Put it down before it leaves.: Living large with teeny tiny closets.

"Your home will explode."

That was the title of the email I received from the heating/air conditioning company we've contracted to prevent such disaster. Not "your home may explode" or "how to keep your home from exploding." "Your home WILL explode." It certainly got my attention so I clicked the link to read further. The takeaway? If you smell gas, run! Like really fast. Maybe blow out your cranberry kitchen candle first. The one you lit because the scent of Taco Tuesday lingers well into Thursday.

In my former, less glamorous life, I was an advertising copywriter. It was when Melrose Place was all the rage and you were nothing without a miniskirt business suit. I admit, I had a predictable writing style. Call me the queen of catchy, cute headlines. Rhymes and alliterations were my weapons of choice. Here's how I would have written that email –

Don't be seen in smithereens!
What will your neighbors think
when your house is a hole?

Raising the roof isn't always a party.
No dj. No dance floor. No survivors!

Beware!
The housing BOOM that will net you a nightmare.

With my house in my head, this week I decided to list the things I love about where we live. I'm staying positive, so no mention of our desperate need for additional closet space or the fact that I nearly freeze to death every day because "old house" and "drafty" are forever linked for all eternity even with new windows that cost a tremendous fortune. Only good stuff, because truly I am blessed.

1.) Location. I could say it three times with three exclamation points, but that would be Trite! Trite! Trite! We live in a fantastic and safe community with incredible schools and awesome neighbors. We can walk everywhere – the train station, the post office, library, convenience store, multiple coffee spots/cafes, the movie theater, a farmer's market, Edy's hip hop dance studio (true dat!), a few spas, lots of happenin' restaurants, an old-timey men's shoe store that Jon adores, a few old-timey men's barbers, a bike shop where we've acquired a plethora of pink cycles in all sizes (including my 40th birthday present, Pepto), even a car wash, though why would you walk to a car wash? It's an easy stroll to the printer who prints my books, the graphic artists who originally designed them and the UPS store when I have a shipment. In the not-so-distant past, we could even walk to Chili's for family-friendly fare and bucket-sized margaritas, but it exploded. (Well, it burned down.)

2.) Age. I love our old house with its solid craftsmanship and character. I love the knowledge that other families existed in this very same space. And now that I'm obsessed with Downton Abbey, I imagine really well-dressed people from the early 20th Century hanging out in my living room and talking about the Great War. It makes me happy. (Not the war part.) I feel more secure surrounded by thick plaster walls and big old trees that have shaded generations.

3.) Sweetness factor. Good thing I have girls. I think the decor of my house could be labeled charming and comfortable, and maybe cottagey. I love color. My dining room is painted "koi," as in the fish, as in orange. I like to pile pillows and blankets on the beds, especially this time of year. Oprah says, (yes, I'm quoting her again. It's like a tic.) "Your home should rise up to greet you!" I feel that way. I'm stuck here all day most days, so I'm ever so grateful to have a beautiful place to chill. I mean, to unload the dishwasher, vacuum giant dust/dog hair balls, wipe sticky hands and stinky butts, and reload the dishwasher.

On a side note, my sister Gail walked through our house before we bought it. She was very sick... and very bald, but it was a warm spring and she wore it well. She loved old houses, too, and made me promise to host Christmas so she could sit in a chair next to the fireplace. She didn't live to see fall, but I kept my promise at Christmas and hosted (crammed in) the entire family, with an empty chair left by the fire.

Your turn!
List three things you love about where you live.

A couple shots of my house for fun!