Oh, I am so proud of myself! I went into fix-it overload today. I am just so frustrated by being entirely illiterate in life skills...the curse of my upper middle suburban upbringing, and my husband is worse than I am...he both doesn't know and also doesn't care. You better pray you stay upper middle, because god forbid you actually have to DO something...like cook, maintain a vehicle, yard work, home repair, paint, prime an oil pump, whatever. I have tried really hard to teach my girls life skills...pretty much as I learn them. Right now, I am trying to learn about tools.
All of the fronts have come off of my kitchen drawers. They were trying to flip the house, and probably assembled my kitchen in fifteen minutes, so I got out a drill, figured out how to put a bit on, and skkkreeewwwed the fronts back on. I wanted some hooks for coats, and I found out there is this thing called a HARDWARE store. They don't have clothes or coffee, they have some books, and sometimes they have art supplies there, so it is cool. I screwed that coat hook thing into the wall, too, crooked, but I'm still proud. I used ANCHORS and TWO drill bits!!!I didn't stop there. I finagled a whole message center, yes, I did! The picture is terrible, but I was squished behind the fridge, but I'm telling you, it is better in real life. I even made a holder out of a tin can to hold my dry erase markers, and I remembered to hammer flat the sharp inside edge after I cut my finger on it. My mom would be so proud.
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| Looka dat! |
I think I have to mention that it was 72 degrees here, just absolutely unheard of. The trees in the orchard are moving towards budding, and if it freezes again, that's gonna be a problem. This weather may have had something to do with why I was in hyper spring cleaning mode when we still have a month of winter left. My internal clock is as messed up as that of the trees. I scrubbed the floor on my hands and knees, too. I'll sleep well tonight. It is good to not be dead with hashimotos.
Kay has learned to play fetch. She has a new nickname: Petey Buffalo. Petey from the dog from Little Rascals, and buffalo because she is like having a frickin' bison in my house.
Tired.
Love and Light,
Your friend,
Hil
You don't have to be upper middle class to be lacking in fixit skills. My family was piss-poor and my dad couldn't have fixed anything if his life depended on it. My mom was a professional seamstress, so I learned how to sew young. Most of the rest of my life skills, however, I learned because I read and asked questions. And you know what? The line doesn't have to be perfect for it to work. Yes, the wall anchors are important - and you nailed it (pun served up with relish!)
ReplyDeleteThose who ultimately succeed at life are those of us who learn precisely as you're learning. And whether or not your daughters acknowledge it now, they're watching you. My older daughter - mid-thirties now - tells me it drives her boyfriend nuts because he says she doesn't need him. She does everything for herself. She pointed out that's how I did it my whole life, and she doesn't know it any other way. What's more, she's relatively fearless. She's never, ever afraid to do something for herself, whether it's car repairs, painting a wall, sewing on a button, or whatever.
In time, you'll also become at once self sufficient and self confident. Steve won't have a prayer, because about the time you reach that plateau, he'll know you can and will kick his ass - and so will you.