The Scary Room

One of the things I love about our house is that we have this little nook of a room that we call an office just off the dining room. I have to say that I used to consider myself an organized person. When I look at this room, I just don't think that I can pass for that anymore. The main thing I like about the room is that soon after we moved into the house over three years ago, we bought a bamboo-ish roll down shade to hang between it and the dining room. I've discovered that this is at the same time good and bad. Good because we can roll it down when company is coming, and we don't want them to be scared. Bad because, knowing that I can hide it, it has become the put-it-in-one-of-the-stacks room.

It is full of all the "to-dos" that I just don't seem to get around to. Here are some examples: on the floor are pillows that someone gave me that I can't bear to part with because I could cover them with something cute for the girls' room, a box a fabric that I'm sure I'll use someday (maybe to cover the pillows?), and shoes that Todd bought that hurt his feet - I'm supposed to sell them on ebay. On the sewing cabinet, a stack of Emma's homeschool stuff, the sewing box (which needs to be reorganized), a stack of books I've either read or might read, some Christmas presents that I can't put under the tree because Aubrie will destroy them, a pile of broken things that Mommy is supposed to fix - hair bows that need new clips, a few Christmas ornaments that have already fallen off the tree, Jessie's decapitated angel, and last year's pages from my organizer that I need to go through (I write down things for the girls' baby books on them and haven't culled everything from 2006, and 2007 is breathing down my neck!).

Moving further around the room is my picture/craft table that isn't visible with piles on top and underneath. Am I the only one like this? I think this room has gotten so out of control that I'm afraid of it - hence, the scary room. When I have an hour or two to spare, I can hardly bear to think about working in there because it is so overwhelming! I've just spent a few hours in the room, and I feel like I have very little to show for it. I've labeled a few packets of pictures and have put pictures from 2004 and 2005 into albums; not even a full stack off of my picture table. And, yes, I'm just now putting 2004 and 2005 into albums. So sad, I know. Please tell me there's someone else out there as bad as me!

I truly don't know what people do without a scary room, are they really so organized that they don't need one? I used to think that I could be one of those personal organizers that could help people get control of their lives, organize closets, declutter, etc. Lately, I think I need to hire one!