As a result of a car accident several years ago, Don has issues with his back. While away for work, he and I got in a conversation about mattresses and due to the fact that his back had been a bit worse lately he asked if I would go and scope out a few just to see what’s available. I thought it was a good idea as the one we are currently sleeping on is getting old and a little worn. I had the morning off the following day so I decided I would check out the mattress store that was close to where I work first just to see what they had available. I learned that shopping for a new mattress before going to work is probably not the best idea I’ve ever had. In the “narrow down the possibilities” process I was asked to lay on at least 10 beds. Do you have any idea what that does to a hairdo? I thought the salesperson was a bit over the top with her glittery eye shadow and glittery nails and sequin sweater and studded leggings and glittery boots but I gave new meaning to the word tacky after that shopping experience! I looked like I had just removed my head from the inside of a vacuum! My clothes were acting weird too. This experience really helped me to realize why we wear pajamas to bed. Our street clothes have no idea how to act when asked to pose as pajamas. They fail miserably. My jeans were situated in a place they had no business being and my shoulder pads had slipped off my shoulders and I’m not so sure I didn’t lose an earring. The $3500 estimate “Sparkle” scratched on the back of her business card put a rather sour taste in both Don’s and my mouths. Me, being the thrifty sort, suggested that for less than $200 I could probably turn our existing bed into one that felt just as good as the one from the “hair messing and clothes shuffling” store I had stopped at before work. He pondered my idea for a few days and eventually his back talked him into my less expensive plan.
When I returned from the store, I was lugging a box into the house weighing more than it looked like it should have. It was getting close to bedtime so Don plopped our new purchase on the bed and opened the box. What we found inside was something that resembled one of the biggest blobs of chewed bubble gum we had ever seen. It was supposed to eventually become a three inch thick memory foam topper but it was definitely going to need some time to breath before it would be able to convince us it was going to look like the picture on the box.
Several weeks have passed and I can honestly say, memory foam takes some getting used to. It has an almost “quick sand” effect. It’s as hard a rock when you touch it but it really does seem to eliminate stress points. I learned all about stress points when I was at the bed store. The first few nights we felt as if we were sleeping in our very own little cocoons! I believe we are both beyond the “getting used to it” phase and neither of us has decided that sinking into our cocoons each night is a bad thing. It didn’t take me long to realize I needed to be facing the edge of the bed before deciding to get up as rolling over and getting off the bed aren’t as easy as when you are removing yourself from a regular mattress. After this experience I have an all new appreciation for caterpillars that enter into their cocoon phase. They would really have to be prepared if they planned to take a lot of potty breaks while earning their wings!
Today I am going to add a dust ruffle to our bed. Don and I have been talking about this for quite some time so I think he is ready to handle this part of the bedroom “bevitization” that is going to take place today. I have always loved to re-purpose things and a few weeks ago I found 445″ inches of cream colored batten-burg lace valances at a second hand store. This will be enough to make a dust ruffle and trim for pillow shams. When I divulged my plan to the gals at the store they said, “We want pictures!” I love how other women can relate to things like this. I know Don would be okay with it too so the fact that he is 1383.5 miles away for at least another 32 hours was no part of the planning process! (Okay, that’s not true!)