Thursday, September 18, 2008

A Little Known Condition

I have a condition.
I don't talk about it much, but it affects every aspect of my life. I've decided that it's time to bring this abnormality out in the open and, even perhaps, to embrace it.
I am a tweaker!
Yes, I tweak constantly.
If you've known me for very long, you may have already noticed, but you are kind and politely overlooked my disability.

Here is evidence of my tweaking condition.

Before tweaking:And after: Before: After:Before: After:Before:After:Before:After:Before:After:
I try to control my compulsiveness to tweak. Although it is difficult for me to sit still for very long before I give into the urge. I try to allow it to manifest itself only within the confines of my own home. When I am in another person's home it is sometimes difficult to keep this condition under control. It is possible---if I clasp my hands and tweak only in my thoughts. I think that blogging has actually worsened the condition because I study photos of my home on the computer and then go on a tweaking binge. I've learned that it is feasible to live with this condition. However, it is sometimes difficult for family members to live with a tweaker. My family has accepted my abnormality, and has learned to tolerate it. I love my family for their willingness to live under such conditions.

Yes, I am a tweaker!
Are you a tweaker too?
(And yes, I've tweaked this post a few times too!)

80 comments:

The Beauty Bargainista said...

lol!!!! I am SOOOOOO a tweaker! And I tend to tweak my posts. I think as a graphic designer, I am trained to tweak to my clients specifications, but then I let it cary over into my everyday life! :)

Empty Nest Full Life said...

Keep on tweaking, you are very good at it. I probably need to tweak a little more. Jackie

The Dragonfly said...

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I am a "tweakaholic"! My illness becomes especially debilatating when the Hubby is away on a business trip. I tend to sit around when the kids are sleeping, analyzing and reanalyzing each room in the house trying to find a way to make it even better. The result is that the Hubby often comes home and doesn't even recognize the place he lives! Ha Ha! I loved this post so much I am grinning from ear to ear!

Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME said...

Oh, a name to my disease??? I thought it was Foofing. Or maybe I have a combo affliction?? I tweak in my mind at friends homes ALL the time. And blogging...well, that is NOT Tweakers Anonomous. I think we are all each others enablers!! But, please, no intervention...I am quite happy in my affliction!!

Gone said...

I am DEFINITELY a TWEAKER, too! Glad you're bring this illness into the "open". I've been trying to hide it for years!!!

Many, many years ago, I knew I had it but never told a soul. My husband (at the time) had an inkling, especially when he arrived home from his 2nd shift job at 1am...and he tried to sneak into the bedroom. Little did he know, I'd not only re-arranged the entire bedroom, but had also waxed the wood floor. Nope, I didn't have the "right" kind of wax...so I used spray wax. Little did I know how slippery it could be!!! LOL!!! I still have to laugh typing this...cuz he tip-toed into the bedroom about 2 steps and slid, crashing into and UNDER the bed I was asleep on!!! YIKES!!!

Well...I'm off to do some TWEAKING!!!

~Blessings,
Jan

*warning, Tweaker in house*

Darlene said...

OMG...I caught it from YOU...over the internet in the blogging world!!! I haven't shown my decorated little sofa table now with a little hutch type shelf on it yet, but I must have tweaked it every day since I decorated it, if not a couple of times a day. Oh well, I guess we could have something worse than the dreaded tweak disease.....lol oh, and I have shown my mantle which now looks nothing like it did...sheesh

the undomesticated wife said...

There are worse conditions to have. LOL

Salsa Mama said...

So, would you charge for a "tweaking session"? LOL My home is in need of a lot of tweaking but I have a hard time doing it. BTW, I found your blog a few days ago and LOVE it!

Ms. Tee said...

How funny! I do tweak, too. So funny that you said you "tweak in your thoughts". Hope you have a great day. :)

The Berry's Patch said...

I'm with you on this. I thought it was called OCD obsessive compulsive disorder but I like tweaker much better. I'm going to show this post to my husband so he knows I'm not alone. He can no longer be ashamed of my daily habit. :-)

Laura said...

Yes, I am a tweaker also! I can always tell if my husband has dusted because the picture frames or items are never quite at the same angle I had them. I have to go behind him and fix everything. The other night while I was lying in bed, needing to sleep, I was focused on a particular picture frame and how it needed to be moved to another location. I had to get up and do it, or I would have been thinking about it all night! Also, I cringe when I see company move something in my house for example the candle holders I have on my dining room table. I have a problem............

Laura :)

Rachel said...

I have probably never mentioned that I LOVE that you constantly rearrange. I am guilty of this too. But the best part is that every time I go to your house it's eye candy every time. Something new to look at. And also, based on how your living room was set up, i recollect different phases, events, boyfriends in my life. Now THATs weird...

