Fluff the Nest Friday: Post Party Pickup

Around here, Friday is the day to “fluff the nest”, which is just a much cuter way of saying “clean the house”. Am I right? So my Friday posts are all about tidying up and getting the house fresh and in order for the weekend. Some weeks my nest-fluffing comes more easily than others. I need motivation each Friday.

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Good Friday morning, friends! Well, yesterday we hosted our GALentine’s Day party which means we moved our Friday cleaning up a day so the house would be clean for company. This makes me pretty happy today because the bulk of the weekly cleaning is already done! It was so nice to sit and enjoy a clean and decorated house after the party, and I’m hoping to keep it that way for at least a little while longer.

All that I need to accomplish in the house today is put away dishes and party supplies, vacuum and mop the kitchen (because we love sprinkles at our parties), and pull out those last minute stuff-aways to put in their proper places (anyone else have to stick papers and junk in the cabinets and closets right before company arrives?). I’ve got school with the kids and errands to run, so it will help to not have as much house cleaning on my list. This should take about an hour. Hopefully.

Our coffee table usually stays pretty full with school books and toys, but I’m trying to do better about making sure it gets cleared at the end of each day. I like to display current magazines and a candle that fits the season. For February, I found this Pink Pomelo candle half off at Hobby Lobby. It has a fruity candy scent–perfect for Valentine’s Day! My kids and I really enjoy burning candles during the day since we’re home a lot, but I never pay full price. There is always a sale just around the corner.

I have about ten of these white ceramic lanterns I picked up from Target’s dollar spot a couple of years ago and I use them year round. For Valentine’s, I arranged them to hold light and dark pink flowers from Dollar General. Great deal! And I’m loving the pink and white arrangements next to my blue pieces that stay in my den (see first and second photos above). It feels fresh and crisp.

Other than the flower arrangements, the only other décorations I put out for Valentine’s Day were some banners. The fireplace bunting above is one I made years ago out of cupcake liners and doilies. This is a very inexpensive decoration! I think I have them for almost every holiday. I pack them in baggies and store them in a box, and they’ve held up well.

I did purchase the banner above this year. It was from one of my dollar store go-to’s, but now I can’t remember which one. I’ll probably take this banner down this weekend, but leave everything else out for the rest of February.

Yesterday’s party was the third of three we’ve hosted in just under three weeks! Next week I’ll share a little more about the Galentine’s party, Incredi-Boy’s birthday, and Piano Girl’s birthday!