Christmas 2022

 Wow!  And in that blink Christmas came and went.  December was a whirlwind--it always is with 2 birthdays in my family, one in our friend/family and a bevy of work challenges.Added to that were sicknesses--the kids and then me.  I inconveniently became ill on the 19th.  I got through that birthday party but woke sicker on the 20th.  I was out of commission that day and the following Monday.  It is super rare for me to call out of work so you know I was really feeling low.  I was well enough to go back to work Tuesday and do things like stocking shopping, food shopping etc, but I still don't feel well.  It's annoying.  I am a lousy patient.

Despite that, Christmas was wonderful.  Rob was here, and Fiona was in the Big City with other family as she was here on Thanksgiving. I texted her  a Merry Christmas and a Happy Birthday.  I made our traditional home made cinnamon rolls for breakfast and despite usually wanting to sleep late, KC had us all up by 7 a.m. Gifts were thoughtful and appreciated.  Laughter was plentiful.  

I found myself melancholy last night as I realize that there may not be many more years when we are all together like this on Christmas morning.  Rob has been in a relationship for over a year now and though we have extended a welcome to bring his girlfriend and her son anytime, they have not done so.  He comes on his own but never with her.  At some point if the relationship continues, I am sure they will want their own traditions and the timing of ours will have to adjust.  KC is looking at colleges and next year he may  not be home.  I'm sure he will come home on break but he won't be part of decorating the house,,making chocolate houses,  and driving around looking at lights and all they myriad traditions that have evolved over the years and make up our Decembers.

I want this for them.  I want them to fly and soar and test their wings.  I want them to do this when they can still come home to roost when wind buffets young wings too badly, so I can give them hot cookies and fresh made rolls and a hug. I hope to see them imparting some of our traditions--with their own spins--to a new generation.

But I would be lying if I said that I am not missing putting out the magic key for Santa, reading carefully lettered lists, reading bedtime stories under the Christmas tree . . .  And I am realizing that at this point in my life there are fewer Christmas mornings ahead of me than there are behind me.

A jolly bathroom!

 We are pretty much dancing toward the finish line for the bathroom project.  There are still things to do, but mostly they are of the fun cosmetic nature.  Like, building a barn door for the bathroom closet.  I have ALWAYS wanted to build a barn door. (OK I am willing to own the weirdness of that, but it is true!)  Also that project uses more reclaimed wood from another part of the house and I love that too. There is something special to me about using wood in new ways that has a history where you are. So let's look back at this delightful photo:

This wasn't even the very beginning.  This was after I got the old tub out, moved the plumbing and insulated the walls.  But it was at the very least 'rustic.'  Now I am focussing on things like this instead:

Saturday we installed subway tile and a jolly stick trim (side note: can someone tell me why the stick is jolly?) We wanted to cover the base which was formerly visible under the shower pan.  This ties nicely with the floor we put in and just makes for a clean, finished look.  

We won't have much time for reno in the next few weeks as vacation is getting veeeery close!  But really, this has been such a fun project and I have learned so much.

Oh wait! It's ME?

 Since lockdown I've followed a bunch of You T*bers that teach home renovation skills.  I have about 4 favorites that are my go to sources when I am learning new skills.  And if you've meandered through this blog you will know that I have learned a lot.  Truthfully not JUST from the vids. I also have a talented friend who has shared his time showing me plumbing and electrical wiring.  But from the computer I learned how to demo, how to build and put up a new wall, how to modify cabinets, how to hang cabinets, how to do a back splash how to hang and repair drywall and more.

The other day when I tuned into one of my fave tubers he was doing a piece on using new found skills as a side hustle.  The premise is that by devoting the occasional Saturday one could now charge for doing these things for others and make some much needed cash.  He pointed out important things, like keeping the jobs you take on to ones that do not require a permit, registering your business etc.  And although I have little  no free time, I was still intrigued.  After all, I COULD have time in the future?  Maybe??  And i do love to do these kind of things.  Then the dude continues on, talking about not underpricing your skills. . . because there is a huge labor shortage and a lot of boomers are now in their 60's.  They don't want to be on ladders and doing these kind of things anymore.  They will pay good money he said.  Wait!  Stop the presses! Um,  I fall into that age demographic.

