My Zoo Nest...

"Everything in a bedroom should contribute to an atmosphere of peace."
~Billy Baldwin~

(photo, former bedding at Quill Cottage)

I so admire everyday bloggers! I have been trying to figure out what I could post on for a couple of days now. Not much is happening in my world as I am still stranded here at home, although one vehicle was released from the hospital yesterday, but it wasn't mine. I have been filling my time with the usual stuff, chores, a little writing, and assembly line style storage box production. The closest thing I've had to an adventure is buying a new mattress. A process which has turned my house into a zoo nest! Blogger even said so see:Pretty dull huh?

Have you ever heard of or read the children's book "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" by Laura Joffe Numeroff? It is a quaint little story about a boy who gives a mouse a cookie. Once he has the cookie he wants a glass of milk, followed by requesting a straw to drink the milk, then he needs a napkin, and on and on the story goes. Not only does the little mouse need one more item each time, he makes a huge mess in the process. This is exactly what happened when we purchased a new mattress.

Handy Hubby is very rarely insistent upon anything that has to do with the home. I ask his opinion but he usually defers to me in all things domestic, until recently when he insisted we get a new mattress. Not just any mattress mind you but a super sized one. Never mind the fact that none of the bedding we own would fit the monster or the fact that we live in a cottage of small rooms. He patiently explained to me that it is called a BED room for a reason. I am kind of silly that I want other things in the room like a dresser and chest of drawers to hold our clothing. I felt like I had stepped into the pages of my very own version of "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" only my title would be, "If You Give a Man A Mattress"!
The story goes something like this:(photo, sneak peek at new bedding, Garden Dreams, I only purchased the quilt and two matching shams, I mixed and matched the rest of the pieces)

If you give a man a mattress, he will super size it.
And chances are if he asks for a mattress,
he will want some sheets.
(For the first time ever he steps into my domestic domain and goes with me to purchase bedding, have mercy!)

He wants sheets, any old sheets will do, the cheaper the better.
You must educate him in the fine art of purchasing bedding, standard vs. deep pocket vs. extra deep pocket as well as patiently explaining the benefits of a high thread count, cotton vs. organic, what wrinkle free means, pima cotton vs. Egyptian cotton, and that color most certainly does matter!
He will look at you helplessly, you will select the sheets, without even gasping over the price, after all it was he who insisted on the super size model!

Once he has the sheets he will want warm blankets, after all it is winter!
You must educate him once again, micro fleece vs. cotton knit vs. micro plush vs. down vs. vellux vs. acrylic vs. electric. His eyes will glaze over, no worries, this is normal.
He will defer to you, you will choose, and color most certainly does matter!

Once he has his blankets he will want new pillows to fill out those super sized pillow cases.
You must educate him in the fine art of selecting pillows, allergen free, firm, medium, or extra firm density, down vs. poly fiber vs. memory foam vs. feather, standard/queen vs. king size.
He will punch a few pillows and look to you for guidance. Make him choose his own, if the choice is wrong, he cannot blame you.

When he has his pillow, he will think he is off the hook on the shopping expedition.
Gently explain to him that he will also need a mattress and pillow covers. Be prepared for a very scared look to cross his face.
Gently lead him through the choices of poly cotton zip allergen free, stretch knit zip, waterproof, baffle channel feathered, cotton blend, terry cotton blend, and Egyptian cotton blend. Color does not matter, they all come in white!

Once this choice is made, he will think he is through at long last.
Smile sweetly as you remind him that pretty matters and must also purchase the icing for the king sized cake!
Once he enters the land of lovely bedding choices he will sweat profusely, mop his brow, pat his back, take his hand and lead him through lovely land! Ever so gently explain bedding collections, duvet cover vs. comforter vs. quilt vs. coverlet vs. bed in a bag. Smile at him sweetly and exclaim that you sincerely hope to find something that will match your hand painted furniture, wall color, and window treatments, if not they will have to be changed too! Gently remind him that your custom built headboard will no longer fit and you will sketch a new design and put his handy skills to good use in the very near future. It might not hurt to remind him that this was HIS idea!

Let the poor guy off the hook and take him home with the assurance that you can choose the icing for the king sized cake on your own. Once there, a frenzy of flying bedding will take place, everything and I mean everything will have to be moved and your man will make you house look like this:

A corner full of cords!A pile of pillows!
A not so inviting entry! Although the light shining on the plastic is kind of pretty.A new nook look! Sunshine on sheets is pretty too! After all I am in search of everyday beauty and this is the best I can do in chaos!A clump of quilts! Hey was he using these to drag furniture across the wood floors and is that a dog toy I see near them? What were those two up to while I was gone? I about fainted when I saw this mess and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Poor velveteen rabbit did faint when she saw it or was this hammer used to keep her quite of the activities in my absence?Not domestic bliss! A blur of bedding, OK, I admit I did this! While he is making a mess you will escape in a borrowed car to select icing for that king sized cake! You will arrive home with a beautiful vintage look coverlet in tow, more pillows to fill out the pillow shams you purchased, a new dust ruffle to hide those storage containers under the bed, and new curtains, (that you will later return because you lived with them for one day and they were not a good choice, the current ones you made get to stay), rods, and rings (they get to stay too). You will live with the current small decorative pillows for a day or two and see if they will do. The paint is perfect and the furniture will not need to be redone. A headboard is in the works!

If you give a man a mattress, he will super size it.
And chances are if he asks for a mattress,
he will want some sheets...

I don't think Handy Hubby will be stepping into my domestic domain again any time soon. Although when he came home from work and I had the new bedding in place, the curtains washed and line dried, with the smell of sunshine permeating the room, he exclaimed, "That's pretty! I really like it and it looks old." We both have a love for vintage things and the icing choices I made make his cake choice a perfect recipe for domestic bliss and contribute to the atmosphere of peace!

I'll post pics of the finished room once we have time this weekend to put up the new curtain rods, move my wall desk to another spot in the room and do a bit of rearranging. My comfy reading chair got booted and is in the entry until I can get it to the resale shop or I may slipcover it and leave it for a bit until I save up for the piece that I really want in there. Anyway, that is all that is happening here. I'm off to straighten up my zoo nest! Until next time...

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

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