Decorating: Kelsey style.

If you know me at all, "girly" is definitely not an adjective that you've ever used to describe me. I don't do the girly.. I don't get all dolled up just for fun.. I don't get excited for going shopping.. I don't like chocolate.. And I'm not a fan of decorating or doing arts and crafts.

However, for the last two weeks, I've had to dig down deep and find some of those girly genes.. And figure out how to decorate a room.

It all started awhile ago when my mom and I were talking about a new bed for me. The wonderful neighbor girl down the street happens to conveniently work in the bed department at IKEA, so two Tuesdays ago, we headed to IKEA for my own, personal tour of the bed department.

It wasn't until we were standing there, surrounded by beds of different colors, styles, and sizes, I realized where my problem was going to be: colors.

My bedroom has light blue walls and white trim. My dresser and shelf thing is white, too. So with light blue and white, the colors that you can choose are suddenly a lot more minimal. I knew I didn't want a black bed frame, and getting white made me nervous (what if it doesn't match my current white!?).. And then we found this bed that's this "gray/brown" color - and I loved it!

Then came the most difficult part: the bedding. If I was getting the same size bed that I've had for years, then the bedding wouldn't have mattered. But I'm going from a twin to a full, so it's time for new everything.. And maybe some girls can figure out the right colors just by imagining it (heck, maybe some girls even get EXCITED over this).. But oh my goodness, I couldn't.

I spent HOURS online and in stores trying to find the perfect bed spread. Comforter, duvet, pillow cases, sheets. What the heck is a sham and do I need them? I hate decorative pillows (WHY do I need pillows that are purely for decoration!?), but my mom wants me to have at least one. Do I need a frilly bed skirt thing? No, no, no!

I finally found everything on Amazon one Sunday with my mom, and it was such a relief. We got the bed all set up on Thursday night and it's been beautiful since then.

BUT... What's been the awful, unexpected part about all of this... Is that I'm suddenly in a matching mood.

On Saturday morning, I was sitting in bed, and I looked over to my shelf thing.. And the drawers didn't match my room. I never cared before: the drawers were pink, green, blue, yellow, green, dark purple, and a pink hippo - they had personality!.. But this didn't work, now. So I went to Target, and happened to find six new drawers for the shelf that match perfectly with my new bed!

Then on Sunday, I was in my room, and I noticed that all of the pictures that I've had on my closet door were from high school to the present.. And I decided that I no longer need pictures from OB in 2006 or other stuff.. And I suddenly thought how lame it was that the pictures were just taped onto the closet doors (I could SEE the tape), and there should be some sort of frame to them.. So I ran to Target, found construction paper that matches my new bedroom colors.. And I love how it looks now and color coordinates.

 

The most entertaining part of all of this has probably been the fact that I am NOT creative.. But I've been TRYING to be creative.. And the trying has been so entertaining.

 

I'm a nerd. So how do I figure out how to be creative? I use PowerPoint.

Yes. PowerPoint.

I was trying to figure out if I wanted to rearrange the furniture in my room (my entire three or four pieces of furniture). And I can't picture it. So this is the PowerPoint slide I made with the different items (to scale, yes) and I've been able to rotate them and move them around... I still can't figure it out.

Then, there were the closet doors.

First, I had to figure out what pictures I wanted. I searched through Facebook and the photos on my computer, and found about 50 of them that I liked. 

Second, I knew I wanted them to have a border of some sort on them, so I headed to Staples to get some purple, brown, and gray construction paper. Lesson of the day: Staples closes at 6 on Sundays. So I went to Target.

Now, the adventure in Target was so ridiculous. Why? Because I'm not creative.

I knew I needed construction paper, so, naturally, I went straight to the kids coloring section. I was disappointed when I found the Crayola paper and there was no purple or gray. So I decided I could use the brown, black, and maybe the white (hey, I can color the edges purple, right?).. I'd just have to get like, 3 packets of it because there wasn't enough of each to be able to use for my pictures.. Then I had to find a way to secure the photos to the construction paper, and then the paper to my closet doors.. I spent way too much time standing in the tape aisle, and I landed on double sided tape and tacky stuff. As I headed towards the cash register, I spotted the gift wrapping bags and tissue paper, and I got the most BRILLIANT idea.. I found purple and gray tissue paper, and I decided that I could cut the tissue paper to fit the construction paper, then glue it to the construction paper.. So I wouldn't have to color it and I wouldn't have to buy as much construction paper because I could glue the tissue paper to colors that I wouldn't want to use........ Then I happened to look down the next aisle... SCRAPBOOKING! 

Why in the world I didn't look for that aisle in the first place.. I'll never, ever know. But in that one aisle, I was able to find purple paper in three shades, brown paper in two, plus some others. Plus I was able to find better sticky stuff and just.. I felt so dumb. But I about died laughing when I realized what I was PLANNING on doing before I stumbled upon the scrapbooking aisle..

