Giving the cat a name

This is one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies. As someone who has children who are nearly grown, but still hasn't settled down, I understand Ms. Golightly sentiment. Unfortunately, life doesn't wait until we find a real-life place that makes us feel like Tiffany's. So, sometimes we have to buy furniture and give the cat a name even if we aren't feeling it. I am at that point now. I know my lodgings are temporary, maybe 2 1/2 more years, maybe longer. It is a rental, so no matter what, we will move from here. What's more, the reality of academia is that people move. But we need a place that is comfortable for all of us now. I want a house that is tidy and fits my style. So right now, I am on a quest to settle in.

You know how some people show up at a new house and instantly turn it into a home? Not us. Some believe that there are gifts that come from frequent moving: a streamlined stock and a penchant for knowing what goes where. Well, the Dude and I have lived in 15 places in our 22 years together, so that hypothesis breaks down with our moving boxes. We move into a place, stress out, figure out where everything goes, then start hating it. Move things around, discard some stuff, buy some new stuff, like it for a month, then start hating it again. It often takes us a few years to really get it figured out. Unfortunately, the longest we have lived in a place is a few years.

Since we moved into our new place, we have been very busy, and kind of broke. It took the Dude a while to snag good employment. Now he has a decent job, and my life is slowing down a bit. And so now, it is time to try to settle in to our house and make it a home.

Over the past month, we have (finally!) unpacked and organized the garage and the shed. Now we are turning our attention indoors. The biggest piece for me is turning our living room into something comfortable. We have a sofa, four desks, many book shelves, a coffee table, and a rack for printers and scanners. In this room, we compute, read, watch movies, study, and play games. The room is also the entry to the home, and there is no closet. Luckily the entry area is slightly off to the side of the room, so there is distance. But still, this room is a disaster!!
Here are some photos. The boys' desk areas:

The entry way:

The hall:

More desk areas:

The room also houses the couch and my desk area. These are the before pictures. Stay tuned for the after pictures in the coming weeks!