I have decided that since
I hate cleaning bathrooms so much
I will clean them in pieces
Last night I did all the mirrors
Tonight I will do all the toilets
I was spoiled at the condo
I had only one bathroom
Now I have five
FIVE
Showing posts with label the house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the house. Show all posts
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Randomness on a rainy Thursday
- When I got home yesterday Sheldon immediately wanted to know if I had blogged about the dishes. I knew he wouldn't care, but I was surprised that he wanted to know. Turns out that he had discussed it with the female teachers in the work room and for the most part they were in agreement with me. I think we almost understand each other now and are much more willing to compromise. We ate out last night, so no dishes to test my theory yet.
- We ate at Hooters. Hooters Lots a Tots. Need I say more?
- We are having our two story foyer, family room and powder room painted. I have a migraine from the paint fumes. My head hurts and I am nauseous, but the colors are gorgeous! The foyer and family are a warm golden brown that I adore. The powder room is a blue that was supposed to resemble the sky to coordinate with the gorgeous butterflies we got as decoration for in there, but it seems a tad bright at the moment. It may have to change.
- I make Sheldon watch Steel Magnolias last night. Somehow he has managed to avoid all the classic chick flicks. I intend to rectify this situation. His response to SM? "That was cute." CUTE! He called the best southern movie since Gone with the Wind CUTE!
- Have I told y'all how much I love sheets I bought at Costco a few weeks ago? I forget the thread count 400, 500, 600, but they are satiny soft with damask stripes. They came in several colors but I chose the chocolate brown.
- Seamus the poodle made himself invisible the other night. We put him in his kennel at night because Sheldon can't stand him walking over him in the night. I usually put him outside and then into the kennel at 9pm when I am headed up to bed. A few nights ago he was asleep on the couch with me watching baseball and when I got up to put the computer away and head for bed he didn't move so I forgot about him. When Sheldon came to bed a few hours later he must have stayed put because Sheldon didn't even know he was loose. The next morning when I went downstairs he sat up and looked at me all sleepy-eyed. He had stayed loose and quiet as a mouse all night long!
- I have eaten one of Sheldon's cherry brownies while I have been writing this and my headache seems to be dissipating. If I have found the cure for migraines I will let you know!!!
- I think that is enough randomness for one day, but I could be wrong...
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Dishes, Dishes, Dishes!
Oh the DRAMA. Who knew that dishes could cause such gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair???
Sheldon and I have hit a brick wall when it comes to dishes. While on most things we can communicate fairly well, when we discuss ways and means of daily dishes we might as well be speaking two entirely different languages. I am not writing this post to beat up on him, or to garner sympathy for myself, but this is a conversation we have had over and over in the past 10 days and this is what is on my mind.
Let me start off by saying that Sheldon and I are both in our mid 40's and were both married before for more than a decade. We each spent several years as single people before this new blending of households began. I say this because it is important to understand that we have done things our own way for many years. We each tend to think that the way we do things is the RIGHT way. Period.
Sheldon believes that dishwashers were invented so that we should never do dishes by hand again. He refuses to wash anything by hand and refuses to own anything that is too delicate to be put in the dishwasher. He grew up with a dishwasher in his house and never even a saw a dish draining rack on a kitchen counter until he was in college. He maintains that no one under the age of 65 ever washes by hand, except me. I think he just called me old.
While I do enjoy the benefits of a dishwasher I do not believe that everything should be put in there and I do own things that are not dishwasher safe, like my collection of hand carved wooden spoons. I do not mind washing my wooden spoons by hand. I also have never put my metal pots in the dishwasher and seldom wash my glass baking pans in the dishwasher. This is not so much because they will be ruined in the dishwasher as it is that they take up too much room. I'd rather wash one pot and leave room for 4 more plates and bowls. Plus the dishwasher does take the finish off the pots and they don't look pretty anymore.
So, when I am done with a big dinner I put all the dishes in the dishwasher and I hand wash all the pots and pans and any dishes that didn't fit. I leave all those items on the counter to air dry. I sit in front of the tv, or the computer and enjoy my leisure. The next time I wander into the kitchen to cook or eat or visit with whomever is in there, I put away the clean dry dishes. The sick is empty and clean. The kitchen is clean.
When Sheldon is done with a big dinner he loads as much as he can into the dishwasher and starts it. He leaves the rest in the sink to await the next dishwasher load. He can't stand the clutter of clean dishes on the counter, but he doesn't mind the dirty stuff in the sink because he thinks of that as a holding pattern, not clutter.
Do you see the disconnect? Can I just tell you that we have spent no fewer than 3 hours of our lives discussing this issue in the past 10 days? There has even been yelling and crying. I can't tell if the children are worried or delighted when they hear the ruckus. We have tried to think of a system that pleases both of us, but so far nothing is working. We have attempted to NOT do the thing that drives the other person crazy, but so far that is not working either because although I don't remember leaving stuff on the counter for well over a week, he assures me that he has had to put away clean dishes on at least four occasions.
