The Light Fixture Box that keeps on Giving :)

 So, this winter I called up my Dad and begged him to come and install a fixture box in the living room ceiling.  The room was always SO dark.  He graciously came out and crawled through the attic, sore back and all, and had it all set in a short time.  He asked about a fixture but the only one I had took annoying light bulbs so we nixed that idea.  Laughingly I mentioned we also had a big florescent light downstairs. :)
Then he cleaned up all his tools and we had tea.
And then I had a brain wave. I had discussed this dark living room so many times with my dear mother in law.  Wouldn't it be a fun joke to install the florescent light and email her a picture for her reaction?  Dad and I laughed for the next hour wondering what Mom O and Steve would say when they saw this dentist watt living room fixture.  He went and got out the tools again and went to work.

 We laughed and laughed.  And marvelled at how much a difference having light in the living room made on these dark winter afternoons.  The kids were so shocked at first they begged for it to be turned off!

 I went to take a picture from outside because now, instead of the house looking like no one was home, you could see straight into the kitchen :)  I snickered while I wrote up my email and I chuckled thinking about Steve's reaction.  Both were precious!

Steve came in the door and screeched to a halt.  "Whoa....we could puzzle under that light!!"

Mom waited the night to think about how she could kindly reply and sent this email in the morning. "Wow! nice change." and then gently changed the topic.  So loving! So Mom!  When I questioned her on the phone later on she laughingly admitted her thoughts ran along the lines of, "to each their own" :) :)  With both reactions... more laughter.  It was so fun.  But also, so practical.  That light lit up our winter dark living room like nothing else.

Then Care was here a few weeks ago and one day we went thrift shopping.  She spotted the drum and declared it perfect for the living room.  Hunting some more through the Habitat for Humanity Restore led us to a new fixture for $10.  Bunch more work and little parts by Dad and he got this new light finished.

I would show you a wider angle shot to see it in perspective to the living room... but well there's laundry and shoes and etc... :)

Thanks, Dad, for all the work you put into helping brighten the living room.  We are thankful for it over and over again.  But most of all thanks for being willing to do the extra work of installing that florescent light.  It gave tons of laughs, light, and time for me to find something else for cheap :)