indulge yourself, part I.

So most of my time, energy, and money have been relegated to the kitchen lately. We've made a couple upgrades in other areas of the house, though, and they have totally reinforced my new understanding that it's really helpful to indulge yourself from time to time. --And yes, the kitchen itself is a major indulgence, but what about the everyday things you use that just aren't up to par?

Such as...remember this picture?

That's my bed.

I mentioned that our anniversary present to each other this year was a new mattress. The one we'd been sleeping on was 10+ years old, broken, and - well, it pretty much felt like this:

That's my butt.

...Which is to say, hard and unforgiving. Seriously, we both woke up sore every morning (now, now), and I couldn't find a position that was comfortable for longer than about eight minutes. That doesn't make for a very restful night.

So we threw financial caution to the wind and purchased a Sleep Number mattress, for reasons I first mentioned here:

1. J.J. is a really, really, REALLY picky sleeper. He's been known to rotate among all our sleeping surfaces (bed, futon, couch) in one night in order to find his desired firmness. (That's what she said?)
2. He likes it hard, I like it soft. (THAT'S what she said.)
3. Our mattress needs may fluctuate when I'm pregnant someday/when we have kids.
4. They have a 20-year warranty, and we've heard good reviews from some friends.

They said it would take about two weeks for delivery, but less than a week after our anniversary-day purchase, they called and announced they'd be arriving the next day. Which gave us about an hour of daylight to prep the bed frame. This mattress didn't require a box spring, so we saved a little (emphasis on little) cash by not ordering one. It did require, though, that the slats of the supporting frame be only about an inch apart.

J.J. and I had looked at each other in the store when the salesman said that.

"That's about what our bed frame is, right?" I said, nodding my head to convince both of us.

"Yeah, I think so," he concurred, nodding his head to make it magically so.

"If not," the salesman continued, "just slap a piece of plywood down on top. No big deal."

Well...

Yeah. They're about two to three inches apart. Luckily for me and my sanity, J.J. took this project on and dashed to the hardware store for plywood and duct tape.

The plywood pieces were (shocker) not the right size for the bed frame, so we measured it out, and J.J. used some saw or another to slice them into shape.

Once they were cut and sanded, all we had to do was tape them together.

It may not look super fancy, but it gets the job done, and for a hell of a lot cheaper than a box spring. OR maybe it's our steampunk bed.

And the next day?

Ooooh, pretty. (Excuse the weird lighting. Maybe it's mood lighting.)

BUT.

The jury's still out on whether I'm 100% a fan or not. On the plus side, I never realized how hard our old broken mattress was; I use one of the softest settings on this bed. Unfortunately, I still wake up sore most mornings, and I have to position myself very specifically when falling asleep if I want to have any muscle function the next day. Plus side? I can sleep on my left arm again, for the first time since my stupid mysterious shoulder stupidity started almost two years ago. Unfortunately? I hate the expensive pillows we got, and I didn't return mine in time to get a refund. Plus side? It's fun to make the bed harder and softer. Unfortunately? It's really loud when it's inflating or deflating, so I don't recommend changing the setting if your partner is already asleep.

So, I'm somewhat undecided, but overall, the upgrade was worth it. For his part, J.J. loves it, but he says that about everything that he's too lazy to return - slash, everything that he's sick of me talking about for hours on end ("THE BLUE KITCHEN IS FINE. IT'S FINE.") True, part of me wishes we had just spent the money on a regular mattress. Part of me thinks we should invest in a quality pillow-top mattress cover, which might help with some of the unevenness (which becomes apparent during...um...non-sleep activities). Part of me wonders if there was a 90-day return policy that we should take advantage of, although if so, it may have expired...earlier this week. Part of me is back in the same rut that led us to years of mattress-hating inaction: ignoring the problem except when it's unavoidable - i.e., going to sleep, waking up. But most of me? Is much more well-rested and happier in bed. Indulgence: it's a good thing.

The bedroom isn't the only place we've indulged lately, though. More on that soon! The mystery is killing you, I know. Hint: It's bathroom-related. I know you want to know all the intimate details of our sleeping and bathing routines, so...your wish shall be granted. YOU'RE WELCOME.