I don't mind being on a ladder.  I can carry drywall and subflooring.  I can do these things.  So if I can do them, can't a lot of other "boomers?"  I posited the question to my co workers who said that probably others didn't and it was just that I am an anomaly who does not feel or act my age.  I'm still trying to decide the veracity of that and whether or not it is a compliment.

Meanwhile I am going to go continue repairing and refinishing a table destined for my workplace!

Recital 2022!

 Yesterday was recital.  And prom.  A double header of emotional exhaustion and fun for our family.  This guy in the center played Aladdin in the recital production which is both theater and dance.  To say he shone would be an understatement. Yes, I am biased.  But he is so good at this.  It leaves me with my jaw hanging down.  The combination of theater and the dance.  It is so fun to watch and so so good.  This was a big year.  The school almost closed; a combination of the pandemic and a tragedy in the owners life.  But the love that KC and his class have for her was a big part of what made her hold on and try to rebuild.  They would literally do anything for her. He has danced there since he was 5 and he is now 18.  He dances all disciplines.  He taught a boys hip hop class-a first for the school.  He choreographed two duets for himself, one with the young woman who plays Jasmine and one with the young woman who played the genie.  They were fabulous and showed a lot of maturity in his craft.  The lovely young lady to the left in this shot is his sister Elisabeth. She too, has grown so much in her dance abilities this year. 

From the high of the performance it was home to scramble around and get ready for senior prom. Most readers know that we are homeschoolers.  Homeschoolers constantly get the question "but how do you socialize."  Well, fear not!  This guy was taken to prom by not one but TWO lovely young ladies.  I am not posting their picture as I don't have the ladies's permission but they looked amazing.  One wore white, one work black and KC wore both!  They have been friends for years and had a wonderful night together.  More dancing and he was exhausted when he got home.  

Today is a Youth Group party to say farewell to an Indonesian exchange student who has been part of the group this year.  To say this was an emotion packed weekend would be an understatement!

Suddenly 18

 KC is 18 today!  Obviously this is not 18 pictures, but it is a reasonably good photo glimpse of how somehow that wee tiny baby who honestly only fit in doll clothes, is now this tall handsome young adult!  How this happened I don't know. It feels like not long ago that he was so young, so needing of help.  Our buddy in everything we did. The little guy who needed me to sing him to sleep every night and who put on "shows" after supper for us every single night.

Now he is a thoughtful kind and engaging teen, someone who has found within himself the capacity to lead peers, to teach dance, to work on making a positive impact in the world we live in.  I am so proud of him.  I am also frequently scared for him.

I will be forever grateful to have been chosen to be this young man's mom.  I will always remember leaf piles and puddle jumping, the first terrifying dance recital and the triumphant ones that followed. The hikes and homeschool classes, the silly traditions we have that make up family life. The joy and magic that he has brought to us all. Today we celebrate all that he is in many ways--favorite breakfast rolls made by me, birthday dinner made by big brother Rob, and a viewing of a show at the theater.  Happy Happy Birthday dear son!

Youth Group Sunday

 It happens.  It sneaks up on us.  One night we are rocking our babies.  The next, they are on the cusp of "grown." That's where KC is now.  And I am so.not.ready.  This was hard with Rob too.  But Rob wanted to live at home and train in to school.  KC has an interest (dance and film) that make that not the best choice.  He has opted for a gap year to spend time sorting this out and will likely be applying to Hampshire College in the western part of our state next year.  It looks like it could be fabulous.  He tours the end of next month.  

In the day to day living, I lose track of how close to grown he is.  His shoes still clutter the entry way.  He still has to be reminded to do things like hang up clothes or do the wash.  Yet there is so much that shows how much he has grown and hints at the amazing young man he is becoming.  

Today was one such day.  Yearly our church Youth Group does a Sunday service.  They craft the service themselves and put on the whole thing.  It is their vision, their words, their day.  This year the group had trouble pulling a service together.  They decided on a theme but covid protocols threw meetings back on zoom right when they typically do this prep.  With zoom fatigue at an all time high, it was hard to pull people in.

