trial run (Ben, this one's for you)

When I shop for clothes, which doesn't happen too often these days, but when it does, I bring home the articles purchased and let them hang around for a few days with their tags still on in their bags. Then I pull them out occasionally, put them on my bed, look at them, hold them up to me while I look in the mirror, try them on, try them on again. You get the idea. I like to see how the shirt I bought will work with the jeans or skirt I already have. I want to see if I like it outside the tiny cubicle that is a dressing room (plus we all know that store mirrors were bought off some circus closing up shop. Who knows if you have the mirror that makes you look a little rounder at the edges or stretches you out a bit, thereby deceiving you about your true, fabulous figure and what you should drape it with).
Ben does not understand this. I think it drives him a leetle bit crazy.

Well, when Ben was out in Utah, my mom was in the process of redecorating her room, which left her with a beautiful bedroom set on her hands. I offered to take it of said hands and she agreed to pack it up and send it along so that I could try it out. It included a decorative pillow to go on the bed that was, uh, rather large. Ben tried to talk her out of sending it saying that it would take up an entire suitcase by itself (a slight exaggeration, and a small suitcase at that), but being the good natured son-in-law and husband that he is he hauled it all home for me in a duffle bad the size of Rhode Island, and the process began...

I got the duvet, pillow shams, bedskirt, etc. out of the bag and let them lay around on the floor and the chair for a few days. Then I switched duvet covers. Then yesterday I put on the new bedskirt and switched my pillow shams. But it just didn't quite work. It is a beautiful set, but a little too much for my smallish room (especially including the fancy pillow). I have opted to keep the shams and the bedskirt for now because I think I can find a bedspread that will work with them. Of course this will mean bringing home various bedspreads to try out with the other stuff. And returning the other things to my mom. The process continues. But really, it's great to live in a world where you can take something back!