We just found out our first overnight guests will arrive at the end of the month, and right now the guest room looks like this:
Not acceptable. Especially since our guests are my in-laws.
Sherry’s mom and stepdad are traveling from New York to Richmond to spend some much‑anticipated time with Clara, which gives us a hard deadline to get the guest room ready. We don’t expect to finish every design detail in two weeks, but we have practical goals to make the room comfortable:
- Clear out the clutter (confirm the Habitat for Humanity ReStore pickup and move remaining items into the playroom)
- Buy a mattress and box spring plus an inexpensive bed frame for now (we may build a more permanent frame later)
- Use existing bedding to dress the bed
- Add a shower curtain and other bathroom essentials like towels and a new toilet seat cover
Completing these tasks will at least make the room functional. My worst fear is asking Sherry’s elegant Italian mom and stepdad to sleep on the office’s foldout couch — picture Giacomo LaPadula and Diana DeCesare LaPadula trying to sleep on a foldout sofa beside our laptops in a room with no door. Not exactly dignified.
Because we sometimes enjoy a challenge (and only occasionally cave under pressure), here’s an “extra credit” list we’d love to tackle if time permits:
- Paint the room
- Hang curtains
- Add a nightstand and a table lamp
We don’t expect to finish all of these extras, but they’re on the wish list. The room currently resembles a convention of bifold doors, and realistically Nona and PopPop will probably be more interested in visiting with Clara than inspecting our decor. Still, we’re aiming to make the space welcoming — wish us luck as we race to get the guest bedroom in shape!
P.S. We announced this week’s giveaway winners. See the original announcement to find out if you’re one of them.