Bed, Bath and ... Beyond

I am inundated weekly by Bed, Bath & Beyond coupons. Ironically, whenever I need to shop there, I can't find one.

Go figure.

Today was different. I am in heavy-duty clean-up mode. When all the furniture has been moved, everything removed from the built-ins, it's a good opportunity to de-clutter, to really get things in order. You should see the shelves next to the television - I hauled all the kids' DVDs upstairs to the playroom, so there is no longer an unsightly pile of them in the family room (ours are carefully hidden behind the television ...) Everything has been dusted and put away. Even the eldest daughter - not necessarily known for her tidiness - has agreed to part with some paraphernalia out of her room; the purging, in her case, is long overdue.

(And - on a side note - I am feeling very HGTV: I came up with an idea to use her broken Tae Kwon Do boards and create some wall art. We'll paint the boards and arrange them attractively on her wall. So creative. Move over, Lynnette Jennings.)

So, today, as I hung up bath towels - old bath towels, I might add - they're all Sylvia's age or older - the colors hurt my eyes. Major clash going on. So, grabbed my paint chip and headed to BB&B, coupon in hand.

Found the towels, even splurged for new pillows. You'd think they might be for Alison ... but no, they're for me. I gave Alison our old ones. Very thoughty of me. (*Obscure reference to animated Robin Hood, circa 1970 or so. Great little film - Alison watched it daily for what felt like months many years ago.)

Anyway.

My coupon was for a mere 20 percent off ONE item. Thus, the total savings on my $164 purchase? $2.20. Sound the trumpets.

I also dropped some cash on my Target run - no coupon there. Bought Mothers' Day cards, including one for my MIL, since Gary is out of town. (He never, ever asks me to do this, and I generally don't - if he asked, I would, but she's not my mother. I don't buy cards for his family's birthday, either - if he wanted me to, I would, but he doesn't seem to get too worked up about it. I just deal with my family.)

Bottom line, here? My bathroom looks stunning now that it's all color-coordinated. This all leads to a sense of inner calm.

One time, we heard a question, for women: Would you rather have OK sex in a clean house, or great sex in a messy house? I think you can guess my answer ... though it is hypothetical. My house is very clean.

And my husband is out of town (!)