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When push comes to shove, I am no wuss. I try desperately to always be patient, to a fault. But when I’ve had enough of being patient, being nice and being tolerant, my best advice is-MOVE OUT OF THE WAY.

My mom took my husband to lunch when we were engaged and he started working for them. She was welcoming into the family and let him know something about his bride-to-be:
1-don’t talk to her until she’s had several cups of coffee, AND
2-don’t get her angry.

“Miffed is fine, in a snit is okay-but DO NOT get her angry. If you do, my best suggestion is to simply move out of state. If she’s yelling you’re in the clear, but watch out when her voice becomes quiet and low.”

Smart words from a person who knows me best.

My husband listened. He’s only pushed the envelope once and I wasn’t even close to angry.
This week I’m relating what happens when I get beyond the “point”.
As many of you have read, we’ve been re-modeling our master bathroom. We’ve been close to the finish line for almost 6 weeks now.

The holdup? The cabinetmaker-the one who told me “I’m not like the rest of these jokers, when I say I’m coming, I’m there. You can count on me.”
HA! AND DOUBLE HA!
First he was waiting for the glass for the tower. He needed the measurements. I asked why? You made the thing, how can you NOT know what is needed??
Then he needed the measurements of the mirrors. He got them, 3 times. Then I asked the designer and the super if the pulls had been ordered. I was told yes only to find out the answer was really no.

Then I went to Phoenix twice-letting them know that I’d like it done and finished before Halloween. Then I said I wanted it done by Thanksgiving and now Christmas and New Year’s is upon us.

Did I mention I’m patient to a fault and then I BLOW?

Then came the insult to injury. I was told not once, twice or even 3 times that he “was on his way, Mrs. Nadel”.

Lies, all lies. I asked to talk to the owner several times and even asked why he wasn’t involved in this. Again, lies-the super and the salesman said that he knew all of it and that the owner had called the cabinetmaker himself and couldn’t get him to now even answer the phone.

Then last Saturday at breakfast (after I mentioned that while I didn’t want to go there that they were leaving me with no choice but to talk to my brother-in-law the attorney), the salesman said the cabinetmaker was on the way and should be at the house in an hour.

We cut our breakfast short and flew home. 3 hours later, no one came. I again called the salesman who said “what? I thought you were calling me to say he was done.” Again I asked for the owner.

Said salesman said he was going to find out where this guy was and call me right back. I left another message an hour later.

Two hours later I called the showroom and told our ex-super to put the guy on NOW.
Swearing on his children’s lives that he hadn’t heard anything about this disaster he said to give him 3 minutes. Per him, if the super, the salesman and the cabinetmaker didn’t show up at my door Monday 2 p.m., I was to call him and they would all be fired.

I didn’t care. I know I should-but if I had a traditional job, I would’ve been fired waiting for these people. We’ve had our days off ruined, our home a wreck for over 5 months and I feel like an idiot for allowing it to go on for this amount of time.

I should have pulled the lawyer card about 2 months ago.

As I said to the super, “what clients remember isn’t how beautiful your showroom is or how nice everyone was-what they remember is all that went wrong and how they feel at the end.”

I let them know we would not be recommending them or having them do the countertop in the remaining bathroom. They wouldn’t be doing the canned lights in the kitchen or the carpeting in the master bedroom and living room. Our son would not be calling them anytime soon.


Oh-job is almost done and (it’s done but there are still a few little nitpicky things) it looks beautiful. But I’ve heard they’ve decided to close all 3 showrooms and move to Siberia.


Good thing, I think it’s warmer than the cold front I’m putting forth.