Apples Falling and an Orange Room

"Apples don't fall far from trees."  Ugg.  I hate that saying! I cannot tell you how many times I had to hear my father say those words.  I always thought it sounded like some negative edict.  Put simply, it indicated that no matter how much we grow or experience,  that we were bound by some familial obligation to behave in a certain manner or to be enslaved by learned beliefs.  I think that at the root of this 'apple tree' mantra, there is some truth.  After all.... we learn so much from our parents.....important stuff.  But, many years have proven to me that we can grow beyond the ideologies instilled inside a family unit.....and thank goodness for that!  It makes for a little tension at family events, but hey, I am so glad that I have grown beyond so much of the archaic thinking of my parents. 

You ask, "Why am I talking about this phrase?"  Well, yesterday my daughter had a project of her own.  We have just completed a color change in her bedroom.  Gone is the lavender walls, girlie bedding, curtains and accessories. She wanted something a little more teenager-ish.  She went for a bold color combination.  Very gutsy.  Speaking of apples and trees......wonder where she gets that?!

The dresser in the images has been three colors, white, purple and now black.  We didn't have the budget to once again change her flooring, so she is living with it.  We painted her bathroom the same color blue and she continued the black and white print as well. I had a hard time getting a decent image, but you get the idea.

She wanted to change the seat cover on her desk chair.  So I took her to Joann's Fabrics and she picked out a black shaggy fabric.  I promised her that I would change it for her this weekend.  In fact, Saturday at the end of my blog post about my completed Console Table Makeover,  I mentioned the broken staple gun and the great bargain I found at the yard sale.  Well....this is the immediate reason why I needed a new staple gun.  

"Pop!.....Snap!" I hear noises across the house and wonder, "What the heck was that!?"  A few minutes go by and I hear it again, "Pop, Pop, click, Pop!"  It sounded like the staple gun, so I went to investigate.....and this is what I found.

Yep.....she was doing it herself!!  (Don't ya love the finger nails?!)  I said, "Oh, I was going to do that for you."  Which she replies, "Oh, no problem.  I can do this myself!"  --I'm thinking about those trees and apples again.--  She gets the chair pad covered and puts it in place.  Miss Independence!

At this point she asks me why I am taking pictures.  I tell her that I am thinking about blogging about her project.  She says, "Oh yea?  Then take a picture of me sitting on it!"  (What a ham!)  So I guess I gotta show that image......

Here is one corner where the blue meets the orange.  She loves her papasan chair and big white paper lanterns.  We are still looking for something to decorate that big blue wall.

So, I guess that apples not falling far from trees can be a super positive thing too!  I wonder what paths she will take in life.  I am sure that I haven't been the perfect mother, but I do know that I have done the best job possible, even if it is just helping her become more independent and self assured.  She certainly has my passions for design.  I encourage her everyday to "Go for it!"  I hope that she doesn't delay her career for something safe.  I hope she surrounds herself with anything that is super duper colorful and creative as she and her apples roll far from the tree.

-The End-