Our new sofa!
It feels like we have a new member of the family!
You gotta admit, a sofa is a pivotal piece of furniture in the life of a family, especially a homeschooling family. Just ask the kids - we have been without one since early February. Fortunately there were two chairs left for Joe and I, but the kids spent a lot of time on the floor reading, cross stitching and doing cartwheels. They actually liked being able to practice cartwheels inside, but I suspect they like sitting on a comfy sofa even more, especially now that the snow has melted and they can tumble outside.
After years of putting up with our battered leather sofa with a broken frame and bent legs, we finally had the financial means to purchase a replacement. Anticipating a weekend shopping trip and quick delivery, we sold the old one on Craig's List for $40 in just five minutes.
Our first stop was a rather large furniture store up the highway. We announced our requirements to the saleslady: a sofa that will hold up to five kids, two cats, several hours a day of use, a southern exposure and close proximity to a wood burning fireplace. She sent us to the liquidation center and almost talked us into buying this little red sofa, suggesting we wait until the kids grow up to buy a quality piece.
I quickly emailed this photo to friends for opinions.
Uncertain, we traveled in the opposite direction to another large furniture store, entered, and announced the same requirements. The sales guy didn't even blink. "Just have a look around," he said. Evidently he was confident about the quality of the furniture he sold. And btw, after showing him the photo of the red sofa we were considering, he told us that he had only sold one red sofa in twenty years!
It did not take us long to find something with firm support and a classic look. We had to check out some fabric samples before deciding on a coordinating fabric. The hard part was waiting six weeks for our order, but knowing that American workers were making it for an American company helped the time go by. We tried our best not to complain and counted the wait and the lack of sofa as a Lenten sacrifice.
So here we are, reading and nursing and crafting and doing school on a sofa again. We think it's a keeper, and from all accounts, this brand wears like iron. People tell us that it will last so long we will get sick of the sofa but it will still be in such great shape that we won't be able to justify getting rid of it!
