Ultimately this is to me the new "motherhood" where children are cosseted and protected ("I can't hang a picture on the wall next to the crib because it might fall on the baby" or buy ahouse with a swmming pool cause the child might drown) in ways that are beyond bordering on the absurd. We had a friend who married one of the most fun, charismatic and bright women I have ever met. Then she had a child. She brought the child to our adult only party and was so absorbed in this kid that her entire personality had been erased. It was the most tragic thing for her husband who eventually left her. I am not fond of today's toddlers because they are raised with no manners. You might say that toddlers are too young to have manners, but my children did not bang on furniture, stick their hands into food, or run wild through the rooms. We did not know to childproof and our kids knew to stay out of certain places. We didn't play with them 12 hours a day and they were left to their own devices while chores, personal time and other things were done. That resulted in children who were curious, had an imagination, weren't glued to the TV and knew how to play. And be by themselves and enjoy it. How novel! And the same with my friend's children. This is new phenomenon. We won't invite people with kids any more. The kids are little monsters and I don't need that disruption in my life.

Thanks everyone for your sweet comments. It was a lot of fun coming up with the idea for the centerpieces and, of course, I enjoyed the crafting. Being a digital artist, doing something like this is definitely a release! Oh, and sorry for the crappy iPhone pics, of course, I forgot my good digital camera at home, LOL!

Maybe the solution is to do either/or but not both types of chores in the same day. Organize a room, then clean it. I was watching Hording Buried Alive last night. They had a woman, a former teacher, who had 2,000 totes in her home, neatly arranged but full of stuff she no longer needed, hobby supplies, many books, school supplies. It was neatly organized but they hit the nail on the head when they said "You have too much stuff for this small house." To add to it, she was reluctant to give anything away. She picked 16 items she was willing to donate, but that made no dent in the 2,000 "organized" labelled tote boxes. Her daughter (an adult) was very upset. No neat, happy end , showing her well-organized beautiful home. They left her with her overcrowded house and her many issues, which included family deaths, isolation, and her shopping addiction. Truly scary stuff.

Ever think that unless the substance that was being swabbed was infected that the swabs would always be negative. I do not know what infectious substance was supposed to be in chicken but most chickens do not have salmonella and E.coli would take hours for a swab to be positive. If you watch the people who do these demos they use the side of their hands to press down before they start wiping forward. Doing this will remove all or most of a spill without leaving a trace. They then lift up the cloth rather than dragging it as most people do. It takes practice to learn but it is a method that is well worth practicing.