Slowing Down...

The momentum has taken a back seat this week but I have been able to tie up the projects and officially mark them off my list. My bathroom and kitchen are done. It is a relief and with company coming this week we are on hiatus for a little bit. Brian's dad is coming for Little One's birthday and he is thrilled. I am tired and we had a crazy weekend... We fit a lot of soccer and basketball games into just a few days and the boys have informed me they will be playing indoor soccer, basketball and dodgeball in the coming months... Should be fun! I am headed to bed but wanted to just let you know a few reasons I love my husband...

Apr 17. He knows when I need a little muscle.
Apr 18. He is impressed by my plumbing skills (might have missed my calling).
Apr 19. He makes sure the kids do lessons when I am at work.
Apr 20. We can still talk for hours (one of the first things I loved about him).
Apr 21. He goes out of his way to make me feel good.
Apr 22. He has a side of him that few know but those who do realize how genuine it is.
Apr 23. He is a good friend.

Still goin' strong...

The Beatles Were Right!!

I get by with a little help from my friends... Got a brand new shower with a little help from my friends... I AM DONE! It feels great to finally be done and tomorrow we can start using the shower once the seal has time to cure. The patio is finished and I have replaced the broken lights and moved the kids games, air hockey table etc. I am very happy with the way it turned out. Today we have ripped out half of the countertops and are going to replace them and then do the other half.

For my wonderful husband...

Apr 10. He beams with pride when it all comes together.
Apr 11. He took the day to get our taxes mostly done so I didn't have to.
Apr 12. He packed all the mail so I could work in the bathroom.
Apr 13. Even when he gets consumed with a game he is learning to come back to reality once in awhile.
Apr 14. He can admit when he is wrong and says it out loud for my satisfaction.
Apr 15. He is impressed with my work.
Apr 16. He brags about the shower behind my back.

Brian took a shower!

Not that he doesn't do that often but this was a special shower! He got to try out my new shower as I checked for potential mistakes I may have made. I thought it was better to test it out before I put the $100 sealer on the tile and grout. I am happy to report that everything worked great. I hope to get it sealed tonight and in 72 hours we will be fully functional. I am so excited!!

As I waited for the grout to cure I decided to tackle the next project on the list. This was to be the kitchen countertops but with the beautiful weather we have been having I decided to swap that for the back patio. Anyone that has been to my house in the last, oh... years knows that our patio has been completely devoted to inventory for our business. I do not even have a "before" picture out of sheer embarassment. I will happily share what it looks like now...

This is all the inventory we have left out there! The rest made its way to the dump or the storage unit. It is 350 sq ft that we now realize we have missed. We enclosed it a few years ago with dreams of someday making it into something great. So far...

we have moved the arcade games out there and hope to get the air hockey table out there tonight or tomorrow. It will be the kids mini arcade. I would say that I hope that it encourages the neighborhood kids to play outside but in reality that is their preference. The boys are really excited to overtake, I mean, have a cool place of their own. I can't decide if I will start the countertops tomorrow (with soccer games Saturday and Sunday and basketball for Hunter) I am not sure how much I will actually get done. I am toying with the idea of working in my office/studio and finally getting that organized... Again, there will be no "before" pictures as it is a DISASTER! I feel so accomplished today and am hoping it carries over for the next month or so... So much to do... so little time...

Par for the Course

So the whole project has been riddled with setbacks... as most projects are (or so my friend's reassure me) so this is no different... I was chugging along grouting the bathroom tile and ... you guessed it... I ran out of grout. Above is the before picture...

Yes, I got everything finished but the middle of the floor. So tonight I have grouted the rest of the floor and will wait for the grout to cure for 24-48 hrs and then seal the stones and grout and install my fixtures. Then I AM DONE!!!

It's Not That I Don't Love Him...

I have just been REALLY busy! New shower pics will be up soon. It is all tiled and all the spacers have been removed and ready for grouting. I am really excited to see what it will look like when it is finished. And to make up for the week I missed here is two weeks worth of reasons I love my sweet husband...

Mar 27. He has recognized when not to communicate with Hunter at soccer and was able to just walk away.
Mar 28. He makes coming up with reasons I love him easy.
Mar 29. He stands up for what he believes in even if it forces confrontation.
Mar 30. He relies on me.
Mar 31. He can see when the kids need a "free day" and gives it to them.
Apr 1. He doesn't do April Fools!!
Apr 2. He can motivate the boys unlike anyone else.
Apr 3. He will get up at 6 AM to support the kids.
Apr 4. He still hides eggs for the boys.
Apr 5. He is bound and determined to fight my red light ticket. (oops!)
Apr 6. He was gifted with the power of persuasion.
Apr 7. He engages my niece in his own sweet way.
Apr 8. He is brutally honest.
Apr 9. We work well together.

Happy Easter!!

Sooo.... no, it was not this...

This was our project a few weeks ago... If you guessed... tetherball.... you are right!!

The kids have had a blast... along with the whole neighborhood... playing tetherball. It seems funny that such an "old-fashioned" game could bring "very modern" kids so much joy.

We are having lunch for Easter with family and friends. The kids hunted for eggs around the house and I am hoping they will have outgrown this by next year... Wishing everyone a Happy Easter!!

What are we up to??

I have the walls taped and the thinset applied to the seams and the mortar bed is poured and cured... I am at a stand-still until I pick the tile (which I think I have chosen but have to come to grips with the cost!). I took a break last night to do this for the kids... Know what we are up to?