Twenty about the Twenty Year Old

Today, L turned 20. We are passed the teen years. That makes me feel a bit old, and yet, pretty dang excited!  I've thought a lot today about my/our journey with her, and thought I would list some of them.

My top 20 thoughts today about her, and for her, are these:

1.  What would I do without your laugh?  It is infectious.
2.  You were the most beautiful baby girl - all eyelashes and eyebrows.
3.  You have had to endure way more than most people have to endure in a lifetime.  Some day we'll understand why. It has made us all stronger and more compassionate.  Wow - well, maybe that's why?
4.  I am grateful that we have found things to bond over - various TV shows, Disneyworld, politics, chocolate, singing in the car, kitties, sewing, and rolling our eyes at Dad.
5. I am confident that you will get over your current health problems (for curious readers, see this post, page down to December)  and will be able to move on in your life.
6.  Heavenly Father loves you and DOES watch over you.  He waits for you to reach back to Him.
7.  You have become amazingly skilled at calming yourself down during frustrating conversations and situations.  Few 20 year-olds can do that. I can't even always do that.
8.  I don't get the Anime thing - sorry.  Don't hate me.
9.  Your grandmother, Mayma, would be so very thrilled that you love to sew and to create costumes.  Can we throw in a church skirt or something?  Please?
10.  Your father loves you more than you will ever realize. Please use that power for good.
11.  Your memory for details truly amazes me.
12.  I am so very happy that you embrace being different than most.  It is endearing.  It is admirable.  I still don't get the anime thing, though.
13.  You have the coolest room in the house for your bedroom. You're welcome.
14.  Real life, while much more difficult that the role-play activities that you love, is harder, but better most of the time and worth the hard work to "get it".
15.  My top birthday celebrations for you during your life were Disneyworld, the dress up party when you were 4, and today.  Why today, you ask?  Because you're here and I love you.
16. Routine is your friend.

17.  Don't ever forget Princess Bride, and the Muppets, and Even Stevens, and Hook, and The Bee Movie. And there are more - but I'm forgetting.
18.  Wear your Aspergirl Cape with pride and use it to right the wrongs towards Aspies everywhere.
19.  Miracles brought you to us.  Miracles have kept you with us.  Miracles will take you along your life's path if you let them.
20.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is true.  It has blessed our family many times.  You are one of those blessings. I love you so very, very much.
Mom

Fix that Blog

I'm trying to update things here, and wanted to do an easy new header (dear Erin, thanks for the last one - I decided to change it up).  I found this website with a little tutorial using Piknik - who knew?  I did not.

Thanks, Thrifty Mrs!

We're Getting There....

My last post was to give a little hint about us working on some redecorating!  We have a master bedroom attached to what would have been a fourth bedroom, but the previous home owners had it attached to the master as a "sitting room".  While the thought of having a lovely, relaxing library-type room attached to our bedroom with comfy, overstuffed chairs and sofas sounds lovely, that is never what we've done with it.  Since we moved here 16 years ago, it has been a computer room, sewing room, scrapbook room, and general work room - and a BIG catch-all.  It has never functioned well with any of those activities simultaneously.  It became time to improve that situation, especially since I have become much more interested in sewing again, as has my daughter.

Also, the last time we painted our master bedroom and bought new linens was..... well, I think in the late 90's.  It was a lovely 90's shade of sage green, with fabrics of gold, green, and rosy-mauvy-something.  Of COURSE it was time for a re-do there as well!

So, "Before":

I have no idea why the bottom of this picture looks so weird... but here is the messy, dated room - and my kitty, Charlotte.

Hubby called this "a shrine".  Well, minus the plastic soap dishes (???) I do like this spot.
You can see to the left where the sitting room is.  

Lovely, green.  Ew.  So tired of it. Why, oh why, did I paint those doors and trim dark green??

And, here are some "during" pictures (the "after" photos are NOT ready because the rooms are NOT ready! Patience...
Ok, so the "during" photos are only of the "sitting room" in the process of becoming a wonderful office/sewing/crafting room.  I don't know what to call it yet!

The right table is the computer desk, and the left one will be my sewing table!

This wonderful structure is on its way to becoming storage below and a cutting board area on top -
kitty Georgie is on guard, of course.

Yes, a bit of a mess, but look at all those DRAWERS!  I don't even know what to do with them - I have never in my life had enough drawers.  EVER.  NEVER.

Sweet, dear hubby, putting together all the furniture!

 The walls are now my very favorite color - blue.  Well, they are actually more gray than blue, but I love them.
I wish I had more time to get it all together, but it is taking a long time.  I am very picky, and it takes me a long time to find accessories, fabrics, etc. when I re-decorate.  That is one of the reasons I don't do it very often.  I understand why my mother's and grandmother's homes didn't change much - it takes too dang much work!

I am so excited, though, to have these new spaces to create and to relax.

You'll just have to WAIT a little while to see how they turn out!

Changes, they are a comin'.....

OH, Ikea - there are times when I love and adore you!  <3

What am I doing with these big fun boxes, you ask?

You'll just have to WAIT a little while.....  but, for a little hint, check this out....