In my case, I did as you did a lot of times--bit the bullet and continued to help her, even when I was in pain and needed to take time off to help myself. Luckily, I have 3 siblings--and I made it very clear from the start that when I needed help, I expected them to be there when needed to help out. I always took off summers to teach summer school (one sister was a teacher, so she took care of mom then) and a month in winter, when DH was on vacation (they all would rotate weeks to help out then). It does mostly, though, fall on the shoulders of the one person the others see as being 'available'. Toward the end, the last few years, it became too much for me to do it all, so we did hire home health aids to come in a couple of days a week to help out. A few suggestions. Does your mother have any specific health issues? If so, home health aids may be partially or totally paid for by her insurance. Check with her dr. and/or the local visiting nurse association to see if you can get something like that going. Does your mom live in a senior apt. building? If so--the management usually has a lot of helpful suggestions. There is probably even a shopping service available for the residents (you may be able to find one, even if she's in a private home--but that will mean a little more legwork on your part). How about checking with your church or local Good Neighbors Club? They usually have people who volunteer to help out seniors in those situations. I know you said your husband would do the work, but you could always get around that by telling him how much YOU need him at this time, and of course, he doesn't want you to be worried and stressed when you need to be concentrating on recouperation. You just have to approach this the right way, and you can get him to let the professionals help out a bit. You might also check any local agencies that offer help--depending upon your mom's condition--The alzheimer's Association, the Heart Association, etc often have free helpers who can come out a few hours a week. And most importantly--take care of yourself and feel better!

Oh WOW. LOU!!! That is absolutely exquisite. I LOVE the tiger stripe maple you used for the rifle. Where did you come by the wood for that? Thank you for sharing this. I feel like I just feasted my eyes on a beautiful and stunning piece of craftsmanship. You deserved the Gold Hammer Award, along with bragging rights. Please share more; I'd love to see anything you would show us!

Since we built our whole house, we moved in and started cooking as soon as we passed our final inspection, as we'd waited long enough and our 2 yrs in the temporary quarters had lost what little shine they'd had...Most of the cabinet doors and drawer fronts not on, and many still needing paint in order to be installed. No backsplash except a piece of sheet metal wedged behind the stove for required protection. A temporary island top. No cabinetry around the fridge and freezer set, and no shelves in the pantry. Now, 2 yrs later, we just got the window trim up, we're still working on the dish hutch and the island, one section of backsplash needs to go in, and we have yet to start the trim for around the tops of the upper cabs. But we've had 2 full years of kitchen enjoyment, and this is pretty much the way we always live...in the midst of a project or 6. I THOUGHT it'd be different building all new and with the county and bank requirements for being considered 'finished,' but... nope! :-) Our first dinner:

I am super "detail oriented." Other people can call me derisive terms. Its that attention to detail that made my kitchen redo possible; it's what made the kitchen come out so well. But, as that critical eye is turned to the mostly finished work? I too see mistakes, gaffs, and compromises I wish I hadn't had to make. And I feel disappointed! Yet, everything is sound and done well (or it will be after the last touches of paint and finish trim). Is it perfect? No! I see: knobs are uneven, the nearly invisible seam, my outlets are 1/4" higher than I wanted, a few doors still need to be adjusted.... It will never be perfect; it will never be close! But, I love it! It works! Its so much more functional. It's prettier too;) And that feeling is so much stronger than my critical eye when I let myself feel it. And the mistakes, gaffs, and reluctant compromises become part of the reno story that make the journey memorable! I am not settling, adjusting my expectations downward, or accepting inferior finish/product. I am just focusing on the big picture and allowing myself to enjoy what we accomplished.