Ha! First post all year!

I was just reflecting on some of the little things I have in mind for the things I want to own complete collections of by the time I have at least a few kids.

For one, eventually I want to own every Calvin and Hobbes comic book, every Far Side, ever Foxtrot, and every Dilbert book that exists. I'll have them on a nice bookshelf, arranged by publishing date. My kids and grandkids will probably learn to read on them, and the ones that love to read will love reading them.

I also want to have a collection of jigsaw puzzles on another bookshelf. A lot of them. Maybe my kids and I will do, say, one per week. And my grandkids and I, too. I'll collect nice puzzles, with colorful pictures. Puzzles that aren't too hard, but enjoyable and fun.

Third, I'll have a bookshelf full of the best kids books ever, from the simplest Dr. Seuss book and A. A. Milne poetry to the Chronicles of Narnia and Roald Dahl's children's literature.

There will be places for each of my kids to keep their book collections.

I'll definitely have to have my dad build me a bookshelf like he did in our old house, for all this stuff. Maybe it'll extend all the way along one wall.

Whatever room that's in, it'll be the "reading room". There will be a square table in it, with chairs on each side, perfect for multiple people doing puzzles on. There will also be a couch and several big, comfy chairs. The computer will not go in this room, nor will the television. There will be a craft table with markers, colored pencils, tape, paint, construction paper, etc. for any kid that feels creative, along with several craft instruction books. It will always be well supplied.

The lighting will be very well in this room, so everybody can see what they're doing. There will be plenty of throw blankets and pillows on the couches and chairs. I don't know whether this room will have carpeting or not, since the craft table will be there, and kids shouldn't be using glue and paint over carpet. Maybe there will be a section without carpet for that.

Actually, there won't be carpet. But there will be rugs! Rugs in front of the bookshelf, and under the chairs and couches.

We'll have some kind of electric heater, since this room will probably be in the basement, and will probably be most utilized during the winter when we don't go outside much. I hope it's roughly the same size as the downstairs room in our old house. The heater will make the room seem more cozy.

There will be plenty of little end tables next to reading areas where people can drink tea and cocoa, and eat toast and stuff. I'll have a hot pot and a mug collection down there, as well as an assortment of the family's favorite teas and cocoas, so no one will have to go far to get a cup of tea to go with their book. If the room is anywhere near the laundry room, we can just keep some soap and a rag by the laundry sink and tell the kids to wash their own mugs when they're done. If I wanted to be really elaborate, we could also have a toaster, a loaf of bread, and a mini fridge to keep snacks and butter and jam in.

(For some reason, I keep picturing all this at our old house, which would have been perfect for this.)

There will be fun, colorful paintings on the walls, following a theme. I think, since it's in the basement, which tends to be drab, the theme will be something like "summer" or something really colorful and fun. Or, maybe big pictures of favorite comic book characters that surround the room. Or maybe just my kid's drawings.

This whole thing probably won't go as planned, but it's a nice little dream - if not for kids, then for grandkids.