A Room of One's Own.

I was straight-up nesting this summer.

But instead of preparing for a new life with an actual new life, I was preparing for a new life as a working mother.  And the mudroom, which for years has simultaneously been our playroom, was my obsessed focus.  I was getting tired of coming home to a room of miniature toys strewn across the floor, of feeling a constant need to tidy the scattered space when friends and guests first enter our home.  I wanted an actual mudroom, and after months of looking at pretty pictures on Pinterest and HGTV magazine, I felt ready to get it done.  The promise of a second salary helped justify the purchases that made it happen, and the girls know that they have a bigger, better playroom in store, because Todd is heroically working on finishing the basement.

 The last things I bought for the room were the chair and storage ottoman, and they did make things feel finished.  The chair is more of an accessory than a comfort, but we've all sat there with a surprised sense of relaxation, and not just out of obligation, so I'm feeling justified and proud.  The ottoman holds all of our winter hats and scarves, and most of the girls' gloves and mittens.  The posters above the chair say "You are so loved" (Liz asked if it refers to the cabinet on its left, and yes, sometimes it just might.) and "Don't forget to be awesome today," both things worth thinking as my family and I all head out to school on our various educational missions.

The hook by the front door is for my purse now, instead of the girls' backpacks.  The picture is a watercolor of a Great Blue Heron, and it makes me happy that I can see one every time I leave the house.  Sometimes I see a heron perching by the pond two blocks over, or on the edge of the river we drive by daily, and I always feel lucky and glad when I do, so I purposely put this guy where I could see him every day.

 Now the girls keep their backpacks on designated hooks below the organizing shelves, hooks, and calendar that all used to be in other spots in our house.  Todd installed the board and batten all around the room while I constructed the Martha Stewart storage cabinet this summer.  And can you guess whose backpack is covered in cats, some of which are wearing berets?

 The cabinet was the big splurge.  But now all of my odds and ends are in one place.  All the things that might be in a mom's home office are here, stored on shelves and in compartmentalized drawers.  It's like my locker.

 Because it's still sort of new, the cabinet hasn't gotten cluttered yet.  But when it does, I'll clean it out.  And before I get the chance to clean it out, I'll just close the doors and no one will know.  Oh, how I love containers and compartments where everything goes.  

So now, this is what I see when I walk in the house, and that is so much better than a scattering of Squinkies and doll clothes that need to be traversed, along with toppling piles of toys or books that need to be sorted and put away.  This is the closest I will come to a room of my own for a while, I think.  That's okay.