When Not To DIY...

Our little two-year old is a handy-man in training.  Let me tell ya that I'm EXTREMELY ecstatic about this!  I can't wait until he's old enough to start working on the house.  My very own...FREE..handy-man!  

Sure, this goes against child labor laws, but if he wants to fix our plumbing or put in a new door, who am I to stop him?  So what if he's only two?!  (Sarcasm, people.  Sarcasm!  He must be five before he can use a hammer.)

So this morning when I told Logan that the laundry sink was broke, what does he do?  Without skipping a beat, he grabs his little tool box, reaches for his hammer and screwdriver, and works diligently on the plumbing.  After a few minutes, he puts everything away and looks at me with thoughtful eyes and says "All fixed, mommy.  No broke!"

Awesome!

Here's why I'm really excited.  See, I shouldn't be allowed to do any DIY projects.  No joke!  Let me give just one instance...for there are many!

(If you dare, click on "Read More" for the full story.  Warning:  Not for those who make smart decisions.)



When we first moved to this house, we had to buy a new washer and dryer.  The old washer started leaking, and it was out of my abilities to fix it.  Good thing I didn't try, and you'll totally agree...just read on.

I enlisted the help of my brother in order to move the new appliances into our new house.  Didn't think it would be a big deal.  Appliances came in standard sizes, right?  Ya know, small enough to go through a door. 

So we wheeled the dryer around the house, which was a small feat in and of itself.  We tried to get the dryer through the door, but it was too big.  Off came the door, and with a little shove and not much muscle (from me), the dryer went through the door without a hitch.

Now for the washer. 

Same thought process...wheeled the washer around the house and started to lift it through the door. 

Guess what? 

It didn't fit!  Shocker!  Not really...this is my luck. 

We tried many options.  What seemed like hours passed, and we finally decided to wheel the beautiful, shiny new washer around the house to the front door.  We originally avoided this due to many steps both inside and outside of the house.   Well, we didn't have a choice now.

Despite giving ourselves myself numerous hernias from lifting that heavy washer via a dolly up countless steps, we made it to the laundry room door. 

Notice I said DOOR.  We're not INSIDE the laundry room, yet!

As we tried to get the washer through the doorway, we realized that it WOULDN'T fit!  Really?!  Like I said, aren't appliances and doorways supposed to be a standard size?  Can't we just all get along?!

So I proceeded to remove the door.  Still won't fit. 

I removed the door molding hoping to gain enough room...nope!  No luck.

We talked about our options.  Things like...hook the washer up in the kitchen OR return the washer for something smaller OR wait for help.

Yeah, none of these worked for me.  I wanted the washer in its place...NOW! 

If only the doorway was just a little wider.

You're thinking...Oh, no she didn't!

I'm saying...Oh, yes I did!

I went to the garage, found the closest thing to a saw (see below), and went to town.  Not literally "to town" although that would've been a good idea seeing what happened next.

I started cutting away the door jam! 

My brother just rolled his eyes in amazement thinking to himself "Remember never to ask HER for help!"

After a half hour or so, I cut out enough of the doorway to get the washer into the laundry room. Mission accomplished!

Major mess to our NEW house, though!

And my family was SO proud when I told them about my adventure...especially when they realized they would be the ones "fixing" my mess!

This, people, is reason 156 of why I shouldn't do DIY projects or even own my own home!