Mi Nidito

Or "My Little Nest"
There are many things I love about our current home. The one thing I loved about it from the very beginning was it's openness. I am all about "light and airy". But there has been a down side to the whole ranch house concept that I never really knew about until I lived in one: Noise.

The Spanish tile we laid probably doesn't help. (But it sure looks nice!) Nor does the fact that our formal living and dining areas are completely empty.

Empty and tiled, the perfect combination for cave like echoes!

The kitchen, living room, and formal dining and living areas, are four separate areas divided by walls that don't go all the way to the ceiling. This big common area is also the center of our home. I like this concept for the use of natural light. Another piece of good news? Although our bathrooms are located on opposite sides of the house, and are no where near the TV, you never have to push pause while watching a movie, cuz the sound carries anywhere you might be! But I digress....

My nest is of great importance to me because this is where I spend my hours in the early morning drinking coffee while reading, writing and praying. Doing this every morning makes me a better person...and it's not ALL about the coffee, although that helps significantly!

I also use my nest when I need a moment to have some quiet in all sorts of situations like: talking on the phone or when I eat the last scoops of ice cream from the container and don't want to share.

I have had a nest in every home we have owned.

In Texas, it was in my bedroom. It was crammed, but it was mine.

In NC, I was spoiled. I had my "nest" in the downstairs formal living area (which housed three things: a small writing desk, the chair pictured below, and my treadmill,) but I also had an ENTIRE ROOM that I used as a craft/guest room.

I have had trouble finding a nest in this house. I think it's because I was still getting to know this house. I am not getting all feng shui on you, but you know what I mean...when you move to a new house it takes some time to understand it's strong points and weakness; to recognize sounds and the way it's "feeling" changes with different times of day.

Another important part of having my nest is that the needs of my family are changing as the kids get older. They are spending a lot more time in the common areas of the house. For instance, I am one of those mean mom's who don't allow "gaming" time during the week. This means no PS2, or computer, and no TV. But during the weekend they are allotted a certain amount of time (to use when they choose), which means they are often monopolizing the TV room and the computer (which now sits on my writing desk). Another thing that I am noticing is that my kids and their friends play differently than I did when I grew up. As a kid if I had a friend over we played in my room. This was true when I went to my friends houses too. Now, my kids and their friends want to play out in the open.

With that said, the ranch style home means that when people are in the TV room trying to play video games, or playing "house" in the living room things get loud and I need somewhere to go. I need a nest.

I tried making my bed a place to go read my book or the paper when other areas are in use, but when my almost 35 year old body is anywhere near that cozy feather comforter, it tells my brain it is time to sleep...so I had a dilemma...not to mention I was feeling out of sorts about where to drink coffee in the morning time, since I can't drink and sleep at the same time.

I explained my predicament to The Mister and he helped me to come up with a solution. We pulled together a chair from the living room and his old trunk, and a lamp and side table that we had haphazardly thrown in the empty living area, and within 20 minutes my problem was solved.

Mi Nidito was ready. Settled nicely in a corner of our bedroom.

I must tell you that my Sunday afternoon was glorious! I got caught up on my bible study for this week. I read the local paper. I sent few thank you notes. I drank some iced tea. I organized a bunch of paperwork that needed to be dealt with, and then I read my current fiction novel for almost an hour. It was fantastic!

If the blogging is slow, its because I am hanging out in my new nest! Mi Nidito.
La Vida Dulce!