To: A Can of Paint and My Mother

There’s not much you can’t do with a can of paint.  Actually, that’s not true.  There ARE a lot of things you can’t do with a can of paint (cook, clean, bathe, joke, etc…), but in terms of house renovation, a can of paint sure goes a long way. 

I recently shared some photos of the new paint job in our kitchen.  I turned a shade of earthy green into a neutral gray (translation: brought my kitchen out of the late 90s/early 2000s into 2014).  However, the paint job left our kitchen table a little out of place.

See, it's like playing a game of "What Doesn't Belong?":

Since Daniel and I only have about two items of furniture in our home that are not family hand-me-downs, buying a new kitchen table seemed a bit daunting.  Especially since the size and shape of this table fit our home perfectly.  (Shout out to my cousin, Whitney, for this piece.)  

I had finished painting the walls, sent the pictures above to my mom with the simple message of, “Next project: kitchen table.” I wasn’t sure what that project would entail (buying new, buying used, painting, etc), but I flippantly threw it in the text.  Seconds later, I received this text from her:

“Looks awesome, sweetie!  Pick out the colors, and I’ll come over and paint your table and chairs!” 

God.  Bless.  Her.

Seriously.  The woman is an incredible babysitter/spiritual leader/health guru/deal finder extraordinaire/project manager/craft queen all rolled in to one.  Or, in other words, the perfect “mom-yin” to my “daughter-yang”. 

It’s not uncommon for me to mention that I am on the hunt for a new (--fill in the blank with anything--) and within a few hours, my email is flooded with links to perfect matches of said item, all on sale.  10 unread emails from TLHolt?  Don’t mind if I do.

Exhibit A:  I mentioned wanting a wreath for
the window pane in my kitchen.

There have been times where I’ve joked about Molly growing into the next size of something (let’s say shoes for this example), not giving it a second thought, and the next day I get a text:  “Found shoes on sale for Molly on Zulily, Amazon & Kid to Kid. GREAT deals!!! Between the ten pair I ordered, surely some will fit!”  Oh, yea, shoes for Molly.  Good call, Sweet T, good call. 

She was the one who, when I said, “I’m thinking about repainting the kitchen,” replied with, “I can come babysit next Tuesday or Wednesday, so you can get it done quickly.”  How about both?  ;)

Seriously.  The woman is talented, thoughtful, generous, and creative, and mixed with her insomniac tendencies, she can become unstoppable.  She’s one of those people who will mention what she’s been up to, and I find myself wondering if that’s been all in one day.  And, one thing (amongst the zillions I can think of) that her thrifty-self has taught me, is that a can of paint goes a long way, hence my opening sentence.  So, when I received her enthusiastic offer to paint my kitchen table, I replied with:

YES.  YES.  YES.  Oh my gosh, YES. 

And, so, she went to work, utilizing the Project Manager/Craft Queen compartments of her being.  Researching, painting, stenciling, painting, painting, and applying, applying, applying top-coat. 

When all was said and done, this was the final outcome:

See what a difference a can of paint makes?  Quite a lot.  But how much MORE difference does the two-toned table and stenciled chairs make?  Quite a lot TIMES ten, which describes my mom perfectly… She’s everything PLUS more. 

And, since Mother’s Day is around the corner, I thought it fitting to give credit where credit is due.  While a can of paint can make a large difference, a can of paint applied by my mom, who wanted to provide us with a transformed and trendy kitchen table at minimal cost, well, that my friends, is a LEGACY. 

So, Happy (Early) Mother’s Day, Sweet T.  I love you (and our AWESOME kitchen table). 

What should we paint next?

From: Paige