When we were engaged, before we decided we didn’t want to spend money on large gifts for each other, Tim got me the best gift ever!

It was Christmas Eve, and we were at his parents’ house. In the evening, I followed Tim to the basement, not knowing that he did not want me to follow him. I found him in the workshop doing a little painting on a piece of furniture. When he realized I had seen it, he said “surprise! But you weren’t supposed to find out until tomorrow.” But it was still great! I had seen the piece before, in the window of a store I passed whenever I went to the grocery store. This one, in fact:

Thanks, Google Street View.

The Junction. One of Victoria’s many quality used furniture stores. One time in particular, I recall driving to the grocery store with Tim, passing the window and exclaiming how lovely the piece in the window was! So, one day while I was at work, he went and bought it. I think he had to get his parents’ van from Nanaimo to haul it away. And he also made a couple trips up there (1 3/4 hours drive each way) during an 8-hour shift of mine so he could do a little work on it and not have me know. What a great surprise it was!

So we brought it back down to Victoria, and squeezed it into my tiny suite where it served as a TV stand.

This was right before we moved and had a baby. That was the only place we could collect baby things and moving boxes.

In our next place in Victoria, it was still a TV stand, but a little more visible.

Now, in Edmonton, it is the perfect entry way catch-all.

It holds my bag, keys, hats, scarves, gloves, baby shoes, and pretty board games. Inside is where we keep movies and not so pretty board games.

I love it a lot, and it the most useful piece of furniture ever! Now I just need to decide what to do with it now that it is spring. I don’t want to keep all the winter gear out on the shelves (because I want to forget this season exists), but I don’t know what kinds of things I can replace them with. Whatever it is has to be baby friendly of course, since this is one of Calvin’s favourite places to come play when I let him roam free. Any ideas?