Under One Roof

I want to buy a new electric fan. Our ceiling fan is now busted most likely from overuse. I am debating with myself whether to suggest a wall fan this time around or a better stand fan than the one we have now. An air conditioner is out of the question as the electricity cost will make my pockets cry.

I also want to buy a new fridge. I was supposed to buy one last September but I hesitated and, well, I spent the money I allotted for it. The fridge we’re using was the one I bought for my mom using my salary after passing the board exams. It was back in 2000 so we’ve been using the same fridge for the past 12 years already. It’s really time for a change.

I will have to move the purchase date of both fan and fridge to next month after I settle some bills.

The idea of renting a storage unit is an interesting one. You can store whatever you like for as long as you like, and no one will question it. Yes, it costs money, but so does purchasing new items. Storage units are great for military personnel, hobbyist and collectors. Additionally, growing families can use storage units for items not being used at the moment. There are some things you just cannot sell or throwaway that will hold value for a lifetime, these items deserve to be safely stored in a storage unit. Additionally, your location may deem your need for additional storage. For example, Portland storage offers great rates for anyone not having the space to store items in their home.

It is true that storage units can be expensive. However, if you just consider it as another monthly bill it is not so bad. Additionally, some storage facilities will offer discounts to anyone agreeing to a long term contract. Once you accept the cost of renting you can enjoy the benefits of storing at a storage facility. Such benefits can include climate control and security. Take in to consideration storing item in your basement or attic. These are the places that most people store stuff, but the reality is basements are moist and attics are hot. These are less than ideal storing means, and items can be ruined. If you have irreplaceable belongings that you want to store then a storage unit is really the way to go.

Whenever my family and I travel, my dad makes sure we inform someone, an aunt or uncle, about our itinerary. We make sure that we can call someone to help us should we encounter any troubles while in transit. When we are going on a road trip, my dad gets a roadside assistance service plan. This is to make sure we can call a reliable source of help should there be machine trouble. We don’t want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere without any help coming.

My family once encountered a minor road accident. It was so scary we were left shaken for the rest of the ride going to my brother’s grave. We didn’t have anybody to call that time but the good thing was my dad was able to remedy the problem with the car’s hood. Still, we don’t want that to happen ever again.

My cousin once tried to cook spaghetti for his mom. My aunt, not knowing her son cooked the pasta, was raving about the spaghetti she ate. When she learned that it was her son, my cousin Jay, who cooked the pasta, she was surprised. The kid has kitchen skills she didn’t know about! From then on my cousin cooks their meals whenever he is free to do so.

I heard my cousin’s putting his kitchen skills to use outside the house. He is looking for Cooking Jobs at the moment. He dropped out of college to work because he already has a daughter to feed. I am sure his cooking skills will be an asset to whatever company he will work for.

Mr. and Mrs. Benedict are talking about donating a medical computer to the community college in their area. They are both teachers and they want to help others who don’t have enough to support their schooling. Since they don’t really have large incomes to speak of, they thought they’d do little things to help and pray it will be enough to change lives.

It is great how some people will go out of their way to help others, even if they themselves actually need help. The world will be a better place if only we will do our own share in helping those who need it.

Several years ago I dreamed of having our house renovated. We used to have a concrete ground floor and a wooden second half-floor. I wanted the whole house to become concrete so I hired a contractor and his assistant and had the house renovated. But one thing led to another and the house was left unfinished. I hadn’t anticipated the high cost of having a house renovated and then I had to deal with my mom’s illness.

The house, since then, has been left unfinished. There are still woods in almost every part of the house to hold the cement. The walls inside our home has splashes of cement and looked so dirty. I wanted to have the place cleaned up but I was stopped again and again by everyone. We are selling the house and they think it would be a waste of money to have the house cleaned up and the walls painted.

But it’s been years since we put our house in the market. Buyers come and go and still no contract has ever been signed and sealed! I want to spiff up the place a bit to make it more cleaner-looking and to brighten up the surroundings. Our house is clean, mind you, but the walls make it look like it’s not.

