Love Thursday: The Loft that Love Built

My eldest daughter, Maggie, has been campaigning for a loft bed since moving into our house last fall. Her bedroom, while roomy, is considerably smaller than in our last house where her bedroom was once a bonus room. In this room she has all the furniture from the previous room: two twin beds, a dressing table, a dresser, a nightstand, a chair, a floor lamp, a beanbag chair and a partridge in a pear tree. (Okay, maybe not that last one, but you never know what is lurking under all of that dirty laundry on the floor...) My point is, is that she is feeling a wee bit cramped.

Papa to the rescue! My father is a woodworker. This is a hobby he's had for many years and he enjoys it immensely. He is extremely talented. All of the best pieces of furniture in our home are pieces that he built. So rather than spend money on a flimsy, store-bought loft bed, I called my Daddy. True to the nature of our relationship, I asked and he gave. A dynamic, I might add, that I am seeing in my own daughters' relationship with their Daddy.

Dad built it and then made a special trip over from Illinois to deliver it to our basement to await painting. Two weekends ago, my husband painted it. Last weekend, it was assembled in Maggie's room--with only minimal shouting and a sore arm and bruised fingernail left as a lasting souvenir of the day.

Maggie is thrilled with the extra space and the "super coolness" that the loft adds to her room. Thanks, Papa for sharing your talent in such a generous and loving way. You are awesome and you do great work.

So, um, Daddy? There's this table I was thinking about....