unexpected turns of the day

The plan was:

Go to the market to buy fabrics and plain shoes. Then go to my parents' house to do Other Business work and finish it by 5PM -- I wanted a no-distraction environment and not have to prepare my meals so I could finish everything early.

What actually happened:

I was not feeling too well when I woke up. I think my brain was trying to slowly get into work mode and so much of me was resisting it. We got to the market at least half an hour later than planned. Since I did not get to eat breakfast (because I was feeling sick-ish) I suggested brunch before the buying. So we got a very cheap but very delicious meal for two for only Php120.00. As we were polishing off our plates, a woman walked by selling freshly swirled ice cream in cups for Php10.00.

Then we got the plain shoes and the fabrics for the next batch of projects. On the way home we made a side trip to my grandma's (unplanned - we thought since we were passing by the same street we might as well drop by). 

As to be expected, my grandmother has transformed her home in time for Valentine's Day.

She has also handcrafted items for selling and gifting. Little dolls adorn recycled plastic bottles that have been redesigned to be container bowls.

She kept a few pieces for her own home. This is her favorite.

She was also excited to give me her birthday gift. Yay!

And she gave me my own dolled decor as an extra Valentine gift. :)

Then I had to rush home because the cable guy was in the lobby to check my cable box which has not been working for three days. I ended up going home, having the cable fixed, and then falling into a tired nap. It was mid-afternoon when I finally got back to my parents' house.

My sister and I had rice cakes and coffee for afternoon snack.

I tried getting started at work while my sister started on redesigning the shoes. Oh, how I envied her!

And then I found out that my dad had been to the post office and picked up a package for me -- my other Etsy order of knitting needles! Well, at least that's one bright spot as I struggled to concentrate on getting a report done.

My mom called us to dinner at around 7PM and as we ate the TV was on and we all ended up watching The Accidental Husband. 

I decided to head for home and try finishing the work before going to bed. It was already 9PM. My sister was stil working on another pair of shoes when I left.

And now I am blogging as I take a break from the work that has been pushed away in so many ways for so many times. *sigh* I must get this done then I can schedule some serious crafting time with my sister.

How did your day turn out?

second day, more happy

It's the second day of the new year and the first day back to work for most people.

I do have a research project to do (my original business) for the first couple of months of this year but I am pacing it better this time. So today I only checked emails and did updates to my partner supplier and my accountant. I will slide in slowly into project mode by tomorrow afternoon.

Today I did a few errands to the bank and then I went with my mom to visit my grandma. It's actually a new year visit plus I just had this urge to see her. She was so happy to see me and we had a long conversation during which she told me about how she amazed everyone at the Senior Citizens' Christmas Party by dancing the cha-cha. She also gave me and my sister a lot of fabric scraps, buttons, beads, and a belt hole puncher for our craft projects. Then she gave me chocolates and an apple and an orange, and a pair of pink slippers -- I actually felt like a child as my arms grew fuller with all the goodies and I felt very very happy.

Since she has given me so much already, I insisted on buying and paying for one of the handmade decors she has for sale. She insisted in turn to sell at a ridiculous price. I got this very pretty decorative container which I placed on my entrance table.

Made from recycled softdrink bottle, plastic flowers and a very cute doll. The doll's dress is also handmade by my grandma.

My grandma made me think about maybe having a very small birthday party on my birthday next month. If ever, it will be seriously small, like really close friends and family. And it will be vintage-themed so my grandma can dance her cha-cha. We'll see. :)

On the way home I dropped by the supermarket to pick up cat food and was literally overjoyed to see that the supermarket has shifted from plastic to paper bag. The supermarket personnel are also encouraging customers to buy reusable eco bags. I already brought mine so the supermarket person actually pointed to my bag which was being filled with my purchases to illustrate the usefulness of the eco-bag.

Things are looking good. ^__^

crafty day thursday, part 3

Gramma likes to change her home decor according to season. She has already begun to bring out boxes of her Christmas stuff to replace the summery theme she had going for the past few months despite the typhoons that had hit the country.

Here's a last look at some of her summer decor before they are put away for the holidays. The hanging decors and the colorful fountains are handmade and recycled from plastic softdrink bottles -- cut and reshaped and dressed up.