After the winter of all winter’s I was thrilled to regain my three season porch back again. It becomes a storage room during the winter but in the spring, summer and early fall it is one of our favorite spots in the house. So last weekend I put the troops to work. Everyone pitched in and helped empty the porch of the smaller items (ie. the things that fit through the door). Eventually the porch looked like this…

and my back patio looked like this…

Items were then put away, thrown away or donated. Then the entire porch was vacuumed, including window sills and curtains. I ended up throwing the sheers in the wash because of all the pollen and grime on them. Then the fun started, at least for my 9-year-old. I knew the boy loved to mop but was not prepared for him to do ALL the mopping for me. Three buckets full of dirt, winter grime, and spring pollen were cleaned up…

and we got our favorite room of the season back.

We even did some rearranging. This small secretary desk has moved from our dining room to my daughter’s bedroom to my bedroom in the last two years. My 9-year-old asked (after all the mopping) if he could have the desk and if the porch could be his office.

Yes. Yes it can.