Caroleen’s Treasures

Today is such a tiring day for the three of us. We went to Ella’s school to ask if classes will start tomorrow. I sent Donald last week to get the requirements and schedule but he cannot relied upon that matter I guess. He told me it will be on Friday, so I just relaxed ‘cos I got plenty of time to get Ella’s school fees from my paypal. I have transferred it the other day to my eon account, since it was Saturday, I can probably withdraw the money on Thursday. Oh well, glad that the teacher told me she can come to school tomorrow and the payment will be on Friday. She gave me the list of requirements…the school supplies and uniforms. Guess what? We went straight to Tagum City, 2 hour bus ride from here, to get all the stuffs on the list. School supplies can be bought here but the fabric and other items aren’t. Donald stood on the line for almost 2 hours in the school supplies department and another 1 hour in the fabric department. I was thinking there will be less people shopping for school since classes will start tomorrow, but I was soooo wrong. The queue is so long that you cannot even tell where is the end of it. But anyway, we had a nice time there. Got to go! Had to sleep early for Ella’s first day of school. I will be back for more stories about today. Good night!

Today I woke up feeling so sore on my back, chest and throat Donald with the other members serenaded Ate Aling. I decided last night to stay as Ella has no company. It is raining when they left here. When Donald arrived at around 6 am, I told him I am not feeling alright. So he and Ella prepared themselves for the church while I declared I am on a sick leave The kids has no Sunday School teacher ‘cos no one is willing to teach, so the kids decided it was time for a tour around the church. As much as I want to get up from the bed and get dressed, I could not. Ella was even telling me “Please Mommy, you dress now ‘cos we don’t have a teacher…” Awwww…..poor Ella. She missed Sunday School but I am sure they did enjoy their “field trip” around the yard. I am not feeling well from too much heat exposure yesterday on the wood stove. After I cooked lunch, it rained and I got wet. I thought taking a shower will keep me from getting sick but I was wrong.

After lunch, Donald and Ella went with the rest of the members to the river for a baptismal. I am still not feeling well so I stayed in bed. At 3 pm they came home and Donald prepared again to leave for a bible study. I and Inang had a nice chat in the living room while she was going through the pile of our clothes that needs to have a new home. She was looking for spaghetti strapped tops as she was feeling so hot. Just in time when Tatang was leaving, Ate Edith came with her tail….three daughters and a son who are Ella’s playmate. While we are chatting, I heard some kids yelling in the chapel. I went out and saw a bunch of kids, boys and girls, playing inside the building. I asked them not to bring their “tire toys” ( an old motorcycle tire which they push with a stick to make it roll ) as this is not a playground but a chapel. I told the oldest daughter of Ate Edith to lock the gate when everyone leave. She did lock it. After a while I heard a noise again from the chapel and it sounded the same kids whom I asked to go home. I went there to see them all again in the chapel. I was like “Heck! How did they came in when the gate was locked?” I went near them on the other side of the Chapel only to see one part of the fence was opened to give way to the truck which dumped gravel this moring. Man, if the kids were’t looking at me, I must have laughed out loud at what I have discovered. Such an idiot I asked help from Ate Edith’s daughter to put back the fence to keep the kids out.

In the evening, Donald gave me a very good massage just before we had dinner. He is so good in it and I felt better. Yesterday, when I and Ella were on our way to the grocery store, she said her friends were haunting for steel, nails and tin cans to sell to earn money for the enrollment fees. I said, “Oh really?” then she, in her most innocent look, said “Mommy, I will go and find steel too so I can sell it and pay for my enrollment fee…” Awww….she is such a sweet girl! I told her she doesn’t need to do that as she will go to school without selling steel.

While Ella was in deep sleep, I and Donald are so engrossed watching the You Tube of Moymoy Palaboy. They are so talented! We had so much fun watching their videos. You gotta watch it and see for yourself :-)This is my favorite….entitled GIRLFRIEND.

I was not in the best mood to blog tonight…but since I wasn’t able to blog much about what has transpired last Thursday night until yesterday when I was having issues with my internet, I decided to beg to my fingers and my brain to at least write one decent post tonight. Glad they agreed.

Last Thursday morning, my internet was slowing down. I thought it will get pick up speed at night. Before we had dinner, I posted one tag and was planning to post another entry after dinner. But when I sat infront of my puter to write a novel for the day, the internet is having its MOOD SWINGS. I could not open any site and I began to panick a little but feel eased somehow that I can sleep early that night as we are having some special visitors the following day. I waited for a few more hours but to no good. So at past midnight, I crawled in bed hoping that I can access to my site when I woke up.

