My brother gets here Sunday morning for Thanksgiving week, and I can truly say that I will be pleased to see him.
However.
Much as I love him, getting ready for a houseguest is like squeezing into shoes that are too tight.
I am both a creature of habit* and a person who expands to fit the space available, and I use the office/craft room/guest room for a lot of things. My computer is set up there, and I use the closet for clothing (particularly shawls and sweaters), and I kick off my shoes and put my purse there...so having someone to stay, no matter how much I like them, means I am always mentally tripping over the changes.
*If you have a place where a thing always goes, you can always find it. Well: almost always. (The drawback to this method is that when the thing is NOT where it is supposed to be, you have zero idea where to look for it. It could be anywhere on earth.)
I have cleared the space where the airbed goes (albeit by stuffing some things in the closet, but I'm giving myself grace this year, I can only do so much).
Well, I have almost completely cleared the space: I normally keep my swift and ball-winder set up on a pair of stools in that corner, and I haven't decided where is the least annoying other place to put them. But otherwise, all I have to do is slide the dresser over, which I will do after the work week ends, because it gets too close to the desk otherwise. And you know, if the stools stay in the room, that won't be the end of the world. I think. I guess we'll see how I feel about it when the airbed is taking up as much space as it does.
Fun fact: I was talking to friends about how it's probably time for me to just get a daybed of some sort, because while I would certainly pile things on it, at least I wouldn't have to move furniture, and one of them shook her head and said, it won't help. Damn it, I want a solution! That doesn't involve me just somehow not using the space all year, because that just isn't going to happen.
Still to do is moving a few things off the top of the dresser, to make room for it to be a bedside table of sorts. I keep a small bin and a lazy susan there with knitting tools, and they're awkward to relocate. I'll figure something out. Baby steps.
What we did was put thickly mattressed top-of-the-line futons from The Futon Shop in our kids' old bedrooms: couches by day and sort of out of the way, and beds for guests as needed. My mom said hers was the most comfortable pull-out type bed she'd ever slept on and that she got a good night's sleep.
ReplyDeleteThat's still probably taking up more space than you want, but it's a thought. One of them has underbed pull-out shelves we store the bedding in.
Have a great time with your brother!
p.s. We also have a whole bunch of piano books in those shelves. There was room.
ReplyDeleteI have walls the same colour as those in my dining room!
ReplyDeleteI hear you. We do not have a dedicated guest room. We have two of my son's bedrooms (long story), and when someone is coming it is the labours of Hercules to get a space ready. But I'm always happy both to see the person and to have a reason to tidy up.
I always mean to take a before picture but often forget - or is that not what you meant, lol?
It's true that having someone come is a good prod to tidy up, and I usually need one!
DeleteI don't usually think of taking a before picture, but that may be my brain protecting me.
"Much as I love him, getting ready for a houseguest is like squeezing into shoes that are too tight."
ReplyDeleteYes, I feel this way - more mentally though. I really do feel like everything tilts off its axis when company comes to visit.
And I had to chuckle about no before picture! Love the colour of those walls!!!
It's definitely mentally as well as physically! I'm sharing my bathroom too, and it's just kind of a lot when I'm in the "just holding it together" state of mind.
DeleteThe space is being used, which I think is great! And I do know what you mean about expanding to your available space. We never had an extra room in my old house, and now we do, which is exciting. It's also where I have all my books, so it does double-duty.
ReplyDeleteAnd do you tell guests that they get to sleep in the library? Because that would be my dream, having a library.
DeleteI dislike having a houseguest. My mother comes to stay with us one week a month to give my brother a break from caring for her. We have a very posh futon in our office that I've slept on (so I know it's comfy). When not unfolded, it's a nice couch.
ReplyDeleteA futon might be the way to go. I could sit on it and read, so it wouldn't be entirely unused between guests. Hmm.
DeleteI feel exactly the same way about houseguests. Glad to have them, but very uncomfortable while they are in my space. I hope it goes smoothly with your brother!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'd rather have him come and upset my apple cart than not have him come--but I do need to remind myself of this.
DeleteOur guest room just becomes a catch all for stuff that doesn't have a home of its own. We actually have a craft/music/workout room, so my fabric stash doesn't live there, but whenever we have a guest, there's a flurry of activity when we try to figure out where STUFF goes. *sigh* Someday I will organize my home. (No, no I will not.)
ReplyDeleteI'm really laughing at the "(No, no I will not.)"
DeleteWhat I ended up getting was a chair bed. I had to splurge for a pretty expensive one to get the height I needed as most of them are just too low for someone with really bad knees and my close friend for whom this purchase was made has had both hers replaced. They come at a LOT of different price points so you might be able to find what you need. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThe height aspect is a good point, thank you! I'll keep that in mind.
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