Michi Photostory

Anyway, before the year 2024 ended, I reflected on how my year went, and even though there were sad moments, overall, I am thankful for 2024. 

1. I am thankful for God’s provision for our construction, home, medical, funeral and travel expenses. I had no idea na magastos pala magpagawa ng bahay, to think home improvement lang ito pero feeling ko bumili na kami ng bahay sa laki ng gastos. Yes, kapresyo na ng nauna naming bahay yung expenses namin. Grabe lang sa inflation. Nakakapagod at masakit sa bulsa maglipat ng bahay, we purchased new appliances and furniture kasi to match our new house.

My mother-in-law passed away last May and before that, pabalik-balik siya ng hospital hanggang sa naggive-up na talaga ang katawan, We all know, magastos mahospital sa Pilipinas. 

With all of these expenses, I thought we could no longer travel so I am really thankful because we were able to travel pa and I just realized, majority pala ng travel trips namin, hindi ko pa naibablog. We’ve been to different resorts, hotels, Bohol, and Melbourne. 

2. I’m thankful because this year, we had more family get-togethers. When my father passed away, it was the only time that we reconnected with his family. After two decades, it was our first time to attend the annual family reunion last January 2024 (father’s side). Imagine, 23 years have passed and a lot has changed. Ang konti na lang namin sa reunion, marami na nawala at mayroon na rin nagmigrate sa ibang bansa. We also attended my uncle’s 90th birthday. 

Last March, we had our first family outing sa side ni hubby but sad to say, yun na rin pala yung last outing with my mother-in-law. 

My mom and aunt went home last summer and we had a family get-together too. And that time mas complete kami. 

Since we already moved to our new home, I was able to invite my family, college, and mommy friends to our new house for a get-together. 

3. I’m thankful that my husband has still work, nagtanggalan na naman kasi sa company niya. I’m thankful that my son was part of the overall top last school year and became an officer of their Student Council. 

4. And lastly, I am thankful because I already have my own craft room. It may be small but I am glad I can craft whenever I want. Hindi ko na iisipin kung may telecon ba si hubby because I have my own space na. 

I was thankful that I became part of Bee Happy Crafts Guest Ambassador Quarter 2. And sa dami ng sinalihan ko na challenges and contest, may napanalunan naman ako. Yey! 

Sharing our food trip and travel trip in the year 2024 

Wow, first day of the year and may blog entry ako. Baka sipagin na ulit ako magblog kung magstart ako ng January 1. Hehehe! 

As I looked back, I felt happy and relax this past holiday, feeling ko hindi ako stress ngayon compared sa ibang holidays. Maybe because, maaga ko bumili ng gifts and even yung mga handmade gifts ko, hindi naman ako nastress sa paggawa. I did not cook this holiday, nag-order lang ako food and bumili ng potluck. We did not travel except for our Christmas Staycation in Pampanga. Surprisngly, hindi kami natraffic sa biyahe kahit holiday siya. 

And for our New Year Eve’s celebration , my husband was the one who prepared for it. Simple dinner lang naman since ayaw namin ng maraming leftover. My only contribution is my New Year Photo Props. Gumawa ako ng props para hindi ko makalimutan magpicture. Last year, wala kaming picture.

The New Year Sunglasses are from SVG Nation and the 2025 is from the Printable Cuttable Creatables website.

I made a Father’s Day Cake Topper but I was not able to use it because my husband doesn’t want a cake. For the cake topper, I just used one of the SVG designs from the Father’s Day Greeting Quotes Bundle. 

I also made this Father’s Day Layered Card using the Me and Dad Layered Card Design of The Bearded Housewife. I like this card because it reminded me of the the days when my son was in toddler years, lagi siya nasa shoulders ng Daddy niya kasi ang bagal maglakad or ayaw na maglakad. hehehe! "On Dad's Shoulders was the best place to be" Happy Father's Day! 

Check my process video here. 

Akala ko hindi na kami aalis but I remembered that my mom gave money to my son so he can watch “Inside Out 2” movie. His cousins watched this movie na kasi kaso hindi siya nakasama kasi naman malayo kami so para no FOMO, I suggested na manood na kami. I checked the schedule at Southwoods Mall and buzzer beater kami sa 4:10PM na movie. 

