Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Daily up keep
Even with 4 animals and 4 kids, I still wonder where all the dirt, dust and clutter comes from. Not to mention a 4 year old whom I refer to sometimes as Hurricane Henry. I remember calling my first born, now 17, Hurricane Andrew right about the time the real one actually went through the Carolinas and Florida if I recall the location correctly. All these fours in my life. What could it mean? I'll have to analyze that later and figure it out.
I'm 41 and I feel like I got gypped in the organizational skills department of my life. Most all my relatives, mostly Aunts and my Mother (that I know of, but I'm pretty sure I have several skilled cousins also) either are or were practically professional house cleaners and decorators. It seems none of it rubbed off on me. I've had to fake it till I make it and read a lot of books. I'm ashamed to say I've barely hung a picture or two. The one frame with a collage of pictures of Dino and I with Andrew when he was a baby, ( also ashamed I don't have one of those for each child) that's been there for 10 years in the hallway, just got knocked down by Henry and some sort of ball he was playing with. The glass broke and tiny pieces got all over the snapshots. It remains in the mudroom until I can figure out how to fix that.
One of the reasons, and its more of an excuse I can see now, that I don't hang any pictures on the wall (though I have taped one or two, LOL!) is because this house has lathe and plaster walls. Dino says that I can't just pound a nail into it and go crazy. There are special things that were invented to use to hang pictures on lathe and plaster walls and I'm sure they're at Home Depot. The pictures and two clocks that are hanging up are there because there was already something there to hang it on from the previous owners, I cheated!.
I do my best. I get up at 6am and help Dino get out the door. Though, like some wives I've heard make breakfast for their husbands - I don't. I could do that, but he barely has time to eat because he is always running late. He is much better these days - not chronically five minutes late to work everyday anymore. I'm so proud.
Today I ran around with my trusty swiffer duster and dusted the whole house. I'll make the kids vacuum later. (heh heh) I love my swiffer vacuum! I've gone through two swiffer mops. Dang things don't last here. I end up breaking them in half. Maybe I try too hard to get things clean. Dino bought me a mop and bucket industrial like. It does get the floor much cleaner I have to admit. And even Audrey, my fourteen year old daughter will use it and says, "This is much easier, Dad!" Huh. I feel like I'm 14 when I think to myself, "whatever".
Periodically I think I have too much stuff. My method of 'downsizing' or whatever you want to call it, is to run around and pretend I'm moving and get rid of it. I donate, sell and chuck. I always have too many of one thing in my life besides paper clutter and that's books. I seem to collect them. Dino is a yard sale aholic and of course I go with him all summer, and I buy books I think I can't live without. We have quite a collection of' how to' books and such (those were probably Dino's idea and he won't part with them). In case, always in case, the kids get interested in something, we've got the info handy. I have taken boxes full of books to the book store to see if they will buy any and have donated a couple of hundred pounds of them to Volunteers of America. They pick them up!
But at this time, most of the stuff cluttering up the dining room, living room and basement is Dino's. He is a packrat. But none of it is really junk I have to say. He cannot pass up a killer deal even if...we don't have the money, room, need etc... If any of you out there reading this need something and you don't want to pay full price and are willing to be patient and don't mind if it's lightly used..Dino can find it for you.
Purchases of late, a 5 in 1 machine called a Robland K 26 that usually sell for $2000 to $3000 he found for $250. We had to go to Puyallup WA for that, but I got to see Seattle for the first time out of that deal. He is a wood worker by the way and it is a wood working maching that he has always wanted but couldn't afford. The camper trailer for $50 which usually sell for $300 to $400 at least. A week or two ago at an estate sale we got a Total Gym XL for $20 and I've never seen one used for less than $200. Well I could go on and on but I won't. I will mention that he does sell some of this stuff on Ebay to make some money to keep up this habit of buying. He could probably make a living at finding things for people, if he charged a small finders fee, but then that would be work and he's lazy when it comes to work. He doesn't want to work. Don't get me wrong, he rarely misses a day of work. He is a fine provider. But he would rather do the work at home thing and build guitars full time. But he doesnt want us to starve and be homeless. That sort of thing just takes a lot of time.
