Show Us Your Life - Offices

This week, at Kelly's Korner blog, everyone is sharing their home office.  I wish I had an office.  We finally have a spare bedroom that could be used, but right now it is filled with some of my daughter's things while she is deployed.  Plus I share a computer with Bran (Word to the wise, the hooks on the back of the bathroom stall doors at Barnes & Noble will not hold the weight of a backpack full of text books and a brand new laptop.  That's all I'm saying about that, right Bran?).  Sigh.  So, until I can find a small desk to fit elsewhere in my house, in the kitchen it is.

Normally, the table and stools would be pulled out more into the room, but I was worried that our two Huskies were going to slam into it and send the computer flying (that is Penni in the photo above, Max was outside).  The two large plastic bins in the front of the picture hold dog food.  They go through both of those in a month.  I am soooo glad that I'm not the one who has to clean up the backyard!  The Coke cooler was a gift from Don, and stores our BBQ tools right now.  Oh, and the ceiling fan is copper and I can't live without it.   For anyone younger who wonders why their mothers insist on keeping their ceiling fans, I have an answer for ya.  Hello.......... hot flashes, people!  Must.  Have.  More.  Air.

Just a closer yet still blurry shot of my little corner of the world.  The table was a bargain from Cost Plus World Market because it was scratched.  I need to repaint it again.   I like the distressed look, but not that distressed.  The stools came from Target on clearance during one of their Global Bazaars.  They are surprisingly comfortable.  I bought some fabric to recover them (tiny red/white polka dot), but I'm still trying to figure out what I did with my electric stapler this summer in the mad dash to Jeana's wedding.  I have no clue.  I could have sent it home with my mother-in-law, for all I know.

This stool is supposed to be at the counter, but there isn't enough room right now, so we are using it to store dog stuff by the sliding door.  Awwww... she looks so innocent, doesn't she?  She's not.  She would eat my house if left home alone long enough.  I'm not exactly staying on topic here, but this is part of the reason why I am a cat person:

Mud.  

Mud, mud, and more mud.  Because we have Huskies and they like to do this...

And this...

... while running at full speed... both in and out of my house.  They also shed the equivalent of a small animal each and every single day.  We have fur where fur should never be found.  Fur and mud.  Maybe what I really need is a mud room, not an office? 

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are...

I had planned to do this post on Monday, October 11^th.  I’ve bumped it up though because I am royally ticked off.  Please excuse me for ranting.

The Human Rights Campaign is running a Facebook app right now where you can donate your status to them in support of National Coming Out Day.  I wholeheartedly believe in this cause, so I willingly signed up. Yesterday a “friend” posted this in response to my latest status update:

ah.....don't think so, the Bible still says its a sin...and it's not going to change with the times, its rock solid 

Cue the Pet Shop Boys -

WTF?  Really?  I’m all for intelligent conversation about our differing opinions, but how does a comment like that help anything?  Tell me what it is about a gay relationship that you personally find threatening.  Tell me about how it has impacted your home, your marriage, your life.  I’m a good listener.  But don’t just condemn it because some book told you it was wrong ~ and I’ll spare you my opinion on organized religion and Christianity in particular, m’kay?   

But maybe I should cool down and start at the beginning...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

He was 13 years old that afternoon.  He wanted to talk.  Even though I was distracted, I could see it was important.  He started shaking.

“Mom, I’m.... I’m gay.”

“Is that all?  I thought you broke something!”

Relief flooded his face, and we both started laughing.  His announcement wasn’t a surprise.  I had suspected for a long time.  All I’ve ever wanted for my kids is for them to live in truth.  This was his.

Eventually, most of our extended family was told.  Some had reservations.

“He’s too young to know for sure.”

My response:

“Did you like boys when you were 13?  Well, so does he.”

I have no illusions that everyone will accept him for who he is.  I worry every day about some idiot out there choosing to take out their issues on my son simply because he is gay.  But for now, I am here for my son.  So are his siblings, including his straight twin brother.  We even threw him a surprise “Coming Out” party one year.

Surprise!

Today, he is a strong adult who is secure in who and what he is.  He recently graduated from college with degrees in Psychology, Sociology, and Women's Studies.... with honors... in 4 years.  I can't help but wonder how different his life might have been if he had felt he had to hide his true feelings and live life in the shadows.  I'm glad he didn't have to.

