Home Stuff ...

So, hubby and I decided that this year was going to be the year that we take the whole "Spring Cleaning" thing seriously. Or, well, more seriously than we have in the past, anyhow. We always manage to do a little bit of cleaning out and stuff ... but I don't think either of us ever feel like we have accomplished that much when all is said and done.

With that in mind ...

We managed to get two closets basically cleaned out this weekend. The office closet and the closet in the kiddo's room. The office closet was so packed with crappola, it was unreal. Basically, when I moved to Virginia from Texas we had to try and consolidate two whole households because we had been living apart for almost two years at that point. Plus, I had all this stuff that had previously lived in my workplace. I didn't have anywhere to put that stuff once I moved, because I wasn't working. I ended up getting pregnant right after I moved, so I decided I would stay home and raise our daughter. So, all that stuff was just kind of stuffed into the office closet when we moved into our house. I was HUGELY pregnant at the time, so we couldn't really clean out during that move, and that whole move was just really rushed, too because we were at the end of our apartment lease and had to get out. (They had already rented our apartment out!) Needless to say, there was a LOT of work to be done. It took about a day and a half, but we got rid of a bunch of stuff. And a bunch of old clothes, stuff that doesn't fit any more, and stuff we just don't like any more. We still need to clean out the closet in the master bedroom, but I'm hoping it won't take quite as long. The kiddo's closet was pretty much just clothing, which took only about half a day. The master closet is pretty much just clothing, too, so I'm hoping it'll go fairly quickly.

So all this cleaning is in preparation for ...

New closets!! *woot!*

We decided to take advantage of the Elfa Sale at the Container Store to have them design two closets for us (master bedroom and office). They will come in and install the closets on Jan. 31, and I have high hopes that the new arrangement will help us be more organized and really maximize the storage space in both closets, as neither one is super big. I love my house, but I really, really, really HATE the closets, overall. Hopefully, this will change that somewhat.

I am considering moving my office, too. Right now, it is in the "extra" bedroom on our third floor. It's a small room, and it's pretty much crammed full of stuff. Even with the clutter, though, it's a pretty good arrangement. I have my desk with two monitors, my "tower" CPU, my scanner, and some extra stuff like manga and stuff at the corner. Then, a wall of bookshelves that are totally loaded with my novels and stuff. (I read a lot, so I have a LOT of books! >.O) Hubby has a "tower" CPU, too. And we have a color laser printer also on a separate bookshelf with the two CPUs. I have my iPod hookup and a flat screen TV on the shelves behind my desk, and I play the TV a lot. Not really watching it, but I use it for background noise when I'm doing things on the computer and stuff. Bad part is that the room is FULL. I mean, I really can't put anything else in here. I'm out of storage space on the book shelves, although I think the new closet arrangement will free up a lot of that space. And I'm out of space for my sketch books. I keep my cel books in my special box on the second floor ... but the sketches live in binders here in the office. And I'm out of room for my DVD binders, too. I've cleaned this room out several times, but, somehow, all that clutter keeps creeping back in. Part of it is that I have pack rat tendencies. But part of it is that I have to share the office with hubby ... and he is WAY more of a packrat than I am!

Plus, we don't really have a good place for visitors to stay. Right now, we are using what would normally be the "formal dining room" as the guest room and a playroom for the kiddo. Which is fine, except our house has an open layout on the second floor -- so our overnight guests really don't have any privacy. I'm not crazy about that.

So ... I think I'm going to migrate my office downstairs and put it in what is currently the "formal living room". Right now, we have a sofa and two chairs in that space, but we really don't use it at all. And it's a pretty big space to be sitting around empty and unused, especially considering we are in a townhouse, which means we really need to use every bit of space. A huge positive is that it will be a LOT more work space for me. I will be able to corner together my current desk and one identical to it and still have room left over. We already have our internet set up so that it's in a protected wireless network in the house, so that shouldn't be a problem. And I have enough room to migrate the shelving downstairs for the printer and stuff. Then I would probably leave the two chairs in that area and put the sofa over in the kiddo's "playroom" area. I would love having that extra table space, because, right now, my desk is hard to manage.

Another positive is that the new office space has easy access to the kitchen. So I could easily work while I'm cooking -- especially if I'm doing something like making a stew or soup or something like that. And it's closer to where I keep my cels, which would make scanning new things and then putting them away even easier. And it would be near where kiddo likes to play.

If we do the office move, we will then purchase a bed for the extra room. So it will end up being the guest room. The shelving and storage will stay in here, though, so we will still use this space for that. And then, when guests are staying overnight, they will have a place where they can have a little bit of privacy.

A huge negative, though, is that this is an open area. I worry about the desks looking too cluttered and junky when people come into the house. They won't see the office space from the entry way, but they will see it as soon as they come up to the second floor, which is where our kitchen is -- and, thus, where everyone congregates. And I would have to give up having the TV. That's kind of a negative, but probably not a huge one. I mean, I like having it, but, like I said, I mostly listen to it, anyhow. And I would probably be better off with music, honestly. Music is just better for writing -- at least, for me. I'm just kind of a TV person. If there is a TV in the room, I'm going to turn it on. It's a huge weakness of mine. >.O

And, overall, it's a really big change. I have a feeling I will love it once I get everything moved and arranged. But you know how it is with any sort of huge change: It's SCARY!!! So, I've been going back and forth on it. I think, though, that it's probably the right thing to do ... and the way that we will be able to use the space the best. Still ... ACK! O_O