Bettering the Bedroom

As you know, Crème de Menthe has always had a big role in our home improvement projects. She is front and center inspecting every little change along the way. Nothing escapes her watchful eye, and everything must be approved by her before it can be implemented. Little Ponche Crema is learning from his big sister. He has shown a natural aptitude for interior design and has a definite interest in home decor. He has done so well as her apprentice that there are times that Crème allows him to do the bulk of the work before coming in to give the final approval.

You might wonder where Kahlua is while all of this is going on. She is typically huddled in the corner of the bedroom hating every second. As far as Kahlua is concerned there should be no change EVER. She would like for me to repeat that to make sure that you got it. NOTHING SHOULD EVER CHANGE. She likes things in her house just the way they are, thank you very much. Unfortunately for Kahlua, she moved into a home that is ever changing.

This last project was particularly bad for her since the changes were occurring in her bedroom – right in her very sanctuary. Where can a girl go to get peace around here?

Despite Kahlua’s discomfort, these were changes that needed to occur. I have hated this bed since Douglas first brought it into the house when he moved in. Actually, I did not even like it when it was in his apartment before he moved into the Cape of Dreams, but at least I could escape to my own bed when I wanted to be comfortable. The problem? I am short, and this bed is very high. I felt like I needed a pole vault to get into bed every night. I even fractured a bone in my foot one time jumping out of this bed.

A couple of weeks ago, Douglas bought plywood to fix the problem. The idea was to build a platform so that we could get rid of the box spring and lower the bed a good eight inches. The first task was to take the mattress and box springs off of the bed so that he could take the measurements. Crème and Ponche were thrilled with the new jungle gym and Crème used the new vantage point to make sure that Douglas was using the tape measure properly.

He then went out to cut down the sheets of plywood and sand the edges.

While he was cutting the wood, I started cleaning under the bed. Things did not look so good down there. I think that we had a fourth animal living in the house that we did not know about.

Douglas was not happy that the project list grew, but I thought that it was important to make sure that we took the time, not only to clean the floors, but also to polish the furniture. A little Howard Feed-N-Wax makes everything look much better. Also, wood can dry out when it is not well cared for.

Finally, everything was clean and shiny, and it was time to put the bed back together.

Even unmade, it looked better already. I put Kahlua up so that she could see that change is not always bad. She did not seem so sure, but she sat there patiently and tried not to look while Douglas glued the little pieces of veneer that peeled off with all the moving. She will never be an inspector like her siblings.

All of the work seemed to wear the two of them out. I found them passed out on the bed moments later.

In the meantime, we had put the box spring on the guest bed until we could figure out what to do with it. Ponche thought it was the greatest hiding place ever. Crème might have been a little jealous that she could not fit in there or she was just enjoying attacking Ponche when he tried to get out.

We all slept well in the bed that night. Crème even joined us, which is highly unusual, allowing Ponche to sleep right next to her.

Somehow the room seems bigger to me now. I am loving the change, especially being able to get in and out of bed easier. Knowing the there is no longer a giant hairball animal living under the bed also makes me feel better.

Happy Homemaking!