home office before and after

back in 2013 when i decided to leave a job that included a steady paycheck, great benefits and full-time access to a color copier and fully functioning fax machine to join the freelance world, i knew i needed to carve out a space somewhere at home where i could tend to paper work and such without being in the middle of everything else that goes on around here. the obvious place for this seemed to be the guest room. i simply moved in a small dainty writing desk and a couple of rolling file bins along with a magnetic board for my calendar and other inspirational items, i was quite pleased with the results and posted a blog about the progress.

well, here we are two years later and i'm loving the freelance world. but with all the various projects (everything from space planning to food styling, to prop styling and set design) the space i'd allowed myself just wasn't working any more. i needed some room to spread out! it seemed to make sense to move my work area to the nook where the bureau was (at a whopping 52" wide, it would more than double the work surface i'd been using up until then) and add a credenza to house the additional storage i so badly needed. enter IKEA, craigslist, some spackling and paint (plus about 12 hours of work!) and the new space is finished. all for less than $300. 

Entering the room BEFORE

and AFTER

looking into work area BEFORE

and AFTER

                            

so far, it's working.

A recipe for you: Mango-Black Bean Salsa | WholeFoodsMarket.com

I thought you might like this recipe from Whole Foods Market at http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/mango-black-bean-salsa.

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lani•roberts•paul

619 granville drive

winston-salem nc 27101

336.782.2001

"playing office"

well, i finally did it; joined the ranks of the self-employed (freelance stylist) a few weeks ago. this, of course, meant i needed a place at home where i could sort papers and get inspired, so i claimed this little spot in our first floor guest room and thought photos of it might be an appropriate intro to this new venture i'm on.
anyway, work's been coming in pretty regularly so far and i haven't spent much time at the desk until this week. which is when i realized how much i enjoy being surrounded by the kids' artwork and sitting at the beautiful desk that dp picked out for me more than 10 years ago. makes "going to work" any day, a pleasure.
happy vocationing,
lani

http://live.wsj.com/video/a-new-world-of-thanksgiving-side-dishes/831F4D21-4603-400B-8F24-E6BD86E9D4F4.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_videohome_1


(sent from a box of animal crackers)

mom's strudel

(can't believe i just wrote her name in lower case. she deserves ALL CAPS more than anyone i've ever known).

my mom made the most incredible saturday morning strudel. folks raved about it. little did i know that it was quite simple to make. follow this recipe and you'll have enough to make three, yes THREE, strudels of your own.

the dough.

can you read that?

now divide the dough into thirds and pop them in the frig for a bit.

or bake one and pop the other two in the freezer for when you forgot to plan ahead for the in-laws' overnight visit.

when you're ready to proceed, roll out the dough to a large rectangle (approximately 8" x 18") and smear with 3-4 tablespoons of jam/jelly/preserves whatever.

all rolled out with blueberry jam

then fold over the sides to cover the jam and bake in a 450 degree oven. for "20 minutes or until golden".

pull it out and dust with confectioner's sugar.

you'll thank me.

it's one of the easiest recipes ever and yet it garners accolades beyond belief.

now that's style

just outside of chicago yesterday, our son proposed to his lovely (and shocked) girlfriend while they flew over a field he'd plowed the day before. 

she said "yes"

and as one of his facebook friends so eloquently put it:

"Way to set the bar so high! Suddenly asking a lady for her hand in marriage over some endless bread sticks and salad at The Olive Garden seems kinda anti-climactic."

so for all those single men out there, this post is definitely a "serving suggestion only".

good luck improving on it.