This summer, I resolve to have the house painted light green. That soothing green I have in mind actually. I want the whole house to be brighter and livelier!

I just wish cash will start flowing in today so I can save up for the paint job.

There are seven of us in the house. My dad, my 3 sisters, my brother, the little girl, and me. With sisters alone the clutter is staggering! Two of my sisters are teachers so that can explain a chunk of the clutter at home. And then there’s the stuff of the little girl. Her toys, school stuff, story and coloring books, and her numerous pens, pencils and crayons! Have I mentioned my pens, papers, and 5 clear plastic containers full of books?!?

I don’t know anymore how we can go about de-cluttering the house. There’s just too many of us and our stuff alone that we use on a daily basis is already A LOT! How we can minimize all our possessions is still a big question we cannot answer until now.

But we need to do something about the clutter. It’s not funny anymore. Everywhere I look there’s something that needs to be put or thrown away. Everywhere I look there’s a pile of something that needs a storage place for it. We don’t have enough space at home so storage is another problem we have to deal with.

Argh!

This summer, I swear, the second floor will be renovated! Half of the floor will be demolished and it will become storage area for all of our seasonal stuff.

I browsed a high school classmate’s Facebook account and came across her wedding photos. She got married last December! One photo showed the bride with her older sister and her mother. They are all wearing their diamond wedding rings and showing it off. All of them are now happily married and their smiles in the photo were radiant! Their rings made me want to get one for myself with those colored diamonds I saw at a jewelry store, and their smiles made me think of finding my very own prince charming.

Organization is the key to a spacious house. And that is what we will be doing from today until tomorrow. My family and I will be staging an organization of all the stuff we have at home. There will be a major de-cluttering event that will happen beginning today!

I swear the house is looking more and more a dumpster because of all the stuff we have. The little girl’s stuff alone is making the house so messy. She has a lot of coloring books, coloring pens and pencils and toys! My sisters have their bags, accessories and clothes. My ‘mess’ is my tons of papers and books!

So much to do…

With all the parties this month, our neighbors naturally chose to have a spiffy backyard. I like how they cleaned it out, put fresh plants there and wind spinners! At night when the wind blows you can see it spinning nonstop. I love it!

When my aunts dropped by to give us gifts the other day I told them that we should have that kind of backyard in the ancestral house. Aside from the fact that the grandparents will love it, we can also host reunions and family gatherings there. They both loved the idea and I know they are now talking about budget and all that. I think they will convert a part of the back of the house to make the backyard larger to accommodate all of us when the time comes hehe

I want my very own spiffy backyard, too! With the wind spinners as well!

This person I know considers her friends as family members. I understand because she is an only child and her parents are separated. She grew up with her mom and was not treated right by relatives. Naturally, she isn’t close to them and gets to talk to a few of them only. She actually grew up and literally lived with friends when her mom left to work abroad. She began treating friends more as family members since then, the ones she became really close to. I am grateful I am one of those friends.

It wasn’t an easy life for her but I know that it made her stronger and became the foundation for who she is now. All those hardships and being without a family of her own…

Now she has one. She still considers us her closest friends as family members for sure but now she really has an actual family of her own.

I am very happy for her! Family is important. At the end of the day, no matter how fulfilled, independent, brave you are you still go back to your family.

This kid we know is a genius. He is a child prodigy of some sort and would always be seen reading thick books and reciting long passages. He is a wonder to us all who know him! But whenever I see him, a part of me feels the need to bring him down a notch, to make him feel young again and enjoy his youth. He is only 8 years old! At the rate everyone’s treating him, he may be a 40-year-old man.

I thought of giving him a Tom Kuhn yoyo. Something to bring him down from the level he is in academically. He needs to find a diversion that will make him realize that he is still a kid and that there is more to life than being a genius.

I will give him a yoyo and let him have fun!

We don’t always need to be loud to be heard. A whisper is enough to be one with Him. He can hear us loud and clear even when we are not moving our lips. All we need is to fill our hearts with our deepest desires and He will see it, hear it, and know it.

