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Man, just when it seems an end is near, something else happens that requires attention and fixin'. TJ is nearing the end of our floor project (that began last May with purchasing the wood planks but that he didn't start until the day I went into labor with Teagan). Anyway, he has been diligently working on and off to get the baseboards back up and sealed and ready for paint. It has been a lot of work and an even longer project than anticipated, but well worth the effort.

However, as Murphy's Law has it, once this project ends he will immediately move on to our master bathroom, particularly the shower. It is going to be a major project as it involves ripping out the old shower, some plumbing, and tiling work, along with whatever else we decide to do since the bathroom will be in shambles anyway. Let me just say that this was not a planned project, especially because of the costs involved, but it has to be done.

Last week, on Thursday, I went into T.G.'s room after she woke from her nap. I was greeted by the worst smell on earth. Seriously. I searched for the source of the smell and found it, in the corner by her dresser. A doll my Nana made me for about 15 or so years ago was soaked. I thought Rainbow had perhaps inadvertently been locked in T.G.'s room and used the doll as his litter box. But, I had seen Rainbow earlier in the afternoon and knew that was not the case. Plus, the carpet around her dresser was soaked, so much so that the bottom of her dresser was showing signs of water damage. After some further searching, some items in her closet were also wet, meaning water was getting into the closet somehow.

I showed TJ my findings when he returned home from work and together we figured out that our master shower is leaking behind the wall that connects our bathroom to T.G.'s bedroom and closet. He drilled some holes to pinpoint exactly where the water is coming from and to survey the damage, and the 2 x 4's that support the wall were soaked. It has been leaking for some time, and the doll, because of her age, was the source of the smell (wet and musty). We put the fan on in her room and pulled her dresser out in an attempt to spare the carpet. Thankfully it worked and the smell will be completely gone once we get the carpets professionally cleaned. But, for now, we are banned from our shower and have been forced to share bathrooms with the kids.

The only way to fix the leak is to rip out our shower and start fresh. A plumber will probably have to be called to repair the leak unless it is minor; we won't know until the wall comes down. Because of the costs involved, we are going to take it slow since we pay cash for everything. We simply don't have the money to pay for everything up front now, particularly with TJ having to take 9 un-paid days off work and us trying to plan for the future. TJ thinks he will have to take some more un-paid days off during the next fiscal year, so we are trying to save some money for then. If I remember correctly, he figured his furlough days costs us about $2,700, so we definitely feel the squeeze.

However, I am thankful the Lord has provided for us and will continue to provide for us, even in times of tighter budgets and tough economic times.

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