Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Can't Eat This One



Here's the elephant that's been living in my family room
since my son got married and moved out.
It was a way cool computer desk once upon a time.
Michael has a history of asking me if he could do wacky things.
I have a history of telling him yes.
The first occasion was when he asked if he could write on his bedroom walls.
I figured that I paint murals, why couldn't he make his own?
It was fascinating to see what he chose to put on his walls.
He still recounts that story with a certain amount of pride in his mom.
Thank you God for that good parenting decision.

I love it when Michael comes to me with some way out idea.
I always tell him, go for it!
There are enough people in the world who will tell you why something WON'T work.
I'd rather he try and figure out how to make it work
or learn why it won't for himself.
I'm reminded of when he came to his dad and me and announced he was going
to marry his best friend, Michelle, in what,
2 months?
On a Wednesday.
In our backyard.
With a jumpy house.
Two of the best months of my life!

About a year ago Michael came to me with the idea of gutting an old piano
and turning it into a computer desk.
Why, yes, of course Michael, you can do that.
He found this beauty on Craig's List for free, he just had to get it out of the
house it was in before they tore down the house.
He pulled as much of it apart there as he could to try to lighten the load.
Enlisted a few buddies and a trailer and dragged that baby home.
He figured out piece by piece how to dismantle the thing
and then reconfigure it to house 2 computer screens,
a key board and all the "stuff" a computer requires.
It's even got power in it!

Even emptied of all it's piano parts, this thing weighs a TON.
Michael and his dad were both happy to just leave this where it sits.
So, Michael removed all the valuable computer parts
and this is what I was left with.

So, I took a page from Michael's book,

and made a
Wine Bar!

5 comments:

  1. That is gorgeous!! You did good! I'm so impressed!!

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  2. Thanks! Michael did the hard parts, gutting it and putting in the slide out drawer where the keyboard was. I just put a shelf in it and "fancied" it up.

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  3. I like both your creativity and adaptable parenting. Now that I think of it, there isn't really a reason to *not* let kids write on their walls since they usually have to be repainted anyway when they move out. BUT I never would have thought to just say yes before reading this.

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  4. hehehe, Julia, my mom used to let us have PB&J for breakfast and I think that helped set the tone for my parenting style. Why does the first response have to be no? But just a little word to the wise, Sharpies, easy to paint over, Crayola red MARKER, not so easy! Had to paint black over it and then Kilz the wall :o)

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