Our 2014's PRAYERLIST

I just posted a few moments ago my super duper late 2013 Christmas wishlist. Hehe. I just can't help it after reading a few rants of the mommy-blogs I am following so I felt the urge to at least write mine even if it's awkwardly way tooooooo late! Anyway, last year brought a whole lot of baggage on me and my husband particularly in some areas of our lives (sssssshhhhhhh) but were overcome by blessings and provision unexpected - another area in life that conquers the trails of sacrifices. I will be forever grateful to God for He remained faithful in my marriage with Rex and He's making us both to grow steadfast and strong and loyal to each other. I hundred percent believe in the song, "Sweeter as the years go by, sweeter as the years go by.." Hehe. We have lots of things and plans unaccomplished last year for our family and as an individual too. Some because of procrastination, some just didn't push through, others due to lack of well-planning and funds intended were diverted to emergencies and an aftermath calamity support and maybe because those plans were not really meant for us. We do not have regrets though because we believe God has greater plans for my family and we are excited to see what He has in store for us this 2014! Whew! This will be another year of hard work, perseverance, thorough planning, teamwork, saving, investing and trusting and having a  firm faith to the Most High!

The prayers uttered in our family devotions for this year's list started last week of December 2013. Our list is so specific as of this time. Let me share to you my readers the desires of each member of our family and some details too. Heehe.

1. A BRAND NEW HOUSE

We acquired our home lot of 404 square meters two years ago and planned to start our house construction year 2013 but as of now we were only able to do some fencing around the area (not yet finished), planted trees and some herbs and placed a tiny Bahay Kubo (nipa hut) that serves as our abode upon visit. Well, we planned to start the construction but we didn't say we are aiming to have it finished same year. (laugh) So for this year 2014, we are praying to have our own house in Polomolok, South Cotabato.

This is the Cullen's House in Twilight Saga. The structure will serve as one of our inspirations as we go over our house plans. I like the concept of wood and glass and touch of concrete. We will have an open-house (literally), open as walls will be limited so air can move in and out freely. And another element I'd like to imitate from the Cullen's house is that they don't have beds. (wink) We will have rolled mats and sleeping foams/cushions for everybody then! The floor planning and design is ongoing with friends, one who's an engineer and the other just got his license as an architect - we praise God for this blessing of friendship and of people, who are willing to give us huge discounts!

2. FORD 2.2L RANGER XL 4x4 MT

Actually, one of Rex's desire (since he took oath as a Philippine lawyer) was to buy a Toyota Hilux 4x4. It all changed when a client handed to him a one-year old Trooper (Isuzu) as payment after election. Due to his profession, he travels almost daily around Sarangani, South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Davao City to Davao Oriental. After a few months of using the vehicle, we calculated how much we've shelled out for its fuel and what we came up with was not desirable in our pockets. The Isuzu Trooper is 3L 4x4 AT and Rex was doling out a minimum of 1,000 Php a day for its fuel only, driver's fee excluded, only for their errands Polomolok-Gensan-Polomolok. A no-no. So after almost five months, we decided to let go of it and go back to public vehicles for transport. Toyota Hilux pick-up trucks have the same engines with Isuzu Trooper. So that was a good sign for Rex to look for another truck which is "reasonable". 

Then came December last year a car unexpectedly arrived just two days before Christmas. It was a favor from God and a Christian client. We later learned that Honda Fit is 1.3L 4V which made me more happy. So tipid sa gasoline! Polomolok to Davao City costs us 500 Php only! We then used the car to bring my parents-in-law to Davao City when they visited us here in South Cotabato and when we spent our New Year with my parents in Bukidnon. Husband said I can have the car all by myself when his Ford Ranger arrives, anytime soon! Yeheeeeeeee! Here's what we're praying for.

3. KIDS' TOYS & GADGETS

As our children are growing up, I don't remember us buying them any gifts and toys amounting to 1,000 Php or more. First reason is that, we can't afford to splurge that amount just for toys or gadgets they whine about as what they see in TV and in YouTube. When we go shopping for toys in malls, I needed to tell them their specific budget and show them the price figure of the toys they are allowed to pull out from the shelves. But last December, each one said a special request during one of our devotions.

The twins Maki & Kiah wanted similar items: 

PSP (PlayStation Portable) - one each.

The youngest Reese requested for: 

A pink desktop computer where she can play girly online games like baking cookies and doing some make overs over a digital barbie, also so she can watch YouTube videos of Barbie movies, Korean kids making demos on how to make jellies and erasers, and videos of play dough procedures.

She said she is also praying for a pink bike with a carrier. Not just the typical plastic bike but the one that is made of soft metals with silver wheels. 

