Everything's Coming Up Roses!

Curtain up! Light the lights!
You got nothing to hit but the heights!
You'll be swell. You'll be great.
I can tell. Just you wait.
That lucky star I talk about is due!
Honey, everything's coming up roses for me and for you!

-Stephen Sondheim, Gypsy-

Who doesn't like the theatre?!  I mean, come on.  The theatre transports us to all kinds of places, strives to enrich our lives with stories of people overcoming obstacles, expands our ideas and outlooks, makes us laugh, makes us cry, exposes us to talents that make goosebumps appear......all for a one neat price.  The arts are important for many of these reasons.  So, you are probably thinking that a link to a YouTube video of Ethel Merman belting out her version of "Everything is Coming Up Roses" from the Broadway show, Gypsy is in order.  Well....not exactly.  But, if you had seen this great oldie but goody you would understand why I couldn't stop singing it to myself yesterday.  - By the way, you are glad it was to myself. - 

A little background might be in order.  About midway through the musical Rose, who is the mother of two daughters, finds out that her beautiful daughter, whom she thought she could make into a star, had run off and gotten married.  Determined not to let it get her down, she put her sights on her other daughter hoping to make her the star.  Rose makes the decision to ignore the obvious and paint a tough situation better.  It's a 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps' moment and a 'don't let them see you sweat' moment all in one.  Rose is a survivor and she isn't about to let anything get in the way of becoming something, even if it means using her daughter to get there.  A little perverted, I know. Just go with it and don't get nervous. I haven't run off to Hollywood with my 13 year old daughter in tow.  Although with her blond hair and blue eyes I might consider it.

So, I have this deadline, albeit self inflicted, to finish my secretary desk re-do by Thursday.  I drag the little beggar out back and start to prep.  You are probably expecting a rain cloud at this point , but, it wasn't.  It was the lawn guy.  (I made my hubby give that up years ago, so he wouldn't miss quality time on the weekend with the kids.)   Why do I care that my lawn care guy is in my backyard?  Well, clippings and dirt are about to take over.  It's a windy day.  I am not risking putting the second coat of paint on this desk. (sigh)  I am not amused.  But, I think of Rose.  I think about her outlook on life.  I think, "Am I going to let myself get down?!  NO!"  I turned right back around, head into the house and develop a new plan of action while singing "Everything's Coming Up Roses."  Never let 'em see ya sweat. Ya know?! (nervous laugh here)

Funny thing is.......everything WAS coming up roses!  I found these super pretty roses last week at AC Moore intending to use them for a project with my dining room light fixture that has 10 candlestick lights in a circle. (Image at the end of the story.)  I have decorated it for years using an assortment of floral and beaded napkins rings slipped over the light, resting on the cup.  Napkin rings can be expensive and I haven't been able to find anything awesome for spring.  Enter, stage left, these little gems which were on sale for just one buck a piece!  Wow! "Yeah!  Great artificial roses for a great price!"  I gobbled them up! 

So it was time to do something with these long-stemmed beauties.  I have this hard and fast rule:  Never put anything floral in the house that wasn't at least at one point alive.  But, I'm breaking it for this project.  I might regret it later, but I am not beating myself up for this one.  Rules are meant to be broken.  I think.  So anyway, I completed the project in about an hour.  A friend of mine commented this week that she "can't craft jack."  For her, and whomever else is interested, I am going to publish a "How To" tomorrow.  I made this project simple and tried to take some decent pics along the way.  Even she can be a DIY expert in decorating!! 

Remember, we can ALL be Rose.  No matter what life throws our way, we can pull ourselves up, turn around, and chose to look at any situation as an opportunity.  Whether it is a head cold that forces us to slow down and rest, or a challenge in life that eventually makes us stronger or something as simple as a lawn guy showing up that makes us postpone one project for another, we can sing a little song and head in a better direction.  Okay, a few little curse words or foot stomping could and should be in order.  And let's be honest, if I don't make that deadline the world will not quit spinning.....or will it?!  I realize that not all of our problems can be solved like in a Broadway show.  But the next time something goes awry, stop and remember the story of Rose.  You might just find yourself  looking at the situation through Rose's rose colored glasses.  

Oh, and just in case you are interested, here is a link to a YouTube video of Ethel Merman singing her lungs out.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s62MrU8mHx4  The video is taken later in her life, well beyond her younger Broadway years.  This is the Ethel Merman that I knew.  I can remember as a kid being so annoyed with her.  What was I thinking!? 



My dining room light fixture waiting to be adorned. 
Pretty cool all by itself, I think.



-The End-