Bran, sweetie, I love you.  You are spectacular just the way you are.    

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

But back to the Facebook rant.  My "friend" continued to spout religious dogma at my page for a while last night.  One or more of my children might have been a little less than kind in response.  I can't say that I blame them.  I didn't go to her wall and post my personal opinions for her friends and family to see (man, this all sounds so junior high, doesn't it?).  But I am also not deleting it.  I want it there.  I want others to see how far we still have to go to before we will finally have equality and acceptance for everyone.  I'm hopeful that it will be in my lifetime.  Too many young adults have died recently thinking that there was no hope for them.  No hope for a better life.  They were so wrong.  If you personally know someone who might be at risk, please let them know that it does get better.  Oh, and please consider attending a National Coming Out Day rally tomorrow.  They will be occurring all over the country. 

As a parent, I have pretty simple wishes for my kids.  I want all three of my children to live happy, healthy lives.  I hope they all someday find the love of their lives, get married (legally!), have 2.5 kids, and live happily ever after.  Especially the 2.5 kids because I think I’ll be a fantastic grandma... and I'm selfish like that.  Are you listening, oh children of mine?

Note:  Bran gave me permission to post his story and photos.

Show Us Your Life - Kitchens

I was reluctant to post my kitchen on Kelly's Korner blog this week.  It isn't fancy.  It needs some cosmetic work.  It seems like everything in it has started to break all at the same time.  But we've had so much fun here, cooking and dancing together, that I've decided to bite the bullet and show it anyway.

This is the view I see all the time from my computer.  We replaced the counter and back splash 10 years ago, but the counter is starting to show some wear.  I would love to replace it with butcher block.  I took a few of the doors off, but I still need to trim out the openings.  I am hoping to paint the cabinets this winter.  Maybe.  I've been saying that for a while now.  I'm leaning towards antique white on the top cabinets, dark red on the bottom.

This is the other side of the kitchen.  We replaced the microwave not too long ago, but we haven't gotten around to fixing the missing tiles underneath.  Oops.  I'll have to get right on that.

  

I love the Coke handles, but they were discontinued before we finished buying enough for the entire kitchen.  Some of the lower cabinets have blue and white ceramic handles that I picked up at Hobby Lobby.

Here is another one of my accidental collections.  I have no clue how it started, but I love them.  I would show you my cute little bargain table and stools, but I can only handle so much embarrassment for one day.  Which is why I am posting this picture last and then scooting out of here.

All adult beverages were consumed by people of legal age

I've been living with college students.  I thought it was bad when my kids were little.  This is my reality some mornings.  Help me.

The Accidental Collection

Ours started out innocently enough.  I was out of town helping to care for my mom after surgery, and Bruce was home with the kids.  His sister was coming for a visit the day after I was due back, and he was worried about our "eclectic" furniture looking shabby.  What is so wrong with a burnt orange couch from the 70's anyway?  So... he went shopping without me.  Big mistake.  Huge.  If you live with someone else, don't buy furniture without them.  Especially if you know they might have an opinion about it.  He wasn't going to tell me before I got home, but one of the kids spilled the news over the phone.  He bought a matching couch and love seat.

"Oh Jan, you are going to love them."

Yeah.  This is pretty close to what I came home to (we didn't take any pictures):

They were blue, which is my favorite color.  They also had a trellis pattern with tiny pink rosebuds, ruffled skirts, and oak trim.  They were also a very shiny velour that shed all over our clothes.  And just to top the whole thing off, he bought an afghan to drape over the back of the couch that he said matched perfectly.  An American flag afghan that he paid $50 for at a small boutique.  I was speechless when I walked through the door.  We ended up trading the furniture out for another set that we BOTH agreed on.  We kept the afghan because he loved it.  This is what we ended up with:

Bran with his rat tail circa 1997

You can see the afghan folded on the back corner of the couch.  It was normally draped all the way across the back.  My dad said he didn't know if he should salute our couch or sit on it.  My entire family thought this whole thing was so funny that for every single birthday, anniversary and Christmas from there on out, we were gifted with patriotic items.  Bruce loved it.  It grew on me over time.