Just the three. We are giving much priority the first two as 2014 started its roll. We are entrusting everything to God. For all things are possible in His name! A fruitful and bountiful 2014 to everyone!

My Super Ever Late Christmas Wishlist

Tadaaaah! It's already 2014 and I'm still jotting down my 2013 Christmas list! (LAUGHING OUT LOUD!) Well, I'm not that busy as what you might be thinking. I'm not a full-time working mom either. I only have a few contracts for my write-ups and articles last year. It's just that I'm hands-on at home and is doing a sideline of travelling with my husband to attend his out of town court hearings and meetings. I sometimes assist him in his office and do the works of the secretary when papers are in tons. At home, I do not entrust to anyone the grocery shopping and the local farmers' market trips which I do once a week, the sorting and preparing of my husband's and kids' clothes and lots of personal things for my family I believe I'm the one doing and for personal touches of course.

Anyway, my list will be a 100% material thingy. Here it is:

1. Nikon Coolpix S3600

20.1 Effective Mega Pixels, 8x Optican Zoom and 16x* Dynamic Fine Zoom

4-Axis Hybrid VR for Movie Recording, with High Performance Nikkor Lenses, EXPEED C2 image-Processing System, Macro-shooting for as close as 2cm., One-touch HD 720p Movie Recording

Oh well, I still have my three-year-old Nikon Coolpix S3100 with 14.0 MP, 5x Zoom and my ever reliable Samsung Galaxy 3 from Globe that I use for capturing scenes and faces of my kids and a lot of 'selfies' (self-shots) too! (laugh) I admire DSLR cameras but I think they are not for me since I don't like bulky gadgets and I'm not a pro in photography. I remember one of my instructors in Bible College who happens to be one of General Santos' professional photographers telling us during one of our classroom chitchats, "If you are making photography as a living or as a source of income (main or sideline) then you ought to buy a DSLR camera. But if it's just for leisure like you want to have your face printed with views from places like your comfort rooms, then a point-and-shoot one will do." Elite bloggers earning thousands of bucks have been using DSLR cameras since it invaded the film market. I find cameras a must for bloggers most especially if one's theme is about travel, places, food, fashion and topics that need elaboration using photos - I mean almost-true photos. I'd settle with compact cameras for now. My old camera is getting a little fuzzy with it's lens' cover and LCD. 

2. Wooden Computer Table

Minus the CPU part since my all-in-1 PC doesn't have one, I'll have another set of drawers then.

My Samsung DP700A3D All-in-1 Desktop for almost a year now is contently nestling on top of a mono block table. I asked my husband if he can have our church mate who has a furniture shop to do the job for my precious tool. Rex already gave a go signal last year but I withheld the excitement since we had just paid for our 8-seat-dining table made from santol wood last quarter of 2013. So maybe I'd have a sturdy table this summer.

I guess, that's it. Just two and I guess, yes, I guess, my 2013's Christmas wishlist will be granted this new year - anytime this year! Hahaha! I'm not in a hurry besides these are not that necessary. That's why it's called wishlist. (laugh) Hooray for my new camera-to-be and my working table-to-be!

I Heart Lotus Cookie Butter!

It's been almost a year since I started hoarding jars of these oh so creamy yummy delectable cookie or biscuit spread or butter and yet I'm still oh so into them! In fact, I discovered more pallets for other spreads like Nocilla, Nutella, Cadbury and a whole lot of arrays! Because of my constant intake of these mouth-treats (threat!) I gained almost six kilograms by the last quarter of 2013! 

They are made to be spread on bread but I prefer to have them directly in my mouth using a spoon. (laugh) I just love how the taste of cinnamon (one of its ingredients) linger inside my mouth and how it could do wonders that would help me forget my anxieties and worries of the day and think about how would I get these cookie jars in boxes and carts (now that's the problem! haha!). I bought my 2013 batch of jars in bulk online, I gave out some as Christmas gifts, a few jars sold to friends and the 'many' to my fridge! Haha! I just found a London-based-supplier selling cookie butter and other European goodies in wholesale at very low prices but I have to shoulder the freight of my treasures of course. This will be for my coming 2014 store's soft opening. 

Meanwhile, I just found out that SM General Santos City has Lotus Caramelised Biscuit Spreads Creamy at 347 Php and Crunchy at 349 Php, they could be found inside their Supermakket, spreads section. I bought one each recently, Hehe. Forgive me, this is one of my happiness. Healthy Options' shops nationwide also carry Lotus Biscoff Spreads Creamy & Crunchy at 349 Php and Lotus Biscoff Biscuits at 245 Php per pack. 

