Sunday, January 18, 2009
You Should Have Listened. . . .
I married a man that does not share my enthusiasm for stuff. He would be perfectly happy to live in a house with smooth beige walls (free of the blemishes of stuff), a couch and TV (with cable), a toilet (with TP) and a refrigerator and microwave. All the other stuff just takes up space and costs money.
I remember years ago when he moved into a house I had been living in for several years and decided he wanted to update the worn paint throughout the house. He took everything off the walls and patched all the holes like a professional. We picked out new paint colors and he took his time painting to be sure the job was done right. The fresh paint rejuvenated our tired old house and it looked great. I was excited about the change until. . .
A few days had passed since the painting was completed and I began to wonder why none of my picture frames, wall decorations and shelves (full of stuff) had been hung back on the walls. I assumed it was because Robby wanted to make sure he hung things where I wanted them and since he had patched all the holes he had nothing to go by--I was wrong. I asked him after work one evening if he was ready to start hanging things and his response was quick-"You want to hang all that STUFF back up?" And he wasn't joking. He had no intention of hanging ANY of it back on his perfectly smooth and blemish free walls. Of course, after I reminded him of the unspoken rules of relationships he reluctantly hung most of my stuff on the smallest nails I'd ever seen.
Over the years Robby has learned that it's best just to suck it up and hang my stuff. He realized that it would be less work if he just did it rather than watching me put numerous (and sometimes large) holes in our old plaster walls. I never have been skilled with a hammer, which is why my Dad used to call me "lightning". . . never strikes twice in the same place.
One of my favorite collections of stuff is my Willow Tree figurines. My husband and children usually get me one (or more!) for Mother's Day and before our fire they were displayed on a corner hutch in our dining room. We didn't replace the hutch so my Willow Tree figurines haven't had a home for awhile. I decided "I" wanted to put shelves up in the dining room to display them on. Our dining room is pretty narrow so I wanted them to be up towards the ceiling to keep them out of the way, but easily visible to all who visit my home. I held the recently purchased shelves up against the wall so Robby could see my vision, but to no avail. We spent a few minutes discussing the shelves and where they should be placed and in the end compromised and measured to place them halfway between where I wanted them and where Robby wanted them. We spent a good hour measuring and calculating to get the spacing between the five shelves perfect. This was a big deal. I picked out bracketless shelves that require two screws with anchors and three drywall screws to hang securely. With five shelves at five holes apiece that meant putting 25 holes in an otherwise unblemished wall. ( I know. My math skills are impressive.) Measuring and remeasuring was key to maintain Robby's sanity. The girls and I patiently held the tape measure while he marked each spot with a pencil. Then I held the laser level while he reluctantly drilled each of the holes. In the end I have 5 perfect shelves on which to display my prized collection.
But there is one small problem. One small problem that would have been avoided had my husband just listened to me and hung the shelves where I requested. Instead we have four functional shelves and one shelf that interferes with the normal operation of our sun room door. . . in short-the shelf is too low! This, my friends is why men should listen to their wives. We know these things.
In all fairness, I never once thought about the clearance the door would require. But the fact remains-the location I picked for the shelves would have easily met this need AND looked good.
So if you see Robby with a tear in his eye, don't fret. He is simply mourning the loss of his untarnished wall and contemplating a future of hole-patching and wall painting.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Recent Happenings
Lindsay wanted her hair cut and I guess I have always had this secret desire to be a hairdresser so I decided to cut it myself feeling safe in the knowledge that Jess could bail me out if I messed it up too bad. :) I think it turned out pretty cute. . .
After
Lindsay finally got the approval from Grandma Helen to get her ears pierced on December 18th. She was so excited she hardly slept the night before and thought it was great that she got to pick out her own earrings. She was a tough chick and didn't even cry!
I made my first diaper cake for a good friend who has since delivered a beautiful and healthy baby girl. It was fun to make once I got it going and turned out much better than I expected. Congratulations to the new parents and siblings-I hope the diapers come in handy!
Time to celebrate! The final score was 14-12.
The kids are participating in basketball and cheerleading at Ormsby Heights Baptist Church this year. Their program puts Garrett and Kimberly in the same age group and they were assigned to different teams (which is definitely a good thing!) Their teams played each other today in an exciting game. In the end Kimberly's team won, but Garrett was just happy to get to be on the court with his big sister. (Kimberly is Green #52 and Garrett is Orange #13)
Lindsay absolutely LOVES cheering. She practices constantly and even gets the other kids in trouble with her stomping (Robby thinks it's Garrett or Kimberly bouncing the basketball in the house again). The cheerleaders all cheer for both teams and all cheers are positive. Most of the girls in Lindsay's squad are still learning coordination, but they are all so cute!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Together Forever (Again)
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Family Times
Aunt Linda
Cynthia (what a face!)
Uncle Mike
My Mom watched the kids so Robby and I could go on a "dinner date" for our anniversary.
And we got to spend some time with my niece Sophie while her parents recovered from their New Year's Eve party. She is so cute. . .
Friday, December 26, 2008
The Christmas Tree
Friday, October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween
Halloween came early for this cheerleader too. . . . . She gives new meaning to making your eyes look bigger with makeup!
Lindsay was Gabriella from High School Musical, Garrett was Brock Bollen and Cynthia was Brian Brohm (we finally got her in the right colors!!!!!!). Kimberly is way too cool to dress up-she went to a party instead.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Garrett's First UofL Football Game
Me and Garrett just being goofy
This hand-off made it all the way to the end zone for a touchdown. Garrett was cheering extra loud for Brock Bollen since he was wearing his number on the jersey he got for his birthday.
Garrett was excited about staying after the game to high-five the players. He couldn't believe they all actually walked around the whole field to greet fans and accept congratulations.
This was a day Garrett won't soon forget. I think he might have actually forgot about the electric guitar he asked for and didn't get for his birthday!