The idea of 'details' is a funny thing in our relationship. I could admittedly be considered OCD when it comes to them, and Brian doesn't really even seem to know what they are.
I've mentioned before how Brian's lack of attention to details can be endearing...in fact, I listed it in my list of 50 things I love about him. Like when I walk into our living room to find our decorative block letters (H O M E) spelling HEMO; or when I look in the cupboards to find the circular tupperware paired up with the square lids; or when he walks into church after getting the kids ready and McKenzie's hair has obviously not been thought of, and Carson has substantially visible evidence of breakfast all over his face and clothing (which are probably too small and unmatched); or when I find the peanut butter in the fridge; or when I send him to the store to buy pineapple tidbits (complete with an audible reminder AND a written word to specify that it is, indeed, TIDBITS that I need) he still returns with crushed pineapple...
And, it's true, it's true...sometimes these things frustrate me at the time of offense but, whenever I think of them as a part of his whole personality, I can't help but smile and love him all the more for it. Besides, this same laid-back-anything-goes trait in his personality is a lifesaver when I'm paralyzed by the thought of cleaning a disastrous house - he just swoops right in and has it tidied up in no time, leaving it in a much more manageable state for my easily overwhelmed mind.
Take the dishes, for example. If I let them get too heaped up in my sink, my thought process beings to sound something like this: "I need to do those dishes...oh, but after I do the dishes, I'll be able to see how badly my sink needs to be scrubbed out (side tangent - NEVER get a white sink - - - it seriously needs to be scrubbed more than my children do!)...but, I can't scrub my sink out until I mop the floors because I don't want the sink to be filled with the dirty mop water just after I've scrubbed it...and I can't mop the floors without cleaning the rooms and sweeping them first - including those bathrooms...but I can't clean the bathrooms without starting a load of laundry - those towels need to be washed..." and all the sudden, the simple chore of 'doing the dishes' has become a huge 2 hour process, which I obviously don't have time for at that moment, so I put it off for later...and it never gets done.
Brian's thought process, on the other hand, goes something like this: "Full sink. I'll put the dishes in the dishwasher." Easy-peasy-lemon-squeasy! I so, so, so wish I could somehow train my mind to think that simply on occasion!!!
Anyway - I'm rambling, and this has been quite a long introduction to what I wanted my post to be about in the first place - so, I'll move on! :)
The following two pictures are pictures of the seam at the top of our flat sheet that goes on our bed. I have laughed to myself for almost 7 years about the fact that when Brian puts clean sheets on the bed, he puts this topsheet upside-down. Totally typical!
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
Well, about a year and a half ago, I started noticing that EVERY SINGLE TIME he put the sheets on they were upside-down - - - and I started to become awed at how randomly consistent he was at doing this particular thing incorrectly. I never mentioned it to him because it doesn't bother me at all (and he doesn't put the sheets on that often, anyway), but last month he was helping me put all the laundry away and I happened to notice the upside-down topsheet that night while we were getting into bed. I laughed out loud in amazement and said, "Do you know that every time you put the sheets on the bed you put this one on upside down?!?"
"What!?! No way!" he said.
"Yeah - look!" I said as I pointed to the sheet.
"You're crazy!" he replied. "This is the way it goes!"
"What!?!" I said back, "No it's not! This is upside-down!"
Both of us were stunned that the other could possibly think that his/her way was correct, and it made us laugh. I was actually amazed that Brian had been paying attention to this detail and found it hilarious that he was just simply wrong about it! But as I've thought about it, I've become confused...which way is the right way? I'm not going to tell you which side each of us was on quite yet (because I think I was wrong!) - and ask you. Which way is right-side-up?
Argument for exhibit A: The lip is a decorative edge and is meant to be seen.
Argument for exhibit B: The lip is a hem, and hems are supposed to be hidden.
This could seriously be a momentous occasion in our marriage - - - Brian correcting me on a detail. :)