KC did though.  He organized most of the service, playing to the individual strengths of the youth group members.  He got them to agree to dancing a prelude down the aisle of the church. (thankfully the surge passed and protocols allowed for masked gatherings) He taught them a dance that had everyone in the pews standing and clapping along.  There were fabulous readings, reflections written and shared by the graduating seniors, one of whom was my son.  He not only wrote something, which was read thoughtfully and powerfully, but he wrote an original dance and did that as part of it.

I was blown away at so many levels.  The dance was amazing.  But if you zoom in you will see that he is wearing a necklace with a ring on it.  I didn't notice it at first, caught up in the movement of the dance.  But there was a place where he stopped and held the ring and looked up.  And then I saw it.  It is his Grampa Ken's wedding ring, gifted to him when he was very young by my mom when Ken passed.   Ken was a minister in our faith.  He would have been so very proud of his grandson and what he shared and the young man he is becoming.

I am not ready, but I need to do the work to get ready, because KC is.  And I want to watch him stretch, and soar, and reach for all that he envisions.  

Strikes and Subway!

 As our world opens up again (this would be the second go round at trying that!) gatherings have begun to occur.  We went to our second birthday party yesterday for a family friend.  The party was held at a bowling alley and was a lot of fun.  Partly because of the good friends, partly because I still enjoy bowling (and to my credit did get scores of 80 and 70 respectively)  I said I bowled older than my age so I was very happy.  LOL Elisabeth finally bowled for the first time ever and got a strike. She has never bowled because she deems bowling shoes ugly and that they should not be worn. So when I would take the boys when she was younger she always ate snacks and cheered but never bowled.  She still isn't a fan but had a good time because of who we were with.

While we were gone, K began tiling the wall in the bathroom that our sink is on.  When I got home I helped cut tile and it went much more quickly.  Then we decided on how we would finish the vanity that the sink sits on.  When I bought the vanity on line, it had a little bottom drawer and an open space above it with a door. (of course it was a vanity you had to build so it has been sitting with just the exterior built so that the sink could be on it for months. )  The challenge is that in this bathroom the plumbing to the sink comes up from the cellar not through the wall as it does in our upstairs bath.  Which meant we had to drill a hole in the bottom of the cabinet rendering a drawer impossible.

There were a number of options.  We could put a false front on where the drawer should go.  We though of attaching the drawer front with strong magnetic tape.  Then my wife thought of marrying the two together with small flat pieces of metal on the backs and treating it as one door.  It worked. . . except that our screws when we did this dimpled the front of the door in a few places.  This is not fine cabinetry folks. We are talking MDF here.  I'll give you that  you can't see the dimples unless you look for them.  But we know we WILL look at them, because we did this and we know they are there.

So here it is as it looks now.  We have ordered a waterproof peel and stick wallpaper piece that will go into the panel and a grey cabinet door knob.  The piece of baseboard on the left is not attached, but it is what will eventually go around the room.  It is as close as I could get to the baseboard in the rest of our home which is a very wide baseboard and has lots of curves and ridges.  This is smaller but has a very similar pattern and is made of plastic which is what I want for a bathroom. 

We have some drywall to work on on the other side of the bathroom so that is next up.  But we are done with all tile work except for a line of bull nose that will go on the front of the shower area after the floor is installed.  The areas we tiled used 2 full boxes of subway and 8 tiles (yes 8!) from the last box.  Since I can't return the box for credit we are giving this partial to our friends who have helped us on this renovation journey.  They are using the same tile in their bathroom project (though not the accent tiles)

The damas dress!

 It is bizarre to realize that I have blogged, though not consistantly, since 2008!  When I started, my kids were so little and life was so crazy. Now they are in various stages of "grown" and life is still crazy.  Today we went to a bridal shop because my daughter is a damas for her friends quince and we had to get the gown.  Egads that was a pricey endeavor!  I got out of it for under $500 which I guess was lucky.  However the dress looks absolutely stunning on her and it is a huge honor to be one of  L's damas.  It was fun to be there with L and her mom (who is a dear friend as well) and look through the scads and scads of amazing gowns.

