My Christmas Present

For Christmas this year I was given bath salts (Calgon, take me away!) a fake fur afghan (matches the cat) and the best present of all: lumber.

Nothing makes a girl’s heart beat faster than a load of pine boards.

I have always dreamed of having my own library; a place of comfort and quiet, with good light, really comfortable chairs, and a table to work at. So when I bought my house, the first thing I thought was that this room would make a great library. (Did I mention that I have a vivid imagination?)

So since Christmas, my parents and I have been working on creating the first, and most crucial, part of this vision: the bookshelves. The original idea was to buy bookshelves from IKEA and just paint and trim them, so they looked built in.  But apparently Dad wanted a challenge, so we have spent the last 2 months alternating between their house, my house and various hardware stores, trying to match paint, choose moldings, and buying/renting whatever tools we didn’t have.

It’s been a job. But finally, last weekend we reached the point of “close enough”. There are a few small, niggling little details, but they are the kind of things that no-one will notice (unless they are a professional) and to be completely truthful, we are so tired of this project that we no longer care.

Still, it looks good doesn't it? Now I need to find those comfy chairs.