Cindy said...

You had me in stitches, the sad thing is, I believe I have the same condition. What are we suppose to do about it?

Great post.

Hugs,
Cindy
www.homesimplehome.blogspot.com

Jenn said...

lol. I am so a tweaker! Unfortunately my tweaking does not always turn out so well. I usually end up making it worse, which leads to more tweaking.

Jenn

Anonymous said...

What a great post! I am a tweaker too! I really enjoy reading your blog...you are so creative and love your house...beautiful!

Take care,
Kimberlie

MMK said...

I'm a night time tweaker! I come from a long line of them! When we can't sleep, we tweak! My great-grandmother once got up in the middle of the night and re-arranged the whole living room. My great-grandfather later got up to go to the kitchen for a drink, and tripped over a chair and broke his toe! When I am REALLY tired and can't sleep, I "imaginary" tweak! We are thinking of moving and have looked at several houses. One in particular needs a lot of tweaking! I have tweaked and re-tweaked in my head. If we do buy that house, I know EXACTLY where everything is going to go! So good to know that there are others like me! lol

Anonymous said...

Too cute. I am a tweaker but not big time. My mom is though.. she was always changing things around, moving furniture, getting rid of things... :o)

Shirlee said...

Hi Joy, you're always such a busy girl. Didn't one of your kids call your last LR arrangement a sticom set? How is he or she liking it now?
Everything is looking great! :)

Cat Nap Inn Primitives said...

Your a Tweaker, I'm a Tweaker, wouldn't you like to be a Tweaker too!...lol..couldn't resist...yeah I am a tweaker too..if its not in the place I put it..well it gets tweaked back into place..I love to tweak...I think its called decorating..and I love to decorate tweak..whatever you want to call it...this was a funny post..and I am glad you got it out on the table...now tweak away sista...:)

joelandbecca said...

I love you for being a tweaker! And it makes me feel more sane. It drives my hasband crazy. He doesn't understand why I can't leave things alone. Well-you are a pro, so keep on deepin on!

Anonymous said...

Totally a tweaker here too. I'm sure my faimly thinks I'm insane but I know they still love me.

Georgia Girl said...

LOL...I love all the tweaking you do. maybe I will learn something from you!

Shell in your Pocket said...

I am a tweaker but sometimes I get a great idea and then I forget it! Your tweaking is what makes your decor set apart from others...keep tweaking and sharing, please!
-Sandy Toes

Kathryn said...

My name is Kathryn. AND I AM A TWEAKER.

Now, let's all sing together (to the tune of the old Dr. Pepper jingle ...)

"I'm a tweaker.
You're a tweaker.
He's a tweaker;
she's a tweaker.
Wouldn't you like to be a tweaker, too?"

(Sorry, you can just tweak that on out of here, if you like!) :-)

Rachel Berry said...

Well I know we ALL love the fact that you have a "condition" :) Tweak away my friend, tweak away because is ALWAYS looks so fabulous!!

:)R

AJ said...

Oh my gosh, Joy! I did not know there was a name for my condition! I.Am.A.Tweaker. Is there some sort of therapy for this? Maybe Tweakers Anonymous?! If so, I am there:) BTW, you would have a hayday at my house. You'd have to sit on your hands!

Patti said...

Love the before and after pictures! It's like those "Find the differences" pictures from when I was a kit. Love your blog. I just found it and thanks for reminding me just how useful a can of spray paint can be!

Stacey @ The Blessed Nest said...

Ha! Meet a fellow tweaker! I can't stand when things don't look quite "right", and tweak them until they do...and then usually repeat the whole process when something new strikes!

Shannon said...

I am a big tweaker! It is so fun! :) I nanny full time and I tweak the house I work in all the time! They know and laugh about it but I'm constantly changing things even at their house!

Missy Wertz said...

I used to be, but then I got a high maintenance kid... Let's just say, life changed on me. I am not near as picky. My DH might say differently. Actually, I make him do the tweaking over and over until...

Dianna said...

I wish you'd come and tweak my house. :)

Inspired Kara said...

100% guilty as charged. Maybe we should start a virtual support group :)

Weeksie50 said...

Yes, I am a tweaker too..
I love all your decorations
and your tweaking has made them even more beautiful..

Robin Beck said...

Total Tweaker-So is my Mom. Actually she is the worse tweaker I know. She will get up and paint a wall white and the next morning it will be red-I kid you not! I have never met anyone like her!
She came over to my house and spent the night-I woke up the next morning and my whole formal living room was changed-No I didn't mind (if you were wondering) It actually looked so much better!
Have fun tweaking!
Robin~♥

Mrs. B said...

