Not so favorite things...

 Now to write up the blog entry that I intended to write when I sat down at the computer: Lately, I've been itching for a project.  But I haven't had a whole lot of time to take on any major household projects.  So, I've been thinking about potential projects now and again. I'm definitely not a type-A personality or anything like that, but I like to be busy. When we have time to sit down and relax as a family, I like to have something to do with my hands.  And when I am occupied with the work of the day, I am usually dreaming up some grand project in my mind.  I suppose I'm more of a visionary than anything, because most of my grand ideas are just that...ideas.   There's a certain item of furniture in our home that gets in the way of my grand ideas on a fairly regular basis. Our living room couch.  

Sigh...

This couch was one of the few things in our marriage that we bought on a whim.

If you know my husband, you know that he never rushes into a decision.

Even the smallest decisions are usually slept on till morning.

And once he sets his mind to do something, you can count on him following through.  He's a very steady man--married to a very visionary wife.  Makes life interesting...

However, one day in the spring of 2000 when our house was well under construction, we ventured to Owatonna to look at furniture, and we happened upon this couch.  At the time, I was fond of antiques, and this was a replication antique.  My husband did something very unusual for him--he made a down payment on the couch that very day.

Within a matter of days, I remembered the many reasons why I wanted a neutral couch, and I pleaded with my husband to cancel the order.  But a decision is a decision, and his mind was made up.  This couch was destined to be in my living room, so may as well make the best of it.

And we have...

But I must admit that I've been hoping for the demise of this couch since the day it arrived in my living room.

And believe me...

This crazy couch has endured every desecration life can throw at it.

I could tell you, but you wouldn't want to sit on it.

One time I thought it was doomed for sure, and I actually took the couch pillow on the deck and poured several pots of boiling water on it!  It looks almost the same as the day it was delivered--minus 2 buttons.

It won't die.

And to this day, my husband loves this couch.

Now as an aside, I am very thankful for my steady man.  Because I happen to benefit from the fact that once he decides something is beautiful, he doesn't change his mind.  One night, many years ago, in a college parking lot, his eyes toward me changed, and he determined that I would be his wife.  By God's grace, that steady man found something beautiful in me, and he's never wavered.  While I'll never understand his faithfulness to me, I sure am grateful.

Anyway...

This week I got to thinkin' about how I sure would love to quilt and sew and design inspirational wall art for our living room.  We've talked of getting an estimate to reupholster the couch as a compromise.

So, a funny thing happened.  I found a furniture store in the Cities that claimed to have competitive prices and offered online estimates.

I filled out their form and attached a few photographs, and within 24 hours, this quote arrived in my inbox:

The Lord has a sense of humor, doesn't He?

So, I'm thinking I may as well accept the fact that this couch is my lot in life for now.

Funny thing is...  I don't know quite what I'd think if this couch up and disappeared tomorrow and was replaced with my dream couch.  I'd like to think I'd head down to my sewing room and get busy on some pillows.  But sometimes I wonder if I sorta love to hate the couch. 

Good grief, it's survived against all odds. 

It may be loud and harsh and demanding and attract more attention than it should.

But then again, sometimes so do I...

And my hubby doesn't give up on me.  :-)

So, I guess I'll just redirect my attention to other projects.

Maybe some curtains for the guest room...

And I suppose I'll live in peace with the couch.  For now.

When you're an only child...

...you need to be creative about entertaining yourself in your spare time. It makes me smile when I think back over the storylines that have played out in our home through the years.  One little character came out on a regular basis when Elizabeth was between 2 and 4 years old.  Her name was Holly Tado and she had 100 children.  And this was no exaggeration as I saw her give birth to most of them in various corners of the house!  For awhile, we watched several seasons of "Little House on the Prairie" as a family.  The television series was known for being rather dramatic, to say the least...  So during that period in time Elizabeth found a lot of abandoned babies beside the road and her dolls were almost always deathly ill. Nowadays, we're into historic reinactments that are a little more realistic--currently we're in the Revolutionary War era.  Cardboard boxes often disappear from the recycling pile and turn into carriages, beds and houses for her babies.  Furniture and blankets and scraps of ribbon and tinfoil disappear and reappear in new forms as well...  You have to be rather careful what you throw away around here--I've been scolded for throwing out a valuable piece of cardboard on more than one occasion!  Shortly before Christmas, she staged her dolls in the corner of the living room: 

 Naomi (seated on the floor) is weaving cloth on her loom.  Kirsten is cooking (her pot is molded out of a scrap of tinfoil).  This was before she got all of the new doll clothes for Christmas, so both dolls are wearing dresses that Elizabeth wore when she was a baby.  :-) Much of Beth's spare time is spent wearing various dress-ups (most of which are old dresses of her mother's).  But, occasionally, she emerges in something a bit more...unique? 

 Yikes!  Occasionally, she stumbles upon a brilliant discovery--like the maternal shape of her night gown when standing over a heat vent in the living room: 

  

Some of her pajama discoveries are equally amusing but slightly less brilliant:

This one seemed like a good idea at the time...

...but then the zipper stuck...

...and she tipped over...

I'm so thankful for our little girl.  This house would be so quiet and so very BORING without her!