From Inmates to Playdates

It is no secret that I have a boat load of quirks.

I do not try to hide it, rather, I embrace it. My quirks and I have been through a lot. In fact, we entertain each other.

Take this evening for instance.

McDaddy is out of town (again!) this week and when that happens, the boys and I get into a tight routine where anything goes. If we want to see a movie, we see a movie. If we want to go to Toys R Us at 7 PM on a Tuesday evening, we go. And we normally eat dinner out somewhere because any reason I can find for not cooking is reason enough. What can I say? That’s just how we roll around here. That’s not to say that McDaddy doesn’t like to have fun or do those things too, it’s just that when he works all day and comes home, there is an expectation of oh, I don’t know, some form of dinner and relaxation in between yard work, domestic projects and playing in the garage with his heap, er, I mean Jeep.

Another thing that happens when he’s gone, is that I very often feel like a lost ball in a field of weeds. Not that I mourn McDaddy’s absense or anything, it’s just that I get bored easily. Especially when the boys are watching Tom and Jerry or fighting over batman toys. There are times when the urge hits me to take on a project and if I have any sense at all, I DO the project when the urge hits because Lord knows it might be another three years before the urge hits for that particular project again.

I took the boys to see Despicable Me after Stevie got out of music camp today. The second I walked through our Laundry room (which is a stretch because it is more of a walk-way connecting a “soon to be mudroom” and the new playroom) the urge hit me to sort toys. The boys helped me sort the twelve multi-colored buckets, the bins, and the toy box and before long, it was done.

Then I looked over at my laundry area and another urge surfaced. I kicked off my shoes and got busy. I would have taken a picture of the mess pre-urge, but really, it was embarrassing, and I was afraid y’all would judge so you’ll just have to believe me when I say it was a mess and has been a mess since the laundry room / toy room project got underway. The dryer was covered with all manner of wall fixtures and hanging stuff. A broken toy that needed fixing, a pile of stuff that needed to be taken to Goodwill and who knows what else was there. Immediately beside of the dryer was a microwave stand that housed a small television that we really no longer need along with a VCR (For you twenty-somethings, the VCR predated the DVR) some old coasters, three sleeves of paper cups (another of dad’s “too good to pass up at the auction” finds) and an envelope containing what appeared to be loan papers for a vehicle.

The urge to straighten the mess smacked me in the face and before I knew it, I was swarpin’ and tossin’. Then, I heard the kids going bananas upstairs and knew from the excitement in their voices that paw-paw stopped in for a visit. My dad pops in at totally random times and that’s just fine with me because he can’t sit still either and loves to tackle a good project. I put him to work putting together a dryer rack because my bras and shirts are shrinking at an alarming rate and also because there’s a big dryer funnel looking thing ont he floor that I thought wouldn’t be so obvious if there were a drying rack resting in front of it.

Like I said. Quirks.

Because the dryer rack was about four inches taller than my dryer, I was bothered.

Not the kind of bothered that makes one go, “shoot, I wish that was a bit shorter, oh well!”

I’m talking about the kind of bothered that me and my OCD knocks around that says, “That thing will either be sawed off or I will march it right back to the Wal-Mart tomorrow!”

In a matter of minutes, my daddy had the bottom portion of the dryer rack sawed off and put back in place and I’m sure I heard the hallelujahs roll. We spent the next hour cleaning the windows over the washer and dryer because neither of the TWO! discount dollar stores had blinds long enough for the window. Funny thing is, now that the window is clean and bright, I don’t think I need a blind there.

See for yourself!

What’s that?

Oh that picture?

I thought you’d never ask.

Indeed it is. Yours truly in a Chili Pepper Red Saturn Sky. From the test drive, of course.

My reasoning involves making the laundry room a more enjoyable experience.

And that works for me!

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