Dash HH #4

Home and Health #4:  "In childhood, did you share a bedroom with siblings or have a room to yourself?" 

          I believe it was in 1961 when my parents purchased the three bedroom house in Midvale.  I joined them a year later and had my own room.  I'm certain that I must have started my life in our new house in my parents' bedroom sleeping in a white bassinet.  I don't know how old I was when I was given my own room or why I ended up where I did.  My room was the furthest from mom and dad's room.  I think they put me in there as I was a light sleeper and heard every sound.  That is the first room I remember being mine.

          I don't know how old I was when I requested that my room be painted pink, but I remember I had to take down my posters.  I had three of girls with big eyes.  I don't even remember what each was doing or holding.  I just remember there were three backgrounds: one blue, one yellow and one pink.  

this is a scrapbook page that I created
The pictures are approximations and not actual.

          After my dad had finished painting my room, he took down the masking tape covered in pink paint.  When I went to retrieve my posters I could find two - the yellow and blue backgrounds.  I did not see the "big eyes" with the pink background.  Instead I saw a pile of masking tape surrounded by pink color.  I started crying because I thought it was my missing poster.

          Mom had painted a chair and desktop white with brass colored decals to match my white headboard. 

These aren't exact.  The center shows  the color. 
The bottom design is closest to some that were used

She had also made curtains from a fabric of white background and animals like bears and zebras dressed in pink and blue clothes - I think.  It's been quite a while and so probably not accurate.

The curtains are not the same, but the colors are close

          I was in the fourth grade when Corey was born.  When mom put the crib in my room, I had moved in Patrick's bedroom which was between my room and my mom and dad's room.  I don't know why there were two beds in his room.  The frames weren't always lined up with the mattress and sometimes someone would bump into the frame and hurt shins and below.  I remember one time Patrick was teasing me and dad was about to rescue from his taunting torture when he became a victim of the bed frame.  He left the room just as quickly as he had entered. 

          Neither Patrick nor I understood what had happened until after the fact.  Daddy's foot swelled up and the color made it appear as though he stamped grapes for a living. 

This picture represents one that has stomped
grapes and not my dad's foot.

The most amazing thing about what had taken place was dad's spiritual attitude.  He had been really angry when he had entered the room - angry enough to hurt Patrick (which was rare as my dad was a very mild-mannered man who would never hurt anyone) and considered the "frame bite" a blessing that prevented him from destroying Patrick.  What awesome faith!

          By the time Kayla came along, my parents had hired someone to refinish the basement - or at least half of it.  It was a bitter-sweet moment.  I had spent a many of hours roller skating in our basement.  I used to fasten Dawn dolls to my roller skates and pretend they were driving cars. 

we don't have an actual photo; I had
to improvise to create a illustration

Bitter as I would no longer be able to roller skate in the basement.  Sweet that I'd be getting a brand new room.  Once again I chose pink for my walls.  My curtains were gingham blue and my carpet was green.  Sounds ghastly, but it looked great with the wallpaper.  I had made this and the above page for the scrapbook that Jenna and I started here.  

Just for the record, I do not care for pink.  

Especially pastel.  

I  lived in that same house up until that I got married.  The house was not sold until after my mom needs had changed and we visiting her at assisted living.