How do you prepare to host a big party? I begin by making lists - and lists for my lists now that I have Evernote! After making my "To Do" list for the week, I break down the things that need to be done by the days in which I have left to do them. If I'm still a week out, I put the least important things first.
For example, this past weekend we did some pretty important things like clean winter out of our garage. Gone are the dead leaves and snow sleds. The floor is swept clean and things are put back where they belong because the garage is going to be an important space for our event.
I also deemed it necessary to have the inside of the car cleaned. Not because we will be using it for seating during dinner, but because I thought it might be nice to drive to my son's First Holy Communion in a clean and pleasant smelling car - not one that smells of a winter's worth of crumbs.
After we finished outside, my next important task was to clean out the hall closet that holds all of our shoes and coats; because really, who doesn't do that before they have people over? It makes sense, doesn't it? In order to clean up the shoe/coat area in the mud room, I had to have room in the closet to put it all in, thus the reason for that important task.
Next it was time to attack the dust behind the washer and dryer. No, really, this was an important task because I had the vacuum cleaner out and the hose attachment on it and it was in the back hall area where the washer and dryer are and, since all of these things rarely align, I determined that it was meant to happen. So now, if a guest accidentally drops something behind my washer or dryer, I won't be embarrassed and they will be amazed at my incredible housekeeping abilities.
As we get closer to our big event, the tasks will be a bit more relevant and stressful. Things like finding the right clothing to wear, making that run to Sam's club to get those big boxes of plastic silverware (you know the ones where you run out of forks WAY before you run out of knives and spoons) and then the BIG clean of the rest of the house and food preparation will happen.
Through it all I will continue to add to and subtract from my oh-so-important lists. I really couldn't do something like this without them. They keep me focused and allow me to think about other things - like wondering what this week's Theme Thursday theme will be. Maybe, if I'm lucky, it will have something to do with a clean shoe closet!
God Bless!