I was checking my blog post and yung last movie na pinanood namin sa big screen was Avengers: Endgame and sa Norway pa. Hindi na kasi ko mahilig manood ng sine, hinihintay ko na lang sa Netflix. PHP380 x 3 persons, mahal din ha, buti na lang may free popcorn and water na yun. Hehehe! 

When my son made it to the overall top last year, I told him that maintaining to be on top is not easy but my son proved to us that he can do it. Actually, my son told me na 5th honor dapat siya but extracurricular is part of the final grade computation so he ended up with sixth honor. Regardless of the ranking, we are still proud of him because he worked hard for it. 

This year, my son received 3 medals; Sixth Honor, Gold Eagle Awardee, and Special Conduct Award for Male. I was not surprised with this award but happy kasi na notice na rin yung pagiging good student niya ng teachers. Introvert kasi anak ko so madalas hindi naman siya kilala ng mga teachers except for his subjects teachers. 

After the Recognition Day, we just went to the mall to eat lunch and buy cake. We ate at Ben’s Halo-Halo x Meshiya and ordered Classic Spaghetti PHP174, Shio Ramen PHP230, BBQ Ribs P280, California Maki PHP230, and Iced Tea PHP50 each. Cake is from Contis which is Banana Dream.

 

We are in a hurry kasi we need to go back to the wake. May mga ex-officemates nga si hubby na nakiramay kaso nasa Recognition Day pa kami. Yung Recognition celebration, sa wake na rin nangyari and we just ordered a Family Feast Bundle from Shakey’s. 

Of course, I made “Congrats Cards”, using one design but different cardstock. For the Congrats Cake Topper, I used Birthday Verygood Font which I also used in my graduation cake toppers. 

The day that we fear has come because a few weeks ago, my mother-in-law passed away. She was one of the strongest people I know and hindi ko nga alam kung saan siya humuhugot ng lakas. She raised 6 children, unfortunately, my two sisters-in-law passed away.

It was year 2010 when my eldest sister-in-law passed away because of colon cancer and in 2019, my sister-in-law lost her battle to uterine cancer. Then, in 2020, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with colon cancer. 

My late mother-in-law survived uterine cancer so we also hoped that she could fight the colon cancer. She underwent colon cancer surgery and finished all chemotherapy and the results were good so we thought, okay na. But in 2021, she went back to the hospital for a cholecystectomy. Oh no, another surgery again, and unfortunately, it is also the start of her dialysis. 

So since 2021, she spent most of her life going to the hospital for dialysis, check-ups, surgery, and confinement. I can’t imagine kung paano niya kinakaya ang lahat. Imagine nagkauterine cancer, may diabetes, nagkacolon cancer, nagkagallstones, nagkacataract and nagdadialysis pa. 

I witnessed how she tried to be tough and hold on even in pain. Maybe that is the reason why God took her home, she experienced so much pain in this world. We were sad because she was gone but we felt relieved because we knew that she was in a better place, no more crying, fear, or pain. She will be missed and Christmas gatherings will not be the same without her. 

I found this poem and I don’t know who is the original author but this is the exact words that I want to tell her because I am forever thankful to her for raising a loving son and blessed me with a wonderful husband. 

Last weekend was Mother’s Day and we don’t usually celebrate Mother’s Day kasi depende yan sa mood ko. Most of the time gusto ko lang magpahinga sa bahay. Inisiip ko nga kung nagcelebrate ba ko last year, parang wala naman ako pictures and yung last blog ko pa yung Mother’s Day Celebration in Norway. 

Anyway, my mom is here for a vacation, I suggested a family outing, an overnight or day trip just like our Day Trip in Laguna last March pero this time with my family naman. But the plan did not push through kasi hindi magkasundo sa schedule, may Saturday class yung iba and may hotel staycation. 

So my husband and I planned to go to Tagaytay na lang, this time with my mom and parents-in-law. We already informed both parties but unfortunately, it was cancelled because of my husband’s family emergency, hindi pwede parents niya and he needs to visit her mom. 

