Thursday, June 11, 2009

Full FREAK-OUT mode!

I am having an official visitor tomorrow.

My great buddy forever and ever, Julie, is coming over to make the best cake you will ever eat.

She has tried making it a couple of times, but hasn't had much luck. The first time it ended up too gooey and wouldn't come out of the pan, the second time, the cake bubbled out all over the pan and into the oven.

She was just about ready to give up!

Tomorrow we are going to try to get to the root of the problem.

However, when I made one of those cakes on Sunday, it ended up looking like this...



I sure do hope the cake turns out good tomorrow!

I will die of embarrassment if it doesn't.

OK, now to get to my point......

I am officially in FULL FREAK-OUT MODE!

You see, hubby and I have never been "social" people. I mean, don't get me wrong, we love seeing our friends, hanging out with them, talking to them.....

But just not usually in our own house.

When we lived in our old house, I was always too embarrassed to have anyone over for a visit. It was too small, too junked up, too dirty. I would always try to plan get-togethers somewhere else.

Now that we have the new house, I don't really have that excuse anymore....but habits of 20+ years tend to die hard!

Over the past few weeks, I have been trying my best to keep the house looking in "visitor mode"....

You know, dishes done, sink clean, counters clean, toys picked up, laundry folded, beds made, toilets clean.....

I even, in a spur-of-the-moment move, invited my sister, niece, and nephew's wives over for a Sunday afternoon visit.

And I SURVIVED!

Well, over the past several days, housework has taken a definite back seat to other things and frankly, this house is a PIG STY today!

Now that Julie is coming over, I am freaking out! I have so much to do, and so little time.....


Clean laundry to fold.


DIRTY laundry to wash, dry and then fold.....how do we accumulate so much in a WEEK?

Messy Kitchen.

More messy kitchen.


Clutter...by the way, Barb....THIS is what my ottoman looks like.

Little boy destruction....


Even more little boy destruction.

I couldn't bring myself to post pictures of the bathrooms....YUK!

(Living with men/little boys is just GROSS!)

So, now I officially have 27 hours to get my house in shape!

Nothing like a little procrastination to put the pressure on!

OK, now to all of you guys....please help me feel better and tell me you do the same thing. Please tell me that all of the pictures of your beautiful homes are just "creative photography" and you are really a messy procrastinator just like me.

Anyone?

Please?


****EDITED*****

Julie called and was just surprised by her hubby with a romantic weekend getaway, soooo, our plans have been put on hold. The good news is, most of my housework AND ALL of my laundry is done, so tomorrow will be a GREAT DAY!

Thanks for all of the encouraging words! Ya'll are the BEST!!!

16 comments:

  1. yeah sure.. we all do!! don't sweat it hun! :)

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  2. Oh Robin...My house is always spotless! It is like a magazine at all times!!! NOOOOTTTTTTT! I hate to do dishes, so there are ALWAYS dishes in my sink, my kids are messy, and yes, boys are gross! Thank God my Laundry room is outside...well, you have to go outside to get to it.

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  3. You need to take a deep breath. I wish you could see my island. It's where all the stuff accumulates. We all probably let things go until it's time for company to visit. You'll get it done.

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  4. OH.MY.GOSH.

    I think you read my mind this morning!! I have been in a "funk" lately, because I want to have people over to swim, grill out, etc. - D loves to entertain guests...but I never invite others over because of my house!

    Like you, I wish I could keep it in visitor condition - but I just struggle with it so much. It's like I make a goal every day to clean and tidy up before bed, but by the time I get home from work, fix supper...I'm too exhausted to do anything.

    And as a result, YEARS go by and we have rarely had guests. I want to set that example for Super B - the one where he knows that our home is always open to others. I feel so guilty - like such a failure in that area.

    How about we encourage one another about this?? I get overwhelmed trying to clean it all in one day. But maybe we can set small goals that after a few weeks - we will be able to maintain!

    Thanks for your honesty on this - there is comfort in knowing that I'm not alone!! Love you!!

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  5. Great idea Tammy! I so want this house to be open for any and all visitors, too....without freaking out when someone unexpectedly knocks on the front door!

    WE CAN DO THIS!!

