My Husband and I like working at home and it’s so handy to have a spare room to convert into a home office.

Image: Flickr

If I had the budget, I’d love for a home office like this one pictured above. I love the view, I love the modern look of the home office. I just love everything about it!

At the moment, we do have a home office but it’s filled with junk that we need to sell or get rid of. I’d really like something minimalistic like the above image. Not sure if it will work though as I’m sure a hoarder. ack!

What about you? Have you got a home office? How do you organize your home office?

Just look at that face. That is Trotter, my beloved Chocolate Labrador. Doesn’t he look calm and relaxed? Actually he’s waiting for me to feed him.

I am always so amazed at how dogs seem to be able to provide us with a sense of peace.

Yesterday, I completely freaked myself out about something a client had said to me…which snowballed, internally, to my freaking out about every little nuance concerning my business and even my ability to be a small business owner.

Then it was that TIME. That time of day, when I get a look from Trotter whose expression seems to communicate: “Maaaaahm…I have to go! you never take me out, you never feed me you don’t love me, your terrible.”

Anyway, I took him for our morning walk, and when I do, I always feel that it’s important for the walk to be about him…what HE smells, what HE is seeing, what HE is hearing.

Sometimes, when I have a particularly difficult day, that’s easier said than done…you just want to get him out there, let him do his “artwork” and get him back home to the office.

I do have to force myself to get into his world — but I must tell you, especially you dog owners — I promise once you relinquish yourself to enter canine mentality, your troubles will fade away.

By the time we arrived home, the client who was troubling me, seemed like a silly, silly distraction.

Thanks Trotter, I love you.

It’s funny, when I had an office back in corporate land…I brought things from home to warm up my surroundings. Nothing sickeningly sentimental…photos of my puppy, fresh-cut flowers, the requisite Ziggy cartoons and some candy.

But now that I AM home, my office is very official looking, almost stark in its decor. I wonder what that means…perhaps that I wasn’t serious about my work at the big firm but now that I’m running The Pet Set I am very serious?

Whatever the case, I will always remain a fool for fun office accessories. Check out the neat stuff at Pottery Barn. The items I’ve seen lately should bring some charm to your world, whether it’s on Wall Street or Main Street.

Image: Pottery Barn

As you well know, I am a work from home small business owner. Today, our interior designer, SheRee (not Sherry) presented her design ideas for our living room, dining room and kitchen.

I was distracted because not only was The Pet Set phone and fax ringing off the hook, but because it struck me that a). refinancing may become an issue and b). exactly where am I supposed to conduct my business, while all of this beautification is going on?

Simple you say? just move my office to a nother location in the house, right? No-can-do, because my computer (which is how I communicate to 90% of my clients) is run on cable and there’s only one connection in the whole house.

Much of the work will be done on the level of the house where I work every day. Picture it, dust, noise, a twitchy Labrador Retriever, chaos…

My question is: would you stay or would you go? Stay and endure, or rent a house nearby?

I’m hoping to stay, but let me know.