Since the serious Accidents of The Son and then The Man only a Month apart to the day, I must say I've been operating on Auto Pilot for the past couple of Months, but apparently my Auto Pilot is working just fine. In fact, a lot is getting done because keeping my hands and mind busy helps ward off the darker thoughts... when I'm real busy I don't have to think too much, or dwell... which right now is a good thing.
Apparently this tactic works well for Princess T too, evidently we're cut from the same mold. If I can keep her busy Cleaning and Organizing, which she Loves and has a Natural Talent for, then she's not quite so depressed and having hysterical meltdowns or getting into constant trouble acting out her pent up emotions and having extreme raw mood swings. That's a good thing, especially in School... Second Grade has been a real 'Issue' since Grandpa's Accident, not surprisingly.
And keeping my Head in a good place has helped me better respond to practically daily dreaded meetings with her Second Grade Teacher and hear such stupid remarks as, "She can't be depressed at School and in my Class... or bring her Problems here, even though I know there's a lot going on at Home right now." Yeah, normally if I wasn't really Centered and on Auto Pilot, ridiculously absurd comments like that would get a much more Dark Dawn response. *LOL*
Seriously, the kid is only Seven and has Issues before all this Drama hit, she's traumatized and depressed and going thru a Living Hell, deal with it and have some damn Compassion! Depression can't be controlled like that, otherwise Shrinks and Therapists wouldn't have a job and even grown ass Adults wouldn't need stuff like Prozac to get thru their days Lady!!! I didn't say that... I WANTED to though... I used restraint and kinder words, the Teacher is Young, sweet and Pregnant after all... maybe her Preggy Hormones are overriding her brain and common sense right now, I dunno, I'm extending Grace and giving her the benefit of the doubt!? And Praising Princess T profusely when she manages to have a Good Report Day.
And Okay, so I'm Bribing her with a few Incentives too if we can manage to have a major crisis at School averted... by either her going off and over the edge and tearing the place up... or me!?! *LOL* She's an up and coming Bipolar Babe according to her Docs and we all know Gramma is... so Confronting me wrong, especially with stupid idiotic remarks, can make me wanna go Sideways on a fool... and I'm so Proud of myself when I don't. *She Winks* She's being such a little Witch I thought Halloween Barbie was appropriate... and it only cost me Ninety-Nine Cents on a 'Pick', Cheap Bribe, way cheaper than more Therapy! *LOL*
But at least she only has ONE Teacher giving me bad reports... Prince R has FIVE! Thankfully, none of them have a case of stupid going on and have been rational and compassionate about his previous and current Issues that Manifest in regular calls to me and the usual IEP Meetings. I'm Grateful for that, if I had SIX Teachers coming at me saying stuff to me that make no sense and putting that on me, I might go off! No... I WOULD go off, absolutely, without a doubt, I'd go Postal and probably end up on the News, the Kiddos would be the least of their worries! *Smiles* Because you see, I don't have the Solution or the Answers to Mental Health fixes and the Issues of Special Needs Kiddos... Wish I did, but I don't... nobody does, it is what it is, whaddya want me to say, I have no adequate Words during these conversations with their Teachers?!
Because they're exceptionally Bright and Gifted in so many ways Academically they don't really belong in Special Ed with the Kiddos battling say, brain trauma or Retardation, their needs are quite different. But Mainstream Classes don't really work well either and they cannot Perform under the Realm or guise of 'Normal' or 'Typical' and I can't MAKE them. Poof... now you're like all the other kiddos, with my Magic Wand waving all over the place, you know. So, all I can say to the Teachers, the Administration and the G-Kid Force is that Tomorrow is a brand new day... and perhaps it will be better? And think to myself as I'm saying it, probably not... but perhaps... I'm an Incurable Optimist after all, so I'd LIKE to Believe it could.
But, in the absence of being able to 'fix' them, or the situations with The Man and The Son's Injuries... Princess T and I have been fixing up rooms instead. And pricing then hauling off boxes of new Inventory to the Showrooms to flip since finances is another rough area of Life right now. With all the additional expenses associated with The Son being out of Work for almost two Months due to his injuries and helping him out as much as I can... and The Man's situation at the Trauma Center and all the additional commuting into the City and Downtown Parking Fees etc... etc... etc...
