I don't know about you, but one of the things that hints that I am, in fact, a middle aged surburban mom is what I tell people that I'm "dying for" or "lusting after". For example, after my last major car repair (both mufflers, thank you very much), I went out to dinner with my girlfriends and chattered away about how I hated to get this repair done because I was "lusting after" a minivan. Or a big SUV.
Lusting after a minivan. Wow.
And I will tell anyone who sets foot in my house, near my house, or just near me when I happen to be thinking about my house that I am "dying for" new flooring. I orate passionately about how much I hate our current kitchen tile and old family room carpet and how desperate I am to replace them.
Desperate for new flooring. That's right.
Adam and I have been married for eleven years today. Eleven years ago we started our married life with our vows, shiny new rings, and a lot of boxes from our wedding registry. Then a few months later, we bought this house. We unpacked all those boxes filled with pretty dishes and pots and pans and glasses and used our wedding gift cards to do some bigger furnishing.
After eleven years, I'm as happy as ever with the marriage, but the shine has definitely worn off the home goods.
Hey, I'm still happy and in love with the important thing from eleven years ago. I'm not that fickle.
I want another shower. I want another influx of gift cards for home stores. I remember looking through my registry eleven years ago with my mother and mother-in-law, and their jealousy. My mother-in-law proposed getting a new shower every ten or so years - after all, staying happily married is just as celebratory as getting married, right?
I don't see that catching on. But now, eleven years later, I definitely hear where they were coming from. I'm itchy for some redesign. I'm itchy for some freshness. I'm itchy for a transformation...without the new husband or new house.
A new rug did that.
When Adam and I bought this house, one of our first purchases was an area rug to cover the hardwood in our living room. For a few years our living room didn't even have furniture - we jokingly called it the "Christmas Tree Room" - but that rug and some drapes added the warmth, with a definite formal feel. Over the years we added some furniture and a piano, but once the girls arrived, the room slowly turned from a formal room into a room designated for playtime and toy storage. And lovely as our old rug was, it just didn't fit the new use. We had a very formal room with a floor covered in princesses. It didn't work.
The rug from Home Dynamix at Wayfair works. The coloring still coordinates with our drapes and furniture, but the style takes the room into a place that's more appropriate for play. It's incredibly soft and cozy, making it much more inviting to sit on while participating in Strawberry Shortcake role play. It gave the room a face lift, without doing a major design change.
It's more than just a rug.
Thank you Wayfair. After eleven years, this was a perfect anniversary gift.
