Love and money are the two motivators for this week’s project.
For a while now, I’ve been uncomfortable with how often the projects I’ve been tackling have benefited me directly and/or indirectly. The work I have done to date has been about making my life easier, which is the main benefit to working towards an intentional home. Today I tackled the home office, also known as the studio in the backyard. I never go out there except to use the fax or pick up something from the printer, especially now that we moved the three bookcases inside. The Mister, on the other hand, spends several hours out there every night.
If you ever wonder how I have the time to blog, it’s because my nights are usually my own after the boys are in bed. My little workaholic spends his evenings working, working, working. In a cesspool.
Here’s what happened.
Last October, during my William Morris marathon, I tackled the books in the office. They haven’t moved since because I didn’t know whether to sell them, donate them, or ship them off to Amazon. (I’m still not sure how the Amazon program works.) Then we moved the bookcases, which required me to empty the bookcases completely.
So maybe I just started chucking things onto the floor after touching over 500 books in one afternoon. Even though the Mister couldn’t see the books on the floor over by my old desk, it bothered me to think of him working for hours in such a cluttered environment. I avoid going out there at all costs, and that’s knowing I don’t need to spend more than a minute or two in the mess.
That’s my explanation for the piles and piles of books.
I have no explanation for his area, other than my once neat-as-a-pin husband has turned into the absent-minded professor with an aversion to filing. That heinous frame (and the picture of me, which isn’t bad) has to be 15 years old. Good gravy.
More importantly, those three pictures are what he sees when he sits in his chair to work. Piles of books in front, and a cluttered printing station at his back. That can’t be good Feng Shui.
I knew without him telling me that working there was stressful (how could it not be!) and I knew the prospect of cleaning out from under the mess seemed overwhelming (been there). So, because I love him and think he deserves a nice, healthy place to work (too much), I cleaned it all up for him as a surprise.
Feeling smug.
Also, feeling sore. I had to sweep the floors, then vacuum them, then wash them twice. Blargh.
The Mister was beside himself when he got home. I’ve got points banked for months! In fact, I’m pretty sure if I asked him to take me to the mall on Sunday he would say yes and then offer to carry my purse.
Earlier I said love and money motivated this project. It’s no accident this week is more about sweat equity versus cold, hard cash. Last week’s project tapped our wells, and I don’t like giving the impression that making an intentional home requires an open wallet. Clean desktops are free.
Organizing the office was as simple as categorizing the books and then storing them in file boxes. We’ll open the boxes and let people go to town when we have our garage sale. The rest will go into the donation pile or Amazon, if I ever figure out the consignment program and whether it’s worth the effort.
We’re close, but not done. Not by a long shot. The drawers and cabinets desperately need to be cleaned out, and three weeks ago we had a cable problem. The repairman’s solution was to drill a hole in our wall when I wasn’t there–and in direct violation of our agreed upon plan–and run a cord through the front of our credenza, which is why the door won’t shut. Sigh. That will need to be addressed, as will the 293893853 feet of device cords hiding behind the partially closed doors.
Progress, not perfection.
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aww, aren’t you the good wife!
(and how can it be thursday again already!)
Tell me about it. On Tuesday I was all…really? Again? Ugh.
You know, I didn’t even notice the file boxes against the wall in the “after” shot. It looks so good! I’m impressed at how a simple clean out (no new items) made such a difference. I hope you kept the picture of you for him, though – that is a cute one!
I moved everything to the printing credenza. I will get a new frame eventually.
You totally deserve to feel smug! I would probably lie and roll around in smugness if I were you. Have fun at the Mall. :D
Hah! Too bad I won’t be able to afford anything! ;)
Wow is all I can say. I have been trying to clear my desk for a while and haven’t had much success do to the numerous hats it has.
