Still waiting for my Annual Review...

My son and his wife have something I'm very envious of....they each have their own bathroom and closet!  That's just not right.  I've never had my own bathroom my entire married life.  They are so cute...they live in a 2 bedroom 2 bath condo.  In their decorating plan, they decided that they would each pick a theme for their own bathroom:  my son chose a Nantucket theme for his, and his wife chose a Paris theme (french minor, Paris study abroad...PERFECT!) for hers.  Talk about a Sweet Fringe Benefit of their stage in life.

Photos to send to Matthew

Last night, Matthew asked me to send him some pictures from our family vacations on Nantucket so he can hang them in his bathroom.  I love that!!!  As I've spent the morning going through old photos, the memories of our family vacations to that magical island came flooding back.  I'm probably reading way to much in to his request for pictures.  But for some reason, it just confirms to me that I've done something right as a parent.  

First, I'm just so glad he has fond memories of his childhood.  Being a parent is so so hard. Rarely do you ever really KNOW that you're doing it right.  There's no annual review, no feedback.  A few years ago, one of my biggest regrets in raising my children was our lack of big vacation trips.  Sure, we'd take vacations.  But almost always they were either with our family or to visit our family.  I'd see friends going to Europe, Mexico, on cruises, hiking in Alaska and I regretted not providing my children with those experiences.  But looking back, what I did give my children, was time with family, at some pretty cool, fun places.  From Jackson Hole, Nantucket and Hawaii, to Maine and Disney World, our family has created bonds that hopefully will last eternities.  As I mentioned a couple days ago about friendships, family relationships require the same sacrifices and time in order to stay close.

Second, it warms my heart that he wants pictures of his family hanging in his home.  Family pictures are the predominant wall decor in my house.  I have family photos from both sides of our family tree hanging in our home.  My mom always had photos of her ancestors around our house growing up.  I LOVED looking at the faces of my great grandparents, great aunts and uncles, people I never met here on this earth.  There was something grounding about that.  Knowing who went before me. Now, in my home are pictures not just of those who have gone before me, but of those who are after me...my children and their new families.  

My ancestral wall

I love the moments of joy that come when reflecting on the past.  When Matthew was a little boy, I remember staring in to his face trying to visualize what he would look like as a man.  (Please tell me some of you do that...that I'm not crazy.)  I'd wonder what life would have in store for him.  I know...all he wanted were some pictures to hang in his bathroom.  But for me it was something bigger than that. It is a Sweet Fringe Benefit to know that your own child likes something you did. It's made me smile. Thank you!

I've even turned family photos in to works of art!

I'm loving the fall, drizzily cooler weather!  I got to pull out some cool weather fashion.  Yay!  Worthington (JC Penny) mushroom-colored jacquard pants, Talbots pumpkin silk blouse, Brown Faux leather jacket, Emaack Designs Multi-Strand necklace (magnesite, sunstone, smokey quartz, agate...just fabulous).  You can find these faux leather, vegan leather or pleather jackets just about anywhere for pretty inexpensively.  I actually prefer the fake to the real.  Real leather is so costly to maintain.  I would never dare wearing real leather on a rainy day.


Just a mention of the pants.  The Worthington line at JC Penny is their "career" wardrobe.  I really like the contrast of the dressier pant, with a more casual top.  Overall, that section of the store does seem much more professional when you walk by it.  It's a great line, that often runs promotions, that you can add a few pieces to either your career or casual wardrobe very inexpensively.

And thank you to those who made comments about the sfb's in their own lives on yesterday's post. As of right now, I believe you need to have signed in to google in order to make a comment on the blog. I'm looking for ways to simplify that.  I appreciate everyone's support so much!

The pictures are on their way Matthew!

Nanette