Cleaning up after guests
Apr. 2nd, 2010 11:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
norsegirlNormally I don't object to the work that comes along with guests. A few extra loads of laundry, a bit of vacuuming, cleaning a bathroom I don't normally use, extra dishes, all no big deal. Removing all the viruses they bring in by checking their e-mail on my laptop on the other hand is huge!!!! I lost an entire day this week to that crap. Every single time I let guests use it I get a virus. I've never gotten one when I'm the only one using it. I didn't think "don't click links and don't open attachments" needed to be said, or that when it was that following those orders would be a problem, but apparently I was wrong. Password protecting my new laptop after that. From now on guests will have a read-only account on the old lappy. (Incidentally, if you're in the SCA and reading this, it wasn't Ben or Heather using my machine, it was Ashlie, and the time before that it was my father).
My poor little Visa check card almost has a hole worn through it. Ashlie, my friend that I met while working for the harpy back in Edmonton, and who drove with me down to Texas when I moved, finally came to see the new house. Ashlie and I had an interesting relationship back in Edmonton. We didn't actually work together, just worked in the same office, but we became fast friends and spent every coffee break and lunch hour together. And on those lunch hours we'd eat quickly so we could shop. All the sales girls at our favourite stores knew us by name. Some of them apparently still ask after me. Oh the shopping we did in those days when I had gainful employment. Anyone who knows me has some idea of how bad I am when it comes to my need to acquire new things. Ashlie and I share this little sin and what's worse, like any addicts, we are each other's best enabler. For all the shopping we did and the deals we found in Edmonton, Austin is 100x worse. Nothing like an outlet mall to blow a budget, or any semblance of one. And Ashlie's pay-day was the day her plane landed here ;) When she left she said she had $550 in receipts (the rest she'd removed the tags and was going to pretend she'd brought it with her). I haven't added up all the damage to my card. I don't really want to know. There's enough left in the account to pay the bills. In the end that is all that matters.
She arrived on Tuesday. I had the house somewhat clean. Her room was ready and the kitchen was mostly done. The dining room was presentable but due to an unexpected disaster involving beagles and icing sugar I fell behind on the living room, and the guest washroom was somewhat furrier than I'd have liked (frosted beagles required bathing). The bathrooms never did get done, but both guest rooms were perfect and Ashlie helped me get the kitchen, dining and living room in order in time for the concert on Saturday.
I tried to pick activities that would get us out in the warm Texas weather. Tuesday was a little rainy and chilly but the rest of the week co-operated nicely. We shopped at outdoor outlet malls and enjoyed the sunshine between stores and also ate outside on patios a few times. We spent one afternoon hiking in a local park and taking pictures of the creek that ran through it.
I also set something up that I thought would be a good, unique experience and invited Heather Dale to come and perform a house concert on Ashlie's last night here in town. With Ashlie's capable help I even managed to get my living room mostly cleaned up (Jason's desk was still a mess but everything else was immaculate) the kitchen similarly in good shape and put out a decent spread of munchies for the guests in the dining room. Terrifyingly, I had enough seating to accommodate about 25 people for the show without having to bring in chairs from outside! How the hell do 2 people end up with that much seating? There's obviously something seriously wrong with me and my furniture habits. This all goes back to that shopping problem eh?
Before the show Ben was kind enough to play a little private concert for Georgia, which she LOVED!
A snapshot during the show.
The next morning as everyone was walking out the door.
I have to say, the concert was one of the coolest things we've ever had the pleasure of hosting. I'd recommend the experience to anyone who is considering it. The performance was great, the guests were polite and tidy, it was a nice excuse to get the place really cleaned up and I was able to have a really nice, relaxing evening.
