A Room of One's Own

Amidst the crazy day-to-day laundry folding, dish washing, errand running life that we all go through, it is almost necessary to our sanity to have, as Virginia Woolf would say, "a room of one's own."  I am fortunate enough to have two. 

The first is my newly-remodeled kitchen, which I will write about later.  The second is our dining room that I have converted into what we simply call "the office."  I'm not exactly sure why we call it that.  Sure, it houses a desk and printer, and yes I do pay bills in the office, but the room is so much more.  

I spend most of my day in this room, because this is the room where most of Jack's toys are kept and because it is right off the kitchen.  The room has a certain charm to it.   It's white wainscot and funky, vintage wallpaper, gently nudge the creativity inside of me and as a result, I am constantly drawn to this room.  So much so, in fact, that I have turned it into a room of my own.  

As my obsession with knitting, sewing and all things domestic and homemade grows, I have gradually turned this room into a creative studio of sorts for all my many projects.  With Jack playing happily at my feet, I can design, knit and sew to my hearts content and because this room is connected to the kitchen, I can work on my projects while waiting for bread to rise or cookies to bake.

I can't imagine not having this room.  It is quiet, clean and well-organized.  When I sit at my sewing machine, I can look out the window and watch my tulips bloom or watch the oak trees in our yard get caught up in the wind.  On my table, I keep a bunch of fresh mint from the backyard in a little Mason jar.  I have my most used books in a stack on the end of the table, while the rest of my books and supplies are tucked away in an antique armoir.  

As the weather grows warmer and days stretch longer and longer, I am sure that I will find myself spending the majority of the time in the backyard playing with Jack and experiencing with him his own exploration of life.  But I am also sure that, at the end of the day, I will steal back to my little room and watch from the window the evening shadows deepen outside as night falls on yet another busy, but beautifully full day.