I wasn't sure how this would go as Elisabeth does not really like dresses. She wore a gown to prom at youth group but that was the only time she has and she said she does not like gowns.  I explained to her when she was asked to be a damas that there are responsibilities if she said yes, so she definately understood that she had to do this in a certain manner.

The only restriction was that the dress be some shade of pink and that it be long.  She chose a subdued rose lace column dress with lacing up the back.  It was the only dress she tried on.  It fit perfectly. Back when I started blogging, she was probably about 2.  Now she is a lovely, outspoken 15 year old young woman.  Days of choosing matching outfits, and beading her hair are long gone. But today was fun, filled with laughter and conversation as our gaggle of girls and moms traipsed up and down the aisles of the bridal shop looking for "the" dress.

The next task is to find shoes.  This is harder as Elisabeth as you may gather from the picture is quite tall and her feet are sized to accommodate her height.  They are not so much sized for pretty footwear and she is very sensitive about what she calls "her stompers."   Stay tuned!

Tile Date

 Last Saturday my wife and I had an unexpected night where only she and I and Chet were home at night.  The two  youngers were at a sleep over event and I had proposed a date night to K.  She was on board and the plan was to see a movie we are both interested in.  However the sleep over event was over an hour away from our house so 2 plus hours were spent getting the kids there and chatting with friends and then driving home.  Truthfully it killed about 3 hours because I chat! By the time we got home, neither of us felt like sitting in a movie theater for another 2 hours.  Too.much.sitting!  So we decided to tile above the shower in our bathroom.

The rest of the bathroom will have crown molding at the top but in the shower enclosure I wanted tile over the green board all the way to the ceiling.  We also planned for an accent with blue and gray glass tiles.  They don't photograph particularly well but they are shades of blue and silvery gray.

So we broke out the ladder, our tile cutter and our wet saw and went to town.  By 11:30 we had finished two of the three walls. So we called our "date" and went to bed.  Sunday we got up at 6:30 and finished tiling the third wall and then my wife grouted it all.  It looks fabulous.   

We have another half wall to tile at some point but that should really be easier.  For one thing we won't be on a ladder!  It is the wall right next to the shower that the sink is on.  It will have the same pattern except that the bullnose will be at a half way point on the wall. The top part of the wall is painted a soft gray. Now to find the time to get it done.  We are so close to finishing this but schedules are so crazy.

My wife's business is very busy.  My work is busy (I typically work at the site one weekend evening weekly to keep abreast of things) The kids schedules are ramping up with a plethora of recital practices, work and school commitments. . . 

And while we are planning these things and shuttling kids, there are families in the Ukraine just trying to stay alive.  Sometimes I feel so hypocritical moaning about how I will fit in all I need to do.  I am not trying to just stay alive.  

Best Laid Plans. . .

 Life loves to throw curve balls at us weekend warriors!  Last weekend we had great plans.  We were going to install a board in our kitchen that finishes the little pantry area, caulk and paint it. We were going to install the window sill in the bathroom and caulk and paint. We were going to do tile work in the bathroom.  We  were going to install and paint the header board for the barn door we are going to build for the closet. We were going to have my wife's birthday party.   Alas. . . real life in the form of a severe stomach bug claimed the weekend.  

My wife woke on early Saturday morning violently ill.  She was so sick she was unable to do the dog sitting gig she had agreed to do so I had to fill in for that.  She was so sick she could not do her regular weekend cleaning gig and I had to do that as well.  In between times, I was trying to take care of her.  By Sunday she needed a trip to urgent care and eventually to the ER for fluids.

In short, aside from about 10 peaceful minutes sanding a reclaimed board that I want to use for the window sill, there was exactly zero reno work done.  There was no birthday party.  There was just a very ill wife and a slightly crazed spouse.  I am not a good nurse.  Part of that is because on those occasions when I am sick, I just want you to leave me alone. I figure I'll get better real quick with rest and people popping in going "how are you" when you are dozing off drive.me.nuts.  My wife wants you popping in and balancing that with taking care of all her contracts, and ultimately getting her more sophisticated care pretty much stressed me out.  Sunday my son even bought me supper because he said I was a rock star and running ragged.  Love that boy!