As for the books. I have sold books on both Amazon and half.com and I think unless the book has a higher value you would be better with half.com (less fees and commission) I also swapped a lot of books through Paperbackswap.com (if you are not on there could I send you a referral?). With swap.com you don’t get money directly but credits for books you want (or cds or dvds on their sister sites). You can check the value of the book with Bookfinder.com. Simplest way to list would be to make a spreadsheet with all the ISBNs and do a mass listing. I would do both sites to move the books faster although it does mean unlisting from one of them if you sell a book. (take this all with a grain of salt as I haven’t done this in over a year due to a new little one)
I used to do swap.com–thanks for the reminder. I didn’t know about bookfinder.com and forgot completely about half.com, so this was all very helpful. Thank you!
Wow, wow, WOW, Jules!! Your home office makeover is easily as impressive as mine! :-) Doesn’t it feel GREAT?! I’ve still got some piles I need to file, but it is so much easier to get work done in a space that doesn’t give me heart failure when I walk in to it. I know you’re going to LOVE your new office, and you may actually find yourself wanting to spend more time there. :-) Congratulations on all the hard work it took to get to that point!!
I’m never, ever in there! The only person who is in there is my husband, but he loves it and was very happy to have that taken off his plate. :)
Now that is love!
He thinks so, too, which is good. :)
It’s like a whole new office! Congrats! And I say gloat away . . . at least until he opens a cabinet door. :)
Hahahahaha!!! Yeah. Opening any door in that office (and surviving to tell the tale) would pretty much crush any right I have to feel smug.
That’s impressive! And I have the same problem with what’s behind closed doors in my office. At this point I can’t open them without something falling out. Why do I let it get like that?
No clue. That’s what I was wondering as I did kicked the cabinet door to make sure it closed after I stuffed the paper cutter inside.
:)
It looks beautiful. I’m a little envious of your dedicated office space. Our desks are squeezed into the kitchen and master bedroom. We’d have to make the kids share a bedroom if we wanted a separate home office, but it’s not worth the grief.
Is there a used bookstore anywhere in your area? They tend to be selective, but maybe you could sell off a portion of your books in one go, without having to mail. You’d have to cart them to the store, of course. That’s what I do, but I’ve never had so many at once. I get store credit and then do a big portion of my Christmas shopping there.
Do you live in an older home? Ours is from the 50s, and these outdoor spaces are pretty common in homes prior to 1960. Of course, we don’t have basements out here, so that may be what the spare rooms are about. That said, even with the outdoor studio our house is only 1800 square feet. I say “only,” but I wouldn’t want it any bigger. I think it’s the perfect size for us.
I have a used bookstore in our area that I love, but they aren’t taking any books right now. Boo.
Too bad about the bookstore.
Our house was built in ’67, but we’re in the Chicago area, so outdoor spaces are uncommon, and we have a basement instead (for tornadoes and storing junk). If we finished it, we’d have a ton of usable space, but that’s just not on the agenda. What is on the agenda is dealing with the annoying lights downstairs and doing a big clear out so I can have a functional sewing/project space. The kids are at the stage when they like to play there independently, so we ought to make it more comfortable. Right now it’s a scary mess, between an explosion of Moon Dough and our long-haired cat’s hairballs. Ick.
Sorry–I meant to say pretty common in homes prior to 1960 in our area, which is California. It seems like everyone else around the country has a basement. My friend is an architectural historian; I have to remember to ask her why that is. It’s not like we have issues with moisture.
The great thing about basements is that, from what I’ve seen, they are the footprint of your house so they give you tons of room. The bad part is that they are often unfinished. Work.
The outdoor spaces you see here in older homes are rarely more than 200 or so square feet. Mine’s about 200 square feet.
What a transformation. Nice job. Oh, and I love that picture of you!
That was taken at an Easter party at Kara’s parents’ house. Had to be 1997.