After Bruce died and we moved out of base housing, I packed most of the Americana away, but it slowly started creeping back out again.  Especially anything with the Statue of Liberty on it.  Our first piece had been a Hallmark Christmas ornament that was given to Bruce one year:

The ornament is in the middle behind the yellow butterfly.

It plays the National Anthem when the tree lights are first turned on.  It cracks me up every single time.  Other items we have with Liberty on it include a bottle opener, tin sign, nesting doll set, glass ornaments, magnets, and even a small tomato cage.  My all time favorite is this one though:

A Statue of Liberty ice bucket.  I suppose it could be useful for a 4th of July party, but I keep it out year round.  I can't help myself.  It makes me smile.  

What kind of accidental collections do you have?  

  

    

Through the Keyhole

I fixed this up as a quick project earlier today. I bought the plaster keyhole a couple of years ago at Hobby Lobby when it was 50% off (making it $6.99). It was kind of a murky brown, which I wasn't thrilled about. I gave it a quick coat of Champagne Gold by DecorArt. I then added some clip art of an eye found online (don't remember where from though), resized it to fit before printing, then gave the eyeball itself a coating of Aleene's Paper Glaze to make it look a little more real. After adding some black card stock at the bottom of the keyhole, it was done!

I decided to add this project to the following link party:

Show Us Your Life - Dining Rooms

I decided to try this link party thing again.  This week on Kelly's Korner blog, everyone is sharing their dining room.  I guess you could still call ours that.  Sometimes it is an office.  Sometimes it is my craft room.  Here is how it looks today (and yes, I had to clean it first):

Don's dog Penelope was keeping me company, as always.

The table, sideboard and chair against the wall all were purchased in England when we were stationed there.  The metal dining chairs are from Pier One.

My mom bought the corner cabinet in the early 1960's.  I finally got around to painting it earlier this year.  I have in it some of my favorite Cornishware dishes (the blue and white stripe) that I picked up at various car boot sales in England.  I don't think I paid more than a pound or two for any of the pieces.

More Cornishware is on the shelves above the sideboard.

The melamine plates in the corner cabinet and on the shelves came from Pier One, Target and Moda Home (I think?).

I know it might be a bit much for most people, but I like being surrounded by mementos from the life we have lived.  

And color just makes me happy.  

What Do You Do?

You know how it is when you walk into a roomful of strangers, and the first question they ask is "What do you do?"  I never know how to answer that one anymore.  I used to be someone's wife, but I've been alone for a long time now.  I'm a mom, but my kids are grown.  I'm a relatively recent college graduate, but I don't have a job.  Just who am I anyway?  How did I get lost somewhere along the way?

This is who I was in 1982.  Bruce and I had been married for two years.  I loved him with all my heart and soul.  We were already dealing with infertility, but we were happy.  And we were lucky.  Time and medical science gave us a daughter and twin sons.

Bruce with Don, Bran, and Jeana at Stonehenge 1990

We were also given the opportunity to live in some pretty amazing places thanks to the military.  It wasn't always easy being away from our families, but I would have followed Bruce to the ends of the earth.  North Pole, Alaska came pretty close.  

Don, Jeana, Janet and Bruce in Oklahoma 1996

And then, one day, after a very short illness......... Bruce was gone.  Just like that.  I will never forget having to tell our kids that Dad would never come home again.  It tore my heart into a million tiny little pieces.  Twelve years later, it is held together with gum and shoelaces.  But our kids?  They are made of such strong stuff.

Jeana, Don and Bran - Summer 2010

photo by Becky Novacek

Two of them have graduated from college (both triple majored).  The third will graduate next year. 

Jeana - Class of 2009

Bran - Class of 2010

Jeana got married this summer while home on leave, and is currently on her third deployment to Iraq. 

Jeana and Brandon - June 2010

photo by Tammy Burroughs

I am someone's mother-in-law.  If it hadn't occurred to me that I was getting older before then, well, it has sure sunk in now.  I will be turning 50 next year.  5-0.  I don't want to waste any more of my life.  I feel like I have been treading water for too long.  I do have this to show for some of my time:

Janet - Class of 2006

But I want more.  I want to live fully, not just exist.  If you could start all over again, what would you want to be when you grew up?  I am open to suggestions.