Veruca Salt, here.

Take a nice long look at this and tell me what you think of:

I think of antlers.

And marble.

And hunting.

And hiring a hunter to shoot this chandelier down.

It is just another item in our new home that I want changed. I have a long list of things-to-get-to and they all seem to cost some money.

For instance:

1. 85% of my home is beige. I would like to change that.

2. Except for the bedrooms, all the flooring is hardwood; I like that, but I want to put area rugs down in the living room, dining room and entry.

3. Our master bedroom is green. Green is my favorite color, but not this green.

4. Ceiling fans. Geoff loves ceiling fans. I don't. But I think that will be our compromise. Better-looking ceiling fans. Not brass. Which leads me to the next point:

5. Ridding this home of brass.

Though this home is accented with brass, it wasn't made in the 80's, but the 90's. However, this town I live in is approximately fifteen years behind the rest of the country in regards to home decor and, I think, just a few years behind in music.

A short anecdote to both prove and illustrate my time warp dilemma:

I was recently shopping at a local lighting store to check out chandeliers to replace my current problem. I pulled up to the store and do you know what I saw showcased in their windows? Ugly chandeliers, just like mine.

I was, I think tactful, in explaining my problem that my tastes in home decor are not reflected in this area's stores. She stated that she was from California and that this area is fifteen years behind.

A little later while talking with her she said, "You'll adjust."

WHAT? I will "adjust" to poor taste? I sure hope not! I will just learn to shop online. I will make sure to have space in my trunk when I vacation in Seattle or other areas with good shopping.

end of anecdotal evidence to this town's modern challenges.

So this leads me to a search, online, for my next "need."

I looked at a few different styles but when I saw drum chandeliers my heart leaped and I knew the direction I would take my dining room.

I went to Crate & Barrels website and found these two shades:

simple. understated. nice.

ooh-la-la. a tiered drum! double nice.

Do you know how much chandeliers cost?
Perhaps I should rephrase:
Do you know how much chandeliers I want cost?
Think $400 minimum.

Geoff sometimes teases me that I read right-to-left, finding the most expensive choice and setting my heart on that.
It does seem that the items I like are always costing the most.
Such is the life of a diva, I guess.

So I went to overstock.com and didn't see much when I typed in
"drum chandelier"
...but then, I looked over at the pictures on the right of the screen and found my heart's desire:

elegant. sparkle.
glamour. yet simple.
So this is what I want next.

It will be a bit before I get it.
But I am keeping my eyes on the prize.

(And do you see how different my taste is from the previous homeowner?
We can't blame her though, she didn't have much choice,
shopping in this town.)

p.s. I do love my town. Please don't get me wrong. I will take my town, my neighborhood and just deal with my decoration dilemmas. Just so we're clear!