Michi Photostory

Several years ago, my husband gifted me a sewing machine but I can count on my fingers the projects that I’ve made. And some of my projects like Tooth Pocket, Felt Stuffed Letters and Gingerbread Ornaments na mano-manong tahi so ang sakit sa kamay. So after listing my menu, I already knew that it will take me days to finish. 

It’s been years since the last time I made a felt project so I have very limited supplies but I really want to do this project so I pushed my plan. Thanks to online shopping, nadeliver naman agad yung felt cloth but while waiting for my order, I started cutting and sewing some of the food using my leftover supplies. So for this project, it is a combination of hard and felt cloth. 

My world stopped for few days, wala talaga ko ginawa kundi magtahi and because of that even we had no internet connection for one day, hindi ako nabored kasi busy ako sa pagtahi. So after three days of cutting and sewing, I finally finished my Bee Happy Meal Menu, I even made a gable box using cardstock. 

I felt satisfied after doing this project because it is so cute, parang gusto ko pa nga dagdagan ng nuggets and spaghetti. How I wish, I made this project when my son is still young but I am saving this for my future grandchildren, baka hindi na kaya ng powers ko magtahi sa panahon na yun. Hehehe! 

It took me two days to finish this project because on my first day and first try, I did not like the result so I was thinking, should I start again or should I just give up. But I decided to do it again from the start so I cut, die-cut, embossed and assembled the house. 

And I am so happy with the outcome, it is much better compared to yesterday. Like they say "In crafting there are no mistakes, it is your own unique creation"

I mentioned before that I don’t collect washi tape but after doing these two projects, parang gusto ko na rin mag-add sa collection. Ang dami pala magagawa sa washi tapes.

It was never my goal to visit all the provinces in the Philippines because of my limited budget so I only visit those places that I am really interested in. According to my list, konti na lang ang gusto ko puntahan, I want to visit Siargao, El Nido, Albay and Dumaguete. 

I highlighted the provinces that I have visited and yung iba nablog ko na rin. 

LUZON 

NCR: National Capital Region 

CAR: Cordillera Administrative Region 

Abra 

Apayao 

Ifugao 

Kalinga 

Cagayan

Isabela 

Nueva Vizcaya 

Quirino 

Aurora 

Marinduque 

Palawan 

Romblon 

Albay 

Camarines Norte 

Camarines Sur 

Catanduanes 

Masbate 

Sorsogon 

Aklan 

Antique 

Capiz 

Negros Oriental 

Siquijor 

Biliran 

Eastern Samar 

Leyte 

Northern Samar 

Samar Southern 

Leyte 

Zamboanga del Norte 

Zamboanga del Sur 

Zamboanga 

Sibugay 

Bukidnon 

Lanao del Norte 

Misamis Occidental 

Davao de Oro 

Davao Occidental 

Davao Oriental 

Cotabato 

Sarangani 

South Cotabato 

Sultan Kudarat 

Agusan del Norte 

Agusan del Sur 

Dinagat Islands 

Surigao del Norte 

Surigao del Sur 

Basilan 

Lanao del Sur 

Maguindanao del Norte 

Maguindao del Sur 

Sulu 

Tawi-Tawi

I was looking forward to our Holy Week break because even though we are in Norway, my son has classes so hindi rin naman kami makapagtravel talaga so naghihintay talaga ko ng walang pasok. Unfortunately, the weather was not good so we were stuck at home for the first few days. My son was preoccupied with his project. I’m thankful that my mom has the materials so I was able to save money, no need to buy art materials. 

Anyway, my mom’s sister-in-law has a cottage in Stugudalen and they usually go there every Holy Week so my mom decided to visit so we can meet them again after two decades. We were supposed to stay in Stugudalen but all accommodations were fully-booked. But we still pushed our trip kahit day tour na lang. So we had a last-minute grocery shopping so I can cook Pork and Liver adobo for our potluck. We also took advantage of the Easter Sale so we bought some chocolates. 

Day Trip at Stugudalen and Tydal Nature Park 

Travel time is more than four hours so we left early to catch the first boat trip. No more snow in Ørland but when we reached Stugudalen, parang Winter Wonderland na naman. We also dropped by at Tydal Nature Park on our way home. This deserves a separate post. 

We traveled more than 5 hours on our way home because we did not ride a Ferry so it was a long drive but I was able to see the second-longest bridge span in Norway which is Hålogaland Bridge. 

It was a long day for us but I couldn’t sleep yet because according to the Northern Lights forecast, there will be an 83% chance of Northern Lights. This was my second Aurora Borealis experience in Norway and the first experience for my son. 

My aunt invited us for Easter lunch so we eat, play, eat, and play. We also had an Easter egg hunt and I won.

Over a year ago, we visited Ørland Cultural Center, our first agenda is to go to the police station, yes police station because my mom needs to get some documents for my brother’s Schengen Visa Application. For the past decades, my mom always goes to the police station just to get UDI and Invitation Letter with a stamp. But last year, we were surprised when the police told her that she no longer needs to go there, she can just download the form online and stamps are no longer needed. This is good news because we can just type the details, print and sign. 

Since we were already at the Ørland Cultural Center, we decided to explore the area and check what is new. We’ve been here, a few times already so we knew that they have a library, cinema, and tourist information. We watched Avengers: Endgame here way back in 2019. 

Last year, we discovered that there is Wetland Exhibition, Gallery Hans, and The Hannah Ryggen Center. Fortunately, there is an English translation so we were able to learn something new. 

There are six Wetland Visitor Centers in Norway and this is one of the six centers so we are lucky to visit one. By visiting the centers, guests can gain an understanding and become more aware of the value of the wetlands and how to protect them. The exhibit focuses on these four areas; Grandefjæra, Hovsfjæra, Innstrandfjæra and Kråkvågsvaet 

Hannah Ryggen is a Swedish artist who settled on a small farm in Norway after marrying her painter husband Hans Ryggen. We're able to see some of their masterpiece in the center.