Saving Space

I love my house. Yes, it's old... and drafty... and settling in all the wrong places... and well, small by today's standards, but my Grandfather built it. He died before I ever knew him. And my Grandma made it a home. As a little girl, it creeped me out because Grandma pretty much kept the dining room & living room closed off and the furniture covered in plastic... and it was full of old stuff that just looks creepy to a 6 year old.

But there are things about it that I don't see in my friends' new-fangled homes... Things like an arched doorway between the living room & dining room... 3 fireplaces (yes, 3... there's one in the garage...) a breezeway... a mantel over 7' long... cedar closets.... the list could go on and on. I love these things. I loathe the day that it gets torn down, which seems inevitable with the development going on right around us.

We live in this old house with all of its problems for several reasons, of which most people assume that #1 is because it's free... but not really. We could probably afford a small starter home... or a decent sized apartment. No, actually #1 is because, I lived next door to my Grandma growing up and it meant the world to me. I know that someday, Sammi & Lawrie won't remember the struggles we had living in an older house that's always in need of attention... but they'll remember living next door to Poppy & Grammy and all that that privilege entails.

Okay... wow... that was not exactly where I was going with that post! :-) But, there it is, poured straight outta my brain.

All that to say this...

Although this is a 3 bedroom house, one of the 3 is very, very small. In fact, I've seen homes with closests bigger... When we first moved in, it was the nursery & it remained Sammi's room until Lawrie came along... Then it went back to a nursery again. Then as he grew, the toys began to overtake us... so we purchased a bunk bed, put the kids in the bigger room & made a playroom out of the old nursery. Then as Sammi got older, she didn't want Lawrie playing with her things anymore. So we split the bunk bed & them! Sammi chose the smaller room (I think because the walls are a buttery yellow color.)

We do regular toy purges, but still... her room just wasn't big enough & it seemed like all the creative storage solutions in the world just didn't give her enough space.

Then this week, I found the perfect solution on Craig's List: a Loft Bed! A local family was moving & selling what they could... this included what appeared to be an awesome loft bed for only $25! AND they were included the mattress & bunkie board!

I had a hunch that the increased floor space would be just perfect for all Sam's "baby gear," and boy was I right! Luckily, she loves it too!

Looking in Sammi's door...

The "new" bed!

A little closer view...

Sammi on her new "perch!"

YAY! for space saving loft beds and YAY! for Craig's List!