Job Week, or how we prepared for Meave's Birthday Party
What a week before Meave's 6th birthday party! Let me tell you about the crazy insanity we lived through and the goodness of God in helping us through it all.
Normally, I wouldn't have thought to throw a birthday party for Maeve this year, as she got a friends birthday party last year and should be having a family party this year, but I felt imipressed that she needed to host a birthday party this year and invite her friends from Kindergarten. So, that meant we needed to finish a few projects in the kitchen/living room before the big party day. Invitations were sent and we were committed to host her party the Saturday before her birthday.
The first snag to hit our party road fun was a baby shower. I had offered to help throw a baby shower for a good friend and the hostess decided she needed to throw the baby shower on the same day as Maeve's birthday party. So, that meant I needed to go to a baby shower in the morning, come home and clean up and finish prepping Maeve's party, and host a house full of guests for Maeve's party right after. Ok, no problem. Maybe...
The second snag came when we removed the old paneling around the new French doors to put up some nice new dry wall and finish the remodel work around the new doors. To our horror we discovered that the contractor had installed the doors incorrectly, leaving a very unsafe problem with the header above the door. Frantic phone calls and emails were made to get the contractor out ASAP to fix the problem so that we could finish installing the new dry wall and paint it in one week. There was no way we could host a party with children with exposed pipes, wiring, and insulation hanging out. Thankfully the contractor quickly came out and fixed the problem by Wednesday. Dustin then spent 2 days working on updating the plumbing and installing the new dry wall. Painting was set to be finished Friday night before the party. It was a close timeline, but hey, at least it would be done, right?
The third snag came with the weather report. We had planned an outdoor party for around 30 guests, but when we checked the weather we were slated for rain, rain, and more rain. Oh good, now I needed to find space to hold our party indoors. Ahh!!
With all the work and prep for the baby shower, Maeve's birthday party, and updating our interior wall next to the french doors Dustin and I hadn't been able to get to bed before 1:00 AM any night for two whole weeks. We were exhausted and running on fumes.
Finally, Friday rolled around and it looked like we just might pull this whole crazy weekend off. At 9:30 we finally got kids in bed, laundry done, dishes washed, and dry wall sanded. It was time for Dustin to paint the wall and for me to put my house back together and decorate for Maeve's party.
At 10:30 PM as I was finishing up a few extra dishes in the sink I heard an strange waterfall sound just behind me. I turned around to see water pouring out of my ceiling from the light fixture and the air vent. "Dustin! Water!" I screamed. Dustin turned from his taping job and saw the water pouring into our kitchen. Stricken he ran outside to the main water shutoff valve and cut the power to the house just to be safe. Then we rushed to the hallway, pulled down the attic access and ventured into the dark with a flashlight and a prayer the damage wasn't too bad. Nervously, I waited at the bottom of the ladder hoping for news that the flood wasn't too bad. After what seemed like a long time Dustin came down and aid there wasn't too much water in the attic and it appeared that one of the new pipes hadn't been glued and so had just popped apart after a week of heavy use and while I happened to be standing right under it. Dustin had fixed the pipe and we were now ready for clean-up.
Now, I don't know about you, but I think that was a HUGE tender mercy and miracle from Heavenly Father to wait for a time when the water load on that pipe was low and I was in a place where I could immediately spot the problem and we could take action. Just image the catastrophe it would have been if it had happened while the kids were awake or I was in the middle of laundry and dishes and bath times for kids, or if it had happened in the night when all in the house were sleeping. We were greatly blessed by the timing, inconvenient as it was. We even had time to fix the problem, wait for it to dry and cure, and still have running plumbing in time for Maeve's party the next afternoon.
For hours we pulled out, bagged up, and took out to the trash (which was due to be picked up in the morning) bags of soggy insulation. It was itchy, dirty work, but we managed to get it done. By 1:45AM we were tired and covered in black, wet 1960s insulation, but we wouldn't have any running water to clean up in until tomorrow afternoon around noon. This was a no go because I needed to be fresh and clean for the baby shower at 10AM the next morning and because there was no way either one of us was climbing into bed or sleeping covered in the itchy yucky stuff. So, I proposed we walk to the neighborhood pool and use the outdoor shower to clean up. My plan was approved, we put on our swim suits, grabbed towels, shampoo, and soap and got ready to get a shower. Before we left we decide do wake Rebekah and let her know where we were going, just in case. After the night we had had we didn't think we should take any chances. ;) So I crept into her room (surprisingly, all of the kids had slept through the whole drama) and woke her up. I said, "Rebekah, the water is out, the power is out, the kitchen flooded, and Dad and I are going to the pool to shower." Groggily Rebekah replied, "What if there are snakes in the pool?" I assured her we would be fine and then we headed out.
