My main goal yesterday was to have one box-free area in my home. I picked the living room – dining room for several reasons:

1. I like to sit on the couch in the morning and watch the birds.

2. The only chance I have to routinely sit down during the day is at dinner time, and I didn’t want to spend that time staring at more work that needed to be done.

3. That area was much more advanced than my bedroom as far as unpacking.

We still haven’t found those missing shelf brackets, so a stop at the local big-name Everything Under The Sun Hardware Store (okay, TWO stops at the local EUTSHS, since we didn’t get enough brackets the first time), and we were able to empty a dozen very heavy boxes.

I moved several boxes into the sunroom, since their contents belonged there (which really just transferred the mess to that room), put a few boxes with decorative items in the front closet (out of sight, out of mind), and lined the hallway with six or seven narrow packages that hold framed pictures (I can’t see them from my seat in the dining area, and they are technically not in the living room, so it’s okay).

Voilà. One box-free room.

I even dusted the dog hair from the floor and put a fresh table cloth out. Dinner was fabulous.

Atmosphere does make a difference.

At dinner, I announced new rules for my new space. Except for the baby toys, of which there aren’t too many, the area was to remain toy-free. In fact, I told them I didn’t want to see any personal items of any kind, and anything found in the area was subject to immediate confiscation and permanent disappearance (except for school books, which, if found, would cost the perpetrator additional assignments). We have a very nice family room in the walk-out basement. There is plenty of room for the toys, the school stuff, and I even set up our small kitchen table for games, puzzles and coloring.

“This area is to be an oasis of peace and quiet,” I declared.

I wonder if the EUTSHS sells potted palm trees.