Days 29 thru...(it feels like FOREVER)... Day 33

To be fair, I took 3 days off to go to a wedding in Minnesota. 3 days in which I didn't think about cabinets, or paint colors, or tile or even vanities. It was glorious...until the guilt kicked in.

I took 3 days away from finishing up those damn cabinets. What the hell was I thinking? But honestly, I was on the verge of burnout. So it was good to get away.

Basically nothing was accomplished on days 29 thru 31. No one, except me, works weekends on the house, therefore, it wasn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things. But when I got back into town, well... things escalated quickly.

Day 32 - Cabinets. Have I mentioned how much sweat equity I've put into these damn things? Yeah, well. I thought I could finish the striping on day 32, but no...it's like the cabinets want to keep me as their captive. They're holding on to the last vestiges of paint like they never want to let go. LET GO, I say! PLEASE. No luck on this day.

Day 33 - Tile shopping. Yes, my most favorite thing in the world. Shopping. Please insert sarcasm accordingly. I got the call from Austin saying that I had to finish up ordering the important pieces. What, exactly, are the important pieces? Well, the biggest item was the shower stall and trim. That was easy. I picked out a  36" X 77" shower surround mainly because it was ultimately less expensive. It's HUGE. And I do mean huge. Like, 2 people huge. Yay (single) me! Beyond that, I had only committed to the 60" vanity. Not a damn thing else. I've said it before, it's the homeowner that slows progress down, and I was doing exactly what I had set out NOT to do. I thought I better just go pick out the tile and be done with it. I went to ProSource, and while they have a nice selection, I couldn't find the backsplash tile that I wanted. The tile that I have my heart set on. The tile that I refuse to compromise on. I did, however, walk immediately up to the tile for the master bath floor that I knew I wanted but couldn't actually find. Had that picked out in 3 minutes (only decision was on the size of the tile; 6X24 or 12X24). I ended up walking out of there without an "alternate" choice for the backsplash. And I totally forgot the tile for the main floor bath. Which means another damn trip. I had a bit of a meltdown in the car on the way back to the house (just to check progress and lights out) and decided it would be a good night to probably take a little step back. In the meantime, here's the list of things I still have to order (and in some cases, pick out) and my thoughts.

• Carpet - Master Bedroom - OMG, it's carpet. Someone make this decision for me.
• Tile - Main Floor  Bathroom - white subway tile, grey grout - I forgot to order it!
• Paint - Kitchen, Main floor bath, Master bath, bedroom - Eh...come ON. Why is this so HARD. Why can't the color fairy come to my house or whisper in my ear "pick this". I know my mom's a retired art teacher, but I can't match socks. This is STRESSFUL!!!
• Plumbing fixtures - both bathrooms - obviously this is important. But the toilets I want don't fit my budget. The faucets I want are also expensive. OH, I have to pick out another damn shower trim set? Great. I'll pick this out when prices meet my princess requirements.
• Ceiling Fan - Master bedroom - OMG, they gave me an easy one! I CAN DO THIS!!!
• Ceiling light - Master bathroom - The differences between what I think I want, what I can afford and what is "in" right now are vast. HUGE differences. But I think I can manage this one.
• Vanity lights - both bathrooms - Again. I think I can stay in budget. I will become "the little reno that could" and my new mantra will be "I think I can stay on budget, I think I can stay on budget". If you're a betting person, and you're reading this.. do NOT take this bet.
• Bathroom window - main floor bath - I will admit that I punted on this one. I gave up. I told Mike to just make this decision. It really wasn't all that important to me as long as it didn't leak, didn't share my guests shower time with the neighbors and didn't ruin the look of the bathroom. I have faith that this was a good item to pass on.
• Main floor bath vanity - I'm back to "it's too expensive, let's think about rehabbing what we have" which is really a pipe dream. I'm going to have to compromise on this one too (and by that, I mean compromise with myself. I can't always get what I want.)

Day 33 ended with the inspections for the electrical and the mechanical being ordered. I also, oddly enough, decided that I wanted a khaki paint in my den. Don't ask. I haven't actually looked at a paint sample yet.