Rock On'

 

Journaling about Life. 

 

 THAT is going to be my focus for blogging this year.  While furniture and accessories are pretty, they cannot replace family.  You cannot refurbish a loved one into something else. 

 

 

(Ok, so we all know there are those loved ones we’d like to put some varnish remover on, then sand down and finally add what we want for color and shine) 

 

 

We’re looking for realness, for honesty and for sharing.  That’s why we’re drawn to reality shows.  My life is a reality show too and yet no one is filming here in Morden – at my house.

YET these photos you’ll see of a simple Rocking Chair has a story behind it.

I once wrote a blog about our daughter and husband.  About their love for each other and adoption.  It’s been a long journey for them but they are so strong and I believe have grown stronger and closer together.  That doesn’t mean the tears haven't flowed.  I witnessed that myself and deep heartache for a little one that was to be welcomed into our family, all to fall to pieces in just a few moments.  Talk about life changing!

Then I deleted the blog and hate myself for it.  It was tastefully and wonderfully written, if I say so myself.  So never, never erase journaling life.  If it’s painful, put it away for a while.  Then over time, it will be a blessing to read how far you’ve come and what has changed in your life, and made you stronger.  Kind of like using stain remover on yourself and sanding and then applying a coat of finish.  Ahhh . . .

NOW for some pretty Rocking Chair photos. 

 

Starting at $10 from an ad online.

I painted it white because it’s clean and bright and would go in the baby room décor.

Not looking so great, it just wasn’t working for me. 

 

Blue or Graphite should I say.  Someday I’ll do one with the spindles a different color.

Ta-Da.  I love it and I hope they will love it too and put it to use A LOT!

Make sure you journal this week.

At Ends

 

I’m really going to miss these two beauties.  They ended up being the exact color I’ve been looking at adding to our living room.  I didn’t plan it that way, but now that they are done I’d love to keep them.  When you see the photos you’ll notice, just as I did, that they are too large for our space.

So, they are up for sale.

 

The process was too long for these two projects. 

If you’ve read the previous posts, it was because of

more important life events. 

Originally there was not going to be any distressing. 

Sometimes, I’m just not a fan and want to try NOT doing it. 

Well, these just weren’t looking so great.  Even my husband didn’t say much. 

So I dragged them back downstairs and sanded and added dark wax. 

Then I waited.  The next day I buffed, leaving some of the dark wax on. 

I loved the new look! 

Even the husband said they looked so much better with a little personality. 

Even if you’re not a fan of the distressed look, these have just enough

to work in your hoity-toity living room. 

Don’t you LOVE the vase on the end table? 

That was one of my Christmas gifts from my daughter. 

See, it would look so good together in our room. 

Ya, I tried that too on the hubby, but they are still too large. 

Better off in someone else’s rec room.

Time to stop being blue and get going on another project.

Have a good Sunday.

Journaling for January - A Look at the end of 2013

 

Happy New YEAR! 

I’m thinking I can still say that. 

But when should you stop saying “Happy New Year!” ?

I was hoping to begin to blog more regular and had an idea to

enter ‘some’ kind of status on my Facebook page every day. 

We all have new year resolutions and now I’ve heard it

changed to 'new year GOALS'.

Well, it’s already Day 16 and I haven’t done either of my new year goals.

But this blog is certainly a start.

Here’s a look at the end of 2013 and a peek into 2014.

October

We moved my parents into a Lodge and today if you ask them,

they are happier than ever. 

Like two peas in a pod. 

That’s kind of what their little apartment is too, a little pod. 

Hey, maybe that’s what we’ll call it ~ the ‘parents pod’.

Take note of the boxes on the right.  They were 

labeled and as the day went on, there were 'added' items

in your box that you yourself did not put it.

That was part of the fun that day.  There was some fun for sure. 

 

Every child worries what to do when their parents can’t quite do the daily things on their own anymore, where shall we put them.  Sounds aweful actually.  My parents had no want or need to leave their home.  When we mentioned perhaps going to a nice Lodge, they dismissed it entirely.  UNTIL, mom fell and broke her wrist.  To go back a few months, it started when dad fell while repairing  the carpet on their deck.  He took a tumble and cut his forehead as well as the bridge on his nose from his glasses.  Mom laughs now when she recalls him laying their.  “What are you doing?”  Oh I can hear her saying that.  After mom got fixed up with a cast, dad had to do ALL the housework and meals.  He was doing a lot of it before because mom just has too many aches and pains in her arms.  I believe it was wearing on him a lot and the thoughts of moving were changing, they didn’t dismiss it anymore.  One evening I got a call from dad saying they had a meeting with the Lodge administrator and they could move as early as November 1^st.  Really, it was like October 1^st when he called me.  So a few weeks later we were on our way to Alberta to help move my parents into the Lodge in their home town.  Same town I met my husband and our kids grew up in.  Was I truly excited?  Maybe not excited but happy that this move was going to go smooth.  A little apprehensive?  Yes.  As I thought how things were changing.  All the memories in their home(s) in the past and gatherings of all kinds.  They were done and would take on a different feel.  We now meet at my sister’s home with her family and we’re so thankful for her big heart!  Some day it will be my turn.

 

 

November

As far as I can remember we were waiting for snow and starting to think about Christmas.  As usual it crept up slowly and I procrastinated again and Christmas décor  went up the first week of December.  Some year I will start mid November and plan for parties and gatherings before the middle of December.

December

Baking.   Butter Tarts and Carmel Popcorn and Florentine Bark. 

That’s pretty much all I did as our daughter has a table spread with goodies when we arrive at their home for Christmas too. 

Shovelling.  The snow finally came and the shovelling began.  We know when we have a lot when we can’t heap the snow any higher on the sides.  The cul-de-sac gets nasty with ruts, much like a lot of city roads, and getting anywhere is fun.

Shopping.  I usually love shopping but because we’re an hour out of Winnipeg, we don’t go often and truth be known, we don’t really like Winnipeg.  When we finally did go, it was brutally cold and leaving the car for more than 3 hours was taking a chance on it starting.  So a lot was done in our home town of Morden. 

Decorating.  Click here to see how our house looked this year.

Gatherings.  In the past, we always gathered at Mom & Dad’s home.   Didn’t matter where they actually ‘lived’ but the gathering place was there.  

 

 

One item is pretty significant to me still to this day.

The Coffee Table in the center of Mom & Dad’s living room. 

Always full of their treasures and mom’s latest gift or some ornament they bought. At Christmas, it was full of candy!

Now, all that’s left in their home is the outline of the Coffee Table in the carpet.

 

When I saw this imprint on the last day of moving their belongings, it hit me that this part of life and celebration is over and will never look the same again. I cherish those photos a lot and now look to new photos of new celebrations in a new place.

January

It’s a slow go but there’s lots of things on the horizon. First and most important is Family. I’m hoping for good surprises this year and lots of good family times. Me and my hubby will continue to plug thru the winter months in Manitoba in anticipation for some new ‘spring’ events. My projects are piling up in the basement. It’s a glorious site really. You know when you get excited about finishing your 9-5 job just to go home and do something you really love, that you’ve found what you should be doing 9-5. So that’s my goal this year – to do what I love 9-5. I’m ready for that to take whatever shape and form it does. On that note, I must get ready for work so I can get home and do what I love so that this perhaps can become the real thing.
PS - watch for the 'Coffee Table' in a future post in a new look.