Ah, the perfect home...do you live in one? I used to be okay with the fact that I don't but since I began blogging almost 3 years ago, I am reminded, almost daily, how UNperfect my home is!
No, not by any of you. Sillies! You are all so dear to me and would never do such a thing! Pish posh!
No, it is just good old Susie Q...me, myself and I...who does the reminding. I look around bloggy world and see some of the most amazing homes. Some are large and grand, others small and cozy. Some are brand spankin' new while others have the charm of yesteryear etched into each nook and cranny.
So many of you have done such lovely things to your homes. Every day I see another room makeover, a charming table scape or a knock out addition to an already stunning room.
And yes. As much as I admire these things, and have never felt that I was the type to be jealous, I find myself having more than a few twinges of envy. Yes, envy. Me perfect? Hardly!
When I began blogging I made the decision that this would be a tangible journal of my days and nothing more. Meeting so many wonderful and oh so special people has been the most delightful
result of my entry into blogging. That, and that alone, is my reward for posting the occasional rambling post. I have no real desire to earn a living at blogging, make a splash at writing professionally or in
offering my advice on anything...not decorating, politics, religion, cooking, gardening or
parenting. Heck, I am the last person who should be giving advice on anything!
I simply wanted to be able to reach out to other people and share the day's events. And share we do. Over a cyber cup of hot tea and that imaginary buttered scone we have discussed our lives, hopes, our worries, our homes. Our perfect homes.
We share the corners of our homes that are beautifully appointed, clean and well organized.
I know that none of us would be too eager to share our unmade
beds, dusty bookshelves or that rumpled sofa...you know the one...
the one that the dog has made his own.
Okay, so maybe this only happens in MY house but hey.
Time for some honesty...my bed does not always get made. Nope. And the cats
scatter litter all over the bathroom. I know. You are shocked right? Even worse, it gets scattered out into the rest of the house! Whew. I am on a roll now...
...let's talk pet hair. I have one dog and two cats and each one sheds about 1678 lbs of hair a day.
You will never see pictures of the couch with the lovely old sheet across it. It is there to protect the cushions from said pets and it is just one more UNperfect aspect of my house.
Shall I mention laminate and vinyl? These seem to
be two words that cause far too many to go into anaphylactic shock and yes.
My house has both. Not a bit of granite or marble or stone anywhere.
It took us almost 7 years to replace the bath counters with Corian! Sheesh. I hope to add stone or tile floors to the baths and kitchen soon but other things took priority. Silly little things like taxes and car repairs, college fees and orthodontics.
I purchased new lighting fixtures for the bathrooms oh, let's see. 3 months ago? Uh huh. And have they been put up? Surely you jest! But between Bill's work schedule and out of town conferences and my daily marathon of errands, well, this was put on that old proverbial back burner.
I often find myself misty eyed at how little has been done aesthetically to this cottage of ours...in reading my ever growing list of blogs, I see houses that have more done to them in 7 days than we have done in 7 years...and I began to feel that all too familiar twinge. Envy yes, but even worse, dissatisfaction.
I have come to the conclusion that for me to have the perfect home, I
must secure oodles of one or two of the following:
Money
Time
Creativity
Talent
Energy
I am sad to say but, these days, I am in short supply of all five!
*sigh*
In my daily blog visits I see homes that seem so, so well, perfect. Houses that are always getting
another spiff up, another tweaking. I begin to feel sad for poor Rabbit Run Cottage.
As clean as I try to keep it, as well tended as I attempt to keep this cottage of ours,
I find myself dwelling on each spot, obsessing over each nick, bemoaning each worn and well loved cushion.
What would my blogging friends think if they saw my not so perfect home?
The one with the chips on the counter and the 2 small tears in the vinyl flooring?
The one with the clouds of cat hair and the all too tiny dining room? The one where
the spaghetti was spilled on the carpet and the dog decided to make a sofa cushion his chew toy.
The one where the gaggle of kids traipse through leaving muddy footprints, dirty glasses and
fingerprints.
Uh huh. That house. The one that will never be featured on a decorating and design blog. The one that would make the CEO of HGTV and the editors of decor magazines shudder.
But dear Rabbit Run Cottage never complains. Nope.
It shelters us from the cold, the rain and the stress of the outside world.
It has housed a whole heap of love,
masses of laughter, countless hugs, loads of friends, numerous family
members and did it with
it's own sweet style.
Unglamorous, a little rough around the edges and showing some wear and tear.
In it's
own way, Rabbit Run Cottage, as delightfully UNperfect as it is, is ever so, truly so, most assuredly so, perfect. Perfect for me.
Now, how about that cup of tea?
Love and hugs,
Susie Q
I know that showcasing table settings by others is cheating just a bit but these were just too much fun not to share them with you!
