The Yellow Chair.

One thing you need to know about me is that I’m not a great shopper. I’m not that girl who goes all over town trying to find the best deal. I’m not awesome at scrounging through piles of clothes to find that one shirt that’s my size and 75% off. Nor do I shop enough to know when things will be marked down the most. I love when I happen upon a great deal, of course, but I’m not always the best at finding it. That being said, when I went out to look for a chair for our living room in our old house, I wanted to find one quickly and easily. I had an idea of what I was looking for and like every other time I know what I want, I couldn’t find it. It’s like I’ve created an imaginary piece of furniture in my mind that doesn’t exist. I go from store to store looking for the chair (which must actually be a unicorn) and just get more and more frustrated. When I finally come to the store that holds this treasure of a chair, I’m willing to pay pretty much anything so I won’t have to shop anymore. And that is exactly what I did. Dave Ramsey would have been appalled. There was no haggling, no negotiating, no wheeling and dealing. When they told me how much, I handed over the card. I knew it was expensive, but I was so tired of searching I didn’t care.

To say my husband had sticker shock when I told him what “we” paid would be a gross understatement. He also noticed the color I had picked was quite a bit lighter than the couch we had in our living room. Our couch is the color of dirt. We picked it out when we got married and it was just a bonus that it turned out to be the perfect color for kids. In case you’re wondering, dirt color doesn’t show many stains. The chair I chose was the color of butter. Not white, but definitely not as dark as dirt. I, of course, told my husband it would be fine and we would be extra careful and the kids wouldn’t be allowed to bring snacks on it and yada, yada, yada. It took no more than 2 weeks for one of my kids to leave a “leak-proof” sippy cup lying on the ottoman. I’m guessing if any of you reading have had experience with a “leak-proof” sippy cup, you know exactly what happened. Milk or juice (I can’t remember which) leaked onto my new ottoman.

I’m not sure what my reaction was, but if I know me I’m sure it involved buyer’s remorse and waves of nausea. I’m certain I also cursed myself for being too lazy to scotchguard my new piece of furniture. Rookie mistake. As I sprayed and dabbed the stain remover I thought I’m in the clear. It looked like it was coming out but I wouldn’t know for sure until it dried. The good news was the stain came out. The bad news? The stain remover left a grayish ring around where the stain had been. More waves of nausea.

Fast forward to the present.

We still have this chair and ottoman in our living room. It’s a darker shade of yellow from the multitude of stains that have graced its cushions. And it definitely has some spots that are there for good. The good news? It’s my favorite chair in our home. It’s the most comfortable chair to snuggle up in and most Sundays it’s reserved for my afternoon nap. I love to read and write in this chair. I love watching movies with my kids in this chair. I love pretending that my husband and I fit comfortably in this chair (it’s a little tight). So it may have cost a fortune and ended up with stains galore, but I adore this chair. I know it’s silly to be thankful for a chair, but today I am.

What’s your favorite piece of furniture in your home?

-Courtney

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