The Family Bird: 2009-12-13

Caring Tree at Mary's school--- Magnolia School

The school has adopted "Family 39"-- The head of this family is a grandmother with serious health problems who is raising five kids alone. I picked off an ornament-tag that read:

"Girls room. 3 share a bed and they need a king-size comforter or heavy blanket."

Well- one thing led to another. I am extremely limited in funds at the moment (!!) but still, somehow I found myself at Ross looking for this bedspread. I really couldn't bear to buy clothes because the four year-old boy wants a cowboy outfit-- boots and belt and hat, etc.--- and where would you find that? And having a 14 year-old girl who frequently reminds me that I have simply god-awful atrocious taste I am aware of my limitations. It's too hard when you don't know somebody to get what they would love. Teenagers especially. I hoped that somebody else might have a better current style sense than I do, and went for the bedding instead.

I DO KNOW LINENS. When I tried to imagine sharing a bed with two sisters, and thought about how it feels like my bed is my last refuge and how much it means to have it be all clean and snuggy, I really tried to picture their scene. So.... they must have a mattress pad, because that is something fresh for a mattress that may not be the greatest-- and it makes a foundation for the sheets to fit right. I found one for 20 bucks- Ross is fabulous! And put that in the cart.

Comforter selection was at first glance picked over and sucky. Those things tend to be difficult to get just right. Found a few sets of sheets (only around $20.00 also) but no anchor to base the choice off of, because no comforter! Found a king size fleece blanket, a lovely blue. One of the very nice sheet sets was also a jewel-like and dusty shade of steel/dove blue. OK. That works and it's pulling together around a color. And it's nice, this color-- not too peculiar or idiosyncratic but also cheery, and not as unforgiving of daily wear as pure white. Considering they never had a set of dishes but only styrofoam I'll bet they don't have a washer, but schlep things to a laundrymat. So sheets. What would these girls like/ love? I can't imagine, but this soft blue is calming, yet still kind of neutral.

The cart has a growing related pile of stuff in it. Like the old aggregation song about old Farmer in the Dell...The pad takes the sheet, the sheet takes the case, the case takes a pillow, the pillow finds a blanket... You get the picture?

You CAN'T put your only new sheets on a grungy pillow. Or a new comforter over dingy sheets, can you really? Considering how I know for a fact that some normal middle class people have ratty, pilly sheets. So-- these girls definitely need some new ones.

But what about their pillows? King sheets come with king cases- and who changes out their pillows as often as they should- even if they can afford to? And then what about the third sister? Shouldn't she have a new pillow also, if her sisters do? Which means an extra case- beyond the two king ones that come with the set. How many pillows fit across a king size bed? I figured the five year old would probably get the standard-size pillow (big sisters are 11 and 13, I think) and you can sort of mash two kings across and wedge a standard in there scrunched a little. So yeah, that standard pillow needs its own case as well. OK--a set of 2 for 5.99. and 350 thread count ! 100% cotton, gorgeous, a little lighter shade of blue also. I've got a theme going now.

Wow! How did I not see the ONLY even semi-acceptable comforter is a king and at $44.00 dollars a great deal. It's a darker shade of blue (Good. won't show dirt easily) but in the tone range of the other blues that have coagulated in my shopping cart. Jesus this is getting expensive! Add keeping the original spark-- the lightweight same-blue-range king-size fleece blanket (only $20 too!), a blanket which I was thinking might even end up with the boys or Mom...

$161.00 dollars later, plus wrapping paper-- with no shopping done for anyone else, and no money either!

I used a credit card, and felt slightly kicked in the stomach by my buying frenzy.

But dammit!!!! I'll pay for it somehow. My life has sucked many times, and seemed awful. Yet I have so many advantages compared to this family. By golly at least the three sisters can make up their own bed to be a soft new nice fluffy nest. I hope they fell comforted by it -----and this world really sucks, BTW. And some people really do care.