While Ashlie was here I bought 3 pairs of sandals; gladiator flats that I can wear and still carry a baby, slides with tiny heels that are super-soft soled (Dr. Scholls) and a pair that Ash described as "Carrie Bradshaw shoes that you MUST have, I mean how often do you find Carrie shoes for $50?" and I must admit they are about the most sexy shoes I own. To go with the sexy shoes I picked up a dress that I tried on right after I found out I was pregnant. It was expensive and I didn't know what my body would be like after going through this, so I was good and put it back on the rack. Little did I know the Betsy Johnson store was going to open an outlet location and put that very same dress out for $50 (original price was closer to $400). I've started calling it my "5 pounds less dress" as I figure that's about what I need to lose to fit into it. Right now I can squeeze in, but need assistance doing up the zipper. It was the largest size they had and I'm sure if I try I can shave off those few pounds. And if I don't, it's not like I can't just wear it anyway. That said I'm not sure where I intend to wear this thing. It's not exactly a bumming around or running out to the grocery store kind of outfit.
Also picked up some odds and ends, another skirt-shorts thing from Adidas, the best little corset top thingy from Hot Topic, a tutu that will never leave the bedroom, and a full roster of roller derby uniforms (something in every team's color but white, which I am refusing to buy unless I actually end up assigned to that team) from American Apparel that were all on the $5 rack - score! I'm wearing one of them in the hiking pic above. Then there were cheap t-shirts, baby stuff and I even found a shirt for Jason's birthday - yay!
The big sin of the week had to be the Oakley sun glasses. I've wanted a pair of these ever since I worked at a store that sold them back in 1999. I figure a decade is long enough to wait and I finally found a pair I could put on without feeling I looked like a complete dork. For me trying on sun glasses is a little like trying on bikinis while pregnant. I know that they're all going to look better on the rack than on me, but I also know that it is something I need and will use. For some reason sun glasses are the one item of clothing that I can turn un-cool by the mere act of wearing it. Anyway, this pair looks decent and I have yet to either lose or scratch them in the first week of ownership, so that's a small victory.
Sunday morning I even managed to motivate myself out the door to roller derby practice and played well enough to earn some compliments from my team mates :) I am definitely improving since I moved down here. After months of continuous sucking in Edmonton that is really making me happy. Sunday evening Beth came over from next door, still serious about the derby thing, so I threw my old gear on her and we headed down to the park so she could take the first steps to learning how to skate. Her parents are willing to spend the money and buy her the gear but they want her to see if she really likes doing it, or just likes the idea of doing it thanks to Whip It. So I managed two work-outs that day! That's one step closer to fitting in the dress ;) We've skated for about a half an hour every day this week except Wednesday.
Wednesday we met with a landscape architect to work on the plans for the back yard. It's going to cost more than we had budgeted, but his prices seem reasonable for the work we are getting. As it turns out we just have a lot of work that needs doing. We're starting from scratch, ripping out and replacing all the nasty, weedy grass. Expanding the patio and installing a bunch of trees and shrubs. I'm really excited about this and will post pics as the work progresses. Still need to check his references this weekend but I have high hopes.
In Georgia news, her 7 month birthday came and went, and some time about 2 or 3 weeks ago she learned to sit unsupported. She can't pull herself up into a sit yet, but when we put her in the right position she can hold it just fine, wobbling to the side and correcting all by herself. This week she's mastered standing while supporting herself with just her hands. She can stand for a short while if she can hold a chair, though again she can't pull herself up into this position. On the speech front she's added "bo bo bo" to her "mum mum mum" sounds. It's still a long way from language, and "mum" isn't a reference to me, it's just her general mumbling sound. She reaches for things she likes (knitted samples in the yarn store and clothes she likes in the Gap), she screams when we take things she likes away (car keys, remotes, knitting needles), and she has tried many new foods including the interesting item below:
When life hands you lemons, suck them!
Strangely, she actually seemed to like it. She also really enjoyed the bit of pizza crust I gave her in the park. She actually made the "nom nom nom" sound for the whole half hour she was chewing and sucking at it. It was sooooo cute.
In other news the yarn shop had a great yarn sale this week and I am officially addicted. So much for the rule that my stash will be contained to one box. At the moment it's still just a single box, but it is overflowing badly. Must knit more. And need to give away the two balls of crappy yarn I bought years ago. If I'm never going to use it I might as well part with it.