I'm sure this will blow over with time. Everything is an adjustment. I just hate the daily tension over something so minuscule. I mean Yankees vs Redsox, that is a fight I can see happening, but dishes?
Sheldon and I have hit a brick wall when it comes to dishes. While on most things we can communicate fairly well, when we discuss ways and means of daily dishes we might as well be speaking two entirely different languages. I am not writing this post to beat up on him, or to garner sympathy for myself, but this is a conversation we have had over and over in the past 10 days and this is what is on my mind.
Let me start off by saying that Sheldon and I are both in our mid 40's and were both married before for more than a decade. We each spent several years as single people before this new blending of households began. I say this because it is important to understand that we have done things our own way for many years. We each tend to think that the way we do things is the RIGHT way. Period.
Sheldon believes that dishwashers were invented so that we should never do dishes by hand again. He refuses to wash anything by hand and refuses to own anything that is too delicate to be put in the dishwasher. He grew up with a dishwasher in his house and never even a saw a dish draining rack on a kitchen counter until he was in college. He maintains that no one under the age of 65 ever washes by hand, except me. I think he just called me old.
While I do enjoy the benefits of a dishwasher I do not believe that everything should be put in there and I do own things that are not dishwasher safe, like my collection of hand carved wooden spoons. I do not mind washing my wooden spoons by hand. I also have never put my metal pots in the dishwasher and seldom wash my glass baking pans in the dishwasher. This is not so much because they will be ruined in the dishwasher as it is that they take up too much room. I'd rather wash one pot and leave room for 4 more plates and bowls. Plus the dishwasher does take the finish off the pots and they don't look pretty anymore.
So, when I am done with a big dinner I put all the dishes in the dishwasher and I hand wash all the pots and pans and any dishes that didn't fit. I leave all those items on the counter to air dry. I sit in front of the tv, or the computer and enjoy my leisure. The next time I wander into the kitchen to cook or eat or visit with whomever is in there, I put away the clean dry dishes. The sick is empty and clean. The kitchen is clean.
When Sheldon is done with a big dinner he loads as much as he can into the dishwasher and starts it. He leaves the rest in the sink to await the next dishwasher load. He can't stand the clutter of clean dishes on the counter, but he doesn't mind the dirty stuff in the sink because he thinks of that as a holding pattern, not clutter.
Do you see the disconnect? Can I just tell you that we have spent no fewer than 3 hours of our lives discussing this issue in the past 10 days? There has even been yelling and crying. I can't tell if the children are worried or delighted when they hear the ruckus. We have tried to think of a system that pleases both of us, but so far nothing is working. We have attempted to NOT do the thing that drives the other person crazy, but so far that is not working either because although I don't remember leaving stuff on the counter for well over a week, he assures me that he has had to put away clean dishes on at least four occasions.
I'm sure this will blow over with time. Everything is an adjustment. I just hate the daily tension over something so minuscule. I mean Yankees vs Redsox, that is a fight I can see happening, but dishes?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Well this was a first...
I lost my wallet this weekend. I am 44 years old and I have never lost my wallet before. Never. Luckily it was only my wallet and there wasn't really anything of value in it other than the $30 cash. I had a couple debit/credit cards and my drivers license and 14,000 membership cards to every freaking store in the tri-state area. I was kind of tired of carrying all of those cards around anyway, so now I have eased myself of that extra weight.
The last time I know I had my wallet was Saturday night when we had been moving large pieces of furniture and driving all day. Sheldon was doing all the driving and all the heavy lifting so don't feel too bad for me, but I was exhausted. We got the fridge and the dishwasher out of my condo and then realized that we didn't have anything to use to tie them down. There is a Lowe's right across the road from the neighborhood so we walked over there to buy some straps. I know I took my wallet because I expected to pay for the straps. On the way back down the hill to the truck a thunderstorm was brewing to the west and we were getting splattered with occasional raindrops so we were walking double-time. I know that when we were almost to the truck I handed Sheldon the bag of straps. I know that I opened the truck door but didn't get in. I think I put my wallet down at that point. I know I helped him tie down the fridge.
After that we got in the truck and drove back to the new house. We (he) unloaded the two appliances into the garage and I went inside to let the dog out. I carried my totebag and all the trash and such out of the truck and into the house. We stood talking in the kitchen for a moment and decided that he would drive the truck back to the uHaul place and get my car and I would go to bed. Cause you know, I was so tired.
