I always seem to have a thousand and one projects waiting for me. Either they are in the middle of production (not too many in that category over the past several years), waiting to go into production or just on the idea list.There are just too many things I want to do or make! Well this year has been no exception. Back in January I decided I was going to try to get back to my creative side. It took me a while to get to it but around springtime an idea began to form. A friend of mine was moving and offered me three Ikea bookshelves and some old chairs. Upon first inspection I thought,"Nah, these aren't really what I want. I'm looking for something nicer." Then I thought, "Hmmm, maybe I could make them nicer." So with the help of her son, I loaded them up in my van and after a couple of trips, I got them home and unloaded into the garage. Well, there they sat for several months while I tried to decide what to do with them and find the time to do it. My husband was not thrilled with my idea. He knows it sometimes takes me years to get around to projects (I have a little table I want to redo that has been sitting in the garage for almost three years as well as an old sewing machine table that I want to put a new top on) and meanwhile they were taking up space in his tool area. Around the beginning of November my husband approached me about the bookshelves and chairs. "Can I get rid of them?", he asked. "I know you have good intentions but when are you really going to get around to it and I'm not sure our books are nice enough to be displayed somewhere." So we struck a deal. We went through the books and cleared some out and I promised that if I did not get the bookshelves and chairs done by Christmas that he could get rid of them. I must say, as much as I wanted to do this project, I was a little afraid of it. One big problem was that all three bookshelves were laminate. Several people told me that you can't paint laminate. But once I've set my mind to something, I don't accept blocks like this. I was determined to make this work. Pshaw laminate. It was a surface, it must be paintable. So I turned to the internet to find the solution (cause there just had to be one!) and low and behold, I found direction on how to paint laminate. So with that information I started my project. I began with some light sanding just to rough up the surface and then an oil base primer.

(please excuse the picture formatting....I'm still trying to get use to this blogging stuff)

My goal was to actually finish the bookshelves by Thanksgiving so I had to move fast. And by Thanksgiving I did get the bookshelves painted but still needed to paint the backs. So the Monday after Thanksgiving I painted and stenciled the back of the bookcases and by Monday night had them put together and in my basement. There are few things I would have done differently if I'd had more time (like put a sealant finish on) but overall, I'm pretty pleased with the outcome.

Integrity for Sale

I'm an observer. I love to people watch. I find the interactions and behaviors of people to be quite interesting. The other night I went to my daughters powder puff football game and observed an interesting scenario. I sat in the bleachers on the side of the field that was least crowded. HaHa...less crowded....it was practically empty. The game had been postponed from it's original time the previous week and even on the night they played it had been raining so not many people were there, especially on the side I was on. As I sat there I saw out of the corner of my eye two teenage boys walking around the edge of the field. As they came around to the side I was on, they jump the fence into the spectator area. As they jumped over, a yellow cheerleaders pompom fell out of the back pocket of one of the boys. They didn't notice and continued to walk down the walkway a bit farther where they stopped to watch the game as the leaned on the fence. While THEY may not have noticed the lost pompom, a young girl (about 10 or so) did notice. She had been on the inside of the fence talking with an older boy, I assumed an older brother or relative. When she say the pompom lying on the ground, she walked down to where it was but because it was on the other side of the fence, she couldn't get it. She called out to a women sitting in the stand, asking her to get it for her. I think this women may also have been a relative or possibly mother of the girl. Although I couldn't hear the conversation between the two of them, the women did not get it and seemed to give the girl a no response. But, the boy she had been talking to did walk over and get it for her (they were on opposite sides of the fence). So now the girl had the pompom and she began to wave it around. The boy who the pom pom belonged to glanced down in that direction and must have seen her but made no acknowledgement. When the girl realized that the boy wasn't coming to get it from her, she very cautiously slid the pompom into her coat pocket where it was out of sight. She seemed very pleased with herself. The older boy she was with knew what she had done and although he seemed to be telling her it wasn't hers, he also seemed amused by it and made no attempt to stop her. Meanwhile, another young man who had been sitting in the stands with his hoodie pulled over his head got up and went down to the two boys leaning on the fence (the ones who had dropped the pom pom). He did not stand right next to them but kept his distance a bit. He appeared to be telling them about their lost pompom in a rather covert way. The boy who had dropped it, very nonchalantly check his back pocket and looked around a bit and in the direction of the girl. At this point the girl had taken it back out of her pocket. Her and her brother clearly knew what the hooded young man had gone over there for and they were feeling a bit guilty. So now, even though the pom pom is clearly visible the young man whom it belong to acted as though he didn't see it. So once again, the girl put it back into her pocket. What was most interesting to me was that no one made an attempt to either get the pompom or to give it back. The girl clearly knew it wasn't hers and that she should give it back, I mean really they were only standing a few yards away from each other. But she did not take one step closer to give it back or even to say "I think this is yours". Neither did the older brother make any attempt to encourage her in that direction. And the mother in the stand just sat there and never said anything about it. The girl seemed quite happy with herself and the brother seemed quite amused. I suppose by waving it around a little bit without any response from the boys made them feel like it was their right to keep it. I guess I was rather stunned to see how easy it was for this young girl to very blatantly take something that wasn't hers and then make no attempt what so ever to return it to the rightful owner even though this would have been so incredibly easy and simple. But I was also surprised at the lack of effort on the boys part to get it back. You could tell they wanted it back just by their expressions but their lack of action was somewhat puzzling. They finally did get it back as they walked back around the way they had come and passing the girl (who now had it out but was not flashing it around too much) asked for it back. The incident was an interesting observation that left me wondering about the integrity of our society when even young children are not strongly encouraged (or made) to do the right thing. If they think we, the adult figure or older example is amused by their actions, and we don't enforce doing the right thing, we will end up with a society that lacks integrity and honesty. I find it to be a shame.

