Making Changes

Earlier in the year I mentioned changing the decor in my daughters room to a apprehensive little eight year old. Her big eyes and resounding remark,  "I like it mom, I don't like change,"caused me to hesitate for a nanosecond before I thought, "I don't like change that much either but sometimes change is necessary."

Now changing a rooms decor doesn't necessarily fall under the "need" category in life's gamut of demands but when a room becomes cluttered with too many styles of decor and becomes a hodge podge collecting mecca without a decent eclectic model to follow, it is time to bring the chaos under control.

As a stager in the real estate field, I am constantly trying to come up with innovative, budget friendly suggestions to save my clients money, get a bang for their buck and impress the critics so the sellers property can move off the market and they can move on with life. So, I took that approach with my daughter's room. What could I do to make her comfortable with the process of change yet keep some of those "my taste only" comfort accents with the end result being an age appropriate room that could last for a few years and still have room to expand for creative projects later.

The room still has a crazy, fun feel with the bedding but can be toned down by flipping the bedspread over to a solid pink color. The bed skirt can also be toned down by eliminating the dog bed skirt and leaving the white polka-dot trimmed one on. It turned into a multi-faceted room, just about any color in the pastel range can be used and black and white furnishings will work as well. It is no longer a hodge podge mess but more of a hodge podge form . For now the wall color can stay pink, at the insistence of Alex, but Mom has plans to paint the walls a calm, ocean blue (think along the lines of Caribbean beach water blue) down the road when she is ready for a little more change.

And for anyone thinking about a little decor change but may be stuck in a rut, don't let cost stop you from trying. I scavenged supplies, figured the design and execution myself all for under $100 dollars. In fact, I hit two birds with one stone, we got a fresh new decor along with hours and hours of crafting pleasure.

Alex's verdict is still out on the change but maybe it'll grow on her.

Inspiration: "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."
Scott Adams (American cartoonist)

The Quitter...The Tale of When "I Quit" Is The Best Answer



My Mom Never Quits!

Growing up in my household we were taught to never quit, keep going, suffer through until your perseverance paid off and you came out on top. When someone would whine and sulk themselves into a quitter attitude, we'd remind the pouter, "You're a Debee don't quit, it's not in our genes."

Now I'm sure the phrase, "Never, say never," has been used in households across America in the same manner as "never quit," but there is a time when one should throw in the towel, give up and call it quits. And even though a Debee never quits, this one time it was necessary, in fact if it wasn't done I dare say, would have been detrimental...   The following true story will tell you why...

My mother is the picture of a model worker, prompt, ethical, always ready to go the extra mile to please. She takes personal pride in a job well done. She started her own cleaning business that grew by word of mouth and had a waiting list because her reputation was highly regarded.

One day Mary called to inquire about my mother's availability and since another client either moved or passed away a spot was open for a new client so my mother entertained the call. Now Mary was a nurse and being a nurse she had high standards concerning the cleanliness of her home. She lived under the "white glove" standard and expected none less from the service provided by my mother. This staunch standard didn't cause my mothers eye to bat, that was what her business was built on in the first place.

The first few months went by with ease and with glorious compliments on a job well done. THEN an odd phone message set the downward spiral to those infamous words we all have wished to say at one time in our life or another.... "I QUIT!"

The message started with a higher than thou tone and when you hear that you know you are in for a harangue, so you get your eyes set for some rolling, cock your head to the side with your arm on your hip and get ready to take it.

Of course the preliminary sentence is a bunch of 'blah, blah's', you want the discomfort out of the way so you wait patiently until the point is made. Mary's started off with a bunch of, "I know, because" statements proving she is the end all of the argument before one is even made then finally she gets to the point of the call, her dissatisfaction.

Now, do not get me wrong, customer service requires you listen to complaints, work them out and please your customer any way you can, it is good business, (you knew there had to be a but) BUT what do you do with the customer that is not going to be pleased until your groveling, licking their toes, crying in admittance that they are right and you are so wrong you should stay at your lowly level FOREVER? The customer from hell, in this case Grendel's Dam incarnate needs to be shown the other shoe of customer service, not the one that says, "the customer is always right" the one that says, "don't let the door hit you on the way out."

Back to the call: Grendel's Dam, oops I mean Mary called to voice her utter disgust in finding a single pubic hair on the floor of the bathroom. Obviously this forensic evidence found at the end of the day by "white glove" Mary gave her reason to come to the conclusion my mother was slacking on the job, therefore, presenting her the right to berate and belittle without first giving benefit of the doubt.

Of course my mothers was beside herself. Being the hardworking, pleasing person she is she re-hashed the cleaning of Mary's house over and over trying the remember if she could have over looked that particular bathroom. No, she did that bathroom and to utter perfection, how could have that absurd pubic hair made its way to the floor so visually front and center as to catch Mary's irrate attention?

The answer came to my mom, it was Mary's husband, he arrived home as she was leaving and mentioned getting cleaned up before Mary got home. She called to explain the scenario and clear the lines so life could go on. It was my mother giving the benefit of the doubt and extending the friendly hand of customer service to make everyone happy, and get back to the normal working environment. Phew, there is an end in site to this ridiculous situation.