I spy a Bluebook and a gem from the Nutshell series! My Bluebook is still regularly consulted, but those Nutshell series…well, mercifully, I haven’t had to rely on them since my oh-crap-I-have-a-property-exam-tomorrow-what-the-heck-is-the-rule-in-Shelley’s-case-again? days. :) On a much happier note, the office looks GREAT! What a transformation.
I’m not sure why I have the nutshells! I kept my hornbooks and my textbooks, and last week I was thinking I should get rid of those.
Now that HAD to feel good! You were ambitious this week. My project was a fail! But next week…..right?!?
There’s always next week. :D
Oh my word, that’s amazing! You totally banked points! =D My office is actually on next week’s to-do as my desk has all but disappeared. Btw- your studio space is an interesting little spot; is it a renovated garage or something?
The studio is attached to the 1.5-car garage, but it’s not a renovation. It’s original to the house and pretty typical in our neighborhood. In neighborhoods even older than ours, there is no garage or an added on garage, and in that case the studios sit alone, usually in the back corner of the backyard space. I’m beginning to think this is a so-California thing?
I think it must be a regional thing. We lived a few places in northern CA and I don’t recall seeing that. Come to think of it, I think I’ve seen similar setups in the Pittsburgh and/or Chicago areas. Fun for you though!
That is love in action for sure! What great results — almost makes me want to tackle our office! (Almost. Mustn’t rush.)
Hahahaha! That made me laugh out loud. Yes, definitely pace yourself. It took me, oh, 7 months to finally pull the trigger on our office. According to my calculations, that means you don’t have to do anything until December. But December is Christmas, so better wait until January. ;)
The office looks fantastic! Thankfully, my husband’s office/studio is in town so I don’t have to look at it if I don’t want to. ;) And he’s pretty good about keeping it up. When he does have a recording session planned or guests coming, I help him get it ready. I figure I’ve got my hands more than full with 2300 square feet of house.
My husband was FAMOUS for being super, super organized and clean. He’s still hyperbolic-chamber clean, but I really don’t know what happened to the organized part. Oh, wait. Yes I do. Coaching two kids in sports, working all the time…I guess he’s allowed to get overwhelmed like the rest of us mere mortals. ;)
2300 square feet is plenty to clean up. I can’t keep up with my 1800, and keep in mind that 200 square feet of it wasn’t getting cleaned to begin with. :-/
Oh good job!! Very nice – but now I feel guilty about my husband’s office space, which is in The Room formerly known as the Dining Room. It now houses two big dogs, the piano, the big computer, and office stuff. No basement here in Florida – water table is only a few feet down. :) But we don’t have the detached thing here, even on older homes Seems like a great thing to have!
And the picture is VERY cute!
Oh, duh! I wonder if that’s why we don’t have basements, too. Strange that you don’t have studio space…I guess it’s just a regional thing!
It looks fab and you’re a wonderful wife. :)
I don’t know if I’m wonderful, but thank you. Nice begets nice, in my experience. Plus, my husband words really, really hard for us in an industry he isn’t head over heals in love with. It’s the least I can do.
Happy early Father’s Day to your Mister! :-)
I know how hard you worked, only because I’m in the midst of a huge book clean-out. Just sorting which ones stay and go is tiring ( I open them, start reading, change my mind…).
But beside that, I’m just so jealous that you have that studio out back. I would give up some of my square footage for a separate space like that. (Husband works from home, so it’d be perfect.)
The book sorting is the hardest part. On the day I worked on the library, the most time consuming part was going through the books. I spent a lot of time rereading when I should have been working.
Good for you! I am impressed you tackled it. I am feeling quite slothful, myself.
You did all that in one day? I think I would have taken one look and said..”Hmmm… I’ll save that for later!” It looks super nice and it’s nice to be able to enjoy something great like that without having spent one dime. I love this series…it really gets me motivated! I’ve got a list of small areas and I try to tackle one or two a week. When I say small I mean small – like this week it’s clearing out the cabinet in the half-bath. Maybe a 20-30 minute job, but trying to keep it from being overwhelming.
