Making our bed—what works for me
Not a lofty topic. I wasn’t even sure if I’d put it my blog, but I didn’t know where else. Last night making beds became a brief topic of discussion with a group of friends. Today as I made our bed, I thought I’d share what’s working for me.
I am not a lifelong bedmaker. Pretty much the opposite. Mostly it seemed like a why-bother thing to me. But as I grew older, having a smooth sheet under me when I slept became more and more important. Because princess-and-the-pea. I started making my bed right before getting into it at night, and that became a source of frustration for Randy. Now that I spend a significant part of my mornings reading and journaling in bed, I’ve come up with a “system” that works for me.
At the suggestion of a friend years ago, I began using two twin-sized duvets on our California King bed. This stopped the battle of the shared blanket as Randy pulled away my blanket when he turned over, and I’m sure he felt I was doing the same. A duvet is the perfect weight for me as it is light and I tend to run hot. Randy piles other blankets on top as he likes additional weight and warmth.
Having duvets meant having duvet covers. I loved the chance to pick different designs but oh how I hated putting them on after I washed them. And these latest covers were a little larger than the duvets themselves, so even once I got them on, the duvet would tend to bulge and not spread out correctly within the cover. Not too long ago, I noticed that a hotel room we stayed in had sheets over the bedspread. Maybe to make it easier to wash the top layer? Not sure. But it inspired me to lay the duvet covers on top of the duvets rather than actually insert the duvet into a cover like a huge pillowcase, as they are designed to be used. I’ve done this for about a month so far, and I love it!
I also recently switched to standard pillows rather than the longer king-bed pillows. Those larger pillows may look nicer but I constantly felt that Randy’s pillow was invading my space. (You can tell what a joy it is to share a bed with me!) Having standard pillows has been luxuriously spacious.
And there you have it. Now, after I read and journal, I usually make the bed, fussily MY way, saving Randy the frustration of my doing it right before we get in bed. I realize this is very likely not neat and elegant enough for many of you lifelong bedmakers, but it works for me and I thought I’d share in case any of you might want to try some part of my system. :) I’d love to hear what works for you!
My favorite place to be after breakfast. The bed adjusted to seating position, with a tray on the bed for my books, journal, pen, kleenexes, and latte. In good weather, the French doors in our room are open so there’s fresh air flowing, and in any weather the curtains are open for natural light. Heaven.