At 7 am, Tatang and Inang were already here bringing in coffee and rice for the visitors. Uncle Dencio, the preacher from Davao City, and his wife Ate Leah arrived at 10 am with the team of other preachers and church workers for the monthly workshop here in Trento and the other neighboring town. They were about eight and they had coffee and lunch here. Inang and Tatang are very busy the past weeks and there was no exception that day and today. So they just pop up here every few hours and leave again. It was actually blessing in disguise that I do not have internet connection as I had time to fix the visitor’s meals. After lunch, the others left for the other town and Uncle Dencio and Ate Leah stayed. We had a nice time with them as they are our close friends back in Davao. At 6pm Donald had a great news when he arrived from the market. He said there is an internet connection and I knew it then when I went to check it. Yipey!!!! I can get online!!!! The couple had a body massage by an old woman from the neighborhood just before dinner. We had “dinegdeng” for dinner, an Ilocano vegetable dish cooked with fish paste. At night before bedtime, it rained and I was chilling a little. I just love hiding underneath my blanket when it gets cold like this.

This morning, I and Donald are up early to prepare breakfast. We don’t usually have breakfast, but for the visitors we will serve them their requested breakfast. Boiled eggplant, bitter gourd tops and quail eggs was set on the table and the couple are happy to have vegetables again. In Davao you seldom can get fresh vegetables. After breakfast, they had a chat with Ate Leah’s brother in Kentucky. They had a nice time talking with him, then time to get a shower and prepare for the workshop for the church members which will be conducted by the couple. I stayed inside the house while they are there in the chapel. I prepared lunch with Tatang while running back and forth on the puter. When lunch was ready, I sat infront of here with my lunch on my desk. Bihon guisado! My favorite especially when I was the one who cooked. Time flies so fast that at 2pm they left for Davao.

When they are gone, the members stayed for a while to have a meeting and to conduct a visitation and bible study on one of the neighbors. I and Ella went to pick up my earnings from blogging that was sent through Western Union by my sister. Ella was so sleepy that she was complaining almost the whole time we were there. Then we went to the market and bought vegetables, fish paste, mangoes, mongo beans and she had picked a cellhpone toy. After the market, we headed to the grocery store and picked some items.

It was such a long weekend for me as I had back pains from straining my muscles. Ella and Donald were off to dreamland, while I was hoping I can get this done and crawl to bed too….my eyes are shutting off by themselves and I needed some toothpicks to keep them open.

I was dragging my feet all day as I feel so tired and lazy from Ella’s birthday party yesterday. It was just a simple party yet I feel so exhausted. But Ella wasn’t feeling that and went to play early in the morning. She went outside and found her birthday present dead. The frail looking chick that a kid gave her yesterday. Good that she has not built a strong attachment to it yet so the funeral was quick and easy. Her friend Charlie dug a hole in the yard and they buried it there. Ella put a cross in it and they said a little prayer for its innocent soul. Here’s some photos of Ella’s birthday party yesterday.

As I always ask “Where did the time go?”….Oh well….she is growing up so fast and Donald was saying since the other day that we do not have a 4 year-old in the house anymore. 

See our baby turned into a lady 

Ella and Mommy

With Tita Crislyn

the Drama Princess and the Drama Queen (Tita CheChe)

and last but cetainly not the least, our family picture

It is Sunday again, Ella’s favorite day of the week Woke up earlier than usual and had a nice breakfast. At Sunday School, I have more than ten kids and they behaved well. We had a story about the Prodigal Son and they are so amazed of the picture of the son who ate pig food. As usual Ella led prayer for the opening, for the food and closing prayer as well. I was trying to get the other kids to lead prayer but they just stood infront and never did say any word! They seem to freeze there so Ella always on the rescue, raising her hand and saying she could do it. She did well again in prayers and song leading too. I will train her soon in story telling so she can handle my class and I can attend the bible study and worship service

In the afternoon we are napping when the members came calling from the door. So nap time was called for time-out We had a black out from 9am to 5pm and it was soooo hot that I had a head ache If only we are not too sleepy we could have not slept without fan. Donald had a bible study with the members while I folded the laundry. At 4ish I called Ella and we went to the grocery store to pick some other things needed for her small party tomorrow. She was so excited though and even told one mother at church that she will gonna have a roaster pig tomorrow and invited the kids and moms too Of course Donald have to cut her off by telling them we will only have some spaghetti’s and other dishes but no roasted pig.

