Sofa Slipcover Saves My Couch From Little Christmas Visitors

What a weekend!  On Saturday I had the crazy idea that I'd get the last of my Christmas shopping done at the mall.  As everyone else in town seemed to have the same idea, this wasn't the most enjoyable experience.  It was really hectic and stressful, being pushed and shoved in the crowds and then having to wait in line to pay.  I could feel my blood pressure soaring!  I can see why more and more people are buying their presents online these days!

Anyway, fortunately I did manage to get everything I wanted, so I was looking forward to a nice relaxing Sunday at home, wrapping my gifts and getting organized for the big day.  However, when I got home and checked my phone messages I had to quickly change my plans.  Out of the blue I'd had a call from an old friend who I haven't seen for years, since she moved away from this area.  She was passing through on Sunday on her way to visit family up north, so she planned to call in and say hi around lunchtime!

While it was a nice surprise, it did mean I had to wave goodbye to a relaxing Sunday, and I spent all morning cleaning the house and preparing some food for lunch.  Around 1.30pm Lydia and family finally arrived, and I got to meet for the first time her husband Phil and the terrible two-year-old twins, Tim and Rosie.  They are quite cute kids really, but at that age where their hyperactive behaviour can be a bit trying.  Especially when they refused to sit at the table to eat the soup I'd made, and then of course spilled most of it over my couch - leaving a bright yellow stain.

Of course, I'd made sure I'd used my most robust sofa slipcover, made from washable cotton twill, as I had a feeling it wouldn't be an uneventful visit!  And spilling their spicy parsnip soup on the furniture was just the first little accident to happen.  After lunch Tim and Rosie went to play in the garden, which I'd hoped would burn off some of their excess energy.  But after running all over the veggie patch they came back inside and decided it would be fun to jump all over the sofa, leaving horrible muddy marks all over the slipcover.  Then the little terrors proceeded to spill their fizzy drinks and smear chocolatey fingers on the arms, before attempting to scribble on the seat cushions.

You get the picture.  As Lydia and co happily drove off into the sunset, I was left to survey the damage to my home.  The sofa cover was a complete mess, but luckily my loveseat and chair slipcovers had survived unscathed (where us well-behaved grown-ups had been sitting).  I was just glad I could rip the slipcover off and throw it in the wash.  And luckily I've got several spare slipcovers on standby, so I was able to fit another one - ready for the next onslaught of Christmas visitors!