11 Grandkids – and the most perfect piece of storage furniture…

Barry and I have 11 perfect, beautiful, joyous, precious, active, sweetheart, funny grandkids – 3 girls and 8 boys ranging in age from 19 months to 14 years.

We are beyond blessed that our 4 kids, their spouses and the grandkids all live within an hour distance from The Homestead – our home. We love love love love grandkids’ visits. These kids come with Smiles and Joy and Action and Activity and Grand Love…

And Stuff, too.

Oh, stuff like books, toys, hats, jewelry, sporting equipment, clothing, seasonal stuff like mittens and gloves, sometimes homework assignments and, especially, personal electronics.

Sometimes (aka all the time!) there’s an item that can’t be found anywhere in the house or an item or two or ten that get left behind.

Sometimes (aka all the time!) there are not enough chargers to go around to re-charge all that electronic stuff while the kids are visiting.

This is where the most perfect piece of storage furniture comes in.

Pops and I happened to be in Newport, RI a few weeks ago, just walking around on a gorgeous summer day, perusing little shops and stores, minding our own business and having that great feeling of not needing to purchase anything when this jumped out at us. It was in that section of a furniture store – Ben’s – upstairs, where treasures are often hiding and on sale…

What?

It may look like an industrial re-claimed storage cabinet with wheels that actually work.

To me, it is Grandkids’ Nirvana!

Little thoughts ran through my mind like tiny, soft pecking chicks, dancing beams of sunlight, cygnets in flight, ripples on a pond, musical notes in a lullaby.

What if.

What if?

What if!

Each grandchild has his or her own drawer in this masterpiece of organization?

Picture this.

Walk in Grandma and Pop-up’s house.

Put your stuff that sometimes gets misplaced inside your own drawer?

Most especially the electronic devices and related paraphernalia?

For safe keeping during your visit.

SOLD!

We brought this perfect piece home to our family room, right next to the kitchen (albeit among our on-going disruption of happy but never-ending story of renovations)…

There are 12 drawers. One for each of our 11 grandchildren, running from oldest to youngest. Each grandchild has his or her own Drawer Number.

The 12th drawer is currently stuffed with electrical strips and charging devices and extension cords for ease of use and ease of return (outlets on the wall behind)…

But for a 12th grandchild? Well, that drawer is reserved for that little miracle. Are you listening, kids?

(We’ve already had inquiries from the grandkids about potential Drawers #13 and 14. That, my friends and lovelies, we’d figure into this masterpiece with a great finish-carpenter as the situation warranted!)

So… the drawers have already been used.

The storage is ample.

Charging devices have been utilized and returned to Drawer 12.

And there’s one more thing – LOST & FOUND. Already, I’ve placed stuff left behind (aka LOST!) into more than a couple of drawers for safe keeping…

The grandkids love it.

I love it.

Awesome storage.

End of story.

I mean, stuff!