Welcome Through My Aqua Colored Door

Quite a few changes have taken place since I last posted. Mr.Honey and I decided to swap houses with our eldest child after she gave birth to her fifth child in 2016, making the house they lived in much too small for their growing family. We lived right next door to them giving us easy access to our adored grandchildren. The writing was on the wall, they would have to go outside our neighborhood to find a house that was large enough to meet their ever increasing needs.

Now, how was I going to convince Mr.Honey (who after our last move, never wanted to move again)
that we needed to swap our big house for their little bungalow ?  Don't get me wrong, Mr.Honey loved living right next door to our grandchildren as I did, but giving up his big house, now that was a challenge. My best argument was that in fifteen years we would be in our eighties and would no longer want to have to maintain that big house and mostly it would be nice to have our kids still living next door when we reached the next stage of our life, where we might need help.

It took some patience, but Mr. Honey is a smart man, and after exploring other options, he agreed to the big switch. He made me promise that if we moved we would paint the house yellow. He doesn't need to know that wasn't a very big compromise for me! I was ready for a change. I considered painting the door red, after all, my blog does say Kathleen's Red Door Welcome. Like I said I needed a change, so aqua is the new red, lol!

We made the move a month after our daughter had her fifth child and we've never looked back. We have painted the house, remodeled the bathrooms, built a deck and we are almost finished landscaping front and back.

What a blessing to have worked out a solution that makes us all happy!

SEVEN YEARS OF GROWTH

 It's been about seven years since I went back to work after thinking I was permanently retired, and then life happened. My husband was ousted from a career he thought would be his until he retired and I went back to work. Originally, it was only temporary to help my husband, who I lovingly refer to as Mr. Honey, until he found a new path. Blogging became a part of my past. 

I found myself ensconced in a job I was not prepared for, or so I thought. Let me preface this with the thought that sometimes we are more prepared than we believe or have confidence for and then our higher power says, "oh yes you can."

I have always detested change, but have been challenged over the last seven years to embrace change on every level. I have changed my routines, changed what I eat, changed my attitudes, changed how I think, and have come to believe that everything that is worth anything is on the other side of fear and change!

There are times when it seems that God is communicating the idea of divine completeness, perfection, and wholeness by means of the number 7.

I feel more whole and more sure of myself than I did when I was in my thirties. I know now that I do have something to offer in the way of gifts and talents and I intend on moving forward with this as my foundation.

 My desire, as I come closer to the 7 years of training, that I received by doing  my job, as customer service rep, is that something in me will be completed. I never imagined when I embarked upon what I thought would be a temporary stint, would end up being 7 years. In April I will have had this job for seven years. My plan is to retire, not from life, only from a job that has taught me innumerable lessons. A job that I am ready to move on from.

This past year, especially has been a year of transformation for me. I have overcome numerous obstacles that were in my path for many years. I have regained my vitality, my confidence, my sense of purpose and my resolve to move forward from here on out. I am still a work in progress, but at least I can finally say there has been progress! Who knew that the number seven would be my lucky number?!

A RED DOOR WELCOME

My obsession with red doors began when I was quite young. My mother worked for Elizabeth Arden's in Beverly Hills. Elizabeth Arden Salon's red door was their trademark and I think my mother thought it a brilliant way to brand their high class spas. I believe that is why my own mother wanted to be known for her very own red door, so every apartment that we lived in where the landlord allowed, my mother painted her front door red! It left quite and impression on me growing up.  

Hence, my own obsession with a red door welcome has followed me. When I decided to start my first blog, the name Kathleen's Red Door Welcome was the first of my many inspirations.

 I can remember my mother saying, "a little dash of red in a room brings life and energy to the room".

 Red is the color of passion, energy and action. It is said to excite and motivate us to take action.

Red awakens our physical life force. It has the potential to give those that may be more shy or lacking in will power the confidence needed. Put on a red dress and see what happens when you walk in a room!

I find that where ever I am greeted with a red door I feel welcomed and invited to be myself. It may not have the same affect on everyone, but for me, red is a winner!

A SMILE IS NOT JUST A SMILE

I have not blogged in so long that I'm not sure I even know how anymore, but my one regret this past year is that I did not journal, while quite literally, transforming my life by the little daily choices I made over the course of the year.  The reason for this regret is because it has made it more difficult to put into perspective and into words all that I have learned.

You never know who's watching you and needs whatever it is that you have. Part of what I have come to understand is that there is always someone out there that needs what you have to give, even if they don't express it to you.

My little bit of wisdom for the day is that even if you don't think you are gifted and you may not know what your talents are, a smile is always appreciated and for some a balm for a grieving soul.
Be generous with your smiles! You might never know who's watching and who needs it!

