Caroleen’s Treasures

My most loved uncle went home to the Lord at 7:30am today. After a long battle with diabetes and some complications, he finally rested with his family beside him. This photo was taken last March 22 at Mergrande Resort in Davao during his son-in-law and granddaughter’s graduation. That was me in the leftmost, Papang Alfred, his wife-Mamang Ising and Cheche. I was having some issues with my heart since yesterday so I just took it lightly. I did cry but not too much because I know it is better that his suffering has ended. Hopefully tomorrow or Monday we can come to Davao to get checked then we will proceed to Kabacan for the funeral. Byebye Papang…..we will surely miss you!

And YUMMIER too …I am talking about our Caramel Popcorn not the one you are thinking about. This afternoon I made another batch of Caramel Popcorn using the Jolly Time Popcorn that was sent by Mama Ingrid. I could say it is so much better because it pops great! No waste! Unlike the local popcorn that Donald bought in the grocery store here. Many kernels did not pop at all. I also did some adjustments again of making the caramel and it turned out better!!!! It is crunchier and the caramel is not grainy as the first batch. I still have to see the result if it was baked. Donald like it more and I do too. I think I will send some to Ella at school tomorrow so the whole class could help us tell if this is just perfect and if we could start selling. Read more… »

I was supposed to post this last night but I was called for back up for OHJ early so…..I wasn’t able to write. Well, there’s nothing special happened yesterday. It was “laundry day” but a day late than my schedule I was suppose to do it yesterday, but since we had an unexpected dinner at Tatang’s the other night so the laundry had to wait.

As usual, during laundry day’s, Donald forgets the time for him to fetch Ella at school. When he remembered it, we can hear Ella’s alto voice a few lots away. She walked with a classmate with her mother. I was just glad that she has classmate living farther than us. At least she can walk with them home when she won’t be fetched…this way she will go home straight. I went to meet her at the gate, she told me they don’t have a class today because teacher will go to the city to bring her little daughter to the doctor to get checked. I asked the mom and she confirmed it. After putting down her bag, she showed me a piece of paper. A letter from the teacher about their upcoming exams and the amount payabale. Then she told me they don’t have a class today because teacher will go to the city to bring her little daughter to the doctor to get checked. Then she ran to get her disposable cup where she put the nails she’d found (remember she wants to earn money like the other kids here digging for nails everywhere and selling it?). She was so happy to announce she can now find nails easily so she has his cup almost full. She explained to me how to find the right one…”When you try to break it and it is hard…it is a nail but when it breaks, throw it away because it is just a stick and the man won’t buy it.” So me and Donald can’t argue with her with the nail-hunting because as she said, it was for the kids who don’t have slippers. She is making her own fund-raising activity

Since we went to see the doctor and found out I got MVP and asthma…and not to mention the hypertension, Donald always buys fruits. So I feel healthy eating all those. After lunch, nap time as usual. I was meaning to sew but it was so hot and we only got one fan in the house and Ella cannot live without it. So I decided it can wait and napped with the two of them.

I finally got myself to sew when we woke up at 4ish. Since I was about to sew 18 pyjammas, it will probably took me forever with the bloing and coding. Donald told me I got email so I went to check it leaving Ella in the living room. She was making little hammock, pillows and blankets out of the rags. While I was sitting her, trying to reply she called “Mommy, come on…don’t sit there and type..type..type..You should sew. You are so slow. It takes you a looooong time to finish it because you always sit infront of the computer.” So I made a quick reply and went back to sewing.

After a while, she asked me to play with her. She has this hammock hung on the decorative birdhouse that I put in the corner. She actually plays alone but sometimes she wants us to join. So I said NO because I need to finish what I am sewing. She then said, “Since you started sewing, you always sew..sew..sew..sew and you have no time to play with me. I think you need to stop sewing now.” I explained I need to finish it quickly so she won’t get bitten by fleas anymore. All her jammies are capris now, so I am sewing a real jammies that goes beyond her ankles. I will just fold it so she can wear it longer. She understood and continued playing alone. 15 minutess later, Donald played the Carpenters and I started singing along. Ella was asking me endless questions about everything so I asked her not to ask me questions at that time because I was singing. Guess what she said?…”I think you need to stop singing Mommy and better get back sewing.” Oh well….I was thinking she was my number 1 fan because while eating pancake yesterday morning, she exclaimed “Wow! This is great!…this is why Daddy won’t find a new Mommy. It’s because Mommy makes the best pancake!!!!”

And oh I almost forgot, last night Donald was teasing her to sleep early because she had to go to school early today. She was almost mad when her Daddy insists they had a class so she showed him the letter. There was nothing written there about it but the examination schedule. Donald pretended to read it…”Your daughter is not telling the truth. There will be a class tomorrow.” Ella was more than mad when she heard what her Daddy read. I asked her why she tells us there will be no class when Daddy reads there will be…she said, “I don’t know to Daddy….he doesn’t know how to READ!!!!”  

Oh well, with a 5-year-old at home you wouldn’t get bored. Better find a beautiful wind chimes
 that I’d give to my sister Cheche for her birthday next week.