A tale of two families

Interesting observations of two families who took over the inn. One, I wish they would never leave and the other, I hope they never return.
Both - brought children, played games with the kids in the common living room and had lunches and dinners in the common dining area.
Both had a wonderful time and were very friendly.
Family A left their personal photos in ugly plastic boxes on my dining room table all day and all night. Several times. I moved them to an out of the way corner three times. They also left their board game out, as well as hand written post its and other notes.
They borrowed beach towels (not an issue) but then left them, wet and sandy, on my DINING ROOM TABLE!!!! (am I shouting? sorry.) Let the kids use the TV in a room they had not rented. They seated themselves at the several tables set for two. They actually told me as they were leaving that two boyfriends and a boyfriend's child had spent a night each here and we hadn't known about it.
Family B cleaned up after themselves in such a way that you wouldn't have known they had been here. Asked if they were 'taking over' and bothering other guests. Rang the bell to see if we wanted the leftover pizza and ask what to do with the box. Always ate at the family sized table leaving the two's for couples. The two 14 year old boys who went fishing were very careful to leave their gear outside and make sure it was an ok place for it.
I was struck by the observation that, even though they both made themselves completely at home (which I love), they sure had different styles (or manners) as they did.

We've seen it here, too. One family of all adults (siblings, in laws) refused to stay out of the kitchen. One went so far, when I was in the kitchen, as to put her toes exactly on the 'line' between the different flooring types and mock me, "I'm not IN your kitchen." Then she thrust a bag of food at me and said, "if I can't cook this then you have to." That still has the power to rile me 8 years later.
Others have totally cleaned up after themselves if we only just give them a trash bag to do so. Easy peasy.
Some you don't even know are in the house.

TheBeachHouse said:

Let the kids use the TV in a room they had not rented. They seated themselves at the several tables set for two. They actually told me as they were leaving that two boyfriends and a boyfriend's child had spent a night each here and we hadn't known about it.

Click to expand...

Yup, definitely I plan to keep empty rooms locked. For this and other reasons.

Morticia said:

We've seen it here, too. One family of all adults (siblings, in laws) refused to stay out of the kitchen. One went so far, when I was in the kitchen, as to put her toes exactly on the 'line' between the different flooring types and mock me, "I'm not IN your kitchen." Then she thrust a bag of food at me and said, "if I can't cook this then you have to." That still has the power to rile me 8 years later.
Others have totally cleaned up after themselves if we only just give them a trash bag to do so. Easy peasy.
Some you don't even know are in the house..

Click to expand...

wow. just wow. some people are beyond amazing.

Morticia said:

We've seen it here, too. One family of all adults (siblings, in laws) refused to stay out of the kitchen. One went so far, when I was in the kitchen, as to put her toes exactly on the 'line' between the different flooring types and mock me, "I'm not IN your kitchen." Then she thrust a bag of food at me and said, "if I can't cook this then you have to." That still has the power to rile me 8 years later.
Others have totally cleaned up after themselves if we only just give them a trash bag to do so. Easy peasy.
Some you don't even know are in the house..

Click to expand...

Sounds like the Dutch doors are for you. Then you can control access while still letting people see your personal cooking show. Once we have SOMEplace, that is on my mind.
Man, this place is SO educational. After a few months, feel like it is Tony Robbins Personal Power course... for innkeeper wannabes
As for the attitudes, only so much you can do. I tend to feel sorry for people with such comments.

We went mad about something similar - 2 guests who come for 6 nights every year for a particular event which involves bringing things in and out of their room every night (ie on and off their stand every day) - for this we allowed them to use the conservatory which is usually no access to guests for easier access
Had all DH's mother in law;s cactuses in a box as she is moving house and we are looking after them - they decided to unpack them and put them all over - was furious! moved all sorts of things round all of which are in a private area! livid! would NEVER touch something that wasn't mine!