My mother gets Mary on the phone and explains what took place but do you think Grendal's Dam has a smidgen of humility. No, monster women don't understand the concept. Instead it was denial on Mary's part, how dare he do his human natural function before I get home from work, "No, it has to be YOUR pubic hair." WHAT? Where was the husband, ask him yourself?  Oh, he went A-WOL, I would too if Grendal's Dam was my wife.

By this time you should know what my mother had to do, the "other" foot of customer service needed to be put on, laced up and used to its full extent. The way my mother used that shoe was gracious and I remember beaming with pride as I heard the words beautifully roll out of her mouth to finalize this lethal customers transaction.... " I QUIT!"

My Mother is still the one who came out on top!

Update: Susan Debee now owns a deli in Downtown Denver with her husband John and their customers love them.

Our Renaissance

The Brown's Summer 2010

In late October of 2008 I could feel the transition the economy was sliding into and did my best to brace for the wave its slump would send across the country. My husband, daughter and I returned from a relaxing weekend of fun and frivolity in South Padre Island when we were shot back into reality as my husband read the ticker tape at the bottom of the television screen alerting viewers there was indeed a global financial crisis effecting the markets and great measures were being discussed in the White House for possible solutions. I remember glancing over at my husband and we locked eyes knowing this was a bigger deal than we thought. We were glued to the television searching for any shred of hope channeling through the waves at better outcome then what was being presented. Days passed as we watched the Dow fall taking our spirits along with it. We were seeing the result of the market in our own pocket book. Since both of our jobs heavily rely on a good economy our income dwindled causing uncertainty. We made it through November and were trying to get a grasp for the Holidays when our income came to a halt with Christmas around the corner and a six year old daughter who loves Santa we were in need of a little cheer. We decided to not fall in the credit trap and instead cut things from our budget to save money. Instead of adding to our material possessions for Christmas we decided to give our lifestyle a metamorphosis. We sold unused, unneeded furniture, called the cable company to disconnect services, took our taste for finer foods and replaced with homemade comfort food, no more eating out. I also was fortunate to find a part time job that accommodated my policy to be there for my daughter after school as my husband burned the midnight oil. To be honest, the transition went smoother than I could have ever expected, in fact it felt good to purge the unnecessary items like the flotsam and jetsam they had become in our lives. My daughter has never once complained about missing her favorite shows, she now uses the empty formal living room in the front of our house for a play area. We are entertained by the stories of our lives as we sit at the dinner table talking. The time we used for watching television is spent in the fresh air with friends or on a bike enjoying nature, or reading a book using our imagination to bring it to life. Small sacrifices have birthed new life in my family and proved we have learned when life throws a lemon together with the right mindset we can make lemonade.

Being proactive in the face of hardship has taught us simplicity is a virtue that holds its value through the test of time. A beautiful truth simplicity sowed in us is the pride you feel through minor accomplishments paired with the lessons you can learn about yourself in the context of this world. I decided to forgo my usual nursery spending spree to fill my pots with flowers and use this lesson to plant flowers and herbs from seed with my daughter. She helped me prepare the soil and dig the holes getting her hands messy in the process. She took the packet and dumped the seed in their new home and looked at me questioning if this would really work. We watered and waited, everyday we checked the pots to see if sprouts of new life had taken hold and then the ground cracked open and pushed out as tiny slivers of green started to show themselves. My daughters’ elated expression at realizing her success in growing something useful and beautiful will always be a treasure in my mind. I was going through a growth process as well. The sloughing off of unneeded material wants awakened a sleeping dream I put away for later. I had always been too busy or too tired to even let the dream take root, but signs of the dream began to push through the soil of my mind brought on by the tended ground of discipline and sacrifice. I began writing e-mails to my distant family remembering past times and as if my dream made one last push from darkness to feel the suns’ warmth so it could grow I realized I was writing the book I’ve always wanted to attempt. My inner creativity was re-birthed and has provided me with great satisfaction. I am thankful for the need to downsize; doing so has cleared a path for what really matters, living each day to the fullest and sharing it with the one’s you love.

UPDATE: I wrote this not long after our transition, and we've still been living the same simplistic way (going on 2 years). The economy hasn't changed much and it may even get worse, but I'd like to add a little more on what we've been learning. One of the biggest lessons that has been recurring over and over, daily, monthly and now becoming yearly is this; God has proven to us that He truly is our provider. I need reminding of this fact daily, as a human I still can get nervous, worried and fidgety about how things are going to come to together.  Yet, He still "surprises" me with His Way of doing things and showing me I may not be in control (and never was) and circumstances may not make sense and things may even get really bad but it will all be OK. There is a peace in following and trusting in Him that I am thankful has brought me and my family down a path we really don't want to get off. I'm not saying I have it all figured out or think I have arrived but when you see His hand at work it brings a comfort that can't be duplicated. Paul understood this well. He was shipwrecked, beaten, thrown in jail, was on the move with only the clothes on his back and sandals on his feet at times yet he moved forward not waivering from his God driven purpose. He knew material things, and things done to the flesh were of no spiritual merit and pressed on. He had resolve and determination and the Peace that only God can give and I am grateful for his example.