We moved in the spring of 2017.
My dear beloved books (pictured below from the “Library Shelves” of our old house) had been sitting all alone – except for visits from rummaging children. Until January 2019.
All of these lovelies were packed away in reusable Meijer shopping bags. 
That was a tip from the realtor. Packing books in these bags keeps you from overdoing it by carrying a super heavy box of books. Plus at $1 a bag, it’s a cheap way to pack a lot of books!
When the storage closet had a minor leak, I discovered another happy thing – these particular bags kept water out!
Some of them did end up with holes or the handles came apart. Maybe 5 out of all these pictured… not bad for over a year and a half in storage!
I tried not to bug him, but my amazing engineer knew I longed to have my books out again. So when he heard someone at work was giving away a small planer, he brought it home and began the process of taking old gunky boards and planing off the ugly to create beautiful bookshelves! (not a bad metaphor)
Lots of little shavings were made (multiple trash cans were filled)! The dog wasn’t a fan.
Tadaaa!!! 6 gorgeous 12ft shelves with built-in bookends!
And after all the books were carefully sorted…
This beautiful sight is the focal point in our family room. I love the way the books bring the perfect balance to the neutral-themed room with their multitude of color.
(When faced with the choice of decor or books, I’ve never regretted choosing books!)
Mother’s Day weekend 2017 we physically moved in, but January 2019 this house finally feels like our home. The books have their esteemed place on the wall once again.
To have pages and memories and imaginations within such easy reach, to grab a particularly funny story and read it aloud, to remember a sad moment or dig up a piece of history… this adds to our family memories and history.
I walk past them. My fingers feel the bumps and spaces of the rows of spines and a sigh escapes.
Ah! Home.
