One Step At a Time

On April 1st Vinnie and I will "celebrate" the fact that we have now been in remodeling hell for five years. We had two kids when we started and the tally is now four. The two bedrooms we added to the one bedroom house are now to capacity and we are in desperate need of a second bathroom. (Rumor has it that the original owners raised 8 kids here with one real bedroom and one bathroom so who am I to complain?) However, Vinnie being Vinnie, does not prioritize in the same fashion that I do. He was just fine using Toilet ala Mother Nature for the six weeks we were without a bathroom. It is partly my fault, I should have guessed that our house would never be completely finished when I would go to family parties before we married and the women in family would be comparing who has been in remodeling hell the longest. From what I learned the usual stages of life in this family tend to go as follows: baby, marriage, remodeling starts, remodeling put on hold for farming, remodeling continues, remodeling put on hold to restore classic car, remodeling continues, divorce. We are just before remodeling put on hold to restore classic car while farming, so I figure I don't have to bide my time here too much longer.

Surprisingly, Vinnie did accomplish a few items on the to do list this weekend because my mother and step dad were coming for Easter dinner along with my brother and his family. Vinnie is never out to impress me but doesn't want my family to think he has not been putting in diligent time on our house (I don't know who he thinks he is fooling). So, with dinner on Sunday and plenty of things I needed to prepare for our feast, out comes the hammer on Friday night. This has become a typical pattern, want something done-plan a gathering. We cemented the barn that our wedding reception was to be held in two days before the wedding and the bathroom in the barn was hooked up the morning of the wedding. This wasn't stressful at all for a woman 4 weeks postpartum and breastfeeding (Remember: baby before marriage, always).

Well, Friday night was no exception as Vinnie the Builder decides to replace the bottom step in our staircase. Long overdue I must add. The new step has not been made and he isn't quite sure how he is going to get it to all work out but the best way to start is to pull off the old step and start. Off comes the step and we spend the next 2 hours sifting through 100 years of food storage for local squirrels and mice. It is obvious by the several skulls we found that the mice did not pack away enough food. Along with the rodent storage are 5 years of small toys that have falling in the "crack". It was dusty and nasty but that didn't keep 4 kids from claiming "Oh, I remember that!" or "That is mine!" It was a wonderful way to spend time as a family. In fact I highly recommend skipping those lame trips to kid friendly places and just pulling up an old step in your house to discover the treasure within.

Sifting for treasure

Ta da! Isn't it beautiful? He does do nice work, just not in a timely fashion.

If he does one step at a time we just might have them all done by the time this guy graduates from high school.