You are amazing and so inpiring. I started reading one of the simple living books that you recommended a while back and I can’t even fully wrap my brain around all that I feel about it yet, but what I can express right now is THANK YOU. I have been asleep for the past 2 years and it feels so amazing to finally wake up and start moving toward living an intentional life.
Correct on the GREAT photo of you taken one Easter, in my mom’s backyard… it made me happy and sad all at the same time. It’s just stuff and we can’t take it with us, right? I think these are my favorite posts of yours… I forget to tell you how much they inspire me and I am sorry for that.
For my birthday, can you come clean my home office? XO-K
Oh my gosh, you remember! You took that picture. I told Tiff the story about it up above. Funny you remember it too, although now that I think of it, of course you recognize the backyard. The backyard. Ugh, now I’m bummed. :(
Of course I remember!!! That is one of my favorite pictures of you! Don’t be bummed – Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.
-Dalai Lama
I have no money, but I have love…and a really, really messy office – any chance you’re up in the Vancouver area in the coming weeks ;-)
Fabulous. Just fabulous.
Goodness grief, I need a wife.
Hah! Don’t we all? ;)
That must have been a ton of work—it looks very tidy and clean!
You have one of those little houses in the backyard? That is my quintessential mental image of all houses in California. Probably because of all the House Hunters I watched.
Except we moved here and none of the houses in my town have enough backyard space to put a grill, let alone a one room structure.
Did I spy a Bluebook and a torts casebook in there? I just threw out my (fully tabbed and annotated) Bluebook last week, seeing as it is at least 5 years out of date and if I ever go back to teaching I will have to relearn the whole thing again anyways. At least I threw out the BarBri books two moves ago.
I sold the BarBri and the PMBR books a couple of years after school. The casebooks and the other stuff…I need to get rid of. It’s time. They are outdated and not a part of my life–and haven’t been for a long time–but darn it, I keep holding on.
I love free projects! The room looks amazing, and what I wouldn’t give for a separate office building!!! Nicely done, and also, never trust a cable guy to do anything you want them to do. The best thing is to do it yourself…and apologize later. We had one company put a hole in our bedroom floor, right in the open, and then run it across the floor into the closet. I eventually just moved it, but the stinking hole is still there. :/
The hole goes to the outside and it’s smack dab in the middle of our wall. Black cord. Huge. Completely visible. SO annoying, especially when I told him “don’t do that, please” and he said “Of course not.”
Ohhhh, if I could do anything for John, it would be to build him a space like this. He so badly wants to have his own studio space to play and record music, but alas, our income falls somewhere on the churchmice end of the spectrum.
One day.
Nice! My two cents on the amazon thing– I sold most of my case books at the end of each semester and got a nice chunk of change on some… As you’ve been out for a few years it’s likely there are newer editions and they won’t get as much money and won’t be worth the time/shipping unfortunately… But if you have a rarest or out of print book– totally simple to sell via amazon and a win for everyone involved.
Oh, I wasn’t going to sell my law school books–I wasn’t clear on that. Completely my fault. I was talking about my regular books when I mentioned Amazon/used bookstore/etc. The case books I would just drop off at a law bookstore in Anaheim and have them do what they want with them. They take old books, even ancient ones.
Wow, this post is nice, my younger sister is analyzing such things, thus I am going
to let know her.
Little tip about the Amazon thing: Don’t do the consignment program, because then you have to pay to ship them, and you have to pay a fee when they sell. For some books, you can simply return them to amazon for some $$ on a giftcard. They even pay shipping. It’s on the Right Hand Side, and it says “Sell back your copy”. You don’t get a lot out of paperbacks, but you get some, and like I said, Free Shipping! Here’s an example, where you’d get $2.50 back for To Kill a Mockingbird. http://www.amazon.com/To-Kill-Mockingbird-Anniversary-Edition/dp/0061743526/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338296063&sr=8-1
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