The unexpected company… the dreaded surprise house guest… “I was just in the neighborhood and I thought I stop by.”
Sound familiar?
I usually keep my house fairly clean. But stop-in or have-company clean? Uh, not always.
We used to have a lot of friends that lived near us and I had my house ready for the unexpected ”drop in” at any given moment- I was always prepared.
Apparently, the fuller my social calendar was, the more ambitious I was.
My house is no longer always ‘presentable’ since we relocated to a place where we know no one. I thought it was safe to let my guard down.
I learned otherwise Friday night.
A girl that is helping me plan our 20 year class reunion decided to do an impromptu stop in and drop off some copies she had made. I had just come home from Target and my bags were laying all over the floor. I had been home just long enough to get comfortable (read: take off my bra that was lying on the couch.)
She walked into the house through my garage (which I had left open) and landed in my laundry room with about 5 baskets of clothes that I had not yet folded. She was also greeted by a mildew stench from clothes that I had forgotten to move from the wash machine to the dryer.
We walked through the living room and I noticed my make shift curtain hanging from my door (an old sheet that I hung from my back door earlier that day when the sun was prohibiting me from taking a nap.)
Then, the piece de resistance? My dog had retrieved a pair of old wholly underwear that I had thrown away in my bathroom trashcan and was running around with them in his mouth.
Thank you MapQuest, for making moments like these possible.
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{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Gah! Hate unexpected visitors! I keep our apartment “clean enough” for us…but I have a whole different set of standards for how I want it to look for company. When I find out that visitors are coming I spend hours scrubbing and sweating, which isn’t too bad as long as I have a few days notice. Less than 24 hours notice or (GASP) no notice at all? Not. Cool.
Twitter: tenakim
November 9, 2009 at 10:21 am
@Jen, I’m exactly the same… after she left, I felt like a dirty whore and cleaned and scrubbed all night- then of course- no visitors.
Unexpected guests freak me out. But someone once said, “If you want to visit me, come on over. If you want to visit my clean house, call ahead.”
I never answer my phone either. Ack.
Twitter: tenakim
November 9, 2009 at 10:25 am
@Grumble Girl, that’s a good motto- but I must admit- during the visit I was distracted and ashamed by my lack of housekeeping- I’ll stick with hiding in a closet when someone stops in from now on.
I Hate when people won’t call… I tell everyone 2 hours notice LOL… I am not an organized and with 4 kids -house is a mess… I am organized at other stuff just not cleaning…
They all know I will NOT open the door. :) Plus we have a sick cancer ridden pom who will never die just to piss us off.. you wouldn’t know he was sick yaps yaps yaps… plays bites me because he knows I resent the fact that Jeff gives him more attention than me and that he actually belonged to his ex wife…. oh man got off the subject…. anyhow dog sleeps inside and he has pad for the night and when he has accidents….
Anyhow boo to no calls!
Twitter: tenakim
November 9, 2009 at 1:39 pm
@Grissell, dog accidents were the only thing that would have made her visit more repulsive! AND- a sick pom that used to belong to your husband’s ex- you’re a much better woman than I!
Crap, that just reminded me of my 15 month old’s clothes that are still either in the washer or in the dryer from 3 days ago….please be in the dryer, oh please be in the dryer!
Twitter: tenakim
November 9, 2009 at 1:40 pm
@Tricia, I had to rewash- damn , I hate when I get lazy!
Twitter: lpgill
November 9, 2009 at 11:57 am
In these days of technology, there is simply no excuse for not calling first. EVERYONE has a cell phone, so use it!!!
Twitter: tenakim
November 10, 2009 at 4:16 pm
@Lauren, seriously- I mean they probably HAD to keep their stuff clean on Little House on the Prarie, but I’m no Caroline!
Twitter: lpgill
November 10, 2009 at 4:23 pm
@tena, LMAO
Twitter: lpgill
November 10, 2009 at 4:28 pm
@tena, LMAO! I’m no Ma Ingalls either!
Twitter: alimartell
November 9, 2009 at 12:10 pm
oh my god. I HATE unexpected visits. they are so not okay.
Twitter: tenakim
November 10, 2009 at 4:17 pm
@ali, I’m so glad that this has become the visitor’s problem and people have overlooked my sheer laziness.
