Uncovering a Multitude of Sins

I hate this couch. I selected it when I was young and easily influenced. I hate to admit that we actually purchased it. I would like to tell people that I got this set (yes! it's a set - the loveseat graces my living room) from my grandma when she moved into a nursing home. Not the case. My grandma is not in a nursing home and her sense of decor puts mine to shame. I have to take responsibility for the choice of this hulking, ugly mass of blue chenille.

This week, I tried to hide it with a slipcover. I know I promised my blogfans a detailed story of my slipcovering adventures. As it turns out the story is rather short. Slipcover arrived. I did my best. But, like the beating of the telltale heart, the couch refused to be hid.

Most slipcovers are made for sofas. I need one for an upholstered continent. I wish I would have taken a picture of my handy work, but I didn't. A mental image will have to do: Picture an obese woman wearing a tube top. Picture this tube top being visible only where it covers the most essential part of her upper torso. The rest of the tube top is swallowed up in rolls of fat - front fat, back fat, side fat, every variety of fat the human body can offer. Picture the thin slit of tube top visible from the rear, overlapped by flaps of back breasts. It's not the fault of the tube top. It's giving all it can. And so it was with the slipcover.

In the end I decided to spruce up the blue monster with a couple new throw pillows. I think they make quite a difference. In any event, it looks like I am stuck with this mountain of foam and fabric until I go back to work. So be looking forward to pictures of the most stunning sofa this world has ever seen in t-minus 2 years. And in the meantime, mine is one house where you don't need to feel guilty about farting in the couch cushions. Nothing can harm this beast.

Ottoman is a Funny Word

Five years ago when we moved into this house, it was just Chris and me and a (seemingly) huge, empty house. After we transferred everything from our tiny rental, we were left with empty drawers, an unused bathroom, one bedroom that was entirely vacant except for a twin bed that had seen better days and a living room that lacked furnishing. While my living room is still effectively unfurnished, having children has quickly filled up the rest of the house with hairbows, Barbies, diapers, wipes and stuffed animal after infernal stuffed animal.

At the end of the day, I would try to put everything away, but there was no "away". Stacks of toys adorned the family room and the girls' rooms. The huge amounts of toys that were welcomed into our house at Christmas were giving me nightmares. The house was closing in on us. So for the last few days, we have been organizing like it's 1999.

I started with the bow drawer (this is actually an ongoing effort I started a few months ago but have added to in recent days):

I'm very proud of the re-purposed baby food containers.

That felt so good that we decided it was time for Emily to store her toys in her room. So we got some storage drawers for her closet.

Let me tell you - the ability to actually be able to put all the toys in the family room away almost made me weep with joy. And oddly Emily seems much less willing to destroy her own room than the family room.

Then Chris got in on the effort by putting his x-box crap... er... uh... accessories, I mean, into this fabulous storage ottoman.

If you think this is a boring blog, you've never lived in a house with small children. And some days, I envy you.

Next week, I plan on slipcovering my couch to add to the streamlined feel of my reclaimed family room. And, don't worry, I will be blogging about that effort as well.

What We've Been Up To

I haven't blogged in awhile, so I thought I would catch my reading public up on the most important happenings of late.

Jane is cruising and using her little arm to hold things against her body. I'll get a picture of this sometime and post it. It's super cute.

Emily is still the most determined human being I have ever met. She summed it up when I asked her to stop doing something bad and she told me, "I don't have a choice".

Chris is working like crazy and we are thankful that he has work at a time when so many are being laid off.

And me? The most important thing that's happened to me lately is that I got this slammin' hoodie for $5. I was so excited about it I could hardly sleep that night.

(Of course, the part about the hoodie is all in jest - although I did really get it for $5. Thanks for a great week, Chris. I love you.)