I constantly tweak things in my house too! Well, when I'm not spending time picking up toys, shoes, dog chews, etc. off the floor. All your tweaking is fabulous!

Kathleen Grace said...

a tweaker, well, not as much as you are, but I would love for you to come and do some tweaking, I need a fresh perspective!

Blogger said...

I used to tweak alot more than I do now...but I live in a quad, so it's not like I can just scooch a sofa down a hall to a new room like I used to in the other house, lol.

I do like to play around with my vignettes though...I hate that word...it's too fancy;)

Love your acorns, feathers and those HUMONGOUS candle sticks in your foyer! Where in the world did you find them?

Bella :)

Shannon @ Silver Trappings said...

Yes, I am a tweaker, too. It is what causes me to spend an hour creating a two-page scrapbook spread when other people can do a page in 10 minutes. And to change my mantle, or some other little spot, can take half a day. I'm so glad to know I'm not alone.

Shannon

Jaci said...

So funny! All your comments had me giggling. I too am a self professed tweaker and I say absolutely embrace it. Change is fun and it keeps things alive and exciting. I love your blog and have it as a link on mine in hopes that others will go and see your wonderful creations. Thanks so much for sharing. By the way, love the fall mantle. Anything fall is a favorite to me.

cherry said...

My heart sank at first because I thought you were gonna tell us you had a chronic disease...tweaking I can live with. Glad you are healthy otherwise rofl. I call my tweaking putzing. I Putze/tweak so much I always seem to have odd ball items sitting willy nilly on the floor on the kitchen table...I need help. PLEASE do not stop your tweaking. It could be a lot worse rofl.. cherry

Wendy said...

You are so funny! I am definitely a treaker. Just can't help it! ;)

Unknown said...

I am such a tweaker my husband told that he hopes he never goes blind b/c he will never find anything haha

Valarie Lea said...

I'm a tweaker, your a tweaker, wouldn't like to be a tweaker too!

Kacey said...

Whew! You scared me for a second! So when are you coming over to tweak my house...oh boy would you have some fun. LOL

Megan {The Brick Bungalow} said...

I had a roommate that was a tweaker. It happened about once a month and was blamed for that certain other monthly pain. We thought it was funny (the tweaking, not the other thing). I like to tweak too, but my furniture now is a little too heavy to tweak myself and I don't have as many cool decorations as you do to tweak. I love what you've done though!

K said...

I like the term "tweaking" better than "anal retentive" or "OCD tendencies" - phrases that have been used many times to describe my inability to just let things be!

Julia said...

Yes...I am a tweaker. I have to sit on my hands in a doctor's waiting room so as not to tweak it.

Ang. said...

I confess!!! I am a tweaker, too!!!

and everytime my son comes over my house, he notices my tweaking!!!
(didn't you used to have over there?)
too funny!!!

Trixi said...

Oh, Joy, too funny. I might could be called a tweaker.

Rae said...

Most assuredly, I am a tweaker. I'm proud of it too, by golly! Even though hubby can never tell much of a difference I can and that's what matters most! :)

Anonymous said...

Joy those candle holders that you and your hubby created are awesome. What a great idea? My husband calls my blog "the birdcage". He keeps telling me it's not his blog but then he comes up with new ideas for me. Men...

Gretchen

Sarah Kate said...

I just wish I was as good at it as you are!

Cheri said...

Oh I wish you lived near me so you could "tweak" my home. Freedom to whatever.

Michelle said...

Yes I am a tweaker! Doesn't it help to take pictures and then study them...why do things look so differently through pictures?

Honestly Joy...I don't know how you sleep at night...I think your brain must never rest!

Frustrated Farmgirl said...

Don't remember how I stumbled upon your blog, but yes, I'm a tweaker, or as I call it; a piddler. I love to piddle. :)

edie said...

I am a full-fledged tweaking fanatic. Only I call it "tugging and pulling" , "redecorranging" , "manic phase". I may very well need an intervention!

GARAGE SALE GAL said...

Joy,
PLEASE feel free to come over and Tweak my blog :) and come to my house and TWEAK that too. You are a very good Tweaker!!
Oh, No, I'm feeling a little
"Tweakie..." better go ..
Warmly, Deb :)

P.S. You do a great job of tweaking

abeachcottage said...

oh yeah I am the same but I have to say I don't think quite as bad as you lol! I am desperate to tweak my sitting room, it's been bubbling under the surface for a few weeks now, it won't be the same for much longer

I think you should be a professioanal tweaker as you obviously are extremely good at it..imagine putting an ad like that in the paper! lol!

happy weekend

Sarah

Nancy Hood said...

what a cute post!

