Some containers waiting for occupants!
I am married to a wonderful guy. He does simple things like taking out the garbage or bringing in the mail without prompting. In fact if anyone in this house needs prompting, it’s me.
Beloved Husband: It’s garbage night, did you clean out the litter box?
Me: Ummm….garbage night, I’m on it!
Beloved Husband: Hairball on the stairs landing.
Me: Oh yeah, I’ll get to it. You didn’t step in it, didja?
When we go on a trip the “Googled” directions are laying on the counter next to the keys and a map. Normally I would head out to the car and then say, “Does anyone know where we’re going?” Then and only then, would I go back in the house to Google directions while everyone waited in the car! (Actually I’ve been known to wait until we are on the road for five minutes before asking if anyone has directions!)
In many ways we complement each other. He’s quiet and nice. I’m loud and bossy. He likes kids. I think kids should be taken to the shelter and exchanged for beagles (except for my perfect granddaughters!). He’s laid back and easy-going. I am…well, I think you are getting the idea here.
Over the past few years, I have noticed that he does stuff that I didn’t even know you needed to do. I lived most of my life as a single. I owned houses and none of them fell apart. However, there are things I just didn’t know.
- This week he drained the hot water heater. I had no idea you were supposed to do that. Hot water heaters just heat up water. Then they break and you buy a new one. Not ours! We drain it yearly.
- We turn off the water supply to the washer when we are done washing clothes. Fortunately, I have a lever valve. In most of my other houses, I had a round valve that would leak if you looked at it funny. I never touched those!
- He changes the air filter on the furnace often – more often than I ever did. He never fails to show me how much cat hair has accumulated on it. My thinking is that it’s either on the filter (where it belongs) or in our food (where it doesn’t belong).
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Not very attractive!
We keep a plunger in the bathrooms. Plungers do not match my décor so I’ve never kept one in a bathroom. In fact, I am not even sure I had one. Perhaps I didn’t have a need for one? We now have a very ugly but efficient plunger in every room with a toilet.
- We have a supply of batteries and light bulbs for every need. For some unknown reason these were two things I would forget to restock. Now I just go to the closet and get a new one from the thousands that we have on hand.
- We have flashlights that really work!
He is not perfect though. My sense of organization spurred on by my preference not to expend unnecessary movement require that I keep duplicates of certain things on each floor of the house to eliminate running up and down the stairs. (Phew! That was a long sentence!) The beloved husband keeps his tools in his man cave in the basement and prefers to run the stairs. I have little tool kits with the basics on each floor along with basic cleaning supplies.
My organization is way better than his. This is one area that I excel in. He thinks it’s because I am attracted to plastic containers. He is right. I can’t pass up an attractive storage container. Color it purple and it’s a no brainer!
Part of our stash of batteries! You never know when there will be a holocaust and we won’t get out for days.
Views and Mews by Coffee Kat 
I don’t know where you live but there are homegood stores that carry plungers in decorative cases thus becoming an ornament for your bathroom! Your husband sounds lovely. I happened to read your blog and enjoyed it!
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I did find one decorative plunger at Target. We have a new Homegood Store here and I will look there. Thanks for stopping by!
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I love your containers! (But my husband would insist they all be from the same company so the side holes would match….really our containers have to match in style. But since he does the water heater draining thing – and the car maintenance, I’ll keep him!)
I have a little tool kit – so I won’t mess up his.
Great read
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Wonderful post, Kate. Your hubby sounds like mine . . . and you sound like me (loud and bossy). 😉
I would never remember to do some of the routine maintenance like draining hot water heaters, checking tire pressure on bikes and cars, replacing furnance filters, etc.
He does . . . and that’s just one reason why he’s a keeper.
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Marriages (and households) seem to run better when opposites attract.
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As I’m reading I can’t help but wonder if we are married to the same man. My guy videos things he builds around our house. Why? “Well, if I die I don’t want some other guy taking this apart the wrong way and ruining it.” Oh, he said it! Organizing from the grave.
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We have photos of our house when it was under construction (actually it was my idea) and we have used them many times to doublecheck for studs and such as we redid things. I don’t think he has gone as far as preventing things from the grave but he does use Liquid Nails to glue things together before he screws them so no one (no even he) can take it apart easily.
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Oh, they were separated at birth….lol
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Your husband – and mine. Bless them. Mine? We are yin and yang, but he does complement me.
Where we differ is … I believe in back ups (example: doubles or more of grocery items that we use). He prefers to wait until it’s part of that week’s recipe. Like you, I wait until we’re on our way before I ask about directions. He has already Googled MapQuest and has them in the car.
Love your purple baskets, and your funny asides.
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It’s funny, while I never stocked batteries and such, I always have backups of food, cleaning supplies and cosmetics! You always want to be able to eat, clean and look good during a holocaust.
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But if there’s no light (no batteries for the flashlight), they’ll miss out on seeing how great you look during the end days. 🙂
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I’ve told you often, he’s the best thing that ever happened to you and if you ever give him up, I’m first in line! Oh yea,and he’s lucky to have creative Kate!
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Wow, I think that’s awesome that the two of you found each other! You are indeed complimentary!
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Yes and he likes pets too! Although not liking them would have been a deal breaker.
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I laughed at the exchanging children for beagles 🙂 I guess I’m with you on that, except for my hoard of God children, nieces and nephews. Your husband sounds fantastic. Mine and I both leave the house with no directions. I could do with someone a bit more organised than myself in this place!
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“How true it is…” Maybe odd couples are the survivors. I am more like your husband I think – always planning for a holocaust. I don’t drain things however or replace filters – just stock up on batteries, candles, canned goods, etc. Wonderful post and I love your new header with all the containers! It just fits the story. 🙂
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yes, all that and the best is he brings a cup of coffee in the morning with cream and sugar, really a blessing, MJ
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How nice! Since I’m a Starbucks drinker, it would require a trip in the car and that isn’t going to happen!
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