Building forts is the absolute most fun thing I can think of doing besides eating chicken and mashed potatoes smothered in gravy. Seriously. Second best thing in the world.

When you are a kid, you get to build your own house inside your parent’s house. You instantly become an architect and an interior designer, and you can make the biggest freaking bedroom in your fort for yourself. Sorry, mom and dad, looks like you get to sleep in the peasant chambers with the draft on the side of the fort. When we had an unfinished basement, I would use a staple gun and attach sheets and thing blankets to the walls and supporting beams in our basement creating a lollipop guild version of Kim Kardashian’s wedding, only with rooms in it for me, my friends, and my dogs. Why I had a staple gun at the age of 7 is beyond me, but I was an architectural genius!

It was basically like a barn-raising with all my friends and once the fort was ready to go, we would go grab the food mom made and bring it right in to the fort.

NO SISTERS ALLOWED. Ugh. Just go away.

COURTNEY, YOU HAVE TO LET THEM PLAY WITH YOU! Fine, mother, but they will be forced to stay in the stables!

As I became older it became “less cool.” I didn’t and still do not care.

Then college came, and my roommate and I lofted our beds… not only are lofted beds perfected for making forts, but now you have a steady enough structure to incorporate interior lighting that isn’t one of those lights you have to smack on and off. BRING ON THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.

Then I lived on my own in a fully furnished two bedroom apartment and I used all the furniture from that second bedroom to build a fort in my living room that was the size of a large studio apartment. I even put my microwave in it. While everyone was staying in some crap motel in Mexico over spring break, I had made a lavish fort to play Viva Pinata in while eating gallons of cheese balls.

Now, as a college grad, I am back at home with my parent’s because I am in a colossal amount of debt. My parent’s basement is finished now and has been since I was probably 10, but right now the basement is prime for fort making. My sisters are both moved out (for the school year at least), so I don’t have to share with them, and one of my sister’s couches were too big for her apartment stairwell so they are in our basement along with other old couches and my old mattress.

Let me lay it all our there for you. I have four couches (8 cushions), one queen size mattress, a half dozen king size fitted sheets my parent’s are not using currently…

BY THE WAY: Don’t make forts with flat sheets. Fitted sheets were invented with fort-making potential in mind. Remember that the next time you have a sagging ceiling in your fort. Fitted sheets are for ceilings, flat sheets are for rugs and doors. Back to my list…

Icicle Christmas lights, a freakishly alarming number of small fleece blankets, dozens of pillows (roughly around 36), string, lamps, a projector that I can hook my Apple TV right up to, and snacks. Now all I need is wine and for my boyfriend not to be stuck in traffic until next Tuesday.

Stay tuned for fort pictures later tonight/tomorrow/when I remember.

BUILD YOURSELF A FORT THIS WEEKEND!

❤ Court