Day seven of #JusJoJan!
I’m going to try to write on each of the prompts!
Today the prompt is:
Your prompt for January 5th, 2018, brought to you by the fantastic photographer, Ruth, is “Indelible.” Use it any way you’d like in your post. And make sure you visit Ruth at her blog, “Image and Word” to read her post and say hi! 😀 Here’s her link: https://imageandword.wordpress.com/
Thanks, Ruth, for making me think!!
Now, the first thing that came to mind when thinking of the word indelible, was permanent marker!
A little backstory…
When Lil Man was truly little, we used to live in my in-laws’ house. Even though just the thought of that makes some peoples skin crawl, it was actually a great thing. I had so much support when I first got married, getting used to wifely duties and when my kids were born.
Though there was something I was hoping to change, slowly, and that was the decor. When we got engaged, there was this interesting maroon and gold flock wallpaper, reminiscent of the old school Indian restaurants, in the main living room.
Oh, it would have been pricey paper, but was just so old-fashioned! I saw the paper in our engagement photos (it’s a long story, but in certain stages of a Sikh engagement, traditionally the girl and boy aren’t together – that explanation deserves another post!) and was a bit alarmed!
As the wedding date was set, there commenced a big renovation project at Hubby Dearest’s house; walls being knocked through, new kitchen and bathroom, and lots of redecorating!
I was unable to be involved at this stage as I wasn’t formally part of the family, and there were no girls in the household, bar my Mother-in-Law. I gently encouraged my Hubby Dearest and his brother to go out with their parents to choose things for the house…
The reports I got back from some of his friends were that the woodwork looked great… there was loads of space… there wasn’t patterned carpet… Fantastic!
When we were finally married and I walked into the main living room as a bride, the room was full, and I mean FULL, of family and cameramen, ready to record this precious moment, lights blaring and all… and I thought I had stepped into Aladdin’s cave!
Because the flock paper had given way to more gold and maroon paper! It wasn’t flocked this time, but more embossed, and the in-laws’ had been sold it by some guy in a shop who had told them it was the in thing! And it was EXPENSIVE! (And no, the boys had NOT been there to help with this decision!)
Anyway, I had to learn to live with it, after all, I wasn’t the demanding daughter-in-law, and wasn’t about to get the whole place redecorated after they had spent so much money, with such love!
Now, back to the indelible part!
As kids grow up, they like to experiment. We all know that.
My son was no different. After he reached one, I went back to work part-time, and my in-laws’ looked after him.
One day my two/possibly three-year-old ( can’t remember his exact age when this happened!) was toddling around the house, as he was apt to, then went all silent.
My Father-in-Law likes to have writing implements all around the house, in case he needs to jot things down. Biros, pencils, markers: they are everywhere.
Lil Man took full advantage of this fact.
I arrived back from work to find that the front living room, the posh one, you know, the Aladdin’s cave, had been redecorated in one corner. Not a discreet, ‘we can hide it with a sofa’ corner, but up high, in full view, on one of the walls!
And with indelible ink!
Yes, in one pot, my Father-in-Law had left a permanent marker, a black one, which looked fun to draw with, and Lil Man used all his artistic abilities, defacing the wall, and his hands!
Thankfully the family saw the funny side, and who can be angry at a little child with the cutest of smiles?!
But we obviously couldn’t rid the wall of the stains, and my brother-in-law was getting married soon after…
So the big redecoration happened, and with me helping to choose, we decided upon no paper this time, but painted walls! It only took 9 years! And I’d already moved out of the house by this time!
See, that is one indelible memory!
See you tomorrow!
If you want to find a full list of rules and the daily prompts visit here.
But I Smile Anyway... 
Jan 08, 2018 @ 12:36:25
Lovely story!
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Jan 08, 2018 @ 12:53:24
Thanks lovely!
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Jan 08, 2018 @ 03:18:44
They HAVE to do it! It’s required!
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Jan 08, 2018 @ 06:55:39
Lol.. but are they still meant to be doing it at 12? He decorated his room for Christmas, and though it looked lovely, I noticed a small biro scribble on his painted walls… “What’s that?”
“Nothing…” he replies.
“Does your Dad need to know? He’ll screw!”
“Erm, it was just for target practice mummy!”
Target practice?! Really?
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Jan 08, 2018 @ 12:01:42
That kid has a Nerf problem! Lol
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Jan 08, 2018 @ 12:53:13
Totally!
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 23:16:48
Family is always wonderful inspiration for a great story!
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Jan 08, 2018 @ 06:48:05
The amount of times I have to hold back on an anecdote because, though it would move or humour many, the person in question would hate for it to be made public!
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Jan 08, 2018 @ 20:51:13
I certainly understand. You have to respect their privacy.
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Jan 08, 2018 @ 21:25:58
Yup!
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Jan 08, 2018 @ 21:16:33
Oh my goodness me too! It’s so difficult to hide funny anecdotes in my writing so that it’s not glaringly obvious who it’s about! Have to resist most of the time; glad I’m not alone!
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Jan 08, 2018 @ 21:28:02
You are definitely not alone!!!!!
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Jan 08, 2018 @ 21:28:37
hahaha I knew it!!
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Jan 09, 2018 @ 07:32:41
😀
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 21:50:48
Living with family is the source of so many stories…..thankfully for me I only did it for a few weeks not months….
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 21:59:02
I did 8 years!!!!
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 23:10:49
Did that come with a ‘long service’ reward?
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Jan 08, 2018 @ 06:46:54
It should have done!!!
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 20:40:00
Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 17:35:55
I can just picture your Lil Man doing that! Mine did the same in his own bedroom but fortunately with washable marker. Fun memory.
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 19:54:24
It cracks me up even now!!!
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 17:02:35
I would have done the same, Ritu (actually I have done similar things in different circumstances). I can never bear to hurt anyone’s feelings.
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 19:54:03
I’m glad I’m not the only one!
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 16:51:20
Ha! Bless Lil Man for helping you out, even if somewhat unintentionally and rather belatedly! 🙂
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 19:52:39
Patience is a virtue eh sis!!! 😉
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 20:04:31
Ha! Definitely! 🙂
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 16:28:35
Are you sure there wasn’t some subliminal suggestion to the 2 year old artist??? Great story, Ritu. Glad the in-laws could handle it.
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 19:51:45
Lol! Janet my dad would agree… when I was younger and finally getting mybiwn room I got the old guest room with wallpaper that had little green flowers on it.. and matching curtains and sheets. Not my favourite. I asked if I could change it but pops said no it was too new to change. So over the teen years I used visual and dresspins to hang up posters of various pop crushes at the time, to cover the paper. As I got older, posters seemed too young so I took them off to reveal awfully marked paper with little tears from the pins. One day pops walked past my room and the light hit the walls in such a way all you could see was the rips! He went ballistic! But I got my new paper… 5 years later than requested, but still! 😂😂😂
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 14:03:57
Great story, I am not sure my in-laws would of seen the funny side. I am glad yours did . Kids ….. Got to to love ’em !!💜💜💜
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 19:44:58
He was their first grandchild… all is ALWAYS forgiven lol!
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 20:21:59
🌹🌹🌹
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 10:14:00
What a brillaint story, Ritu – I can picture exactly the kind of wonderful patterned flocked wallpaper you mean, typical Indian restaurant circa 1970s! 🙂
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Jan 07, 2018 @ 10:16:14
Exactly that!!!! I have to say, we had some funny paper in our house growing up too, so I know it was just the style… I remember having a wall with chocolate brown… feathers… I think, in our living room, so I’m not being all high and mighty, but wow, the flock was something, and the embossed, that was just WOW!!!
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