What Makes Mommy Happy

It’s a small thing…but I really love the counter and peg board my husband installed for me at the bottom of our basement steps. Prior to his completing this project, I never had any place to wrap gifts or store wrapping supplies in our small house, so I dreaded going down into the dungeon-like basement of our 1923 house to rummage through my Rubbermaid containers to find tissue paper, ribbons and gift bags in the half-light of the bare bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Now, I have a big counter on which to wrap, storage space underneath for rarely used or bulky kitchen items, and a VERY exciting peg board where my gift bags, ribbon and scissors are handily hung. Shortly after I organized the space, Olivia and I went downstairs to do laundry and she pointed to it and said, “Look what Daddy did!” To which I replied, “I know! It makes Mommy so happy.” Now every time we go downstairs, she says, “It makes Mommy SO happy!”

Someday I’d like a whole room to make into a studio. I salivate when I see yummy workrooms and organized spaces like these in magazines and catalogs:

One of Pottery Barn’s home offices. Yah, right.
BHG’s gift wrapping station. The inspiration for our basement project.
BHG’s answer to a home-office-studio-in-one.
Martha’s. Need I say more?

But alas, our current house is too small to devote a whole room to my endeavours, so for now, I’m satisfied with my little corner in which to create. After all, Home Made Modern firmly believes that being organized is the key to being able to live a fuller, more creative, and more stylish life. And perhaps even more importantly, it’s the little things that count.

In that vein, just a few of the other “little things” that make this Mommy happy are:

The tracks left in the carpet after I vacuum
The smell of clean sheets
White towels
Fresh flowers
Leftovers
Open windows
Enjoying a smoothie on the front porch with Olivia on the first warm day of the year