And dahil minsan lang naman ang Mother’s Day na nandito mama ko, kailangan may ganap. So lunch na lang ulit sa bahay but I already warned my family na Amber’s lang ang ipapakain ko. Hehehe! Nandito na kasi family ko nung first week of May kasi dumating nga mama ko. Amber’s pinakain ko sa kanila kasi yun ang madali para sa akin na iorder. Favorite ko iorder yung Party Favorites Bundle for potluck or panghanda. 

Pancit Malabon 

5 Pcs. Fried Chicken Drumsticks 

10 Pcs. Crispy Chicken Wings 

30 Pcs. Lumpiang Shanghai 

30 Pcs. Pichi-Pichi Cheese 

15 Pcs. Pork BBQ 

Hindi ako nagbibiro nung sinabi ko na Amber’s ulit pero this time, I checked Amber’s Menu and after so many years, ngayon lang ako nag-order ng hindi bbq at chicken. We are just a group of 11 persons so I ordered the following. Supposed to be lunch kaso 1:30PM na yung earliest na schedule na pwede madeliver. Sa isip-isip ko, magdessert na lang if late dumating. We have ensaymada and leche flan naman. 

Spaghetti PHP1,050 (16-20 pax) 

Pichi - Pichi with Niyog PHP280 (40 pcs.) 

Roasted Beef with Gravy PHP1250 ( 8-10 pax) 

Lechon Kawali PHP1,080 (8-10 pax) 

But God is so good kasi sabay dumating yung visitors and food so walang waiting time. And we all liked the food so mukhang mababago na ang order ko sa Amber’s. hehehe! The only downside nitong meal na ito, hindi pwedeng Cash On Delivery, kailangan paid na yung orders. Tumawag si hubby kasi nag-error sa online, so need pa niya magwait para sa payment details. 

My husband mentioned on his anniversary card that for the last 18 years, we shared both the happiest times and saddest times. And that is true because, for the last 18 years, he lost his grandfather, two sisters, aunt, and uncle while I lost my aunt, grandmother, father, and sister. During those times, we leaned on each other, and even without a word, we understood each other’s pain.

Despite the saddest times, we have a lot of happy memories. That is why, we also try our best to make time and celebrate our anniversaries because life is so short. There were a few times that we were not able to celebrate because I was not feeling well, he was out of the country, and when my grandmother passed away. 

Moving on, sharing our anniversary celebration this year. To be honest, if money is not an issue, it is so easy to plan but of course, since we had so many expenses for the last few months, need magbudget.

Our initial plan is to eat at the hotel because last month, my husband ate at Corniche and he said, if I want we can celebrate our anniversary at Corniche and we can take advantage of the 40% discount (credit card promo). I was considering that option but out of the blue, I experienced acid reflux for almost a week so I changed my mind. Sabi ko, hindi ko maeenjoy ang buffet kung wala ko gana kumain or isusuka ko rin. 

Then we went to the 31st PTAA Travel Tour Expo so we could check different promos but unfortunately, we did not see good deals. 

We had a breakfast date at Cafe Agapita to celebrate Valentine’s Day and our couple's anniversary, I already shared our experience in my previous post. 

We were supposed to celebrate Valentine’s Day here pero late pala opening hours nila every weekday but fortunately, we were able to visit this restaurant on our way to Nawa Wellness. They are open as early as 7AM during weekends so we had our breakfast here. 

Since we did not score any promo when we visited the travel tour expo, my husband did his research then he discovered Nawa Wellness. It just started operating last January 24, 2024, and so far good reviews naman nabasa namin. We wanted to take advantage of the long weekend but unfortunately, fully booked agad so we changed our travel dates. 

We enjoyed our anniversary staycation at Nawa Wellness and this deserves a separate post. By the way, when we checked out, they already informed us na mag-iincrease na sila ng rates by March and I’m sure, mag-iincrease pa yan kasi so far naka soft-opening pa lang sila. Buti na lang nakapunta na kami habang mura pa yung rate nila. 

I already shared my Valentine’s Craft Projects in my previous posts but here are the craft projects that I did for our anniversary. 

I used the Wedding Couple Card SVG, but I tweaked the design and I changed the “On Your Wedding Day” to Anniversary. I used the Wedding Gnome Couple for the second card. Lastly, I used the wedding truck SVG for our cake topper, I just replaced the flower with an "18" number, you can also find this truck on the Craft with Sarah website. 