It was a chummy walk together to the pool in the early morning hours. We kept our voices low and hoped none of the neighbors would call the police, mistaking us for hobos or something. Returning to the house all clean and ready to complete the tasks still before us we managed to disinfect the house, clean up the kitchen, organize the furniture for the party, and put up one coat of paint on the new wall. At 4:00 AM we called it good enough and went to bed. We woke up at 7:30AM surrounded by kids all asking why they couldn't use the toilets and where was breakfast? Rebekah commented, "I had a weird dream last night. I dreamed that you told me the house was flooded, the water was shut off, the power was out, and you were going to take a shower at the neighborhood pool." "Oh Rebekah," I replied with a tired laugh, "that wasn't a dream. It was all true. You wouldn't believe the crazy night we had even if you tried."
Somehow, with God's help and tender mercy, we made it through the day. The baby shower was lots of fun and my games were declared the most fun ever. The house was decorated and cleaned, and food was ready to go when guests arrived. Maeve had a ton of fun and the kids enjoyed running around and playing in the wide open spaces made possible by cramming furniture into back bedrooms and unfinished garage renovations. By 9:00PM all of the guests had left, food was cleaned up, party mess was gone, and children were in bed. Dustin and I collapsed on the couch and fell asleep in front of the TV, not waking up until 1:30AM when we stumbled off to bed, ready to wake up early again the next morning for another action packed Sunday at Church.
Oh what a week it was. Just when I thought one more crazy bad thing couldn't happen, it did! But, at least I know it could have been much worse save for the tender mercy of God in putting us in the right place at the right time, holding off the destruction until we could handle it, and giving us the energy and time we needed to pull it all together.
The moral of the story - Don't throw birthday parties! ;)
Normally, I wouldn't have thought to throw a birthday party for Maeve this year, as she got a friends birthday party last year and should be having a family party this year, but I felt imipressed that she needed to host a birthday party this year and invite her friends from Kindergarten. So, that meant we needed to finish a few projects in the kitchen/living room before the big party day. Invitations were sent and we were committed to host her party the Saturday before her birthday.
The first snag to hit our party road fun was a baby shower. I had offered to help throw a baby shower for a good friend and the hostess decided she needed to throw the baby shower on the same day as Maeve's birthday party. So, that meant I needed to go to a baby shower in the morning, come home and clean up and finish prepping Maeve's party, and host a house full of guests for Maeve's party right after. Ok, no problem. Maybe...
The second snag came when we removed the old paneling around the new French doors to put up some nice new dry wall and finish the remodel work around the new doors. To our horror we discovered that the contractor had installed the doors incorrectly, leaving a very unsafe problem with the header above the door. Frantic phone calls and emails were made to get the contractor out ASAP to fix the problem so that we could finish installing the new dry wall and paint it in one week. There was no way we could host a party with children with exposed pipes, wiring, and insulation hanging out. Thankfully the contractor quickly came out and fixed the problem by Wednesday. Dustin then spent 2 days working on updating the plumbing and installing the new dry wall. Painting was set to be finished Friday night before the party. It was a close timeline, but hey, at least it would be done, right?
The third snag came with the weather report. We had planned an outdoor party for around 30 guests, but when we checked the weather we were slated for rain, rain, and more rain. Oh good, now I needed to find space to hold our party indoors. Ahh!!
With all the work and prep for the baby shower, Maeve's birthday party, and updating our interior wall next to the french doors Dustin and I hadn't been able to get to bed before 1:00 AM any night for two whole weeks. We were exhausted and running on fumes.
Finally, Friday rolled around and it looked like we just might pull this whole crazy weekend off. At 9:30 we finally got kids in bed, laundry done, dishes washed, and dry wall sanded. It was time for Dustin to paint the wall and for me to put my house back together and decorate for Maeve's party.