At last I have finished arranging the clutter on the two rooms I am kinda crammer you know. I can get myself to do things in the last minute. Donald and I arranged the living room and took out the bed in there to make more room for chairs. I also put a board on the end of the table and put a fabric and a banner. Ella was really thrilled she was having another birthday! She was singing all afternoon and even slept early tonight ‘cos she said she will be up first thing in the morning to sing herself a Happy Birthday.

It was a busy day for everyone here. We woke up and went straight doing house chores. I tried arranging the clutter in the other two rooms and I am pissed off at the BIG mess. Ella went in and out on both rooms the past week, rummaging through the boxes and trash bags of stuffs from Davao. Everyday she wear the Barbie and Tinker Bell costumes that I have got from our bale of “ukay-ukay” (gently used clothes) store. She had this on for a few minutes, acting like the characters while the other kids giggle on her little show. And now I called for a time-out. No one will enter the two rooms. I have it called the “forbidden rooms” and I can hear her tell this to her friends while she sat on the front door, not allowed to step out or else I would return to the store the box full of stuffs for her birthday.

Donald and a couple, Kuya Balong and Ate Edith (the mom and dad of Ella’s stubborn palymates) were here to weed around the churchyard. They are nice couple, I like them…only their kids were so stubborn. I went out to ask what to prepare for lunch as we should let them eat here with their 4 kids. At lunch we all eat out. We had grilled fish and fish soup for lunch and I have fun having company during lunch. We eat out Yes, outside the house. On the shed where my Children’s Class are gathered every Sunday. After the nice meal, I finished tucking the cheap table mantle that I have bought. Donald said our house looked like a real house now with it Ella seconded it too!

In the afternoon, I called Ella in the bedroom for a nap. The power went on and off for several times and I have to fan Ella as it is burning hot like an oven. I was just hoping it won’t rain in the evening as weather here surprises me always. Ate Edith made “biko” (sticky rice cooked with brown sugar and coconut milk) for afternoon merienda. It was soooo good and Ella finished one big serving. When everyone was full, we went back to our own things, scattered around the yard to finish the job by the time sun sets. Tatang and Inang were here twice, they are busy on their projects on lands and titles but promised to be here tomorrow to bring Ella quail eggs. Ella just loved quail eggs like us. We ought a dozen of it at the grocery store yesterday but it was not good. The fresh ones from Tatang and Inang’s poultry are a lot better or should I say the BEST among the rest

While I am writing this post, Ella begged for food. She has eaten dinner and had a glass of milk! She must be in a growth spurt. We went to the kitchen and gave her “biko” and water. After the quick midnight snack, she said “Mommy, alas-onse na o…” (Mommy it is eleven o’clock now) pointing on the wall clock. I looked at it and said “No, it is still ten o’clock.” And explained further how did I tell the time. “When the small hand is pointing on the number ten and the long hand is pointing on the number twelve, it is ten o’clock.” And the eleven o’clock and so on. Then she nodded as if she full understood only to fire me back with question that almost made me feel off my seat…she asked about the “second” hand….”How about the other hand? The fast moving one? Is it still looking for her OWN number?”

I suppose I could finish the laundry today but I got hooked in my pc. Donald and Ella went to the gymnasium to watch the championship game of volleyball. One of the players is the daughter of Tatang and Inang and they were there to give moral support and stress themselves when the other team scores. With all their cheering and yelling the team lost the game, but Donald says it was a close fight. At least they gave the opponent a great scare and made the audience almost had a heart attack

Ella has a little bottle of cologne I bought yesterday, so before they left she put on her neck and wrist (Oh well…she is really growing up fast and more lady like) Then she put the bottle on her pocket and I tucked a Mickey Mouse handkerchief on the other pocket. I am not used to being alone here in the house, their absence makes me miss their noise and constant questions. Yes, I have to answer questions asked between them. I was joking to Donald when he asked me something tonight with regards to the camera my sister Crislyn got…and I was like “Hey, can you give me a break? I feel like I am raising two toddlers…” Of course his and Ella’s queries are different…Ella asks a lot of WHY’s while he asks a lot of WHAT, HOW, WHO and WHEN which of course will take me more time to answer than that of Ella’s. I told him “When a child asks too many questions, she is showing intelligence…but when a grown up asks too many questions, he is showing he is a fool”. Oh no! I must not have said that ‘cos he will tickle me to death! Glad he just gave me the look

