Tag: inspiration
How to Do a Kitchen Remodel That Will Add Value to Your Home
Check out my latest post on kitchen remodeling that my friends at Unison Home Investors just published. Then visit them @Unison on Twitter to see how they can help you with your home improvement financing needs.
There are plenty of reasons you might want to remodel your kitchen:
Whether you bought your home as a fixer-upper, are getting it ready to sell, or just want to do a little updating, it can be more than a little overwhelming when you try to figure out where to start.
So, no matter what your reason is for updating, spending your hard-earned dollars on a kitchen remodel of any size and shape will definitely add value to your home. On top of that, there are a ton of new innovations that can improve your quality of life, reduce maintenance, and increase efficiency while you live there.
Take a look at this post:
How to Do a Kitchen Remodel That Will Add Value to Your Home
and get started on your remodel today.
Giving Your Vision A Voice. Let me help you express your message and visit my Contact page to get started today.
Give Them Space: How I Learned To Avoid Murdering My Adult Kids
Raising a kid is challenging. I thought I was home-free once my daughter had become an “adult.” Boy, was I wrong.
I wrote this post a few years ago, but I know this is a topic many Women Over 50 have struggled with or are still sorting through. I wanted to share my story to help others see that they’re not alone and that “this, too, shall pass.”
Take a look. I’ll bet you’ll find yourself nodding your head a few times as some of my experiences may sound pretty similar to your own. Enjoy!
When my husband suggested three years ago that we invite our only child’s boyfriend to move in, I think I must have been high on cleaning product fumes, because I said, “Sure. Why not?”
At the time, our girl was three weeks shy of 21, and her guy had reached that milestone into true adulthood six months before. Lanie and Jay had been dating for almost a year and were already getting pretty serious. She was commuting to college and working toward a nursing degree. He was living with his mom and not-so-nice stepdad over an hour away. He had no job, no car and no one willing to help him get either one. While it wasn’t a parent’s dream match-up, they were gloriously happy, and he treated her like his princess.
Three days before my husband’s now infamous question, we got a frantic phone call at one in the morning. The kids were driving down a newly graveled country road out near Jay’s house, when a deer jumped out in front of them. Lanie swerved to avoid hitting it and rolled her SUV three times. They ended up in a ditch upside down, wedged between two trees. The fact that they survived with only minor bumps and bruises was my sign that there was a bigger plan for these kids and that something had to change.
I can truly say, at that moment, I probably would have agreed to shave my head and become a Buddhist monk if it meant my daughter would stay safe. The next best thing was to have Jay move in so they wouldn’t have to make that hour-long trek every other day. In hindsight, it was the best decision I ever made, but it was also the most naive one.
Did you know that boys masquerading as young men are crazy? I do now! I also found out that it’s contagious and that their love-struck girlfriends will follow them blindly into Crazytown no matter how well you’ve raised them. Our always agreeable, respectful, considerate child became an alien with entitlement issues and a major attitude. And while Jay was appreciative of our willingness to invest time and money into his future, he just didn’t understand why I went ballistic when he brought home three pet mice and a puppy. For reference, the only pet Lanie was allowed to have was a goldfish named Urkel.
Pretty quickly, hubby and I agreed that we needed to establish some ground rules, or we were going to be on trial for murdering both of them. The first rule was that they had to have separate bedrooms. We had set up our spare room with all the amenities a guy could want – a comfy futon for sitting or sleeping, a smart TV for video games or web-surfing, a dresser and bookshelf for all his “stuff”, and easy access to the bathroom just a few steps away. Lanie already had a Barbie-pink room of her own with everything she needed – or so we thought.
After weeks of trying and failing to chaperone, listening to my husband rant about them “shacking up” in his house, and enduring my parents’ snide remarks about my lack of control, I was DONE!
For me to get to that point was a monumental feat. I’ve always hated confrontation and would do anything possible to smooth things over to avoid it. That day I learned something about myself though. I learned that it was time to set aside Debbie, the mom, and bring out Debbie, the woman. I had done a great job at raising my daughter to be a thoughtful, caring, intelligent, independent woman. I was so caught up in trying to keep the peace, I didn’t notice that things had changed. My little girl was grown up, and she had chosen the man she wanted to be with. And whether I agreed with every decision she made or not, they were her decisions to make.
We’ve had a lot more bumps and bruises to endure over those years, and we still struggle at times to get along, but I’ve learned that they need their own space. While we share the whole house, those two rooms upstairs are theirs. It’s funny – when I started treating them like adults, they started acting like adults.
My next job…to get my husband to loosen his grip on all HIS power tools. This ought to be fun!
Do you think I’ve totally lost my mind for continually trying to play referee to grown children or can you relate? I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. I’d love to hear your thoughts – for or against?
Giving Your Vision A Voice.
Let me help you express your message today.
My posts may contain affiliate ads but I only endorse programs and products I have used myself and am confident they’ll be helpful to others.
Women Influencers in Data
We’ve known it all along…
Women rock in the business world, and these exceptional women have taken leadership to a new level.
Take a look at this latest post from Forbes and take inspiration from these…
Women Influencers in Data
Giving Your Vision a Voice.
Let me help you express your message today.
Why Women Entrepreneurs Hold All the Aces
Kerry Hannon hit the nail on the head with her post on the advantages 50+ women entrepreneurs have over those younger business owners.
She makes some excellent points:
- They have more time and energy in midlife.
- They have no special obstacles.
- They have more working capital of their own.
- They often have experience working in a male-dominated field.
- They have confidence in their own abilities.
If you’ve been waiting on the sidelines because you think you’re too old to start a new business, take a look at Kerry’s post, and then, take the leap.
Why Women Entrepreneurs Over 50 Hold the Aces
Giving Your Vision a Voice.
Let me help you express your message today.
My posts may contain affiliate ads but I only endorse programs and products I have used myself and am confident they’ll be helpful to others.
Fifty on Fifty
Really love the unique perspectives from these special, “perennial” women.
#ItsNeverTooLate
Aging and Wisdom, The Perennial Years by D.G. Kaye
This post by D.G. Kaye gives a great new perspective on women and aging.
I love the term “perennial” and can’t wait to make it my new buzz word.
It’s Never Too Late.
Giving Your Vision a Voice.
DebbieDeyWrites 