Retake

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Birthday/Easter Combo… I Demand a Retake

Somehow, when my birthday falls on Easter, it gets completely absorbed into the chaos of the holiday. Instead of basking in my birthday glory, I spend the day cooking, cleaning, and working my tail off.

I woke up early to get a jump start, planning to write a bit and enjoy a quiet cup of coffee before the household woke up. But the kids were all up early too, and with them came loud shouts of happiness over their Easter treats. Before I knew it, I was in the kitchen trying to pull together Easter dinner with Tim, my son-in-law, and three boys all underfoot… not exactly any chef’s dream.

As the saying goes, “Behind every great man is the drawer I’m trying to get into.” Truth.

When my head was just about to burst, I politely asked if everyone could get the hell out of the kitchen. They scattered, and I was finally able to finish prepping a meal for a small army.

Just as things were settling down, everyone reappeared, with gifts. I opened a beautiful stained glass piece with a photo of Tim and me shining through it, which I absolutely loved. Then Tim dropped his bombshell.

Now, let me just say, Tim loves me to pieces and would do just about anything to make me happy… he just misses the mark sometimes.

No comic strip for me this year. Instead, he proudly announced he’d be renting a backhoe to dig out our old brick patio so we (key word: we, meaning me) could hire someone to finish the rest.

Has Tim ever run a backhoe? No.
Do I trust him digging up ground right next to the house? Also no.
But apparently, he can learn it all on YouTube. Ugh. I envision a mud pool for the spring/summer...not exactly a dream.

So, needless to say, there was a solid hour-long discussion about what a terrible idea this was, and the fact that it didn’t qualify as a birthday gift in any way… unless the intended gift was an elevated heart rate and unnecessary stress. I think winning that one mile race challenge may have gone to his head! 

Thankfully, we tabled that conversation and went on to enjoy a fun day filled with family. Dinner was delicious, and my birthday cake was scrumptious.

Everyone left by late afternoon, and I began the massive kitchen cleanup...another Birthday treat. Washing dishes and packing the dishwasher to the brim. Once it finally started running, I felt like I might actually get everything under control before bedtime… when water suddenly began pouring out from under the sink.

What??

I quickly shut off the dishwasher and emptied out the cabinet below, no small task. It’s amazing what gets crammed under there. Odd things… it’s basically the junk drawer of cabinets. I’ve always kept my hammer under there (weird but true), but as I cleaned it out, I somehow found four hammers. Why do we even have four hammers?

Anyway, I located the leak in one of the dishwasher hoses, and Tim immediately went to work figuring out what part to order. He’ll fix it when it comes in, and I have no doubt he’ll do a great job, he really does have some solid fix-it skills.....just not backhoe skills. 

So I went to bed with a table full of under-the-sink contents, dirty dishes sitting in a half-run dishwasher, and one lingering thought: I want a birthday retake... A day to be spoiled, with no house hold chores, cooking or cleaning.

I’m officially claiming Saturday the 11th as my substitute birthday this year, no cooking, no cleaning, and absolutely no heavy machinery allowed.... the upside...looks like I'll be 60 for one more week. 

“In family life, love is the oil that eases friction.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche