Bullseye.

Ok, I'll admit it: I really really enjoy outings to Target.  There's just something about their mass-produced self-branded stuff that I LOVE.  I enjoy their dish towels, their bathroom accessories, their soaps, their vitamins, their housing decor, and even their granola bars (and my kid is a big fan of their puffed wheats).  You get the idea.

I strolled through the aisles today, bound and determined to stick to The List (I did quite well, too, though I did buy a sweater for Andy for next season...but it was on clearance for $3.74, so I felt like that was an allowable bonus).  But, I have to say, I was drawn in, as usual.  And this time, it was the decor that really did it for me.  There were prints that I loved, there were wonderful glass apothecary-like jars that I could envision in my kitchen (not my current kitchen, mind you, but in my dream kitchen).  And, there were wonderful hurricanes AND boxes of various fruits with which to decorate.  I have wanted to have a spot in my kitchen/dining room for awhile where it make sense to have whole lemons in a vase.  I don't know why, but I do.  Apparently, Target agrees with me that this is pleasant.

I am in the process of thinking about how much money we can, and want to, spend on fixing up our house this year.  There are things I want to do in every single room, but it's nowhere near realistic to think that we have the time or the resources available to hit all of them right now.  Of course, we also have no intention of moving  in the near future, so what we don't do this year can go into the 2011 budget.  I wish that I didn't feel so limited in terms of skill set AND because I can't really paint or do a lot of other fixing-up activites while caring for the kiddo all day.  But, hey, if any of you is incredibly well-connected to fixer-upper types who are excited about working on a home, the owners of whom are on a limited budget, then send 'em on over.  Also, I need a few artistic friends to help me make some stuff.  I want our house to be our home.  I want our art to not just reflect who we are, but to be an investment of our time and gifts.  I really love things that are personal and homemade (when they're done well, or, down the road, when they're done by my son).  Functionality is important, but so is personality.  Part of my problem is with focus.  I have so many big ideas, but I can't ever just focus on one room or one idea at a time, so I end up overwhelming myself with possibilities, and then not having much to show for any of them.

Anyway, that's where I am now.  Conjuring up images of my ideal home, thinking of the fun it will be to look for more paint samples (I LOVE looking at paint samples), and dreaming of Target aisles with fake lemons and real style.

Reasons to be happy:
1. Hubbers returns home tomorrow after a few days away!
2. My new bamboo desk organizer
3. Putting boxes full of things out to donate, and feeling deeply gratified, both by the knowledge that someone else is benefiting from our cast-offs, and by the knowledge that we have less clutter with which to deal in our own home.
4. The t.v. show "Community." It's just hilarious.  Seriously.
5. The knowledge that, though TWO lightbulbs have gone out on one chandelier over the course of this week, I have replacement bulbs on hand, so soon, the light will be restored.