We are so excited to entertain our first guests of the season. By which I mean fall/winter, of course. Here are a few of the things we did prepping for houseguests.
Dear sister and brother in law are arriving for a few days on their road trip stop. We havenât seen them in three years, so can I tell you how very happy I am? Yes!
Of course I want my house to put its best foot forward and luckily the weather makes it easier to get some chores done. When itâs 110+ degrees outside, we seem to lose some of our incentive to get things done around here.
Let me first of all say. I donât think our family checks our baseboards or corners. I donât think they travel with their white gloves. And I do think no matter what, we will be able to offer up cat fur on many surfaces.
So perfection is not the goal. Comfort is. As in sitting on clean surfaces. And fresh air.
So hereâs what we did.
Tidy the Yard
This time, John actually put on shoes and didnât use the electric trimmer in flip flops. Praise the Lord.
Such a rainy year meant we got a lot of recent growth on shrubs so he took them down and shaped them up. This will be the last trim until spring. The yard looks really pretty.
My favorite blower made its appearance and I cleaned off the patio and wiped down all the furniture. Hopefully some fire pit time with a glass (or two) of vino is in our future.
The plants I put in a few weeks ago are at least not dead, but they certainly didnât flourish and fill the pots as I had hoped. The pots are going to just have to be good enough.
Guest Room
All the drawers and the closet are cleaned out so there is plenty of room for their things. All the bedding has been cleaned and the doors are closed so my furry princesses stay out. Mandy thinks that bedroom is hers and she has been hiding under our bed since I closed the door. She is not happy.
The luggage rack is dusted off and ready for their suitcase. A little goody is in a gift bag and I canât wait to give it to them.
Guest Bath
Fresh soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc. is all ready to go. The towels are freshly washed and folded for them.
That door is closed too.
While Weâre at it
I took advantage of our momentum and cleaned out the hall utility closet. That thing is seriously worse than the black hole of Calcutta. No offense if youâre from Calcutta. Two or three times a year we need to overhaul that closet.
And I cannot do it on my own. Because most of the stuff in there is not mine and if I move it or pitch it Iâm in trouble.
But itâs organized and cleaned out for now.
Hub worked on the garage a bit too. New pegboard is going up and I see baby steps being made.
Autumn Days
Wherever you are, Iâm quite sure you have a more impressive autumn than we do. But sometimes to take what you can get, correct?
Our townâs celebration included free hay rides and a pumpkin patch for the kids.
I sauntered through all the vendor booths and enjoyed chatting with people I know and people I donât.
Because I walked straight there from boot camp class, I had no money and wasnât tempted to purchase anything I donât really need. However. The best Sasquatch corn hole set I ever saw was handmade and I really, really wanted it. It was as tall as I am so I think I would have had trouble getting it home.
But. Dang. None of my friends or family have that and I know I would have been the envy of all.
Wrap Up
This week will be a little different than normal. Not my normal exercise classes, not my normal meals, not my normal bedtime.
And I couldnât be happier.
Praying for a wonderful week and one for you too.