Today is the second weekly installment of my new Saturday series, Tales from the New Home. Most recently, this Semper Fi Family bought a house. Our very first house. Every day since submitting our offer, we have learned something new about home ownership. Sometimes good and sometimes bad. Last week I learned not to roll trash cans across our lawn because sprinkler heads are embedded in the ground. However, not far enough hidden to keep a person from rolling over one and breaking it in half. That was a nice surprise!
Anyways, welcome back, grab a cup of something and settle in. These tales get a little lengthy!
Day 8: Play Day! We didn’t touch the house. Well, unless, we can consider a major shopping haul at the commissary housework? I kind of do! The cupboards, pantry, and refrigerator are now full.
Day 9: My husband said no more yard work until the green waste bin was emptied on Monday. He lied. He started chopping up some overgrown vine/ivy along the back wall. There is going to be a huge pile of branches and vines in the lawn until after trash pickup. I’m finding our attack styles are quite different. When the Husband wants to do a project, he just does it. He doesn’t consider the logistics. He will run to Lowe’s five times in an afternoon instead of thoughtfully calculate or research what he needs. I suppose it works for him in some ways. I’m the opposite. Remember, the careful planner. Maybe, one day he will burn out on the wasted time he spends on one project when he doesn’t plan and change his ways?
I’m looking at my RED room full of storage containers. I’ve condensed enough to empty 2 bins. There are 16 left. {Big Sad Face!} I honestly don’t know what to do. My husband suggests lining them up against the wall in the office. Won’t that look pretty? I understand it’s really the only option if I can’t part with this stuff. I have a bin full of baby blankets. I don’t have a baby. But they were all made special by grandmas and I just feel like I can’t get rid of them. Then we have wedding crap… 14 years later. Part of me wants to let it go. It’s just stuff. Obviously we’ve got the marriage thing down. And for me, my wedding feels like a day… one day that started this crazy life. In 14 years, I don’t feel like it was the best day ever in our relationship. It was a great day. But it isn’t what defines our relationship. It was the beginning and all the meaty parts in between hold so much more emotional value than the candle and cake cutters I’ve stored away. I have more fun looking at the pictures and program from our first Marine Corps ball. Oh my how young we were! PFC chevrons on the Blues uniform, if that tells you anything. A $25 red dress from Sears clearance rack and red lipstick. Probably some silver stripper shoes too. Hair done at home. I had no idea what a Marine Corps Ball was! But man, the memories.
I’m the same with random decorations I have around the house. I have more connection with the glass container of wine corks displayed on the mantle. It just brings me back to all the great conversations, laughter, and good friends we shared those bottles of wine. The connections we created with amazing people who now live across the country or another continent. People who filled in as family at birthday parties and award ceremonies. The same ones who interrupted bedtime routines to look for childrens’ Tylenol because your little one randomly spiked a fever. These are the keepsakes I want to fill storage bins with and line the office wall. Not my cake server or candle holder. Is this incredibly insensitive to admit?
I thought I would write about my desire to display those wedding items at our 40th or 50th anniversary. But I think I figured it out. I will keep the unity candle, a program, and a napkin. Everything else is just stuff at the wedding. One day when we celebrate 40 or 50 years. I hope everyone is too busy chatting and laughing to notice the “stuff”!
Day 10: Lots of cleaning today. I enlisted the help of the boys. Ky was gone all day. I use Motivated Moms app to help me stay on top of my household chores. I love the app for its simplicity and repetitiveness. I am a list maker. I’m the girl who puts Brush my teeth on the list just so I can cross it off. MM app is similar.
Task #1: Replace dish cloth. Check.
Task #2: Wipe off the counter. Check.
Task #3: Feed pets. Check.
Really I’ve accomplished nothing by the time I’ve crossed off five things. Which is a total mind game but super motivating. It’s free. Take what you can get, right?
I made my first solo home repair today! A biggie. I replaced a light bulb in our bathroom. Pathetic much? I tend to put those things on the honey do list and let my husband worry about them. Now I feel bad for passing them on to him because he has the commute. I am sure the last thing he wants to do is house stuff when he gets home.