Anyways.

I got home, cut all of my paper, taped all of my paper to the pictures.. And then realized I had to make a plan for putting the pictures on the closet. Randomness wouldn't work.. Even though I wanted it to look kind of random. So what did I do? Hello, PowerPoint, take 2!

Everything's to scale.. I made my closet doors, and the different pictures (with their color frames).

Then I moved them around the doors so that I could visualize it.

This is what my doors looked like before..

And this is how they look now.

 

And after all of that.. This is what my bedroom looked like before..

And this is now :)

My comforter has two sides.. And I can't decide on which on I like, so I've been switching it every night..

 

And now, my project is done. Mostly. I need new pillows. And I still can't decide if I'm going to move around my furniture. And I want a new bedside table. Oo, and maybe a lamp. And Bethany mentioned I might want a new trashcan..

This is why I don't decorate, and why I will forevermore surrender any decorating to my super creative sisters.

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We welcome you to Munchkin Land.. #5

These might only be funny to Jenna and I, cuz we were in the room.. But I'm still documenting it.. :)

Today, I brought donut holes for the kids..

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They started not pay attention so..

Me: Remember, we have a special treat at the end if you listen! You'll get a donut!

Munchkin: I don't want a donut. I'll get fat.

A kindergartner!

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Later on, the munchkin who didn't want to eat the donut decided to eat one.. The other kids noticed that he was no eating..

Munchkin 2: Remember when he said he might get fat?

Munchkin: It's not funny. It's serious.

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In the middle of memorizing a Bible verse, I look and see that the same kiddo from earlier had found a piece of tape on the carpet and put it on his nose..

Me: can you take that off?

Munchkin: I'm an elephant.

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While coloring..

Munchkin: I'm spelling "good"... And a y is coming after the o's.

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Cancer sucks. God rocks.

Growing up in my house, we were allowed to say that two things "sucked".

Vacuums.

And cancer.

TV shows didn't suck. Dinner didn't suck. Even traffic didn't suck. 

But vacuums and cancer. They sucked.

21 years ago yesterday, our family learned to trust God in a whole new way.

21 years ago yesterday, could have been the beginning of the end of me having an older sister.

21 years ago yesterday, was our family's introduction to the world of childhood cancer.

21 years ago yesterday, my older sister, Selah, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Yes, you may be looking at "21 years ago" and realize that I'm only almost 23.. So at 2, I didn't have much of any comprehension of the craziness that our lives were going through at the time.. But cancer isn't something that you just go through for a time of your life, and then move on. I mean, Jenna wasn't even born until 2 years later, and even she has stories. Cancer lingers.

Back in November, one of my favorite people had a journalism assignment, and she decided to interview my mom, as a "mother of a child with cancer". 

I've heard my mom tell the story of Selah's diagnosis a million times.. But hearing her tell the story from start to the present was really cool. And then I got to chime in with some of my memories, and Jenna came home halfway through the "interview" and got to throw in some things, too.

Here's just some of the random, "stream of consciousness style" thoughts that have been going through my mind this evening..

- Cancer's different when you have faith. Actually, everything's different when you have faith. And not just faith, but what.. WHO you have faith in. But because of our faith in Christ, our "cancer experience" was different than those families going through it with the sole reliance on doctors and each other.

- When Selah was diagnosed, our church family enveloped us with prayer. And love. And just anything we needed. I was two years old and couldn't camp out in a hospital all day and night with my parents, so I was immediately taken care of by some of my adoptive "aunts" and "uncles". Some siblings end up being excluded because all of the focus turns to the patient, and by the time the patient has pulled through their battle.. The siblings are off the deep end and it's a whole different battle. Luckily.. 1 - I was two, so there wasn't much of a deep end for me to fall off of.. 2 - Even if I were older, I know that my parents, with the help of our church family and awesome neighbors, wouldn't have let that happen.

- The specific memories that Jenna and I have all of this tends to relate to two specific organizations: OCF-OCF and Camp Ronald McDonald.

- OCF-OCF (most commonly referred to as just OCF) is a group that was started by some parents that had children with cancer that wanted to be able to go to camp. So the parents started it in 1982, and it's still running to this day. Our family was really, really involved with this group for a long time. Once us kids hit high school, it was harder to stay involved because of band, drumline, and winterguard, but OCF still holds a special spot in our hearts. Because of OCF, our entire family got to camp twice a year. We were all in cabins with other kids our age, and it was a mixture of patients and siblings of kids with cancer. It was a special place where everyone could get away from the hospitals and the problems down the hill, and just be kids. The parents got to bond with other parents that were going through or had been through what they're going through. We played silly games, sang typical camp songs, ate horrible food, made arts and crafts, had camp fires, dances, and laughed way, way too much. OCF had events other than Summer and Winter camp.. Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Christmas Party, Ranch Day, Teen Camp.. 

