TURNING POINT HOUSE: ORC WEEK FOUR

One Room Challenge Week Four is brought to you by the letter B.

It’s all about the letter B this week. Breakage, Backorders, Bourbon and Birthdays.

Trying to chug right along this week but I keep getting hit in the face with stupid stuff. Some of it is related to the One Room Challenge project. Some of it is related to the other stuff I’m also working on in my house. Some of it is related to my clients’ projects. And throw in a birthday that has me reflecting on the whole past year, and I’m pretty freakin’ moody today.

Let’s start with BREAKAGE.

A couple of weeks ago I had a major tile delivery issue. I have received tile for many projects over the years, and I’ve NEVER experienced anything like what happened when my tile for my mudroom was delivered, or tossed really, into my yard. The order was supposed to 1. be on on a pallet and 2. required a signature and 3. was supposed to be scheduled with me for a delivery. Out of those three requirements, zero were met.

That was bad enough, but this week I had more breakage. The vanity for the ORC room arrived and the corner was banged up, with the paint scratched off.

I was so bummed. And then… the Carrara marble top for it was cracked in half.

And the replacement is BACKORDERED.

Is that a surprise, really? Sigh.

Right now, we have the floor done, the bathtub is in, the tile surround is basically done and our super fancy pants smart toilet is in and works. Even the plumber seemed surprised. LOL

But the new window? That won’t be here until sometime in June. ORC ends the first week of June. Without a window we can’t install the window trim. Without the window trim we can’t caulk and paint. Without painting the trim and ceilings, we can’t wallpaper. Without wallpaper, we can’t install the lights and mirror (or will and then have to take down and do again so why bother).

So, even though this progress looks great, I feel like we aren’t going to see much change for the next several weeks!

Which leads me to BOURBON.

All of this is one thing but when you add in the issues I’ve had with work product, you might be able to understand why I cracked open the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

1. A wallpaper fiasco- I was told ahead of time we had enough of this $200+ per yard wallpaper that was seven (SEVEN!!) yards short upon installation of almost the entire room and not only do I have to break it to my clients that they have buy more, it’s freaking BACKORDERED and might not arrive for a long time, in which case the clients might want me to remove it and find a replacement.
2. I decided to kick myself while I was down and check in on the status of a fabric for two sofas that I ordered in the middle of December. This gorgeous (and very expensive) mohair fabric was damaged and the replacement from the Netherlands was due in February. Then March. Then April 22nd. Now MAYBE in May, if at all. So the two sofas that are supposed to arrive to my clients sometime in June or July from a mid-December order are just in limbo. I’m scrambling to find a plan B Q-R-S-T-U-V fabric, but this one is a punch in the gut since I spent almost two whole months collecting and curating the clients’ options for presentation in November and they really spent a long time deciding on the PERFECT one.
3. There’s more but you get it, I hope. Writing it all out is so friggin’ depressing.

Another reason to pour a glass was it is my birthday week and I spent my bday alone!

Birthday Blues

Husband on a business trip, kids all living their lives in other states. Leftovers, pints of Ben and Jerry’s, wine and whiskey. That’s a way to celebrate!

This week. Sheesh. Did I mention that after I took out the garbage and recycling this week, my recycling trash can disappeared?? The regular trash can was there, but the recycling one is gone. Poof. Vanished.

I had to laugh.

Wait. OMG. While I’m literally writing this, just now- not kidding- I got an email that my order of 23 doorknobs was cancelled because they “no longer make the rosette in the finish you specified”. THEN WHY IS IT LISTED AS AVAILABLE AND IT TOOK A WEEK TO TELL ME THIS?

I can go on with other stupid stuff that came my why this week but I’m just going to let it go. You’ve heard enough already!

But Seriously.

I think another reason I feel sorta down is kind of related to my “big” birthday last year. I thought that one was lame! Covid meant no celebrations, no splurge on a trip, not even friends and family could come over. My sister in law did bring a cake over, and she hung out with me and my husband so it wasn’t all bad. I just figured I would throw myself a big party later and we laughed about her plans for her big one was going to be a HUGE bash a year later.

Bigger Issues

Four days after my 50th birthday last year she was in the hospital learning that she had metastatic melanoma, with tumors in her lungs and all over her brain. From a stage zero, tiny little thing (that was fully removed and not worth telling anyone about) not even a year before was suddenly stage four with 19 lesions in her brain alone. The docs didn’t really care how many were elsewhere, brain tumors trump all others.

Suddenly we didn’t even know if she’d even make it to her own big birthday in January at all. Thinking about my own suddenly just seemed so dumb.

It has been a roller coaster of emotional experiences in the last 12 months. I planned her big party a year early and we had a blast but then she went downhill fast, having developed a couple of scary blood infections and a non-melanoma related mass in her intestines that had her in Mass General for a month and had me pretty worried she was going to die before the new year. Miraculously removing that tumor and flooding her with enough antibiotics for a sperm whale turned her around and now I think it’s surreal that I feel relief that she “just has cancer”. She is a fighter like no one else I know, and now it feels like she actually has a fighting chance again. It’s crazy to think about.

Big Picture.

With all that is going on in the world right now, and with all the actual struggles my loved ones are dealing with, all my dilemmas are simply not that big of a deal. Yeah it all kinda sucks but in the grand scheme of things, I’m super grateful for where I’m at and what I’ve managed to accomplish with all the crazy situations thrown at me.

The One Room Challenge 2nd floor bathroom might not get done by the deadline, but it will get done this summer. My clients will get sofas and wallpaper one way or another, I’ll figure it out. I’ll buy a new trash can for my recycling (and write our address on it!) and I will think about having a big 50th birthday bash next year when I’ll be 52. Or 50 AGAIN.

In the mean time, please stick with me, and I’ll share some of the other rooms getting worked on at the same time. And leave me a comment letting me know how if you like bourbon and/or what your favorite drink of choice is.

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PS the week wasn’t all bad. I got beautiful flowers from some great friends, another friend stopped by with pizza and Buffalo Trace, and tonight I’m heading out with some besties for dinner. After I try to catch up on my backlog (yeah another B) of emails I need to reply to!