Very interesting contrast! Too bad both families don't act the same way. I bet they act this way wherever they go.
I mostly loved my long stay guests, especially the repeaters.
The teenage daughter of one repeating long stay family said to me 'It's hard when other guests check in because I feel like what are they doing at our place?' Brought me right around to things from their perspective.

undersea said:

Morticia said:

We've seen it here, too. One family of all adults (siblings, in laws) refused to stay out of the kitchen. One went so far, when I was in the kitchen, as to put her toes exactly on the 'line' between the different flooring types and mock me, "I'm not IN your kitchen." Then she thrust a bag of food at me and said, "if I can't cook this then you have to." That still has the power to rile me 8 years later.
Others have totally cleaned up after themselves if we only just give them a trash bag to do so. Easy peasy.
Some you don't even know are in the house..

Click to expand...

Sounds like the Dutch doors are for you. Then you can control access while still letting people see your personal cooking show. Once we have SOMEplace, that is on my mind.
Man, this place is SO educational. After a few months, feel like it is Tony Robbins Personal Power course... for innkeeper wannabes
As for the attitudes, only so much you can do. I tend to feel sorry for people with such comments.
.

Click to expand...

This is my kitchen. All of it. The entire thing. The counter at the front is where we put out the guest coffee in the morning. It is not
a work surface for the kitchen.

.No room for doors. If we put something behind the counter to block access then guests fall over it and get hurt.

When we took over the house, the kitchen was similar. But I added money to the loan so that I could update the kitchen. I don't know how you do it without two ovens and a whole bunch more counter space. You are a magician!

Morticia said:

undersea said:

Morticia said:

We've seen it here, too. One family of all adults (siblings, in laws) refused to stay out of the kitchen. One went so far, when I was in the kitchen, as to put her toes exactly on the 'line' between the different flooring types and mock me, "I'm not IN your kitchen." Then she thrust a bag of food at me and said, "if I can't cook this then you have to." That still has the power to rile me 8 years later.
Others have totally cleaned up after themselves if we only just give them a trash bag to do so. Easy peasy.
Some you don't even know are in the house..

Click to expand...

Sounds like the Dutch doors are for you. Then you can control access while still letting people see your personal cooking show. Once we have SOMEplace, that is on my mind.
Man, this place is SO educational. After a few months, feel like it is Tony Robbins Personal Power course... for innkeeper wannabes
As for the attitudes, only so much you can do. I tend to feel sorry for people with such comments.
.

Click to expand...

This is my kitchen. All of it. The entire thing. The counter at the front is where we put out the guest coffee in the morning. It is not
a work surface for the kitchen.

.No room for doors. If we put something behind the counter to block access then guests fall over it and get hurt.
.

Click to expand...

Morticia said:

This is my kitchen. All of it. The entire thing. The counter at the front is where we put out the guest coffee in the morning. It is not
a work surface for the kitchen.
.No room for doors. If we put something behind the counter to block access then guests fall over it and get hurt.

Click to expand...

In the words of my son, "YIKERS!" I promise to never complain about my kitchen work space again.
Half of that counter is what I have for actual work space, but the kitchen/laundry combo is about 9 ft wide and 19 ft long wall to wall before appliances and sideboard (and his cart in front of the sideboard) added. The problem with my kitchen is Himself - he comes in to make HIS breakfast so I have to dodge around a man on 2 crutches who cannot do anything other than BLOCK the very place I need to move to OR is standing in front of the stove (or has the cart he uses for a walker in front of the stove) so I cannot open the oven. I cannot move around him for fear of knocking him over.

Morticia said:

undersea said:

Morticia said:

We've seen it here, too. One family of all adults (siblings, in laws) refused to stay out of the kitchen. One went so far, when I was in the kitchen, as to put her toes exactly on the 'line' between the different flooring types and mock me, "I'm not IN your kitchen." Then she thrust a bag of food at me and said, "if I can't cook this then you have to." That still has the power to rile me 8 years later.
Others have totally cleaned up after themselves if we only just give them a trash bag to do so. Easy peasy.
Some you don't even know are in the house..

