January 28, 2005

Domestic Struggles

I'm in a bit of a fix. And it's kinda embarrassing - so what do I do? Write about it on the internet to be read by 100 or so people. Yeah, that's the way to handle those types of things.

I have great vision. And I'm not talking eye sight. I'm talking the visions in my head. I've mentioned over and over again that I love making a home homey. If I didn't have to worry about having a paycheck come in regularly (no matter how small) I would be a designer. Honestly.......I have a knack of helping to make a home a reflection of a person. Even if it's not MY style, I can create an atmosphere that truely reflects the person - including all those wonderful nuances that are so often over looked.

I moved into this house in June of 2004. Now, I have been kinda busy, and we did have a few little storms, but I'm just not getting everything pulled together to my satisfaction. I know I can't purchase living room furniture and I don't think I would if I could. I don't know for sure that my next house will have both family room and living room so I don't want to buy something when I'm not sure I'll be able to use it again, plus the landlords set is "ok". Same with the dining room. I have a kitchen table that I love, but am holding off on a dining room table til I know if I'll have room for one in the next house.

I still don't have my bedroom pulled together. In fact - using the landlords stuff for that also. Not one drop of "Tammi" in that room. But........can't find what I like, so until I HAVE to buy something I'll wait and keep searching.

BUT.....I can do some little things. Like hang curtains. Seems simple enough - right. Yeah, well unless you are Tammi and unable to get the ideas from your brain to your hands.

Yesterday morning, before I left for the day I decided to take down the horrible verticle blinds over my sliding glass door and hang the beautiful curtains I have for there. No kidding, it took over an hour to figure out to get the blinds down. A flippin' hour. THEN, I'm sitting on the family room floor reading the instructions on how to install the new curtain rod. It's really not all the complicated. Hell the instructions are complete on one side of a 3"x5" piece of paper.

Now...I had 2 options. I could follow the instructions exactly or just put the damned screws in the wall and go....I choose to follow instructions. So I have to dig out the drill. I've never used one before. I was so nervous I dropped it - on my favorite candle. Shit. Finally, after about 45 mins. I get a hole drilled. One. Uno. 1.

I feel like such an idiot. It really shouldn't be this difficult, and I know that. It's just I have this mental block - there is something that stops the message from traveling from my brain to my hands. I can't make it happen.

SO......this morning I'm climbing back up on that foot stool and drilling the other 2 holes. I will then use my handy dandy level to make sure it's straight. If it's not - I don't know what I'll do, but I"ll figure out something. Then I'm hanging these damned curtains. Next are the curtains in the LR/DR.

You see, I gotta get the house all pretty......I'm having company soon. ;-)

Posted by Tammi at January 28, 2005 07:25 AM
Comments

I'm bringing my own level. If those curtains are so much as half a bubble off, I'm turning around & heading back to Wisconsin :-)

Posted by: Harvey at January 28, 2005 08:07 AM

You know, with all the male hands you will have down their you could enlist their help and have all kinds of things hung up in no time flat.

Think of it as a use of house payment.

And the males get to show off their maleness around a bunch of women.

Although half the women will be engineers so it might not be all that impressive.

Posted by: Machelle at January 28, 2005 09:24 AM

Try going down to the local DIY or Home Depot with the tool you want to use, and ask for help. Those guys LIVE for that kind of request from people, particularly women.

Or, you could do what my daughter did; she turned on the HGTV channel, and left it on for a few months. After that, she found that she had absorbed a mind-set that told her she could do it.

And she has been, ever since.

Posted by: Linda F at January 28, 2005 04:46 PM

A couple tips

1. Use the level BEFORE you drill the holes.
2. The more men you have working together to put this sort of thing up, the more beer will be required. Do not worry, the amount of beer consumed will NOT affect the end results -- these people have it in their genes and the alcohol will actually enhance their ability to work with power tools.

Posted by: Ogre at January 28, 2005 07:00 PM

If by "work with" you mean "destroy things using", I have to agree :-)

Posted by: Harvey at January 29, 2005 12:57 AM