A Perfectly Imperfect Home -

Years ago I visited a friend of mine after she had gotten married, and the new couple had moved in to their first place together. We were all quite young still  - this was the first couple my age to get married. I walked in to their apartment and saw a huge paining of hunting dogs or ducks or something over the pretty sofa she owned, and my first thought was "Oh my God she loves this guy."  

Our homes are a reflection of who we are and who we love, and none of these are perfect.

A few months ago my mom gave me this towel.   Pretty much sums it up around here.

And a few weeks after that my mother-in-law gave me this towel. 


Clearly I am blessed to be surrounded by women who 
a) really know me
b) accept me as I am
c) love me
d) know my house is messy

Phew! 



Thinking about homes that are slightly askew made me think of a book I read that addresses just that.  Homes that are lived in, decorated, messy, loved and sometimes a little off.  

The Perfectly Imperfect Home: How to Decorate and Live Well by Deborah Needleman.  
(Deborah Needleman is/was Domino Magazine, which I loved and was temporarily despondent when it went under.)





This is a super fun book that not only gives you permission to have a whacky house, but helps you turn that whack in to a well done and beautiful home.



It also has enchanting illustrations by Virginia Johnson.  


I of course checked it out at the library and did not purchase it.    

"A Bit of Quirk" is one of my favorite chapters - it helps me come to terms with the stuffed bobcat and fisherman lamp I have acquired through marriage.

 Many of the things in my house that add "charm" belong to my dog or my husband.  Nothing says "home" like a plastic squeeky that has been torn from the fluffy limbs of a toy and left where it died. Only to be stepped on later for heart stopping joy.  Or a doodad of some kind from some relative who served in some war that has been lovingly placed on a side table for me to admire. 

I am pretty sure I add some whimsy as well but I cannot identify my own whackiness, all my stuff looks beautiful to me.  But I am messy, so maybe my addition is not so much "decor," but just stuff hanging around.  I have a hard time, for example, helping my shoes in to my closet - would rather just leave them around for when I might need them again.  My dad used to say he felt like he lived in a shoe store. 

There are lots of blogs and books and pinterest pins to help us decorate and organize and all that crap.  But I find most of them to be not Tired Girly enough and basically unrealistic for me to create or maintain.  My baskets and mailroom feel awesome and about as good as it's going to get here. 

My roundabout point is that, realistically, our homes will be messy and jumbled.  And finding ways to love the charm, and in our own way, corral the clutter is the only way Tired Girls will make it.  

If collecting toilet paper rolls to put in to a drawer to divide something into tiny groups works for you ( I would die) then go for it.  If your husband's prize mounted swordfish is his most valuable possession, then that's part of the deal, and we need to make it work.  

I am happy to embrace the idea of a perfectly imperfect home.  To have a bin of pulled a part dog toys in the family room, a jar of homemade hot sauce permanently residing on the kitchen table and baskets full of stuff everywhere. Sometimes picking up all the shoes for a few shoeless days and sometimes letting it slide and stepping over them to do something fun instead. These things reflect the family that lives here and the life we have built together.  

 This doesn't mean we don't negotiate all the time.  I mean some things or amounts of mess are a deal breaker, but as my husband likes to remind me "you knew me when you married me."  Also "charming," but true, and luckily I like the person I married and the perfectly imperfect house and dog hair we are surrounded by. 

Here are a few "bits of quirk" from around my home.

My husband and I almost share a birthdate, and one year we bought each other the same birthday card.  So I framed it and hung it up.

This is my mega Eiffel Tower that sits on a side table in my kitchen.  I heart the Eiffel Tower, though this is a super lame photo of it.  It's hard to capture it's charm.  Just pretend it looks awesome. 

Roar!  This is the bobcat my husband's grandfather shot in self defense and taxidermied himself on felt a long time ago. Sir Bobcat (he actually does not have a name) lives in the media room now.  He loves Downton Abbey.

And my biggest bit of quirk is Ralphie dog, and the fact that my whole house is covered in blankets to protect itself from him.  Here he is on the guest bed, perfectly centered on "his" blanket.  He has good aim thank goodness.

My attention to detail, good photography skills and editing are all lacking in these photos.  Just want you to know that I know it too. 

What are some things that make your home perfectly imperfect?