Today I have a big day planned. Before Jason left this morning I got all the carpet on the stairs and main floor vacuumed, including moving all the furniture. I still have to clean the kitchen and all bathrooms, including mopping, vacuum the upstairs and make the second guest bed. Then get dinner on and have it all ready by the time my sister and parents walk in the door. Georgia is having a quick nap so I'd best get on with it.
My poor little Visa check card almost has a hole worn through it. Ashlie, my friend that I met while working for the harpy back in Edmonton, and who drove with me down to Texas when I moved, finally came to see the new house. Ashlie and I had an interesting relationship back in Edmonton. We didn't actually work together, just worked in the same office, but we became fast friends and spent every coffee break and lunch hour together. And on those lunch hours we'd eat quickly so we could shop. All the sales girls at our favourite stores knew us by name. Some of them apparently still ask after me. Oh the shopping we did in those days when I had gainful employment. Anyone who knows me has some idea of how bad I am when it comes to my need to acquire new things. Ashlie and I share this little sin and what's worse, like any addicts, we are each other's best enabler. For all the shopping we did and the deals we found in Edmonton, Austin is 100x worse. Nothing like an outlet mall to blow a budget, or any semblance of one. And Ashlie's pay-day was the day her plane landed here ;) When she left she said she had $550 in receipts (the rest she'd removed the tags and was going to pretend she'd brought it with her). I haven't added up all the damage to my card. I don't really want to know. There's enough left in the account to pay the bills. In the end that is all that matters.
She arrived on Tuesday. I had the house somewhat clean. Her room was ready and the kitchen was mostly done. The dining room was presentable but due to an unexpected disaster involving beagles and icing sugar I fell behind on the living room, and the guest washroom was somewhat furrier than I'd have liked (frosted beagles required bathing). The bathrooms never did get done, but both guest rooms were perfect and Ashlie helped me get the kitchen, dining and living room in order in time for the concert on Saturday.
I tried to pick activities that would get us out in the warm Texas weather. Tuesday was a little rainy and chilly but the rest of the week co-operated nicely. We shopped at outdoor outlet malls and enjoyed the sunshine between stores and also ate outside on patios a few times. We spent one afternoon hiking in a local park and taking pictures of the creek that ran through it.
I also set something up that I thought would be a good, unique experience and invited Heather Dale to come and perform a house concert on Ashlie's last night here in town. With Ashlie's capable help I even managed to get my living room mostly cleaned up (Jason's desk was still a mess but everything else was immaculate) the kitchen similarly in good shape and put out a decent spread of munchies for the guests in the dining room. Terrifyingly, I had enough seating to accommodate about 25 people for the show without having to bring in chairs from outside! How the hell do 2 people end up with that much seating? There's obviously something seriously wrong with me and my furniture habits. This all goes back to that shopping problem eh?
Before the show Ben was kind enough to play a little private concert for Georgia, which she LOVED!
A snapshot during the show.
The next morning as everyone was walking out the door.
I have to say, the concert was one of the coolest things we've ever had the pleasure of hosting. I'd recommend the experience to anyone who is considering it. The performance was great, the guests were polite and tidy, it was a nice excuse to get the place really cleaned up and I was able to have a really nice, relaxing evening.
While Ashlie was here I bought 3 pairs of sandals; gladiator flats that I can wear and still carry a baby, slides with tiny heels that are super-soft soled (Dr. Scholls) and a pair that Ash described as "Carrie Bradshaw shoes that you MUST have, I mean how often do you find Carrie shoes for $50?" and I must admit they are about the most sexy shoes I own. To go with the sexy shoes I picked up a dress that I tried on right after I found out I was pregnant. It was expensive and I didn't know what my body would be like after going through this, so I was good and put it back on the rack. Little did I know the Betsy Johnson store was going to open an outlet location and put that very same dress out for $50 (original price was closer to $400). I've started calling it my "5 pounds less dress" as I figure that's about what I need to lose to fit into it. Right now I can squeeze in, but need assistance doing up the zipper. It was the largest size they had and I'm sure if I try I can shave off those few pounds. And if I don't, it's not like I can't just wear it anyway. That said I'm not sure where I intend to wear this thing. It's not exactly a bumming around or running out to the grocery store kind of outfit.
