My big effort for the day was to reconfigure my living room in order to make room for the piano (Piano countdown: t-12 days). The biggest part of the job was unloading two bookcases, moving the bookcases into the guest room, and reloading them. I kind of hated to do it because the guest room is more "out of sight, out of mind" as far as books go, but I really don't have anywhere else I can put the shelves at the moment. I will say I "found" a few books I had forgot I bought, and kind of put them aside into a "to be read soon" pile.

Then, I moved the sofa table, the sofa, the big overstuffed chair, the coffee table.

Then moved the sofa table again because it wasn't working directly behind the sofa. And I tried moving the big chair back more to where it used to be, because I wasn't sure I liked it in its new spot.

I finally hit on a combination that works.



The big empty spot to the right is where I plan to put the piano.

Granted, it looks cluttered. I think ANY shot of a "normal" person's room, that they actually live and work in, will look cluttered compared to a magazine shot. Ever notice how rarely there are bookcases in magazine photographs of rooms? And almost never needlecraft projects, unless it's a small basket of artfully wound balls of wool? I've read about how people have to essentially move out of their houses for a week while the "stagers" come in - and how said "stagers" remove some objects, transport in others, and generally make the room a "fantasy" rather than a reality.

Hrm. Not unlike the Photoshopped models many women's magazines have started using on their covers...where a few pixels are whittled off the waist, or the neck is digitally lengthened, or the skin "smoothed" using an algorithm.

Anyway. My cluttered living room, but I like it that way. I have my quilt to work on and a stack of CDs close at hand, and some books and my fun comfy pillows on the sofa.

I did finally decide that the place I planned to put the overstuffed chair was okay:



It's actually not that bad there after all. (It will also be better once the piano is home so I'm not staring at an expanse of blank wall when I sit in the chair). I'm glad I did find a place for it, and things weren't too hopelessly crowded. It would have been a shame to have to get rid of it - it is very comfortable to sit in, and it is probably the best spot to sit and knit or sit and read.

I will have to be careful if I ever do light the candles in the fireplace again. I may eventually invest in some kind of smaller candleholder that actually fits all the way into the fireplace - I've seen some in catalogs that look like simulated logs, with little cups in them to hold tealights.