Bathroom Renovation Stage 6

Moving along on the bathroom renovation one Saturday at a time. Last weekend we put up more of the tile. Eight sq ft are now up. Only 112 more to go. Can you see why this is going to take a while?

Also, we finished up all the concrete board. (I use “we” very loosely here. I wasn’t feeling great but I am excellent at providing moral support.) We covered the curb so now the concrete shower pan can be poured at any time:

On one side of the shower we built in 2 shelves for shampoo, conditioner, soap, shaving cream, etc. (As the woman of the house and the obsessive organizer, I’m taking credit for this idea.)

Things to do in the near future: pour shower pan, install rain shower in ceiling and plumbing in wall, install recessed light in shower, install ceiling shower fan, put up 112 more sq ft of tiny tiles.

Trying hard not to lose momentum here!

Where we started:
Bathroom Renovation Stage 1
Bathroom Renovation Stage 2
Bathroom Renovation Stage 3
Bathroom Renovation Stage 4
Bathroom Renovation: Tiling!
Bathroom Renovation Stage 5

Go On – Touch the Screen

Have you seen the commercial for the new HP TouchSmart PC? As a devote Mac-user, normally an HP (or any PC) commercial would not excite me. But this got my heart a-racing! Mac has been using touchscreen technology with the iPhone for years now so I don’t know why a touch screen computer like this caught me by surprise.

Can you imagine the possibilities for an artist/designer? Envision Photoshop that you can manipulate with your fingers on the screen. After years of doing art and graphic design through a mouse cursor controlled by one hand, I’m so excited about the idea of getting both hands into my work, so to speak. We’ve perfected the scroll ball, the subtle right hand movements and fingers on the track pad; how cool would it be to get to use our fingers to actually draw, paint, cut, smudge, shadow, enlarge/shrink, turn …

Does this potential excite anyone else??

West Street: Christmas Shopping for Me

I love surprises but I’m picky. Kind of a catch-22, huh? I offered to my husband that I could buy myself a Christmas present this year AND buy him a Christmas present. He seemed pretty relieved to not have to shop so that was our plan. When I found out my gift was on sale last week, I convinced my mama to go shopping with me after our weekly lunch date.

If you know anything about my mama, you know bundling up her kids in cozy layers is a top priority. Warm sweaters, warm socks, warm slippers, warm hats, warm scarfs, etc. The fact that we’re all self-sufficient adults doesn’t change this instinct a bit. So naturally she jumped on the opportunity to buy this warm coat for me for Christmas. Sweet!

Now what to get myself for Christmas …

Phone Photo Friday

Morning quiet time = all green.

Blue Bowl & OJ Pitcher {mcm thrift store finds}

Over the weekend we stopped by a couple of thrift stores and came away satisfied by these 2 finds (for about $4 total):

This pretty blue bowl that Jason spotted.

And this funky glass orange juice pitcher that I found.

Bathroom Renovation: Tiling!

I’m not calling this a stage because it’s not really a stage change in the bathroom. The tile arrived over the weekend and on Monday, Jason and I decided to put up 2 square feet to see how it looks. We have 2 different colors of .75″ x .75″ tile that come in 1 sq ft sheets and it’s up to us to pop off 50% of the tiles (112 per sheet) to make a random pattern.

Let me just say that this process sucks. It takes a lot longer than I anticipated and the mesh is like sandpaper on my fingers! But I know it will all be worth it. Jason and I are really pleased with how it looks once the 2 colors are randomized together:

It took us 20-30 minutes to make 2 sq ft. So … multiply that by 60 (120 sq ft total) and it looks like we can plan on 20-30 hours of tile popping. That’s not counting installing the tiles on the wall.

… Putting each tile we popped off back into the other color sheet …

… And making sure they’re all straight and flush. But it’s going to be SOOOOO worth it! I can’t wait to see how it’ll look when the whole shower is done.

Meanwhile we still have a couple of sheets of concrete board to hang and the shower pan to pour. Once we realized how long the tile is going to take we figured we’d better get started right away so we can takes breaks to do other parts of the process.

Yes, I know we’re crazy. Did I mention we got a really good deal on the tile?

Happy Birthday Lucy!

Our beloved chocolate cocker spaniel puppy, Lucy, turns 5 today!

Lucy gave us a scare over the weekend which led to a lot of spoiling and extra cuddling. She must have pulled a muscle or something on our mile walk on Saturday. When we got home Lucy seemed to have trouble walking and especially going up steps or jumping up on a bench or couch. She was doing a lot of groaning and her legs were shaking.

But, I’m happy to report she seems to be doing very well now and is happy as a clam! She still can’t quite run and leap like usual but she doesn’t appear to be in pain.

If you’ve never read the story of her rescue, you can read it here.

The Tile Arrived!

We had a great weekend with our friends Dave and Emily visiting from PA. I didn’t take any pictures over the weekend, though. Whoops!

Here are a few highlights:

• Hatch Show Print on Friday afternoon

• Buca di Beppo for dinner

• The guys jammed together while the girls enjoyed the almost 80º weather with a walk Saturday morning

• Lunch at Baja Fresh

• Mac store, mall, thrift stores* and chillin at Dan & Ginger’s house
* got 2 new MCM treasures! I’ll share later this week

• Party Saturday night with bonfire and games. Lots of yummy fall food: hot dogs, smores, cheese dip, homemade soft pretzels, homemade donuts, hot spiced apple cider

• Sunday church and then lunch at another friend from PA’s house

• A restful evening at home Sunday

We said our goodbyes on Monday morning. Hopefully D&E will be back to the promised land soon! I’m thankful I took the day off Monday to get caught up around the house and get a nap after a fun but busy weekend!

More about our tiling adventures tomorrow!

For the Mod Kitty

I’m no longer a cat owner but if I were, I’d totally want one of these:

Certainly more attractive than the Rubbermaid tub with the hole cut in the lid that we used in order to keep the dog out!

Also would be great for a cat that kicks her litter everywhere. (Are you reading mother-in-law?)

First seen here. Available at modkat.com.

Happy Birthday Friend!

I hope this coming year is so wonderful for you!
You are a beautiful woman of God and I am so thankful for our friendship.
I love that you have a mid-century modern house now!
It’s been so amazing watching you become a mother over the past year.
I adore your sweet little boy!
Thank you for honoring me with the title “Tia Martina.”
Despite the physical distance between us, I know you are always there for me.
And I hope you know I would do anything for you and your family.
May God’s blessings shower down on you, the daughter of the King, this year!