Cutesy Curtains

I like surprises. My husband does not. So, I am constantly trying to surprise him, and he never surprises me. It sounds worse than it is, and we're working on it.

One time I really like surprises is on my birthday. In an effort to surprise me (in a good way), my husband asked for a list of stuff I would be happy to receive. So I gave him a long list, full of practical, frivolous, small, extravagant  whimsical, or needful things. He tucked it into his wallet, and proceeded to spend the next three years whittling away at it. I never knew what he was going to do next. Christmas, birthdays, Mothers Day, our anniversary, Valentines Day...he returned to the list for my next surprise.

One thing that was not on the list was curtains. We had curtains, but they were old (possibly as old as me), and have not withstood the shenanigans of my children. I lucked out and found four matching sets for my dining room windows for a pittance (yard sale!), but the rest of the house has poorly clothed windows.

Imagine my joy and complete surprise when my husband arrived home from a store run with several packages of curtains for my kitchen. It was not my birthday. Or any other traditional gift-giving day. The curtains were not on clearance. But they were in my favorite colors, and they were the style I like and they were absolutely perfect. As he gave them to me, he said, "I overheard you telling one of the girls that you like beautiful things, and so I was trying to bring something beautiful into your every day life."

I took them down today to wash them. Being kitchen curtains, they are in need of it on a regular basis. Taking them down and putting them back up, I was reminded all over again how happy I am to have them.

I am grateful for my cutesy kitchen curtains. I love how they make my kitchen feel light and homey and cottage-ish. I am grateful for laundry detergent that actually gets all the hand mixer oopsies out of the curtain fabric. I am grateful for a husband who doesn't resent my girly penchant for pretty things, and who does his best to fill my life with beauty and joy.

What are you blessed with today?