Before Fifi came to take photos for Romantic Country, I had to clean and spiff up. Like I mentioned before, I knew not to try to pre-style the place, but it still had to be clean, arranged, and ready.
Not all the rooms were shot, so I thought I'd show you the photos I took of my sparkly, clean house instead of wasting all that work!!
I guess it wasn't exactly wasted, I enjoyed the peace and quiet of banning my family and having a clean cottage for about 24 hours.
And yes, I really did BAN them. I packed a picnic breakfast and fresh clothes for the little girls and sent them with their dad to sleep in the office!
The house was oddly quiet, and spookily spotless.
I even banned the dorkies. Those poor pupeesh couldn't believe they were being kept out.
My husband was out of town on business, which worked out well. He wouldn't have put up with any banning. And while he is adorable, he might be the messiest of them all.
The girls weren't all that happy with it either, and everyone gladly came in to clutter up and make it all more homey and real as soon as Fifi and Mark pulled out of the driveway.
I admire people who can keep their homes up to this standard of tidiness, but I don't know how they manage it.
Of course, having tiny fairy girls tromping about doesn't always lead to chaos, it just seems that way sometimes.
But the kind of chaos they create is so much more fun than cleaning house!
I do try to keep things picked up, and the little sprites know to leave my "pretties" to an eyes only, no fingers exploration.
Most of the time.
They know they can pull out all their dress up clothes for a fashion show, or empty all the crayons and markers onto their table, or bring in their latest pretty rocks or bugs found outside, and Grammy will enjoy seeing the newest creation or them all dressed up.
Sometimes, I have to draw the line about bugs, though.
Sugarwings and Dewdrop leave to go to their mommies and I if I'm not too worn to a frazzle from all the goings ons, I'll shovel out the mess when they are away.
But even then, my house rarely looks this good! I'm glad I have some photos to prove it can happen.
See, not a juice bottle, dirty sock, or naked Barbie anywhere.
Which reminds me, why do all the dolls have to be stripped? Even poor Ariel gets her tail snapped off if it is removable. There isn't a doll that we own that is wearing anything. Although, sometimes Dewdrop will take off her own panties and put them on a doll.
Which is a bit weird.
While it's nice to have a day of tidy living, I miss the clutter that comes from family. Sometimes when the girls leave, I purposely walk around a pink shoe in the middle of the floor instead of picking it up. Because it reminds me that soon, a little girl will be back to fill that shoe.
When they first leave, my husband and I will take a deep sigh of relief for the quiet. Then, an hour or so goes by and one of us mentions some funny thing one of them had said or done. In another hour, we start to wonder how long it will be till we get to see them and laugh with them again.
Someday, too soon, they will be busy with friends, college, jobs, and finding a true love. My house will be clean and I'll miss those naked Barbies and forgotten socks.
Who am I kidding? My house will never be perfectly clean!! I'll still have dogs bringing in sticks, tracking in mud, and leaving toys all around. And remember that adorable, but messy husband I mentioned? I can't imagine our dining room table will magically lose it's collection of crossword puzzles saved from the newspaper, or the half empty coffee cup on it!
Magazine clean just isn't real. It's a fun fantasy for a day, but that is about as long as I could live in it.
PS-Leave a comment on this post, if you would like to enter my two giveaways. I'm away at the moment, but will draw names after Labor Day weekend
