Fessing Up

It's time to own up.


I have poor design taste.  And I am surrounded by the tasteful.  And it stresses the heck out of me.


For those of you who have read for awhile, you may have gleaned that I am a bit of a mess when it comes to housekeeping.  But that's really just the tip of the iceberg.


Let me step back for a minute. 

1. I have parents with taste and style and, well, as parents, the budget to support those things.
2. I have a brother and sister-in-law with a very well-defined sense of style (making it impossible to shop for them, by the way).
3. I have a niece who is a byproduct of number 2.
4. I have a sister who studied fashion merchandising and design and works in retail.
5. I have an aunt who does interior design who is married to my uncle who is a professional artist.
6. Their kids (my cousins), respectively, are a photographer and art director/graphic designer.
7. And I have a group of friends whose homes are always "just right" with rugs perfectly askew, decor items perfectly assembled, and, somehow, nary a toy in sight.

And then there is me.


I was talking to one such friend recently (who will recognize herself in this story) and she was telling me about her brother, who evidently is also lacking in the design-sense area.  And let me say this is a friend with fabulous design sense and style...so this isn't about her.  It's about me.


Admittedly, he sounds worse than me.  But as she talked about his new home and its issues, paneling, ugly carpet, hideous kitchen, she got to the worst part of his house.


He has valances on his windows.


Could I believe it, I mean who has valances?


And I was nodding in total agreement.


And then I got home.  And looked up.


I have valances. 

And random window swags that don't fit the windows. 

And valances.

I need the following:

1. Better taste
2. More money
3. More time
4. Less need for sleep

But I am owning up to the fact that none of those things are probably going to happen.

Any ideas?