutes later, I put this in front of him.  He is now wide awake and ready to eat.

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In the past, whenever I made french toast, it was the traditional way/ingredients.  Ever so often I'd put some cheese, making it savoury.  I like the creamy, stringy texture too!     

Today came in with extras.

Bananas were actually just sitting on our dinning table waiting to be eaten, these are that of the small variety called señorita.  I like to call them baby banana too :)

The nuts were part of a haul from an online store my husband's friend recommended.  

For breakfast, I was just obvious, they all had to come together!

finally home

one day pancit will come

Ever since we got our beloved aloe vera, I had been thinking of what would be next for us.  

We wanted to pace ourselves buying plants--like everything we have in our home right now.  It would be too easy to suddenly have a forest.  

I wanted a plant that would contribute to the kitchen; and look good too.  Chilli and Calamansi were the finalists.   

The Calamansi won.  For not only does it look and smell good, it is also my favourite Filipino ingredient!  I kid you not; when my cousin who moved to Canada told me that the thing she misses the most from home was Calamansi; I FELT THE PAIN.  Truly.  

What is pancit without calamansi?  SAD.    

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We are looking to welcome another plant into our home--when I find it.

There is a particular orchid variety that I WANT, but can't find to purchase.  There are a lot of VERY similar ones, but I am truly willing to wait for the one that takes my breath away.  I'm patient that way :)

Hibiscus

big flower

The hibiscus was one of the first rainbow loom projects I saw when I started browsing online.  I remember though that as I had very limited C-clips then, I could not afford sacrificing five.  Soooo, I didn't really pursue.

Chatting with my niece however, I discovered that she likes this bracelet but somehow feels that it is too advanced to make herself.

As any 'thoughtful' godmother would do, I made one for her.

After making this, I realised that the only drawback for this bracelet is the excessive C-Clip requirement.  It maybe has the highest wow-to-effort ratio!  If you have tons of C-Clips I recommend making a bouquet!  It is easy, promise!

I played around with the colours on this, each petal is supposed to have three colours, I used four :)

I showed this photo to my niece and she's excited--as I am!

Three (once) Painful Stories

Things we buy are bore out of life's issues.  Or frustrations.

I think.

I find that it is true for me.

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When I got my hands on some gift cheques, I made a mental list of the things I wanted to buy.  

Things that will address some life issues and frustrations.

Things that somewhat make the pain go away.

new friends

Chicken.  I am always paranoid that I'd serve raw chicken.  

Salmonella.  

I remember getting the bird in and out of the oven checking and re-rechecking if the entire thing is cooked through.  

I hate hate hate, having to cut through it to see if it is still pink.

There was a time that I got very frustrated because as we were eating, I discovered that I had to put it back into the oven.

Horrible.  

I love mealtimes!  I especially love cooking and serving my husband various dishes.  I look forward to sitting with him, enjoying what food I put together.

Obviously, I was not happy having to 'fix' something while relaxing with my husband.

Not to mention having to change plates and forking through the rest-of-the-chicken--assessing the 'state' of the fowl.  

It was a nightmare.  

I decided then to postpone any whole chicken cooking until I get a thermometer.  

Ahem.

Guess what I'm cooking this weekend? :)

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Apples. And pears.  I love them.  I love them raw, chopped in a salad, dipped in caramel, baked with brown sugar, butter and rum, as pie filling.

I once bought a cheap apple corer because I was making stuffed apple wrapped in a pastry and there was truly no way to core the apple but buy the gadget (none that I was aware of).  It was the only one corer in the grocery store, so I went ahead and got it.

It was able to do the job, I even used it to take the 'eyes' out of peeled pineapple one time.

BUT, as with poorly constructed things, it broke.  The 'blade' twisted.  You get what you pay for, I guess.

Long story short, I was making diagonal cylinders through apples for a while.  It meant getting more flesh out that necessary to catch the seeds.  What a waste of good fruit!

Last night, I threw that flimsy abomination away.  Good times :)

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Meat. 

Okay.  No painful story here.  I lied.

The meat tenderiser however, will enhance the Filipino Tapa I often make :)