It only took 15 years to recover!

I bet you are thinking it took

me 15 years to recover from the embarrassment of my 

previous post!

Maybe.

But this post isn't about mean kids, potty accidents, eating paste,

and chewing pencils to relieve anxiety!

Honest!

This is a story about a chair that had me at Hello

in 1998...or was it 1999...

anyhow, it was a long time ago!

This is the part where I tell you about living in the best neighborhood

EVER to raise children!

... and how there were 21 kids in a 12 house culdesac.

...and how MOST of the families got along amazing.

(Hey I said best, not perfect neighborhood)

Many of us are still very close friends today, and the kids are too!

One of those sweet friends was Uschi.

My lovely German neighbor in the house with the pink trim.

She made the best "Uschi noodle soup" according to Jordon.

Her husband was retired military and they were the oldest couple in our very young family neighborhood.

But they weren't old at all, more like my age now!

But with their children grown up, 

they enjoyed all the activity around them of little children on bikes, scooters

and the constant sounds of boys vs. girls.

Uschi had an adorable house filled with antiques and knick knacks

from Germany. But she loved yard sales and a good deal too!

So, to the point of the story...the chair!

One day we were out hitting the yard sales and I spotted an

Amazing french style chair. 

The upholstery was ratty and greasy at the headrest,

but the legs were curvy and it was a beautiful

feminine chair.

The price tag was $20.

That doesn't seem like much, does it?

But I was a stay home mom at the time, and after our mortgage

and other expenses, we had literally $50 between paychecks for emergencies

or eating out.  So, $20 was way out of my league.

I was soooo sad, but I didn't know the first thing about re upholstering it anyway,

so I had to walk away. 

Uschi loved the chair too, and she bought it.

I was so happy for her because the style would've looked nice in her home.

We lugged it into the truck and hauled it back to her place.

A few weeks, or maybe even months went by

and I still had that chair in the back of my mind, hoping one day to find

another one like it.

Then, one day, my sweet friend flags me down in the culdesac.

"Hey, do you want that chair?  I don't have a place for it."

"REALLY!?"

Yes, yes, and yes!!

She didn't want a dime for it.

I think she may have bought it for me all along.

Her heart is kind and giving, and she remembered what it's like to be financially strapped with a young family. 

I was so happy and grateful to have this ugly duckling beautiful chair!!!

Poor ugly duckling.

She got moved from one room to the next, covered in blankets to hide the fabric

but expose her gorgeous legs. And eventually she was shunned to the garage 

where she was piled with soccer gear, bike parts and sleeping bags.

Awkward...ok just ignore this crazy couple, and you can see her under the white blanket in our living room....

And at another time... you'll see (in the blur)  her tucked away in the corner of our bedroom.

My husband was tired of her.

She was a mess.

Just taking up space.

So, one day last Fall I decided I was going to rescue her 

before she'd be sent away to the thrift store.

I mean, she was part of the family!

15 years with us.

I called around and got estimates from the local upholstery shops.

$900 - $1200

*gasp*

I decided to try it myself, how hard could it be?

I brought her into the living room. 

Then, I stared at her worn out exterior for a few months while 

trying to get the nerve to start.

I used the estimates I'd received to determine the yardage, etc.

I finally purchased the least expensive upholstery grade fabric I could find that I liked.

And I used a 40% off coupon.

 $50 for the fabric. I could live with that.

 Not too expensive.... in case I royally messed her up with my upholstery work.

But God works in mysterious ways.  

As I was getting the fabric cut at the counter I met

a woman and we started to talk.

I do that a lot,

talk to people in lines.

My kids always told me I'm so embarrassing.

"They don't care about your life mom!"

Well, sometimes they do!

Because this lady told me about a class at a different fabric store near my house.

They had a chair re upholstery class for $98!

4 Saturdays for 3 hours...or was it 3 Saturdays for 4 hours?

Anyhow,

Just bring the chair in each week and a professional teaches you how its done!

SOLD! SIGN ME UP!

I forgot her name, the nice lady who saved the day.

