Yesterday my wife decided to have the house blessing, in the Catholic tradition, to coincide with her birthday. The priest blessed the house, the car, the furniture, and I don't know what else.

After the blessing there was food, music, dancing, and consumption of alcoholic beverages. There seemed to be more than a hundred people here (and that's probably a conservative number).

Yes, we have furniture in the house now. Not all that we need, of course. It's a start. Well… more than a start. We have the living room set, an entertainment unit, beds for two bedrooms, an electric range, a refrigerator, a dinette set, and more.

Most Filipino homes do not have hot water. By the time the house is completely finished, WE will have hot water. We already have a hot water heater and a water pressure tank. We do not have a washer and dryer yet. We have no place to put them until after the slab is added to the back of the house.