Monday, wonderful week, worked too hard, *SNORT*

 It was a lovely funeral and we were able to meet with so much family we had not seen in a long time. We did not see a single tear shed, as this man had lived a good long life and he was ready to go.  It was truly a celebration. 20 of his 26 grandchildren were able to attend. We had 59 of the 76 great grandchildren there.  It was quite the family procession.  Our eldest paid for a Piper to send dad off at the graveyard and everyone loved it.  We had a nice family dinner at the church after the funeral. lots of laughs.

It was expensive, meals, gas, hotel, splitting the cost of food and flowers. But worth every penny.

Hubs and I were the last to leave mom's. We stayed in a hotel until Wednesday night when his youngest sister flew home and then mom would be alone.  We stayed until Saturday. She did not want to go home with anyone and I think she just needs and wants to grieve alone for a while.  She was surrounded by lots of family for two weeks.

Our eldest and her cousin (also an eldest) got to mom's house the day after dad's passing.  Eldest was able to get much of the book work and legal things done for mom.  She spent hours on the phone making preparations,and dealing with SSI, retirement, banks.  She and this cousin also took it upon themselves to take one of the old sofas that dad had used to sleep and sit and pee(TMI) on for the last four years and try to clean it.  This cousin is a registered nurse and after cleaning they realized that it would have to be thrown away.  So they went out and bought mom a new sofa.  Daughter can certainly afford it.  They brought it home and mom liked it so much she insisted on getting the matching love seat.  So they got rid of the other very ugly 1990's sofa.  It changed the whole room.

This house was built by them in 1995.  It is still decorated in the seafoam green, peach and heavy drape flowery style of that era.  All things are old and dingy. Mom is a very neat house keepr, but 26 years of wear was certainly showing. I remembered how I felt after my mother passed in the bedroom she had occupied for 3 years. I wanted all those memories gone.  I stripped her room out and her bathroom within 24 hours.  My Sissie and her hubby helped. I just wanted no reminders of those hard years. As much as I missed my mother, I wanted to remember the good times and not the times stuck in those two rooms cleaning and trying to deal with her illness.

The new couches certainly helped, but the oversized peach drapes and dingy lamps and wallpaper were not helping the atmosphere at all.  After we took Hub's youngest sister and husband to the airport, I told Hub's to drive me to Lowes.  We took pictures of the peel and stick wallpaper and took it back to mom.  She loved it and we had to drive to three different Lowes to get enough to repaper the front hall. Hub's was my step and fetch as I climbed up and down the ladder.  His cousin who lives across the street came over and helped take down and put up a heavy mirror and also disconnection the doorbell for me. I had it almost all done by Wednesday evening.  Boy did it change the place!

This is the picture of the new paper.  Before it was a flowered beige,90's nightmare.  It had been up since the house was built. This really brightened up the room. You can see the supplies I borrowed from Hub's cousin's wife.  Her sewing machine, glue guns, whatever I needed.  They were so much help and I could call them over whenever I needed something. 

The sofa's were a light grey which goes great with the carpet.  I thought the wallpaper went well with the Japanese flower print on the sofas pillows.  This lamp was originally from mom's sister's place in the 1950's.  It was a horrid mottled green/yellow ceramic and the shade was 50 shades of old and dirty.  I spray painted the lamp, and the shade and actually tore off the old trim and also sprayed it and reattached .  Then added some gimp, which was $1.29 a yard.

Here is another view and another lamp I worked on.  The shade was always crooked and I bought new guts for this at Lowes and straightened it, added original trim that was repainted and more gimp.

I recovered Grandma Chandler's rocker.  It was very dirty.  Not the fabric I would have chosen, but mom picked it out.  I would have gone with a dark blue, or a copen blue.  We did pick up the blanket.  Anyway that was done, and she was thrilled.  This cost about $20.00.

 Hub's sister who is my age went with me to pick out new drapery material and I duplicated the valance that was there before that was a sad shiny peach color.  Mom still likes the heavy drape look and that is okay, besides they are coming back.  (Horror)

I changed up this valance as it was one of those big stuffed valances.  Then I had to make the sheers.  You all know that I hate, hate, hate making curtains, so this was a labor of love. I have not made pleated sheers for years ,like over 30 years, but the hardware was still there and I did not want to have to replace it. It takes a powerful machine to go through several layers of  pleat tape, but mom's old NECCHI was a work horse.  It would not hem or do anything on the sheers, but would go through all the pleat layers.  So I was running back and forth between two machines.  One that would pleat and one that would do sheer fabric.  Eldest daughter brought mom this throw when she came for the funeral.

All of mom's chair pads, were torn or the ruffles were ripped and they were misshapen and just needed replaced.  So I found this fabric that went well with the sofa pillows and made 8 new cushions for chairs.  Her house is the great room design, with all large rooms into one, so the decor has to flow.  This entire adventure took me 2.5 days.  I was very sore starting Thursday late afternoon as that ws 24 hours after I started wallpapering.  By Friday night I was a sweaty awful mess.  But The whole great room ties together and look so nice and modern.  She does not want to sell for about a year, but this does give that area of the house a fresh modern look which will help in the resale.  I am going to order her some new place mats and make her some new napkins for Christmas that match this decor.

She was so happy and I know she felt better about the house and her surroundings.  She could not wait to have her book club over, plus the price was right.  Free labor who can say no to that? I think all those years of taking care of dad in this area of the house are now left somewhat behind and it will help her mood.

Hubs and I drove home early Saturday morning, I was sore and very tired. I got some unexpected bad news on the way home about a Good friend of Lil sis's.  It is a terrible family tragedy and I cried most of the way home.  I am not a crier and this wiped me out.  I just went to bed when I got home and stayed in bed most of the day yesterday.  I am still in shock over this situation and will post about it tomorrow.

I KNOW Hub's is happy to be home as he was down in southern Idaho most of the last 3 weeks. He went and got a haircut this morning and also a flu shot.  I hope he does not get as sick this year as he did last year.  But at least I am prepared for it.

I need to clean up my shop today, but doubt if I do any sewing.  I did get all of our laundry done from the trip and I just need a day to recoup.

All in all it was a lovely week, with family and friends, good food, laughs, grand kids and good memories. I have to hold onto that.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

 

Kim