Hello Dear Friends,

I am sooooo excited to finally find a great office design!! 🙂

After many, many years…yesterday was the day!! I had prayed…tried many, many different configurations to set up my home office and dining and craft area and current homeschool/tutoring materials area!! Can you believe I would attempt all of this in one spot?!?! And to boot…it is small…maybe 15′ by 12’….maybe at best. It houses 4 standard bookshelves, 2 bookshelf cabinet combos, two half size bookshelves and a double sided handmade bookshelf. Plus one large wire/rack shelf and scrapbook storage system. I also have a large desk shelf on top of 3 half size filing cabinets. OK….the initial layout is wall to wall shelving. :0 Then I have a small glass dining table with 4 chairs and small desk with a newly added large desk in an U configuration with the large shelf with 3 filing cabinets. LOVE IT!!!! 🙂 WHEW!!!

I tried to just use the small student sized desk but it just didn’t work. There was not enough of a desk to work with when needing to use books or any support materials.  Especially when preparing for Bible study, I use at least one Bible (though I now use a parallel Bible or my Nook with multiple versions on it), my Bible dictionary, Bible commentary and Webster’s dictionary. As well as any of the business work or teaching preparation needs a bit of space. So Praise the Lord for finding a decent configuration!!

And now we have also a lovely eating area as well as my scrapbook/crochet/needlework area and some storage. (PTL for my large crafting storage area in the basement…though that is the HUGE clean out/organizing project that will require paid help to clean out/gut with trailers rented to haul to Goodwill and trash dumps.  Whew…that will take the Fall with cooler temperatures to accomplish. 🙂

But now, I will put back in all the files (all filing cabinets have been cleaned out to be sorted and refiled)this week after my sweet hubby goes back to work. (I am implementing the Freedom Filer system. A color coordinated rotational system.) And then I will clean out all the shelves. Pull old curriculum to make room for the new years also declutter/reorganize. I will also pull the books and materials that need to be weeded out to the basement storage bookshelves and some weeded out to the resale shop. I already have a pile ready for my younger niece and nephew. And then I will reorganize all. I pray all of this will be finished and complete in June.

 I know this may seem like a goal set too far out. I am learning to be realistic in my goal setting. I have previously listed a project like this on my calendar or goal/project lists to be completed in one day. What I learned this weekend was I like to move everything in place…arrange…walk away and come back to see if it functions well. I also use this to determine if I like it. We all should be slow to set up systems until we are 100% sure we are good with it. Then fine tune “decorate” it and add our personal touch. Like any space, we all have our likes and dislikes…we just have to see what we need as well as are we comfortable in it. I am amazed at some of my designs. They look great on paper and then once in there I realize it just doesn’t function well.

My sweet husband came home Saturday after I moved all around (fyi…first half of this message I wrote on Saturday) and at first didn’t like it much. After time and a bit of tweaking, it is a good layout. Even he can’t argue this now. 🙂 And all the children think it is great!! PTL!! Even this tired Mommy needs a little encouragement these days!! (Still recovering from thyroid surgery though beginning to slowly feel stronger…PTL!!!)

So though there is more to do…I am so thankful to have arrived at something that feels comfortable and is beginning to look pretty, like a good pretty pair of slippers!! 🙂 What a blessing!! I look forward to many cups of my favorite tea or coffee reading my Bible studies, working on projects, preparing school lessons and working on our business. This will now be the hub of activity initiated and recorded for our family. 🙂 To God be the glory!!

I pray you and your family are blessed this Memorial day!! I am so thankful for all our men and women who have and currently serve our country!! I am also so thankful for those who gave their lives so that we all could live in a country that provides our individual freedoms. May God please bless America!!

Have a truly blessed Memorial Day and may we all do our very best…even in keeping our homes as unto the Lord,

k

Picture credit: pictures.com