I love everything about that girl but ONE thing . . she’s a darned good housekeeper! There’s no clutter in her house. No dust. No grime. For someone like me who’s just a slob at housekeeping, I could never have my home as clean as Nicole keeps her home.
For at least four hours I’ve been cleaning and though she would never say anything, I know she’s going to feel like she needs to clean when she gets here.
I’ve dusted all the blinds and windowsills. I’ve vacuumed. The slipcovers on the sofa and chairs will be washed before they get here.
Everything little hands can reach that could cause harm has been moved. The fireplace tools . . on the porch. The gas valve on the side of the fireplace . . on the mantle. (The truth is . . I’m putting this in the blog post so when I can’t find the darned thing, I can search on the blog and see where I put it!)
Clean Fireplace
Instead of unplugging and removing all the gizmos that make the TV run, we’re going to stack boxes in front of the bottom part of the TV stand. Won’t that be attractive? 🙂
Clean sheets are on the bed. The quilts have been washed.
Guest Room
There’s plenty more cleaning to be done but I think that’s about it for today. I have a quilt to bind! 🙂
Donna P. says
Judy, I think you worry too much. Your home looks just fine to me. After all,there is work to be done. Go bind that quilt.
Jennifer says
No matter how much you clean, that baby girl will find something! Usually the babies that come to our house find dog toys or cat balls we haven’t seen in months! Bet you can’t wait for them to arrive!
Jennifer says
No matter how much you clean, that baby girl will find something! Usually the babies that come to our house find dog toys or cat balls we haven’t seen in months! Bet you can’t wait for them to arrive!
Donna says
Judy ,just enjoy the kids. They are coming to see y’all not judge your house.If Nicole wants to clean let her have at it. It will make her feel useful . My sister-n-law says housekeeping helps her relax so I try to have a project for her when she comes and let her go at it. (if she wants to). My brother says she’s constantly piddling at home so why should I stop her from enjoying her visit. (lol) I’m a pretty good housekeeper but not a fanatic. A little dust helps you build up allergy immunities…..thant’s; my story and I’m sticking to it! I do agree with removing all the dangerous stuff. My 3 year old grandson found my rotatry cutter the other day and I about had a heart attack. He knows not to go in my sewing room by himself but he snuck in , got a stool and climbed on my cutting table then called me to get him down.. I keep the cutter in a box at the back of the table against the wall.. Luckily the blade was locked. Guess that’s not safe anymore. All in about 1 1/2 minutes.He thinks the sewing room is like Disney World.. all kinds of treasures and gadgets and ‘chines to play with. He wants to sew with me so he can hit the button that cuts the thread.
Enjoy every minute, it;s a treasure!
Julie in Tucson, Arizona says
Nicole and Chad aren’t coming to see how clean the house is. They are coming to see YOU – nothing else will matter to them. Enjoy their visit, love them all up and cuddle that little girl! Have a great visit with them. :’)
Susan says
Since you don’t live in squalor and filth, I can only imagine that this cleaning frenzy is unnecessary. Putting things up high, yes, that’s good! Recording it on the blog later so you can find it – great idea! They are coming to see you, not your house. But if it makes you feel more comfortable, then you’re going to reap the benefits – as if in Texas those blinds and windowsills will stay dust free! LOL
EagleKnits says
When we were newlyweds, we used to clean frantically before my mother-in-law would come to visit — I swear, you could do surgery on any surface in her house! — but as soon as she got there, she would find something to clean. Of course, I took it as criticism of my housekeeping skills. Once she finally realized that, she explained that she just needed to keep busy; she really couldn’t sit still for more than about 15 minutes at a time. As I got to know her better, I realized the truth of what she had told me, so I quit worrying about it and let her clean to her heart’s content. 🙂
Melody says
Enjoy your visit and soak up all those hugs!
Rosalie says
I totally understand! My DIL #2 has a clean house and I too clean before she comes….but she also has allergies to cats and so if I can control the dustballs a little she says that it does help. She has never criticized, but I know she cringes when her children are crawling on my floors….even when I consider them clean! DIL#1 doesn’t keep her house spotless, but she does love to clean, so I always have the stove or another job where she can make it sparkle, if she wants to! Sometimes I am so frantically cleaning before they come that I vow to keep up with it or start earlier before the next visit, but I too would rather be in the garden or sewing. At least if she reads your blog, it will open this dialogue and she can comment privately to you….or not.
You will be so busy loving on Addie that you won’t worry about it when they arrive!
Tricia says
Okay, now you have me TERRIFIED about my future daughters-in-law! Yikes! I also am an…indifferent…housekeeper. Here I have been telling my boys to only choose girls who are willing to quilt with me, completely overlooking the fact that they also need to either not care that my house is messy or be slightly blind!
Thanks for the warning!
Tricia
AngieG9 says
Judy, stop worrying and just enjoy the visit. As far as putting things up high, it doesn’t always work. Kids find a way. When my oldest grandson had just learned to walk and climb my DIL turned her back for a minute, then found him on top of the microwave brandishing a butcher knife. The microwave was up really high, but Alan found a way to get up there. As for the box in front of the stuff below the TV, kids love playing with boxes more than they like playing with the stuff that comes in the box. There’s no way to really child-proof a home, just do some deep breathing exercises for your heart, and enjoy the visit. Nicole and Chad seem like good parents, and they will watch out for Addie, who will probably be outside chasing chckens most of the time anyway, especially the ones that manage to get outside the fence. Who knows? After she chases them around the yard for a day or so they may decide it’s best to stay inside the fence for their own safety. 🙂 If Nicole wants to clean, let her. If she wants to cook, let her. Or send her here to my place and she can do it all for me. I wouldn’t mind having someone come in and clean and cook for me for a while, especially if she brought Addie with her 🙂
Nancy Angerer says
OK — But you are doing more than cleaning. You are doing some child proofing! That is very important. I like your fireplace by the way. We are still unpacking boxes and slowly getting pictures on the wall. The hardwood flooring for the sewing room and guest room will be installed Monday. Yeh!
Linda Steller says
Oh man! Maybe I should have Nicole come and visit me! I am a terrible housekeeper — to the point where I wouldn’t dare to invite someone to come and stay at my house. Well, not in the next few weeks, anyway. Every now and then it gets clean enough for guests, but most of the time, my stuff is everywhere! I keep telling myself that I’m going to get rid of a bunch of stuff and make it easier to keep tidy, but I realize it will most likely never happen.
Deb K says
I still remember my mil coming to our house and telling me how pleased she was that I had made such a lovely home for her son but then added that she wished I was a better housekeeper. She was actually right that I could do better but that’s because I feel like I could always do better at any thing I do. It really hurt and I have to admit that I’m still a bit skid dish about people coming to visit and it’s been 30 years ago that she said that. She passed away long ago but her words didn’t. I hope I don’t do that so my kids spouses.
Joan in NE says
OOps hit send before I remembered a program I heard on the radio a couple days ago. It was some kids specialist that said he believes that so many youngsters these days have allergies etc. because they are “to clean”. Their little feet never touch the ground or grass or anything that hasn’t been sanitized 18 times.
Being raised on a farm, we were outdoors and in the dirt constantly. I think sometimes Mother needed a scrub brush to wash all the dirt off of us. Mud pies baking in the sun was a fun day. There were always a bunch of kittens to play with and the dogs to rough house with. Plus a whole coop full of chickens. and all the other animals that needed tending. We cleaned once a week and just swept the floors during the week. With 8 mouths to feed and no indoor plumbing, it would have been impossible to keep a home spotless. Mother always said it was clean enough to be healthy but dirty enough to be happy.
Nancy says
I love my cleaning lady!!!
JayneCT says
LOL, I loved that you are posting it to remember where you you put things, I am looking for 2 totes of my silk threads. Relax, I liked Donna’s comments.
Mary Jo says
Just remember this poem while that sweet Addie is with you. My oldest granddaughter who should only be about 6 months old is actually 18 now and getting ready to go off to college.
Enjoy while you can!
Babies Don’t Keep
By Ruth Hulbert Hamilton
Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due,
Lullabye, rockaby, lullabye loo.
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo,
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo,
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.
The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
For children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs;
Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.