Mostly it’s just D and I using the main living room. We hunker down there in the evenings. Drinking, smoking, chatting, giggling. In the morning, you can see piles of clothing that were hastily discarded the evening before. Little piles of dirty socks that D leaves lying about like he’s marking his territory, and which make me smile as I pick them up. There are blankets and pillows everywhere. That’s the only way I know how to live.

I need to change the litter box. I try to stay very on top of it. I hate houses where you walk in and can smell that pets live there, particularly cats. Who wants to live in a cat pee house? D is almost traumatized by cat pee smell from his previous life and I’m pretty sure that’s the #1 reason he’s so resistant to us getting another cat. That and cat claws. But cats have claws for a reason and it is cruel to remove them. I’m judging you, cat de-clawers.

In the bedroom, closet, and bathroom, despite my best intentions, my clothes have taken over. I have so many and not enough room. And then I continue to add more. I have started the purging process. I have a basket full of items to donate. I need to make another pass this weekend. Organization is key. I have a friend who sells thirty-one bags who told me she uses a certain container to store her leggings. My leggings currently occupy two of my dresser drawers and so I feel like this is a brilliant idea. I need to place an order.

Books…so many books. We have a large bookcase in the loft which is almost full of my books mostly. We have (two) matching shelving units in our bedroom. His holds pictures, souvenirs, and various knick knacks. Mine has similar stuff, but is now being taken over by books and journals acquired since moving in here. The BOTM club has gotten me back into hard copy books versus my (old and slow as shit) Kindle Paperwhite. I need to get some more shelving. My love of books only grows. It’s my favorite pastime (well after drinking and chatting with D).

We need to order the blinds for the living room. We need ceiling fans. We need more furniture. We need more wall decorations. We have ideas. Plans. I’ve bookmarked and pinned lots of stuff I like. We’re planning to have a fancy outdoor patio/party area built in the spring. I want to print canvases of pics from various trips, like Iceland, and hang them around the house.

Frey needs blinds in her bedroom. And curtains. She wants cat curtains. I need to order them. We need more pillows and blankets so we can follow through on our plan to turn her walk-in closet into an exclusive girls only clubhouse. Jackson’s room needs a massive toy purge. So many toys that he doesn’t even pick up anymore now that he’s discovered iPads and video games. He also wants a bunk bed and a desk. I feel these are reasonable requests. I want the kids to feel safe and comfortable here. A couple of weeks ago they told me they love it here. It warmed my heart.

The upstairs “guest room” is the biggest bedroom on the second level. While we do have a bed we set up in there when we have visitors, it’s main function is as a family room, and it is where the kids do most of their hanging out. It’s where the second television is set up, as well as where the video game consoles are located. We put my old leather sectional up there and put framed collages of family photos all over the main wall. It’s cozy and relaxing up there. It’s where we watch movies and play Rock Band. In fact, when we had our annual Halloween party this year, several friends hung out in there most of the night commenting that it was the only area of the house that felt actually lived in. I think the rest has started feeling cozier. It’s just an upscale cozy. That makes sense to me, though maybe it is a contradiction. IDK.

A good friend of mine is in the process of combining homes with her boyfriend, and it has been interesting to hear her describe the various scenarios that come with such an event: whose furniture do we use? what stuff goes where? what do we do with two coffee makers? i don’t like the way you do ___! It reminds me of moving into this place with D, which was only five months ago, though it feels like it has been longer. Not in a bad way. It feels like this is the way it should be and the way it has always been. It’s easy. It’s lovely. I love the way all of our stuff has fit together in what feels like a perfect representation of the four of us. It’s home.