Monday, July 13, 2009

Controversial Monday: Tom Sawyering It

When we moved to Indiana, the first person we met was an interesting and delightful woman named Brenda.

She was also the queen of parties.

(work) parties, that is. That would be emphasis on the party with a silent work included.

Brenda wanted all the dead bugs in her scary basement removed?

She would host a "Survivor Premeier" party. Watching Survivor together complete with challenges during the commercials. Challenges like how many dead bugs can your team scoop up in 3 minutes.

Brenda wanted her piano that no longer worked broken into manageable pieces?

Introducing "Piano smashing Party" - complete with ebony and ivory deserts and a sledge hammer.

We do not have her creativity, perhaps, but we are learning her tactics.

A few years ago we got a few energetic college kids to rake our whole yard after telling them "we'd love to play Settlers, but the yard has to be raked first". I think we also gave them food.

So tonight we called some friends to help us move all the decking materials into the back yard. We offered icecream and a chance to use a (caulk) gun. Emphasis on the gun with a silent caulk included.

And they came.

And we got it done.

(thanks, guys! I also love them because they read my blog)

Are you for creating (work) parties? or against them?

What is the most horrendous job you convinced your friends to help you with?

7 comments:

Auntie Kendra said...

Move us from one house to another.

Rachel said...

okay - now I'm considering a pea shelling party.

Elise said...

When Peter and I were dating, there really wasn't anywhere to hang out in my bedroom due to lack of seating, a lofted bed and a concrete floor. I convinced him to help me build a couch (more of a bench with pillows on it, but I called it a couch) so we'd have some place to sit. Not exactly a party, but I told him helping me was to his benefit, so the Tom Sawyering principle still applies, I think.

Long story short, the "couch" wasn't very comfortable and we don't ever do projects together anymore.

petr said...

Everyone is invited to a "burn the couch" party at our house.

joolee said...

i LOVE this idea! I'll let you know when I think of a festive way to tie "putting up moldings" to a party theme.......

Matt said...

I convinced my brother and some friends to help me move a grand piano up the stairs and into my living room for the price of dinner...
...I got the better end of the deal...
...I don't see those friends anymore...
I now know that piano movers earn their money, and I'll be supporting their industry next time I move.

Billi Jo said...

Josh & I firmly believe in Work Parties. I often include a GREAT meal and lots o goodies to entice “workers”. We’ve had moving parties, several different landscape parties including moving 14 loads of black dirt, cutting up half a dozen fallen trees, moving large boulders to create a garden, etc., and carrying two stone pieces that make up my fireplace…the smaller piece weighed a mere 200 pounds, while the larger one tipped the scales near 400…but Josh thinks ore greatest accomplishment was hauling an entire basement worth of sheetrock into the house. Motto: Careful what you agree to do for the Mehrer’s house, although I think most “workers” would agree the meals are worth it and the company’s not bad.