Sunday, March 23, 2014

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Tonight's picture was taken in March of 2009. Mattie was home in between treatments and playing with one of his favorite train sets. He got this set when he was a toddler. I remember buying it with him in Target. He helped me pick it out and I remember taking it home that day and setting it up and playing with it together. No matter how old Mattie got to be, he still wanted to play with this set. I think what intrigued him so much about it was that the trains moved on a battery powered track. In addition to that they also picked up and dumped items into buckets and tubs. Mattie just loved watching the animation and while battling cancer, the fact that the trains moved on their own made it even easier for him to play along, not unlike when he was a toddler. 


Quote of the day: Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. ~ Helen Keller

I would say we had an absolutely exhausting weekend. But in all reality our exhaustion started in September. It was in September that we started a massive clean out and overhaul of our living space. We started painting our whole first floor and then in October I began to seriously reorganize Mattie's room. That alone was a super human undertaking. As a result I donated over 60 large garbage bags filled with clothes and toys to Good Will. Then we began painting our second floor. All in all, we have been busy from a personal reorganization stand point since September. It has taken a great deal of self discipline, inner strength, courage, and motivation to do this. It isn't easy to go through any of Mattie's things, much less part with them. So Peter and I have had to make tough decisions. Decisions that most people are never faced with. Therefore painting this weekend wasn't really only about painting this weekend..... it comes on top of reorganizing downstairs, upstairs, massive donations, painting, and then more painting! Peter captured some of the the chaos this weekend!

I had no idea Peter was taking photos today, but trying to paint in some of our spaces is challenging. You should see how we managed the 10 foot ceilings. We do have an extender ladder, but it is like being in the circus! We picked a color for the hallways called "Calm Air." It is hard to tell given the light, but it is a lovely creme color, but it blends so well with all the other Tuscan colors we have chosen for our home.

We were at it all day yesterday and today! We are thrilled to say it is done! Every thing is now rearranged and back on the walls. We have another big spring project ahead of us on our deck, so I knew this project had to get done and complete otherwise we would never do it. We have come so far, it would have been a shame not to get it done.

This photo is deceptive because I took it at night, but the color is vibrant and the hallway is now decluttered. I am great at "organized clutter." If that was an actual look, I would be the queen of it. But with simplifying one's life, comes decluttering, and that is what I am trying to do. I wish I took a before shot, because if you saw what the hallway looked like before, then you would see the improvement.