Down To Crunch Time

or "How About a Little Self-Induced Public Humiliation?"

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So, I'm having a party on Saturday afternoon. You know, one of those little "home parties" where a consultant comes with a bunch of their stuff and displays it and maybe does some demos and then you beg all your friends to buy a bunch of it so you can get "free" stuff of your own (but, taking into consideration that I always go WAY overboard with snacks and party prep, I usually end up spending more than what I earn in "free" stuff - what fun!)
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Um, yeah - so, where was I? Oh, right...public humiliation :)
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I've need to do some tidying up around the house before the party - you know, make the place presentable for all the folks stopping by. But, awhile back, I thought about the fact that a lot of the people coming have NEVER been here ... and you know what that means ... they're probably going to want a tour (A 3-HOUR-TOUR ... a 3 hour tour ... )
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EGADS! Do you think I did anything about that "awhile back" when I thought of it? Nah! Now I'm down to the wire and, although my house isn't a total pigsty or anything, it also isn't immaculate (nor will it ever be). Looking around though, I've noticed all these places that have become overrun with clutter (not sure where all this stuff comes from - do little clutter fairies come in the middle of the night and just scatter a bunch of random stuff around? That's probably it. Or, it could be my almost weekly trips to places like Ocean State, Reny's - went there today! - , Marden's, etc. etc. etc. Anyhooooo...totally off track AGAIN) and I now feel the need to de-clutter before, um, Saturday. Yeah - what a GREAT idea!
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So why am I posting pictures of the crap scattered through my house you ask? Because nothing holds a person more accountable than the INTERNET - Hello out there! - and I'm hoping that if I post these very embarrassing pictures that the thought of people seeing my crap will spur my lazy butt into gear, and OFF Facebook for once, geez!, and get me moving tomorrow :)
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It could happen...maybe...
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Soooo, this is one section of my Kitchen counter - Happy Halloween 2 weeks later! Throw in an empty egg carton and an empty saran wrap roll and Voila! Instant Clutter! Yes, folks - it's just THAT easy!
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To further prove how easy it is - on the other kitchen counter - ANOTHER empty egg carton (they breed, I swear!) plus a couple of empty plastic tubs because, God forbid, those tubs get put under the sink in the RECYCLING container ... jeez! I'm so unreasonable sometimes!!!
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The bane of my existence - the bookshelf and (unused) desk in the living room. I really need to clear this off and get Hubby's work laptop set up on it (and OFF the island in the kitchen!!!) but where on earth am I going to put all the junk piled all over it? Trash bag maybe? Hmmmm, that's a thought.
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This is the nook in the bedroom that becomes a catch all for everything without a home...except my exercise ball which, OBVIOUSLY, gets used EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. It's right where it belongs :)
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And finally, the piece de resistance....
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3 trash bags full of clothes to be dropped off at Goodwill that have been sitting in the dining area for no less than one month. How attractive!
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So tomorrow I am staying home and *gulp* staying off Facebook (the horror!) and the blogs (I'll miss you Cake Wrecks, Amalah, CAP...) and I'm going to tackle the clutter. UGH! I'd rather be FBing...or knitting...or reading...or shopping...or poking my eyes out with hot pokers... ANYTHING except cleaning.
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It would be a whole lot easier if the De-Clutter Fairies showed up once in a while...seriously.
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