The power of the Veto

Do you and your partner/spouse/roommate have a "veto agreement?"

You know.  Something that gives each one of you the right to nix anything if they are really against it?

Chris and I have a decorating veto. 

Basically, either one of us can invoke the power of veto on any decorating decision that we are not 100% on board with.  After all, this is OUR home, and we both need to love it.

So far, Chris has been pretty good about letting me do whatever I want, and has only questioned a few of my decorating decisions.  He did almost use his veto on the front porch couch, but instead he instated the 48 hour rule = I have 48 hours to make it look good before he veto's it.

Lucky for me it all turned out ok and he liked the porch-couch.

After doing some serious Ikea accessory shopping, I get a wild hair to do some furniture rearranging.  Chris was working late, so I took it as my opportunity to try something new.

Of course, moving heavy furniture is not usually a one woman job, but I have never let something silly like that slow me down. When there is a will, there is a way.

So I changed into some yoga pants (essential for furniture moving) and got some socks out of the drawer.  Why socks?  For moving.  Duh.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, I will explain it to you.

I learned a million years ago, that sliding furniture is WAY EASIER than lifting it.  But I also learned (the hard way), that sliding furniture can ruin hardwood floors.  So, I put socks on the legs of all my furniture and slide away.  I find that Chris' smart wools or nice/thick athletic socks are the best.

Sock coordination is not as essential in moving as it is in life

I've been wanting something in the dining room for ages and I had visions of a buffet table with wine storage.  Since we may be knocking out a wall, it is silly to invest in a buffet, so I thought I might re-purpose some of our existing furniture.

After I socked up our TV cabinet, I slid it over into the dining room in place of a buffet.

Then I slid the entry table over to the wall and put the TV on it.  It used to be the home to our keys, cards, random crap and purse storage.

Now it lives on the other wall as a tv table. I hid all the cables and cords (somewhat unsuccessfully) in a basket filled with blankets.

Who knows what episode of Sex and the City this is???

I spent 30 minutes running around the house find items to place on the top of the new buffet.  Once I finally got it looking somewhat good, I sat back and waited for Chris to come home.

Everything is a place holder, just trying to get the feel of the buffet

Well, at least I sat down for 5 minutes, until I saw millions of dust bunnies all over the floor.  Apparently someone hasn't been vacuuming behind the furniture.  Moving furniture around may be the single best way to ensure your house is always clean.  We've only been here for 4 months and there were some serious dust bunnies behind the TV cabinet. Gross.

Once I was done vacuuming, I sat down to watch my new TV setup and revel in the new feel of the room. (Yes, I was watching Sex and the City)

I realized I was not sold on the entry table as a TV table.  I liked the idea of a smaller table in the space, and the fact that I could finally open my glass doors (not that I actually use that cabinet).  I wasn't too keen on the cords that were dangling from the wall.

Although I didn't love this solution, I was pretty enamored with the new buffet that I had made in the dining room.  It made the room feel full and finished.  I picture a large round mirror hanging above the chair rail directly over the new buffet- maybe something like one of these.

I like the shiny element of this one

I like the thin border but deep inset on this on

While I was daydreaming of the possibilities, Chris walked in.  He was in the middle of a phone call and walked right past the new TV set up.  It wasn't until he got to the dining room that he stopped dead and turn around and gave me the "what did you do" look.

As soon as he got off the phone, he decided it was time to invoke his veto.

I was seriously heartbroken.

Not only had I schlepped all this furniture all over the house, but I was in love with my work.

Alas.  There is no going back after a veto.  The dream is dead.

I may or may not have tried the old tear-rolling-down-the-cheek trick.  But alas again, that too is dead. Chris is wise to my tactics.  After a decade together he is not swayed by a tear, a puppy dog face or even my incessant pleading to convince him otherwise.

So in the end.  We decided that Chris could use his veto, and that I would get to knock the wall between the dining room and kitchen down very soon (something I have wanted since before we bought the house), so that I wouldn't have to worry about putting anything there. 

So really, it was still a win-win.  I am going to leave the buffet there for a few days, just so I can enjoy it.

Who knows, maybe if I don't move it back, it will just stay there forever.  Here's hoping.