"free photos for help with handy work!"

Home improvements/fix-it jobs are just NOT our thing. I wish I could adequately describe just how NOT our thing they are...but I can't.

Maybe exhibit A would be the fact that we are still trying to take the pond out of the back yard...2 years later!

Exhibit B: We went without light in the bedroom for 4 weeks just because neither of us wanted to face the fact that it was broken...more than just needing a change in light bulbs. If it was just a light bulb change, that may have only taken us 2 weeks to get to. :) Ridiculous, we know!

Finally last Thursday I just could not stand having no light in the bedroom so maybe I kind of, sort of, maybe just a tiny little eensy weensy bit threw just a tiny little tantrum. I think it revolved around the fact that I couldn't see the clothes in my closet and I was tired of using a flashlight...that was in need of new batteries...so it was so dim it was useless anyway. And maybe I just might have told Eric that from that night on, he would maybe, sort of, kind have to be in charge of picking out my clothes to wear until the light was fixed. I think 2 minutes later, he was on his way to Lowe's at 9PM to pick up the new light kit. :) Funny how that works isn't it?!?!?

Once he got home he somehow went and found the bigger better tripod flashlight...still not sure where that was when I was using the dim one to pick out my clothes! Using the flashlight (reminder, it's 9:30PM and there's no light in the bedroom!), he attempted to install the light kit that the person at Lowe's told him was universal. You know where this is going don't you? There is NOTHING universal about the light kit! We boxed it back up and did what any normal couple would do...ignore it.

So here we are 1 week later and we still had NO LIGHT! Tonight we went to Lowe's to get a whole new fan and light combo. We were not even going to try to mess with finding another "universal" light kit. Of course we ran into a few snags, it wouldn't be a project at the Smidt house without PLENTY of snags along the way. It ended up that I had to make yet another trip out to Lowe's to get more parts. And this is where it gets really good...

As I'm leaving, Eric says, "I'm going to start working on the leaking toilet (side note: it's been leaking for months!) while you're gone" I looked at him, knowing and FULLY understanding our luck with plumbing issues, and said "are you sure you really want to start that on a Friday night knowing this could mean we could be without this toilet for awhile?" He says, "yeah". Ok, who am I to argue? I mean I've been begging to get this leak fixed FOREVER!!!

I think you know where this one is going too....yeah, we ran into a snag...not sure when we'll have it back in operating order. It's 10:15 PM now and Eric is at Lowe's getting a hacksaw...this should be interesting!

Quick re-cap of our night:
1.) lose power to half the house to get the fan installed. This includes losing power to our router which equals no internet.
2.) Maddoxx is moping around the house, then we realize Punk is no where to be found. We searched everywhere in the house and the outside, including the dirt by the fence to see if he's made the great escape. Just as I'm about to issue an Amber Alert, we find him in the garage. He snuck in there with Eric and he won't bark unless Maddoxx is around (for real!) so we had no idea where he was! Poor little guy was excited to see us again!
3.) run into snag with fan, Eric decides to work on toilet while I run to get more stuff.
4.) Eric turns off water to the house to work on toilet...runs into snag while I'm out. (I KNEW I should have used the facilities before leaving!)
5.) Now I'm without electricity to half the house, no internet AND no water!! I decide I should just start cleaning.
6.) I start with the windows...3 windows in, I can't get the window to snap back in. So I take it all the way out...hit the dry erase board on the fridge and then that came crashing to the ground and broke. Perfect, just my luck I say.
7.) I call in Eric for re-enforcements, I'm convinced I have broken the window. Once he took the window, I left the room, I couldn't take it...everything I touched was turning to ashes!
8.) Fan and light are installed and the best news of all is that they WORK!!!!
9.) Still waiting for the water to return to the house, toilet still out of order...going on 10:30PM.

I think I'm ready to post an ad in the paper, "free photos for help with handy work!" It is just not our thing!! We can run a mean camera, but this handy work is for the birds!

P.S. I do apologize to all of you waiting for your galleries and proofs to be posted...I'm blaming this one on the house!! This is exactly how I did not anticipate spending my Friday night! Believe me, I would have MUCH rather been working on your galleries!! I will be in touch soon!