Parrot on a PorchA Journey Toward the Little Mansion Dream

There are surely lots of advantages of living in a compound with a setup just like ours.  First, to give you an overview, here’s how and where Little Mansion is situated in a 6-unit compound.This is our very dear Little Mansion (LM), a single-detached unit at the farthest end of the compound from the gate.  Another single-detached unit (the picture on the right) faces ours and it’s a mirrored replica of LM.

This picture on the other hand is the view of the common gate from the farthest end where LM is.  Two duplex units stand face to face.

We love how our neighbors (from both units of the left duplex on the pic) have a 2 year old daughter who has become Asher’s constant playmate in the afternoon.  They’re thoughtful and caring..the type of neighbors you know they’ll look after and guard your house if you’re away.  During the water crisis last July, under their own initiative, they filled our basins in the laundry area when we were out and the water ration came.  We also appreciate how they share cooked merienda (spaghetti, hotcake, etc) to Asher every now and then.  They also gladly lent us their laundry drying rod when Yayie still did not have an ample space to hang our laundered clothes on for drying on our first month.  They have this genuine big smiles every time we see them.  Really, they’re the type of neighbors you’d yearn to have.

However, there are also drawbacks with this type of communal living in a compound.  There are no clear boundaries, no gates within the real premises that are rightfully ours, and the long driveway is a common area.  So that means, if a neighbor doesn’t care of his front and side yards, meaning they care less if their lawn appears unattractive, cluttered and trashy, you somehow get affected because their lawn is your lawn, too.  That, even though an emergency medical assistance can be easily sought, you wouldn’t want to risk your toddler son’s safety because of the trashed steels and woods that they just trashed in the common ground where he freely plays in the afternoon.  That, since the units are not distant, one’s noise is heartily heard by all the compound dwellers. That, you just keep mum because either you don’t know how would they react if you gently call their attention or simply, you don’t know how to make the right approach that would not get them offended. 

You win some, you lose some.  It’s just a matter of acceptance.  We love everything that has to do with the Little Mansion because it’s our sanctuary.  Whatever drawbacks there may be, we’re just happy that we have our own dwelling.  After all, we’re living WITHIN LM’s walls and not naman outside.  So happy, happy pa rin.

For two consecutive weekends, the Manila Seedling Bank Foundation Inc along EDSA and Quezon Avenue was a favorite destination earlier this month.  Our Little Mansion was designed with two plant boxes on the second floor exteriors so we’ve long been planning to drop by a seedling bank, a plant store (or whatever you call it) to purchase ornamental plants that can further add color and life to our humble abode.  We always pass by the Manila Seedling Bank whenever we visit the in laws in Frisco but we were clueless how huge the selling area is and how plenty the sellers and sold plants are until we got in there the first time.  I was actually overwhelmed because there were surely lots of ornamental and decorative plants and flowers in pots, orchids, imported and extraordinary flowers, fruit trees, other garden plants and even garden tools like rakes, shovels, gloves and a lot more.  My eyes literally feasted that we had a hard time deciding which to choose.  After careful contemplation and comparison of our top choices, we went home with 10 potted yellow bromeliads in tow plus two potted flowering plants that shall be put on the front house area.  We had to go back the weekend after because we realized that the plants we bought were not enough to fill all the areas that we intended to put plants on.  So we bought 10 more potted local species of Red Santan.  The Santan will be for the plant boxes while the bromeliads will adorn the driveway and the house’s front area.  I’ll try to share a picture of the plants once they are placed on the 2nd floor plant boxes.

Every time I see advertisements of new homes for sale Virginia, I can’t help but look back on our journey to owning our Little Mansion.  It was not easy. We’ve encountered disheartening obstacles along the way.  But waking up to the walls of Little Mansion every morning, I really can’t believe that we’re now reaping the fruits of our hard work and tremendous sacrifices.  We’ll be celebrating our 5th year wedding anniversary this coming December and it really feels good to know that one of our long term goals have just been achieved and all other objectives are just right on track.  We could not have done all these if not for a great team work, guts, faith, self-control and discipline.  And I’m just so proud to have a husband like Paul who’s always been a great provider, a hardworking head of the family and even though he’s all stressed and always busy at work, he makes it a point that his family, still, is his number one priority.  We’re also thankful to our adorable and affectionate son who’s keeping us inspired and remind us to stay in focus of our goals.  Now I’m more confident to face what lies ahead in the future.  So long as we’re together and we keep the faith, everything is possible.