I didn't realize that my wallet was missing until late Sunday. I kept thinking it was somewhere else in the house, or out in my car. It took a while for my brain to process the fact that the last time I had seen it I was not in my car, but in the rental truck. At 9pm Sunday I was searching every nook and cranny of my purse, my tote bag and my car. No wallet. Monday morning I called the uHaul place as soon as they opened. They had not seen my wallet and the truck was out on another rental but was due back within 30 minutes. I called back 30 minutes later. Not back. I called back every 30 minutes until noon. Still not back. The last call I wailed to the clerk "They are NEVER coming back because they have my credit cards and they are Living Large!" He laughed. I gave up calling until after 3pm. I get off work at 3pm and was waiting on the corner for my bus when I realized that I hadn't called in a few hours so I proceeded to dial and redial the number but Couldn't Get Through! Now I was picturing all the guys from the uHaul store out partying with the rental customers and my mastercard. Finally about 6pm the call went through and the bad news. The renters hadn't found it and the guys had gone over the truck with a fine toothed comb and it was not in the truck.
So...I started calling credit card companies and I went on the DMV website to see what the hours were to go stand in line tonight. Today I walked down to Filene's Basement on my lunch break and bought myself a new bright green wallet. (My old one was brown which obviously equals invisible.) While I was there I decided to treat myself to a new purse as well. I would love to show you a picture of it but I can't find one on the net. If I can upload one I will later today. It is adorable. The brand is Tignanello which I have never heard of before...but then I usually buy my purses at KMart so what do I know?
I really think that Sheldon is going to regret introducing me to this whole world of girlie things like shopping. :)
The last time I know I had my wallet was Saturday night when we had been moving large pieces of furniture and driving all day. Sheldon was doing all the driving and all the heavy lifting so don't feel too bad for me, but I was exhausted. We got the fridge and the dishwasher out of my condo and then realized that we didn't have anything to use to tie them down. There is a Lowe's right across the road from the neighborhood so we walked over there to buy some straps. I know I took my wallet because I expected to pay for the straps. On the way back down the hill to the truck a thunderstorm was brewing to the west and we were getting splattered with occasional raindrops so we were walking double-time. I know that when we were almost to the truck I handed Sheldon the bag of straps. I know that I opened the truck door but didn't get in. I think I put my wallet down at that point. I know I helped him tie down the fridge.
After that we got in the truck and drove back to the new house. We (he) unloaded the two appliances into the garage and I went inside to let the dog out. I carried my totebag and all the trash and such out of the truck and into the house. We stood talking in the kitchen for a moment and decided that he would drive the truck back to the uHaul place and get my car and I would go to bed. Cause you know, I was so tired.
I didn't realize that my wallet was missing until late Sunday. I kept thinking it was somewhere else in the house, or out in my car. It took a while for my brain to process the fact that the last time I had seen it I was not in my car, but in the rental truck. At 9pm Sunday I was searching every nook and cranny of my purse, my tote bag and my car. No wallet. Monday morning I called the uHaul place as soon as they opened. They had not seen my wallet and the truck was out on another rental but was due back within 30 minutes. I called back 30 minutes later. Not back. I called back every 30 minutes until noon. Still not back. The last call I wailed to the clerk "They are NEVER coming back because they have my credit cards and they are Living Large!" He laughed. I gave up calling until after 3pm. I get off work at 3pm and was waiting on the corner for my bus when I realized that I hadn't called in a few hours so I proceeded to dial and redial the number but Couldn't Get Through! Now I was picturing all the guys from the uHaul store out partying with the rental customers and my mastercard. Finally about 6pm the call went through and the bad news. The renters hadn't found it and the guys had gone over the truck with a fine toothed comb and it was not in the truck.
So...I started calling credit card companies and I went on the DMV website to see what the hours were to go stand in line tonight. Today I walked down to Filene's Basement on my lunch break and bought myself a new bright green wallet. (My old one was brown which obviously equals invisible.) While I was there I decided to treat myself to a new purse as well. I would love to show you a picture of it but I can't find one on the net. If I can upload one I will later today. It is adorable. The brand is Tignanello which I have never heard of before...but then I usually buy my purses at KMart so what do I know?
I really think that Sheldon is going to regret introducing me to this whole world of girlie things like shopping. :)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Moving is a drag...but that's not why I was crying.
I hate moving and I speak from experience. I have moved a lot. I haven't moved very FAR mind you, just often. In fact, I have been in my current condo for 11 years and it is the longest I have lived anywhere in my entire life. I was born in Roanoke, Va moved to Toms Brook, VA when I was 4, moved to Strasburg, VA when I was 12, moved to Fairfax, VA for college when I was 19. During my college years I moved an average of every 5 months and not because I was moving in and out of dorms. I never lived in the dorms. George Mason was (and still is to a point) a commuter school and very few people lived on campus. When I left school (without graduating) I moved to Baltimore, Md. (I had an adorable one room apartment there that only cost me $280 a month!!!!) Then I met the X. He and I moved to VA Beach, Strasburg and Leesburg within a year. The next year we moved to Harpers Ferry, WV. The next year we moved to Winchester, VA. The next year we moved to Chantilly, VA where I have lived ever since. I have been in the same neighborhood in Chantilly for 15 years, but this is the third unit I have lived in there.
