Recently, I discovered that I have a new affliction that is affecting the hearts and minds of creative people all over the world. I was starting to feel a little off-kilter and out of whack, but I was luckily able to self-diagnose myself with the dreaded disease. No, I’m not a doctor, but I do play on one the Internet.

My friends, I come to you with the revelation that I have Decorating Attention Deficit Disorder, better known as DADD. I am absolutely, positively, unable to focus on one decorating project before my mind moves to another. Each room of my house (including the landing on our staircase) is riddled with at least one half-completed project. I am so distracted by each new, shiny idea that I am unable to complete what’s already been started.

Case in point: The pile of reclaimed, slightly rotted wood I drug home from the salvage yard. It’s on the floor my garage and it makes getting in and out of my car more like a gymnastics routine than anything else.

I have big plans – BIG PLANS – for the wood (which you are going to love, by the way), but I can’t focus on that because of this chair:

Ugly, huh? Well, not when I’m done with it! It’s already been halfway transformed into the most delightful chair ever. All I need to do is sit down in front of the sewing machine to finish the cushions, but then I see this reclaimed shutter on the floor of my sewing room and feel the need to complete that project:

You see where this is going, right? I’m here to tell you that DADD is nothing but trouble. The list goes on, and on, and on.

Are you concerned that you or someone you love may be experiencing DADD? Warning signs include:

• Persistent urge to visit thrift stores and salvage yards for no reason in particular
• Difficulty performing familiar tasks, such as cleaning your home or going to the grocery store
• Disorientation in new places, as you are overwhelmed by the possibility of discovering new decorating ideas
• Misplacing items, because you have so many projects going on at once and not enough space to store everything
• Overexertion and muscle soreness from lifting heavy objects and moving furniture
• Dizziness and ‘Heirloom White’ toenails from excessive spray painting

Unfortunately, there is no cure for DADD at this time. The disease can best be managed by making lists of projects and completing one (1) project at a time. The list is best displayed next to distracting items, such as cans of spray paint or the Garage Sale section of your local newspaper. I believe I can overcome my affliction with time, dedication, and probably a little encouragement from you.

Have you been feeling a little DADDy lately? How are you coping? Are your family and friends supportive or are you feeling alone in your battle? Let’s share our struggles together.

Once upon a time, there was a hard-to-live-with mother and a wild 3-year old son who were extremely excited to give their wonderful husband/daddy his Father’s Day gift. You see, the man in their lives loved to work with his tools in the garage but hated the Texas heat more than most anything. The pair decided that an outdoor misting fan would be the best gift ever.

The father was very touched by the gift, but embarrassingly reminded the mother that the misting fan would make all of his tools rust. Um, oops? So, the threesome set off on Father’s Day to Lowe’s to return the misting fan and to let Daddy pick out something he could really use.

However, instead of picking out some new power tool or a brand new set of drill bits, the father chose something the entire family could enjoy – a new tree for their backyard. Until then, the family’s backyard was a barren wasteland of nothing but old farm land turned into a developers dream. Nothing but poorly laid sod covered the ground, and the Texas afternoon proved too hot for the family to enjoy being outdoors with no shade. Even the poor grass with suffering from the lack of shade.

So, on his fourth Father’s Day, the daddy put a wet Crate and Barrel embroidered dish towel on his head to keep him cool and dug a giant hole with his shovel.

Okay, the beautiful mother did help with the manual labor, just in case you were keeping score. You can tell because she dropped her sunglasses inside the hole. She also may or may not have actually fallen into said hole at one point, but that’s really just speculation.

It wasn’t much longer until that wonderful tree was in the ground. The family lives in the windiest place on Earth (Chicago has nothing on this flat, former farmland), so the tree will be staked in place for at least a year.

Lest you think that the little family of three is all work and no play, the boys found some time to have a little fun while watering in the new addition to their home.

That little tree may not look like much now, but it is just the beginning of the transformation of that backyard from hot Texas misery to a wonderful family playground. It will soon be joined by a few more trees and later – possibly next Spring – by gardens and flowerbeds.

What’s now not much more than a leafy stick…

…will transform before our eyes into a gorgeous, fast growing flowering pear tree, our very own Giving Tree.

I’m proud to call that wonderful father, the one who gave up his Father’s Day present and spent his special day digging in the yard, my husband. Our son, Zack, is even prouder to call him his Daddy. In our eyes, he’s just like that Giving Tree in the Shel Silverstein story. He gives and gives until he must feel like he has nothing left to give, and yet we continue to ask for more. As the years pass, I’m learning more of what it means to give back to the man who gives so much of himself to us. I’m hoping that my son is learning this lesson, too, and will be the same kind of father to his children years and years (and years!) from now.

Until then, we’ll always have our Giving Tree as a reminder. Thank you, Tom.

Photo Credits:
-Misting fan courtesy of Backyard City
-Mature Cleveland Flowering Pear courtesy of Dave’s Complete Lawn Care