Decorating My Mom's room

Over on my Facebook ("Like" and holla), my friends are trying to help me choose bedding for my mother.  She'll be moved here with us by March 17th.  I'm leaving for DFW on March 3rd to help her wrap up all the final chapters of her life in Dallas, Texas.  Good riddance, I say, but the grieving process is powerfully painful for her.  

I have my heart set on this one I found at Pottery Barn.  I know my mother would probably like it, but it could be too bold for her.  Then again, she's 66 and I think she needs to do some bold things and have some bold designs around her.  Besides, it's goooooorgeous!!!  Gorgeous. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. (say that 3 times fast).  I think it's unusual, but still gloriously sweet, charming and classy (dare I say "fun"??).  Wouldn't you wake up happy every day covered with this throughout the night?  (Or would you wake up feeling like a bird pooped all over you.  LOL).

To me this speaks "FRESH", "JOY", "HAPPINESS", "BLISS" and I want her to have all this in her new life.

Next: 

Greenland Home Butterflies Bonus Quilt Set, Full/Queen.   This is the one I have a feeling she would prefer.   And it's also the one which has received the most votes.  Her favorite color is coral and she loves nature.  She loves birds, gardening, plants, & butterflies.  Flora and Fauna. This is her taste exactly and I don't dislike it.  I think it's very, very pretty.  I could totally see her in this and I know she would be happy with it.  I just wonder if it's the change I hope for her.  But maybe she doesn't need any more change.  Maybe I should just go with what would make her happy.  Hmmmmmm.....

I am a very indecisive person.  I could go back and forth over this for months.  Right now, I'm sick of thinking about things.  I just want a decision made and let's roll with it.  Let's go.  Move on.  On to the next life altering decision.

My mom is a big bird watcher and nature lover as I mentioned.  I cleaned her window today (see below) and I hope to attach a bird feeder to it.  Or maybe one of these bird nest boxes.  I've always wanted to try this and see how it went.  Do you have experience with these?  Share, if you do.

Coveside Window Nest Box.  

Such a sweet, interesting idea.  We have nesting birds all over our house usually in May and June.  

Aspects Window Cafe Hopper. For this, I can't wait.  I have only been wanting these for years now.  I hope they really work. I think one in her window where she can wake up to the happy birds every day will be nice.  The birds are VERY active in the backyard early in the morning.  Also, her room is on the second floor, and I am certain the cat won't get up there and eat the birds.  :(

Speaking of birds, I don't own a Birds Of Florida Field Guide, so I'm going to get one for her and set it on her bed. National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida seems like an all purpose must.  Why have I not bought one yet? And I'm going to get A Pocket Guide for her purse, because she'll love it. My mom is a big nerd. She'll eat this stuff up.  I know she will enjoy getting to know our birds here, although I still think Texas birds sing prettier.  But that's just me.

I've wanted to get some windchimes for a long time too.  My mom and Mozart have the same birthday, January 27th.  Did you know they even make things like this??? Mozart Windchimes  Are you serious?  I'm anxious to hear it.  This is happening:

Woodstock Chimes of Mozart - Medium

My idea is to give her a sanctuary, where she can walk into this bedroom and collapse with relief.  Then after she is well rested, she can begin her Florida / Bird Watching retirement.  :)  I hope she feels surprised and blessed.  It does seem like I am shopping for myself, LOL, but I know what she likes and we tend to like the some of the same things, in general.

Moving on...

This is the space I'm working with.  I hope you can see my vision for what I'm trying to accomplish:

This will be her view.  This is a north facing window.  I love this room because it doesn't allow the hot Florida sun during the summer, and since we don't have cold winters, this room never gets too chilly.  Perfect.  She'll have this back yard all pretty with butterfly attracting plants by next year.  My sad little patch of garden out there should already be planted.  I can't wait to get going when we return.  

Oh my goodness, did I forget to show you?  I found these at Webster Flea Market here in Florida for basically nothing!!!  SCORE.  Holy cow, I love them!!  I love "bluebird" anything.  My mom will adore them.  

***Thrifting Tip:  When you find a SET of lamps you like, or love....buy them.  Finding a set of lamps is rare.  Grab them.  You can always repaint them.  

My sad little backyard.  I bet those of you who are still covered with snow up north think this yard is beautiful.  Look!  Green grass!!!  

On the other side of those trees are pastures and citrus groves for 15 miles all the way to Dade City, FL. You should be at our house when the orange trees are blooming.  It's like heaven when the breeze is blowing the purfume across our yard.   

Lots of nature out here.

Well.  Here is the blank slate bedroom.  We are going to paint it cream with a teeny tiny bit of rose in it.  Basically a bisque I guess with more pink than yellow.  Clear as mud?  LOL  I'll show you when it's up.  That dresser was found on the street.  We are going to fix it up.  It's in great condition.  We won't keep the iron bed.  I'll probably stick in the garden, or maybe I'll sell it.  Ugh.  Just one more thing to figure out.  

This bedroom is probably 13 x 13, maybe bigger.  She'll have this and she'll also have a sitting room, which is our library.  I'm giving her the book room for her TV and computer area.  She'll have her own bathroom too.  It's all coming together.  It's actually very overwhelming and hasn't been pleasant.  Breaking up her home, saying good bye to her other children and grandchildren has been more than she can bear.  

I think it's been painful for everyone.  *sigh*  

Well.  Onward.  

I hope good things for my mom and my family.  

How have you dealt with aging parents?  Do you have words of wisdom for me?  I would enjoy your feedback and I am interested in dialogue on this subject.  

Let me hear from you!  

You can find me here as well:

My Facebook Minions

Where I Tweet Nerd stuff, but mostly useless stuff.

