A kinked hose - no matter where it is, usually spells trouble. A kinked hose in your car means your car won't work. A kinked hose in some of the internal plumbing in your body means your life won't work.

However, since we're talking about household nuisances, we're going to stick with the garden hose variety of kinks. Along with a few other irritants that go with the joy of home ownership.

As wonderful as it is to be a homeowner, it never fails. You finally get caught up with your list of fix-it chores. You get the house clean, you keep up with the routine maintenance, and everything is working great. Maybe you've just paid to have a little home improvement work done.

That's when the unexpected happens. Something leaks, kinks, breaks or is just itching to invade your space.

So, beginning with the kinked hose, here are a few of my household pains-in-the-butt:

Kinked Garden Hose. I guess it serves me right for getting the home cheapo brand at Target. It's not that I mind paying $62 for a garden hose, but I opted to get the $4.99 50-footer instead.

It actually lasted me for quite a while. After all, 2 months is really 6 years in hose life.

After the kinks, came the flying leaks. A nice surprise up my shorts one hot summer's day when I fired up the faucet to do a little watering.

Sewer Backup. This one's a beaut. The last time this happened to me, I had just scoured the bathroom. It was clean as a whistle. It smelled of the heavenly scent of Pine Sol. I was so content.

I was doing a load of laundry when I heard some very disturbing blub blub noises coming from the opposite end of the house. I peeked in my Pine Sol scented bathroom and saw that my clean tub had partially filled with sewer water. Then, I opened the shower door, and saw that my sparkly clean tiles were full of sewer mud.

It didn't smell like Pine Sol anymore. It smelled like....well, nevermind.

No big deal...an emergency call to the plumber (because it had to happen on a Sunday afternoon) and $450 later, we were back in business. Ouch.

Then I had to clean everything all over again...crap! Literally!

Washing Machine Leak. Speaking of doing laundry, it's also not a good sign when your 5-year old washing machine starts a slow pee on the floor during a wash cycle. This past week, in fact. The pump went out to the tune of $240.

Toilet Leaks and Whistles. This is where you usually expect to find refuge and privacy in order to do the leaks and whistles associated with bodily functions. Not your toilet.

Pests. Pests - any kind, shape, or legged variety, I'm not picky - I hate them all. Ants, wasps, spiders, hornets, termites and possums are my usual wild kingdom encounters. They set up nests on and in your house. Or they just prefer to camp out in your pantry. Wherever they are, they are a nuisance.

The List Goes On...

Now, there are many more than just 5 pains-in-the-butt things that break and go wrong around the house. Like, stopped up drains, broken screens, doors that don't close right....I could go on and on.

While I still need to shell out the dough to a professional for the big stuff from time to time, I have to say that I've become quite the do-it-yourselfer and handywoman, which is just fine with me. I wouldn't trade my place with anyone.

My Other DIY Project Stories:

The time I made an old medicine cabinet like new again.

When I designed my own kitchen remodel.