Why I need an Art Room.....

Have you ever spent HOURS making something, only to have it destroyed in a matter of minutes?! Well, if you have, I know just how you feel. Today was, might I say, . . . . . a catastrophe!
I have been spending many hours, this past month, working on a project for my sister-in-law JoAnn, and her family. This morning I had set out all of my artwork, for this project, on our glass table in the dining room. Every picture was aligned nicely, waiting for its turn with the scanner or next stage of completion. Each of the pictures are in varying stages, some are completely done, many of nearly there, and a few are in the layout stage (pencil outline), waiting for color. I had originally planned on doing 13, but now I am not sure, especially considering what happened next.

After I had set the pictures out, I went in to the den to look at some digital photos I had taken, that I was planning on using as a guide for one of my drawings. A few minutes into this process, in comes Kaelan with a piece of paper and pencil in his chubby little hands. "Ma" he says, and shows me a drawing he had just made. Distractedly, I say "Good job, Kaelan! Nice picture!" He smiles and toddles on out of the room. Twenty minutes later I walk out of the den to find Kaelan sitting on top of the glass table. "Kaelan" I gasp! He looks up at me, smiles, and shows me one of my drawings, now complete with Kaelan scribbles all over it! If Kaelan, being up on the table, wasn't bad enough, that definitely just made it worse! I run over to the table, only to find that almost all of my drawings have been scribbled and stabbed with a pencil. It is completely awful, and a terrible sinking feeling hits me in the pit of the stomach. But, what can I do?! There he is, in all of his cute toddler glory, just grinning up at me with pride of accomplishment shining in his eyes. I try to smile and say, "pretty picture" as I choke back the tears of frustration and wasted time. The situation is almost funny, except that it really is not. I know, that as time passes, I will look back and laugh. But, all I want to do right now is turn back the clock, grab those pictures and put them on the highest shelf possible, and then build myself an art room, with a LOCK!

Maybe someday.... but by then I will probably wish for those chubby little hands back in my life, wreaking havoc once again.