Fearless Mistakes

I took apart the disposal one time because it wouldn't work. It ended up being a pebble stuck in the blade. It could have been fixed by sticking my hand down the drain a few more times. But I chose the hard way. Three hours, some online tutorials (including having to look up what an allen wrench is) and all the parts of the nasty, awful disposal laid out on the counter.

Frustrating.

However, I know now how to install a disposal. I know how to take it apart. And I am not afraid to do so.

It's funny how making a mistake actually contributed to more confidence in the long run. So I got to thinking. How far have I come in fearless homemaking?

In the kitchen, bad:

I have made a jelly roll (yuck), marzipan (ew), cream puffs, bread, cinnamon rolls, pie crust, taffy, peanut brittle, caramel, mayonnaise, polenta, gnocchi, etc. and they have ALL failed. I started three kitchen fires, ruined a microwave and burned a coffee pot. Tried to make my own cleaning products that made my husband gag.

Good:

Some of those recipes are easy now. Have you ever had an old fashioned taffy pull? Soooooo much fun! I have helped pull up linoleum and refinished old wood floors. I have also repainted cabinets.

In the laundry room bad:

It took me five years to figure out how I was going to fold my dishtowels (the first two years I folded them like a flag, weird). I am now banned from washing my husband's jeans (couldn't remember which ones were no-drys). Made my own laundry detergent and it made the clothes smell like old grapes.

Good:

Can iron MH's (my husband's) shirts the way he likes 'em. Just learned a month ago. I can dye cheesecloth, muslin and cotton on purpose (fun!).

In the living room bad:

I still don't know how people keep their carpet clean. I have painted the walls dark green, dark brown with white swirls, red, and mustard yellow. I actually embossed my walls with gold wax one time because I thought it would look cool, it did not.

Good:

I can sponge, glaze, rag and paint huge pink stars. Ugh. I also fixed a "broken" speaker for the surround sound.

In the bedrooms bad:

I made our curtains out of remnant fabric, and bamboo rods. I have made curtains out of sheets, beads, ribbon, glue, and felt.... Oh, man, I hate my tacky self. I have made doll clothes out of ribbon, toilet paper, tape and buttons. I found pieces of a dress I made on the floor the other day. Apparently it was supposed to be functional, as in removable. Didn't know.

Good:

Okay, nothing good here.

In the bathroom bad:

paint, re-paint, kind of fixed the toilet. I hung a shelf once, well I hung it like, five times. Okay, done here..

Outside bad:

By my calculations I kill about 21 plants every spring. That means I have murdered close to 168 innocent plants in my married life. That is not counting seedlings. Used compost from sanitation department. Best flowers, worst smell.

Good:

I can grow herbs, (go figure) and flowers. Not only that, I can mulch, mow, weed and I have even picked up a snake that was hanging out in the dirt (with a stick of course)

Not bad. I think I am getting better. My sense of style is a little off (someone once told me that the way I decorate forces people to feel a certain way). So, I might need to work on that one... But I think the important thing is I have very little fear of making mistakes with my house.

Now, if I could only transfer that lack of fear to relationships with people...