Do Over

This week has been one we wish we could do over for sure.  It has not turned out at all like we expected, hoped or planned.  I already told you about Randy, but then yesterday we had another set back.  My brother got married yesterday, but we didn't go because of Randy's hand.  So we had some unexpected family time!  The lawn needed to be mowed and I had planned to wash the car, and then we were going to be free.  So I gave Randy a list of what needed to be done inside, and I went outside.  Justin went with me and Travis stayed inside, with strict instructions to come get me if Daddy needed me.  In less than 5 minutes, Travis came running out and yelled, "Daddy needs you!"  I grabbed Justin football style and dashed indoors.

He was up in the attic, pouring bleach down the A/C drain to unclog it.  (Something that we need to do every few months, especially when the a/c runs all the time.)   He was adjusting his feet to be able to pour the bleach down the drain, when you guessed it, he stepped right through the ceiling of Travis' room.  And in his floundering to prevent falling completely through the ceiling, he grabbed the bottle of bleach and it fell straight through the hole.  It caught the corner of Travis' dresser and splashed all...over...the ...floor.  And then it poured out the rest of the completely brand new bottle (minus about 1.5 cups) all over the carpet.

I rushed into the room and grabbed the bottle of bleach and then realized that I was standing in bleach and everywhere I walked I would be spreading it.  I accepted that the carpet was ruined, slipped into the bathroom right next door with as few steps as possible, washed off my feet and ran downstairs to grab all the rag towels we own.  I paused only long enough to instruct the boys not to come upstairs under any circumstances. The fumes were overpowering!

By the time I dumped all the towels on the floor, Randy had made it out of the attic and he was assessing the size of the hole he had made.  Apparently it was close to the site of a previous repair so the hole ended up being HUGE compared to the size of his foot.  He set to work figuring out how to close the hole (temporarily) and I rescued Travis' blankets that were in a basket surrounded by bleach.  I think they are all safe, but the wicker baskets are a slightly lighter color around the bottom edge now.

Randy decided to screw the sheet rock back into the ceiling until we can get back to fixing it.  So he somehow managed to do this with only one hand (see previous post...).  I was very close by and praying that this clean up would not somehow become the third incident in Randy's string of bad luck.  He did a superb job and then we taped up what was left.  I cannot believe that packing tape is holding, but so far, so good!

I attempted to sop up the bleach, while at the same time trying to keep my feet dry so that I wouldn't spread bleachy footprints all over the carpet.  Fortunately with the bathroom next door, as soon as a towel became drenched, it was tossed into the bathtub.  Once the damage was done, there wasn't much else we could do!  Now all our rag towels are white!

In the midst of clean up, I got a call from my father-in-law.  "Whatcha doin' ?"  His favorite call opener.  "Cleaning up the mess from where Randy stepped through the ceiling of Travis' room."  I said, attempting to sound very casual.  "WHAT?!"  I quickly summarized what was happening and he offered to come help us.  Not really sure what else to do, I agreed.

They both came over and it was decided that the carpet where the bulk of the bleach was poured needed to come out to ensure that it wasn't seeping through the floorboards eventually to come dripping into our bedroom below.  So the guys ripped it out.  Then Travis and Justin got to help pull out all the staples.  I am not sure all what happened during that time, but there was a whole lot of giggling.  And this was the end result:

Here's the "after" from the ceiling.  The before was much more dramatic, but I forgot to take a picture in the chaos.

And while I know Randy wishes he could get a "do over" for the day, it really isn't all that bad:

• Randy did not fall all the way through, requiring another trip to the ER.  Now that would have been embarrassing!
• Travis was inside prepared to come get me, just in case.  He did awesome!
• This hole, plus the holes caused by the pipe leaks from earlier this month, means we have enough sheet rock repair that we can justify hiring someone to do it.  Yeah!  Any names of good sheet rock repairers?
• There are no bleach footprints outside of the bedroom!
• The fumes were nearly unbearable while we were fixing the ceiling.  Cutting out the carpet made the room "sleepable" again, which was good because Randy's parents spent the night last night after their A/C went out!  I love being able to help someone else out after all the help we require!

It's really all good.  We have a few more expenses than we planned for at the beginning of the month, but we are making it!  Everything is safely and adequately patched so we can sort through and decide what comes first.  Actually, we know what comes first:  Randy's hand, tomorrow morning bright and early.  After he's healed, we can decide what comes next.  Please pray for him tomorrow, and me too!  Thanks!!