will be out for 2 weeks

i'll be out of town for the next 2 weeks because of work. i'll be in pampanga & isabela this week. then it's negros & gen. san by next week. thankfully i'll be able to go home during the weekends.

by the way, we've already moved in to oour new house and it is such a great feeling to be (back) in your own house. we had family & friends over during our house blessing last oct. 29. they were able to see and appreciate the house we've been able to built. although it is not yet really finished, it is already our home. just a bit more sacrificing and we'll be able to finish it soon hopefully.

i actually miss scrapping already. all i've been able to do is haul in all of my scrapbook stuff in our room and arrange it (haven't even finished with this one yet). there's still more arranging that i need to do but that will take a back seat while i am away for work.

i wish it was the weekend already...

five more days...

till we are officially back in our home!

the whole weekend is gonna be tough just trying to clean-up the place. they are currently putting the tiles in our part of the house. such a blessing to be able to fund that. the workers will be going on overtime on that until tuesday night.

while they're at it, we'll be in our room fixing up all the stuff that i brought back home. much like when we moved out last year, majority of the clutter i have to fix is all on my scrapbook stuff!

i am a bit dazed as to how i will arrange and store everything with the lack of cabinets available.

oh well, that's a problem i can address in the future. i have to make do with what i have for now. i just want to be thankful that i at least have a space to even place them in.

here's a photo of some of the stuff i still need to pack. there's lot more clutter where that came from and where that's going! lol!

i can't wait to get home and start cleaning up all the mess.

slowly but surely...

saved again

another bit of good news in the homefront...
the last release is out (almost) and the other item we've been wanting to sell off has been sold just this morning.
we never thought it would be sold off anytime soon.
but out of the blue, somebody got it!

and yet again, he has shown us proof of what he can do...
at a time when we thought this is the end of it, he opened yet another window for us...
another opportunity for us to be thankful to him...

little by little

a lot has been happening in the homefront for us.

by next week, we will be moving back in to our house already! thank you lord!

we left our "old" house exactly a year ago to make way for our new house. we experienced a lot of trials trying to make this work and to make sure that we are able to build this house that we've been dreaming of for years.

it was a slow process. actually, it is still a slow process. building the structure took time. the funds were not always readily available. we had to push our limits and try to find other means. with a little help from family and friends, the target for the structure was met.

the finishing part is a different story altogether. again, funds are scarce and the need was getting bigger once more. it almost took its toll on us. our exterior walls have not yet been finished and everytime the rain comes, it seeps into the walls. it was tough for my parents who are already living there. at one point, they woke up amidst the rain outside and the water seeped into their room and almost reached the matress on the floor. it happened a few times in the past 3 months at the height of the rainy season.

that pushed us to really find a way to have the exterior walls finished. every week it was a struggle for funds. we felt like we were being pushed to the wall, feeling helpless. and yet, by the grace of god, and at the nick of time, we are able to find the necessary funds. at the least expected moments, our prayers are answered. payment for small time projects were finally paid. earnings from small events were subdivided among partners. little things that just fell into place when all seem lost. there was still the ray of sunshine behind the dark clouds.

the end to our finished house is still far from over. there are still a lot of things to be done. but it is already ready to be lived in somehow. we can already stay there and make the most of what we have. the dream we've tried to build is now ready for us. it is the house which will once again become our home.

there is much to be thankful for the start of a new chapter in our lives. a lot of gratitude for his grace and guidance.

for now, just a few more days till the day we officially move in... it will be all worth the wait...

thankful yet again

we just got word that based on the latest inspection, we have reached 90.+% completion!
thank god for this blessing!
it's one of the hurdles we had to surpass. there's one more hurdle which is the occupancy permit.
he truly guides us in this path we are going through.
and yet again, he showed us the power of faith.
he really works in mysterious ways.
at times when i feel that we've hit the end of the road, he shows us a corner to turn to.
another opportunity for us to continue on the journey.
it is not a smooth path but i know more than ever that he is there beside us, helping us.
thank you for letting the sun shine upon us and giving us continued hope for our future.

