Another day, another box

So things have been progressing, a box at a time now.  I have made considerable headway on the office, enough to show a few pictures of the progress so far.  Be gentle, I am still struggling!
I am now able to enjoy sitting by my little fireplace, safely, and have a cappuccino in the morning and decide what to do next, or even read a little bit.
I have decided on a few things that can come in and a few things to go out.  The things coming in include a container for my unread magazines, a small table for my magazine and cappuccino to sit on, and perhaps a SMALL ottoman.  The things that are going is a large cedar hope chest, filled with linens, a bookcase that I will swap out for a mortgage locker (it has all kinds of cubbies to hold my many office supplies , and the bookcase is thin enough to go in my kitchen to hold my spice....another area trouble spot!) and my large leather ottoman is going in the living room, where it belongs.  There is also a craftsman bookcase with glass doors that needs to go also.
Yes, still a work in progress, but at least its progress and not regress!  I have also come to realize, I can't be perfect.  It seems whenever I start to feel as if I am not attaining some sort of perfection, I start to lose heart, and that in turn seems to add to a feeling of being paralyzed.  Why?  I do not know.  It may go back to when I was younger, I always felt the need to be perfect, to get perfect grades, to do some project perfectly and if it wasn't, or I wasn't I wouldn't want to do it anymore.  But that seems silly when I actually say it.  Its something I wouldn't let any of the kids say about doing or not doing something.  I would say "Do your best and that is good enough!"  Not "do it good enough, not your best!"  So I know there is some perfectionism going on, maybe a little OCD, and then the feeling its not perfect, so why bother?!  Just silly, I know.  But it does 'catch' me.  Pushing through and just trying to do my best, whatever that is, that's what it is, at least I am trying, really should be the phrase that pays here, for now!
Kind of reminds me of this skit, I think it was on SNL, I think it was Al Franken playing Stuart Smalley, and he was some sort of non-licensed guru, and he would say "Gosh darn it, I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and dog gone it, people like me!" while looking into a mirror on a show called Daily Affirmations.  It was hilarious and I sometimes felt like Stuart in my own dysfunctional family.  So thinking about that, makes me laugh, and brings a little reality to my misery and a little lift to my spirit.  Just sometimes you have to find the funny in a situation to carry on.  A break from the madness, so to speak!

My cozy spot.


My AFTER photo!

A little slice of Heaven!


I found a sweet little marble based lamp with a beautiful shade, a small table I had on the porch, and a lovely little foot stool.  I added the firescreen, but I think I may just keep it to the side, folded, but put it up when the dogs are out.  Bunnie Jo likes sticking her nose a little too close to the flames for my comfort.  Not that she burned her nose, but I want her to be safe from her curiosity!