Saturday, March 6, 2010

Sunday Favorites - Sisterhood of Women

Today is the day for Sunday Favorites. A day when we get to re-post a previous post. Today it was easy to choose which post I wanted to use because today I spent the day again with two of my favorite women, my sister Lisa and my mom Tomasa. 

Lisa and I went to get her taxes done and then when we came home she stayed to help my mom and I clean out the flower beds in front of my house. It was hard work, there were worms and bugs and dirt. We sweated, broke nails and ruined our hair and makeup. But we did it together and as always when we do things together it's a joy, not a chore. (Just keep repeating that Lisa...it's a joy, not a chore...maybe you'll believe it!)


So I want to share a post from May 24, 2008 when these same three women got together to tackle a kitchen painting project. Hope you enjoy it. I'm off to soak these old bones in a hot tub. Have a blessed Sunday!

Be sure to visit Chari at Happy to Design to visit other Sunday Favorites!


Favorite Post
from
May 24, 2008

Ancient Chinese Proverb say:
A hundred men may make an encampment, but it takes a woman to make a home.

What is it about women that makes them so special? Today I spent the day with my two favorite women, my sister Lisa and my mother Tome, and it was like spending the day at a spa, or meditating, I feel refreshed, happy, calm and blessed. And the strange thing is that I spent the day working like a dog.

We painted my sisters kitchen and we started early, by early I mean like around 9am for me, 7am for her.

We cleaned the walls, scrubbing them with de-greaser and soap that was hell on our hands. We taped up the kitchen cabinets and counters with newspaper and blue painters tape. We used primer on the walls and while this was drying we ran both our cars over to have the oil changed and the fuel injection system serviced. We also picked up some lunch not only for ourselves, but we picked up some pizza for her two boys.

We had a lovely lunch outside under her patio on her kitchen table. It was a breezy, cool day and perfect for spending time outside, but of course it didn't last and finally we went in to begin the real painting.

Side note: The night before we had gone to Walmart and my sis picked out the paint she wanted, she was going for a Tuscan Decor such as you see below:


Pretty huh? She wasn't going to do the faux painting on it this one has but she did want that kind of golden yellow color. The color she asked them to mix I think was called Citrus, it was by Dutch Boy. It seemed kind of yellow to me, but she wanted something different and I thought, "Well why not, if that's what she wants" (we're a white walls type of family).

So back to the story, the paint was nothing like what you see above, it was baby "caca" yellow and it was hideous. The minute she slapped it on the walls she knew it wasn't what she wanted and she was going to be miserable if we continued.

She called Walmart, and wonderful Walmart said they would take the paint back even though it was custom mixed...I love Walmart!

Now we're primed and pumped and ready to paint, but we have NO PAINT!
So we went to our local TrueValue Hardware store in Shafter and the nicest man named Ron helped us. We found a little old hispanic man in the store wearing a strawhat and my sis knew that was the paint color she wanted. We told Ron and he held paint swatches up to the old man's hat and matched it! Was he great or what? And the old man was very nice to let us do that to him.

So now with paint in hand we returned to her kitchen and began. Right away she knew this was the perfect color...and it was, it was just what she wanted, warm and rich and soothing. And the weird thing is the name of the paint color on the paint swatch was, get this....StrawHat!!! She wanted it the color of the man's hat and the color was called Straw Hat!!

Anyway, we painted and joked and complained about our kids, our jobs, etc, etc. And then our mommy got there and she pitched right in and helped paint and we chatted with her and we laughed and had a great time, before we knew it, the kitchen was painted, the corners and bottoms were done. We tore down the newspaper and she and my mom put up curtains and hung pictures back and it was BEAUTIFUL. I wish I had had my camera, maybe tomorrow I'll take some pictures.

So as I said in the beginning of this story, women are so special and I'm so blessed to have my sister and my mother, there was nothing I would have rather done today then spend the day with them!

21 comments:

  1. Tackling projects like this is so much more fun and a lot easier when done to the tune of laughs, good conversation and silly giggles!

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  2. Diann @ the Thrifty Groove - Amen to that!

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  3. What a lovely story.