life's changes

a lot of changes have been happening in our life for the past 6 months. eversince we've decided to have our house built, it has been a roller coaster of emotions for all of us. i'm sure if you've been in my shoes, you'll agree with me that building a house is no easy feat.

a lot of financial adjustments had to be made. tempers flaring up and worries increasing at certain times out of frustration and the desire to have everything built on time. tons of calls to institutions just to make sure that they approve and fast track processing of forms. the unspoken worries of what might happen if we're not able to meet schedules from suppliers. a lot of other things happening along the way.

at times when we thought we've ran out of options, god guides us to a different path. he shows us to roads which we never thought were there. we are much thankful to families and friends who have been open and willing enough to help us out with our concerns.

there are still a lot of things to finish and completion is still far from happeniing. but we're getting there, slowly but surely.

it's already been 8 months since we embarked on this journey. we're hoping that we'll have 90% completion by end of september. the percentage of completion is subjective. a lot has yet to be finished really. but we are hopeful. we have to be. that is the only way we can motivate and push ourselves.

at this point, we keep on reminding ourselves that this is for our future. if we do not do this now, then when? we haven't forgotten our desire to try building our family. but for now, when we still can, we will first prepare the foundation. eventually, god willing, he will grant us a baby once more. probably it is right, all in due time. for now, there are other priorities. and we will keep our focus on that.

we continue to pray that he guide us to the right path. we need his guidance and we need to believe, we need to be strong and strengthen our faith.

and the saga continues (chapter 4)

it's been weeks since my last post particularly on this subject.

at the moment, the 2nd slab for the roofing/flooring had been poured and has cured already. it was done last week and now preparations for the last slab is being done.

the next hurdle is to reach 75% completion. the perennial concern of dwindling finances is looming once more. there is still a lot that has to be finished before we can reach the 75%.

i just hope that we can still make both ends meet somehow until the next release.

for now, we just continue to pray for his guidance that we are able to overcome this hurdle once more.

and on to even better news!

we just got our first release today.

thank god!

the next hurdle is to reach 75% completion for the second one to be made.

we pray for continued guidance that we may be able to reach the next phase.

and the saga continues (chapter 3)

i just called the engr. department. the result for inspection #3 is out and have been forwarded to processing already.

the result - 41.77% completion!

thank you lord! we are much grateful for the guidance.

now i move on to the next hurdle. i will be calling the processing department later to follow-up on the final approval of our loan.

lord, we ask once more for your continued guidance on this journey of ours. lead us to the right path oh lord andkeep our faith stronger.

and the saga continues (chapter 2)

i got this text message from a friend last sunday...

"are you troubled, living in fear, wondering if god can do the impossible for you? replace all that with full trust and faith in him. he is able to do anything, and he will prove it to you sooner than you expect! lord god, miracle worker, i put my trust in you today. i believe and receive from your abounding grace. amen... blessed sunday."

this text couldn't have come better at an opportune time. honestly, i've been feeling a bit off everytime i think about the current status of our property. it is hard to feel suddenly uncertain about your future and more harder since you are "depending" on a group of people to make things materialize.

that sunday, i was given another nudge by the lord. i am slipping from his grip once more and he gave me the nudge to realize that there will be an answer somewhere.

i await your guidance lord and lead me to the right path...

