Day 294: What? It's the 4th?

I have spent the whole day, make that week, trying to get ready for the trip.  After a week of trying to get the house presentable, it still looks like a tornado tore through the place.  Here's an example of what happens around here.  We have what is locally called a "walk-out" porch to our place.   Basically, part of the front porch is covered, so you can walk out into it, I suppose.  Anyway, it has always been a disaster.  Boxes, tools, toys, bikes, shoes and boots--horrific mess.  So, as I posted a couple of weeks ago, I finally got it all cleared out, minus a couple of heavy tools.  All that was in there were the bikes, a bin for all the balls and other sport-type stuff, the tools, and the bird seed.

The kids have been happily playing in there, messing things up with their things, but it has been fairly easy to clean.  Just throw all their things in a hamper and throw them into their respective rooms for them to deal with.  Or not.

The other day, young son scatters the small remains of sunflower seeds all over the floor.  Boy, does a little go a long way with those things.  So yesterday I spend a good portion of time vacuuming it all up with a shop vac.  Not fun.  Shop vac-ing takes forever.  But I did it. 

Then today, here's what I find in there.  After Cranky Pants Mommy nags and ngas about not being able to go camping if I don't get everything tidy, and having to clean up their stuff too makes it less likely that we'll be able to go, I look into the covered porch, and see THIS:

AW...how sweet.  Bird seeds in the back of a dump truck.

(Please close your eyes to that horrible, horrible, carpet.  It is on our list of things to get rid of one of these days when umpteen other things that take precedence are done.)

OK.  Ready?

No, this isn't the whole porch.  I couldn't bear to show you the whole thing.  It's a sad, sad affair indeed, especially keeping in mind that YESTERDAY it was spotless.

This is just one example of my futile efforts over the last week.  My whole house looks like this.

So camping tomorrow.  I think not.

Happy 4th of July!