So my "come-hell-or-high-water" approach to getting the curtains up this weekend did get us halfway, but they're not yet done. Martin did his bit to get the rods up. which involved devising something so they would go around a corner, and then cutting up some long pieces of metal pipe to make the rods. I then pre-washed the curtains themselves so that they can now be hemmed, but they're a hem and serious ironing away from being completed, which feels like a good start, and has calmed my stubborn drive for now.
The household task that was completed this weekend was the "installation" of our new free rug (free!). While we do love, love, love our hardwood floors we wanted to put some kind of area rug in the livingroom. Neither of us had really decided what we wanted, though we had talked about possibly getting a fairly neutral carpet cut and bound from a rollend place or something. And while the coming winter did motivate us to make the house a bit more cosey, we weren't in a big hurry. To be perfectly honest, I kind of figured that through Martin a carpet would find us someday soon. For you see, among Martin's many varied talents when it comes to home renovations is his skill at acquiring things for cheap/free. He comes by this quality honestly (and somewhat genetically) being a naturally resourceful guy, and having a day a week to troll the thrift stores out in the valley after he drops his daughter off at school. And while I can fetishize and delight in shiney new things as much as the next girl, I generally am so very appreciative of his natural scavenger luck.
And, as it turns out, I was right. Sort of. Last week, as I was coming up in the elevator at work, I noticed a sign saying "free rug: fourth floor." I hummed and hawed in the elevator, arms laden with errand bags, coffee and an umbrella. My first instinct was to assume it was a manky nasty rug that no one wanted, but thought to myself: "Self, what would Martin do in this situation." So I quickly pressed the fourth floor elevator button before we sped past it, and hopped out to take a look. Low and behold, an absolutely perfect sized (8 x 10') woven jute rug was piled up in the hallway. Assessing that my hands were far too full to bring it up myself, I found Lauren and Chris and engaged their helping hands. One trip down in the van on Saturday afternoon later and we have a new livingroom rug.
It's note the world's swellest rug, and it isn't exactly soft and squishy, but it looks pretty fine, and it will certainly do for now. While we're pleased with our new low-cost acquisition, our joy is nothing compared to the sheer delight of one Mr. Pluto the Wonderkitty, who sits on it (and surely scratches it when we're not home) like the king he is, proud as a cat to have a new surface to sleep on.
. How nutty is that? 
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