Instagram ~ Where I share way too many dog photos no one cares about

OH.

And one more thing.  

The Amazon links in this post are affiliate links.  

Just so you know. :)

Thank you very, very, very much for your support.  

I'm always grateful.

Blessings and Favor.

Choose Joy.  

Olivia is super stoked to have a new person in the house to dote on her and scratch her belly.  

Charlie cares too.  

#notreally

Sharing with 

The Dedicated House ~ Anything Blue Friday

A Delightsome Life ~ Home and Garden Thursday

Jann Olson ~ Share Your Cup Thursday

Fabric Filled Blessings! Happy Sunday

My Mother-In-Law's scraps waiting for a new life.  

I haven't decided what to do with them yet.  

I miss her.

Tell me, what should I do with them?  They are 3 in Squares.
What would you do?

Have a beautiful Sunday. 

Be blessed and be a blessing.

Home

Hi.

 

An old painting in my living room

Glued to a book shelf

 

From the living room floor

A shelf in the kitchen full of "Grandma" 

 

Behind the toilet.  Guess who is back there???
 

  

Homeschool mess

 

Be blessed and be a blessing. 

 

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

 

I don't always drink soda, but when I do, I prefer Coke Zero. 

 

 

~The End~



Grandma's Moss Roses

My Mother-in-law had planters around her pool full of flowers every summer. She liked to grow Moss Roses. We got one of her vintage planters, which I just love, except it has a nice big crack down the side of it. Oh well. It's still pretty and usable. Now mind you, it came to our house empty...just a plain old pot with a crack. I put one of the plants we received from her funeral in it, but it died this winter (ok, I probably killed it...ugh). If you want a house plant to live, don't give it to me. :)

It's been on the back porch this spring...just a pot with dirt...sitting there waiting for me to do something with it. A few weeks ago, something started growing in it. I thought it was a weed, although a pretty little weed and decided to let it grow to see what it would turn out to be.

Low and behold, I went outside Mother's Day morning and found a Moss Rose in bloom. Holy Cow...ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Mother's Day...of all the days of the year, it could bloom, it bloomed on Mother's Day?!!! The more I thought about it, the more impressed I was. I decided she came to see us, to tell us she loved us. Logically, she probably didn't...it was just God showing us a sweet bit of grace and tender love on this special, yet difficult day.

The facts are that the pot came to our home empty and out of no where, a year and a half later, a Moss Rose bloomed on Mother's Day. I figure maybe a seed was trapped in the crack or something and finally took root. Who knows....but I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. It was the sweetest thing that has happened to us in a long time.

 

I don't believe in coincidences.

Post Christmas update la la la...

Hey there folks. Been busy here in Florida trying to keep warm, reading, quilting, cleaning and snuggling.

All our Christmas company (we had 11 people here at one time) went back home to the great state of Texas (without me). Boo hoo. This is my mom with 4 grandchildren. Who is ready to open presents and is sick of taking pictures? LOL



My daughter left for her second semester at college. This is her in the green. She's the oldest grandchild and everyone's right hand girl. Our home doesn't glow nearly as bright when her light is gone.



My husband left to work in Pennsylvania. I'm um....pretty certain he's coming home at the end of this week...Lord willing. :)



My son and I are working hard on his school, and started back to co-op last week.



I've bound 4 quilts, started a new one and my fingers are super sore. Ouch. No, I can't use a thimble. I try, but I can't. "Tex" is what I'm called by the people who will receive this baby quilt. I guess if your going to be called something other than your name, Tex is at least a kind endearment


...But the real reason my poor blog has been abandoned is because I got a Kindle for Christmas and I've read 4 books. Time to put it down and get the house put back together. I still need to put Christmas away. Yikes! Look at my domesticated "shadows". They go every where with me and they think they own the place. They're always invading my body bubble!



Grandma's Quilted Stocking

Ruth 1:16 But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

I thought I would post a picture or two about where I was exactly this time a year ago. I was sitting with my mother-in-law...my precious Naomi...in ICU.  I wanted so badly to curl up in bed with her and love on her, but didn't want to get in trouble with the nurses.  If I had known she was going to die, I would have done it. I miss her tender, delicate manicured hands when she held my hand in return.

Allyson (who was 18 at the time)  made a scrappy stocking using up some of my Christmas scraps to hang in grandma's room.  There were pictures of all the grandchildren and great grandchildren hanging on the wall in front of her so when she woke up she could see her family.  Ally hung her stocking there too.

Grandma woke up and pointed at the wall. We all pointed to different pictures trying to understand which grandchild she wanted. She couldn't speak. Lastly we pointed to the stocking and that's what she wanted. Being a hand piecer and a hand quilter forever, we should have guessed the stocking first. LOL She wanted to hold it.

She snuggled with it like a child does a stuffed animal or a treasured blanky all night. It was in her bed when we got there the next morning. 20 minutes later, God called her home. I'm so glad my daughter had thought to make something so last minute and silly for Grandma's Christmas ICU room. Turned out not to be so silly after all.





This is one of my favorite pictures. It's sad I guess, but I love it. I sat and crocheted for 12 hours, watching her chest go up and down all day, thinking her little body suuuuuure was fighting hard and thinking, this doesn't look so good, BUT she's gonna make it, I just know!!!! I watched her heart beat on that monitor all day long, until family came in and told me it was time to leave.

I love this picture because I see her heart beating on the monitor. She was alive, God love her. It was a beautiful day I spent in silence with her and my God. I'll forever be grateful He let her live long enough for us to get there and be with her one last 24 hour day.

*********************************************************************************   Choose Joy