Right now Princess T and I are fixing up the Computer Room, since I spend a lot of my Zen Time here... and it's coming together quite nicely, though we're only halfway done and I still haven't painted that wall I've patched up. Amazing how many nail holes and dings a one hundred year old wall can end up with over Time! *LOL* And this room has a lot of White paint since it's in the interior of the Old House and has no exterior windows, so only gets ambiant lighting since it's a windowless room, with so many doors that it looks like a scene from Alice In Wonderland! *LOL* A small room but with three regular doorways and a double doorway! The Guy who built this place was an Eccentric Genius so its Quirky and built from Salvage. And he did Homestead it during the Wild, Wild West days of the Territory of Arizona, so many Exits was probably a Wise idea for Safety, Survival and to confuse Enemies I'd imagine!?! *LOL* But I'm not a Fan of White Walls... so most of them must go... COLORFUL!
As each Room is Transformed we're Enjoying spending more time in them... and our eventual lofty Goal is to get thru the many rooms of this Old House. The place is like a Maze, so Thankfully you can't see more than one room at a time. So we're working our way from the front towards the back so Guests don't have a Clue how disastrous the back portions are since we've got most of the front portions presentable and/or Transformed now! *LOL*
Which was handy when the Missionaries from The Man's Church came by to offer Prayer and see how everything is going and if they can offer Help. Two Sweet Young Women from Idaho and Alabama, it was a lovely and Appreciated visit and they absolutely Adored what they could see of the house and my Collections because they couldn't see the trashed and still Hoarded rooms! *Bwahaha!* Luckily nobody had to use the Ladies' Room and head to the back portions of the house, or the Illusion wouldda been shattered and my two Months worth of getting behind Shamefully Revealed! *Winks*
But compared to how it looked when we started the Process... it's a Huge improvement and really boosts our Spirits as well as giving us something productive to do. Keeping our minds and our hands busy to ward off the Darkness that is always so close to the surface lately and threatening to consume us if we allow ourselves to wallow or think beyond just the day we're trying to get thru.
And what is Prince R doing whilst the OCD Gals are busy Transforming the place you might be wondering? Well, as usual he's on 'Planet Prince R' and we leave him there, out of our way. He has brief interludes of being Present in the Moment and Assisting when he comes back to Earth... but a little bit of his 'Help' can go a long way. So we actually get more done when he's not delegating or trying to Assist in the Process with his scattered thoughts and doing everything and nothing all at once... and mostly getting into things since he can't leave anything alone, which only makes both her and I twitch! *Smiles* Princess T and I are a well oiled Machine when it comes to our Processes and we Enjoy it, he Abhors it and is usually doing any of it under Protest anyway. So if he pitches in a little bit then he Feels he's participated and been included... and we're usually relieved when he Exits Stage Left and returns to 'Planet Prince R'. *LOL*
Us OCD Gals have Intense Focus when we're on a Mission and aren't satisfied 'til we see it thru to completion... Prince R's Style is more laid back and incomplete, he'll have many things going at once and none of them prone to ever being finished and he's Okay with that. He flits from thing to thing like a Butterfly and we're like Dogs with a Bone! *Smiles* Don't mess with our Bone either! *Winks* Of coarse with Princess T there is that other Extreme in Style... I swear she spent over an Hour washing the same Vintage Camping Coffee Pot to prepare it for Inventory! But it will damn sure be the Cleanest Vintage Camping Coffee Pot you ever saw in your entire Life I tell ya, the Aluminum is Sparkling like Sterling Silver! *LOL* So she's worth the small Bribes, she's definitely Earned it in Hard Labor, that Kid is a Worker and Fanatical about her Work... well, when she's not being a Diva Princess that is and having Obsession about Trifles! *Winks*
As other 'Payment' for Services rendered she Earned this Drama Queen Shirt and pair of Gypsy Sandals... she wears both Proudly and with major Attitude! *Smiles*
She's hilarious too and when she's not driving me Crazy she can be a lot of Fun to hang out with... she's always Teasing Gramma about 'My Era' which she calls 'Back In Da Day'... and so when I asked her to Pose for this pix she pulls the shoulder down on one side and grins saying, "Flash Dance Style"! *LOL* Okay, yes, so she's seen the Movie AND some of Gramma's Jennifer Beals Inspired Fashions in Old pixs from the Eighties. Jennifer Beals Style and Madonna's 'Like A Virgin and Desperately Seeking Susan' Style were some of the only good Styles to come out of the Eighties IMO, but then, I'm an Old Hippie whose stuck in the Sixties, so I'd think that wouldn't I? *Winks* But I digress... back to the Computer Room Transformation...
I'm busy Creating Cloche Displays and re-organizing what I've decided to Keep rather than Sell or Donate...
And ensuring that the Keep piles remain much smaller than the Sell and Donate piles in order to make Real Progress in the Great Edit and Purge Process in an effort to Simplify Life...
