Ladies - do you get your hands dirty?

[cheylink]

I am 100% hands on when it comes to any activity I can physically and knowledgeably handle! I have done everything from installing kitchen cabinets, patching heating ducts, tiling, floor installation, refinishing, and not to mention my career is garden design/landscaping...... I definitely get my hands dirty!

 

[ldg]

I do the job or jump right in. I'm also the bug-killer of the house.

My dad gave me my own toolbox when I was 11. He was a model railroader, and he made his own circuit boards to run the switches. I remember doing all kinds of soldering and acid-baking the boards...

Among my "earn your allowance" jobs as a kid were cleaning the gutters, shoveling the snow off the roof, mowing the lawn, edging the grass, raking the leaves... I remember refinishing the sailboat and building the shed. I repainted my room frequently, built my own bookshelves... um... before he let me get my driver's license, I had to prove I could change a tire on the car.

...And all of that (including the now expanded toolbox) came in REALLY handy when I moved out on my own. I redid electric sockets, converted phone plug thingies, built my own platform for the bed....

In fact, Gary and I went gold panning and fishing up the Alaska highway for our honeymoon.

I have a ring made out of the gold we panned.

(Yes, I put my own worms on the hook, and I take the fish off... but we catch and release, so I never cleaned a fish).

Laurie

 

[nurseangel]

I'm a girly-girly but I don't hesitate to get my hands dirty working in the garden, fishing, etc. The other day I caught a tiny frog (couldn't resist him; had to pick him up). Then I released him back into the woods. I'd miss out on a lot of fun if I didn't want to get my hands dirty.

 

[junebugbear07]

Im not a girly girl but I guess at times i dress like one? But with riding horses and all, i have learned to bite my tongue and do things i dont want to do, but i do it anyway. Like we have to take out all the horse jumps in the arena, mind you the standards are made of heavy wood and metal, and there are like 13 jumps, with 2 standards and four poles each...it really adds up!! Every other year we paint ALL of the jumps, there are a lot of them, some we dont ever use but have to paint! I also fall off a lot on my horses, dirt, mud, blood...doesnt faze me. I just get back up, get on and continue... No point in crying like a baby if you arent dying.

After I am done at the barn....its not a pretty image lmao. I clean horses stalls and to tell you the truth i could care less if i step in horse poo or accidently touch it with my hand....some people think its grosse. I am not afraid to clean my horses sheath (if you dont know its the area where he pees

rotfl), even in front of people, someones got to clean it!! At home i do yard work for my dad, most of the time he tells me not to cause its his job....

I have tried to learn how to do certain things like working on my truck, so far i can check my oil, put air in my tires, fill the window washer and of course i can do my own gas lol. I am also known as the person who "puts" things together. When we buy things that need to be put together I can do it, or will do it lol and for the most part without using the instructions.

If you cant tell i really dont care if i get down and dirty!! lol. But i will add, once i am clean like have taken a shower i try to stay clean,doesnt always work though. See the funny thing is, is im a bit of a germaphobe, yet i dont mind getting sweaty, dirty...well that is with the horses!

 

[addiebee]

I'm not terribly handy with tools, etc. My boyfriend usually pushes me to help and I guess I get a sense of satisfaction in doing minor repairs around the house with his direction and assistance. It's not that I mind getting my hands dirty, I don't. It's just that I find those types of things intimidating.

We had new roller shades cut for the bedrooms upstairs and had to get new brackets b/c these new shades didn't fit in the hold ones. ARGH!!! That wasn't fun,but I was glad we did it once it was completed.

Now put me in the kitchen and I can probably outcook just about anyone.

 

[momofmany]

Originally Posted by sarahp

I'm about to start a project making a drop trap for my kitties which will involve using all sorts of power tools, and I'm very excited

Hey - I made one of those all by myself! And prided myself when I made it from scrap lumber and chicken wire that I found in the barn.

I love power tools and usually buy them for DH for Christmas so I can use them. I use the table saw, miter saw, Skill saw (the big one with the worm drive), drills, chain saws and wet saw. The addition of a compressor allowed me to buy pneumatic tools - nothing like a good nail gun to get thru a job quickly. I put power tools on my wedding registration and got a great socket set.

I've build decks and fences, refinished furniture, laid porcelain tile, mixed concrete, and do my own landscaping. I do all the painting around the house and usually change out the colors every 3-4 years. This year's big projects is to lay a flagstone path and patio, and to replace our carpet with bamboo. My husband had to forceably remove a hammer from my hand one time when I told him I was going to remodel the bathroom, starting with taking out a wall.

The only things I don't touch are plumbing and electrical.

My girly-girl side? I paint my toe nails pink.

 

[weldrwomn]

I'm a welder - 'nuff said I guess

 

[twstychik]

Originally Posted by goonie

my DH took my wedding ring in last year to have the prongs checked and get it cleaned. when the jeweller saw the ring he said 'good lord, what was she doing? digging for rocks and mixing cement?' hubby goes 'that's exactly what she was doing. so yeah, my hands get dirty.

Thats exactly why my hubby had my stones inset instead of prong set. He knows I'm hard on my rings and I often lose prong set stones.

He put a lot of thought into my ring.

Originally Posted by Momofmany

My girly-girl side? I paint my toe nails pink.

I go one further and pay to have the painted. I do love a good pedicure!

Originally Posted by WELDRWOMN

I'm a welder - 'nuff said I guess

Sweetie, I think your name says it all.

