On Saturday Steve called me to let me know he was considering the purchase an electric fireplace. Now it's not everyday that my brother calls me and when he does, it usually means that he needs something from me. This call played right into my theory, and instead of wanting me to babysit a child, he wanted to know if I would house his fireplace if he decided to purchase it.

It became a family event as we headed to Costco to make the purchase and bring it back to my house for assembly. My initial thought was to place it in my bedroom, where there is currently only a bed, making the placement of a fireplace rather easy. However, the point was made that heat does rise, so why would I place a heating device on the top floor. Good point, but the living room was already stocked with furniture.

A suggestion was thrown out to play with the furniture arrangement and see if there was a way to fit the fireplace with the other furniture in the living room. I was getting a little anxious as the furniture was being shoved from one side of the room to the other, meanwhile two large fireplace boxes lie in the middle of the room with kids scurrying between all of the disheveled pieces.

We found an acceptable arrangement and moved our attention to the fireplace assembly. I'm still not sure how long this babysitting arrangement will last, but until then Laura and I will be enjoying the glow of a "fire" and the warmth of a little extra heat in the living room. We hosted our first fireplace party tonight. Mom, Tabitha, and Crista joined us for a movie and the glow of a fire. The fireplace is a little big for the living room, but it does add a needed touch to the room.

The furniture moves have exposed some decorating holes on the walls, but I guess those will just have to wait since this is only a temporary arrangement. I was hoping that Steve would have purchased a new flat screen tv that he wanted me to babysit as well. Too much of this babysitting stuff and I may not want to give anything back.