Murder on Valentine's day, a colorful change & something embarrassing...

If you think I'm leading w/ the embarrassing stuff - you really should know better.  I'm forcing you to read alllll the way through...

Let me tell ya'll how B-rad & I spent our Valentine's Day.  

(Ya'll know I'm all about a day ALL about love...gag)

We got in a big fight that morning over eye drops.  YES, eye drops.  He was going to the farm show so he was home in the morning while I was getting ready for work.  I do NOT like when he's there when I'm getting ready.  I have a system & him being there messes up my system.  (Love you, B-rad...)  So he was talking to me while I was trying to dry my hair so every 30 seconds I had to turn off the hair dryer & say, "HUH?"  I was giddy because he was almost out the door Just as he was leaving he said, "Oh, I need my eye drops."  Which I ignored - like I forgot I heard it as soon as he said it.  I don't have anything to do with his eye drops.  Then he came back & said, "did you put them up?"  I had NO idea what he was talking about.  I said, "WHAT?"  He said, "My eye drops - did you put them up?"  I said (very nicely in my nicest, most sweetest voice EVER), "No.  I've been in here trying to getting ready!" 

Then he says, "They were on the counter.  Did you put them up?"

LIGHT BULB.

He had stopped & bought some at Walgreens on MONDAY.  He came home & put them on the counter in the kitchen (which is where he sits EVERYTHING) & when I got home, YES I put them up.  MON-DAY.  This was FRI-DAY. 

I said, (again, NOT raising my voice, NOT yelling & for sure NOT cussing), "OHHHH!!!  Yes - I put them up... but that was 3 f***king days ago!"

This gives new meaning to St. Valentine's day massacre, people.  I KNOW I wanted to kill him & I'm QUITE sure the feeling was mutual....

He went to the farm show all day & I worked.  I brought pizza home for dinner (NO not heart shaped, either) he said to me, "Happy Valentine's Day.  I didn't get you anything."  (Which is fine by me - we usually don't...)  We sat down to watch 'Bad Grandpa' & it was totally stupid so I laid down to take a nice nap.

We're all about the love at the McAfee compound...

I get tired of having the same ole backgrounds on my electronic devices.  Last week I decided to change them ALL.  I have one criteria...bet you can't guess what it is....

Normally I go w/ flowery type things...but this time I wanted something funky & colorful:

Desktop at work:

Phone:

iPad:

I know they say politics, religion & pet peeves are things you shouldn't 'talk about'.  I'm not gonna 'talk' religion so don't freak out.  I saw at the beginning of the year, JLL posted somewhere that she finished reading the Bible in a year.  That was very intriguing to me.  I've always wanted to read it, but it seemed like such an overwhelming feat.  I wouldn't classify myself as 'religious', but I was raised going to church every Sunday & I absolutely believe in God & the Bible.  We don't go to church regularly & I cuss a little sometimes.  Of course I'm a sinner.  We all are.  But I also believe God knows my heart.  Anyway...I found this 'The One Year' Bible.  It breaks the verses down by days & gives you maybe 10-15 minutes of reading a day.  VERY do-able & I'm actually enjoying it.  It's neat to read more in-depth about all the Bible stories I learned as a kid.  There are 'boring' parts (which I'm in now), plus my mom is like a Bible scholar so she helps me fill in the parts I don't understand.  And, dare I say it - I think she likes loves explaining the parts I don't understand because she likes loves to be smarter than me.

 

I know you probably thought you'd heard the end of B-rad's claim to fame from his farming video, but you were wrong.  When he visited the Precision booth at the farm show - he found a picture of himself!

They were also playing his video in another area.  C'mon people, that's just COOL!  They take this display to the other farm shows across the United States.  B-rad is FAMOUS, people!

He said he was talking to someone in the booth & they said, 'HEY, that's you!'

 Sigh.... now for what you've all been waiting for the embarrassing stuff.  Does anyone have areas in their home that they are ASHAMED of?  Like seriously ashamed?  Maybe it's cabinet or a drawer?  Maybe it's a closet?  Maybe it's under the bed?  Mine is our basement & garage.  B-rad is one of the hardest working people I know, but when I start talking about cleaning or organizing- his eyes glaze over & all he hears is 'Wonk, wonk, wonk.'   (Like the teacher on Charlie Brown.)

So, over the last few years, the basement has gotten in REALLY bad shape.  It's kind of our 'catch all' & storage area.  If we had something we had no other place for or didn't know where to put it - it went in the basement.  Then we piled more stuff on that stuff & it quickly got out of control.  There was no organization of the 'stuff'- it was all just thrown & tossed around.  (YES I am including pictures...hold your horses I gotta tell the story first!)

I've been on B-rad the last few weeks to get the basement cleaned up.  It's winter after all & while there's ALWAYS something to do at the farm, it's not as pressing as it is in the spring & fall. He wanted to go on a archery trip thingie the first of March & I told him he couldn't go unless he got the basement clean.  (Yes, I AM the boss of him.)  That really didn't have the effect I wanted because he didn't jump right on it.  He kept telling me, "I have stuff to do at the barn.  I have to work on the planter.  I have to load trucks."   I tried to come up with a compromise.  I would say, "Ok, one night go work at the barn, the next night work on the basement."  

Yea, that didn't work either.

Then, it happened.  LIGHT BULB.

We get a dividend check from the co-op we buy chemicals from on the farm every year.  It's kinda like a bonus check from them based on how much money we spent the previous year.  We got the check in the mail one day last week & it was for almost $2800.  And I told B-rad I would make him a deal....

If he got the basement clean before he goes on his trip thingie, I would give him the WHOLE $2800 to do whatever he wanted.  If he didn't want to take the deal, I would put the money towards some of our other bills...

And guess what - just like that - the basement was clean.  In like TWO days, people.   TWO.  

I really should be ashamed of myself...but I'm not.  I'm an evil genius... (& it didn't even involve sex.  High five!)

Now - you're first reaction will be to judge but I'm kinda baring my soul here so that would be really mean of you.  I tell ya'll everything & if you judge me, I will block you from reading mmmm kay?  It's kinda like when you watch the show 'hoarders'.  You KNOW it's bad, but you also feel really sorry for the people who are hoarders.  (No - just me?  I feel sorry for them.)  We know it's awful, we KNOW.  But it's kinda like gaining weight, alcoholism or drug abuse - you don't realize its happened until it's so far gone you can't see anyway out.  I will allow you to gasp.

Before:

 AFTER:

 

B-rad bought some shelves because I told him that if we had some sort of organization for all the 'stuff' it wouldn't be so bad.  The shelves are still a work in progress.  There are items just kinda sitting on them until I get some totes.   The kinds of things we have on them right now are: our luggage (because it was always stuck in a closet & takes up SO much room), coolers (we have a lot of coolers), Christmas wrapping paper, paper towels, toilet paper & even some of my large kitchen items I don't use all the time.  

(Cupcake carrier, decorative serving dishes, etc.)

Sonny's litter box will be moved to another location in the basement.  He's gonna LOVE that.  

On the right side of the pic is a weight bench (which he 'plans on moving' & an old desk w/ lots of old electronics on it.  I am in the process of taking those things to Best Buy to be recycled.  They will only accept 3 items per household per day.  Once those are gone, we will get rid of the desk.  

And if you're wondering - yes, B-rad has already asked me when I'm going to put the money in his account. 

It's clean, people - so the ends justifies the means... (& no sex was involved in the making of this clean basement.  I think that's important to say again remember...)