Ummmm, that was unexpected...

I'm talking about Anna's reaction to the arrival of her new bedroom furniture. I spent so much time on pinterest and houzz just planning what I would like her room to look like. I lost sleep over the paint color for the wall. I was waaaaaay out of my comfort zone by choosing a soft gray - purple. Of course, I love it. I spent hours during the late evenings slopping on layer on top of layer of primer and paint to her planked ceiling. I had a hitch in my giddy-yap and a pain in my neck for almost two weeks after that ceiling fiasco (more on that later).

 

 

I wanted her to be away when her furniture arrived. I imagined how her smile and bright eyes would light up the room as she hugged me and praised my hard work and dedication. I imagined her dancing and twirling around in her GORGEOUS bedroom. Oh Joy!

Anna walked into her room and took a look around. She walked over to her baby and went to play with her on the floor near her kitchen set. I stood there ready to squeal like a toddler but I thought she should do the squealing first. Her eyes welled up with tears and she collapsed to the floor crying. I listened closely to her words as I stood there speechless and in shock. She was upset because the furniture (that I was so thrilled about) was taking up all of the play space in her room. She had no appreciation for the time spent, money invested, or the skill of the talented person who worked on restoring her furniture. Her only concern was that I had just filled her room with furniture and her fantastic wonderland where all of her imaged travels and parties came alive was gone. I stuffed her fantasy land full of stuff. She was upset and wanted it out. My first reaction - I am sorry to say- was frustration. I thought -to myself- she was ungrateful. I pushed all of the furniture into a corner in the room and pushed her bed up against the wall. I gave her imagination back. She stopped crying and asked me if I would like chocolate or strawberry cake with my tea. She asked me to swaddle her favorite baby for her. I stood there for a moment and then told her I would be right back. As I walked down the hall, I heard her sniff her little sniffle as she began soothing her baby to sleep. For the first time in all of my years of painting and re-painting, fixing, remodeling, restoring, working so hard to make rooms just right for whoever was using them, I realized I was really, truly, only doing that work for myself. It is that simple, my friends. I walked back to my precious Anna and I told her she didn't have to keep her furniture. I was sorry and that I would take the furniture out of her room. I asked her to let it stay in the corner for now until I came up with a solution to our problem.

It took most of the night to grasp that one. Her clothes were in cardboard boxes. Her mattress had been on the floor for two months. Things were mismatched and chaotic. How could she not love all of this new and wonderful bedding and furniture? I don't know. She just didn't. That was how I left it. She just didn't want what I wanted. It is really simple isn't it?

 

Check out this C.H.A.O.S.

That was shoved into her closet. The only area of the room I didn't attack redesign.

With that, my reveal of Anna's room is delayed. I had planned to post about it today. We are leaving for Minneapolis this weekend to visit friends. It will be a nice change. Anna and I will spend time together, while the boys spend hours catching up and xbox-ing. I won't have the time to play with her furniture placement until the end of next week. For now, we both pretend the furniture isn't in the room.

 

A little sneaky peeky for you...

~Emily