- Camp Ronald McDonald was also an opportunity to go to camp another two times a year (for just the kids, once we reached a certain age). The camp sessions were a little different.. Selah's sessions were just with other patients. My sessions were just with siblings of patients.. Which could get very, very emotional. Because not everyone's patient sibling had survived their battle with cancer. But we also had fun. Horseback riding, ropes course, camping in Tee-pees, archery, radio show.. 

-- I remember when my class at school got to go to Outdoor Ed in 6th grade, for some of my friends, it was the first time they'd spent a night away from their family. By the time I was in 6th grade, I had been going to Camp Ronald McDonald twice a year, on my own for like, 5 years.. Outdoor Ed was nothing.

- If you go through our closets at home, you will find shirt after shirt, sweatshirt after sweatshirt from OCF and CRMD from all the different sessions that we went to. As we got older, they definitely became sleep shirts/paint shirts..

- I have friends that are now in their 20's that are lucky to have never been to a funeral yet. Because of how badly cancer sucks, funerals and death are a part of life when you're involved in organizations like that. 

- Selah was granted a wish from the Wake-A-Wish Foundation back in November of 1991, so the 4 of us (Jenna wasn't born until that next March) got to go on the "Big Red Boat" (the Disney Cruise) and then go to Disney World and Epcot. Jenna will proudly tell you that she swam with dolphins before any of us, because my mom swam with the dolphins at 5 months pregnant :)

- We met some amazing families by being involved in these different groups. Families that we were able to rejoice with in the remissions, and pray with through the relapses. We would spend countless hours with these people, outside of "events".

- I mentioned our awesome neighbors earlier (and actually, I blogged about them awhile back because they're crazy, ridiculously talented and amazing).. Let me explain that. So, three doors down are our neighbors. And while Selah was going through treatment, their awesome mom committed to keeping the kids (Matt and Becca) healthy so that Selah and I always had friends to play with (including adventures to Disneyland).

- When Selah was in remission for 5 years, we had a "Selah-bration". A huge party at our church Selah-brating what God had done. Because when you look at her diagnosis, and you talk to the doctors.. She's here because of One Person. God's hand was in it all.

- Disneyland is loved by Selah, Jenna, my mom and I. We all spend a lot of time there. While Selah was going through treatment, we also spent a lot of time there. Why? Because no parent wants to bring a sick, snotty nosed kid to Disneyland. So for Selah and her weakened immune system.. That's where we got to play.

- On the anniversary of Selah's diagnosis, my mom used to take her back to Kaiser (my family LOVES Kaiser) to visit her Doctor (Dr. Ruki) and the nurses and Selah would walk in carrying balloons.. One for every year since then and then she'd hand them out to the kiddos in the clinic. However, walking in with that many balloons would make Selah float away.. So now Selah goes in with a tank of helium and empty balloons.. Then fills them out there to give to the kiddos.  When Selah walks in, Dr. Ruki and the nurses get so excited. She's a reminder that kids can get through it. And she's a breath of fresh air for the parents sitting there, watching their kids going through treatment in the blue leather chairs, and then turning around and seeing someone who was once one of those kids.

There's way more I could say. There's way, way more that my mom could say.

But I'll close with this..

I'm so thankful for my shorter, older sister. I can't imagine the last 21 years of my life if God hadn't healed her.

Cancer sucks. But God's bigger than that. Way, way bigger than that.

Cancer sucks. God rocks.

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We welcome you to Munchkin Land.. #4

Some adorable quotes from the munchkins at AWANA tonight..

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Earlier, this munchkin had said that he didn't need to listen to me, and that I told him that I could probably scare him into listening.. Later on..

Munchkin: You know, you don't scare me

Me: I don't? I bet I could..

Munchkin: No, you're too sweet.

Precious.

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Whenever we're transitioning from one game to the next, the kids ALL want to play dodgeball, so they start yelling and chanting "Dodgeball! Dodgeball!". When the dodgeball ball came out, and they starting yelling in excitement, 

Munchkin: *Points to house on the other side of the wall* It would stink to be that house.

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One munchkin didn't want to play the steal the bacon game, because he was "horrible" at it. After he made two really good plays...

Me: 2012 is gonna be your year!

Munchkin 1: No it's not.

Munchkin 2: My sister got married on 11/11.

Munchkin 1: Oh no!

Me: Why is that a bad thing?

Munchkin 1: How is it a good?!

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There was absolutely no context for this quote..

Munchkin: I'm basically awesome and I'm basically honest. Mostly awesome.

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Munchkin: 1 Thessalonians 5:17, pray without sneezing.

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