The Office: Ta Da

~ Jenny

So I took my birthday and the next day off except I did work on the bookcases in the hall. I didn’t get them finished of course, but I worked on them. I couldn’t help myself, the momentum got me. But yes, there should be before and after pictures.

So here’s where we started:

Office
And this is now:Office Back

And here’s the other view:
OfficeFront

And this is now:
.

WolfieOffice

Okay, I accidentally focused on Wolfie who popped his head into the frame because he was sitting in the desk chair. Here’s the other end of the office in focus:

OfficeWolfie

You’ll notice that while there are still books stacked in the hall beyond, they’re stacked more neatly. I feel this is crucial. And I will get them off the floor. So I can walk through the hall and clean up the living room. Damn, I have a lot of cr– stuff. But while I was cleaning up the hall, I found all the Mesopotamia books, so that’s good. Really, cleaning is a good thing.

Although that kind of shoots the “never have too much of a good thing” right in the instep, doesn’t it?

46 thoughts on “The Office: Ta Da”

  2. When you started cleaning, I felt inspired to go through my closets and get rid of stuff. And then I thought… Nah. But then last week my niece asked if she could move in. Of course I said yes. Now I really do have to clean, so I have a place to put her. Thanks to your 12 days I might actually get through it with my sanity. Thanks. 🙂

  4. It looks so cute and comfortable now! You should host one of those design shows. Of course, I guess we all knew you were stylish and artistic already. Nah, keep writing books. That’s my final answer.

  7. Congratulations! I love the empty plastic box sitting squarely in the middle of the rug as if it’s on a pedestal waiting to be worshipped!

    Your office is beautiful. Wolfie is adorable. Way to go.

    i

  9. Wolfie looks extremely proud of the clean office. Almosy as if HE was really responsible for the whole endeavor.

    And I LOVE the empty box, sitting there on it’s very own rug. Although, if it were me, it would already be half full with new cr-stuff again.

    Way to go! It looks FABulous!

  11. WHOA! That is really impressive. I feel like I should jump up and start cleaning my office! (although I really don’t think that it would end up this cute!)

  13. I cracked up over Wolfie’s first picture, his eyes are wide open and I imagine he’s thinking, “So what d’you think? Mom did good, didn’t she?”

    And you did. What an amazing result.

  15. Wolfie is a cutie patootie!!!

    Congrats on getting your office done. You’ve inspired me to clean out my nightstand and my computer desk. I am working my way up to the junk room:-)

  16. I’m totally impressed. Do you hire out? I need you.

    Also: What’s with the big empty transparent box in the middle of the floor? Is that your panic box? Sort of like a pacifier: If I need to pile crap somewhere, I can just pile it here! Whew. Like that?

    Wolfie looks positively majestic.

  18. I see you finally conquered The Box From Hell. Daas Box. Or whatever you want to call it. Almost made me want to pull out my own and do the same. And then I went into my garage, where my own personal Box From Hell is safely stowed away on the top shelf in the corner farthest from the light and I thought “Naaahhh” and came in the house and watched a rerun of the Gilmore Girls and life was good. It was very VERY good. And The Box was safe for another day…..

    And besides, there was so much cr–er, stuff piled up in front of the shelf on which The Box resides that I couldn’t have gotten to it even if I had really wanted to without going through all the debris and flotsam that has gathered to worship at it’s feet (does a box have “feet”?) in awe of it’s incredible staying power and longevity. I mean, it has lasted over twenty YEARS–seems to me that the statute of limitations should have expired a long time ago and The Box should be able to rest in peace…

    Sorry–REALLY long day at work–I appear to be rambling… Time for a hot bath and a hot toddy, and not in any particular order!!

  19. Wonderful. I have every confidence in you that it will stay this way.
    Unlike me. See an empty space and cr-stuff just migrates there of its own accord. I have nothing to do with it.
    But it seems to me that Wolfie is taking it all very seriously. He’ll see it through.

  21. Okay, be honest. It was Wolfie who did it, wasn’t it? Man, he looks very proud of the clean up doesn’t he?

    Jenny, even though you were all done I felt obliged to keep up my end down here (in NZ). As it was time for the monthly Child Cancer Foundation good used clothing pick up and I attacked my wardrobe and dresser drawers. Three huge pink clothing recycle bags later and one bag full of shoes I was done. It felt soooo good. Until some deadbeat stole the bags from the front of my house before the Child Cancer Foundation pick up people could get there. I put pics up on my blog about it. I’m still gobsmacked.