Click to expand...

Sounds like the Dutch doors are for you. Then you can control access while still letting people see your personal cooking show. Once we have SOMEplace, that is on my mind.
Man, this place is SO educational. After a few months, feel like it is Tony Robbins Personal Power course... for innkeeper wannabes
As for the attitudes, only so much you can do. I tend to feel sorry for people with such comments.
.

Click to expand...

This is my kitchen. All of it. The entire thing. The counter at the front is where we put out the guest coffee in the morning. It is not
a work surface for the kitchen.

.No room for doors. If we put something behind the counter to block access then guests fall over it and get hurt.
.

Click to expand...

OMG, you are not kidding. I would slit my throat if I had to prepare breakfast for our measly 6 guests, never mind all of yours!!! It certainly does promote "togetherness"!

gillumhouse said:

Morticia said:

undersea said:

Morticia said:

We've seen it here, too. One family of all adults (siblings, in laws) refused to stay out of the kitchen. One went so far, when I was in the kitchen, as to put her toes exactly on the 'line' between the different flooring types and mock me, "I'm not IN your kitchen." Then she thrust a bag of food at me and said, "if I can't cook this then you have to." That still has the power to rile me 8 years later.
Others have totally cleaned up after themselves if we only just give them a trash bag to do so. Easy peasy.
Some you don't even know are in the house..

Click to expand...

Sounds like the Dutch doors are for you. Then you can control access while still letting people see your personal cooking show. Once we have SOMEplace, that is on my mind.
Man, this place is SO educational. After a few months, feel like it is Tony Robbins Personal Power course... for innkeeper wannabes
As for the attitudes, only so much you can do. I tend to feel sorry for people with such comments.
.

Click to expand...

This is my kitchen. All of it. The entire thing. The counter at the front is where we put out the guest coffee in the morning. It is not
a work surface for the kitchen.

.No room for doors. If we put something behind the counter to block access then guests fall over it and get hurt.
.

Click to expand...

Morticia said:

This is my kitchen. All of it. The entire thing. The counter at the front is where we put out the guest coffee in the morning. It is not
a work surface for the kitchen.
.No room for doors. If we put something behind the counter to block access then guests fall over it and get hurt.

Click to expand...

In the words of my son, "YIKERS!" I promise to never complain about my kitchen work space again.
Half of that counter is what I have for actual work space, but the kitchen/laundry combo is about 9 ft wide and 19 ft long wall to wall before appliances and sideboard (and his cart in front of the sideboard) added. The problem with my kitchen is Himself - he comes in to make HIS breakfast so I have to dodge around a man on 2 crutches who cannot do anything other than BLOCK the very place I need to move to OR is standing in front of the stove (or has the cart he uses for a walker in front of the stove) so I cannot open the oven. I cannot move around him for fear of knocking him over.
.

Click to expand...

In the UK it is against the law to have laundry in the kitchen in a business kitchen - cross contamination you see
Mine has to be in a separate room.

Morticia said:

undersea said:

Morticia said:

We've seen it here, too. One family of all adults (siblings, in laws) refused to stay out of the kitchen. One went so far, when I was in the kitchen, as to put her toes exactly on the 'line' between the different flooring types and mock me, "I'm not IN your kitchen." Then she thrust a bag of food at me and said, "if I can't cook this then you have to." That still has the power to rile me 8 years later.
Others have totally cleaned up after themselves if we only just give them a trash bag to do so. Easy peasy.
Some you don't even know are in the house..

Click to expand...

Sounds like the Dutch doors are for you. Then you can control access while still letting people see your personal cooking show. Once we have SOMEplace, that is on my mind.
Man, this place is SO educational. After a few months, feel like it is Tony Robbins Personal Power course... for innkeeper wannabes
As for the attitudes, only so much you can do. I tend to feel sorry for people with such comments.
.

Click to expand...

This is my kitchen. All of it. The entire thing. The counter at the front is where we put out the guest coffee in the morning. It is not
a work surface for the kitchen.

