Okay, so I know I’ve shared that I live in a house built in 1929, and that on the whole, I find it charming.  However…the pipes are also very old, and apparently the ones between my house and the sewer have a million tree roots finding their way inside, which is FAR LESS THAN CHARMING.  Yep folks, I am the unfortunate victim of sewage backing up into my basement.  I’ll spare you the particulars, but what you are imagining right now?  Uh-huh.  It’s that bad.

I learned a lot of things from this unfortunate incident, and in no particular order:

a) A homeowner’s insurance policy that covers this kind of mishap is a valuable thing.

b) And speaking of valuable things…don’t keep them in your basement.

c) Telling your girls, “She’s covered in poop,” is the best possible way to purge your basement of the long forgotten Barbies without evoking any “But she’s my favorite, I was going to play with her today” drama.

d) Hiring a firm such as ServiceMaster to pump scalding water and bleach everywhere is worth every penny in peace of mind.

e) Per the plumber: only use Scott TP.  No exceptions.  Everything else blocks and clogs and therefore is synonmous with disaster.

And good news if you’re looking to save at the supermarket – Scott TP is cheap. 🙂  In fact, at their bargain basement (pun intended) prices, I could end up with enough for a Project Runway moment all my own:

(Yes, that’s made of toilet paper!)

Heading downstairs to do the laundry in what is now a dry and surgically sterile basement!