 

[gailc]

Well I had to get my wedding ring cut off after I smashed the tip my having a 150# rock drop on it as we were picking rocks for our dry laid stone fence that surrounds the patio(and walkways) that we installed. Split and stacked alot of firewood over the years.

I've help build my garden shed, roofed, painted, laid tile and dissasemble one of our vintage tractors. We are big DIY'ers so I've done lots of stuff.

And of course having a small landscaping business well one can't be afraid of getting a bit grubby! I've ripped out hugh shrubs, spread yards of soil and bark mulch, hauled stone and large pavers.

Oddly the only task I do not do is mow our property!

 

[catkiki]

Went I was a kid, my dad was trying to assemble a barbeque. He was getting all frustrated cause it wasn't going together right. I just pushed him out of the way and had it assembled just a few minutes. Whenever Mike and I purchase something that needs to be put together, he will leave it to me. He doesn't have the patience for it. I assembled the cat tree that we got a few months ago.

 

[wellingtoncats]

I think I was 7 years old when Mum & I decided we wanted to rip the carpet out from our place and stain the floors!

What can I say I'm a kiwi? I think I also painted my first fence at about 5 years old. I love getting dirty - whether it be working out what things are in my car, being in the bush. Unfortunately I do limited housework because of my dust mite allergies (my excuse anyway!). My boyfriend is a plumber so I leave that stuff to him but I've learnt a lot about wiring and things.

I'm always keen to help and I'm always lugging heavy stuff around!

 

[ldg]

Originally Posted by Catkiki

Went I was a kid, my dad was trying to assemble a barbeque. He was getting all frustrated cause it wasn't going together right. I just pushed him out of the way and had it assembled just a few minutes. Whenever Mike and I purchase something that needs to be put together, he will leave it to me. He doesn't have the patience for it. I assembled the cat tree that we got a few months ago.

Gary is SO not one to read manuals or follow instructions, so if anything needs to be put together in this household, I'm the one that does it. Any time he does it - there's stuff left over.

Laurie

 

[monaxlisa]

While I don't like to get dirty there isnt anyone else that's gonna do it if I dont!
I have gardening gloves and I wear them most of the time when Im digging around in the dirt. I just cleaned out my gutters myself.
Girly girl I definitely am not.

 

[rang_27]

There are things I don't like to do that involve getting my hands dirty, but since I live alone I don't have much of a choice. There are other things that I love to do. I enjoy painting, so that's not a big deal. I know people that are amazed at the things that I take care of myself. Well I've never been married, so I've just learned that if it is physically possible for me I just jump in and do it. Certainly if I didn't like getting my hands dirty volunteering at the cat shelter would be a BAD thing.

 

[twstychik]

Originally Posted by LDG

Gary is SO not one to read manuals or follow instructions, so if anything needs to be put together in this household, I'm the one that does it. Any time he does it - there's stuff left over.

Laurie

We're the same way. Matt now knows if it's going to be put together right, I read the instructions and we both put it together.

 

[momofmany]

Originally Posted by LDG

Gary is SO not one to read manuals or follow instructions, so if anything needs to be put together in this household, I'm the one that does it. Any time he does it - there's stuff left over.

Laurie

Steve's motto: Instructions are for whimps!

If anything needs assembling, I pull the instructions and read them. If it's fairly complicated, I just casually hang around and drop hints at him when he is putting it together. If it's extremely complicated, I hang around and hand him the next part and tell him where it goes. Or I do it myself.

He also refuses to ask for directions when driving. I hold the map in my lap while on road trips.

 

[wellingtoncats]

I was thinking about this thread as I was draining, scrubbing and refilling the deep fryers at work tonight!

 

[tara g]

I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty ... from the time I was 10, I was helping my dad work on cars at his shop. Oil running down my arms, dirt under my nails. Scratches and bruises.

Now I tend to not do stuff if I don't HAVE to do it (like right now hubby is fixing the windshield wipers on the car, but I'm here in NC to vegetate

He cant NOT be doing something.) But when he asks me to help him at work or something tearing down a transmission, I'll do it.

 

[jugen]

I try and get my hands dirty but hubby is so worried that I'll break that he always says "leave it I'll get it, or I'll do that". I just over the years, kind of let him..Bad on my part I know, but whenever someone constantly tells you to let them do it, it gets a little aggravating.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by jugen

I try and get my hands dirty but hubby is so worried that I'll break that he always says "leave it I'll get it, or I'll do that". I just over the years, kind of let him..Bad on my part I know, but whenever someone constantly tells you to let them do it, it gets a little aggravating.

Why is he afraid you'll break?

My DH assumes I can do things that I can't, like lifting heavier stuff. I max out at around 45lbs, anymore hurts my back and I can't really lift it (don't weigh enough myself

).


Since we all scoop the litter box, technically every single one of us gets our hands dirty. And even if you don't think it's dirty, house work is - the little bits of food left in the sink drain can be downright nasty sometimes. DH won't touch it.

Oh and here's a fun one - how about digging the former renters' (house was rented to a couple for a year before it was put up for sale) long hair and who knows what else out of the bathroom sink?

I get out and dig/garden, move stuff in the yard (brush, rock, etc), I fix stuff around the house, build/fix my own computers, etc. Painting is fun though I hate taping off rooms. I usually end up with paint in my hair from the rollers flinging some.