FYI. Lotus Speculoos, Caramelised and Biscoff are all the same - same brand yet they differ in taste just a little (based on my taste buds since I have those three in a row). Speculoos and Caramelised almost taste the same (99.99%) while Biscoff has this distinct taste maybe because the cinnamon is much stronger than the other two. These three are manufactured in Europe. Speculoos is what they are fond of in Belgium, while Caramelised in UK and Biscoff is preferred by the Americans and being exclusively distributed by one of their Lotus Bakeries branch in California. But you can find them everywhere actually, some Europeans prefer Biscoff and some Americans like Speculoos. Here in the Philippines - I prefer Speculoos and Caramelised. Hehe.

Just a note, drink a lot of water after eating, swallowing, licking a lot of these sweet stuff. They can give you unwanted facial breakouts, tonsillitis and fattening bellies. Haha! Splurge and enjoy!

Submission & Faith

I was on the verge of reopening, rereading ang reviewing my daily devotional books and notes for the past three years when I came to this part, a page in Elizabeth George's A Woman After God's Own Heart Daily Devotional - which made me evaluate my self as a wife for the previous year 2013. 

Submit. Submission. Submissive wife. Allow me to go into the details of my marriage with Rex.

Fortunately, the heavens blessed me, good Lord, I married a man who has the same faith like mine and we are both Pastor's kids - reasons why we came to know each other. After we tied the knot, it was when we discovered we have a lot of things in common. We are both homebuddies and we can sustain long hours to days staying inside the house just lurking in bed and in the sofa, watching movies and drinking tea. We hoard books because we always find time to read and we love dogs. We like mountains, rivers and trees and we at most consume farm produce and fish. We always eat but we do not eat to be full. We are hooked with sleeping. I mean, we sleep a lot particularly on days where there's no work and the children's school declares a holiday or no class at all then we sleep and sleep and sleep. We love reading the Bible and we prefer quite times - apart! We do family devotions with the kids but we pray separately in bed. He prays for me and I too lay my hands on him head to feet.

Our roots came from the same places: Ilocos, Mountain Province and Benguet. That's why we didn't find it hard to get along with each other's families and relatives. We have almost similar home, culture and church upbringing and trainings when we were young and single that helped us big time dealing with our starting years in our God-and-man-blessed-matrimonial. But still, it wasn't that easy. 

Of all the many things we have in common, we too have numerous differences. I married a 100% choleric while I am only 50% out of it, 25% of me is sanguine and the other 25% is phlegmatic. So I have to deal with this one-word-man and he has to face 24/7 this woman hormoned by three personalities. When he talks, he talks a lot. But when he prefers to keep mum then he can do that all day. We discuss on things but he seldom talks so much about his opinions, ideas, plans and even his feelings - his emotions! There are times he'd do this, do that without my knowledge. I love details (yeah, right) and he is so generic! He is into furnitures and I dream of appliances! He gets dogs from his clients with or without breed and brings them at home and I ended up feeding them, giving them a weekly bath to cleaning their mess!  I tend to keep things at home in place and in order - clothes only, socks only, books only, mobile chargers only, keys only - but there's this one man who keeps on mixing all things and I can't just get rid of him because he owns the 50% of my house and my things and he's my husband! I married a man who's my almost 60% opposite! We're staying under one roof for more than five years now and somehow we managed to live peacefully (laugh). We wake up in the morning as a wife and a husband, as parents, as workers and we retire for the night in bed as lovers (wink). We do not sleep with heavy hearts, we talk and we pray.

Going back to the word submission. I may not be in the same situation where Sue is in (please see photo above), her partner is not a Christian and she sees it difficult to ask for his opinion about her life's direction because of that. But what did Elizabeth George told Sue? As long as her husband isn't telling her to go against the Word of God, then Sue has to submit to him because Sue is his husband's wife. And should I do it too? Of course! Not because my husband is a Christian. Not just because I am obliged and I needed to. But because it is written in the Bible and I am responsible for what will be the outcome if I will go hardheaded towards my husband. 

Fortunately again, heavens blessed me again, oh You really are a good Lord, Rex is a kind of husband who would ask me for a yes or a no when it comes to decision making that involves me, the kids and our family. I can only count using my fingers the major decisions he made without consulting me (let's even out from the major items the minor ones like bringing dogs without my consent and putting bats and snakes' meat inside my fridge!). If I tell Rex a 'no' he'd take it and that'll be a forever no to him even if I already changed my mind! No more backwards. Overall, when Rex says he can do it, he'd mean it and he would and I strongly believe he can right from the start. I am practicing the FAITH. The faith which comes from my Father to Abraham and to Moses, to David, to Jesus Christ, to my biological father and now the faith I have in God that whatever comes in our marriage, that the faith I have in my husband will be justified by the faith I anchored to my Saviour. 

Let me suggest wives to get daily devotional booklets/books from our local publishers like OMF Lit. Inc.  I always purchase a lot of them every mid year for December gift-givings.