It's Time to Win the Lottery

So I've decided what has made me feel completely unsettled since we moved into this beautiful house. It is filled with our old college furniture. I'm flirting with 30 now, and I still have my college furniture! And in a brand-spanking new suburban cookie-cutter house. There is something wrong with this picture. Seriously. While I don't mind some of it, there are some things that I'd love to replace. I've mentioned before that Big D is about to change careers and take a pretty hefty pay cut. We have a few lean years ahead of us. So I have to pick and choose.

Exhibit 1: The dining room table.


The table is totally trashy and was bought in the mid-1990s for Big D's first college apartment. It's so ugly! This picture was taken right after we moved in, so there's junk everywhere. But the room is pretty - nice chair rail, nice window action, nice light fixture. And then there's the table. Is this getting replaced? Not for a while. I've got bigger fish to fry.

Exhibit 2: The breakfast room table.


It's not bad. My parents actually bought it when I was in elementary school. It's held up quite well, because it's good quality Ethan Allen. I took it to my first college apartment and then used it as a desk when I was in professional school. I spent three years studying on that table. Good memories, I suppose. But the chairs? I bought them from Ikea in 1998. They wobble now. One of them is being held together by a couple of metal brackets that Big D hammered into their legs and then covered with electrical tape so the metal would be less obvious. Despite the safety hazard, are the chairs getting replaced? Not yet...

Exhibit 3: the living room after moving in.

The chair and ottoman were moved up to the theater room and have been replaced by a rocking chair. There is also now a baby swing and jumperoo shoved in the corners. You can't tell here, but one of the couch legs is broken off, so the whole thing is being held up by a stool. (Pumpkin and Ginger are on the couch and say hi.) To the left out of sight is my messy kitchen with the dead plants. Notice the big blank wall on the right with the TV. Scary.

The living room should contain the heart of our family. In our apartment, it was where we snuggled up and watched scary movies. It was where we hosted parties. Where friends crashed when they came to visit us. Where we first set our kittens down in their new home. Where I planned our wedding. You get the idea. But in this house - it's the room I stay out of, because it is void of warmth and emotion. Sure, the same stuff is in it - the couch, the television, even an old rocking chair that my mom rocked me in when I was a baby. We've got a quilt rack that proudly displays throws signifying special events in our lives - our college days, my sorority days, our marriage, etc. It even has beautiful windows and a fireplace. Yet the room is so stale. I hate it.

I have been known to have the occasional meltdown. (I can hear some of you choking on your Diet Cokes.) Said meltdowns usually involve my inability to be in complete control of a situation. Since having The Monster, the meltdowns have occurred with slightly greater frequency. Oh, who am I kidding, I'm a nut job! I look around my house, and I want to strangle someone. This place is a complete and total mess... and to make matters worse, the living room has no soul! This may not make much sense to you normal folks, but to me, it feels like the end of the world. About a week ago, I had one of my famous meltdowns and declared that something must be done. Poor Big D. He stood there in shock. "I like our living room." But, he's a smart guy, and he knows that I am stubborn enough to ignore him and devise an action plan to make the living room more palatable.

We're on a limited budget, so I'm picking my battles. We're keeping the couch, loveseat, end tables, and coffee table. The rocking chair will be moved up to The Monster's nursery where it belongs. The quilt rack will keep it's place of honor. First item of business - buy a rug. We have gorgeous tile in the kitchen, breakfast room, living room, and hallways. But with that comes an awful echo. And cold feet. Neither of which I'm a huge fan. Where does one find a rug? No clue. I searched Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, and some websites of local shops. PB was promising, but pricey. Big D (ever the smart one) said, "If it will make you happy..." as he grimaced at the price tag of the rug I wanted. We ordered a couple of swatches to see what color we liked. The poor rug was not what we were hoping for. It was hard and rough. I cannot see The Monster learning to crawl on it. We found another rug we like from PB, but it comes in four colors, any of which will look good with our furniture. More swatches ordered. This rug is even more expensive than the first one. Gulp! The swatches will be in next week. But in the meantime, I think I found a reasonably priced rug in deep red from Overstock. It may actually be reasonable enough price-wise that Big D doesn't have a heart attack. Maybe.

Next project - an entertainment center. We have a huge living room with two-story ceilings which do not help the echoing. We have a huge wall with absolutely nothing on it. That's where Big D's TV is located. It was a fine TV, back in the day. Now it looks a tad outdated. No one faults us for that while they have their pretty flat-screens, because Big D and I have student loan debt that is equivalent to the annual budget of a small country. But that TV just looks pathetic against the majestic wall. Time for a big, massive wall unit. I was inspired by the PB catalog, but since I don't have three-grand lying around, we're going to have to find a cheaper alternative. I think I have located something that may work at a local store. But - the TV is big, heavy, bulky, and did I mention outdated? You know where this is heading... I'm pushing Big D for a new TV as well. A cute Samsung LCD from Crutchfield.

It seems stupid to you, doesn't it? "Annie, you're about to take a huge pay cut and you're redecorating your perfectly acceptable living room?" Yes. Because I do not feel comfortable in it. Can you imagine what that's like? Your home is supposed to be where you feel most comfortable. You're supposed to walk in the door, feel at peace, and recover from the crap that the world dished out that day. My house is missing it's heart and soul. It is not filled with the warmth and love that our apartment had. There are other rooms that still contain college remnants, but none of them bug me like the living room does. I cannot stand to be in that room, and it's starting to mess with my head. I have to do something or I'm going to go insane. I'm picking my battles here, and while the whole living room could use replacing, I'm just going for some additions. I'm hoping that the echo decreases and that it feels a little more homey and centered. I'm hoping that like its predecessor in the apartment, it will be a place for creating memories as we watch The Monster grow up. I cannot avoid the room forever. It's time to take control of it and make it mine.

Which brings me to my next point. Pending the growth of the money tree out back, I need to win the lottery. Any number suggestions?