Marriage and Beyond

I am done with the little guy’s room yesterday. I have finished all the major tasks it needs. No more clutters all over his room. Only one thing left to do is sort his toy box and give away stuff he does not play with anymore. The nursery room back at our church could really use these additions.

After I’m done with some online tasks, I’m off to work on our master’s bedroom. The sheets need to be changed and the drapes as well. I love the sweet smell of freshly changed sheets and changing the drapes gives the room a brand new look. Most of the nice drapes and curtains that I have are given by MIL. She has good taste and I have not bought a single curtain in so many years. Primarily because she has given me tons to mix and match with my beddings.

I am so loving this polka dot bedding by JoJo Designs. Continue Reading »

It’s another fun and busy Monday for us. I finally cleared up every single clutter in our son’s room. Although he has began sleeping in his own room before he even turned three, we had to welcome him back to our family bed because of unbearable heat we have been having these past few months.  And I admit to be more than happy to have him back.  ;-)  We only have an airconditioner in the master’s bedroom and the exhaust fan that we got installed (to share the cool air from the airconditioned room) just wouldn’t suffice. It was too hot! So, as expected when a bedroom does not get to be slept in, it becomes a clutter room – a storage area of sorts.

I got his beddings and drapes washed, cleared everything up, disinfected the room. It is now waiting for the new addition – our little guy’s study table! The hubby has just finished working on the first coat of paint. When it’s nice and ready, we will be looking into getting a lighting that will set his study nook’s ambiance. I was browsing through Farrey.com and they have tons of varieties from fine art lamps to quoizel lighting. I particularly love this piece for our son’s room and what do you know, it’s currently on sale!

DS and I just got home from the morning worship service. DH went off to go back to Makati and do two more services. I have been seriously considering getting a helper- so I could be more effective in being the hubby’s help-meet in the ministry. But then again, I have seen the hassles of living with a stay in helper, and I want none of that.

These are just a few of the things that I have been preoccupied with lately. I know it was my choice to work from home and juggle everything. I just thought of considering getting a helper, because the hubby would voice out his need for me to be around him in the ministry more. This is really something we have to sit down on soon.

Meanwhile, I’m choosing to count my blessings despite the many distractions around me. To relax and just dwell on God’s goodness even as we now enjoy a place of our own despite how busy life has been lately. I just thought it to be such a blessing that in this densely populated city, we were given the land that our house is standing on for free. Lots cost a great deal these days. For this we are indeed grateful.

If you happen to be looking for a lot or land in a densely populated city like ours, then you might want to check out Real Estate New Jersey. Continue Reading »

Oh the domestic goddess that I am! I find myself mad-juggling everything at home lately. Just for the record I don’t feel bad about it, though. It’s just that I have never had my hands as full as they are now: multi-tasking around the home, taking care of our son while doing my online business. It can be overwhelming, even more than that of the time when I was on postpartum. As brand new mother as I was back then, our son was never fussy and I kind of knew what I was to do because of the childbirth preparation classes the hubby and I attended.

I have never worked around the kitchen as much as I have been doing lately. We gave up using our microwave and I have gone back to stone age. Lol! Kidding aside, I know this is going to benefit the family rather than stick with the convenience of micro cooking.  I appreciate how our contractor designed our kitchen. Thanks Tita Liza! I love the way she maximized the space and I now have plenty of room in the cupboard. I also love my sink, my pot-friendly, single lever faucet. I appreciate the fact that she thought about the convenience of being able to wash everything, especially big pans without hassle.  With all these conveniences, I really should be thankful I can get around with ease.  I really just have to stick to the everyday cleaning  to lessen the stress and leave the major ones to my weekend cleaning lady. 

For Discount Kitchen Faucets, you might want to check out Eagle Plumbing Supply. From classic to contemporary designs, you will sure to get a piece that will match your style.

I love Mondays.  Aside from it’s the hubby’s day off and the family gets to spend the whole day together, we also get to do things around the house.  This photo was actually taken last Monday, when the hubby first worked on our little guy’s study table.  I’m glad he’s working on that instead of a wine rack, which we don’t have a need for.  Today he finished applying the second layer of putty and he will soon get it painted.  As for me, I got busy the whole morning trying to turn the house around by getting rid of white elephants.

We really have no choice but to rearrange the house.  I emptied the little guy’s main closet of all of my files and stuff, got it sanitized and got his own clothes in.  His clothes used to be in his baby closet.  It’s now goodbye to his baby closet to welcome in his very own study table.  It’s very symbolic if you ask me.  My son has practically moved from babyhood to boyhood in the blink of an eye!  But I am nevertheless thrilled to anticipate and get him ready for homeschool.  For now, I and the hubby are inclined towards that.  Pre-school homeschool that is,  then he will be good to go to attend the big school.