Ch-ch-changes

As the beginning of this school year starts for my children, it brings the beginning of some big changes for me as well. I can't decide yet how I feel about these changes but nevertheless they are happening and there isn't really anything I can do about them. The first big change is that my youngest child begins full-day kindergarten. Wow! This is something that I have been looking forward to for a long time and yet now that it is actually here I want to hold back the clock. Things are going too fast. For the past 21 years I have had some small person in tow almost constantly. Finally I can have some peace and quiet and some alone time but then why did I have to fight back the tears as I left my little one with her class this morning? Why did I have a hard time getting past the lump in my throat? As much as I have been looking forward to this, it also signifies the end of a season, the passing of time and the growing older for everyone. I know I will adjust but I already miss my little shadow.

The second change seems impossible that it could be coming hand in hand with the first. Any day now I will become a grandma! Holy Cow, that sounds old! I'm okay with being a grandma, it just sounds .....well, you know...old. I'm excited to have a new little person join the family but again It will be another change that signifies the ending of one season and the passing of time. It seems I never really notice time passing as much until these kinds of changes are staring me in the face. And then suddenly I'm left wondering where the last 21 years have gone. I mean seriously, I remember things as if they were just yesterday and yet yesterday is not the same today.

But truly, while I look back and am saddened by how quickly all life's moments have passed (thus far), I do look forward to this new season of life....a new adventure to experience. So, Bring it On! Cause ready or not, here it comes!

On the Verge

I've been "on the verge" of starting a blog for some time now. I hesitate for various reasons. Do I have time? Do I want to commit to this? Do I really want to post thoughts, feelings and impressions? Do I HAVE any interesting thoughts, feelings or impressions that are worth posting (probably not)? And so here I am. Taking a leap. I promised myself at the beginning of this year that I was going to try to get back in touch with my creative side (if it's still there). I used to be an ardent journal writer but I put that aside when I got engaged. I must have been too tired after spending all my time with my sweet honey to think about writing about our adventures. So now, 21 years and 5 kids later, it's time I got back to this, I think. This is more for myself than anyone. I've never been all that great about expressing myself verbally but I can usually do a pretty good job on paper. I guess that's because it gives me time to think about it. For years I've had some of the grandest conversations in my head about all kinds of things but I think now it is time to let some of that spill out in print.

I am a Mom on the Verge. On the verge of what is the question. On the verge of greatness or insanity ( I think we all straddle that one from time to time)? On the verge of losing weight or on the verge of going up a dress size? On the verge of tears or on the verge of being thrilled? On the verge of sheer illumination and intelligence or on the verge of complete stupidity and humiliation? The truth is, I think we are all on the verge of something. Life just seems to put us there over and over again. It's just the cycle of things both good and bad. There is always something just around the corner. Waiting. Waiting for us to come experience it.