.No room for doors. If we put something behind the counter to block access then guests fall over it and get hurt.
.

Click to expand...

Your DH is a miracle worker! No wonder many like to watch him in action.
I like to watch the short order cooks at Waffle H. and other counter style diners. They too work in a confined space. Everything has its place.
Even before we remodeled our kitchen I had a 9x5 walking space. People would tell me they could not see how I could get 'all that' out of that space.

Morticia said:

undersea said:

Morticia said:

We've seen it here, too. One family of all adults (siblings, in laws) refused to stay out of the kitchen. One went so far, when I was in the kitchen, as to put her toes exactly on the 'line' between the different flooring types and mock me, "I'm not IN your kitchen." Then she thrust a bag of food at me and said, "if I can't cook this then you have to." That still has the power to rile me 8 years later.
Others have totally cleaned up after themselves if we only just give them a trash bag to do so. Easy peasy.
Some you don't even know are in the house..

Click to expand...

Sounds like the Dutch doors are for you. Then you can control access while still letting people see your personal cooking show. Once we have SOMEplace, that is on my mind.
Man, this place is SO educational. After a few months, feel like it is Tony Robbins Personal Power course... for innkeeper wannabes
As for the attitudes, only so much you can do. I tend to feel sorry for people with such comments.
.

Click to expand...

This is my kitchen. All of it. The entire thing. The counter at the front is where we put out the guest coffee in the morning. It is not
a work surface for the kitchen.

.No room for doors. If we put something behind the counter to block access then guests fall over it and get hurt.
.

Click to expand...

see that kitchen is about the same size as ours but we have the fridge outside and don't have the counter at the front - otherwise its identicle - everything HAS to have its place. Our situation is different in that when breakfast is done I close off the entire floor - kitchen, breakfast room - and all it takes is one door.

Joey Camb said:

gillumhouse said:

Morticia said:

undersea said:

Morticia said:

We've seen it here, too. One family of all adults (siblings, in laws) refused to stay out of the kitchen. One went so far, when I was in the kitchen, as to put her toes exactly on the 'line' between the different flooring types and mock me, "I'm not IN your kitchen." Then she thrust a bag of food at me and said, "if I can't cook this then you have to." That still has the power to rile me 8 years later.
Others have totally cleaned up after themselves if we only just give them a trash bag to do so. Easy peasy.
Some you don't even know are in the house..

Click to expand...

Sounds like the Dutch doors are for you. Then you can control access while still letting people see your personal cooking show. Once we have SOMEplace, that is on my mind.
Man, this place is SO educational. After a few months, feel like it is Tony Robbins Personal Power course... for innkeeper wannabes
As for the attitudes, only so much you can do. I tend to feel sorry for people with such comments.
.

Click to expand...

This is my kitchen. All of it. The entire thing. The counter at the front is where we put out the guest coffee in the morning. It is not
a work surface for the kitchen.

.No room for doors. If we put something behind the counter to block access then guests fall over it and get hurt.
.

Click to expand...

Morticia said:

This is my kitchen. All of it. The entire thing. The counter at the front is where we put out the guest coffee in the morning. It is not
a work surface for the kitchen.
.No room for doors. If we put something behind the counter to block access then guests fall over it and get hurt.

Click to expand...

In the words of my son, "YIKERS!" I promise to never complain about my kitchen work space again.
Half of that counter is what I have for actual work space, but the kitchen/laundry combo is about 9 ft wide and 19 ft long wall to wall before appliances and sideboard (and his cart in front of the sideboard) added. The problem with my kitchen is Himself - he comes in to make HIS breakfast so I have to dodge around a man on 2 crutches who cannot do anything other than BLOCK the very place I need to move to OR is standing in front of the stove (or has the cart he uses for a walker in front of the stove) so I cannot open the oven. I cannot move around him for fear of knocking him over.
.

Click to expand...

In the UK it is against the law to have laundry in the kitchen in a business kitchen - cross contamination you see
Mine has to be in a separate room.
.

