Office Rearranged

I'm sure you have all (my thousands of readers) been anxiously awaiting an update on our office, ever since this post way back in January.  I wish I had a post for you full of gorgeous, magazine worthy reveal photos, showing a beautifully decorated office, full of DIY projects and smart organization...  Maybe someday.  But the truth is, we spent a good part of a Saturday tidying up and rearranging, and another Saturday sorting through papers from our file cabinet and shredding most of it.  And then moved on to other things!  If IKEA weren't two hours away, I may have more to show, as I have lots of ideas swimming around in my head, but would need a trip to the land of Swedish meatballs to make them happen.  I'm also hoping to paint, but haven't settled on the color yet.  And if we're being completely honest, it most definitely doesn't look this way any more...  The pack n play got set back up, and the desk is a disaster, but it's better than before.  :)

So here's what we did, with before pictures on the left and after on the right....

We basically flipped the room completely around, the desk went to the opposite corner and the dresser went to the opposite wall.

We removed that old swivel rocker.  I hate that hideous thing, but it works great for rocking babies in the middle of the night!

We also removed that cheap bookshelf.  It is currently functioning as a nightstand in our bedroom, until we find something else.

 

Some of that junk pile got moved out to the garage, the rest is in a pile in the opposite corner!

 We took the pack n play down for a while, but since the little guy hasn't been sleeping the best, and he shares a room with his big brother, a lot of nights he ends up in the office at some point.

So, not the most thrilling post, but it is progress.  I have been using the office a lot more, and it feels so good to have my files in order again!  I'm hoping to add another desk or work area of some kind, as well as more storage, shelving, art...  Stay tuned!

Something I Used To Be...

Over at These Moments, I've shared a couple of my goals for 2013.  (Am I the only one that still feels weird saying "twenty thirteen??")  I definitely have more personal goals to share, but I also have some house related goals for the year.  You see, I used to be a super organized person.  At our first house, everything had it's place.  I could put things away without a thought.  At this house, I have done very little organizing and I'm constantly wondering where in the world things go!  Which, unfortunately, results in stuff being dumped here, there, and everywhere!  And it's DRIVING ME NUTS!

Check out this bird's eye view of how my kitchen island looks as I type this...

Now picture me, hanging my head in shame...  I mean, seriously, no wonder I don't enjoy cooking these days, I can't find my kitchen counter!

SO, it's time!  Time to regain control of the clutter!  Time to tell all that stuff where to go!  (I mean that in the nicest way!)  Time!  To!  Organize!  *Cue the applause!*

2013 Home Goal #1:  Organize one room/space each month.

That's the official goal.  Sure, I'd love to organize the whole house this month.  But let's be realistic.  I have three young children.  We are all home, all the time.  And this is the sort of thing that gets worse before it gets better.  BUT, maybe if I start organizing other areas of the house, all that junk on my kitchen island will actually have a home!  Yay!

The plan is to start with what we'll call the "home office."  And get this happy coincidence:  Jen, over at IHeart Organizing, the BEST organizer around, has presented the blogosphere with a monthly organizing challenge! AND, January's challenge is to conquer the home office!  And boy do we need to!  Over the last 16 months, this room has served as the hubby's full time work office (his business now has an office, so he's no longer at home), his dressing room (his clothes live in the office closet and his dresser, which hangs out in there), the baby's sleeping area, and a dumping station...  I would love to turn the room into our home office/my craft room.  I'm not sure yet how I'm going to accomplish that, so stay tuned!  And with that, I'll leave you with some super embarrassing BEFORE pictures...

The view looking straight in the door

Turning to the left

Keep turning....

And all the way

A better view of the desk area

A better view of the junk corner...  Yikes!

SO, who's with me?!  Are you going to start with your home office?  Or some other area?  Or is your home perfectly organized already?