Not much going on today. I woke up at the usual time and sat on my pc while Ella still sleeps soundly. I think she must have been tired from yesterdays active play. She also stayed late last night, singing and doing her puzzles while Donald sleeps. She is darn good in her 24 pieces Pooh puzzle She actually got it as a birthday present on her 4th birthday and it was just a few days ago that she enjoyed it and keep on assembling and breaking it just to do it all over again. She has two puzzles and she can finish it in just a few minutes! Her 8 and 9 year old playmates could not do it that fast And I am the proud Momma here She is really growing fast! In a week she will turn 5 and I kept asking myself where did the time go?

Donald wasn’t feeling fine today. He complained on muscle pain and he has a slight fever. I told ya, he is not used to climbing trees that high! But of course he still did his chores around the house and he did some weeding too in the backyard. As I inspected the flower bed around the chapel, I almost cursed the chicken for ruining it. I am thinking of ways to keep them from coming back…maybe putting chicken wire around? But Donald has a better idea. To keep the chicken away is to get them to the frying pan

It must have been just an ordinary Sunday except that today I have to make unleavened bread for the communion. Hey it was my first time to make it! We woke up early. Much earlier than usual since last night we received a message that the members who attended the funeral in Davao could not make it to the worship service. One of them is the member who makes bread. So I sent Donald to the market to buy flour and snacks for the Children’s Class first thing in the morning. I made a quick shower to Ella and dressed her, then went shower myself and when I am done Donald was already here. I made the most delicious bread in the whole world! I have a recipe for it that I got when I attended a ladies meeting where we are taught to make unleavened bread. But hey I forgot where the recipe was and the worst thing is I can’t remember the exact measurement of it. Well Donald was used to my experiments like making Puto Cheese (flour muffin topped with cheese) without following the recipe by an expert. I experimented a recipe and to me it is better or should I say the best So I did the trial and error too on the bread but I am crossing my fingers that I will make a good one in just one try as I am running out of time. When it was done Donald tasted it and said it was real good Well I can say it is true! But it breaks easily…it means I put more oil so I made a second batch and it was better

After making bread, I rushed outside to meet my students who are waiting patiently on the shed. As usual Ella was quick to raise her hand when I asked who will lead a prayer. She is really getting good in praying Then she volunteered again in song leading. Since other kids are so ashamed to stand in front, I let Ella do it again this time. We had a review on last Sunday’s bible story about Jonah as there are several kids who are not around. While they are coloring a picture, one of the girls complained her tummy is aching. I asked her if she’s hungry, she said no. I noticed she is so pale and seemed to faint. I rushed inside the house and get Ella’s medicine for stomach ache and gave her some and hot water. Good that the medicine did kick in quick and she was in her old talkative self again.

Last night as I was writing my post here, there’s trouble with my internet connection. I wonder why it does have an x when it was not raining. I asked Donald to call Smart Bro and was told that there is a problem with the connection. So in the morning while I was still in bed, I heard Ella climbed down from bed and went outside. Then a few minutes I heard Donald calling Ella and it sounded like the voice comes from up in heaven I guessed he must have been up there on the tree! I was feeling so lazy to get up early so I just listened what was going on. He sure did climb up the bread fruit tree to turn the antenna. Last night’s strong wind made it turn 180 degress so it isn’t picking signal. I was not actually expecting him to climb up there as it is too high and I am not used to seeing him climb trees. The tree does not have too many branches to hold. I was grinning from ear to ear when he said he already fixed it and was even too proud he has done it It was like a great achievement to him so I did some cheering and if ever there was a medal lying around here, I awarded him one

In the afternoon it did rain again….very hard! The wind turned the antenna 180 degrees again I was really upset when wind blows the antenna….but glad that Donald said he will climb up again when the rain will stop. I waited for an hour or so and the rain did stop. We went outside and I was afraid he might fall. He insists on me being there to give him moral support The bark is wet and slippery but he did bring a rag to wipe a spot before holding onto it. Brilliant idea! So what I did to help was to give him direction where to turn the antenna. When it was done, I felt like my neck couldn’t hold my head. Maybe I strained it from looking up and from yelling too. It was hard to coach someone to climb…which branch to step on…which foot to step…which branch to hold…a choleric indeed! Got to go and find the usb flash drive which I will be needing for tomorrow.