Kristin from The DIY Forums interviewed me last week. She posted the interview yesterday and the second half is today.
You can learn a few new facts about me. Like what I really DON’T like to do at 8.5 months pregnant!
And how I learned my DIY skills.
I hope you’ll stop by to read the interview.
In the spirit of humorous Couple Speak, I thought I’d share a few humorous miscommunications I’ve had with Pretty Handsome Guy over the years. When we had the living room wall opened, we hired a contractor to do the work, because we believed the wall was load bearing and frankly I didn’t want to “Bear” the blame if the house fell down!
One of the issues we had in our living room was the lack of light fixtures…in the ceiling. The room was dark and dreary and had to be lit by table lamps. Our contractor came up with a brilliant idea for adding more light to the room. When he arrived to start work he asked, “Why not add sconce lights to each side of the opening in the living room? I have to cut holes to move the wiring in your wall anyway.” YES! I yelled. I could have kissed that contractor right there and then. And I would have had it not been for the quizzical expression on Pretty Handsome Guy’s face. I found out later that Pretty Handsome Guy didn’t have the same vision as I did:
Scone vs. Sconce
Normally our communication is spot on. We know exactly what each other means even with very few words. I’ll give you a primer on the language between us:
Me: I have good news and bad news.
Translation: Okay, I’m going to give you the good news first in an attempt to gloss over what I’m afraid to tell you.
PHGuy: Have you seen the plunger?
Translation: If I pretend I can’t find the plunger, then you will find it, ask what I need it for, and then unclog the toilet because you are handy like that!
Me: I don’t want you to freak out, but…
Translation: Okay, so something is broken. Broken so bad, that I can’t fix it. And we need to hire a professional who is going to come in and charge us a lot of money. So, don’t freak out…
PHGuy: Did you get {insert random item here} at the store?
Tranlation: Yes, I forgot to add it on the list, but I’m wondering how you are doing on honing your ESP skills.
You see, we are basically on the same wavelength when it comes to communication. Why waste time with long explanations when you can just Couple Speak! I’m curious, what are the miscommunications or better yet the finely honed communications you and the love of your life share?
Every so often, I’m at a loss for words. It doesn’t happen often (ask Pretty Handsome Guy). But, this week, I’ve been project dry. Too many other commitments I guess.
However, I have had a few non-DIY things that I’ve been meaning to share. So, I put together a little lite post just for those random thoughts.
I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Pretty Handsome Guy surprised me by making Sweet Potato Pancakes drizzled with my favorite chocolate from Escazú (our local chocolatier) and with chocolate dipped strawberries on the side. He REALLY knows the way to my heart.
I’ve been preparing for a sprint triathlon that will happen (with or without me) in two weeks. It is the Ramblin’ Rose, a women’s empowerment triathlon. This will be my third year participating in a sprint tri (notice how I said participate, because I sign up to complete not compete!)
2010 Ramblin' Rose Triathlon, Raleigh, NC
I’m a bit tentative about it this year because that sinus infection, plus lots of travel, have put a dent in my training regime. The good news is that I completed the bike/run portion on Mother’s Day so I’m feeling a little more confident. I’m not worried about the swim, I have become a good swimmer over the past three years. This is a direct result of training for my first triathlon in 2009. Believe me when I tell you I had never swum a lap in my life! Now I can swim for an hour and I LOVE IT!
Let’s see, what else did I want to share…oh right…two new iPhone apps I like.
Pinterest for iPhone! I seriously jumped out of my chair when I saw the announcement about this app.
Finally a Pinterest app so I can add “pins” while I’m browsing on my phone. Love it.
And if you know about Angry Birds (and simultaneously love and hate them as much as I do), you will appreciate this new children’s book that can be read to or read by your kids on your iPhone (or iPad).
Otto the Otter by Ian Mehr. This is a great little story about an otter who can’t swim. It is currently Free for download, but I suspect it will cost something in the near future. Considering I spent $2.99 on several Cat in the Hat book apps, this was a steal! I’m all about giving my boys something educational to occupy them instead of an extremely addictive video game.
Speaking of great ideas for the kids. I also wanted to tell you about Synonym Toast, a great new CD by Jeff Warren.
The CD is not your traditional kiddie music. I actually don’t mind listening to it because – well frankly – it ROCKS!. My boys can’t get enough of it. They have listened to this CD over 20 times each. My oldest’s favorite song is Rocket. I wonder if it has anything to do with the time we did THIS!
Hmm, searching my memory banks, please wait…ahhh yes, the last thing I wanted to share with you is that I had a fabulous weekend in my favorite town in America: Charlottesville, Va. We spent time with friends, went on a hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and most importantly I was able to purchase this:
That is a Mocha with Whip from my favorite coffee shop on the downtown mall, the Mudhouse. Oh, real chocolate shavings on my coffee, how I do miss thee! Okay, I’m drooling and now you know I truly am a Chocoholic. I even have a shirt that says: “Forget Love, I’d Rather Fall in Chocolate!”
I’m signing off now (as it seems this post has come full circle back to chocolate), but I hope to be back with a tutorial or two later in the week.
Thank you for visiting PrettyHandyGirl.com. This blog is for anyone who wishes they were handy and could make their own repairs, upgrades or become a true DIY-er at home.
I have always enjoyed beautifying things, especially my home. My idea of a relaxing day is working in my garage (aka workshop) and building something. The smell of freshly cut wood tends to ease away the tension of the week. Also being able to have the gratification of completing something tangible really makes my day! (Maybe this is because it is so hard to complete a task when you have children un-doing your work behind you.)
The other days of my week are spent entertaining my two little charges (two little energizer boys); housekeeping; and running my other two businesses. A graphic design/web design/illustration business and a web-based baby carrier business I started when my children were babies to sell comfortable baby carriers to caregivers.
I hope this blog will inspire you to try something on your own. My mantra is that if someone can do it, then there is a 95% chance that I can do it too! As a woman, I refuse to bow to the stereotypes that women aren’t handy. From a young age, my father and mother taught me and my two sisters that we could do anything a man could do (and sometimes better!)
Please join me on my DIY journey as I show you some of the accomplishments and pitfalls of doing it yourself!
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