Change ... It don't Come Easy

With eyes closed and fingers crossed,

Confessing that I haven't understood this whole Google Reader thing, 

I too have waited until the last minute. 

And here goes. 

It is my hope to be able to follow all the bloggers I have come to know and love. 

I signed up with Feedly. I would really appreciate it if you would sign up

With Feedly or my Email on the sidebar (at the bottom of this page) to continue following. 

Change is not always a fun or easy thing. For me, anyway. Why can't things just stay the same? (Whiney voice.) I know, I know ... most changes are usually for the better. Right?

Ten years ago, we moved to the house we live in now. It was exciting when we were looking around at different homes, but, as it turned out, it was a hard move. (Many sleepless nights crying into my pillow wondering what in the world had we been thinking. It had never occurred to me that I could be so homesick over the house that had been home for 30 years.) But little by little, I finally adapted to the change and am happy to say that I no longer take every opportunity to drive over to look at my old home thinking of it as mine.

Funny, but the same thing had happened when I left Tulsa for San Antonio about 43 years ago. As a newlywed, it was so exciting to move to a different city with adventures awaiting me in my new role as a married woman and being "grown-up." The hard reality of being far, far away from home hit about a week later and I was left wondering what had I done. The mailbox and the telephone became my friends, as I wrote letters to family and friends back home, checking the mail each day for letters and cards with news from loved ones, and always looking forward to the weekly long distance calls (watching the clock since those calls were precious in terms of the cost.)

But, back to this house and changes. The people who lived here prior to us called it home for about 5 years. We had met them when looking at the house, and then once more when they came to pick up items left in the attic. They did a quick look around to see all the changes we had made - and also things I had left the same.

One thing I left "as is" was the décor of the childrens' bedrooms. They had two boys under 3, and a 6 year old little girl. The mom had painted her daughter's room in pastel pink and yellow, stenciled all around with flowers and butterflies and lady bugs. The boys' room sported a border of stars at the top of the walls.

When I saw those rooms, I decided to leave them just as they were. My prayer and hope was that one day there would be a granddaughter(s) and/or grandson(s) who would come to visit us and sleep in those rooms. Thank You Lord, for hearing my prayer, and for the three grandsons and one granddaughter who visit quite often. "Life-changers" ... that's what they are!

Over the years, the stars room has become an eclectic mixture of stars, rustic, and just kind of Texan, including three bluebonnet prints.

The stars do seem fitting for the "little stars" who stay in this room. (Those bloggers who are decorators will not be impressed at all by any of this, as I am not a decorator.)

Dale Evans and Roy Rogers were two of my favorite childhood stars,

so when I saw this print at an antique store (junk shop) in Victoria, Texas,

I thought it would be fun to frame it for this wall, together with pics of

DH and me on horses when we were kids.

I bought this quilt in Canton, Texas.

In the corner is an antique prayer bench,
and this is the only place I really have room for it.
(At least the color fits in)

A few of the "friends" who share this room.

More friends

The pink room
(you can see some of the stencils)

A painting by the kids' Great Gandma June



Sentimental odds and endson the dresser

A doorstop made from a brick by
my sister-in-love about 40 years ago.

Because this bedroom gets so much light and the bed is high, Kate has always slept in the stars'  room knowing that one day she would move into this one. That is, when she would be big enough to sleep on the high bed without rolling off. Also, it would be Jack's turn to graduate from the Pac 'n Play in our room to the stars' room. (When Brady and Noah visit, they are happy to sleep on a pallet or the airbed.)

A couple of weeks ago, Kate let me know she was ready for the move. "Nonnie, I want to sleep in the pink room."

Unfortunately, that happened to be the night she woke up crying and very sick, and wanted to go back to the bed she was used to sleeping in. I carried her there and she promptly threw up all over it. So I quickly transferred her to our room where she slept on top of me with my arms around her. That is, oh dear - until she got sick again! (I was so very thankful that she was sick on me and not our bed. Even more importantly, she felt much better after that and slept through the night.)

Since that night, each time she has come to stay, her desire has been to sleep in the pink room, but just as she gets ready to be tucked in, she has a change of mind and wants to go back to where she is comfortable. I'm guessing that it has to do either with "change" or making the connection of her experience of being sick in that room.

One thing true about life is that it is always changing, and young or old, or in-between, sometimes it's just hard to adapt.

Whatever it is about making the switch, for whatever reason, I'm sure Kate will have a "change of heart" when Jack is ready to sleep alone in the stars' room and she will overcome her aversion to that change. He is getting to be a pretty big boy at 2 years and something tells me that he won't have a problem with changing over. He may just decide to crawl out of that Pac 'n Play one of these nights and force her out of her comfort zone!

:-( Things are constantly changing and these kids are growing up way too fast!

And, like it or not, Google Reader is shutting down and I have to get out of my comfort zone and make a change before midnight!



That's all!