    While I have three sisters and a mother and we all get along and do many things together. Tackling a painting project would never be one of them.

    I have helped wallpaper with one sis. Laid hardwood flooring with another and I cook with the third all the time. But, I am the only one in the group that can get more paint on the wall then on myself. Enough said on that.

    So glad to hear that you have a close relationship with your family. As the oldest of 13 I know how wonderful that can be. I also know how rare it is in these modern times.

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  4. Rita - Thanks for stopping by. I really enjoyed your blog. Wow, the oldest of 13...how amazing is that! I always wished I had had more sisters, but then again maybe I wouldn't treasure them the way I do the one I have if I have a whole bunch of them. It's hard to take your sister for granted when you only have one.

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  5. Almost any project that we all can do as a family makes it that much more special. I agree completely that when we women get together to do chores the laughter, giggles and the warmth of each others company makes the chore so enjoyable that it doesn't feel as if we are working.

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  6. I wish you were my sisters.
    Where there's love, understanding and goodwill everything can be done. Wallpainting is one of the most rewarding house works.

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  7. Just too much fun. My sister is a wonderful help as well.

    Nice post. I love your blog.

    Carol

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  8. Do you ever watch NCIS? I think
    Gibb's "house" is a prime example of a male abode with absolutely no feminine influence, and the results ain't purdy!!!!

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  9. I enjoyed reading your post. It's wonderful to have family close by to help out with projects....it does make the project more fun!!
    Jane

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  10. Wonderful...
    My prose at
    www.adivashammer.com
    is so strongly based on this love you speak of!
    family is such a gift...and i adored reading about your special time!

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  11. Hi Alicia...

    My friend, I just loved reading about your "special work day" with your mama and sister! Sure brought back many fond memories for me of all the times that my mama, sis, and me worked on similar projects together! My mama has always been such a talented decorator and a real "do-it-yourself" gal! My Dad was a building contractor and so we had many, many homes to spend these "special work days" together! Hehe! My mama certainly passed her love for "home" down to me...she is the one that taught me all the "how to's"!

    Your sis' kitchen paint project sounds like fun! Ooooh...and I bet the "straw hat" paint color looks fabulous! That's just so cute about the sweet old man that lended his hat for the paint color decisions! Hehe! Well Darlin'...such a sweet story and a great post for sharing with us today for Sunday Favorites...thank you!!!

    Warmest wishes,
    Chari @Happy To Design

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  12. Tresia Stepp - That's so true, almost any job done together with other women becomes fun. Happy Sunday!

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  13. DUTA - What a lovely compliment. I would love to have a sister such as yourself, so well traveled and with so many interesting tails and such a wonderful knowledge of history! Thank you!

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  14. Carol at Serendipity - Aren't sisters the best! thank you for stopping by.

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  15. That was a wonderful story! Painting is ALOT of work, and not only was your sister blessed by you helping, but also by spending time with each other. Jobs like that are always so much fun when doing it with good friends or family.

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  16. Keetha Broyles - I have watched NCIS, but I'll have to pay more attention.

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  17. Jane - I'm really blessed to have almost everyone in family within stones throw. Only my daughter April lives 3 hours away, my niece lives in Vegas and my brother lives about 20 miles away. I love having family close by.

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  18. The Muse - I'm on my way to check out your blog, thanks for coming by.

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  19. Chari at Happy To Design - Thank you so much for stopping by and for hosting Sunday Favorites. It's my favorite meme of all! Happy Sunday!

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  20. I'm delighted to have had the pleasure of joining you via Cheri's fabulous ,'Sunday Favorites' meme!~I love what you shared this week my dear; so poignant, often so true for many and touching!

    I see my dear mom often, yet my two sisters only every several years or so; not nearly often enough, as they live far away!(Thankfully every so often we speak by phone, though more often would be delightful)!

    This has been my first time joining Cheri's delightful blog party and I warmly invited you to visit my blog also, where I have re-posted about my artwork this week..,

    Cheers from Wanda Lee @ The Plumed Pen

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  21. It's so wonderful to hear of family members who work together so well! I'm glad your sister was smart enough to get the colour she WANTED!

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