Throw Clutter

My husband just came up with a wonderful solution to the problem I call "throw clutter." Where we live in Pennsylvania, winters are cold, and if our family settles down to watch a movie or play a game, we all grab a throw (blanket) from the basket that sits behind the couch. It's a big basket and holds about 8 throws (enough for the four of us plus family and friends), which is supposed to keep the mess to a minimum in a House That Cleans Itself kind of way. Easy to take out, easy to put back, right?

Wrong. The problem comes in when fun time is over and no one thinks to put away their throw before leaving the room--not surprising in a house filled with housekeeping-challenged people. Often, those throws are left in heaps and piles in chairs and on couches, which looks awful considering that they are an ugly mismatch of nice ones and cheap, clashing colors and prints.

Anyway, this morning my husband looked at the messy family room and innocently commented "You know, if we had eight matching throws that coordinated with the room instead of these things, it wouldn't look nearly as bad when they're all left out like this."

"Honey!" I cried. "You just thought like a House That Cleans Itselfer!"

So there you have it, our solution to throw clutter: Keep that basket handy for putting them away, but buy matching throws that work with the decor for when they're left out. Of course I'll wait for a good sale before I actually put this idea into action, but fortunately our church has an ongoing blanket donation program, so the mismatched ones won't go to waste when we replace them.