Don’t laugh, okay? I’m asking because I really want to know. Seriously.

My home office is my own special room. No one but me has any reason to be in it so however I want to decorate it is totally my choice. I love this office.

The one thing I’d love to have in here is flowers. Even though I love fresh cut flowers, I just don’t have the time or money to keep them up year round. I was thinking that silk flowers would work well.

What I want to know is whether anyone has ever seen silk dandelions. Hey! I told you not to laugh. I really would love a bouquet of silk dandelions. I’ve seen other yellow flowers but I know a dandelion from other flowers and none of the others look like a dandelion.

So, now that you’ve stopped laughing at me, have you ever seen silk dandelions? If you’ve found them online, that would be great. Let me know, okay?

My office is being taken over by spare parts and pieces of computers. Again. I don’t know how this happens but it seems that as soon as I gather enough moving boxes to pack away the stuff I just can’t throw out, yet might need someday, that I begin to gather more stuff that needs to be sorted, tested and stored.

I’m convinced I need a special space just to store MY things. This office just isn’t big enough anymore. There’s no room downstairs where I keep my soaping supplies, either. Maybe I just have too many hobbies.

When I cleaned my office this weekend, I really hoped I could find an easier way to clean all my monitors. I remember seeing these really nice wipes made specifically for monitors and other office equipment. They seemed to be so much more convenient than a typical spray bottle of cleaner and paper towels.

I guess the question then, is whether those wipes are a better bargain than buying cleaner and paper towels. I was trying to figure it out but the cost of paper towels varies so much, depending on whether they’re on sale or whether I buy them here or in the neighboring state where paper products aren’t taxed. I think I’d pay extra for the convenience, just not sure how much extra.

I’ve been putting in quite a few hours in front of my computer lately. You’d think I’d be getting all kinds of work done. I’ve done work but I’ve also gotten lost in all the surfing. The internet was made for people like me whose mind flits from one topic to another.

Like now. I just went off on a tangent. I do that all day until my back and neck are aching. I’ve considered replacing my desk chair with a massage chair but if I do that, there’s a good chance I’d never get up from here. Summer can’t come soon enough. I need sunshine and fresh air!

HELP! My office is being taken over by Stuff. There are piles of papers (most from the kids), bottles of supplements and other OTC items, books, promotional products that I’ve collected, knick knacks and tools.

I like a neat and tidy office. My mind is cluttered. My hard drive is cluttered. I need my physical world to be streamlined and uncluttered. The problem is, I have work to do and no time to really clean this office. UGH!

I’m going to make a commitment right now. One day this week, I will clean this office. I’ll fill up at least one garbage bag with stuff to be thrown out. No matter what.

You do believe me, right?

I really miss my little Oreck vacuum cleaner. I got it when I ordered my full size Oreck and I think I use the little one just about every day. Except that someone used it and when I finally found it, the hose had a hole in it. GRRR! So now I’m using the shop vac to vacuum in and around my computers.

I bring this up because I cleaned my office this past weekend but my heart just wasn’t in it. I gathered up the things that don’t belong around my computers, like nail polish, mineral makeup, hair gel, baby binkies and Legos. Then I began to vacuum but I just couldn’t control that shop vac the way I can my little Oreck. So I gave up.

I guess that means another ride to the mall to buy a new hose.

Has anyone noticed that I’ve been posting more at night than during the day? There’s two reasons for that. First, my DSL keeps going out during the day. Second, my husband is working nights, thanks to the outdoor lighting that the general contractor installed, so I’ve been staying up late to post.

The DSL problems are my biggest problem right now, though. I signed up for a one year commitment in order to get a better price but when that commitment is over, I’m out of here. If my cable company has not yet implemented internet by then, I’m going to give Alltel wireless internet service a try. It’s a little more costly but if I just get rid of my land lines completely and go totally wireless, I’ll actually save money. Plus (and this is big) I’ll have internet access when I travel to Hawaii! Jesse won’t need to order internet service from the cable company like he did the last time I was there.

So if anyone from Verizon is reading this, you’re about to lose another customer.

Do you prefer to work on the software side of computers or the hardware side? It seems I’m always tweaking the OS or software settings but what I really love is opening a computer case and tinkering with the hardware.

I still remember being terrified of opening the case on my old 286 over a decade ago just to look around. I was still a bit nervous when I upgraded to a 386 and took a peek inside. And then I got my first Pentium - a Gateway2000 P133 - and within a month a thunderstorm zapped my modem. I paid a fortune for that computer and to say that I was nervous about opening it and swapping a modem is an understatement. But something interesting happened that day. I swapped the parts and everything worked perfectly. I was hooked.

Over the years I’ve gone through entire sets of tools that were supposed to remain in my office. With 5 sons, though, tools have a tendency to make their way to other parts of the house or even to places outside of the house. Now, my computer tool storage solution is kind of “hidden in plain sight.” I have a beautiful red Victoria’s Secret gift box that is the perfect size for holding screwdrivers of various sizes and even a can of compressed air. No one here has thought to look in there yet for my tools.

Yes, I’m a genius. Well, at least I am when it comes to out-smarting these kids!

I’m trying to organize my stuff in my office. For the most part, I do have a somewhat useful way of organizing things. I keep all my manuals and CDs from computers and other electronics in one convenient place. It may take me 30 minutes or so to go through them to find what I want, but they’re all there. It works for me.

My biggest problem is the miscenllaneous office supplies. Pens have their place; jump drives are nearby. But I have two full drawers of things I don’t use often but might need eventually. You know, things like packing tape, box cutters, an ink pad, a paper punch. These things are useful but I need them only a few times each year. So I store them. The problem is, they’re taking up space I could use for more important things like extra notepads or a phone book.

I need to reevaluate my storage space. I’m getting that “urge” to re-do my office. Let’s hope it passes before I tear everything apart and wish I hadn’t!

Someone has been in my office. I don’t know who was in here or why. I don’t even know when, exactly, since I’m home most of the time. I just know someone (not a child) was in here.

And how do I know? I just emptied my trash can. I don’t usually go through the trash but over the past month or so we’ve found car keys and things in the trash can. Seems Kendyll likes to throw things away. So before tying up the bag, I check for car keys or binkies.

This time, I found empty bottles of wine coolers which totally confused me. Brian doesn’t drink those. I don’t drink at all and I don’t remember ever seeing those in the house. So, who left them in my trash can? Who drank them? Looks like I need to do a little investigating.