But if you need a pair of speakers (at one time we had 15 pairs of speakers around here) or a fadora or a bicycle, come shop at our house. He just gets something in his head and then he obsesses about it. Speaker brain, boat brain, camera brain, bike brain, stereo brain, record brain,...he keeps life interesting. I doubt we would have much of anything if it weren't for him and his research and obsessive searching for different things.
What is it at this time you ask? He got camper trailer brain. (mentioned earlier) On Father's Day we went around looking at campers for sale. Not the kind you go into debt for. The old, maybe vintage and cheap kind. Even driving around neighborhoods looking for ones that don't have for sale signs but look like they've been sitting for years and maybe the owner might part with for the right price. Thank goodness he's picky, if that's the right word. Because that is exactly how we found one. And its not too bad of shape, just needs cleaning.
The owners weren't home at the time. So when he went to do the grocery shopping (uh, somehow I got a hubby who does all the shopping and cooking- yeah maybe 'cause I'm not good at those things either- again gypped!) he stopped back by the house and the owners were home and they did want to get rid of their little camper trailer. The woman of the house was just about to practically give it to him, when the man of the house came out and said he wanted $50 bucks and the refridgerator removed first. You've got a deal!
Last night Dino and Lyle, my 16 yr old, went over their and worked their behinds off getting that fridge out, a quarter inch at a time. Things that old and sitting in one place for a long period of time tend to get stuck you know. And they also took the one out of the guy's motor home, sitting next to our 'new' camper so they could switch. He did not however install either one as that turns out to be complicated and possibly dangerous if you do it wrong because the fridge runs on propane as well as batteries. Basically, he didnt want to be responsible for blowing anybody up.
Gee, where was I going with all of this? Oh, it doesnt matter, its a blog!
I'd like to thank my cousins Cindy, DeeDee and Dennis or is it Amber? Ah, man...I'll have to probably make corrections (hey it's not my fault! there are 7 of them, and I think I'm the only one who can rattle off all of their names In Order of Age without stopping to take a breath!) later but they have blogs and my Aunt Noma, their mother, sent me the urls and I took a look at theirs and they are great! I really admire the one, which I will clarify later I promise, who's house has the cool pantry and fast food and snack place and the thing that I've always wanted - the place where everyone's stuff is hanging up nice and neat and organizied. Your house is awesome! I love it! And I love you guys and thank you for sharing your lives in a blog as well.
Until next time, (when I make clarifications of naming cousins to their blogs) and because now no one will probably be able to get me to shut up,
Happy Days, and peace,
Jalie
I'm 41 and I feel like I got gypped in the organizational skills department of my life. Most all my relatives, mostly Aunts and my Mother (that I know of, but I'm pretty sure I have several skilled cousins also) either are or were practically professional house cleaners and decorators. It seems none of it rubbed off on me. I've had to fake it till I make it and read a lot of books. I'm ashamed to say I've barely hung a picture or two. The one frame with a collage of pictures of Dino and I with Andrew when he was a baby, ( also ashamed I don't have one of those for each child) that's been there for 10 years in the hallway, just got knocked down by Henry and some sort of ball he was playing with. The glass broke and tiny pieces got all over the snapshots. It remains in the mudroom until I can figure out how to fix that.
One of the reasons, and its more of an excuse I can see now, that I don't hang any pictures on the wall (though I have taped one or two, LOL!) is because this house has lathe and plaster walls. Dino says that I can't just pound a nail into it and go crazy. There are special things that were invented to use to hang pictures on lathe and plaster walls and I'm sure they're at Home Depot. The pictures and two clocks that are hanging up are there because there was already something there to hang it on from the previous owners, I cheated!.
I do my best. I get up at 6am and help Dino get out the door. Though, like some wives I've heard make breakfast for their husbands - I don't. I could do that, but he barely has time to eat because he is always running late. He is much better these days - not chronically five minutes late to work everyday anymore. I'm so proud.
Today I ran around with my trusty swiffer duster and dusted the whole house. I'll make the kids vacuum later. (heh heh) I love my swiffer vacuum! I've gone through two swiffer mops. Dang things don't last here. I end up breaking them in half. Maybe I try too hard to get things clean. Dino bought me a mop and bucket industrial like. It does get the floor much cleaner I have to admit. And even Audrey, my fourteen year old daughter will use it and says, "This is much easier, Dad!" Huh. I feel like I'm 14 when I think to myself, "whatever".
