Together We Are Better Linky--At Home In My Own Little Corner Office

Good Morning, Friends!

I am officially welcoming summer break with a blog post about my newly-created home office space! When Angie of Mrs. Olson's Lucky Little Learners and Ashley of Schroeder Shenanigans In 2nd announced the theme of their second Together We Are Better link-up installment, I had to chuckle because my work space at that time was either my couch corner or a pile of bed pillows with Rosie snoring next to me!  Their blog post party inspired me to get organized and go shopping though, and I've got pictures of that new space to share with you now!

One of my summer goals is to really get more organized and be productive in expanding my social media presence and TpT store/blog  brand, and I hope having everything I need in one spot will help me do just that!  I am a notorious "piler" and aspire to be more of a "filer" over the course of the next three months.

An introduction to my home office would not be complete without a thematic song clip, so here is Julie Andrews singing one of my favorites!  The lyrics speak to the gratitude I have for the personal and professional "new horizons" blogging and TpT have opened up for me since November 2013. My learning journey continues thanks to all of the readers and fellow teacher-authors I've come to know along the way!

In my own little corner, 

In my own little chair.

I can be whatever I want to be.

On the wings of my fancy

I can fly anywhere.

And the world will open it's arms to me..

Lyrics from 

In My Own Little Corner

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella

Be sure to visit some other great work spaces after you've taken the grand tour of my humble home, and link up to share your own office!   Mr. Greg from The Kindergarten Smorgasboard even has a Go Pro video of his mustached-themed room!  If it's design ideas and pops of color you crave, be sure to check out my gal pal Alexis' work-in-progress over at Laugh Eat Learn!

My condo has come a LONG way in the five years, after housing very little in the way of furnishings after my divorce.  But it is a comfortable, cozy, slightly cluttered place now, and people tell me that it has a very peaceful vibe.....which makes my Hippie Chick heart happy!  

It is colorful, funky, furnished with hand-me-downs, and full of family photographs and special mementos.  Here's a peek at the corner of my living room that I've finally carved out for school projects, blog post, and TpT product time!

When my sister's law office recently closed, I adopted these bookcases to define my work space.  Everything I need from my calendar/planner to my collection of Sharpie markers is readily accessible and kept in colorful containers!

A table that used to be one my Mom used for her monthly "bridge night" serves as my desk.   I smile and think about her every time I sit down at it.  I like that it is square and allows me to spread out while I work. It also faces my T.V.--so that I can have a Netflix-watching binge while typing away on my laptop!  Zoey Deschanel in New Girl is my current guilty pleasure!

When I'm suffering from writer's block or just waking up slowly on the weekend,  I wander out to my backyard deck and just enjoy the quiet sunshine.  Many blog posts have been formulated in this 

chair--which was used as a stage prop when my daughter played Jo in the musical version of Little Women. 

I use big, bright bins hold a variety of books that I use in my classroom and often blog about.  They are usually stashed under my coffee table and within easy reach.  I found these sturdy dish pans at Meijer a few summers ago, and bought a dozen in one swoop.  When the cashier commented that I "must plan on doing a lot of dishes," I hooted with laughter and explained that they were for my personal picture book library!  

My coffee table is an arm's length away from my desk, and is where I spread out project pages I need to proofread, prep for a "photo shoot," or collate into binders. 

If you are anything like me, your personal printer works overtime, as does your 3M laminator.  Both sit on this side table I found at TJ Maxx, and help me multi-task!  The Summer Teacher Planner you see pictured is a FREE download in my friend Elyse's store that I hope will help me keep track of my multiple "to do" lists in the coming months!  Check it out {HERE}!

I am known to my colleagues as a piler NOT a filer, and therefore I might have squealed with glee when I found these canvas bins!  They house things I need to sort through, hide, and put away eventually.  I am sure they make the skin of my more meticulous and organized friends just itch, but not mine!  I happily just fill them up as needed, and then empty them as time permits!

In a perfect world, my home office would be a three-season room (think side porch with lots of light and a beach theme).  It would have built-in storage, a great sound system, and possibly a view of a pool!  It would also have a CHAISE LOUNGE....which Deanna Jump has in her home office....which I drooled over after reading her blog last summer!  After meeting her this February at the Midwest Blogger Meet-Up in French Lick, Indiana, know that her work space is as gracious, friendly, and charming as she is in person!  Mine can only aspire to be as such!

Thanks so much for taking a sneak peek into my personal space bubble and sharing in a slice of my life!  I will leave you with two quotes that sit on my shelf and serve daily reminders of what is most important. 

As always, continue to let your own story unfold, keep a song in your heart, and teach your children well!

Peace out,