Brains over Braun

Matt and I are equally earnest in our organization efforts around the house. We like for everything to have a proper home and we work to keep everything in it's place as much as possible. We're not always successful (by a long shot), but it's a goal. In the spring, we take down all the summer play equipment that was stored for the winter....bikes, bike trailer, slides, etc. Since these things take over the garage, Matt parks his car in the driveway for the summer. Once it starts getting cold, we pack everything up for the winter, so Matt can keep his car in the garage again. He's not a fan of scraping ice off his windows or digging his car out of snow drifts at 5am and I don't blame him.

We cleaned out the garage last weekend, hanging the bikes from the ceiling for the winter and packing up everything else in the shed. He still couldn't pull his car in, though because our collection of car seats and strollers remained without homes. We collected more of them last year and suffered through juggling them, tripping over them, and playing musical car seat/stroller all last winter. We didn't want to do that again. So, I decided we needed to purchase a shelf for the carseats and hooks for the strollers to get them up off the floor and out of the way.

So, yesterday was the day. Avery and I went to the grocery in the morning before Ethan arrived, so the morning was spent putting groceries away while the kids played. After lunch, I loaded the little ones up (using one of the extra car seats for Ethan) and the double stroller because Home Depot doesn't have carts that seat two little people. Do you see the need for extra car seats and strollers, folks? (a shout-out to the friends and family who have loaned some of those to us...thanks again for enabling me to get out of the house!)

So, I'm at Home Depot, kids in double stroller reading books (aw! everyone oohs and aahs as we enter the store). I load up the basket of the stroller with all the parts of the two storage systems that will fit. Then, I scout out an employee to help me get the bigger items to the front of the store for checkout. I drop almost $200 on storage (ouch!). A nice gentleman helps me load everything in the van and then I have to figure out where the stroller is going to go. I get the kids strapped in and snap the cutest picture of them holding hands! (If only I could figure out how to get pics from my phone onto my computer.)

Once we're home, it's nap time. I get the kids down and head out to the garage to hang my new storage systems. The shelf is to hang on the wall along side where I park the van. I'm careful to ensure that the shelf is going to be high enough that Matt won't crack his skull on it when he gets out of the van (see how nice I am?). This shelving system requires me to hang a 7 foot brace horizontally; attaching it directly to studs. Then, a set of metal standards attach to the brace and hang vertically. Those will also be screwed to the studs. These standards hold the brackets that hold the shelf. Got it? This system is reminding me a lot of the olden days when I worked in retail. Same setup.

So, here's me, all by myself with a 7 foot piece of metal that I'm trying to hang in a level line 8 feet off the ground. How is this supposed to work? I can't hold it level and attach it to a stud at the same time. I have the height marked and leveled. I find my first stud, then measure out the next four. I drive nails into the studs. I use the nails to hold the brace in position so I can screw it in properly. I'm feeling proud of myself folks! Only problem, I cannot drive the screws into the studs. I am using every ounce of strength that I've got and I'm stripping the screws. Son of a... I'm pissed! I have to be able to do this. I get two of the five screws in. The other three each have a half inch or more to go. Crap! I'm going to have to rely on Matt's strength. I hate that! I love my husband, but I've got pride, dammit. I want to be able to do it myself. I am woman, hear me purr? Hell no! Roar, baby!

So, I wait for Matt to get home. (purr!) We've got to get this finished. At this point neither of our vehicles can be parked in the garage. Matt climbs the ladder and makes his first attempt. No go! He can't do it either. So, I'm riding the border of 1)excitement that I wasn't such a wienie after all, 2) frustration that it's not working and 3) concern that tools are going to start flying (Matt has zero patience for projects that go array and it seems like all of ours do). Matt's definitely strong, so there has to be another problem. I decide that the drill bit must not be the right size or is too stripped already. I head off to Home Depot again. After trying to talk to some 12-year old kid about the drill bit I decide that I'm better off without him, especially when he point out that it takes a certain amount of strength to get the job done...grrr (I mean "roar")! I buy new drill bits and head back home with a new plan.

Once I get back home, we attempt to drive the screws with the new bits, no luck. Then I decide that pre-drilling is in order. It works!! Yeah!! Matt takes over now. Humph! That's ok! With our new shelving and stroller storage system installed, I know that my brains triumphed and that's all that really matters! Hehe! ROAR!!