Today I woke up to an absolutely beautiful early fall morning. The temperature got down into the 50s last night and the cool air from my open bedroom window felt fantastic. It was the first time in months we've been able to sleep with the windows up. I'm looking forward to lower power bills now that summer is really over.
This weekend will be spent doing lots of cleaning. Next Wednesday I'm hosting my book club, and I want everything to be as nice as possible. I'm expecting nine people for sure, and there's another two or three who haven't RSVP'd yet. Entertaining stresses me out for months ahead of time (it's silly but I can't help it) which is why I only volunteer to host about once a year.
Between two dogs, a parrot, and my almost nonexistent housekeeping skills, there's always a lot to do to make the house company-worthy. Hell, one of the reasons we painted the bathroom last week was to cover up the area by one end of the shower curtain rod where Marco had chewed a patch of paint off! The hardwood floors in the dining room need a good cleaning, too. George regularly stands by the table when we're eating and drools and drools onto the wood. Even when you wipe it up, it leaves smudges and smears behind. And Poppy is the worst shedder we've ever had. The whole house needs to be vacuumed almost daily to keep up with the volume of fur coming off of her.
But I can't blame it all on the animals. I'm not a great housekeeper, and I don't mind admitting it, and I tend to be lazy and would rather do other things, like read. Then when company's coming, I lose my mind for two or three days and go on an absolute tear, even cleaning things that my guests will most likely not even see. I'm going to try to do better this time. Today and tomorrow I'm going to slowly work my way through the living room, dining room, and kitchen, cleaning, dusting, and mopping as I go. I'm going wipe down Marco's cage and change the plastic sheeting underneath it, and also give both the dogs baths. At some point I'll gird my loins and go shopping for the food and wine I plan to serve (I dread the shopping trip more than the cleaning!) and that should be it. I'll wait until the night before to clean the bathroom, of course.
So that's going to be my weekend. I'm actually looking forward to seeing my book club friends and having them over, it's just the preparations that I hate. The book we read this month was Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. I'd heard good things about this book, and was looking forward to it, but it was (in my opinion) a piece of crap. I didn't like it at all. Next week, when I have more time, I'll do a brief review of it here. But not today. Today, I have a house to clean and a shopping list to complete.
Have a good one, friends!
I'm sure your house will sparkle, the food will be dee-lish, and the Book Club will be a big success!
ReplyDeleteI'm planning to make my first ever charcuterie board! I'm excited about getting the food ready....but the cleaning part of the preparation...not so much.
DeleteToo bad you dread the prep because you do such a phenomenal job. I'm sure we'll see photos of the clean and partied up house.
ReplyDeleteAww! Thanks Mitchell! I'll be sure and post pictures from the party, and especially of the food I'm planning.
DeleteExactly the way I react to in-coming visitors. I mean, if the conversation lags so much that they're staring at my dusty baseboards, I've got different issues.
ReplyDeleteNo chance of conversation lagging with this group! That's never, ever a problem and I'm sure no one will think to look for dust or clutter...not that they'll find any, because I've been working like a fiend for the last four hours of so. Haha.
DeleteBecause I am housebound my book group always met here, otherwise I couldn't belong. But luckily I live alone, have a cleaner once a month and 2 carers a day so between us we keep everywhere pretty clean and shiny. I no longer belong - i just found I liked to read quite a lot of Natural History and Political books rather than fiction.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you were no longer with your book group. Did they only read fiction? We try to occasionally throw in some nonfiction or something a little "different" and everyone gets the chance to suggest books.
DeleteI always clean more when company is coming. It is good incentive! I really liked Lessons in Chemistry! I'm curious what your book club will say.
ReplyDeleteI'll report back on what the group thought of the book!
DeleteI loath housework from the bottom of my soul but was always too concerned about others judgement to let things slide too far. Luckily at my age (77) I now feel justified in having a cleaner every three weeks!
ReplyDeleteI loathe certain kinds of housework, mostly in the kitchen. I love to cook but despise washing dishes, cleaning the stove, cleaning the fridge, etc. I'd rather clean a bathroom than a kitchen!
DeleteI agree. Cleaning, even for company remains the pits and is bet delayed until you are in frantic cleaning mode.
ReplyDeletePart of the reason I delay until the last minute is so that the work doesn't get "undone" the way it will if you do it too far ahead of time!
DeleteI loved "Lessons in Chemistry" for its message and quirkiness but we all have different tastes; I personally hate anything by Colleen Hoover, Kristin Hannah or Jodi Picoult. They're popular authors but not for me. Cleaning house is a bore; I much prefer to work outside!
ReplyDeleteI dislike all the authors you mention, too. I thought LIC was shallow and the characters were poorly developed. But I'm sure at least a couple of my friends probably liked it. I'll report back.
DeleteI really liked Lessons in Chemistry for the personal growth part, but not so much the cooking show or science job. Love my book club—sometimes find it easier to host than to find someone’s house and drive home late at night ( and bring interesting snacky food.)
ReplyDeleteAre your book club meetings potlucks? As in, everyone brings something? Because our book club counts on the host to provide the food and drink, and we take turns. I just spent a small fortune yesterday on food and several bottles of wine! (I do a little extra since I don't host often).
DeleteWe have a battery operated vacuum cleaner that says it is good for dog hair. It does work, and needs to be emptied after every use. I'm amazed that Billy has any hair left at all.
ReplyDeleteOur vacuum cleaner gets a good daily workout, that's for sure. I can't believe it's still holding up after several years of Ginger, George, and Poppy. Ginger was a super shedder, too.
DeleteWe read "Lessons in Chemistry" a couple of years ago for our book club. I seem to remember that I enjoyed it and it was generally well received. It is rare if everyone either loves or dislikes a book! We all enjoy different things luckily.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that you are looking to the cooler weather for lower bills....we will soon need our heating on after a summer not using it at all, and the bills will rocket! No air con here!!
We can't survive without air conditioning in the summer. Our winters are generally mild and don't take much toll on the electricity bill, but when it's almost 100 degrees outside with high humidity, day after day, those bills get to be whoppers!
DeleteI hope you're having a good weekend at work, then! Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteMy home will never look like anything in a magazine, I'm certain of that! I wish we could buy new furniture. Almost everything we own was purchased during all the years we were renting different houses, and a lot of it doesn't fit well or look all that great with the house we eventually bought. Sigh. And in the almost five years we've been here, we've spent any extra money on fixing up the house itself and not on furnishings. (New HVAC, new roof, carpentry repairs, etc). All the ladies in my book group have large, beautifully furnished and decorated homes, and mine is very, very modest in comparison. But it's my home, and I love it. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't mind cleaning, washing, ironing etc. at all - if I should ever end up unemployed, I guess I would apply for cleaning and other household jobs.
ReplyDeleteNow that you said you found "Lessons in Chemistry" a piece of crap I am really interested in your full review. With other, very popular books, I have had a similar experience, not liking them at all, or simply not becoming interested in the characters and their story.