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How About Labor Day(s)

(((sigh))) I'm smiling at the productive weekend, so here's the scoop. Being married to a fellow firstborn person is not always a convenient thing. We both have priorities and a perfectly formed plan on how to accomplish them. Thing is, they don't always mesh. After 18 years, the two of us have managed to come to a truce and have developed a system that generally works for us. In the process, I have identified the primary factor in my procrastination habits. I am what is called a "frustrated perfectionist." In simple terms, I want everything done precisely, exactly right. Perfectly. Flawlessly. Every. Thing. **Newsflash** I'm a regular everyday kinda person with a regular everyday kinda schedule with a regular everyday kinda family. So perfection is impossible. Acceptable is barely doable. Therefore, if I can't get everything perfect, I just won't mess with it. It saves frustration that way. Well, only temporarily.

I did put this little ... ahem... "quirk" aside because I really needed to freshen up some things around the house and there were a few things that were refusing to be ignored any longer. Muh Main Man and I somehow trimmed the list and agreed upon a set of tasks that we thought we could do this weekend. Mind you, these were priorities we set at the end of last summer to be done this summer. This one. The one that ended today. We got the supplies for sealing the deck and painting the porch. In true Muh Main Man style, he spied a cute little fountain that was on sale and decided this was the perfect time to install it as well. I almost came unglued but I held myself fast. I've been wanting a fountain, true...but it was not in the immediate plan. And I'm a stick-to-the-plan kinda girl.

We moved on to the pressure washing and deck sealing, with me crawling behind him to touch up each and every spot that needed that little something "extra" and then I got going on the porch. I am a meticulous painter when we are talking about the painting surface, but it does not include my body nor any clothing upon it. Therefore I have yet another set of "painting clothes" in the closet. Those will come in handy when I .... who are we kidding?! I'm not painting any more this summer. And I probably won't fit in those painting clothes next time I do paint if I don't start back with my kickboxing in a couple of weeks. But I digress. While I did the painting, Muh Main Man decided to put the posts on our upper balcony. These would be the ones we've lived without for 12 years. Apparently this was the time they were necessary. I was not thrilled (nor surprised) when I heard an 'Uh-oh' as he was nearing completion of the job. Apparently we were a few spindles short of a porch railing. This drives me nuts. I would rather not start the job than to leave it almost done. Because my kid will likely be graduating college when we get those last few up.

All in all, a productive weekend it was. I have a few last spindles to buy and prep, a dab of deck sealer to swipe on a spot I noticed tonight and then I'll make do with "almost perfect."

Comments

Unknown said…
I find it so interesting how first, middle and last borns are so uniquely different in their own special way. I love the way you guys jive, and you did make me laugh too. (OOPS, was that appropriate to say?)
Rochelle said…
Ha! Very funny Jenlo! Well, we'll be here to celebrate when those last few spindles get 'erected'...and hopefully it will not be in the year 2017

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