Several friends have been asking us as to when shall we hold the house warming party.  Well, we can not actually confirm yet since the last duplex unit in the compound is still undergoing construction and it’s all messed up here.  In fact, as I write, I can smell the paint being applied on and hearing heavy carpentry and the ongoing welding works.  Also, there’s still a few finishing touches that have to be done to Little Mansion like the installation of grills in the terrace, roof in the laundry area and a few more minor installations of blinds, picture frames and additional shelves in the living room area.

Here are some of the pictures I took yesterday of other Little Mansion’s parts that I haven’t shared yet:

This is the terrace which is accessible through our bedroom.  For now, this is where we’re keeping Asher’s mobile rides (twist car, bike, stroller) and his old plastic closet.  If you recall my posts regarding this area, I was contemplating whether we’ll make it Asher’s play area or the husband’s mini-gym.  He’s been wanting to have a sanctuary where he can put a gym equipment and workout.  I jokingly advised him to just use fat burners so the little one can have his own Toy Kingdom (more of where we can confine his toys) at home.  Right now, they’re working on the screened grills that will be installed here.

There’s the other unit (half of the duplex) which, I heard, is still unsold.  So anyone who wants to become our neighbors, just message me.

There’s the terrace part, viewed from outside. (Picture shot a few months ago)

This is the view of our laundry area from the terrace.  As contrary to the original structural plans, we have decided to put a roof on this part so Yayie can still do the laundry even while raining and have a clothes-drying place that is covered.  As you know, the rainy season is here.

These were still taken from the terrace.  This is actually the back part where, if you look down, you’ll see the service area/dirty kitchen and if you look across, it’s the bedroom #2’s windows (yayie’s bedroom for now).  If you look up, there’s the vent.

This picture of the vent was shot down from the dirty kitchen.  There’s the window of BR #2 (right) and the terrace on the left side.  A screened grill will also be installed in that area as a closure.

Some more LM’s other areas’ pictures coming right up.

This is my sort of mini-library in our bedroom.  Asher and I got two shelves to put our book collections on.  From the pictures above, it’s no brainer to determine who my favorite author is.  My other collections include motherhood and parenting books (as pictured on the second) and cook books (they’re sequestering a portion of Asher’s shelf below).  Ever since I became a mom, I believe that it’s my responsibility to continually learn and keep myself abreast of everything that a mom is ought to know. My favorite among them is the What To Expect Book series.

I do not have weight loss pill comparison books because I do not need them given with a scrawny built.  As I’m determined to hone my cooking newbie skills, I’m leaning to collect more cooking and recipe books this time.

Sometimes I find myself in solace, just staring at the each corner of the house and in deep contemplation.  I can’t help but I’ve really fallen in love with our dear Little Mansion.  Everything’s so surreal.  I just love everything about it even though it’s size and space isn’t really that of a luxurious mansion.  It’s just perfect for our little family and at least, we won’t have to endure sore muscles and joint pain from wandering from one room to another.  Here are a few notes what I totally adore about our Little Mansion:

1.  A bathroom on the second floor right across our bedroom.  Now I don’t have to wake up the husband to accompany me downstairs when I need to respond to nature’s call in the wee hours of the morning. 

2.  Lots and lots of closets in our bedroom.  We have lots of stuffs and junks so the best way to conceal them is through storing them in cabinets that also has easy access when you need these stuffs.

3.  Aircon!  Something to save us from the toilsome heat.

4.  A fully loaded ref.  Not space deprived anymore and no others’ “territory” to take into consideration as all the space is ours.

5.  The cupboards!  I’ve got nice compartments to store and “display” my beloved dining ware sets – most of which were wedding gifts to us five years ago.

6.  A neat little kitchen that’s fully equipped where I can explore and experiment.

And so much more.  :sigh: I really can’t help it but I’m deeply, madly “in love” now.