At 10:30 PM as I was finishing up a few extra dishes in the sink I heard an strange waterfall sound just behind me. I turned around to see water pouring out of my ceiling from the light fixture and the air vent. "Dustin! Water!" I screamed. Dustin turned from his taping job and saw the water pouring into our kitchen. Stricken he ran outside to the main water shutoff valve and cut the power to the house just to be safe. Then we rushed to the hallway, pulled down the attic access and ventured into the dark with a flashlight and a prayer the damage wasn't too bad. Nervously, I waited at the bottom of the ladder hoping for news that the flood wasn't too bad. After what seemed like a long time Dustin came down and aid there wasn't too much water in the attic and it appeared that one of the new pipes hadn't been glued and so had just popped apart after a week of heavy use and while I happened to be standing right under it. Dustin had fixed the pipe and we were now ready for clean-up.
Now, I don't know about you, but I think that was a HUGE tender mercy and miracle from Heavenly Father to wait for a time when the water load on that pipe was low and I was in a place where I could immediately spot the problem and we could take action. Just image the catastrophe it would have been if it had happened while the kids were awake or I was in the middle of laundry and dishes and bath times for kids, or if it had happened in the night when all in the house were sleeping. We were greatly blessed by the timing, inconvenient as it was. We even had time to fix the problem, wait for it to dry and cure, and still have running plumbing in time for Maeve's party the next afternoon.
For hours we pulled out, bagged up, and took out to the trash (which was due to be picked up in the morning) bags of soggy insulation. It was itchy, dirty work, but we managed to get it done. By 1:45AM we were tired and covered in black, wet 1960s insulation, but we wouldn't have any running water to clean up in until tomorrow afternoon around noon. This was a no go because I needed to be fresh and clean for the baby shower at 10AM the next morning and because there was no way either one of us was climbing into bed or sleeping covered in the itchy yucky stuff. So, I proposed we walk to the neighborhood pool and use the outdoor shower to clean up. My plan was approved, we put on our swim suits, grabbed towels, shampoo, and soap and got ready to get a shower. Before we left we decide do wake Rebekah and let her know where we were going, just in case. After the night we had had we didn't think we should take any chances. ;) So I crept into her room (surprisingly, all of the kids had slept through the whole drama) and woke her up. I said, "Rebekah, the water is out, the power is out, the kitchen flooded, and Dad and I are going to the pool to shower." Groggily Rebekah replied, "What if there are snakes in the pool?" I assured her we would be fine and then we headed out.
It was a chummy walk together to the pool in the early morning hours. We kept our voices low and hoped none of the neighbors would call the police, mistaking us for hobos or something. Returning to the house all clean and ready to complete the tasks still before us we managed to disinfect the house, clean up the kitchen, organize the furniture for the party, and put up one coat of paint on the new wall. At 4:00 AM we called it good enough and went to bed. We woke up at 7:30AM surrounded by kids all asking why they couldn't use the toilets and where was breakfast? Rebekah commented, "I had a weird dream last night. I dreamed that you told me the house was flooded, the water was shut off, the power was out, and you were going to take a shower at the neighborhood pool." "Oh Rebekah," I replied with a tired laugh, "that wasn't a dream. It was all true. You wouldn't believe the crazy night we had even if you tried."
Somehow, with God's help and tender mercy, we made it through the day. The baby shower was lots of fun and my games were declared the most fun ever. The house was decorated and cleaned, and food was ready to go when guests arrived. Maeve had a ton of fun and the kids enjoyed running around and playing in the wide open spaces made possible by cramming furniture into back bedrooms and unfinished garage renovations. By 9:00PM all of the guests had left, food was cleaned up, party mess was gone, and children were in bed. Dustin and I collapsed on the couch and fell asleep in front of the TV, not waking up until 1:30AM when we stumbled off to bed, ready to wake up early again the next morning for another action packed Sunday at Church.
Oh what a week it was. Just when I thought one more crazy bad thing couldn't happen, it did! But, at least I know it could have been much worse save for the tender mercy of God in putting us in the right place at the right time, holding off the destruction until we could handle it, and giving us the energy and time we needed to pull it all together.
The moral of the story - Don't throw birthday parties! ;)
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