Blogging Vlogging Maid

Don't expect the title to have some serious or deep significance. I was trying to think of a title, said "blogging vlogging" out loud and segued to "She's just a woman!" :D

I haven't been blogging lately and I will point the finger at the baby (He's two! But as you know, the youngest will always be referred to as the baby until he raises a fuss about it.) and rightly so because the main reason it was so hard to blog is that he had finally succeeded in his wicked attempt to pick off all the keys of my laptop keyboard. It was a losing battle. As soon as I'd replaced the keys, off they went again. I finally just asked Mark to let me use his old USB keyboard.

I blogged about corn dip on Our Lemonade Days and there was supposed to be a follow-up post, but it occurred to me that nobody's that interested in corn dip - not even me, so, yeah, that second post's not happening. I did make a second batch following a more common recipe, but I soon realized that the only difference was in the fact that I used diced tomatoes and not tomato sauce. There was no noticeable difference in flavor. Here's a pic of the second batch and then I'm done talking about corn dip for now. Honestly, it's tasty, but I'd probably order good ol' salsa con queso y carne if I had to choose.

We've been back to Palaya, btw, and we plan to return on the next market day. Last time, Mark and Midge lost a flipflop each in the river. The day started off rainy so it was pretty foggy in Tanay, but it fortunately cleared up in the afternoon. I bought a few herbs and pepper plants. The only one that failed to survive was the cilantro. I've never been able to make that plant live. Any tips?

We also participated in a multi-family "garage" sale held by the Antipolo Homeschool Group to help raise funds for a fellow homeschooler who recently fell gravely ill with meningoencephalitis. Praise God that the little boy is now on the mend.

Midge attended a pottery workshop, which I thought she'd enjoy, considering her penchant for salt dough. She has been working a lot with it, making tiny toys for her collection of LPS, Shopkins, etc. We don't have the saucer and whatnots she made in class as they are still to be fired, painted, and glazed by the teacher, but we're excited to see what they'll all look like when they're finished.

I actually managed to capture a few videos from these events, and Midge was able to put them together to create a vlog episode. I'm afraid the video clips are grainy since I used my phone to take them. I swear I'll get around to using a better camera. In the meantime, please watch this video and like it if you're so inclined. While you're at it, please subscribe to our channel as well. :)

Green Saturday: Marilaque Highway and Palaya Natural Farm

Our weekend was really busy, which I'm glad about because the rains are coming and it would be harder to spend time outdoors.

We were able to go back to Little Baguio, Infanta to check out the weather in the summer. We went there in November for the Kombi Run and it was cold, windy, and misty. We were hoping for the same temps but without the strong winds and the thick fog. Unfortunately, it wasn't cold this time. It was cooler up there than in the city, but didn't warrant the jackets we brought along in anticipation of much lower temperatures. It's nice to be able to clearly see the view this time though. Mark, Marguerite, and I went up the bluff across the road from the bulalohan we ate at and the view was spectacular. We were even treated to a few raptors soaring above. I wish I had the binoculars with me but they were in my bag inside the car. I should just have the thing hanging from my neck all the time.

In any case, I'd like to go back for some proper birding. We saw a lot of different species while on the road, but it wasn't the kind of trip where we could stop and watch, so I have no idea what we saw. I know I saw a big monitor lizard along the side of the road, but it disappeared into the thicket before I could take a picture.

We also visited Palaya Natural Farm for its market day on the way back to the city. It was pretty much at the end of a looooo-oooo-oooo-ooong and winding dirt road. It was like a baptism of fire for my sister's new sedan! Our own vehicle has four wheel drive, but it was still a grueling ride for us. The destination was a delight though. I wish we had gone earlier in the day and spent more time there. It was heaven to see all those plants. I wanted to buy a whole bunch of them, but I didn't get the chance to shop, too busy chasing after the boys (wow, twenty-five years totally changed the context of that phrase, lol). We did get to buy fresh produce, and my mom also bought some herbs for her garden.

Because we got there so late, we didn't have time to see much of the place, just the area where the market was set up. It was still really charming with vegetable gardens, trees, huts, swings, and, more importantly, a nice, clean little river flowing right nearby. The kids loved wading in it. They would have been happy to stay in the water, but it started drizzling and we had to find shelter.

While waiting for the rain to abate, we were able to chat with the owner and his son, who happens to have also been homeschooled. They told us about the farm and its advocacy, the fascination of watching a dragon fruit flower bloom, which only happens at night, and the different offerings they have on the farm. We're certainly intrigued by the idea of non-smelly pigs and are eager to check those out. They also have a pond for fishing higher up in their property. That's something we're doing as well when we go back because, make no mistake, we're definitely giving the place a proper visit soon.

There's so much to see and experience. The whole outfit spans more than 60 hectares and consists of lovely verdant valleys and mountains. Those and the view along the Marilaque Highway are a treat to the eye. Seeing all that green truly felt like a balm to the soul.