It was Little Mansion’s blessing today and it was a success.  We’re all tired because of all the last minute preparations we had to do this morning but everything went well.  It was just a brief, intimate event attended by our families.  I will the post the pictures and make a more detailed recount of the event very soon but for now, I’ll savor the moment to rest.  I just have to share though that we almost forgot to do the coin shower.  After the blessing proper, we all proceeded to the buffet table to eat.  And it’s just a few minutes later that I remembered about the coins we specially prepared for the shower which is a house blessing tradition.  We did not really buy gold coins but at one point, I’m thinking what if we did.  I bet our visitors would have not minded the plateful of food they were holding and perhaps, they could have dived to the floor for these gold coins.  It would have been a pretty delightful sight to behold. Hehe!  But seriously, now that we’re coping fine with all our major expenses, I’m thinking to try out and venture on gold investment this time.

Woohoo!

I’m back from a one week hiatus (no internet) and now I’m blogging right here at our very own Little Mansion.  Whew!  Everything’s so surreal.  I can’t believe that we’re finally here, savoring the walls, the interiors, the furniture and the new home stuffs that we have (Thank God for shopping coupons!).  We haven’t fully dolled up our Little Mansion yet but nevertheless, we’ve got most of our stuffs fixed and settled.  The neighboring duplex in the compound is still undergoing construction along with the adjoining laundry area of our house so it’s still a little chaotic, messy and dusty outside.  We’re adjusting just great including the little one.

If you want to see how the little one is enjoying his new kingdom, here’s a sneak preview:

At home na at home!

How does it feel?  It’s totally overwhelming.

So even though our Little Mansion doesn’t literally have a porch, I can mightily announce that..

“The Parrot has landed on her own porch!”

(Now you know what the blog title of this online home means)

Since I’ve touched up the topic of coupons, I find EBillMe a one of a kind and very convenient payment facility.  If you haven’t heard about it, it’s actually a safe, innovative payment option where a shopper in the US is enabled to purchase online then pay cash with online banking.  Now one can go shopping at Buy.com, Sears, and Kmart without having to worry about credit cards and think about other payment means since all they have to have is their online bank details.  This is taking online shopping to another level and worthwhile experience.

Whew! What a tiring weekend that was. Little Mansion’s water line is finally up and running since Monday. And so, since we’ve been eager to transfer ever since, we took every minute of our weekend cleaning and fixing the house. After two days, LM’s all dolled up now so here I am blogging for the last time/night here in my in laws house as tomorrow will be our first night in our new home. We still have lots of finishing touches to do as well as take action on the other utility applications like the cable TV, phone line and internet. We’ll also be planning out the house blessing which will be held on Saturday hopefully. The housewarming party though will have to be delayed since the last two units in the compound are still not through and construction debris are still everywhere. But nevertheless, we’ve started brainstorming about the party details.

One of the things that I’m thinking right now is about the invites and the souvenirs. I just browsed the website of my1stop.com and suddenly I was given an idea to have a Custom Printing of invites made into a something that looks like a key tag. A key usually symbolizes a home so that would be perfect. I’m quite drawn with the attractive and colorful designs at my1stop.com and I’m contemplating actually to inquire from them one of these days. I read that they ship internationally. My1stop.com is an online printing superstore that satisfies very highly the printing needs of customers whether it be Plastic Card Printing, Form Printing, or Label Printing. They’ve got tons of services (even outside business solutions) and interesting and artistic designs which they can expertly print.

I never knew what siding Richmond, stucco, rock and other exterior choices are until now that we’re somewhat custom building our little crib. I didn’t know that Although the developer already has the floor plan and structural plans pre-made, he was still open to recommendations from us as to how ours will be done or should there be a little tweaking that we desire.  He asked us about the material that will be used for the home’s exterior but since we’re already baffled with a lot of overwhelming decisions to make, we decided not to deviate anymore and just follow suit whatever the other units in the compound have.  It looks nice and appears durable anyway so why change.

Speaking of the Little Mansion, the husband and I are  both excited because we’ll finally begin the cleanup tomorrow and start fixing things.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to do it in just one day so by Sunday, we could spend our first night there.