Baby (Stair) Steps

Well, m’peeps.

I’m alive today.

And I think that’s the best way to summarize things.

This “home” of ours is such a madhouse of workers and contractors, and boxes, and power tools and debris, and DUST that it’s just comically hysterical.

I mean, yesterday I was on the phone with our credit card company—over some fraudulent charges, no less—and had to try thrice just to give the operator my name, because every time I tried, some nail gun or power drill turned on. Did I mention the comical hysteria???

So in the past 48 hours alone, we’ve had...

A toilet leak upstairs and corresponding downstairs ceiling destruction—which led to an eventual hole for repairs and patch up (and for anyone who’s counting, that’s our second upstairs/downstairs leak/hole/patch-up).

An upstairs faucet leak.

An A/C coil with a leak that has to be replaced.

Three bedrooms and a playroom full of carpet that has to be torn up, repurchased and reinstalled because it was done poorly the first time—for lots o’ reasons.

Pool equipment that we noticed has been stolen, and now has to be replaced for $700.

Eight boxes of stacked stole accent tile for the dining room that was opened and discovered to be in bits and pieces.

Two children and one Mama (that’d be me) who’ve thrown up, because three kiddos with strep throat last week wasn’t enough sickness!!

One three-year-old with massive diarrhea.

And one hubby with so many work deadlines that he was at the office until 9:30 p.m. last night, on our first full day moved in. (And I type “moved in” in the loosest sense.)

I mean... :(

Moving—and renovating with massive complications—can shove it where the sun don’t shine.

I wanna say I’m just not built for this, but that’s not even accurate at this point, since hardly any of this fazes me now.

Another leak? Well sure.

Giant hole where it shouldn’t be? Yup.

Something installed incorrectly that has to be redone? Well, of course.

Another check you want me to write?? Just tap this vein that’s bleeding already and take some like everybody else.

I mean...deep sigh. 

BUT.

In about 24 hours, when I’m feeling a bit better (I hope!), I shall write another post about all the positives going on (and there better be loads of them, gosh darn it!), because I loathe, loathe, loathe being this Debbie Downer that I feel like I’ve been for the past few weeks! I’m a happy person. Who finds joy in the small things. And I want to get back to that!

So now, I shall leave you with a giant picture metaphor of the baby (stair) steps we’re making, box by box, project by project, hour by hour, in the hopes that I can see this finished home somewhere far (but please not too far) in the distance, and keep any shred of positivity.

Heeeeere are the completed stairs that I adore a massive amount.

I really, really love the wider plank, light, almost white-washed-in-some-areas hardwood flooring that we selected.

And these stairs are my favorite bit of all. Because we painted out the railings black, used risers in a crisp white instead of hardwood, and I just adore the contrasting bits of it all. 

I was in a massive panic for the first 48 hours we were here, because the railings hadn’t been put back on—both on the stairs and on the upstairs landing/balcony— so, needless to say, I was a crazy Mama trying to keep any kiddos from flinging themselves off of any high places!

But the railings are back, the stairs are still gorgeous post furniture move-in, and I try really hard not to cringe with every contractor that clamps their way up in heavy boots, ha.

Also...you can’t tell from these pics, but I also sort of adore the non-traditional placement of these stairs. They’re at the back of the house, not the front. So our breakfast table will almost be at the base of these stairs and I really love that, because I’ll get to stare at them all the time, ha.



So...

Baby (stair) steps, m’peeps.

Baby (stair) steps.

More soon. And I’ll be thinking happy thoughts until then!

Over and out.