A rant and a rug

Whenever I tell people that we are living in our house while renovating it, almost everyone -- particularly if they are female -- asks, "How do you deal with the dirt?"

I would say I have just learned to ignore it, which is partially true, but it's not without a certain amount of angst. Even though the dirtiest parts of the house are pretty well blocked off, there's only so much you can do to keep the dirt from spreading like a plague. And not only is there actual dirt, but everything is always in a state of transition. We have a makeshift kitchen in the living room; there are dishes drying in the bathroom. There's always some sort of tool or wire or piece of wood lying somewhere. There's no point in really "decorating" since everything is in progress and constantly changing, and it seems pointless to decorate around displaced items that will hopefully be moved to their rightful places soon. It can be tough for someone like me, whose surroundings affect my mood and outlook. I can't keep up. Our home still doesn't feel homey. It feels cluttery and in transition.

The whole point of this rant is to say that I have a particular hatred for our living room rug, so much so that I haven't posted any pictures of it and will probably refuse in the future. We needed something to protect the floor under the coffee table, and this one was less than $20 at HomeGoods. It has had sriracha sauce splattered on it countless times (since our coffee table doubles as our dining table) and it mysteriously attracts dirt, even though we don't wear shoes in the house. I like worn and rustic things, but that nasty rug is just bringing me down.

I really like this relatively inexpensive one from Pottery Barn, but I'm still not willing to buy something I consider to be on the nicer end of the spectrum until the dirt becomes more manageable. What's the point?

I probably won't even do any serious holiday decorating, which I suppose makes me an exceptionally bad blogger... I just don't want to put money or effort into projects that don't get me any closer to having a kitchen. I can't tell you how much I want a kitchen!!!

On days like today, thinking about how other people live does help to put things into perspective. I'm living in this ramshackle house by choice, and I'm living pretty darn luxuriously compared to the vast majority of people around the world. Living in the ugliest, dirtiest house on the lane isn't really so bad when I really think about it. Even with a nasty rug and no kitchen.