Moving Forward

I woke up this morning realizing the one thing I love to do is to blog and i hardly do so anymore.  I am consumed with fixing my house up and working.  I thank God every day for Joshua and Belle.  My house is so very different than it was 6 months ago due to their combined efforts.  I walk in the back door and I am HAPPY.  I cannot express the number of people that have come in and their initial statement is that it feels "calm"  Belle told me that my house looks like an Airrbnb in Florida. I could not be happier with that description.  My colors are sea salt green on the walls and trimmed in white.  Everywhere.  I have a few other colors tossed in to give it some life but its all "beachy" tones.  I love the beach.  Let me clarify that I do not like the sand, heat, and humidity but I love the water.  My friend Jojo Lapp bought me a flamingo wine holder years ago.  My house is pretty much a home  now to that goofy flamingo.  I was in Hobby Lobby yesterday to have pictures framed  and found a flamingo toilet paper holder.  I bought it.  It really is  silly looking but it made me laugh and will go in the guest bathroom to compliment the shower curtain that is a picture of shells and sand.  Would this new decoration qualify me for home beautiful?  Indeed not but when you go to the bathroom you will laugh and that is pretty much the point.

The deer heads that graced my entryway for 20 years have been re-homed to Rebekah's.  In their place is a wall of pictures of my children.  I have so many that I am going to hang.  I have different frames. I have store bought frames and I have professionally done frames.  I have been told that I need to keep to the same type of frames to have a better "staging" look to the wall.  Guess what, my house, my rules, my frames.  If it offends anyone sensibility then don't look.  I will walk down that long hall of pictures and it will bring back memories that I cherish and that is the point.   In the hall leading to the bedrooms is the "creative" area for my kids and grand kids.  I have hung pictures that my children created when they were small and  have added the pictures that my grandchildren made for me.  I have a picture that they each created of Mimi with each child.  They are really great.  Then I had them do a free style picture of anything they wanted.  These will be changed each year in the summer.  I also have current paintings that my  son his children and Belle have made.  I am going to hang needle point pictures that I have done and an oil painting that I did when i was in the fourth grade.  Is it busy looking? You bet but it is wonderful for me to see all those things that they have done and that I have done.  Again it is my house and my rules.  My best part of my house is my fireplace.  My son hung pictures of my grand kids that Belle took and my last years group picture of my grands and me.  I cried when I saw it.  They are my heart and joy and the first thing I see when I walk in my back door.

The last major thing on my home to-do list is my bedroom and bath.  That will be done in the next few weeks.  There are tons of little things that need to be done like painting the rest of the woodwork that has not been completed and my counter tops in my kitchen.  Skip Woods a friend of Joshua's  has an incredible artistic talent.  He is going to do all my kitchen counter tops in epoxy.  The base color will be white with two different blues and pearl, silver, pewter metallic.  He owns a business called Liquid Stone Designs.  I am eventually having all the popcorn stuff taken off the ceilings but that is later and done a room at a time.

I am approaching my favorite time of the year.  I live for Christmas and have not been able to have decorations or guests over for the last 3 years.  This year Christmas has returned to my home.  I will have a tree in my dining room and in my front room.  I will have my Santas out on display and I will have people over for my Christmas dinner a week before the actual date.  I am beside myself with excitement.  I have so many blessings to be thankful for but this one is the best. 

I have spent the last few months getting rid of "stuff" .  I have gifted many items and gave a lot to the shelter but still managed to fill up 2 construction dumpsters.  I could probably fill up a third.  It has been bitter sweet getting rid of "things".  I still have too much but it will take more thought to divest myself of the rest.  I just don't want my kids saddled with the same problems that I had when it comes time for me to "buy the farm" .  I should have just said "died" but that is such a harsh word.  I made a will with a real attorney.  We laughed our way through it.  The final question she asked was what I wanted done with my body. I gave it some thought and said I didn't care if I was cremated or buried but made her write in the will that if they had a viewing that I be laid in the casket in soft cotton pajamas, preferably "Cuddle-Duds" from QVC.  They are the best.  I should probably get a new set and put them aside.  Just in case.  I made distributions to my kids and grand kids of the few things that I have of value and the rest is up to them.  I actually feel relieved that this job was done.  It has weighed heavily on me since Stan died because he did not leave a will and that was a pain in the butt for all concerned.

Finally before I stop I just want to say that I am fine.  I have moments that I wish that he were here to see what we have done with the house.  I think he would have liked it.  He would not be happy about the deer heads but such is the way of moving forward.  They have a nice new home.  I am not sure Rebekah is happy about it but Shane was happy as were the kids.  I will post of blog of  just the before and after pictures at a later date.

It feels good to write again and to express myself.  More to come.