A Long Time A Comin'

I've always tried to keep my life a little more sane by keeping the kids' toys organized. There's a doll bin, a dishes bin, a tractor bin, cars, Barbies...you get the idea. That way, at the end of the day (or throughout the day, actually) everything will have a place, and Momma can feel a little less antsy.


I guess it started with the influx of toys after Braden's birthday (October) that I yearned for a playroom. I was pretty jealous of my friends who had playrooms; they could tuck all the toys away. They could put the kids to bed. They could watch a movie and have adult time without being surrounded by blinking lights or singing books.


I started trying to figure out ways to add on to my house. When I woke up from my 'dream' I started trying to reconfigure our home the way it is to provide a room especially for kids. Nothing lined up in a way that all of our needs would be met by taking away an existing room.


Then I began to settle on some sort of cabinetry where I could at least consolidate the toys that normally reside in the living room baskets. Our dining room is a bit of a pass through to begin with, so I thought that would be the room for the final resting place for my shelving unit. Early one Saturday, Avery and I headed out shopping for a specific thing I had in mind. Of course no one had what I wanted, or it was the wrong size, or too expensive.

On to plan B: call Daddy. You see, my Daddy is my hero and can do anything. Really, he can. His official job now is working for the City of Dallas, but he used to build houses. That's right folks, houses; according to my calculations, he's built 4 of the 6 houses my parents have ever lived in. He has since retired from houses, but he still works on side projects for my brother, building custom furniture.


I explain all this to say, I don't know why Plan B wasn't Plan A for me. Actually, I do know. There's quite a bit of mileage between us, so I didn't know how we would get it here once built. After a few more shopping trips, I realized the only way I would get exactly what I need or wanted would be for dear Daddy to build it for me.


I sent a sketch of what I wanted, and of course he agreed. Then the hard part was for me to wait for a time when they could come visit so we could build it together. The earliest they could come was March. The months dragged by, but before I knew it, Spring Break was here, and so were my parents!


After tracking down appropriate tools that were too large for him to bring with him, a few hours (days) of hugging on the grand-babies, an early morning breakfast, and a shopping trip to Lowes, we were set to begin...in the rain. We only had a few days to work on it since they couldn't stay long, so we constructed the fabulous shelving unit on my side porch. Talk about close quarters! It came together rather quickly, and turned out a hundred times better than what I had in mind!


One of the even better things is after it serves it's purpose as a toy holder, it can be turned into a buffet or entertainment center by simply adding doors!

So, after five long months of anticipation for me, below you will find pictures of our helpers along the way, then the final product, followed by pictures of my new and improved "Adult Living Room!"