This past weekend she was better but truthfully she was still building her strength back.  So we made it a punch list weekend and I am glad we did.  One of the things that annoys me is when people do a big job but they leave that little finishing touch undone.  The base board not attached or painted.  The caulking not done.  Little things.  My father was famous for leaving those things undone.  I don't know if there were so many things claiming his attention he lost track or if they did not matter to him.  They matter to me and thankfully, they also matter to my wife.

We put the trim around the backsplash in the kitchen.  The board that finishes the entryway to the kitchen alleyway was installed, caulked and painted. The new header board for our closet barn door was installed and painted.  The bathroom window was trimmed out, caulked and painted. We started installing drywall around the shower wall area. We installed the trim in the closet in the bathroom.  Little things that make a boatload of difference in eye appeal.  My father in law and sister in law stopped by Monday and when they walked in, they could not believe the difference.  I texted a picture of the backsplash all finished to the corian guy who helped us cut the counter when we began the kitchen reno.  I figured he saw us looking like we were destroying the kitchen. He ought to see it looking the way it does now.  Still not fully finished, but way more pulled together.  He texted back on how nice it looked and that it looked "expensive."  High praise from a counter pro.  I really want the things we do to not look like a homeowner just tried to make something.  Hence so much research IRL with friends and on Youtube with a number of renovation people who make videos that help me puzzle things out well.

We also bought the subway tile and hopefully this weekend we may have time to tile the walls above the shower installation.  Definately progress!

 

It's a back splash baby!

 Figuring out the kitchen back splash was a very challenging part of our renovations.  Actually AGREEING on a back splash was a challenging part of the renovation.  We tried so many different styles out (buying just one 12 inch square) and could not agree.  Finally we did agree and bought the requisite squares needed.  

But things kept happening to delay the install.  My wife picked up a bunch of weekend shifts.  We needed to use a wet saw and had to learn how to use it and have it not be too crazy cold for using something with water.

I was set to order tile adhesive and found a new product called Musselbound that I researched and then decided to buy.  The order was slightly delayed.

We had to agree on grout.  Same challenge as agreeing on tile.

My wife got sick.

Just stuff.  However this past weekend was installation!  Actually my wife had a very rare Friday off and she put up the musselbound and the tiles that day.  Musselbound for those who may wonder is fabulous.  It holds tiles securely but lets you reposition until you push them down hard.  It is far less messy than traditional methods for those of us with less than superior troweling skills.  Saturday she grouted it--til we ran out of grout.  We were using a premixed grout from the big box store.  We went to the app and discovered there was none of left within 100 miles of us.  Amazon to the rescue.  Our order came in on Sunday, so while we waited . . .

We installed the FRP around our toilet.  Our toilet is fairly close to the closet wall in our bathroom.  I plan to install a small barn door on the closet and did not want to eat clearance space with tile.  So FRP to the rescue.  Basically this is waterproof, clean and neat looking and will also be used on the side wall by the washer. (in case someone spills bleach or detergent, I don't want damage to drywall.)  FRP is really inexpensive.  It has inside corner pieces and outside corner pieces and a top cap so the look is finished neatly.  You put it on with adhesive and use a heavy roller to make sure it is well adhesed to the wall.  It really looks great.  

Sunday the rest of the grout order came in and the grouting was completed on the kitchen back splash.

Doesn't it look finished and neat?

And here's the back splash.  Looking at it you would never know that we had to fill a niche and hang new drywall.  It also ties in with the Corian counter really well.  There are hints of copper in some of the tiles and I love that. My grandmother used to adore copper and had a lot of copper bottomed pans and copper accent pieces in the kitchen when I was a child.  This is a bit of a nod to that with our own spin on it.