One hour before December 31, I couldn’t sleep so I decided to browse my Facebook news feed and I was surprised when I saw a screenshot photo of my Cricut Design Space Profile with the caption “Hi, I just wanted to let you know I’ve reported this on design space, probably nothing will get done but wanted to at least try. ” in one of the groups that I joined. 

I was so shocked because I didn’t know what was wrong with my Profile and why does she need to report it. Seriously? I just changed my Cricut Design Space Profile from private to public, three months ago and this happened. I started reading comments and at that time, I was so sad and hurt because there were so many false accusations. Some people already jumped to conclusions and the post blew up. 

The said post was already deleted so I can’t give you the exact words but these hurtful words were stuck in my head. 

1. That is weird, I am not Mithcraftaholic, I thought Cricut is very strict in policing designs… 

2. That is not our (insert designer’s name), I will check on that 

3. I can’t find the profile, how can I report it. 

4. That is not her design, why she is adding a watermark. 

5. She is taking advantage of the designer’s generosity, these are all free designs 

6. She is pimping this design with a screenshot of my Facebook post 

7. This guy is taking someone else photos 

8. I will research more about this and see where she is selling them.

9. She's stealing designs and claiming them as her own.

The list can go on and I never felt so humiliated in my life. Some people started checking my social media accounts. Also, because of those comments, I was wondering if I really committed a mistake and if there is a fine print that I forgot to read. There were so many questions and thoughts running into my head. 

Am I not allowed to share or post my finished craft projects? 

Am I not allowed to post my own pictures with my watermark even though I paid for that design? 

Am I not allowed to share photos of her designs outside her group? 

I thought designers would be happy if they saw that crafters were using their designs. 

I am not claiming I am the designer, it is in my description that I am trying different designs on Cricut Design Space.

I am not earning from those projects. Designers earn if someone will recreate the projects that I shared.

Hmm, if ever I plan to sell my craft projects, I can still do that because of the commercial license.

I thought Cricut is promoting the “sharing of community projects”. 

Should I change my profile from public to private? 

Is this how I am going to end my year 2023 and start my year 2024. 

I just want to craft. 

Should I stop crafting?

Of course, I commented on that post and shared my side of the story. I also messaged the admin/designer of that group. But it was a holiday so I already expected that it won’t be resolved sooner. After several hours of waiting, the admin/designer deleted that post and I received an apology. “She clearly stated that I am just sharing my projects which are all available in Cricut Design Space (if you paid for a subscription) and I’m not selling them.” The person who posted my profile was also brave enough to apologize. They finally realized that I am innocent and I am not doing anything wrong. I am just sharing my craft projects on my Cricut Design Space Profile. 

I already received their apology and my name was cleared so I thought I could easily move on but I was wrong. After the holiday, I was supposed to share my finished craft projects but because of what happened, I have hesitation. I can’t help but ask myself if “I will continue sharing or not?” because I don't want to experience this again. For the past several days, I have been trying to overcome my fear of posting or sharing my craft projects. 

So I made this “Created to Create Layered Craft” to persuade me to go back to crafting. Indeed, we are all created to create. One heartache isn’t a sign that I should stop from what I love to do. I need to remind myself that there are some things that I have no control over but I can control my reaction to that situation. And consider this event as a learning experience. 

I don’t consider myself an expert when it comes to crafting but it doesn’t mean that I cannot be creative. I just want to share what I know, what I made, and what I experienced. I don’t know everything but I am always willing to learn. 

We are all dealing with our own stuff and I am not posting this to get sympathy because I know this too shall pass. But despite what happened, I am still thankful because… 

I was awake when this happened. 

I was a silent member of that group so I was able to see the post. 

It was a private group, the downside is there are 28k+ members in that group around the world. 

I was able to defend myself. 

The post got deleted and I proved my innocence. 

And lastly, I discovered that there are still kind people. I am thankful to those fellow crafters who did not jump to conclusions, who did not judge me, and who defended me too. May God bless their hearts.

And finally this year, my mom and aunts were back in the Philippines so we had a family get-together. But instead of going far, they just rented a private resort in Valenzuela para mas malapit sa lahat except for my family and my cousin’s family since we live in CALABARZON area.