Two days after our folks left for the States, we are yet again having our yard sale up.  This time we are getting more of our bulky stuffs out and even the white elephants, like our microwave oven, for one.   In my quest to live healthier, I have altogether refrained from using the microwave.

Another bulky stuff we are selling is a solid Narra rocking chair for only PhP1,000 (approx. $23).   The 29″ flat TV just got sold a while back. Most other items for sale from clothes to everything else are all at  20 pesos (approx. $0.47) .  If you are anywhere near our area, it might interest you to take a peek.  Yard sales can often be better than actually browsing through a furniture catalog - you just might find great finds up for grabs.

In previous posts about the “Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman, I have mentioned two languages, which are Words of Affirmation and Quality Time.  The third love language is Receiving Gifts.  If this is your love language, it just means that you feel loved when you receive gifts.  There are people who have this as their primary love language.  But for others, this is their secondary love language - as in my wife’s case.  My wife’s primary language is Quality Time.  But she also likes receiving gifts, especially on special occasions.  What I have always done was always surprise her with a gift. Continue Reading »

The hubby has already started working on our little guy’ study table. He won’t be going to school until next year, but we’re welcoming this new addition to our home. While the hubby is at it, I’m figuring out the neatest way to rearrange the house. It is another reason for me to divert my attention from my internet business to reclaiming my crown as a domestic goddess.

It might take real talent to be able to squeeze in this extra stuff inside our humble home. Some things have got to go, especially the bulky ones. That’s consideration number one. I, more or less have jumpstarted this last week when we got a handful of stuff out on a yard sale. Next is, to set up a corner where the table will land. It has to be made conducive for studying. One major thing in a room that is like make or break is how well shaded it is. That brought me to the Blinds by SmithandNoble.com. I particularly favor one of those Roman shades from their website, it will really serve its purpose for my project at a low cost.

Hopefully all goes well and I will soon be able to rearrange our home and get that study nook for the little boy.

After more than a month of going Korean style, we are now off to get our memory foam bed elevated as it will soon have its very own bed box. Manila is a very dusty city that even if sweeping was done in the morning, a couple of hours after dust will behold you over again. It never ends. We live in a village that only private vehicles are allowed. Imagine if our house was close to a national road or the highway! I am just glad that I wouldn’t have to sweep through the edges of the bed itself. Other cold countries like Korea can very well afford to get furnitures slumped on the floor (and even sit on the floor while eating) because they don’t have so much dust like we do here. This is also one of the reasons why we had to take out carpets. It’s like nurturing a dust haven for the mites and what have yous for their abode.

Here is kuya with his masterpiece in the making. Our folks got their closet replaced a couple of days back, it was just timely that he was around because we have put off getting a bed frame for our mattress for sometime now. We asked if he could make a bed box for us and it turned out he’s an expert with woods, bed frames and even home theater furniture. This is far better than having to buy those laminated bed frames we see from the department stores. A solid wood will sure last us many years than those laminated frames. The headboard with cushion that the hubby wants will have to wait until later.

Having a handyman for a husband can really be a total blessing. It is indeed a bonus. It was something I learned when I was already in the marriage. Being a handyman is not exactly a requirement quality of a husband. I mean he is not expected to be operating rollformers or something. But it came to me as a real treat when I actually did not have to bother to go get that next available plumber for a leaking lavatory or even to have a complicated bath tub faucet replaced. Continue Reading »

One of the more exciting things that the hubby and I enjoyed during our house construction last year was designing our bathroom. It was a major blessing that our contractor gave us the freedom to have what we want. We went from one home depot to another, surveying designs of Bathrooms. We even browsed the internet for hours on end, we would not want to settle for second best. For one, this will be our very own abode and we’d like our personal touch to it. From the Roman theme, Mediterranean classic, Contemporary, et al., we later agreed to settle for a black and white theme.

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The hubby and I used to be proud owners of a Persian carpet. Although it was a hand me down from my mother’s, it did showcase our living room in such a way that no other centerpiece or chandelier had. It gave a feel of classy coziness. Sad to say, no matter how we loved that living room piece, it had to go. We did not know better on how to care for it, much less know of a company that does cleaning services for carpets.

It was only recently that I realized that carpet cleaners companies exist. Too bad for me, I should have known better. I had to sell ours during one of those garage sale events we had over the years, at such a give away price. Continue Reading »

Yes, that is what I would rather do! The election buzz has gone crazy, wherever part of the blogosphere I go, this has been pretty much the talk. There is even one blog page that talks about how Nostradamus predicted that one of the presidential aspirants are going to get seriously ill shortly before the elections.