Actually, he did want to do house stuff when he got home. He wanted to clean up the mess in the backyard. Wait… now that I think of it…. I said I would do it then he took over. The original plan was to take the tree branches and vines to the green waste place. Tonight the husband outdid himself. He decided to try a little experiment. He decided to turn our simple push lawnmower into a mulcher. Which makes perfect sense... to only him. Luckily he took my advice regarding eye protection. The boys and I took cover inside. The whole things was pretty scary yet entertaining. The dirt was flying. Wood chips were flying. Our neighbors were peeking from their 2nd story windows wondering, Where did they come from? Allegedly. Although, the answer is Iowa. We. are. from. Iowa. But we aren't all like this. I promise. My husband is just a little more redneck than most. I mean resourceful! And stubborn.
Day 11: The problem with living near friends is the constant distraction. I innocently brought coffee to my friend to celebrate her last day in her 30s. One hour turns into three and the day is pretty much shot. I managed some housecleaning and laundry. No home repairs or lawn work. I finally threw away some empty paint cans and relocated a shelving unit. That is all. I will be better tomorrow!
Day 12: Another day of accomplishing nothing. Literally nothing. My day consisted of birthday present shopping and a little clean up. Otherwise, my late night movie watching got the best of me and I bummed around watching The Suite Life of Zac and Cody with the kids. I get a lot of flak about not being able to sit down or relax. The truth is… sometimes I just can’t fight the urge to cuddle up on the couch and watch Disney shows. Last night at dinner one of the ladies mentioned not being fully unpacked at the nine month mark. I did one of those secret “yes”es like you did in elementary school. The one where you pulled your arm in like you’re starting a lawnmower while hissing a long drawn out YESSSS. Anyone?? I’ve got like 8.5 months before I have to be unpacked according to this gal’s timeline. I may actually be ahead of schedule!
Day 13: This weekend is our garage sale. We really should have done this before we moved. Time just got away. After the sale, I’m taking a trip to Goodwill and clearing the clutter. My husband has agreed to keep the 15 remaining Rubbermaids in the garage. We will refer to that as a compromise. I think my willingness to re-evaluate and pitch stuff softened him a little.
Day 14: Took the day to examine my hoarding tendencies. I’m not sure why a family of five living in Southern California needs a container brimming full of gloves, hats, and scarves. I narrowed it down to one and gloves per person. I promise to never ever… ever let cold weather gear collect in my house. What is wrong with me?!? I unpacked almost every remaining box today. An accomplishment but now I need a place to keep the said items.
The dishwasher hasn’t been cleaning the dishes. Two weeks in. Mr. Fix It, aka Husband decided this was unacceptable. So at 7:30pm last night he took the whole thing apart. See how this works? An idea pops in his brain, the idea is immediately implemented. Dinner dishes and dishwasher parts decorated my kitchen this AM. Oh, you should have seen the buildup coated on everything. And the dog hair. Because who doesn’t have pet hair in their dishwasher? Nasty!
Day 15: We got our first mortgage note. Things just got real! And the water bill. $30-some dollars. Seems cheap. I hope the gas and electric bill are just as reasonable!
Ha Ha I love your husband's motivation! At least he is driven to get a little bit done?! Our last few moves, my husband does all the big furniture and then anything else that needs doing is left up to me! All the unpacking. Decorating. Fixing. Unless its WAY beyond my measure.
ReplyDeleteJust curious -- how did the lawn mower to mulcher work out for him?! ;)
Your husband sounds exactly like mine, and I couldnt be more like you with the whole "I write down brush my teeth to cross it off" oohhh what a good feeling, both-your teeth and the line through the task :) How did the mulcher work for him, I laughed so hard because that is EXACTLY something my hubby would do!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your new house and happy organizing spree!
Your husband is most definitely like mine haha. :) Yay for the new house and making it your home. :)
ReplyDelete$30 does seem cheap! Especially for your family-size! My dishwasher needs to be taken apart also! Want to send your hubby over?? I'll make one nice organized list for Lowe's. LOL my husband does the same. When we were tiling the kitchen, we went shopping twice one night and then twice again the next morning. Such a pain!
ReplyDelete