Retire in Style with Lolita

I like making Smilebox photo albums. Trips, family events, scenery, etc. I like going through my music collection or buying from iTunes songs or music that I feel would be nice as background music for the album. Now and again I sit back and watch them. Enjoying the memories that come with those pictures. Many times my grandchildren sit with me and watch them. Here is a photo album entitled "Superstars ng Buhay ko". The title means Superstars of my Life. The photo album contains pictures of my six grandchildren at home, at play, at special events, etc. Every year I make a photo album of my Superstars. This photo album are a collection of their pictures taken in 2012. Digital slideshow generated with Smilebox “Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old.”

They are more commonly known as Hens and Chicks. I became interested in succulents last year. I started with the familiar Hens and Chicks a.k.a Sempervivum. Gosh, are they ever so prolific. I love them on the ground and in containers. I even have them planted on a 4 tier planter. They are the answer to lazy gardening. They really thrive on NEGLECT. I planted them on 3 parts Sea Soil mixed with 1 part sand. Now this particular plant is the Mother Hen of hundreds of Chicks in my collection. I was pleasantly surprised to find it in bloom.... finally! It is two years old. Many of the Chicks from this Hen are now fully grown Hens themselves and producing their own Chicks. Please click pictures to enlarge.

This year is the first time we planted Kale. This queen of greens is so easy to grow. I have incorporated it in many dishes. I have heard of Kale Chips but never really tasted it. Now that we have so much kale in the garden I decided to try making Kale chips. Please click to enlarge pictures. Kyle and I picked some Kale from the garden. Preheat oven 350 F. Wash Kale. Remove stems and ribs. Tear into bite size pieces. Air dry in salad spinner. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Drizzle very lightly with olive oil and seasoned salt. Bake in 350 F oven for 15 minutes. Enjoy crispy, crunchy Kale chips. I did well on the second batch of Kale Chips. I snipped carefully stems and ribs and was careful that I drizzled the leaves very lightly with olive oil and seasoned salt.

We have a bountiful supply of Swiss chard from our garden this summer. I have used it in many dishes in place of spinach and bok choy. Today I tried it on Tiger prawns simmered in Cocoonut milk. I added the chopped Swiss chard after the tiger prawns have been cooked in coconut milk. Sriracha hot sauce added kick to the flavor of the dish. Please click to enlarge pictures. Swiss Chard is a fantastic easy to grow vegetable. It is a versatile ingredient to a variety of dishes. Swiss chard is not only one of the most popular vegetables along the Mediterranean but it is one of the most nutritious vegetables around and ranks second only to spinach following analysis of the total nutrient-richness of the World's Healthiest vegetables. Just chop Swiss chard and add to salads, soups, pasta and vegetable dishes for an extra boost of iron and vitamins C, E and K.

It has been years (maybe 10) since my last visit to Stanley Park. And so it was with happy anticipation when I booked to join Sunwood Retirement residence friends on a tour of Stanley park and lunch at The Fish House. Stanley Park is Vancouver's urban oasis and one of the top city parks in North America. In our early years in Vancouver, Stanley Park was the destination playground on weekends. It has always been a destination tourist attraction to take visiting friends and relatives. Yesterday we toured Stanley park on a horse-drawn carriage with a fantastic and entertaining tour guide. Except for a few tourists from San Francisco all eighteen of us from Sunwood group has been to Stanley park years ago and so yesterday was a sentimental journey to re-visit and enjoy the scenery as our carriage took us around the 1000 acre park. At the end of the hour long tour we stopped for lunch at The Fish House. Amongst the spectacular gardens and forests of Stanley Park in Vancouver sits ...

Every year we join others in celebrating Canada Day. We are happy and grateful in our adopted land. Canada. Please click pictures to enlarge. I came to Canada from the Philippines in 1971. Became a Canadian Citizen in 1976. Taliya is one of my six grandchildren in Canada.

Westminster Abbey is located in Mission, British Columbia. It is a community of Benedictine Monks. The Abbey is also home to the Seminary of Christ the King. The monastery sits atop a hill in Mission, surrounded by 80 hectares of lush ­countryside. Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/life/monk+life+Westminster+Abbey+Mission+Benedictine+Monastery/8403802/story.html#ixzz2XoMT0jOp I came with a group of friends, all members of the Legion of Mary. Having familiar faces around me helped me go through the silent hours spent during the retreat. The retreat started on Friday evening ( June28th )and ended at noon on Sunday ( June 30th ). This experience is one off my Bucket list. I feel privileged and blessed to be given this opportunity. Here are some pictures taken on the last day of our retreat. Please click pictures to enlarge. Group picture with our Retreat Master Rev. Elton Fernandes, S.J. The bell tower. The Abbey church. The altar in the Abbey church. Blessed wat...