Game Table

I don't really have a lot of hobbies.  In my past I have dabbled in some things... at one point in time I liked to cross stitch.  Before I had kids, I used to read books. 

One thing I've always enjoyed doing is jigsaw puzzles.  I freakin' love jigsaw puzzles.  Lucky for me, Mr. Molly's sister and her husband also love jigsaw puzzles.  As such, ever since I was welcomed into their family 6 years ago we have always had the opportunity to do jigsaw puzzles together over holidays, visits, or vacations. 

Molly's mom knows how much I love them, and so she set up a table in her house so that when we visit there I can work on puzzles.  The table is in the bonus room so that the kids can be playing, the guys can be watching TV, Molly's mom can be on her computer at her desk, and I can be doing my puzzles.  I like to be where the action is.

At Mr. Molly's parents house we are always trying to find the best place to do a puzzle.  Before we had kids, we did puzzles in the garden room.  There was a glass top table and we could spread out there and the mess would be out of the way of any visitors and meals.  Once the kids arrived it was harder to keep the pieces "safe."  Then one day I leaned on the table the wrong way, one side tipped up into the air and came crashing down shattering glass and puzzle pieces all over the garden room.  So that was the end of that. 

We tried doing puzzles on the dining room table but that never worked because it interfered with family visits and meals.  The last time I was there we were relegated to a card table in the family room.  It was ok though b/c that's where most of the action was located and I like to be where the action is.

I have never had an apartment or house big enough to have an entire area devoted to jigsaw puzzles.  Probably few people do.  But now I do!  There is a big huge spot in my basement just ripe for a game table.  At first, I thought of getting a specific puzzle table.  They look like this:

They have pull out drawers to sort the pieces and sometimes a lazy susan type top that rotates to different people can work on different parts.  Most specific puzzle tables are folding and/or portable because (as stated before) most people don't have space in their homes for all puzzles all the time.

But I do!  So it doesn't really make sense to put a portable table there.  Instead it makes more sense to have a more all-purpose game table.  Something round that lots of people can sit at and play games.  Card games, board games, and of course jigsaw puzzles.  It could be a friendly alcoholic game night, or a family game night with the kids.  So versatile, so very awesome. 

Now I just need to find this dream game table and not spend $2,000.

The possibilities are endless:

Little Twinges

I haven't been inside Dream House for a long time now.  The last time was May 9th, almost 6 weeks ago.  I can still look at pictures online and drive by of course, but it's the feel of the house that I miss.

Honestly, I try not to think about the actual house b/c I can drive myself crazy.  I'm not one to plan out rooms or dream about paint colors... I leave that to Molly's Mom.  I definitely did not get that gene.  However, every once in a while I get a little twinge.

This morning I am driving to work and look down and see my pants are dirty.  It is very possible that they became dirty during the wrangling of the little ones from the AH to the car to the school.  However I think it's more likely that the lighting in the bedroom and closet make it so I can't really see if my pants are clean or dirty.  As I'm thinking about this I get what I call a little twinge.  It's just a quick mental vision of my master closet in the Dream House.  All white, built in rods and drawers and shelves, high ceiling, plenty of space and light.  And I just think, I want to be in that closet.  When I get in that closet, I will not wear dirty pants anymore.

9 more days till I can get inside Dream House again.

When I open the freezer door in AH there is inevitably an avalanche of boxes and bags that fall on my head.  The freezer is tiny and for this microwave-cook, frozen food is my lifeline.  When I open the AH freezer and a bag of frozen fajitas hits me followed by a box of frozen lasagna and some mini-pancakes I get a little twinge.  Quick mental vision of Dream House's huge freezer the size of a full refrigerator in all its stainless steel glory.  When my frozen foods are in that fridge, I will never have corn dogs falling on my head again.

10 more days until I own Dream House.

So many little twinges all the time.  The shower with 5 sprayers and room for two.  The private water closet part of the master bath.  The awesome tile work in all the baths but especially the half bath downstairs and the Jack and Jill.  I can just envision our new 61in TV perfectly in the basement and myself grabbing a coke zero from the fridge down there and settling in to watch Big Bang Theory (latest obsession).  Molly's Mom making ribs in Dream House's double oven.  My kids running around in the backyard while we sit on outdoor living furniture on the brick patio.  These little twinges come and go, but I try not to let myself dwell on them. 

15 days until we move to the Dream House.