drum roll, please!

Speaking of dreams, here's one that has come true!

You've been reading about me working to clean up my office. You've seen occasional pictures of progress along the way (stacks of fabric in the top of the closet, photos tucked into the corner cupboard...). Finally it's more than an effort--it's an accomplishment! Can you give me an "AMEN, sistah!"

Here's the view of the room from the door. Note all those clean and empty work surfaces!
And here's the long wall of scrap booking paper and accessories, fabric, and Pampered Chef materials.And finally, the desk area. The big thing up on top of the smaller shelf unit contains stamp pads and colored pens for rubber stamping.

And just so you can appreciate this accomplishment-- some before and after pictures. The before pictures were taken prior to a rearrangement of some furnishings that took place when the corner cupboard and counter top came to live here. There is no before picture of the desk area because it was so overflowing with clutter that I didn't want it documented as a source of embarrassment and shame!

The best part about this? A lot of the things that were cluttering up the space have either gone to the trash, been filed or put away, and the homeless items have found a home. I've got a bucket of scrap booking stuff hiding out in the guest room that still need attention, but that's it. And I think I know where those goodies are going to go.

I still have major plans for better use of the space in the closet, but until I can take care of that let's just say that this camper is better than happy. She's delirious with joy!

Sing with me now, "Heaven, I'm in heaven..." (okay, so the rest of the words to that song don't fit, but I don't really care!)

soul satisfaction

My office is really beginning to come together, and it is enormously satisfying to see things finally have a place to call home. Like photos that have yet to be scrapped. The corner cabinet came with a lazy Susan--not my first choice, but I am working with it. The top level I am using as a stationary section for, you guessed it, photos and their archaic counterpart, negatives. The lower, swiveling level holds containers of ribbon, glue and heat guns, and a miscellany of other craft items. It is amazing how much space is now free elsewhere to be designated as home for other items.

Scrapping accessories are a real challenge. There are some obvious items of like kind: embellishments, for instance, and buttons. But then there is the solitary item acquired at a workshop, or which is a one-of-a-kind by virtue of its function. Does all that get stashed in a bucket collection like the Isle of Misfit Toys? I'm not overly concerned about what I do with those things, but such decisions slow down the process of putting things in place.

It is that "putting things in place" stuff that drops pearls of satisfaction into my container of joy. On the Meyers-Briggs scale I am decidedly a "J," a person who prefers order and structure in my world. I like symmetry and precision, and the poetry of coordinated movement (hence my attraction to Scottish country dancing, and the heart-tugging "missing man" formation of military aviation). I enjoy the bonus of having very good spatial relations skills, so fitting things into spaces is a no-brainer for me. Is it any wonder that when clutter abounds in my life I feel fragmented and distracted? I am giddy with the release of energy resulting from this reorganizational coup!

My eupohoria, however, is not simply about accomplishing a task. The soul satisfying aspect of this experience reminds me of the simple (if delayed, in this case) ways available to us to connect to the inner sacred. A general label of what resonates with my inner sacred is the aesthetic. I appreciate beauty and respond to it in ways that perk up my soul. Call it spiritual endorphines. Whether it's the flowers at the nursery (since I have none in the garden this year), or music that stops me in my tracks, a certain combination of the world's elements is pleasing to me and connects me to the divine. I can appreciate the value of chaos, but balance contributes to my well-being.

So this morning I am grateful for achieving a degree of soul-satisfaction in my space. I will continue to organize and place things, aware that some things never quite "fit" anywhere, a reflection for another time, but doing my best to restore order to what has been my chaos. Who knows what will flow from the resulting peace, but I am more than ready to find out.

hubby rocks!

I've known what I've needed for a while: a corner cabinet (think kitchen) on which to set a countertop. Cabinet for storage, countertop for creating! It was the first necessary step toward getting my office under control once and for all (well, and the closet...).

It finally occurred to me last week to call the Restore to see if they had one. Restore is Habitat for Humanity's retail effort that resells what other people no longer want or need. Ken has used them a lot in his business, and donated lots of items when he has done remodels. "Sorry," Kim told me. I would continue to wait. Until the phone rang Saturday afternoon just as we were getting ready to leave for Molly's wedding and Kim told us that she had just gotten one in, slightly damaged but otherwise brand new. I asked her to hold it until we could come see it Tuesday morning when they opened next.

The timing couldn't have been better. Junior was here briefly overnight Monday, so the three of us headed to Restore when they opened. The cabinet would do! We loaded it into Ken's truck and headed home. I was giddy with excitement. Until we couldn't get the cabinet through the door. Take it back? No such luck--at the Restore, all sales are final! Window, Junior suggested?

As you can see in this first photograph, bringing the cabinet through the window of my office is exactly what they did. My dashed hopes were swept away and we settled the cabinet into place. Or near enough. An electrical outlet would be covered, and some finagling would be in order to address that. No problem.

Yesterday Ken set about taking care of the outlet problem, we assembled the countertop we had and Ken installed it. I got myself in gear to begin the process of overhauling the office, measuring furniture, making decisions, and moving things about. Like staging a house for sale, I am doing my utmost to reuse things that I already have. I had the perfect solution for one problem, but implementing it was a challenge. I said to Ken, "how hard would it be...?" None! was his reply, he'd just get his reciprocating saw, complete with the new blade he'd received for free.

So I documented!

An hour later I had another question for him, and once again he set to helping me resolve my problem. And another hour later, another problem put in his hands was resolved. Ah, it's good to have a hubby who's handy and willing to have a honey do list. Did I mention that he rocks?

I spent the rest of the day starting to square away the office. It's going to take some doing, and the closet is still an issue and requires attention. But finally the project is underway, shoved out of the planning and dreaming stages and on the road to reality.

Life is good. Especially in my office.