This is a post I didn’t expect to be writing tonight. For several years we’ve  had a wonderful woman come in every other week to clean our house. She does a fabulous job, and even though I thought it an extravagance when she first started coming, soon after I never wanted to lose her. Today, we found out that she has decided to no longer clean houses. There are two additional families on our street that are also sad to hear this.

We’ve always been good at keeping the house tidy, between visits, because of this sentence.  Never Leave a Room Untidy!

You probably think this is too simple, but it works. It is not always as easy as it sounds, but is well worth the effort. Often I’m called to another room and get distracted by something, then forget to come back. Remembering the rule, makes me put things in their place before leaving the room when possible. Now, I really must follow my own advice if I want to keep a clean, neat and well organized home, so I have time for Plum Bird Corner, and other interests.

Here is our kitchen and living room with everything in place.  As I write this, all of our rooms are tidy. I can’t believe I’m writing about this, but tonight it is near and dear to my heart. Starting tomorrow I am going to make myself a list and a schedule. Several years ago I found a web site that listed a special chore for each day of the week. It was really helpful, but then the author stopped writing and I really missed the postings. I love lists to keep me on track, so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel each day of the week.  Rule Number One is Never leave a room untidy.  I’m not sure what Rule Number Two will be, but guess I will find out tomorrow. I want to say, I am feeling a little sad this evening, not because I lost a house keeper, but because I will miss seeing someone who has become a friend.  She promises to stay in touch, and I am going to hold her to that.