Thursday, October 18, 2012

Against my nature

In a past life I was crafty. I enjoyed making things and creating and getting covered in paint and fabric remnants. I have a “To-Do” list a mile long and most of the items read like a Jo-Ann Fabrics/Michaels Crafts/Home Depot shopping list:

Buy an old bench and paint it for the front hall! (a graphic stencil??? Yeah!)
Sew a pouf for Chloe’s room
Recover the old chair in the basement
Build shelves in the bathroom nook (aka TIM build shelves--I’ll paint)
Paint the laundry room
Make personalized stools for kids
Homemade thank you cards
Sew Halloween costumes
Install and paint board and batten in front hall--modern cottage style? maybe, hmmm.
Install hooks for coats and bags
Repair bathroom faucet
Paint hallway
Paint front porch columns and railings

And on and on and on. Until recently, I let that list collect dust. Yesterday I threw it away. Yes, there are things on there I still wish to accomplish (hello, front hall organization, I’M LOOKING AT YOU (for the fifth year)) but I realized I have limited time. And limited ability. I don’t like doing projects on the weeknights and at this point that’s all the quiet time I have available. Our weekends are generally busy with social obligations, birthday parties, work and family time (like everyone’s weekends...we are not unique, I know). That is time better spent on those endeavors and less on trying to pack in projects that cause Tim to reach nuclear meltdown.

I’m letting it go. Letting go of the wish to be super-productive and do it all. I can’t. I have time for work, I have time for my family, I have time to straighten up my house and now I have the (small) resources to pay someone else to lighten my load. That is SUCH a freeing feeling. That broken faucet in our bathroom that never had hot water and we lived like that for FIVE years because we thought it was going to be a ridiculous amount of money to have fixed/replaced? The handyman we hired fixed it in 20 minutes and for $50. Bam.

That old, rustic front-hall bench I have been searching for for years so I can paint it and make it look amazing with a stencil or something? I’m going to Ikea this weekend and picking up a basic white bench that will serve the perfect purpose (I might still stencil. I’m not DEAD inside.). Yes, it may not be unique but it’s EASY (minus the visit to Ikea on a Saturday...yikes). While I’m there I’m buying the hooks for the coats/bags and bringing that handyman back to put some wood up on my walls that I will then paint in one night. Voila, front hall organization.

I WANT to be creative and crafty and sew my little heart out but I can’t. And I won’t let myself feel guilty about it either. You all keep pinning on Pinterest and posting your craftiness and I’ll admire it and then write that check to the handyman for doing my bidding. Poor guy, he really didn’t see this coming.

7 comments:

Jennifer said...

ALL OF THIS, yes. I can barely keep up with the Must Do list, and just looking at my Want To Do list makes me weep. Someday I will have time & I'll look back on these days & miss THESE days, so I try not to let it bug me. But man, I miss being creative & doing fun stuff around the house. Tough to do when I'm fallingasleep on the couch at 9pm ;)

Michelle said...

I go in streaks, but I'm totally with you on wanting to have some down tim on weekends. And I am going to heed your hire someone advice, I have a few things I'd rather not bug Dave about, it's easier to just have someone come do it.

Jessica said...

It's driving me crazy to not be able to do projects! What I really miss is the sense of accomplishment. To have an idea, DO IT, and be reminded each time I see it.

Erica said...

I don't even know what a batten is or if its a noun or a verb. You are good in my book.

Michelle said...

I got a great sewing machine for Christmas with plans to MAKE things and SEW and maybe, just maybe start my own Etsy shop.

Yeah. I've used the thing once.

I hear ya.

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

Um, yes. Everything here, just yes. I'm not as creative, so my mental list looks a bit different than yours. But, Sweets and I have a dream of owning a house one day. His head is in the clouds when we talk about it, because he wants a fixer-upper and I keep reminding him that we have no time for a fixer upper. He thinks we'll buy a house and overlap owning it with this condo, so we can spend dreamy weekends doing projects in our new house. Ummmm, no. IF we buy a house AND it needs fixing, we will be paying a contractor to get it done. Period. Because, I'd like to spend time with my family this century and if we actually buy a house, I'd actually like to live in it. =)

bessie.viola said...

YES. YES. YES.

I have been driving myself CRAZY lately (NESTING) with all the stuff I "have" to do, and by I, usually I really mean IIIII because NO ONE ELSE WILL DO IT RIGHT. I finally called my dad in to paint a few weeks ago and have relinquished a lot of control of The List (we have one too) to my husband because I cannot.

You are on a path to sanity here and I like it; I need to follow. Here's to getting stuff done! (I can't wait to see pics of the front hall, sounds fabulous.)