Friday, July 27, 2012

A BUSY, BUSY WEEK!

Well here we are to Friday again and my sister has just left with my mom.  I have a feeling the days and weeks are going to go even faster now.

Mom and I had a good week.  She does keep me quite busy though, haha...We actually hit the stores EVERY day as she is trying to decorate her room and bath and pull it all together in a look that is just her.  Actually I think what she is really trying to do is to keep herself as busy as she can so there is little time left to think.  I understand, and I am a very willing helper.  ; )


She wanted to get a flower arrangement type wreath to put over her bed.  I have one over my bed and she loves it and wanted one similar to that.  She also wants a LARGE collage picture frame (again, like mine) so she can display family pics in her room as well.  And some lavender candles, and a she really needs some casual knit tops and the list went on and on, lol.  Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE shopping, especially when spending someone else's money, but my knees just don't do shopping well.  And my mom is weak in general and somewhat off balance so between the two of us it is a DEFINITE challenge is all I can say.  Now that mom has learned to use the electric scooter's she can't seem to understand that MOST stores don't offer them, lol, as she just keeps saying, "Deb, where are the scooter's??  We need to get in them."  haha.  I think I may have started a problem here, lol.  Anyway, the biggest problem we had was the things of mine she was interested in, I had bought or made YEARS ago, and so we needed to really search to find similar ones.  Especially the collage.  Let me see if I can find pictures of what I am talking about....I can't bear to get up right now and take new pics so hopefully I will find some here on the computer.....OK, here are a couple that will give you an idea. 

OK, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE IT HERE.....IT IS THE LARGE FRAME THERE BY THE CORNER OF THE ROOM BY THE BOOKCASE....I KNOW YOU CAN'T SEE IT WELL, BUT YOU CAN SEE HOW BIG IT IS....I DO LOVE IT.  IT HOLDS THE LATEST PICS OF ALL OF US INCLUDING ALL THE GRANDKIDS.

THIS FLOWER WREATH IS SMALL....I MADE IT YEARS AGO.....I CLEAN IT A FEW TIMES A YEAR AND IT HAS KEPT NICELY.....MOM'S WILL BE MUCH LARGER..

We did finally (after WAY too many stores ~ and NO I cannot get mom's head around buying things on line) find a collage that I think will work, but we never did find a ready made flower thing in the colors she wanted.  (all lavenders)  Sooo we headed over to Hobby Lobby.  Now for those of you who have had the good fortune of having these wonderful stores near you, let me tell you how jealous I am....What a wonderful store!  Melody had one near her when she moved and quickly discovered it and so I have visited the one near her.  I think we have gone EVERY time I am there.  But a few months back they opened the first one here in So. California and I have been almost giddy with it every since.  AND!  The are opening one soon in Huntington Beach.  I knew that the artificial flowers were on sale this week for 50% off, so we decided it was a good time to get them.  What a GORGEOUS group of flowers we got.  We plan on tying them on to a wrought iron scroll and I think it will be just beautiful.  The plan is to put it together next Tues.  My sister Donna is a genius with these kinds of projects, so she will be the MAIN designer, and I will be her assistant.  I am looking forward to both doing this, and seeing it all done and hanging on her wall.  I promise I will take pics before we start, and after we are done.  OK, now lets see....we did find the lavender candles, (at some remote shop) and spent almost 2 hours in Target yesterday afternoon getting her some new tops.  Again, I almost can't even tell you the scenes we made maneuvering our scooters around, but we did finally manage to find what we needed.  Personally, I have a feeling the gals in the dressing room area were glad when we finally left, haha.

Tomorrow, we are going to pack up all the things that are still left at mom's house.  And there is a lot more than you might think.  A whole shed to empty as well.  The following Sat. we will move it all into storage for now.  What a never ending project this has been.  We will all be glad to get the job done I know.  It is soo funny to think what you manage to accumulate over a lifetime, even when you have downsized as much as they did over the years.  Sooo much "stuff"....I have promised myself to start ruthless getting rid of things over the next few months.  I don't want to have piles and piles of "things" that my kids need to get rid of some day, haha.  We continue to have more than our fair share of family issues and drama, but my head and heart for now are in a good place with it all.  Sat. night we will meet my middle son's new girl friend for the first time, and I am HUGELY looking forward to that.  So looks like my week-end will go as fast as my week.  My dryer is buzzing (now that mom is gone I am catching up some chores around here...smile) so I will sign off for now.  Hope you all enjoy your week-end!

16 comments:

  1. Hi Debbie, Wow and I think I'm always busy but girl you make me look like a slug. Glad your mom is staying busy-I really believe it will help her adjust quickly.

