This is what happened when I went to visit friends after Christmas.

A long time ago (or a little over a year, whichever),  the space by the front door looked like this.


We don't wear shoes in the house--a rule we follow about 98% of the time--which meant a lot of sitting on the floor to put on shoes. "A bench would be nice here," I mused, as I climbed up off the floor yet again.

I commented here and there in April.

And in July.

And again in October.

(And probably about a hundred other times. You'd have to ask my husband for a true count.)

In late December, I went to California to visit Nichole and Daniel and to celebrate some more Christmas. While I was there, my husband was bored one day.

I returned to find this, designed and built to match the entertainment center:



Moral of the story: I leave for five days and come home to newly constructed furniture.