Flat surfaces...

... oh, how I loathe them. Perpetual clutter-collectors. If I could, I'd give every table, desk, countertop and dresser in my house an angled top so that I didn't have to constantly clean them off (or, more accurately, ignore them until the problem became ridiculously unmanageable. But since that doesn't seem to be an option given my lack of cabinetry skills, I suppose I'll have to work harder at getting them cleared off and KEEPING them that way.

So, here is the "before" photo of my dining room table. Having it posted in a public place will, I'm hoping, give me a push to clean it up so that I can take the "after" shot later today.

Here goes....

Update: 5 1/2 hours later, the table is relatively cleared:

SO much better! Yes, there is still stuff on it, but it is in manageable piles that are labeled and can be dealt with. I already dealt with my piles, so the ones that remain belong to my husband and my son. Hoping I can motivate them to get the stuff dealt with asap. Yay, I feel accomplished...