The 5th annual Happyland Music Fest was a smashing success. Somewhere around 100 people danced, frolicked, listened to music, camped and ate here over the weekend. We all had a fantastic time. And then I took a look at my kitchen. Oh, my. Pictures really don’t capture the enormity of the situation but take a look:
Click on the next few so you can really see how bad it was:
Sunday evening after everyone was gone David and I decided to grill a couple of burgers for ourselves. There truly was not enough open counter space to make the patties. I had to move several items in order to make space for a plate.
We were both utterly exhausted but we pulled ourselves together for a little while. There was a slight chance of rain so while David made sure there was nothing outdoors which shouldn’t get wet, I loaded the dishwasher and cleared one counter. And that’s my cup of tea there at the end which I then took out to the front porch for a few minutes before collapsing in bed.
Happyland Music Fest began as just one afternoon and night of fun but either the second or third year everyone begged us to make it two nights. After last year everyone had such a great time they asked if we could make it three nights. Absolutely, positively NOT. Part of the reason we host it on Memorial Day weekend is so we have Monday to clean up and recover. At least partially.
Here are pictures from my Monday efforts in the kitchen:
David and I didn’t want to spend our entire Memorial Day working, though. We also took time for a nap, a movie and a nightcap at the local dive bar where we ended up talking about cars with a guy we had met there a couple of other times.
Tuesday morning David headed back to work and I was determined to get my kitchen completely back to normal. I finished the last of the dishes, scrubbed the counters and sink, and mopped the filthy floor. Here is my bright, shiny kitchen:
The red striped dish towel to the left of the sink is covering the LAST of the dishes as they dry:
Have you ever faced such a mess that you had no idea where to start? I briefly experienced that overwhelming feeling when I first looked at the disaster site which had formerly been my kitchen. But then I made myself focus. Here are the steps I took:
Sunday night:
1. Gather all trash and throw away.
2. Collect all items which don’t belong in the kitchen. The family room wasn’t much better so I simply moved the non-kitchen items in there.
3. Fill the dishwasher and start it.
4. Remove everything from the sink, do a quick scrub and fill one side with hot, soapy water.
5. Put some dishes in to soak.
6. Move all dishes to the counter nearest the sink.
7. Wash one sink full of dishes.
8. Wipe down the counter that was cleared when moving the dishes.
8. Wipe down the counter that was cleared when moving the dishes.
9. Make cup of hot tea and call it a night.
Monday:
1. Empty dishwasher.
2. Put away hand washed dishes which dried overnight.
3. Load dishwasher again and start.
4. Fill sink with hot soapy water and begin washing again.
5. Wash dishes for over an hour and decide that is enough for a holiday.
6. Take a nap then go see a movie.
Tuesday:
1. Empty dishwasher and put away hand-washed dishes from dish drainer.
2. Fill sink with hot soapy water and finish the rest of the dishes.
3. When all the dishes are FINALLY washed, wipe the rest of the counters, stove, refrigerator.
4. Scrub the sink.
5. Take a break or in this case, work on the rest of the house while the dishes dry.
6. Put away dry dishes.
7. Vacuum the floor.
8. Mop the floor.
And then indulge in a deep sigh of relief, knowing that it will be a year before your kitchen is that much of a mess again.
Seriously though, even the worst mess can be dealt with if you break it down into small steps, stay focused and take breaks.
You know there were a lot of guests when it takes you three days to clean up after them!
You are wonderfully focused, Deanna. I love how you break it down into steps. That keeps a person sane. Maybe next year, some of those partiers will pitch in and clean before they vacate… 😀
A lot of them helped with outdoor cleanup on Sunday but I actually prefer to clean my kitchen myself. I'm already thinking of ways to make it easier next year, though!