You raised him well! I too repurpose most anything I can get my hands on. While remodeling our house, there was an "eyesore" of a pile of demolished materials, but I kept getting things out of it. Had I not had the pile, there is no doubt my bills would've been much higher. Too bad there was no flooring I could use. :) It's gone now, the spot now covered in soft new grass. I'd love to see your buildings you make/improved with your stuff. Can you?

Thank you for that prayer, Toni! It was lovely! Happy Mothers day to all of our Mothers in fact, Mothers in waiting and Spiritual Mothers, and even to our male "moms". You are all very precious and very appreciated! Giving birth to a child does not make one a mother, it is love, attention, caring and devotion that does that. Being a mother is holding them close when they hurt or are fearful, laughing and crying with them, knowing when to let go and knowing how to let them come home again, even if just for a few minutes. It is support, cheerleading, playing the 'bad guy' when needed, encouraging them to grow, and try new things, even when all we want to do is keep them close. It is accepting the decisions they make for their lives, not grudgingly, but with love and understanding, even when those choices are not ones we would have made for them. It is loving where they love... and standing back and not getting in the middle. It is giving our opinion, then stepping back to let them be the person they choose to be. And it's even standing to the side and letting them deal with the consequences, good or bad, of the decisions they make. It is being there for them, even if the consequences are deserved. Blessings to all of you who have faced or will face these challenges and who do so with love, because a Mother's job is never done. Kathy Kathy

Hello all... thanks for all the kind words. I am still trying to struggle through the day. Somedays I am ok, but others not that great. It was her birthday on October 20th. She would have been 64 or "39" as she would have said. We went to the park and fed the ducks... she always liked to do that. I also brought daisys and popped the tops off and placed them in the water. I miss the way that I would call her and she would be willing to go with me on what ever adventure I wanted to go on that day. She was always there for me. I know I am lucky to have a person like that and that it was my Mom, but it hurts no less. I am trying to build a new "normal". It is rough though because everything I do reminds me of her. I started to move around furniture in our house and I was thinking that everything I touched we bought together. She was a great decorator and I have no decorating sense at all. I just wonder when the feeling that I am completly lost and alone will go away. The holidays are coming and I hate it. I think we are going to plan a vacation at Christmas so I don't have to think about it. I don't know about Thanksgiving. Mom used to make the best mashed potatoes. This is so freaking hard. I think I am going to check into counseling again. It is so hard because I put on a strong face when I am out, but crumble when I get to my car or at home. I talk to my husband, but I don't think he really understands. What do you all do for the holidays?? Any ideas on how to get through them?

winendine5- You do not enough space for an area rug in that dining room. You only have exactly enough space for the table and chairs and buffet. Not an extra inch of space. Not a problem, there are plenty of ways to add color to the room. And when you are eating in there, the food adds color as well, in addition to the centerpiece. I don't know if you are going to keep the color of the chair upholstery, but that is easy enough to change if you want, to either a solid or print. I like white or off-white curtains, and you can add a trim on the edges that coordinates with whatever color chair seat you choose. I would suggest eating at the table and sitting at it for a good 2-2.5 hours as you would for a dinner party. Somehow the spokes of the back of the chair don't look particularly comfortable. If they are not, you can have cushions made for the back of the chair. I would also not center the table exactly, move it a bit closer to the windows than the buffet. After all, if chairs bump the window wall, that is an easy fix with spackle and paint. If they bump the buffet, terrible! And be sure to seat your larger guests on the window wall. You can also purchase thing-a ma-bobs with the wool felt for the bottoms of your chairs so they don't mar your wood floors when the chairs are pulled out and pushed in as you won't be having a rug in the room.