    {{{HUGS}}}

    Robin :o)

    PS....thanks for the encouragement Tracie, Kori and Kathy!!!

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  6. OK, I confess. Since this last transfer I have been home, thus taking the title of Princess. I procrastinate for a good bit of the day doing what princesses do. I leisurely spend my day working out, shopping, decorating and doing all the things I never had time for in the past. Then about 2 hours before Steve gets home from work I go into a frenzy... cooking and cleaning and looking presentable. He walks in the door and the house smells good, floors shine, food on the stove, lipstick fresh. He's a happy man. One day he will come home early and I will be in stinky workout clothes, dog hair everywhere, piles of laundry, dirty dishes and he will think I've had a breakdown because I have him fooled into thinking I'm a Stepford Wife.

    We do entertain a lot, usually weekly, and that makes me go into cleaning overdrive. Just knowing there will be visitors makes my vision clear and I have a heightened awareness of dirt and yuk so I do the same frenzied cleaning.

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  7. Ok- I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but my house is always clean and picked up and all the chores are always done- the catch is I AM A PERFECTIONIST and I CAN NOT function if things aren't perfect! Truly, it can be a curse!! I've gotten better over the years, but I still tend to have everything in order all the time. And YES, my house is always ready for visitors, but the PROBLEM is that I never allow myself to take a break. I don't watch t.v. unless I'm doing a chore at the same time! I don't have any activities outside the home! The only thing I allow myself a little time for is blogging, and then I feel guilty for neglecting other things! So, the way I look at it is this: if you are happy and comfortable and can function, then who cares!! I wish I could be comfortable with a little more mess, but that's NOT ME! I personally don't think you're house looks bad AT ALL, and would be very comfortable visiting you just the way it is- I just can't have any clutter in MY OWN house- like I said, it's a curse! And the point to all this rambling is that, when you think people are perfect or might judge you, trust me, they have issues too!!!!! Hang in there and simply do what you can! Good luck!

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  8. I know you don't think this is funny, but it is. We can all relate. I used to think it was a reflection on my character if my house was in disarray. I now know that my true friends look past the clutter. They don't come to grade my Martha Stewartness; they come to visit with me. Life is so much better. Relax and enjoy your friend. (You might give her a welcoming gift of a mop and a broom. Who knows what might happen:)

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  9. Robin, my laundry "closet" is in my kitchen right at my back door. Therefore, when I have all of my piles of laundry sorted in my kitchen floor I feel like I have to say, "Welcome to my laundry room" when visitors arrive. It always seems worse to us than it does others, and I know that Julie will not think anything of it (she's a sweetheart). Your house is gorgeous, and I would think something was wrong if it didn't look like people lived there :)

    Love,
    Susan Brewer

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  10. Don't worry Robin, why do you think I blog about everything BUT my house lol. You would think it would get better since Cait went off to school, but I fear I married a pack rat (did you see his man cave?). And how can so much junk mail accumulate on the table in 1 week? And I would not call that a messy kitchen by a long shot. Feel better? Hugs, Kathy

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  11. I LOVE that cake! I've made it about 12 times since you printed the recipe and my family loves it...it's usually gone before it fully cools. :) And I don't think it matters what your house looks like as long as you serve that yummy cake!

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  12. And sometimes, even after I take the photo, I have to crop it so some mess I hadn't noticed doesn't show up on my blog! I don't know about you, but I work best under pressure. Have fun. laurie

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  13. nahhhh you'll have it done and clean in no time.lol
    good luck with the cake..have a great visit..xx

    silvia

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  14. Laurie....LOL! I do the EXACT same thing! That's why most of my pictures are weird sizes!

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  15. Oh, girl, I understand. I am a Piler, and then all of a sudden, there are piles everywhere, and I hate it!
    I got my package yesterday and blogged about it today! I love it all!!! thanks!

    Suzanne

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  16. The only time my house is blog worthy perfect is....NEVER! I have a hard time keeping up even now when it is only the 2 of us! I started working outside the house and it is worse, I would love to hire a cleaning person, but would be too embarrassed, lol, afterall, it is just the two of us and I am only working 2 days a week, why cant i keep up?? I am to easily distracted, blogging, computer, reading, shopping, you name it, lol. You are not alone! Have a great weekend! Sue

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