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  2. Just in case you haven't heard it enough..You are the World's Best Daughter!!! Hugs,
    I was telling my hubby about the scooter and how much I admired you taking on this new challenge....the puzzle pieces you didn't expect.

    Staying busy helps us all...blessings and I pray healing on those knees!!

    Hugs...and have a wonderful weekend...you are an inspiration!

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  3. You sound in an accepting place right now and that's good. What's that saying...if this is God's will for me then this is what I want or something like that. You are a great blessing to your mother and you are very wise to allow her to keep you both busier than bees. You have a great weekend, too!

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  4. Wow...Mama is keeping you busy!!!! Take it easy this weekend and rest up!!!
    Hugs,
    kris

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  5. I know that you are doing this all for love. You love your mom and it's so obvious. Hang in there and yes, learn from this. It really is just stuff. And your kids won't want to have to haggle with it all either. I'm learning that as we are trying to fit what we can into a total living space of 870 feet. And we came from almost 4,000 square feet. Quite a change but frankly, I don't even remember all the stuff we got rid of now.

    Blessings and love,
    Debbie

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  6. I am totally jealous of the Hobby Lobby, the closest to me is in Visilia. I have been very tempted to drive that way just to go there.
    Your house looks so nice. Your room looks nice too and I do like the flower arrangement over the bed. The shopping would be hard for me too, I just don't shop like that anymore except online. I think it is cute she likes the scooters.
    I totally know what you mean about stuff. My parents had 3 auctions when they were alive and now that they are gone there still is even more things. I have no idea how they got so much stuff. I hate to think about my stuff.
    I am glad you have a weekend to yourself. I hope it is a very nice weekend.

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  7. I giggled about her expecting scooters in every store. I just loved that post where you wrote about the two of you scooting around together.

    I thought immediately that you should just make a swag/wreath yourself or have someone do it. (I am not good at stuff like that so I have to beg favors). It will be exactly what she wants when finished.

    Hope you are enjoying the weekend!

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  8. What a blessing you are to your mom. It sounds like you all are settling into your new normal ... and enjoying it as well. Praying that you will get relief for your poor knees. Enjoy your weekend!

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  9. Sounds like things are going good, busy, but good. I'm glad you have the weekend to relax some! Enjoy your time meeting the new girlfriend! Hope it's a nice weekend but more importantly a restful one!

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  10. Ask me to go next time, and we'll have scooter races! Yes, I get this one. We have a Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Kirklands, etc. where I live. I'm not much a decorator, but I can certainly appreciate the stresses of "too much stuff." I've vowed to declutter and began last week with our bedroom. 4 huge bags of clothes and one box went to the Salvation Army... more to come.

    As a clergy family, we move a lot; I shudder to think the mess I'm going to be in next go around (not that I'm in a hurry).

    Yes, post pictures of before and after. I love to see home projects, especially ones not involving me.

    Also, Bed, Bath, & Beyond carry some collage frames. Maybe you'd have luck there.

    ~elaine

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  11. Sounds like you are adjusting well and I'm so glad that you get an occasional break. That's good for both of you.

    Hope your Mom gets her "nest" just like she wants it to be soon. That will make her more comfortable for sure.

    Hang in there, great will be your reward! Hugs!

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  12. All the while I was reading this I was remembering when my mother and dad lived with us years ago. Mama and I would go shopping together all the time and it was so much fun until she finally got tired so easily and we had to end our shopping trips. She was in her late 80's before she really slowed down. We had some wonderful times together and I hope you and your dear mother do the same. Cherish these days as they will go by so quickly. I pray God's strength for you both and healing for your knees!

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  13. Debbie had to smile about all the "stuff" We have had to clean out two houses from relatives that had to move or had passed away...the amount of stuff was unbelievable! The first thing we would do after getting home was to declutter our own stuff but you have to be diligent (has to be done freq)because it seems to multiple. Hang in there, you are a blessing

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  14. Wow busy busy and I have to agree with your mom. Every store should offer those carts!.. LOL.. I use them too and when a store doesn't offer them I can't really shop there cause I can't walk the entire store..I have to tell you I just LOVE your bedroom set.. I absolutely LOVE IT!
    Robyn

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  15. You are blessing your mother in such special ways. You are giving back some of what she has given you through the many years. I like the pictures that you shared of your home. Your posts often make me smile as I read them.

    Happy Monday!

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  16. What a blessing you are to your mom. It sounds like you all are settling into your new normal ... and enjoying it as well. Praying that you will get relief for your poor knees. Enjoy your weekend!

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I am so glad that you would take the time to comment on my thoughts and feelings, it is such a blessing to me!