Katy said...

Come on over and tweak away!

I tweak but it never ever looks right. It just looks like I've been making a mess.

Angela said...

I am such a tweaker. Especially at Christmas. Whenever we put up the Christmas tree and get the decorations on, DH will look at it and say how nice it looks, but that I'll change around ornaments for days until it satisfies me. Sometimes I'm still tweaking on Christmas Eve!

Kari said...

I am so glad someone has "outed" our condition. I too admit I am a tweaker. I inherited the condition from my Mom and there seems to be no cure. I can't seem to stop, even when something is "just right". I guess us creative people just have to have an outlet for our creativity.

Great blog and stop by to see me sometime!

-Kari

Melissa said...

If I just sit in a room long enough I find something to change, re-arrange, add, switch. It's awful. I find it's the worse when I have a new baby and am b-feeding often which equals a lot of sitting and looking. You have got to be queen of tweaking though~you come up with so many fab new ideas, or come home with such great finds from the thrift stores (and dollar stores!) you have to create new homes for them. I love that you don't keep everything though and that you are not afraid to get rid of things that don't "fit" anymore. BTW, did you ever find those moss balls??
Melissa

Mimi Sue said...

I'm so glad I can come out of the closet now. I feel better now that there's a name to the condition. I think there should be a 12 step program so whoever wants help can get it. Mimi

Southern Fried Gal said...

Hello! I found your blog via The Nesting Place. I'm glad I did so I can tell my husband the technical name for what I've got - tweaker! He tells everyone our home is like a museum - never the same day twice - ha! I love what you have going on over here and I will definitely be back often! OK - I've gotta run downstairs and tweak something inspired by your blog!

Buzzings of a Queen Bee! said...

Big time tweaker!! Maybe that is why these blogs are so addictive...because they give me so many ideas on HOW to tweak things! I have never been so crafty as I have in the past few months...tweak tweak tweak! But it is fun and my house has never looked better, so I guess it's a good thing! :)
Carrie

Tausha said...

this isn't normal? I just thought that everybody did this!
It is such a pain to have this sickness when I am doing someones house. I redo stuff way more than is needed. I have to tell myself "good enough for who it's for"-Yes, i tell myself that too!

Anonymous said...

Absolutely have the same disease!!! Now it's not just rooms in the home its my blog too! Spent all afternoon tweeking the code yesterday instead of finding a new thing to post!lol You are definitely not alone as evidenced by all the comments!lol Have a great weekend. Jeannette

Anonymous said...

Oh sweetie you are speaking my language~ it is always nice to meet a fellow tweaker!

I think you should throw a little in our honor!

Life on the farm... said...

I'm a tweaker too, but after viewing your blog, I might be a copy cat!!!!

southerninspiration said...

Oh, yes, I have the same condition. I never believed in evolution, except I've come to believe in it in this way!Ha.
I love your blog and check on you regularly as you are such an inspiration! Thanks so much!
And i understand about tweaking in the brain while sitting in someone's home!

Lift Up Your Hearts said...

Would you care to come tweak my house? It could really use it. I have the opposite problem - I never change hardly anything, so my house might look the same in 5 years as it does now.

Heidi said...

LOL. WOW, a lot of tweaker confessions amongst your readers. I am so glad that I found your blog and now have name for what ails me...and my husband actually. We are so bad that after tweaking for a few years, we have to move on to tweak a new house. Our record in a house so far is 3 and a half years.
:)Heidi

Carol said...

Oh my goodness Joy! I suffer from the same illness! For instance, now that I have started decorating for fall I place things in a grouping, step back, take a look,& redo the whole display several times.

Carol

Southern Fried Gal said...

Too cute! I am glad I found your blog - so much so that I've added you to my list! I feel we are kindred spirits with the tweaking and all - ha! I'd love to have you stop by for a visit!

Cindy said...

Me too! I love change...even if it's just a little change! It's too boring to leave everything in the same place!!!

Anonymous said...

well... tweaking is good because after you look at something awhile you see how it could be better.

Elise said...

I know the feeling...I once tweaked a friend's fire screen when she left the room. Oh, the horror!! I often wonder if she ever noticed!!
Elise

Creations With Heart said...

Yes, I am proud to admit that I'm a tweaker too! I love to decorate, look at what I did, go back and "tweak" it again and again and again! But it's so fun! I do it with my website too. I just can't help it. A tweakers job is never done! You have done an awesome "tweaking" job in your home! You should sell tickets!! Keep on tweakin'!!! :)

Murphy's Girl said...

That's hilarious! Now I can tell my husband I'm not 'viciously rearranging his environment', I'm tweaking it!!! PERFECT.

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