So, I spent $300 on sheets yesterday. It seemed a little excessive, but we have a California king bed and candidly, I wanted sheets that would last. So, I splurged. Now believe me, I know people spend a lot more on sheets and I know people spend a lot less. To me, anything over $100 for a set of sheets is a splurge. I got two sets of flannel sheets for $312. It was a splurge.
But flannel sheets are a must up here and they fit in with my “winterizing my life” plan. It starts out like this. In spring, I switch out the heavy Scotch plaid blue comforter to a cream quilt. Eventually as it gets warmer, the flannel sheets give way to linen sheets. One thermal blanket goes off the bed. By the start of summer, we’re down to linen sheets, a thin thermal blanket and a quilt. I throw another quilt at the bottom of the bed for the occasionally cool, rainy night and I call it good. In fall, the process works in reverse. As the nights start to get cooler, the second thermal blanket goes back on the bed. Then, the flannel sheets. Sometime after Thanksgiving, the big heavy comforter comes out of the closet. And so it goes, the bed changes with the seasons.
Normally, buying a new set of sheets wouldn’t be a big deal. But, this year, I’ve decided to do a Christmas bed. Yep. That’s right. Christmas is gonna throw up in this house this year. Why? Well, because it’s been a lousy year. Despite my new life, the pandemic has really put a dent in the year both professionally and personally. I still love my life but, if I had to, I could scratch this year off the list and move on. So, I’m now planning on sending this year out with a bang – my way. And to do it my way, I’m going to create the sense of nostalgic, homegrown Christmas that will be filled with all of the warmth, tradition and family I can shove into it.
That means I bought Christmas flannel sheets. Now, I want to stay married and I want my husband to feel comfortable in his own bed, so I did pass over the sheets with the printed red truck and obligatory Christmas tree hanging out of the back. I already have one of those decorations anyway. Instead, I chose a simple pine bough pattern. They’re white with a pine branch. Matched with the blue Scotch plaid comforter, it will be “holiday warm” without the “jingle all your bells” kind of Christmas that would turn my husband off.
The other set of sheets? Just a plain deep blue. But I have to be honest and admit those were a strategic move as well. My husband doesn’t know this – I’ve warned him about Christmas and the vomit thing – but we’re getting an Autumn bed, too. Now again, the bed isn’t going to be littered with pumpkins and scarecrows. Instead, the deep blue sheets, the cream quilt and a deep brown faux fur at the bottom of the bed will make it feel warm and cozy without screaming “pumpkin spice and everything nice.”
But here’s the deal: I’ve lost my feel-good, love-my-life mojo lately. Work has been hard. I work for an amazing firm that supports me so well, but I’ve been struggling. Home has been a bit bumpy, too. For all that we love our little fur babies, they don’t exactly like each other yet. So that has meant carefully controlled kitty introductions, co-feeding and shared space exercises called “Eat, Play, Love.” Hint: ain’t nobody really feeling that love yet, though they have gradually moved from not knowing the other exists to becoming tolerant of each other.
On top of that, we were torn up with renovations when the onslaught of the garden came in. Talk about a tidal wave of work. The garden was prolific but that meant that everybody had to hustle to make sure all of that good food was preserved. Now with the freezer overfull, the kitties getting along and the renovations slowing down, at least home is calm. Work isn’t quite there yet, but I’m holding out hope.
However, if I want to get back to my feel-good space, I know I have to create it. For me, it doesn’t just happen. I need to make some change to get to feel-good. Sometimes it’s as simple as an attitude adjustment. Other times, it’s a glass of wine and good conversation with an old friend. Sometimes, it’s a romantic dinner out with my husband, a kitty snuggle on the couch or a quiet hour to enjoy sharing my thoughts on a blog. And sometimes, it takes flannel sheets. In particular, seasonal holiday sheets that allow me to escape into the fantasy that I have no other care in the world other than to decorate my house.
That’s where I’m headed. This week, after another bumpy month ends at work, we head out on a road trip where my husband will be staying for two weeks to help out my in-laws. I’ll come home in-between to both work and care for cats. Eventually, I’ll fly back down and ride back with him.
But, somewhere in the meantime, my sheets will get delivered. In between cat care and work, I’ll also have plenty of quiet time to get my house really cleaned and spruced up for fall. Then, I’ll unpack those sheets, make my bed and settle in for a quiet night of reading in bed.
And I’ll enjoy those warm, comfortable sheets and the feeling that I have once again reclaimed my house, my life and my story. It gets away from me now and again. But I know how to get it back. This time, it just took sheets.
The Yuppie Homesteader 