Also picked up some odds and ends, another skirt-shorts thing from Adidas, the best little corset top thingy from Hot Topic, a tutu that will never leave the bedroom, and a full roster of roller derby uniforms (something in every team's color but white, which I am refusing to buy unless I actually end up assigned to that team) from American Apparel that were all on the $5 rack - score! I'm wearing one of them in the hiking pic above. Then there were cheap t-shirts, baby stuff and I even found a shirt for Jason's birthday - yay!
The big sin of the week had to be the Oakley sun glasses. I've wanted a pair of these ever since I worked at a store that sold them back in 1999. I figure a decade is long enough to wait and I finally found a pair I could put on without feeling I looked like a complete dork. For me trying on sun glasses is a little like trying on bikinis while pregnant. I know that they're all going to look better on the rack than on me, but I also know that it is something I need and will use. For some reason sun glasses are the one item of clothing that I can turn un-cool by the mere act of wearing it. Anyway, this pair looks decent and I have yet to either lose or scratch them in the first week of ownership, so that's a small victory.
Sunday morning I even managed to motivate myself out the door to roller derby practice and played well enough to earn some compliments from my team mates :) I am definitely improving since I moved down here. After months of continuous sucking in Edmonton that is really making me happy. Sunday evening Beth came over from next door, still serious about the derby thing, so I threw my old gear on her and we headed down to the park so she could take the first steps to learning how to skate. Her parents are willing to spend the money and buy her the gear but they want her to see if she really likes doing it, or just likes the idea of doing it thanks to Whip It. So I managed two work-outs that day! That's one step closer to fitting in the dress ;) We've skated for about a half an hour every day this week except Wednesday.
Wednesday we met with a landscape architect to work on the plans for the back yard. It's going to cost more than we had budgeted, but his prices seem reasonable for the work we are getting. As it turns out we just have a lot of work that needs doing. We're starting from scratch, ripping out and replacing all the nasty, weedy grass. Expanding the patio and installing a bunch of trees and shrubs. I'm really excited about this and will post pics as the work progresses. Still need to check his references this weekend but I have high hopes.
In Georgia news, her 7 month birthday came and went, and some time about 2 or 3 weeks ago she learned to sit unsupported. She can't pull herself up into a sit yet, but when we put her in the right position she can hold it just fine, wobbling to the side and correcting all by herself. This week she's mastered standing while supporting herself with just her hands. She can stand for a short while if she can hold a chair, though again she can't pull herself up into this position. On the speech front she's added "bo bo bo" to her "mum mum mum" sounds. It's still a long way from language, and "mum" isn't a reference to me, it's just her general mumbling sound. She reaches for things she likes (knitted samples in the yarn store and clothes she likes in the Gap), she screams when we take things she likes away (car keys, remotes, knitting needles), and she has tried many new foods including the interesting item below:
When life hands you lemons, suck them!
Strangely, she actually seemed to like it. She also really enjoyed the bit of pizza crust I gave her in the park. She actually made the "nom nom nom" sound for the whole half hour she was chewing and sucking at it. It was sooooo cute.
In other news the yarn shop had a great yarn sale this week and I am officially addicted. So much for the rule that my stash will be contained to one box. At the moment it's still just a single box, but it is overflowing badly. Must knit more. And need to give away the two balls of crappy yarn I bought years ago. If I'm never going to use it I might as well part with it.
Today I have a big day planned. Before Jason left this morning I got all the carpet on the stairs and main floor vacuumed, including moving all the furniture. I still have to clean the kitchen and all bathrooms, including mopping, vacuum the upstairs and make the second guest bed. Then get dinner on and have it all ready by the time my sister and parents walk in the door. Georgia is having a quick nap so I'd best get on with it.
