Those three words came out of my mouth at the exact moment we were trying to leaving for our friend Charlie Stagg’s memorial service this past weekend.  Not three words a homeowner wants to say or hear.  It means trouble.

We were just about to leave the house and my husband had taken a quick shower.  We noticed water come out from under my brand new cabinets in the kitchen. OH SHIT, the kitchen plumbing was leaking?  No, it’s fine.  Where’s it coming from? The shower that is on the other side of the brick wall in the kitchen.  No doubt about it.

It was happening.  I knew it was going to happen.  I was just hoping I could squeak by. The renovation Gods were just not happy and they decided that we needed another FU#@ING project.  (YES, I’m a potty mouth and I dont give a F#@K)

I’ve been working like a dog in the master bedroom and trying so hard to just finish this project (stay on track, Stacey, stay on track).  I figured I could finish the bedroom, take a short breather and then maybe tackle the master bath.  After the kitchen renovation I’m just plain pooped and any room that involves water is a pain in the ass.   Making those important decisions is hard and once you make them … you have to live with them. (sigh) So I just wasn’t ready to make any more expensive decisions, just yet.

This hideous shower/bathroom is NEVER ever photographed because it’s so gross I can’t even believe we live with it.  But like everything else… you just ignore it until you can get there or until all hell breaks loose and you’re forced to deal with it.  The shower handle had been getting more and more difficult to turn off and water was dripping on a regular basis if you didn’t just use all your muscle to turn it off.  I had been telling Richie for weeks that I felt like it was about to go… of course ignoring my own thoughts because I know what that means.

So the water is off now and we are no longer using this bathroom.  The only good news is that the wall between the kitchen and this bathroom is two layers of solid brick.  So no sheetrock is wet and a fan dried everything out just fine.  So I’m going to do my best to continue with the bedroom but juggle both projects at the same time. With all the fires to put our around here I really need a red hat and some yellow boots.

So I might as well just show you this terrible bathroom.  This is it and this is the brick wall. It’s the only photo I have which was taken the day we got the house. We did replace the toilet and pull out the nasty carpet but that’s it.  This little space will challenge me and most likely cause some heavy drinking.

On a happier note, I did get the sheet rock done on the wall behind my new closet. It’s completely floated, textured, primed and painted…as well as the supporting beam on that side of the room.  The entire house HAD paneling in every room and I love looking at these before and after pix.  I’m so happy we did the sheetrock even though it’s a mess…it’s so worth it.  A nice bright space.

The “before” of the wood paneling. 

Big difference in my eyes.  I know paneling makes sense in a mid-century home but I just couldn’t go that route.  I still have lots of small trim to go around the edges for a really crisp finish, but you get the picture.

Really this shouldn’t surprise me because this is how we’ve had to do EVERY room in this house.  We start something with such high hopes and then have to stop to fix problems somewhere else.  But then it eventually gets done and you move on.  It’s just not the way you plan.. but I guess that’s how life is.  It’s important for me not to get my mind set on “how it’s going to go” because that never works out.  Go with the flow!  Just as long as the flow isn’t coming through the walls and under my new cabinets.  HA HA!

I found this quote and it’s helped me feel better and has been pretty accurate when I think about all we’ve been through.  But the heavy drinking has already started. :-)

Of course I’m being dramatic.  I love so many things about this house and I appreciate you letting me share the highs and lows.  It’s a blessing to have and to have the good health and a strong body and mind to see it through.  It may take forever… but it’s going to be GREAT!