(While I’m enjoying the holidays, I’m sharing some of my posts from my previous blog. I hope you enjoy them. This post is from May 2011.)
I’m a work-with-what-you’ve-got kind of girl and don’t have much time or money to redecorate right now, but, in a house full of boys, I am becoming increasingly aware of my desire to insert some feminine details amongst all the cars, trucks, and beer equipment taking over my living room and kitchen.
So, for Mother’s Day, I decided to treat myself to a lovely, feminine duvet cover from a certain store that shall remain nameless, at least until you click on the link above. I was hoping to replace the light blue cover we’ve had since before James was born, the one that saw me through two pregnancies, morning sickness, baby spit-up, leaking breast milk, hormonal night sweats, and the occasional poopy diaper.
I’ll admit to being enchanted with the price, but the soft floral pattern looked so lovely in the catalog and I thought it would go quite nicely in my light, quiet bedroom. I had visions of relaxing in a room full of white, reading British novels in bed while my little boys sleep soundly on the other side of the house. And yes, the pattern’s name is also the same as mine, but that was merely a sweet coincidence.
Of course, the cover and shams are only available in the catalog and online, so one cannot view them in-store before purchasing. Thus, I was completely unprepared when the cover that did arrive looked nothing like the one pictured. Yes, it’s the same pattern (I was sure to check), but the light background is actually quite yellow and the flowers are much, much darker. In fact, the overall effect is much more tropical than I ever intended, sort of like the furniture from the set of The Golden Girls, which was set in Florida, after all.
The only possible explanation I can find for this phenomenon is the strange fact that, when photographed, the duvet cover is exactly as pictured in the catalog. I know, because I took a picture, and the results on my camera’s screen look like the cover of my dreams. It’s just in real life that the fabric is different, which is frustrating and intriguing at the same time. How can something so lovely and peaceful on paper and in my mind appear so different in real life?
And yet, isn’t that the metaphor for real life? Things aren’t always as they seem, or as you imagine they’ll be. It doesn’t mean that they aren’t lovely or perfect in their own way, and you have to work with what you’ve got. I’m pretty sure there’s a lesson here, maybe in a sort of Forrest Gump kind of way, but that’s how I feel about motherhood, too.
It’s a daily attitude that you’ve got to maintain, especially if you want to keep your sanity at times; but overall, it’s really wonderful and rewarding. Who knew I’d be the mom to two precious little boys one day? I certainly didn’t. And who knew I’d be transformed by my pregnancies and births? Again, not me.
I didn’t begin this post expecting to wax poetic about my adventures in motherhood a little over two years in, but that’s where I find myself. My visions of what motherhood entailed before I had children are so different than the reality of my life right now, kind of like that duvet cover on my bed.
The one pictured in the catalog only exists in my head, like the idea of the perfect mother I carried with me during my first pregnancy. But the cover on my bed is just as lovely and functional, and it will keep me warm for many years to come.
(The picture that went with this post, and the cover is still keeping us warm at night.)
(Our tree topper.)
The boys’ holidays started this week, so we spent lots of time getting ready for Christmas and enjoying the break as a family. Here are a few things that caught my eye this week.
Leslie Cochran was an Austin icon who definitely kept things weird, and his death this past March sheds light on the issue of homelessness here. My favorite local radio station examines the story.
A glimpse into life for Newtown, Connecticut’s children, a week after the terrible tragedy there. This piece is hopeful, and though they are forever changed, you can just tell the kids are, as one dad puts it, “resilient.”
And finally, a really funny post about birthday cakes from my blog friend, Shayla. I have to give her tons of credit because I don’t even try to bake cakes for my boys. I promise this will make you laugh, but don’t read it in front of your children or your boss.
I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year! I’ll be taking a week off to celebrate with my family and relax a little, but I’ll be sharing some posts from my previous blog to keep you entertained. I’ll be back on New Year’s Eve, hopefully with some fun posts and photos to share. Until then, take care!
In October, I wrote about my underwhelming experience with Loose Button’s Fall Luxe Box, and after that, I wasn’t holding out much hope for the arrival of the Winter Luxe Box at all. But surprise, surprise! The second part of my two-season subscription arrived this week, and I was incredibly thrilled to find it filled with lots of luxury products that I can actually use.
(Loose Button’s Winter Luxe Box.)
This box was also elegantly packaged, and my products were wrapped within a silk bag that could be used again, as opposed to the weird handkerchief-thingy they sent last time. I received several curly hair products by Marc Anthony, a brand with which I was not familiar, but I’m excited to try. There were also products from Orlane (an eye cream, which I can always use) and Eyeko (a mascara) again, as well as a very nice kabuki brush and a deluxe perfume sample by Donna Karan. But I’m most excited about the Essie Leading Lady nail polish, which I saw in a magazine recently but could not locate in stores or online.
Loose Button really impressed me this time around, and I’m looking forward to trying the new products. I don’t think I’ll subscribe again to their program, and I’m not sure if that’s even an option, since this was just a promotional U.S. tour for the Canadian brand. But I definitely think a little higher of them now, and it was a fun box to open, just in time for Christmas.