Periodically I think I have too much stuff. My method of 'downsizing' or whatever you want to call it, is to run around and pretend I'm moving and get rid of it. I donate, sell and chuck. I always have too many of one thing in my life besides paper clutter and that's books. I seem to collect them. Dino is a yard sale aholic and of course I go with him all summer, and I buy books I think I can't live without. We have quite a collection of' how to' books and such (those were probably Dino's idea and he won't part with them). In case, always in case, the kids get interested in something, we've got the info handy. I have taken boxes full of books to the book store to see if they will buy any and have donated a couple of hundred pounds of them to Volunteers of America. They pick them up!
But at this time, most of the stuff cluttering up the dining room, living room and basement is Dino's. He is a packrat. But none of it is really junk I have to say. He cannot pass up a killer deal even if...we don't have the money, room, need etc... If any of you out there reading this need something and you don't want to pay full price and are willing to be patient and don't mind if it's lightly used..Dino can find it for you.
Purchases of late, a 5 in 1 machine called a Robland K 26 that usually sell for $2000 to $3000 he found for $250. We had to go to Puyallup WA for that, but I got to see Seattle for the first time out of that deal. He is a wood worker by the way and it is a wood working maching that he has always wanted but couldn't afford. The camper trailer for $50 which usually sell for $300 to $400 at least. A week or two ago at an estate sale we got a Total Gym XL for $20 and I've never seen one used for less than $200. Well I could go on and on but I won't. I will mention that he does sell some of this stuff on Ebay to make some money to keep up this habit of buying. He could probably make a living at finding things for people, if he charged a small finders fee, but then that would be work and he's lazy when it comes to work. He doesn't want to work. Don't get me wrong, he rarely misses a day of work. He is a fine provider. But he would rather do the work at home thing and build guitars full time. But he doesnt want us to starve and be homeless. That sort of thing just takes a lot of time.
But if you need a pair of speakers (at one time we had 15 pairs of speakers around here) or a fadora or a bicycle, come shop at our house. He just gets something in his head and then he obsesses about it. Speaker brain, boat brain, camera brain, bike brain, stereo brain, record brain,...he keeps life interesting. I doubt we would have much of anything if it weren't for him and his research and obsessive searching for different things.
What is it at this time you ask? He got camper trailer brain. (mentioned earlier) On Father's Day we went around looking at campers for sale. Not the kind you go into debt for. The old, maybe vintage and cheap kind. Even driving around neighborhoods looking for ones that don't have for sale signs but look like they've been sitting for years and maybe the owner might part with for the right price. Thank goodness he's picky, if that's the right word. Because that is exactly how we found one. And its not too bad of shape, just needs cleaning.
The owners weren't home at the time. So when he went to do the grocery shopping (uh, somehow I got a hubby who does all the shopping and cooking- yeah maybe 'cause I'm not good at those things either- again gypped!) he stopped back by the house and the owners were home and they did want to get rid of their little camper trailer. The woman of the house was just about to practically give it to him, when the man of the house came out and said he wanted $50 bucks and the refridgerator removed first. You've got a deal!
Last night Dino and Lyle, my 16 yr old, went over their and worked their behinds off getting that fridge out, a quarter inch at a time. Things that old and sitting in one place for a long period of time tend to get stuck you know. And they also took the one out of the guy's motor home, sitting next to our 'new' camper so they could switch. He did not however install either one as that turns out to be complicated and possibly dangerous if you do it wrong because the fridge runs on propane as well as batteries. Basically, he didnt want to be responsible for blowing anybody up.
Gee, where was I going with all of this? Oh, it doesnt matter, its a blog!
I'd like to thank my cousins Cindy, DeeDee and Dennis or is it Amber? Ah, man...I'll have to probably make corrections (hey it's not my fault! there are 7 of them, and I think I'm the only one who can rattle off all of their names In Order of Age without stopping to take a breath!) later but they have blogs and my Aunt Noma, their mother, sent me the urls and I took a look at theirs and they are great! I really admire the one, which I will clarify later I promise, who's house has the cool pantry and fast food and snack place and the thing that I've always wanted - the place where everyone's stuff is hanging up nice and neat and organizied. Your house is awesome! I love it! And I love you guys and thank you for sharing your lives in a blog as well.
Until next time, (when I make clarifications of naming cousins to their blogs) and because now no one will probably be able to get me to shut up,
Happy Days, and peace,
Jalie
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