A Saturday with IC and Rikki

IC is not really into hiking in the woods. She loves the outdoors but it would need time (and some treats) to convince her to go with us for long walks. But last Saturday, she was eager to go for a walk. In fact, she was the one who urged me to join her for a walk.

Well, why not? We geared up for the not so nice weather (it has been raining on and off for days) and took Rikki with us. It turned out, IC has a specific goal for her adventure into the woods. Let me show you....

After reaching the curve that would bring us into the woods, IC immediately disappeared.

Rikki just discovered that IC has disappeared from her view

Veggie Day: Baked Broccoli and Grated Potato

A family of meat lovers will try to have a regular Veggie Day per week. Wish us luck!

The first recipe I tried seemed to be a success: Baked Broccoli and Grated Potato. The girls and my husband raved about it and even fought for the left-over during dinner. What a compliment :-)

Ingredients of Baked Broccoli and Grated Potato

Baked broccoli and grated potato

1 kilo freshly grated potatoes
2-3 cups freshly steamed broccoli
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1/2 cup broccoli broth (from the freshly steamed broccoli)
2 cups milk
1 cup softened cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese (plus 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp melted butter

Direction:

DIY: From Old Socks into Gloves

I saw this posted on Facebook and decided to create a few for my girls: gloves from old socks.

Image taken from Facebook, source unknown

Materials needed:
- pairs of old socks
- needles
- thread
- a pair of scissors
- extra materials for decor (if you want)

From old socks into gloves

Instructions:

MC's story on how to get free fries

MC just arrived from school and I asked her if I should prepare a late lunch for her.

Usually, she would be shouting about how hungry she is before she would even open the front door. But today, she calmly opened the door, went to her room, and did her 'things' before going down where I was waiting for her in the kitchen.

So, 'do you want to eat something?' I repeated.

MC said, 'no Mama. I am not hungry. My friend and I went to the kiosk in front of their school and got ourselves some fries before heading home.'

Then she excitedly added, 'Mama, you know what? Next time we'd buy french fries in that kiosk near the school? We would get them for free!'

'Wow, how did that happen?,' I asked.

DIY: From a Bathrobe into a Dog Bed

Rikki, our 2-year-old golden retriever needs a new bed. I have been searching the internet for DIY suggestions and I finally found something that I could work on: this.

I used an old bathrobe, and to make the bed more stable and softer, I added an old winter coat. I was done after 30 minutes!

Pet bed from an old bathrobe

Materials needed:
- an old bathrobe
- old winter clothes, socks, stockings or rags for stuffings
- a large enough needle
- thread
- a pair of scissors

I am an Organ Donor

My donor card

It was in the early 2000 when I started thinking about being an organ donor. I just arrived in Germany and being in a new land, I tried to keep myself connected with my family in the Philippines by regularly sending snail mails.

I corresponded regularly with my cousins; one of them happened to be very sick. In her late 40s, she also has a daughter, my goddaughter, who is a special child. Her husband, very much older than she, is overwhelmed by the responsibility of having a special child. He became depressive, and therefore, cannot find a job and could not even left alone to take care of their child.

My cousin,  a social worker who works in a government office, tried very hard to earn money for the family and take care of her special child.

The last letter I received from her was that she was looking for donations to buy her special child a wheelchair. Her special child is growing up, and since she cannot walk, they have to cannot carry her all around. A wheelchair would make it easier for her and for the whole family, too.

I didn’t know then that my cousin, herself, was also looking for donation . Her lungs are failing her. When I heard about it after a call from my mother; I really thought about donating lung for her.

New Year's Eve 2013 Rituals

Welcome 2014! This is going to be our year :-)

And as usual, we celebrated our New Year's Eve with out traditional rituals: a mixure of Philippine and German traditions. (See photos)

Watching 'Dinner for One'

On the table are things that are supposed to bring us luck:
13 rounded fruits, a Bleigissen kit, table fireworks, pig-shaped marzipan treats, ladybug chocolates.

Of course, raclette for dinner, composed of assorted cheese, meat and seafood, bread and chopped veggies.
 There's Sekt and kiddie red and white wine for the girls.

IC's rirtual, teasing Rikki so she won't get bored and to keep her from going crazy due to the noise outside :-)