Monday, January 12, 2009

Getting It Together

Anyone who knows me understands that my husband is a "do-er". He can't sit still. He just can't. It is physically impossible for him to relax (unless he's sick).

So this cold weather is driving him stir crazy...seriously, it's worse than the kids and their stir-craziness! Oh sure, when it snows he's been outside for HOURS on end, shoveling our driveway/paths as well as our elderly neighbors. And if he could get away with it...he would just keep shoveling the entire town (or at least around the block).

Don't get me wrong though...I COMPLETELY appreciate his efforts and the fact that I don't have to be out there in the freezing temperatures with him. I am happy to stay inside in my pj's and watch Ramona The Brave (as E.C. has appropriately nicknamed Casey)...even when Ramona is more than a handful of mischievousness!

BUT...his "do-er-ing" spills over to me and often without warning.

Case in point, remember the insullating of the attic? Well that started off as a "trip" to Home Depot - not a pilgrimage to PURCHASE. It ended up being an afternoon/evening of my M.I.L. and I changing whatever plans we had to accomodate him.

On our drive home from Vermont he mentioned wanting to go to Ikea to purchase more peg-shelving for our basement. I asked "what do we need more shelving for?" His response was that there were "things" on the floor that could be put on shelves. I asked "what things?" He said "nevermind". This minute long conversation resulted in me having to reassess the bins/shelving in the basement which, in turn, meant I needed to purchase more bins to properly organize the holiday decorations, winter clothes, handbags, etc. Granted, there were boxes I hadn't opened since we moved in 2005...and in all honesty I DID want to organize the holiday bins once and for all. BUT I didn't want to do it last weekend - after having been way for 5 days in Vermont. Oh well, there goes MY schedule again.

In addition to the basement issue, I had also been harassed by hubby and bff Mike about "my" computer and how ancient it was. Hey, it's a home computer. It's used for the internet, pictures, ipod and SOME school projects. How fast does it really need to be? Granted, I did purchase it in 2001 but what does that have to do with anything? So we looked around a little and got a great deal on a HP Pavillion - and I do love it!

BUT...getting a new computer lead into the hubby's 4 year request/harassment of moving the computer desk in the office so that the computer faces a corner and "opens the room" up a bit more (for all of Ramona's toys). So, AGAIN, another UNPLANNED "to-do" was dropped on my lap - although hubby will claim "i was just kidding about moving the desk" - um, yeah, i don't think so. "Just kidding" is more like - I heard it from him once. Hearing about it for 4 years - yeah, it was easier for me to finally just move the darned thing. I just wonder...what's next?

And of course, "cleaning up" and "organizing" often means making a bigger mess of things than you started with...so now I have piles of things that need to go in newly labeled bins in the basement. But those piles are in the office and dining room so two rooms got messier already. Not to mention that I still need to put away clean clothes in our bedroom. And the list just never ends...thanks to the fact that: a) I'm a mom/woman; and b) I've got a do-er for a husband!

Urgh - who else has a do-er? Can we start a therapy group?

And my dearest Dora made a great point last time...she made the comment that she knows where everything is in her home down to the last paperclip in the bottom drawer of the desk. I am the same way. My hubby, like hers, also FORGETS where everything is and relys on me to find his lost treasures. Sometimes I just tell him and step-son where things are. Sometimes I make them sweat it out and play "hotter and colder" with them...sadly, this gives me some sense of inner satisfaction.

On the knitting front I was able to finish Ramona's striped sweater on Friday night - I even frogged the first sleeve and made both shorter to fit without rolling up. With the snow and hubby being MIA on Saturday I barely got anything else accomplished in the way of knitting. I was able to get some time in on the sleeves of my Geode sweater while we watched Borat on Saturday night. I'm hoping to get them done tonight or tomorrow so I can add them to the body (already done and set aside) and start the yoke - which I am SUPER excited about. Once Geode sweater is done I'm going to give the Tangled Yoke sweater "an old college try" and finish it once and for all - cause I honestly do want to wear it this winter - honest. As long as the Berroco and Noro sock yarns stay quiet on my knitting desk we'll be fine (for a week or so!).

Please tell me someone had a RELAXING weekend - give me reason for hope!

2 comments:

Dora said...

Okay so is he like my hubby. Comes up with the great plans, helps you half-way through it and then... starts dreaming of his next project leaving you to finish up this one.

Argghhhh.... and I love when his "project" has to become mine. I don't have a problem knitting away the afternoon or doing something else. I can entertain myself, but him... oh no. If he decides that cleaning the basement would be a great project, it is not just a project for him but for both of us. Not my idea of fun. I am always BEGGING him to find a hobby or some friends to do weird projects with. Repainting the bedroom is just not my idea of fun.

Sarah said...

I guess I'm more the do-er in the house in that I do all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. Husband offers to do something, like clean the dinner dishes, for example, and then conveniently gets caught up in some "work thing" on his computer.

You know, if your husband gets through all the shoveling in your neck of the woods, you can always send him down to my street!