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Decorating Disaster
Remember the pink-and-blue decorating craze? Somewhere between the sponge-painted walls and floral borders, we decided those two pastels were meant to be together. They crept into bedrooms, bathrooms, and even living rooms, and let us not forget kitchens.. And like everyone else caught in the wave of pastel mania, we jumped right in.When we decided to decorate one of my youngest daughter’s college apartments, pink and blue seemed like a no-fail combo. It sounded cute and timeless in theory. In reality? It was hideous.
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Kool-Aid on The Rocks
When I was a kid, my mom wasn’t a fan of Kool-Aid. She thought it was nothing but sugar and dye, a shortcut to bad teeth and hyper kids. If we asked for something sweet, she’d say, “There’s always water,” like it was the treat of the century. Every once in a while, though, a few packets of Kool-Aid would sneak into the cupboard, and that felt like rebellion in powder form.I didn’t really fall for Kool-Aid until my mid-teens. Spencer, my boyfriend back then, and I would whip up a pitcher of cherry Kool-Aid and make grilled cheese sandwiches. We’d pour our bright red drinks into glasses, carry everything out to the picnic table in the backyard, and giggle like we were getting away with something.
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Sunday, Not a Funday
Sunday has long been considered a special day, and its significance stems from several aspects of life: spiritual, physical, emotional, and social.In our family, I don’t think my dad got the memo that this was a day of rest, relaxation, and fun. You see, he was a salesman and was only home mostly on Sundays. What this meant to me was one of two things. First of all, we would usually have relatives over for the day. This meant a big meal around three p.m. After the meal, the grown-ups gathered in the living room to supposedly watch TV, but it usually meant they took an afternoon nap. Then, the most exciting event of the day started. My younger Sister, Judy, and I would have the privilege of cleaning up this mess. This took most of the day, as my mom, I swear, used every pot and pan in the cupboard, and, of course, the very best china. We would have a quiet discussion about who would wash and who would dry. For some reason, I washed. I don’t know why, as this entailed scrubbing all the dirty pots and pans, but drying seemed to take forever as that entailed putting everything away, and then there was cleanup.
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Dining with Dogs
When I was a kid and living at home, evening meals held in a formal dining room were the norm. Things have changed drastically, wherein formal dining rooms are a thing of the past. Everyone seems to prefer an informal way of living, such as eating at counters, in front of the TV, and in the car on the way to an event. My mom would set the table with a cloth tablecloth, breakable dishes versus plastic, matching silverware, and to top everything off, we ate by candlelight. This didn’t seem odd, and we enjoyed engaging in discussions of our days and events. -
Monopoly Madness
Board games may seem like a thing of the past, but after discussing them with my fellow Sidetracked Sisters, I realized how important they were to our gatherings and childhood memories. It also became clear that we need to put away our phones, turn off the TV, and—dare I say—reinvent the wheel. In other words, it’s time to bring back game nights with family and friends. -
Small-Town Adventures
People have differing opinions on what it’s like to live in a small town and throughout my life, I’ve had differing opinions myself. When I was little, I loved it. Living in a small town allowed me to ride my bike to Grandma’s house every day in the summer. It allowed me to walk across a major street to the local Dairy Queen for a sweet treat. I felt safe and secure in my little Beaver Dam bubble.