Click to expand...

There is no wall, but the washer & dryer are at the back of the kitchen - the back wall is water heater closet, shelves with doors, a door that is a pass-through to our quarters (or would be if it did not have vac and now function as my closet), and a broom closet. There is an "island" I use as coffee roasting area that sort of divides the kitchen from the laundry.

Silverspoon said:

Morticia said:

undersea said:

Morticia said:

We've seen it here, too. One family of all adults (siblings, in laws) refused to stay out of the kitchen. One went so far, when I was in the kitchen, as to put her toes exactly on the 'line' between the different flooring types and mock me, "I'm not IN your kitchen." Then she thrust a bag of food at me and said, "if I can't cook this then you have to." That still has the power to rile me 8 years later.
Others have totally cleaned up after themselves if we only just give them a trash bag to do so. Easy peasy.
Some you don't even know are in the house..

Click to expand...

Sounds like the Dutch doors are for you. Then you can control access while still letting people see your personal cooking show. Once we have SOMEplace, that is on my mind.
Man, this place is SO educational. After a few months, feel like it is Tony Robbins Personal Power course... for innkeeper wannabes
As for the attitudes, only so much you can do. I tend to feel sorry for people with such comments.
.

Click to expand...

This is my kitchen. All of it. The entire thing. The counter at the front is where we put out the guest coffee in the morning. It is not
a work surface for the kitchen.

.No room for doors. If we put something behind the counter to block access then guests fall over it and get hurt.
.

Click to expand...

OMG, you are not kidding. I would slit my throat if I had to prepare breakfast for our measly 6 guests, never mind all of yours!!! It certainly does promote "togetherness"!
.

Click to expand...

I had to post it. There are so many 'solutions' out there without knowing what it really looks like. ;-)
You can see why we had to take the knobs off the cabinet to get the oven door open.

Morticia said:

Silverspoon said:

Morticia said:

undersea said:

Morticia said:

We've seen it here, too. One family of all adults (siblings, in laws) refused to stay out of the kitchen. One went so far, when I was in the kitchen, as to put her toes exactly on the 'line' between the different flooring types and mock me, "I'm not IN your kitchen." Then she thrust a bag of food at me and said, "if I can't cook this then you have to." That still has the power to rile me 8 years later.
Others have totally cleaned up after themselves if we only just give them a trash bag to do so. Easy peasy.
Some you don't even know are in the house..

Click to expand...

Sounds like the Dutch doors are for you. Then you can control access while still letting people see your personal cooking show. Once we have SOMEplace, that is on my mind.
Man, this place is SO educational. After a few months, feel like it is Tony Robbins Personal Power course... for innkeeper wannabes
As for the attitudes, only so much you can do. I tend to feel sorry for people with such comments.
.

Click to expand...

This is my kitchen. All of it. The entire thing. The counter at the front is where we put out the guest coffee in the morning. It is not
a work surface for the kitchen.

.No room for doors. If we put something behind the counter to block access then guests fall over it and get hurt.
.

Click to expand...

OMG, you are not kidding. I would slit my throat if I had to prepare breakfast for our measly 6 guests, never mind all of yours!!! It certainly does promote "togetherness"!
.

Click to expand...

I had to post it. There are so many 'solutions' out there without knowing what it really looks like. ;-)
You can see why we had to take the knobs off the cabinet to get the oven door open.
.

Click to expand...

Any way to move the refrigerator to neighboring room (as someone said earlier)

undersea said:

Morticia said:

Silverspoon said:

Morticia said:

undersea said:

Morticia said:

We've seen it here, too. One family of all adults (siblings, in laws) refused to stay out of the kitchen. One went so far, when I was in the kitchen, as to put her toes exactly on the 'line' between the different flooring types and mock me, "I'm not IN your kitchen." Then she thrust a bag of food at me and said, "if I can't cook this then you have to." That still has the power to rile me 8 years later.
Others have totally cleaned up after themselves if we only just give them a trash bag to do so. Easy peasy.
Some you don't even know are in the house..

Click to expand...

Sounds like the Dutch doors are for you. Then you can control access while still letting people see your personal cooking show. Once we have SOMEplace, that is on my mind.
Man, this place is SO educational. After a few months, feel like it is Tony Robbins Personal Power course... for innkeeper wannabes
As for the attitudes, only so much you can do. I tend to feel sorry for people with such comments.
.

Click to expand...

This is my kitchen. All of it. The entire thing. The counter at the front is where we put out the guest coffee in the morning. It is not
a work surface for the kitchen.

.No room for doors. If we put something behind the counter to block access then guests fall over it and get hurt.
.

Click to expand...

OMG, you are not kidding. I would slit my throat if I had to prepare breakfast for our measly 6 guests, never mind all of yours!!! It certainly does promote "togetherness"!
.

Click to expand...

I had to post it. There are so many 'solutions' out there without knowing what it really looks like. ;-)
You can see why we had to take the knobs off the cabinet to get the oven door open.
.

Click to expand...

Any way to move the refrigerator to neighboring room (as someone said earlier)
.

Click to expand...

undersea said:

Any way to move the refrigerator to neighboring room (as someone said earlier)

Click to expand...

You want it in the bedroom with you? ;-) That is it. What you see is ALL the space I have. This side of the counter is the guest space. To the left is a guest room. To the right is the great outdoors.
Plus, when you are cooking you want the fridge right there where everything else is. I am constantly in there getting the starters and side dishes.
The fridge isn't really a problem. It's the open access. Which is only a problem sometimes.

Morticia said:

undersea said:

Morticia said:

We've seen it here, too. One family of all adults (siblings, in laws) refused to stay out of the kitchen. One went so far, when I was in the kitchen, as to put her toes exactly on the 'line' between the different flooring types and mock me, "I'm not IN your kitchen." Then she thrust a bag of food at me and said, "if I can't cook this then you have to." That still has the power to rile me 8 years later.
Others have totally cleaned up after themselves if we only just give them a trash bag to do so. Easy peasy.
Some you don't even know are in the house..

Click to expand...

Sounds like the Dutch doors are for you. Then you can control access while still letting people see your personal cooking show. Once we have SOMEplace, that is on my mind.
Man, this place is SO educational. After a few months, feel like it is Tony Robbins Personal Power course... for innkeeper wannabes
As for the attitudes, only so much you can do. I tend to feel sorry for people with such comments.
.

Click to expand...

This is my kitchen. All of it. The entire thing. The counter at the front is where we put out the guest coffee in the morning. It is not
a work surface for the kitchen.

.No room for doors. If we put something behind the counter to block access then guests fall over it and get hurt.
.

Click to expand...

Not seeing the picture :-( (did you take it down?)

Morticia said:

undersea said:

Morticia said:

We've seen it here, too. One family of all adults (siblings, in laws) refused to stay out of the kitchen. One went so far, when I was in the kitchen, as to put her toes exactly on the 'line' between the different flooring types and mock me, "I'm not IN your kitchen." Then she thrust a bag of food at me and said, "if I can't cook this then you have to." That still has the power to rile me 8 years later.
Others have totally cleaned up after themselves if we only just give them a trash bag to do so. Easy peasy.
Some you don't even know are in the house..

Click to expand...

Sounds like the Dutch doors are for you. Then you can control access while still letting people see your personal cooking show. Once we have SOMEplace, that is on my mind.
Man, this place is SO educational. After a few months, feel like it is Tony Robbins Personal Power course... for innkeeper wannabes
As for the attitudes, only so much you can do. I tend to feel sorry for people with such comments.
.

Click to expand...

This is my kitchen. All of it. The entire thing. The counter at the front is where we put out the guest coffee in the morning. It is not
a work surface for the kitchen.

.No room for doors. If we put something behind the counter to block access then guests fall over it and get hurt.
.

Click to expand...

I guess I missed the peek into the kitchen....