My house is almost never company ready. I shoot for a basic level of cleanliness, kitchen clean and see the floor. If you stop in, I will welcome you but you get what you get!
Twitter: tenakim
November 10, 2009 at 4:19 pm
@ali_rn, see the floor- I like that- I think that’s doable.
Twitter: shaunaglenn
November 9, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Aww. Poor Tena. You are like the poster child for Aiming Low. Well done.
xo
Twitter: tenakim
November 10, 2009 at 4:15 pm
@Shauna, I can’t decide if that’s a compliment or insult.
Twitter: SillyJaime
November 9, 2009 at 1:44 pm
That’s all kinds of tragic!
Twitter: tenakim
November 10, 2009 at 4:19 pm
@Jaime, you’re talking about my wholly underwear, aren’t you?
Twitter: SillyJaime
November 10, 2009 at 5:23 pm
@tena, Actually I was referring to the five baskets of laundry that had yet to be folded and the load in the wash that would have to go through again. That’s alot of laundry, you poor thing!
Twitter: alotofnothing
November 9, 2009 at 3:39 pm
This whole “finding people’s addresses on the internet” is the total suck for us slackers.
Twitter: tenakim
November 10, 2009 at 4:20 pm
@Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing], thank God that web cameras and video phones haven’t caught on- then we’d have no reprieve!
EVERYONE HAS CELL PHONES, DUDE!!! Why can’t people think to call!?!
Twitter: tenakim
November 10, 2009 at 4:21 pm
@secretagentmama, I should stop in at her house, shouldn’t I? And definitely NOT call first.
With three boys, I so completely cannot keep my house “visitor ready.” Instead, I try to tell myself that the complete disarray and slovenliness will help my guests feel at home. “Keepin’ it real,” I guess. Now anyone who stops by sort of expects it :)
Twitter: tenakim
November 10, 2009 at 4:22 pm
@minor catastrophes, I screwed myself by setting high standards once upon a time- what was I thinking?
Twitter: motherbumper
November 9, 2009 at 7:49 pm
GAH GAH GAH – one of my worse nightmares involves unexpected guests. Oh reading this gave me shivers.
Twitter: tenakim
November 10, 2009 at 4:23 pm
@motherbumper, and nudity and a karaoke machine? Or is that just me?
I got back from a deployment and expected my husband to have the house clean. Actually, it was more like demanded. Since his brother had been living with us, I expected the worst. And got it. It was horrible. The next day, around 10 am, a girl from my husband’s work showed up at the house. Apparently, he had left his phone downstairs and his work had been calling for about 2 hours because of a technical problem. She walked into what I had. But add a dinner of Taco Bell on top of it. I was mortified. Needless to say, the next few days were nothing but cleaning and cleaning and cleaning.
Twitter: tenakim
November 10, 2009 at 4:25 pm
@Elizabeth, thank God my husband wasn’t home- clearly, things could have been MUCH worse.
I love the IDEA of just popping in to visit…like in the good ‘ole days.
Of course, in the good ole days, women wore aprons and cleaned all day so that the house was always ready for visitors.
Now, with work and kids in 37 activities and about 8 times more stuff than we had ‘back then’, I guess a quick warning call would be nice.
Twitter: tenakim
November 10, 2009 at 4:25 pm
@Kootnygirl, I used to love it, too- then I took off the apron and got lazy- it’s a shame.
my boyfriend and i had a friend “pop in” last night. we didn’t even get the intercom warning, so we hear a knock at the door at the moment i was literally putting dinner on our plates and a half minute after bra removal….then he proceeds to stay for 3 hours…who are these people??
Twitter: tenakim
November 10, 2009 at 4:26 pm
@peach, 3 hours! You should have charged him rent!
Dont feel bad. The guy that reads our meter caught me pumping my boobs! in the middle of my living room floor cause he decided it was OK to walk into my backyeard with out knocking on my door first. I know thats not really unexpected company but its close. :)
bwahahahahaaaaaaaa
awesome ;-) and isn’t that ALWAYS the way?
There is a very simple solution. You say, ‘I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting visitors. This is not a good time.’ And then show her the door.
I have done this several times to people who ‘just happened to stop by.’ Guess what? They don’t happen to stop by any more. They call. We make plans. It works great.
Just open your mouth and be honest, for crying out loud.