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Today was pretty busy for me, and I am about to fall asleep at four in the afternoon. My day started very early (about 4:30 a.m.) because I was at my mother's house and just woke up early. I got up and had my coffee, got the newspaper and worked my sudoku, and then headed to FF. I got there early enough to walk 30 minutes on the treadmill. After my class I went back to my mom's house and got showered and dressed to attend the funeral of my friend Steve's mother. I got to see my Aggie son home on leave and he went with dh and me to the funeral. Afterward, I made it to the copy place to get my Christmas letter typed and my Christmas stampsfor my cards. They will be in the mail tomorrow. I got home after being gone since Saturday and I must comment on how my house looked. Remember I have just had eight house guests. My house was as nice and neat as it was before my guests arrived. I have some suggestions for those of you who go and stay at someone's house and hope to be invited back. I would not have been able to make this list prior to their coming. But as I look around and see what they did, I can offer suggestions.
1. Ask your host if you can do ..... what ever you are willing to do. Here are some of the things my guests did.
2. Stripped all the sheets and began the laundry process.
3. Gathered all the towels to be added to the laundry.
4. Washed any dishes that were in the sink and dried them ready to be put away. They did not put them away because this would have made work for me to try and find them.
5. Even though all the sheets were off the bed, they made up the bed so that when I saw my house, it looked nice and neat.
6. They put everything back exactly like I had it.
7. My bathrooms all looked very clean.
8. They thanked me over and over, and gave me the greatest compliment by telling me that they were so comfortable and "at home" and they felt like they were at a B & B. I have had guests plenty of times before in my house, but not where I have moved out and left them without my presence.

I must give this list to my grown kids so that they too, can be good guests at others' homes. I also must say that my house is very simple, not at all fancy. I have decorated my house to please me so that my dh and children will be comfortable and always feel like this is a place to be equipped and nurtured to get out in the world.