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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Top Ten Tuesday


Top Ten Things I Don't Like People To Touch In My House:

(At the risk of revealing the depths of my own selfishness, I am including a list here of the things I do not like people in my house to mess with. I am pretty willing to share. Just not these things.)

1. My tape. When I go to wrap a present or tape up a recipe that's ripped, or just need tape for something, I like it to be there-- not off in some child's room where it's been left after a craft project. Alas, that's more often where it's found.

2. My kitchen scissors. Don't touch my kitchen scissors. Do not carry them out of the kitchen to cut something somewhere else and leave them there. Do not attempt to cut heavy guage wire and break them. Do not move them to some other place in the kitchen. When I reach for them, they need to be where I put them.

3. My special lighter for lighting candles. Don't use it to light the charcoal grill and leave it outside. Don't play with it. Just leave it alone. Again, when I go to light candles, I like to put my hands right on it without scurrying around and trying to find a stray pack of matches because I don't know where the lighter is and people are due to arrive and I can't find the lighter to light the candles and candles always say "welcome" and... you get the picture. Don't touch my lighter.

4. My running socks. Do not borrow these socks. Do not accidentally put them in the wrong pile so they end up in the black hole of one of my children's drawers. When I go running I need these socks. No other socks will do.

5. My diet food. I have several things I keep on hand to eat. It's the stuff I should be eating-- almonds, certain fruits, etc. You can have everything else in the house so why is it you want the precious few things I can eat? This boggles the mind. I might hide things in my room just so they don't get eaten by the vultures (aka, my children). Not that they don't know exactly where I hide such things and snicker at my pathetic attempts to horde food. "Why don't you put it in your secret hiding place, mom?" they say. Then they laugh. Whoever said children are born innocent has not spent time around them.

6. My special drinks. These include my special teas, my diet caffeine free Coke, and my lite lemonade. Don't drink these things. Again, you can have anything else in the fridge so why is it these things are your favorite?

7. My Sharpies. First of all I just don't like the thought of permanent markers loose in the house. I prefer them corralled where I can keep an eye on them. Second, when I need to mark people's cups when we have small group or label something I just want to be able to put my hands on them and not have to conduct a search and rescue mission.

8. My special pens. I have some favorites that I prefer not to get mixed in with the regular pens. These pens write just the way I like. I don't want anyone else to use them lest they run the ink out or mess up the point.

9. My razors. I do not like anyone else to use my razors. Otherwise I can't get a good read on how sharp they are. And plus just.... ewww.

10. My car settings. Don't mess with my mirrors, my steering wheel, my seat adjustment, or my radio stations that I have programmed. When I get in I do not want to have to mess with them before I can get going. I am usually running late and do not have that kind of time.

Ok, so that's the stuff I don't like people to mess with. What's your list look like? Oh come on... you know you have one. And if you are truly a sweet generous person who does not care about such things... I hope you will still like me. And pray for me. Living with 7 other people you can probably imagine very few of these things don't get messed with. It's a test of my patience and whether or not I am truly dying to self! It's a work in progress...
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12 comments:

Janie S. said...

Hhahahhaha! I love it! Funny how we LOVE LOVE LOVE those people! Sometimes I tell my kids: "There's nobody I love more and Nobody who drives me CRAZIER than you guys!" And they laugh and say "Except Daddy!" and then I have to say they are right... Thanks for the good morning laugh!

Bonita said...

I'm really persnickety about my office supplies: tape, scissors, hole punch, stapler... I run a business and I need things to be in their place in order to efficiently do my job.

I also like things in the kitchen to be in their place. While I really appreciate when someone empties the dishwasher, I also expect that person to learn where things go in the kitchen. I cannot stand to be in the middle of cooking something and have to stop and search for the item I need.

The other thing is the TV remote control. I have a basket for all of the controllers. The wise soul will keep them there.

And do not, do not, DO NOT touch my reading glasses!

Shelia said...

SO FUNNY!!!! My list is pretty much like yours. Also add the remote control. Try as I might, they never seem to be in the right place when I need them. Most times they're stuck down in between the couch cushions. ARGHHH!!!! That's aggravating. Thanks for such a great smile this morning.

Unknown said...

