When my DGC were tiny I would put throws over the upholstery - work of seconds - but everything else is washable and therefore isn't a problem. We have always had the 'sit down to eat and drink' rule, to avoid choking and we felt it displayed good manners. This lady's behaviour does seem excessive, and where does she keep her throws and her cardboard? I can't imagine that particular job taking more than twenty minutes, not two hours. However, as some have said, she may have a problem. My OH's mother (I could not bring myself to refer to her as MiL) kept visitors standing up in the kitchen, and they might get a grudging cup of tea, but coats were not taken, and the sitting room shrine never entered. This was a room of absolute beauty and artistry; exquisite decoration, beautiful furniture, Wilton carpets, perfect curtains and pristine upholstery. Every room in the house was like a page from 'Homes and Gardens'. You were never allowed to as much as squash a cushion, and nobody was welcome, particularly not her two GC. What phobia that person suffered from I have never discovered, but a great deal of suffering was handed out by her cold and unwelcoming attitude and behaviour.