In turn, we have to be silent to be able to hear His whispers…

Have a great week everyone!

My three sisters are asking for what I want this Christmas. I will make my wish a simple one… a kindle ebook reader! They know I am a hopeless bookworm and space is already a problem in my corner filled with my books. A Kindle will not only save me some space but also will make it easier for me to ‘carry’ my books around.

I always have to carry around 2 to 3 books, specially when I know I will be waiting in line with nothing to do. Or when I have to travel. That way I have variety in my reading. I can only imagine how light my bag will be if I already have my Kindle with me.

One of the things that I don’t like at home is the chaos brought on by too many wires from all the electronic gadgets and appliances. I love peace and order at home so seeing the dusty wires in the corners and nooks is making me go crazy. I need cable management as soon as possible!

I would rest easy if I know that the house is in order. At night, I check to make sure all locks are in place, no windows are left open, the main door not left ajar. You can say that I am the OC in the family but hey I am the eldest so I think that comes with the territory. I don’t want anything out of order at home.

The wires will really have to be settled soon. I don’t want the little girl touching any wire that will electrocute her. I will get my dad to be on top of this project.

So how do you resolve a family feud?

I think that when a person gets hurt, it takes a long time for him to heal, more so if the person(s) who hurt him is(are) his kin. Am I right in my observation? Because I should tell you, that’s what happened to us recently. We showed our concern over a blood relative and what came of it? Nothing but hurt and anger. Can you imagine being blamed for saving a relative’s life?

I don’t know what will happen now. I don’t know if the gap will be bridged. Maybe in the future but if something bad happens to that relative of ours and my dad goes berserk over it, I don’t think it ever will.

Evie has the guts to wear something that shows off her skin. She was a burn victim and she has scars on her body. But she is confident enough not to be bothered by it. Sometimes she wears body stockings when she has to show skin. But most of the time she just wears whatever she wants (which is usually skimpy dresses) and she gets away with it!

She once said that it’s all about the amount of confidence you have. You can get away with a lot of the clothes that aren’t really for your body type but if you can carry it with enough confidence, then you will stand out in it. In a good way, I might add. That’s how Evie carries herself. With enough guts and confidence.

The old man wants a macanudo cigar. No one is listening to him so someone else will give the old man his wish. Someone outside his family.

I can’t understand how some family members can ignore their kin. Some elders won’t be living that long and I am all for giving them the little things that can make them happy. There are stuff I don’t like my dad to have but if I can see that it makes him happy, it doesn’t harm him and he isn’t harming anyone in return, then my siblings and I indulge him from time to time.

Let’s try and listen to the wishes of the elders. We will sure make them happy by giving them what they want.

Something to inspire us today and to keep our faith burning…

I am thankful for a lot of things in my life. Whatever the hardships that come, I know that as long as my family is by my side and those who truly care for me will walk beside me… as long as I know I am on the Lord’s side, everything will fall into place in its proper time. Everything will turn out fine in His name.

Happy Thursday everyone!

If there is a family who knows how difficult it is to be in so much debt you are ready to declare bankruptcy that would be my family. We once had millions in debt due to medical bills, school tuition fees (of 5 children all in private school), my dad’s gambling, and so many bad financial decisions made in the past. There were even debts that spanned years interest of which piled up already. A family filing bankruptcy in utah reminded me of our past situation and I can’t help but remember the misery my family and I were all in.

My parents called up a bankruptcy attorney to help us sort all the debts we had, collectors of which were already harassing my parents to pay up or else. One collector of more than a decade old debt was even demanding that his client be paid right away! Legal help in matters like this is a must. The attoreny told my parents about the statute of limitations and that the more than a decade old debt fell under it. My parents was so relieved that one creditor was crossed out from the list of so many! Can you imagine how much interest my parents would have paid the creditor if the attorney hadn’t told them about the statute of limitations? Of course, later on when the cashflow of the family is starting to ease up, the creditor was still paid.

*Note: I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.