A month ago, I stepped into the hallway between the kitchen and laundry room and squished as my toes submerged in carpeting soaked by more than 50 gallons of water. The water heater had failed!  I yelled to Andy, who quickly shut off the water and I called the insurance company. The guest room, kids room, hallway, bathroom and laundry room had been flooded. Our plumber recommended a water mitigation company who pulled up soaked padding and baseboards.  it was like living on a jet runway for five days while a dozen big fans dried out the rooms,

Then the insurance adjuster came and took a look, toting up all the things that could be claimed. Our homeowner's warranty covered the cost of the new water heater, but not the additional parts to bring it up to Rowlett building code, although the insurance eventually covered that, too. 

Next step, putting things back together. We were getting nowhere fast with the rebuild company and couldn't settle on costs, so we fired them, becoming our own general contractors. First, we visited a huge carpet showroom and chose samples to bring home. Then we hired Tony to replace baseboards, repair drywall in the garage and do some painting. When I had the estimates pulled together, we realized we'd be able to replace the carpeting in our family room and master bedroom. When all was said and done, we came out within a few bucks of the insurance settlement!

After baseboards were in place, new vinyl flooring was put in the laundry room, because water had seeped underneath. Now the biggest part of the project began, replacing the carpet and pad. Our kids helped move everything into the living room and my office. After the carpeting is in, we'll have to put it all back!

Between dealing with the water mitigation guys, insurance company, the home warranty folks, assembling estimates, hiring contractors and choosing new carpeting and flooring, it was a time-consuming, often stressful process. But soon, our little abode will be looking better than ever. 

Growing up in Toledo, Ohio, I knew all of my grandparents. Although I had close and loving relationships with all of them, my paternal grandmother Emma was an especially important influence in my life. Emma Lydia Enderlin was born in 1893 to a German immigrant family in Toledo. At the age of 27, she married my grandfather Helmuth Baehren, a recent immigrant from Germany who escaped the horrors of World War I. My father Paul and his brother Jim came along soon after and she cared for them while my grandfather ran a portrait studio. 

Later on, my grandfather established Baehren Photo, selling cameras, film and equipment. In a separate building, my grandmother ran the photo finishing operation. She was one of the few businesswomen I knew. In fact, she kept the books for the business well into her 80s. One of my earliest memories is walking through the darkened photo lab with only a yellow light to guide the way. If I close my eyes and visualize it, I can almost smell the chemicals. When I took the bus downtown with a friend, we would first visit my grandmother and then my grandfather. Both would provide a little "taschengelt" (pocket gold). Sometimes I would stay downtown and have dinner with them at Smith's Cafeteria. 

As the first of seven grandchildren, I was possibly the most photographed baby in Toledo. We spent nearly every Sunday afternoon and holiday with my grandparents. I graduated from college and she told me to buy something I didn't need with her check.  When I showed her the box of fancy lingerie, she was thrilled. Later on, I started a dessert catering business and once again, she sent a check with instructions to purchase the best equipment. We kept up a letter correspondence until late in her life. Her letters were often quite funny, with margin notes "censoring" her self if she dared to say something unflattering about someone.

Grandma adored her seven grandchildren and the scads of great-grandchildren that came along. When she passed away just a few months short of her 100th birthday I talked with my cousins and discovered each of us thought we were her favorite. She listened to our problems, kept our secrets, loaned us money, and often went to bat for us with our parents. My late brother Pete's daughter was named for her.

Although I'm almost 74 now, I still think of her often and try to be as good a grandmother to my grandchildren as she was to me.