The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

THINGS WE ARE PRESENTLY AWAITING:

1. Results

I finally sent off samples of the ceiling tile from my third bedroom and laundry room to an independent lab for asbestos testing, since we're planning on gutting the third bedroom when my parents arrive for their Second Annual Help Our Daughter With Her Crazy House trip in the third week of August.  My stomach is in knots.  If we have asbestos, we're screwed.  If we don't, we're going to rip the entire room apart and coax it from the ashes, phoenix-style, reborn as something beautiful.

Wait time to results: Five-ish business days.
Wait time to beautiful, useable, insulated third bedroom: Too damn long.

2.  Flooring

I''m now on my second try for engineered hardwood for the third-bedroom floor.  The first try was waaaaay too orange.  It looked like George Hamilton.  The next attempt, Bruce engineered hardwood in Wheat Oak, should be arriving shortly for inspection:

Fingers crossed for us-- if this one's not a close-ish match to our sixty-some-odd-year-old original flooring, we're back to the drawing board, and the drawing board is a really expensive place to be.  This stuff is $2.39/sq.ft., and if it doesn't work we're going to have to try the $4/sq.ft. option.  Please, no-- not that.  Anything but that. 

Wait time for flooring: I'm guessing 7-10 days.

3.  Windows

The huge picture windows in the living room and third bedroom can't be opened at present, so a sunny summer day turns our home into an oven.  After two weeks of roasting at 375°, turning occasionally, we called around and got some quotes.  The first guy came in at $4000 for both windows.  Right, dude.  The second guy was a significant improvement at $2K.  We're going with the third company at around $1500 after rebates from the Energy Trust of Oregon.  We'll be meeting our new windows on or around August 13.

Wait time for windows: Two weeks, give or take a day.

4.  Doors

In order for our new windows to make sense, we need to get screens for our sliding glass doors.  Cross-ventilation is a go.  Fortunately, our new window company hooked us up with an awesome retired shop teacher who makes beautiful sliding screen doors.  We're getting ours for $337 (that would be $500 cheaper than custom retractable screens, woot) soon.

Wait time for doors: Two-ish weeks.

5.  Sofa

I'm told my new beauty will arrive in mid-August.  I feel so guilty about buying the damned thing at this point that I'm having a tough time even being excited about it.  

Wait time for sofa: Two weeks?  Seriously?  There's a pattern here.

6.  Celebration

On August 13th, we'll be celebrating our one-year anniversary as official homeowners. So I guess it's fitting that so many exciting things are happening I've bought so much stuff that's due to arrive in mid-August.  I'm going to convince myself that all the money I'm wildly throwing at like a million things is okay because it's for our anniversary.  Right?  That's okay, right?  Debtor's prison isn't even a thing anymore.  I mean, this is totally fine.  I'm not panicking at all, so don't worry about me.