OH My Gosh!! I live with 5 teenagers and you just posted what I am constantly saying in my house on a DAILY basis!
The ones I most relate to...
TAPE - Even Duct Tape is gone!
SCISSORS - Why can't they use theirs!
SOCKS- Why look in their drawer (because its such a mess) let's go to mom's where we can find it fast!
FOOD - I admit it! I horde. But I have to in order to survive. I have THREE teenage boys! I love them dearly but please a gallon of milk is gone within hours of hitting the door. No.
RAZORS - Definately!
CAR SETTINGS - This is a major pet peeve of mine.
Adding to that list -
My special Shampoo and Conditioner.
My perfume.
My make-up.
I know my daughters sneak in my room for a couple quick squirts and lipstick.

Unknown said...

Love it! I am in a houseful of boys and everything is fair game, but I do have a wish list of things not to be messed with:
1) My diet food--it is expensive and it is MINE! You are not on a diet therefore stay out of my specially marked container of food :-)!

2) My diet lemonade--this also costs $$ and you don't even like lemonade...so lips off my container!

3) The food on my plate--I have measured and counted down to the number of potato chips on my plate. Please get your own (not out of my container) and keeps your hands off mine!

4) The toys I've just put up--you haven't played with them in 2 weeks--until you see them put away, then you want to go behind me and take them back out! Stop it!

5) The last piece of pie--I may be on a diet and I may say I don't want the last piece of Sunday pie. But don't you know that no means yes...Back off from the pie Bubba!

I say all this in good humor...knowing I'd never say any of it, but I wish I could sometimes.

Annett said...

Mary Beth, you are hilarious !!! Funny thing is, this could be my list too. I don't mind if some of my things get borrowed but
RETURN THEM TO WHERE YOU FOUND THEM. that's my rule. I could also add,
-don't use my bath towel. We have enough so get your own.
-don't eat off my plate w/o asking first.
I love reading your blogs, I can SO relate. : )

Zibilee said...

I agree with everything on your list. It sounds like your house is a lot like my house, and I totally get where you are coming from with the idea that a mom's stuff shouldn't be messed with!

Arlene said...

I'm definitely with you on #2. And my phone charger. I have a spot for mine, everyone else has their own, leave mine alone. ;-)

Jekka said...

Not having children, I had to think about this one. However, the one that comes to mind is my bed. My dad often visits and he will make my bed after I leave. Don't make my bed...I have my pillows exactly where I want them when I come back that night. I don't want to spend 20 minutes trying to get them just perfect again.

Terri said...

My list would be so much like yours! Especially when it comes to pens. Got a big box of colorful mechanical pencils at Costco... designated colors for myself and let the kids have all the rest. Of course it is always one of my pencils they are using because they can never find any of theirs!!! Yes, I can so relate to this post! Blessings!

Amber Rain said...

Oh my goodness. I would have literally laughed out loud if my daughter were not sleeping on the couch because she wet her bed (again) and needed a dry place to sleep. [sigh]

Tape. I absolutely cannot stand when I need to use tape and my crafty daughters have hung a bazillion pictures on their bedroom wall or created something crafty with it.

Sharpies. With several kids under 5 in my home daily, I absolutely freak out at the idea of a loose sharpie in the house. The potential to damage any number of things ... I shudder to think about it. And yet those are the markers my 8 year old can't keep her sticky fingers off of.

My special pens. I have bought package after package of my favorite pen because when I write, only a certain kind of pen does it for me. And even though I've purchased dozens of pencils and a sharpener for homework, my pens end up missing. Time and again. So frustrating.

Sticky Notes. I am a sticky note junkie and I go into withdrawals if I want to make a note of something and my daughters have used them all for a "game" or to decorate with.

Nutella. My 8 year old gets up at night and sneaks into the cupboard and eats large spoonfuls. And when I want toast every once in a while, there's hardly any left. :(

I need to find special places for all these things, only I'm so routine and full of things to remember, I'd probably forget where my special place is. [And my mother does this chronically, and I know it's only a matter of time ...]

Anonymous said...

I live with 5 other people and 2 dogs. Please, please PLEASE do not touch the silverware and spatulas and such! Well, spatulA, and butter knives. I have a 3 year old who thinks they make great swords and I found 2 in the yard, 3 in the car and one in the bathroom (???) the other day! And the dogs chewed up my only set of Sunday flats because one of the kids left the closet door open!! Guess Ishould have made sure it was closed or put them in my own closet,not the front catch-all closet but still! Good luck!