I loved our house... before I found Pinterest

 

We moved to South Louisiana a little more than two months ago. We were pretty quick to  unpack the boxes and get all of our stuff in their new places. As an Army brat, I was trained to unpack quickly. 3 days and the boxes were gone. For the most part, everything is where it should be. The house was exactly what we wanted it to be. It was the perfect size- not too small, not too big.  It has hardwood floors throughout, areal fire place and built in bookshelves. The kitchen is not great but definitely workable. It was our new home and I loved it. Then Pinterest entered my life. 

It started innocently enough with a text from a friend. She said that “every time I go on Pinterest I see things for weddings and think of you.” I never heard of Pinterest but if it had wedding stuff, I’m in! I waited a couple of days and then I started to see mentions of Pinterest on Facebook. It was starting to show up in all of my friends posts. I had to find out what it was. So, I sat down, googled it and found it. Here it was- the latest and greatest on the Interweb. And I needed an invitation. Great! So, like an unpopular little third grader, I asked Pinterest- “Please, can I come to your party?” And I waited. A whole week went by before I was accepted by my new friend Pinterest. 

The doors opened and there it was- everything I was interested in- clothes, interior decorating, food, photography! This was awesome! I was going to get the inside scoop on what all the cool kids were wearing, thinking, doing, and eating. And then it really sucked me in. Minutes turned into hours. Hours tuned into more hours. And what was becoming painfully clear to me was that I live in a pit and have done nothing to turn our little house into something that was Pinterest worthy.

I had not found a pallet, painted it white, affixed it to a wall, put cute little hooks on which to hang cute little rain coats of children that I don’t have. I have not bought a single mason jar, let alone add some chalkboard paint and write “flour”, “sugar” on them and turn my kitchen into a country shabby chic culinary center. I have not made chair cushions out of fabric remnants that I have picked up at a second hand store. I have not created an organization center out of old boxes, fabric and ribbon. I have not made a rug by tying cut up towels through the holes of one of those grippy grid things that you put on the back of a rug. Oh my God. What have I done? Or, more importantly, not done? 

A do-it yourself suitcase chair. Really? I want one.

On Pinterest I have found no less than 10 different ways that I HAVE to decorate and accessorize our office which currently consists of a computer table, file boxes, several crates of offices supplies and artifacts from old jobs. We have come up with a very sensible and sound plan to slowly purchase the desk and office furniture we like at Office Depot. I also had plans to buy a rug and maybe (with our awesome landlord’s approval) paint the walls. But now, thanks to Pinterest, I know that our plan is completely wrong. We need to go antiquing and find an old door. Then we need to strip it, sand it, stain it, affix it to some legs. Then I need to make the afore mentioned organization center. And I need to hang a crystal chandelier (that seems to be the thing to do in unexpected places. I’m thinking we need one in the bathroom as well.). And then I see the next Pin and realize that the office I just saw was completely wrong and I need to go modern. Or country. Or Urban. Or Steam Punk. (What the hell is that, anyway?)

And then the reality sets in.  I’m not going to do any of that stuff. Why? Because I’m a consumer. I am not a do-it-yourself kind of girl. We’ll end up with an outstanding office that is filled with fabulous furniture and cute bulletin boards and a rug that really pulls the room together.  And we’ll buy it all. We’ll save up and we’ll buy it. It’s easier. And quicker- if I was actually making all this stuff, we wouldn’t ever get the office we want. I just don’t have the time to make all that stuff. I’ve got recipes and shoes to look at on Pinterest.