    Thanks for the before and after shots. Gives you a whole new appreciation of how hard you worked to get it all done.

  24. It’s beautiful. Obviously every office needs a fiendish yet adorable mad genius cleaning mastermind like Wolfie. And some minions to do the cleaning would be great.

    So worth all your hard work!

  26. Hi, I’m new and in that respect probably ignorant, but the organizing boxes on the shelf, the ones with the adorable multi-colored pattern – could I ask where you got them?

    My apologies if this has been answered before.

    thanks in advance.

  27. Congrats on the ‘new’ office and belated happy birthday, Jenny!

    LOVE Wolfie, and he looks so proud of Mom/you.

  28. Yah you! The hallway looks like it should have taken 12 days all by itself.

    How could you not have focused on Wolfie in that photo? He is absolutely adorable, but does look like he is hatching some sinister plan in the second photo.

  30. Hi Jenny,

    Wow. Wow. Wow.

    My mother’s coming for the weekend so I did the same thing as you did. I also took the opportunity to take EVERYTHING out of the closet and reorganize. Took every book out of the bookcases and dusted.

    Did you have much dust?

    I feel so light and carefree now. As if I’d dropped ten pounds. Odd.

    Nancy

  32. Now, see, I thought that in photo#2 Wolfie looked abashed at having stolen the show in photo#1. This is why dogs make such good companions – one can read into their expressions what one wills, and they can’t contradict!

    I took last night off from cleaning, even though it wasn’t my birthday, partly because I was frustrated by being unable to get my front license plate off to replace it (rusted on after less than 10 years!). Probably partly because I was reading Emma Watson though.

  35. Where’s the recipe for Agnes’ pecan buttermilk pancakes? It’s been two weeks since I read that scene and I’m still salivating.

  38. The boxes are bankers boxes from Staples that I covered with contact paper from Target.
    I’m not really a high-end kind of girl.

    And thank you all for the congratulations. I’d be feeling smug if the paper wasn’t piling up again already. But I’m going to get through all the new stuff today. Argh.

  39. The office is a thing of absolute beauty. So is Wolfie. I was inspired to organize two closets last weekend — 15 minutes at a time. I’m happy every time I open a closet door and see the neatness. Haven’t tackled the office yet because I thought the next thing I should be inspired to do was write. There’s always another weekend. My clutter isn’t going anywhere.

    Unfortunately.

    Congratulations on a job well done, Jenny!

  40. Off topic …

    I’m perusing the September 15th edition of Booklist (hunting for children’s books) and Agnes and the Hitman is one of their top 10 in Romance fiction for the last 12 months choices: “the best romance novels of the last 12 months feature not only captivating characters but also imaginative predicaents, and as much humor and suspense as sex and love” (p. 46).

    And that’s beyond the initial review … may a few added sales come your way from libraries with money to spend.

    🙂

  42. I really love that little footstool/hassock/whatever. For some reason, I like those things in general. If I didn’t exert almost superhuman control, there’d be a dozen in each room anywhere I lived. ;+) Go you for sticking to one as an accent piece, and a very cool one indeed.

    I get the impression that Wolfie thinks this cleaning has been all about him, for, surely, this space is his to command. That first pic of him in focus, you could do a lolcat: “Minyun plz to bring cheezbrgr now.” Heh. Awful, I know.

  43. What a great job – such an accomplishment! Much more satisfying than just cleaning the bathroom or doing the laundry – this is house stuff with substance!

    And really, Wolfie just makes it for me…

  44. (-: Great job! I spent the whole afternoon yesterday cleaning out under the bedroom desk. It was pretty bad, and the dust was worse, but two hours in, I finally realized I could wear a surgical mask while cleaning, and I wouldn’t breathe in all that dust. Duh!

    Thanks for sharing your 12 days with us. You did wonderful. (-: NOW you can clean your office in 15 minutes a day, right?

  45. I love it and I am so jealous.
    I am messy and my better half is a terrible packrat. Whenever I do get in the mood to purge things he will not budge. We do however have a clean closet. It took three years, but we finally threw out a computer monitor and decluttered. Now when I feel frustrated, I just go to the perfect closet and gaze in happiness.

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