Very important lessons in stripping and staining

Another post that I cannot think of a song title for.

 

I have moved more than ten times in thirteen years. With each move, I repurpose furniture. For the move out of our house into the condo, which required some very committed downsizing, I knew that I wanted to use an antique bow front chest from my living room as the chest of drawers in my bedroom. This was the only painting project I accomplished during the sale of the house, and this is one that got worse before it got better.

 

 

Oh Come Let Us Adore....Each Other

"The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others’ burdens, easing other’s loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas.”
~ W. C. Jones

 

Once of my favorite parts about being married and having stepsons was that I had scored myself a reason to do a Christmas card, as previous years featuring the cat and me would have been pathetic. The first year, the list was basically my wedding invite list, and got smaller over the years, eventually being two dozen family and friends. Last year, I found myself without the faculties to put much care and concern into a Christmas card, because with a husband not living a home and a marriage in limbo, who can think of "happy holiday blessings from our family to yours"?  

 

Last year, I phoned it in a little and used Paperless Post, which charges a small fee to send holiday cards via selected (or all) of the recipients in your email address book. The feedback from the emailed Christmas card was amazing, so I went with Paperless Post again for this year's card. The list stays small - grandparents, aunts/uncles, and close friends who have lifted the three of us up so much in the last year that we were able to find joy, naturally, and take a picture that reflects the healing we've done in 2013. Emotionally and physically.

 

My Christmas joys, beyond watching the discoveries that Santa left on Christmas morning and holiday decorating, are these faces. Yesterday I told one of them that if he were grown, I'd punch him in the face, but then we found the joy of chocolate milk together. No harm, no foul. Jake hates Christmas music but loves Christmas lights and Baby Jesus. Landen can off-key a Christmas song right along with me.

 

 

I share this here on the blog for the friends, family, and strangers who come here and read and support us. Because miracles happen, even if the miracle is the ability to smile.  If you have joy, cherish it. If you are missing joy, it's a long walk and a lot of prayer to find, and we hope for you the discovery of it.

 

This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone.”
~ Taylor Caldwell (1900-1985), English novelist.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Everything from my boys and me. Our profound thanks and love, even if we've never met you. We know you're there.

 

P.S. Monday is Moving Day.

The light at the end of the tunnel

I've been keeping a secret, because of The Jinx. Every single bloody time I have posted about my house or a potential house on the internets, it fell right though with a giant sucking sound.

 

 

I took this picture at 8:30 AM today, as I was driving away from MY blue house with MY blue door and MY giant crepe myrtle to go to an office to sign MY cottage away to someone who wants to come live in it.

 

That's right. Misty Hollow is SOLD.

Have you ever seen the North?

On Saturday, I sat on the couch and listened as Jake and Landen were told by their dad that he had been dating someone, someone they already knew as part of his circle of friends. We did not expect them to be terribly affected by it. Landen rolls with the punches (until later) and Jake is so used to these "we need to talk to you" family moments that he was likely relieved it was so simple. I only said one sentence, because their dad tends to bumble around these things, and he was burying the lead. "What Daddy is telling you is that he has a girlfriend." Jake looked at me like I just said the word "vagina." Landen was okay because he likes Dad's friends.

Burlap(ping) Around

I accidentally jumped on the burlap bandwagon. When I moved my queen bed downstairs into the master bedroom, it was so girly and pretty that it was little girl and borderline virginal. I'm obsessed with layering beyond what makes sense, so I decided some natural fibers via burlap would add some texture and maturity to the bed, until I can change the accent colors and put the bold navy on the bed.

 

 

Oh Mother Where Art Thou?

I think it's a good thing when you are so busy living your life that you do not have time to write about your life, except that writing makes me happy. I have so much to say. There's an upcoming unmarriage development, and I have to find the right (benign) words to tell you about it. I'm trying. Writing the truth sometimes makes people unhappy, apparently. Words hurt feelings and share details, and my intent is not to make the world mad at The Man I Will Soon No Longer Be Married To. I have to be fair and the-opposite-of-inflammatory when I publish anything about our family, but it's my truth and my journey, so I still get to write about it. 

 

I have spent weeks working on and off on a small painting project. As in, paint a layer and then wait seven days to paint another layer. This should be a full post with before and afters within a week.

Hello...is it me you're looking for?

Sometimes I get on the Blogger and I near-shriek when I see how long it has been since I last blogged, and then I get lost in a reflection of what I have been doing for the past however-many-days have passed between my last post and my new post (this one.) But I cannot recall all of it, because the answer is usually that I have been doing nothing. And everything.

 

Like engaging in giant battles of wills with the short people in my house over important social and familial issues like What Do I Have To Do To You to Halt This Apathy You Have In Non-Response to Not Figuring Out Seventh Grade Yet? and I Swear, Son, If You Do Not Resolve To Use Kind Words and Change Your Tone You Will Not Live To See Eleven.  Right now, I am not winning either of these, but I do not despair, because I am meaner and smarter and older and I am going to win both of these battles.