I have many friends without names.

Sorry if you are a friend of mine without a name. 

I still love you.

I had the best time learning how to take the chair down to its frame,

tying springs and gluing foam.

Taking her apart, down to just the frame!

Old string on springs. I took this all apart and did it over!

This all came off and was replaced.

Putting her back together again...

I paid the store to make my buttons for the tufting, and I also paid an upholstery shop to make a new cushion & double piping.

I didn't have a heavy duty machine and wanted it to look good.

BUT

I did every.single.part of the rest...

including the tufting in the arms and the back...

All by myself!!

Before the cushion was made and the double piping was put on.

I AM SO PROUD OF THIS CHAIR

All in all, it still cost about $400 to finish.

 Did I mention I'm so proud of this chair?

I willed it to my kids.

Kind of, I mean I wrote on the foam seat with marker.

"Made by mom with Love, Easter 2013"

So that one day...

when she is once again old and ratty and in the garage

and needs a facelift...

My kids will take her apart

and see my message and smile.

I think if you look really close...

She is smiling back.

xoxo

Jodi

The Boy, The Bodysuit and a Bond of Friendship...

My first recollection of having a best friend was 

when I was in 3rd grade.  

I had playmates and cousins and a little sister.

But my very first BEST friend was Lee.

Yes, a BOY.

We lived in a teenie little town in North Dakota just outside of the Air Force Base

my dad was stationed at. We spent our time laughing, riding bikes,

exploring an abandoned house, catching snakes and climbing trees.

He was my first friend that, even at 8 years old, I felt I could be completely

myself with. And he liked me anyway. 

When I was a toddler I had a medical condition that was repaired but left me prone to accidents if unable to reach the bathroom immediately.

I outgrew the problem, but

I had accidents in elementary school A LOT.

My mom, who would've held my hand all day at school if she was allowed, told

the teachers to never make me wait to use the restroom.

As kids can be, they were not very kind, and I was called

"Jodi pee pee pants", "Jodi stinky pants" and the like.

I was a beautiful little girl with long golden blond hair and my mom dressed me meticulously, often making my clothes herself.

I was NOT stinky.

I did, however, have a nervous habit of chewing pencils, eating paste and erasers and writing on my desk with pencils. 

I had the meanest teacher that had to be 100 years old in 1975.

She did not like me and made me sit with my desk pushed up against hers in front of the entire class!  One day she looked at my desk and decided I needed

to show the class how to clean a dirty desk.

She sent me to the custodian closet to get the janitors cart.

On my way I decided to use the restroom because I was scared to death to get up in front of all those kids! And having an accident then would have killed me.

On this particular day my mother had me dressed in the most adorable

brown bodysuit (circa 1975) with a cute white daisy at the neck.

For those of you who don't know what a body suit is, its a shirt you tuck in your pants and snap at the crotch.

In my hastiness to get back to class, I had forgotten one very important step...

As I pushed the custodial cart into the classroom

there was a roar of laughter.

My bodysuit was hanging over my pants...unsnapped.

I honestly don't remember one more thing about that day.

But I do remember this...

Lee never stopped being my friend.

He didn't care that I ate glue, pencils, erasers or even wet my pants sometimes.

He was my best friend.

Then, his family moved and I never heard from him again. Eventually, the Air Force moved us too.

 

*****

I am so grateful that my entire life has been filled overflowing with friendships.

Different friends at different season in my life, but all very special.

I didn't realize it until later in life, but I learned all I needed to know

about friendship from my first best friend at the tender age of 8.

1.  Don't judge someone because they eat paste! Everyone has their own burden or story to tell. Give them a chance to share it. Be compassionate and show unconditional kindness towards others obstacles. Don't crush someone's spirit.

2.  Just be yourself!  You can catch snakes even if you are a girl in a cute dress and ponytails. Be true to who you are, with a smile on your face. Don't let the unkind opinion of others drive you to chew your pencils! There are so many others who will love you just the way you are.

