The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
Well I posted some pictures of our mess of boxes when we moved in. Here are the same pictures taken from the same angles but a week later....
It's still a mess but it's starting to resemble a home
In another week we will be ready to be photographed for Better Homes Than Yours magazine...lol.
The furniture is so mismatched, the lack of tiles around the stove...sometimes I feel a bit disheartened because it really resembles the first house I moved into when I was 16 and I scavenged all of my stuff from junk collections and rented the cheapest place around... you know I have collected a lot of nice things over the years and all have been destroyed, many were taken by my former husband...but it is just stuff. It's fun looking out for bargains and things we can do up...I found a nice tapestry couch today at the opshop, can't wait till it is delivered. Daughter hates it, she wants another one, very nice but cream fabric...sure, if she stops running around the yard in bare feet and then putting her feet on the furniture...I think we will go with floral tapestry lol.
Anyway it s taking shape and that feels good.
Here's where it is at for now. I think this is ok to post about since it is our new home, me living life on lifes terms I guess....
If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see? (Lewis Caroll)
Dear Ms. M, I loved the pictures and knew that with your dedication and determination you would turn his house into a home in no time. You are right it is progress not perfection and you are on your way. Love seeing Michael Douglas and the painting. They both warmed my heart.
I can truly identify and with having accumulated a grand amount of "things"over the course of a lifetime and then coming full circle back to the beginning. Thishas happened twice in my lifetime and although it felt overwhelming of times , HP gave me the courage serenity and wisdom to keep showing up and rebuilding.
The last time this happened was when I moved into my son's house to take care of him the last year of his life. I honestly could not afford the bills in my place and his ,so I elected to let go of my apartment and all my things and move to his home. I donated TVs, DVDs, VCRs, computers, books , furniture and all my outfits to the poor. Friends came in and just dumped everything else. After he passed, I could not keep any of his furnishings as it was too painful so I proceeded to donate all his possessions as well.
After selling his house returned to New York City to an empty apartment with no furniture or dresses I proceeded to do what you are doing. . It has been eight years since that time and I have furnished my house and filled all the closets. I must admit I'm a minimalist so that the furniture is not the grandest but it is serviceable and easy to clean.
Change is inevitable and coming full circle is a good sign. Thank you for your wonderful spirit and for sharing it here.
LOVE the exploding Tardis pic and the shower curtain! And the spinning wheel, do you spin? I don't but my neighbor did, she spun, dyed, wove, knitted, the whole nine yards!
__________________
I am strong in the broken places. ~ Unknown
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another! ~ Anatole France
LMH, after I posted the pics I realised there is a Doctor Who related item in every picture but the last, lol. The shower-curtain was my housewarming gift to us. I love that my daughter loves something I loved as a kid, it's a fun obsession that we share. She actually wears a bow-tie everywhere, it's hilarious.
I don't yet know how to spin but I want to learn. I have read that husky hair spins very well and is very soft and has no smell. I thought a blanket of Bowie-hair would be a lovely thing to make and keep. He won't mind, he just drops it everywhere with no regard, lol. That might sound creepy to some, lol.
Andromeda it makes me feel so wonderfully normal to see her bouncing again. I'm really pleased we ended up in a place where she could have it.
Betty, Pink, thanks. It is s nice to be able to tell myself it's OK that I do not have the "normal" perfect home and shiny new things. This is workable and we can put our own stamp on them and enjoy it. Like you Betty, I would prefer to keep it minimalist and avoid having to devote a lot of time to cleaning. Thanks for sharing that you have gained and lost items sometimes for painful reasons and that you are quite happy with what you now have. I relate to that very well. Thins can come and go; it isn't the same but I lost almost everything I owned to my ex-husband. I don't know how or why i allowed it but he took everything I owned and most of it I had before I even met him. But While he was busy accumulating more and more money and things, I got to enjoy our daughter's childhood. That is far more valuable in my opinion.
__________________
If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see? (Lewis Caroll)
Brilliant values, Melissa. Things on one hand, sharing your girl's life on the other. Who would miss that?
Your new home is a tribute to you and her. What wonderful lessons you're teaching her.
Oh I love it!!!!! Squealing with oohs ATM. Its got that warm and interesting feeling, thoughtful and earthy. I SEriously envy people who can create in that way. Where there's cool little nooks to investigate, the lighting is cosy and nothing is a mass produced reproduction. Beautiful. And inspiring. Xxxxoooo