While the fact remains that the country of concern is like the power house of the world and whoever gets in the position will spell out the difference how international relationship is going to be like, I would rather that I don’t dive in all the arising controversies and go shopping instead for a cozy and elegant wrought iron bed frame. It has almost been a month since we have been going Korean-style in our bedroom. It is severely dusty from where we are and it is not very ideal to get our memory foam bed spread on the floor. We still even have not taken off the plastic because of this very reason. I chanced upon this site and saw a handful of pretty curtain rods that would match with the antique cathedral bed frame that caught my fancy. Make sure you check out the website and don’t forget to get into their secret gate backdoor to avail of their great discount. Just look for the portion that says, “Our Store now has over 1,300 home & garden items for you to choose from!” and click on the lone brown comma along the line. It will be a treasure find! Continue Reading »

Beautiful homes are pleasing to the eyes. One of the things that I enjoyed immensely when we were on our honeymoon stage, aside from the hubby, is being able to prettify our home. It did not matter if we were only renting out an apartment then. I guess this was primarily because baby did not come until the third year of our marriage.

One great site that I found to have this in mind is American Home Craft Inc. If home improvement is a priority, then this is the name that corresponds to it. They have an impeccable reputation in using no less than the highest quality of materials and workmanship. Visit their site or call 1-866-455-2735 Toll-Free for more information.

Our family has been apartment renters during the first six years of our marriage. If there is anything about renting it is this - there could be a lot of complications that could go with it if there are no decent apartment managers to deal with.

If you are a locale of townhome management chicago, you might want to check out Chicagolandlordservice.com. Condominium associations should really care to partner with this service. A real manager has got to take care of the real deal. It has been like the norm that most rental management offer clients low monthly rates at the expense of later exceptional high repairs and maintenance costs. These are just a few of the things to be considered when one decides to rent or lease a place.

We still have not got a replacement for the bed box that we got rid of last week. We went from one mall to another searching for the best piece. But we did not find what we want. Most bed frames are laminated, which means they won’t last years. Our best bet if ever we settle to buy from the mall is that of Malaysian rubber wood, which is not bad, but I still find it second best.

We’re actually thinking of going to a local Narra furniture shop and have some made to order job done. The hubby specifically wants a head board with cushion. I don’t really mind whatever design, although I would leer away from all those carvings Narra furniture makers are notorious for. I love the art and creativity all right, but it is seriously high maintenance.  I really just want to have a stable and durable bed frame this time. When that happens I will take care of its custom embroidery and all those frilly things I could do to accent the room. In the meantime, as a relative would have it, we’re having our bed Korean style, our memory foam mattress lying pretty on the floor.

Even as we are still in search for that sheer fabric to match our sleep comfort mattress, we still have not made that purchase we have planned a while back for our little guy’s bed. Yes, we are still using the same sheets over and over again. We only have several queen sized beddings but no replacements for his single bed.

I honestly have a few considerations in getting the best sheets for our son’s bed. Although I still want to get him those baby beddings, I am inclined to purchase a Teen Bedding design. Again, the frugal in me strikes again. I know he just might soon outgrow those baby designs and knowing that JoJo Designs are probably the most durable, it would really last him years. He could use it over and over and still stay in style. Continue Reading »

The afternoon after I took oath, the hubby and I went around going from one shop to other, searching for no less than 300 thread count beddings for our new memory foam bed. We actually ended up just window shopping. Hours of searching but nothing that we saw that matched our tastes. I admit to having a different taste from that of the hubby, but we actually could very well meet half way or should I say, he really does not mind if we have it my way. He trusts my taste and would say I should be queen of my own house. I love that I have the freedom to have the home that I want. I know I could not have a more supportive hubby.

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I just got back a while back from my oath taking. Now that I have stirred clear of most of the major things on my back, I am so going to start the long delayed garage sale that I have got planned since early March. Lots of things came up that got my time and attention that this has been pushed aside. Not for long. I really have got to get rid of things that I don’t need that can still be of considerable value to others. I have given away a handful of items already but there are still a lot more to be disposed.

I remember holding a garage sale a month after we transferred to our brand new house last year. Through the years we have accumulated a lot of things that do not have as much value now, some have been replaced and as a rule we try to practice that whenever there is something bought, something has to be given away. As we are blessed, we bless others.

Clearing a house can really be tough. From those five years that we have transferred from one home to another, I only hoped back then that there was a service that does House clearance that is available locally such as those of cityclearance.com of London. They specialize in clearing all types of houses and offices, even storage facilities. I could only imagine how easy this task would have been done if only I got a hold of such service. Make sure to check this one out for any of your home or office clearing issues.

In any family, communication is very important, especially husbands and wives communicating love to each other, parents to their children and children to their parents. But the problem is that many times, we communicate love in ways that are often misunderstood by those receiving the message. A book written by Gary Chapman entitled the “Five Love Languages” explains this very clearly.

Much like communicating with other people, when we use a different language that the other person can’t understand, this creates miscomunication or misunderstanding. In order for two people to communicate clearly they must both use the same language - either one has to learn the other person’s language. Continue Reading »