3.  Have fun and take a risk! Explore the abandoned building...but be home by dark so you don't come home to an empty house with a creepy oil painting staring at you while your family is out searching for you! (note from experience)

4. Invite them to your party! Let everyone else get to know the person you

enjoy so much.  Laugh, play games, sing and eat cake. 

5.  Sometimes we don't get to stay in touch and it's okay! Every friendship has a purpose and is a blessing. Some are meant to last forever, and some only last 20 minutes while you are waiting for your oil to be changed in your car.

But once that person has entered your life, you are forever different. Make those moments count!

5. People change!  I'm sure you are curious to know....I don't eat paste or erasers anymore. Give others (and yourself!) the opportunity to change. Be an encourager, but love them (and yourself!) where they are. Life is a journey that we are all traveling at our own pace.

xoxo

Jodi

 

Fort Nisqually at Pt. Defiance Park

This week my son, Jordon, and I went on a little field trip.

We packed ham sandwiches,

wheat thins, and yummy fruit pies into our little cooler.

We hopped into the car and drove about 45 minutes

over the Tacoma Narrows bridge

and into Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, WA.

Pt. Defiance has a wonderful Aquarium and Zoo,

beautiful flower gardens and

a 5 mile scenic road. There are bike paths

and hiking trails and it is doggy friendly

with a no leash park that is ACRES big.

Can I come with you!!??

We left Izzy at home since it was a hot day

and we were going to explore Ft. Nisqually 

(which is doggy free)

When I was little, I lived in Lacey, WA. 

One summer my grandma came to visit us from Wisconsin.
My mom, sister and I took her here. 

We loved it!
I think my elementary school came here on a field trip too.
Back then they had a Never Never Land Park next to the Fort. 

It was full of nursery rhyme characters.

Sadly, that part of the park isn't there anymore.

I really appreciate that my 19 year old son

enjoyed hanging out all day with his old mom. He was more interested

in the history than I was. 

I was into the architecture and gardens. 

He took some of these pictures,

and I think he did a great job!

This was the view from the top of the look out tower into the Fort.

And out towards Puget Sound. Beautiful.

This man is an actual iron smith who volunteers at the park.

He was making historically correct puzzle toys out of iron.

They sell the puzzles in the gift shop.

Jordon had a fun time trying to figure it out.

Eventually the man was kind enough to show us how its done.

But not until he had a good laugh at us first!

I had to think of my dad (who passed away in 2007) when I saw

some of these puzzles. He loved that sort of thing and

would've wanted to replicate it himself. I love those random moments that 

remind me of my sweet daddy. They are a gift I cherish.

This was the sale shop, where pioneers would trade/sell/buy all their supplies.

My favorite was the Factor's House. Its the only residence on the Fort.

Families would live outside the Fort in their own residences.

But the Factor's family lived on the Fort in this

four room painted house that was very high quality for the time with wallpaper

and 2 bedrooms.  When important guests came to the Fort, they stayed

in the Factor's house. The kitchen was located outside as well as the outhouses.

Factors House master bedroom

Each room of the house has wallpaper. 

The ceilings are board and batten.

The Children's room.

Fort kitchen sinks.

This is a room in the Labor's housing, they would've been single and shared the two room house.

I really liked the garden area and the chicken coop.

It was made with maple saplings.

Chicken Coop

Chicken Coop with maple sapling fencing

Raspberries

After leaving the Fort, we drove along the 5 mile drive. 

Here are a few viewpoints along the way.

Looking toward Gig Harbor, WA

Vashon Island Ferry in the distance

North towards Vashon Island

Looking west towards the Tacoma Narrows Bridges

If you are looking for a fun day trip with a lot to do and see,

I would definitely visit Pt. Defiance Park. Its free to drive the scenic route and

walk the many, many trails. There is a fee to go to the Fort or the Zoo.

Happy Travels!

xoxo

Jodi

PS. After the Park...we headed to REI to look at snowboarding stuff and then to Sonic to try the new pretzel hotdogs

with a nice cold cherry lime-aide. 

YUM :)