Thank You Uncle Sam

In the midst of all the depressing financial reports, JP and I received some great news from our accountant: we're getting a rather big tax refund.

Glory Hallelujah, we can finally replace the carpet in the bedrooms! That carpet has seen us through many Furber family events: it was here when we brought Katie home from the hospital, it has been with us through hundreds of Friday movie nights, it has been spilled on, barfed on, and walked on with muddy shoes. Thanks for the memories, but good riddance.

The research now starts on what to replace it with that will look great and be durable enough to handle three kids, a dog with the occasional bout of incontinence, and Jack's bare feet after he spends hours in the driveway shooting hoops with no shoes on.

I've ruled out broadloom carpet because that's what I have now and it's a mess, Berber because Jasper will no doubt pull the loops out with his teeth or toenails, and hardwood because we don't have radiant heat in the bedrooms so the floors get cold. I've narrowed it down to three choices that are all sustainable, durable, stain resistant and in keeping with the general wabi-sabiness of my house:

FLOR tiles



Seagrass Wall to Wall



Cork Flooring


All three will look great in my house and will stand up to all the abuse that my family will inflict upon the flooring once it's installed. And all three will be immensely better than the yucky mess that's in my bedrooms now. That's one family heirloom I'll be glad to be rid of.

I'm leaning heavily toward seagrass, as it will look the best with our decor. I'll be standing watch at the mailbox with cell phone in hand, ready to dial Diablo Flooring the minute our refund arrives.

My House Isn't a Mess, It's Wabi- Sabi

I made reference to the concept of wabi-sabi a few days ago, and have been thinking about it ever since.

Wabi-sabi is the japanese concept of appreciating the beauty in imperfection and of accepting the natural cycle of growth and decay. Wabi-sabi celebrates cracks and crevices and all the other marks that time, weather, and loving use leave behind. Through wabi-sabi, we learn to embrace stains, scratches, rust, and frayed edges, and the march of time they represent.

Does that sound like a concept for a working mother of three to embrace, or what?!

Even before the concept of wabi-sabi came into vogue, I unknowingly embraced it. I've always been drawn to things that have interesting stories, show signs of use, and look older than they are.

Now that I have three children in my house, wabi-sabi is the center of my decorating philosophy. I make a point of never buying anything that won't get better with the use of three messy, happy children. My dining table is made of reclaimed planks and has dings, scratches and dents in it. Perfect. The chairs in my family room are red leather and show all the wear and tear of hundreds of movie nights in that room. Love them. The wicker sofa on my front porch came from my mother-in-law and is weathered to show several layers of paint in different colors. Can't beat it.

The neutral carpet in my bedrooms shows all the marks that time, weather and loving use leave behind, but it is not wabi-sabi at all. When I finally get around to it, I'm going to replace the carpet with reclaimed wood floors, then my house will be truly wabi-sabi.