The Road to Transformation

 

 

Ever feel like you are emerging from a dark place and your life is being transformed before your very eyes? When I first started blogging I had just lost my mother to Dementia. It was a very sad and stressful time in my life. It was almost as if because my mother couldn't be happy I couldn't be happy either. I ate my sorrows. As she was disappearing I was expanding. I couldn't focus on my own feelings because they would have devoured me. The whole process of grieving started long before she actually died. I cried buckets of tears long before she departed. There was a certain amount of relief when I no longer had to watch her suffer. Then when she was gone I just felt empty and sad.

My mother was my rock. I could always count on her steady sure faith to give me balance. When she was gone I had to stand on my own with only her voice in my head to guide me.

In 2009 my husband lost his job and at the age of 60 he had to start over. I went back to work and had to learn new skills to compete in the job market where 20 year olds were my competition. I did what I had to do, but it wasn't easy and most of the time it was very stressful. A job that required me to sit most of the day did not help my ever expanding waistline. I tried exercising as consistently as I  could, but still it was not helping.

In June of 2014 I finally succumbed to my nieces prodding to let her help me reach my health goals. I had put her off for a year, when I finally admitted to myself  that I needed help. I was convinced that I would be her first client to fail. So reluctantly I committed myself, in one last ditch effort to get healthy to let her help me.

I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and had been warned by my doctor that I would have a stroke if I did not take control of my health.

Now 10 months later I have lost 65lbs., no longer have high blood pressure and my cholesterol is normal. I feel like I've woken up and am living again for the first time in a very long time.

Now I am coaching and giving the same gift that was given to me back to others. Sometimes in life you have to go through the chaos to get to the transformation.

Little Eliza Jane

Since my little granddaughter came into the world eight months ago I have been completely preoccupied. I can't get enough. Every Saturday my daughter and I take little Eliza Jane to lunch. It's our girl time. It is the highlight of my week. It is part of the reason I have had no time to blog. Her curiosity is contagious. Her sense of wonder is inspiring. She is such a happy girl, completely delighted to explore her world. The men in her life adore her (meaning her Daddy, her Papa, and three older brothers). My hope is that her life will always be filled with wonder and she will never lose her curiousty and zest for life, even when life throws big challenges her way, because it will.  I am so blessed to live right next door to my grandchildren. I can't imagine life any other way. I hope when they are grown and I am no longer around they will remember how much I loved them.

 

Welcome to the World Baby Eliza Jane

The door was decorated to welcome our guests to celebrate Eliza Jane's arrival.

Friends and family brought beautiful gifts to welcome our little Eliza Jane into the world.

Eliza is my daughter's first daughter and her 4th child. Eliza has three older brothers who adore her.

This day of celebration included a couple of birthdays. Actually August 25th the day of the shower would have been my sister's 63rd birthday as well. I know she would be so thrilled for her niece if she were still alive today. Somehow I think she was looking down from heaven so excited for our family!

It was also my son in-laws aunt's birthday August 24Th and August 26Th is Eliza Jane's daddy's birthday...so much to celebrate!

I made a banner that decorated my fireplace mantle for her shower and now hangs over her crib.

What little girl doesn't love shiny new shoes?

Girls must have their accessories to make a good impression, right?

Eliza Jane's Meemaw came all the way from South Dakota to welcome our little angel into the world.

My daughter was thrilled with all the girly gifts!

Holly and her mother (whose birthday was the day of  the shower) examine one of the outfits Eliza received to see how it was crafted.

 
 This delicious cake was from a local bakery that I  have shopped at for many years. It was chocolate cake with a raspberry filling...yummy!

I found this idea for turning a watermelon into a  baby carriage on Pinterest. It was so easy to make. 

Eliza models one of the many beautiful headbands she received.

The menu included raspberry scones, a fritata, mini croissants, fruit salad and cake. To drink we had lemonade mimosas served  in jelly jars with chalkboard labels to mark the names of the guests.

I hung a clothesline between my dining room and the sun room to hand the clothes that were my gift to Eliza Jane. I was too lazy to wrap it all. L.O.L.

Who doesn't like to sip champagne from a straw.

My long time friend from my childhood just happened to be taking her only daughter off to college, so with her car loaded with her daughters belongings they stopped along the way to celebrate with us. Eliza Jane was fascinated with Abby.

I forgot to take a photo of the table when all the food was laid out, so you will just have to imagine it. Below is a photo of Mr. Honey (wearing a pink shirt on to celebrate out little girl) posing for a photo with my childhood friend before she left to take her daughter to college.