But there does have to be a few Special Acquisitions as well like this Fab Mini Vanity sized Vintage Striped Suitcase! *Swoon* Five to One Rule means that now I must Purge Five Items as this moves in. It's for those Short Running-Away-From-Home Escapes where I can pack light and not stay away too long! *Winks* And I'm an absolute Sucka for Vintage Striped Suitcases at the right Price! I can always use extra Storage for my Fabric Art Supplies.
And speaking of Storage, I also 'Scored' this Fab Antique Trunk for the Front Kitchen to use for Inventory Pricing and Showroom Supplies. Which I use often and typically end up in that Room to Prep Inventory, but wanted it all stored out of sight there, but easily accessible... this does the trick perfectly! NOTE: Excuse jacked up Old Linoleum floor detracting from Old Trunk Beauty, but I wasn't gonna haul it outside to Stage the shot, even though it does have tiny metal caster wheels. *Smiles* On the long Laundry List of eventual Home Improvements is resurfacing that room's disgusting floor!
It's got a lot of Character and I got it really Cheap on account of the Character and flaws, which I personally prefer and Love since it Imparts the History of the Piece and that it was well Used and Loved. I like to Imagine the Stories it could tell and the Places it's been??!!!
And since it will be Used a lot here and will be easily accessible, I'm glad that the Lock has been cut out lest the G-Kid Force do a Houdini and try to Seal each other or themselves in there... *Winks... gotta pre-think these things thru with this Crew! If you could Imagine it, they'll probably try to do it!*
I'm absolutely Delighted with the piece and put it where the Old Fridge used to be since there won't be any budget for a while for Fridge replacement in that Kitchen and we'll be making do with the Back Kitchen Fridge and not having a Refreshment and Snack Fridge anymore. One day I Hope to Source a real Retro Fridge for this Kitchen though for that Purpose. I'm putting out my Laws Of Attraction feelers for that Desire.
Though the inside has seen better days it was very clean and had no odors, which was a bonus since I could just utilize it right away.
And Naturally I Adored the Antique Gypsy Graphics... maybe this was owned by Gypsies, I dunno? And if I told you how Cheaply I 'Scored' this you'd Hate me... I just couldn't Believe folks were walking past it without so much as a second glance! So it was obviously meant to be mine... it must have been Invisible to them?! I practically threw myself over it once I spied it, like I was Protecting a Small Child from being snatched!!! *Winks*
And Princess T wanted a Contribution to the Newly Styled Computer Room... she felt Grammas Pens were too plain so she wanted Gypsified Pens... and as always she went a little Excessive, the One Pen I told her she could pick out turned into Four Pens... since they were a Bargain she Negotiated the Purchase of the additional three with me saying they'd Help her do her Homework better!!! Well, then, why not, lets get them ALL! *Winks*
Because you see, another Educational Pet Peeve of mine is the excessive Homework they laden Modern Kiddos with... a Second Grader should NOT have an Hour or more's worth of Homework a Night IMO... neither should her Gramma, who has to find the Precious Time to Help her with said Homework and the Tedious Process it entails!!! I should be getting a portion of the Teaching Salary for all this additional Work the Teachers are schlepping off on me after the Kiddos have already been in School all day... when do they have Time to be a KID and just Play or Relax for Heaven's Sakes?!??!?? By the time they finish Homework, Eat and Bathe, there's precious little Time left for them to have Fun and Childish Wonderment! Times they are a changin', that's for sure... no Wonder so many Modern Kiddos are so Stressed Out and Edgy!
So... here's Homework Pen Numero Uno... her Favorite.
Numero Dos... My Favorite.
Numero Tres... My Second Favorite.
And Numero Quatro... Her Second Favorite. Yes, that's how we actually ended up with FOUR... "Which one do YOU like best Gramma?" and then... "Which ones would be OUR Second Favorites?" and then of coarse she had me in the indecisiveness of it all since we're loathe to Choose when there's such Beauty in a Group of Lovely Created Objects! *LOL* Thank God they were so Cheap that we could easily Justify the Extravagance! *Ha ha ha* And they do look Lovely in a Grouping tucked into a French Crystal Flower Frog on my Desk here I must say!
Surrounded by other Things I Love to have around me when I'm sitting here Blogging... sans the clutter or a mess it is really a nice Space to Retreat to now.
Now that it's finally in Order and Edited. A place for everything and everything in it's place...
And even tho' some Lovely Treasures are now Showroom Bound I am really quite Pleased with this Simplifying decisioin to carefully Curate our Collections and pass the rest along...
And who knows, maybe some of it will end up in YOUR House? And I can then Thank You for your Business... and Contributing to the 'Cause'!!! *Winks*
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian