Quinn the cat loves my bed!

It's not a resolution, really more of a habit I am trying to instill, but I am trying to keep the bedroom neat and the bed made. It's been a challenge, because we haven't had a real comforter or quilt on the bed in a while. I have been holding off buying/making one because the style of the bed is so strong, being a Harvey Ellis-style Stickley frame with inlays, that I wanted something that would not work against the style. I recently pulled this yo-yo quilt out of my blanket chest, and was really happy with how it looked. My husband even likes it! It's a vintage one that was unfinished when my mother-in-law gave it to me, and Johanna finished it beautifully. I didn't use it for the longest time, because it's so fragile, but I am committed to keeping it nice on a well-made bed every morning. I have to say, it puts my mind into the right place every morning when I straighten up the covers.

If you, like me, have "neatness issues", I have a couple of inspirational suggestions. Check out Flylady for a primer on becoming neat and organized. She uses baby steps to get the organizationally-challenged on the right track, and you can sign up for email reminders. The other thing that has really motivated me is watching episodes of How Clean Is Your House on BBC America. My home isn't anywhere close to the hovels some of these folks live in (setting the studio aside, of course) but it's a great show to watch to get enthused about creating sparkly surfaces.