Moving sucks, but that being said, this is probably the easiest move I've experienced. Neither Sheldon or I have to be out til the end of the month so we have plenty of time. The furniture is all being moved by professionals, so we don't have to do any heavy lifting. We have had time to paint and unpack boxes as we go. Well, he painted, I unpacked boxes. So at this moment, the upside is that my kitchen is clean and put away. My closet has my clothes all sorted by type and hung neatly. My shoe boxes are all neatly stacked. The bathrooms all have toilet paper and the sinks all have soap. The bad news? Well a minor inconvenience is that I can't do laundry at the new house yet, but all my dirty laundry is already there. I'm sleeping at Sheldon's house, but my clean and dirty clothes as well as my shoes are at the new house. Last night as I was leaving the new house to go to his house I realized that I had nothing to wear, so I doubled back and grabbed a skirt, top and jacket that I love and the boots that go so well and help keep me warm in my freezing cold office. Only it wasn't the skirt I usually wear with the outfit and I didn't realize until I was at Sheldon's that the boots were not gonna go with the changed skirt...so I had to dig through a trashbag of rumpled but clean clothes and find an outfit that would go with the shoes I left at work and throw it into his dryer for de-rumpling. Cause I'm not gonna iron!
Are you tired? Or is it just me?
I am proud to say that so far there has been no yelling or tears. Not that yelling or tears are a normal part of our relationship, but moving can be stressful. Moving in together can be stressful. Blending two entirely separate households into one can be stressful. Yelling and tears seemed to be on the horizon. I did cry in the car driving between houses last night, but it wasn't because of yelling, it was because of this beautiful song...
See! Even that poor guy is crying! Tim McGraw kills me when he gets sappy. I am old enough now that I am not losing peers in Iraq but three people I know have lost sons over there.
This song also made me cry this week.
Darius Rucker, you kill me.
Moving sucks, but that being said, this is probably the easiest move I've experienced. Neither Sheldon or I have to be out til the end of the month so we have plenty of time. The furniture is all being moved by professionals, so we don't have to do any heavy lifting. We have had time to paint and unpack boxes as we go. Well, he painted, I unpacked boxes. So at this moment, the upside is that my kitchen is clean and put away. My closet has my clothes all sorted by type and hung neatly. My shoe boxes are all neatly stacked. The bathrooms all have toilet paper and the sinks all have soap. The bad news? Well a minor inconvenience is that I can't do laundry at the new house yet, but all my dirty laundry is already there. I'm sleeping at Sheldon's house, but my clean and dirty clothes as well as my shoes are at the new house. Last night as I was leaving the new house to go to his house I realized that I had nothing to wear, so I doubled back and grabbed a skirt, top and jacket that I love and the boots that go so well and help keep me warm in my freezing cold office. Only it wasn't the skirt I usually wear with the outfit and I didn't realize until I was at Sheldon's that the boots were not gonna go with the changed skirt...so I had to dig through a trashbag of rumpled but clean clothes and find an outfit that would go with the shoes I left at work and throw it into his dryer for de-rumpling. Cause I'm not gonna iron!
Are you tired? Or is it just me?
I am proud to say that so far there has been no yelling or tears. Not that yelling or tears are a normal part of our relationship, but moving can be stressful. Moving in together can be stressful. Blending two entirely separate households into one can be stressful. Yelling and tears seemed to be on the horizon. I did cry in the car driving between houses last night, but it wasn't because of yelling, it was because of this beautiful song...
See! Even that poor guy is crying! Tim McGraw kills me when he gets sappy. I am old enough now that I am not losing peers in Iraq but three people I know have lost sons over there.
This song also made me cry this week.
Darius Rucker, you kill me.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
New Caledonia
So we found a house!!!! We are referring to it as the New Caledonia House. Well, actually, Sheldon is referring to it as such. I guess to differentiate it from the Old Caledonia House, wherever that may be. After weeks of searching and falling in love with short sale after short sale, we finally found a house that was ACTUALLY FOR SALE!! And we bought it. That very night. A couple of days later we went back to take pictures. (I couldn't even remember what the dadgum thing looked like because it was the last of 8 houses we viewed that night and I was so tired and cross eyed and grumpy from stupid short sales.) While Sheldon was taking the pictures and I was poking into every nook and cranny realtors kept showing up to show the house to other prospective buyers. I would run to the front door and breathlessly inform that the house was no longer on the market. Sold! Sold! Sold! It made me very happy! We may actually be able to move in by the first week of April. It was a relo and the other family is already ensconced in their new home somewhere far far away. I am so happy that they left this behind for me. :)
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