what the hell!?

How on earth is it the end of July?? I had so many things on my list to do this year, and I've gotten so few done. Ugh.

I have to say, though, that I have been busy doing Important Things. For example - this week I've been learning how to be a Grandma. Actually, I don't think I can be a Grandma... it's got to be something like Nanny, or Nonny, or Gammy... Grandma just sounds like I should be at least 60 years old. Which I am not.

This is a great way to waste my time...

And last week, I even got a project done! I replaced a toilet in our guest bathroom. The old one was at least 45 years old, and rocked and banged against the wall every time someone sat down on it. It got to the point that it was running constantly, and we were turning the water off and on behind it as necessary whenever we used it... but since I was hosting about 17 people at my home for a baby shower last Saturday, it was time for it to get done.

Of course, as is typical for me, my project could not just consist of making a list of things I need, putting aside the time, and getting it done. That would be too EASY. And my character has not been honed on having things come easily to me.

So, here are my best instructions on how to install a new toilet:

• Spend a lunch break at Lowe's picking out toilets.
• Ask hubby to pick up toilets on his way home.
• Have friend's plumber hubby come over to cut the corroded bolts on old toilet that won't be budged by your lame household tools.
• Find out friend's plumber hubby thinks you bought the wrong size toilets. 
• Call hubby to keep him from picking up wrong toilets.
• Freak out, because the schedule for getting the toilets in was being delayed by a day.
• Take off work early the next day to go to another place to pick out another toilet. 
• Get frustrated with the hubby who doesn't know how to help.
• Spend 30 minutes scraping off a NASTY wax ring, discover the iron flange coming out of the floor is broken on one side, making it impossible to bolt the toilet to the floor securely.
• Set new toilet in place to verify size and find out it's THE WRONG SIZE, which means the ones you  bought the day before were actually correct.
• Drive like a bat out of hell to Lowe's and pick up one of the toilets you bought the day before, and find something that might help me fix the broken flange issue.
• Cry over an open toilet drain when the flange doesn't seem fixable.
• Suck it up and figure something out... offer up thanks to a life that has taught you to live like Tim Gunn and Make It Work.
• Cram that wax ring on the bottom of the new toilet and set it in place, tighten the bolts, connect the water line, and flush!

It took me four hours - including the extra trip to Lowe's to get the first toilet I purchased that I was told was the wrong size - to finish that damn toilet installation. It should have taken an hour. That's what I get for having an old house I guess. Won't comment on the plumber who can't read a measuring tape because he's a friend and he could probably beat me up.

So the morning of the shower I spent another four hours getting all the decorating and cleaning done, meaning I was exhausted by the time it started. I had planned to spend a couple of hours the night before doing some of the prep work - instead of the four hour toilet installation. Ugh, again.

At least it's done. Now, I just need to repaint the bathroom cabinets and save up for tearing out all the 45 year old tile...