How To: Play Station 2

I was cleaning closets today, maybe just one closer, and maybe just one shelf in the one closet and I found some of the letters Nicolas sent to me while he was away on his mission, in basic training, and while deployed. The particular letter (with color illustrations) is the instructions on how to play station 2 by N Arthur Downs.

1. Turn off TV and PS2 (switch on back)
2. Make sure plus are in right spot!
3. Turn on TV FIRST! Then PS2
4. Flip though 'input's till yo find a different screen!
5. Use the 'X' Burton as an enter, select, or play button. Use (diagram of star shaped buttons) as arrows
*parental pass code* 0000 I dunno why I have that!
Get popcorn, flipz, blanket and enjoy!

I don't remember when watching TV became do complicated, I think I was having problems watching a movie on DVD (I don't have a DVD player), so Nicolas was tutoring me though the process. Since that play station 2 lesson I have learned how to watch Netflix on playstation and I learned how to hook my laptop to the television to watch internet content on the big screen.

Thank you soon son for the comprehensive tutorial, having you is like having tech support on speed dial.

An empty nest

Sometime last week Ashelyn showed up at my house with a stack of boxes and proceeded to pack my son into cardboard cubicles. As painful as it was to watch, I'm not holding this against her....in fact, I realize that my pain is her joy and I guess deep down inside it is my joy as well.

In 'The Poisonwood Bible' the author notes that 'a Mother will always mother their youngest child' which may be why a part of me wants to resist my son moving out. A far more acceptable reason is that I know that my ability to mother Nicolas ended about the same time Nicolas realized his Mother needed mothering. It will be hard for me to live in that world where my son isn't constantly worrying about his mother.

Yet, Ashelyn has proved to be a wonderful companion to my son, and tonight as she began moving the boxes to the truck I couldn't help but feel a little jealous of her. And as I thought of my son returning from a year long military deployment to a home that Ashelyn has so carefully prepared, I couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Nicolas, as well.

An empty nest might refer to the bedroom your child leaves behind, but it in no way describes how your heart feels when you see your child step into their new and wonderful life.  Somewhere admits all these tears I am happy for the two (three) of them.  Ashelyn needs the support of her husband and Addalyn needs her father at home.

Your grandmothers bed

Last weeks visit to Eurotreasures put me in a mood to shop....so I thought I would look online for a gently used Dyson or something I couldn't live without and ended up finding the headboard/footboard that matches the dresser and nightstands I purchased in 1991.

So the solid oak bedroom set I own was manufactured by Lexington Furniture Company and was called Victorian Mansion, at the time I did not have the money for the complete set and over the last 20+ years I have used several rod iron or brass beds to complete the room.  With the advent of the internet I have tried to find the matching bed but have mostly found pieces here and there across the country with no one interested in shipping the furniture to Utah, and how cost effective is a drive to Wisconsin anyways?

Earlier this week I found an ebay listing too good to be true, a reasonably priced queen size bed, owned by a firm willing to crate and ship the product.  And then my anxiety kicked in.  What if Jim didn't want to sleep in a victorian mansion? Maybe my furniture was going in the basement, and what is wrong with the current metal bed frame I am using?

I called Jim to ask him what the money threshold was for individual purchases without first consulting a spouse and he assured me that so long as I kept my purchases below $10,000.00 I was free to purchase whatever I felt was necessary, WHEW! what a relief that was, the bed would certain stay below my spending limit :-) and then Jim talked about how the furniture would be distributed when I moved in and set my mind at ease about me making this purchase. Then I hung up the phone, went online and hit BUY.  And with a click of a button I made our first purchase as a couple. I love ebay, and I love you Jim.