There is tiling to do in the bathroom next. That will be subway tile so we will be using spacers for the first time.  I have a laser level which should also help.  We also have an accent tile and I want a bull nose tile on the very top. But it is not a lot of area to tile. Basically it is the sink wall and above the shower. However this weekend my wife has a shift to work so it probably won't happen til a week or so from now.  But there is definately progress being made.

Much more snow!

 It has been almost a month since I have had a chance to write!  How did things get so busy?  Especially since Covid is still making life so complicated.  Part of the craziness has been weather related.  Last weekend we had a very large snow event.  This came at a time that my maintenance superintendent was out due to Covid.  My other maintenance man is still learning the ropes and not one I would leave to help my plow guy supervise snow removal for a large storm.  

The reports called for heavy snowfall and blowing and drifting.  I planned to be at the site early Sunday morning to help with the moving of cars so that the lots could be properly cleaned.  My wife told me Friday night that I might not be able to drive in to work on Sunday morning. We live 30 minutes away from my new job and that was something I had not considered.  My brain still defaults to the 3 minute commute I had for so many years.  

So I packed a small bag, grabbed a sleeping bag and spent the weekend at the property.  It wasn't really roughing it. While I was sleeping on the floor there was a rug and a full kitchen and a full bath available to  me.  I was honestly very comfortable.  The plow guy was surprised that I was there, but also very happy to find this out.  

The configuration of the site makes the logistics of plowing a big storm very challenging.  Having management there to make sure residents and their guests cooperated with the plow policy was very helpful.  His crew worked  21 hours straight before they stopped for rest.  Then we were back at it the next day.  But the end result was that the site looked great, the lots were safe for my residents and out of all the vehicles that needed to be moved I only  had to tow three cars.  Which is really good. And they were not resident cars which is even better.

I missed being with my family but thanks to the internet and cell phones we texted and chatted regularly.  When I was not helping the plow team, I found jobs in the office to help pass the time.  It was a good call and I am glad I did it.  My maintenance super is now back at work so hopefully should there be another storm, I can sleep in my own bed!

2022 First Snowstorm

 It snowed late last night.  Actually it probably started in the early morning hours.  I now work about 30 minutes from home.  I got up at 4 and saw it was snowing but that it looked drivable. Went back to bed and got up at my usual time of 5:30  Ate breakfast and decided since it was snowing heavier that I should leave by 6:30.  At 6:20 I was brushing off the car. At 6:30 I was in the car and slowly driving to work.

The ride was looooong.  No one was driving more than 30 mph and the lane marks on the roads were not visible.  The off ramp I had to take was not plowed.  On the plus side: my car is a standard.  I never got higher than 4th gear but it stayed holding the road quite well.  There was a lot of caution on the part of myself and other drivers.  People were keeping a good following distance and no one was trying to drive like it was NOT snowing like crazy.  Also, I work at the top of a hill.  There is a steep pitch from both sides of the road that leads to it. There is no way to go to work without going up the hill.  On the plus side, schools were closed so I was not fighting bus traffic and the side of the street leading up the hill had been plowed. The other side had not.

I made it to work safely (another plus!) and parked as is my custom, at the visitors lot at the far end of the site.  I like to walk the site on my way into the office each day, checking for maintenance issues, debris, future projects and often, greeting residents.  I am passionate about turning this into a community where people feel heard by management and where there is a feeling of caring amongst all residents. I know that latter part is a big project--this is senior housing with many different cultures and customs coming together and helping people to understand one another is going to be a project that takes time

But I digress. . . as i was walking my cell phone rang. I answered and it was my portfolio manager. She was supposed to come out today and I thought that she was calling to cancel.  Nope. She was calling because at 6:31 the company sent an email that all MA sites were closed.  LOL

Since I was all ready there, I stayed till 1ish.  My temp workers came in also and i did some training with the office temp.  There is always something to do and I also wanted to see how the snow removal was handled at the site.  Imagine my shock and surprise though when I went to my car at 1 and the landscaper had totally shovelled all around my car!  I was so shocked.  I always have a little shovel in my car for such things as this did not usually happen in my old site, so it was just a bit of brightness in my day.  Also the ride home was clear sailing with plowed and salted roads.  All that said, I am all ready eager for spring!