Frustration in 15 Easy Steps

#1  Agree to host the school's  Thank You Luncheon at your house.

#2  Decide, since all these people are coming to your house, you might as well replace that grungy, stained, extra gross carpet on the stairs that you've been talking about replacing for two years.  

#3  You ponder putting in hardwood on the stairs.  The rest of your house is all hardwood, why wouldn't you have hardwood on the stairs? 

#4  Your husband tells you that you are crazy.  He saw the stairs and they are made of plywood.  He tells you to get an estimate.

#5  Hardware on the stairs costs approx. $8,000.00.  The flooring man asks why you want to spend all that money?

#6  Husband spits out his coffee when he hears the estimate.

#7  You choose carpet and get a new estimate.

#8  Flooring Man #1 calls back when husband is working from home.  Husband scares that man away with hard core negotiating.

#9  Enter Floor Man #2.  Looks at the carpet you chose with Man #1 and  laughs. "Why would you want that on your stairs?  That will wear terribly."

#10  Choose new carpet get new estimate.

#11  Husband smiles because new estimate is $600.00 less than first estimate--and we even got a discount!

#12  3 days until the Luncheon.  Man arrives to install carpet.  Pulls it up...and BINGO, beautiful hardwood stairs.  Only the two bottom stairs are kaputt and need fixing.

#13  You make Installation Man wait one hour while you ponder how fast you can repair the steps and paint all of the trim in the stairway.

#14  Even though Flooring Man and Installation Man are willing to do whatever you want, you decide to go ahead with the carpeting (three days until the party, the cost of the hardwood refinish, on the hook for the carpet you bought, etc...).

#15  Bang your head on the wall as you watch carpet cover your coveted hardwood stairs for at least the next 5-8 years.