Missus Bounty Basket

       Just looking at this picture makes me want to have a slice and dig in.Our gorgeous-looking cake(there were actually three) arranged in a swan cake stand was prepared by Ningning , a petite and soft-spoken  Kapangpangan. (28.06.2008)  12.08.2026 Just look  at that cake!  It was  almost our first wedding anniversary when I started this draft.  I was truly in awe of our cake that I wanted to interview Ningning, unfortunately it didn't materialize. In a way, she inspired me to learn how to bake. That's why I started baking muffins and my girls' birthday cake and  some relatives ordered my cakes. There was a Spiderman cake, a baptismal cake, choco muffins, cookies and of course Peppa Pig cake with butter cream frosting and I printed and cut out Peppa and George's images.    Because of this, I accumulated a lot of baking accessories. Even contemplated on getting serious about selling baked goods. This was when...

     05.18.2008 "That which you draw on will increase. That which you share will multiply. That which you withhold will diminish. That which you are born with must be claimed,used and develop."    08.08.2026 This is my 3rd post in my series on completing my 100+ drafts. I thank myself for showing up. I don't know to whom to attribute this quote and cannot remember why I started with this particular one. In any case,here it is and I am continuing to fill it with my thoughts.     This photo was in my draft, I thought of erasing it but decided not to.  I can hear the tickling clock and and the sound of a weeding machine (debroussailleuse). It's sunny and not that hot here. We are surrrounded by pine trees and are nestled  in an area where mountains seems to majestically remind us its strenght and beauty.  There are 100+ drafts and if I want to finish them before the year ends, ideally, there should be 5 drafts to complete each week. O...

It has been two weeks since I started my morning class-two weeks of mixed emotions. This may sound so lame, but there were times when I felt so tired and just wanted to cry, but didn't. There are still adjustments to make, and we're trying to regulate baby K's sleeping time. This is not easy for all of us, but hopefully she'll get used to these changes.  - June 2008 -  I cannot remember which class is mentioned here. But the thing is, reading these 3 paragraphs, it somehow opened various emotions as if they are still in me. I would have to remind myself that I am safe and that whatever fear or helplessness was present at that time was meant to be experienced and felt for me to grow as a mother. That I did my best at that time and that the baby is now a young adult who was able to experience the love, and all is well.

 Silencing my mind this morning.  Being still while the AC hums in the background. It's Sunday and I thought my scheduled draft is ready but there's none. So here I am doing my post on my phone instead of using my desktop.  Or I can just leave it for next week...But if I want something to change in my routine and give my brain the push and exercise it create another pathway. I am a midlifer. A semi empty nester. A creative being who is resetting and upgrading her life. Not in a fancy way. But rather in a quiet and not so steady pace. I am awakening that adventurous, curious and bold spirit in me. A lot of work but I don't want to give up. The 5 year old in me is waiting. She is excited to finally see the midlifer does her thing with boldness and love for life. 

The 100 CHF question has kept bugging me ever since I started blogging years ago. This is also the reason why I fell off the wagon so many times. Today, as I scheduled my writing and posting, I decided that continuing to write just for the sake of writing and following the schedule I have set for myself will suffice. It is enough for me, even without a reader. My plan is mainly to write and learn to express my thoughts. Write longer than 10 lines and insert the pictures that I have taken from our travels, my garden, here and there.  It's because of blogging that I was able to learn some HTML stuff. Because of writing here, I was able to discover a lot of things. Authors, podcasts, books to read, and what a joy it is to learn. Writing...What's good about this is that for as long as I write, I have this feeling of being a researcher, a storyteller, and a real writer. While I type, I have this beautiful sensation of being someone else, detached from myself as a Nanay-someone who i...

  Maybe it was the coffee... This urge to write once more, typing my thoughts. I had two biscotti. Carlo came home from the barber's. The wind, greens, woodpecker. My potted pink ranunculus has 5 flowers now. Still in my bathrobe. Need to continue with my sowing. 7 lines last April and did not post it. I am now on a quest to publish every saved post here, however short it may be. The most important thing is to put this out into the universe. The idea is to let go of everything here and not be kept hidden. To be braver and not to expect anything in return, but rather share my thoughts. This is a baby step toward being more outspoken. Not keeping everything inside my heart and head.  On to the next one.