****************************************

i just got a call from my brother. the appraiser just finished with the 3rd inspection to our property. we were informed to make a follow-up call tomorrow for the result.

according to my brother, the appraiser mentioned in passing that she believes that the progress is beyond 30% already.

i pray that the report will be favorable for us.

lord, guide us to the right path. shower us with your grace and help us realize that nothing is impossible with you.

and the saga continues (chapter 1)

i just arrived from their office.

i was advised yesterday to bring photos of current developments in the construction so they can review it. i did just that today. i waited and was advised to discuss with the person who appraised us.

and now the verdict is, they have to conduct another site inspection. this will be inspection #3.

i am starting to lose patience but i know i shouldn't. i need that loan and in as much as i hate the system, i have to contend with it. at the back of my mind, i was shouting "that is my hard earned tax money which i pay this government that i am borrowing! why the heck can't you process it properly and at a much faster pace!"

i know, i know, i musn't lose sight of the fact that i, need the loan and i have to be patient.

and so we wait until tuesday next week to see what the result will be.

i pray that they will be more understanding and consider the merits of the construction and give us already the % equity required.

lord, please give us more strength to face this adversity in our life...

6%... continued

we had no choice today but to go there personally and "contest" the appraisal value they gave us. a neighbor of ours who works there was kind enough to assist us and we were able to talk to the department head of the appraiser. unfortunately, the appraiser wasn't there so no immediate discussion and action with him can be done.

the discussion with the department head was positive in a way. he was accommodating and reviewed our files and mentioned a few things here and there pertaining our construction.

i had to lay it down on the table... their assessment is what stands between our papers being finally processed and the 1st release of our loan. i had to be upfront, i don't think there is no other way of saying it.

we were advised that he'll wait for the person who appraised our property and he will see what can be done further for us to reach the minimum equity requirement.

as this saga continues, i only pray that he can guide us through this. a lot has been invested already and honestly, without that first release, we will have tough times ahead. it's tough as it is but it will get harder as the months progress.

give us guidance lord... and again, please help us win in the lottery!

6%

that is what stands between us and that loan we've been waiting for!

the equity should be 30% apparently and according to our contractor we've reached it already.

but apparently NOT! that is according to the assessor who went to the house last week. according to the report, which we just found out today, we've only reached 24%!

a difference of six f*&$^#g percent!

can't they let go of the f*&$^#g 6% and just approve our request! how the heck do they actually compute or assess it anyway!

it's been 2 months and 8 days since the application has been filed! countless worries and running here and there to make sure all documents are secure and submitted as per their requirement! and now what?! we're still waiting for the f*&$^#g approval!

now we are at a standstill. it's a point of damn if we do, damn if we don't. if we move forward, we're lacking of funds already. if we don't move forward, they won't see any development.

what are we to do?! this is so frustrating!

lord, help us win the lottery please!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i need some rest

since friday last week, i've been doing nothing but cleaning, packing, arranging and fixing all our stuff.

work on our house has already started this tuesday and that meant that i had to pack up and move out of my room. that is the first area they need to work on so we were advised last week that i need to clean out my room already.

i was on leave friday and monday just so i can have the time to clean up our room.

i couldn't believe the amount of stuff that is stored in our room!

i was able to pack around 5 sacks and 7 boxes with old clothes, magazines, books, bags, scrapbook stuff and what have you. but there's still more stuff under our bed and it doesn't even include the stuff which i packed separately. the items i separated i brought with me temporarily in our room at nelo's house. i still have to unpack them now and arrange there.

i am so tired and i lack sleep. the earliest i am able to sleep is at 12mn. last sunday, i slept at 2:30am - that's already a monday!

my mom on the otherhand was in-charge of packing all the other stuff in our house. and there are still a lot of things to be packed!

i need to rest. my body is aching from all packing i've done and for the short hours i sleep. my skin has dried due to constant washing and polishing of the floors in our room. and there is still a lot of stuff i need to unload. i know i'm complaining a lot here.

still, i know that there is a reward after all these.

just a few months of sacrifice and i know that the reward will be much bigger. we'll be able to see our new home built, the one we have all been dreaming of for years. we just have to be patient with all the adjustments we need to make if we really want to reap the rewards.

so for now, i will try to finish up fixing all our stuff and try to get the much needed rest this weekend, i hope.

hopefully i can start scrapping already as well, just to relieve myself of some stress packing has caused me. hehehe!