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!

Farewell 2021!

 Here we are at the closing of another year.  In some ways it does not seem possible.  Despite the challenges of a covid world, this year flew for me.  Perhaps because I always have a "project" or something I want to learn or read, but there is never enough time in a day. . . or apparently a year!

Christmas was amazing this year.  Gifts were thoughtful and personal.  Also a  number of them were useful which I personally love a lot.  I am at a stage in my life where I don't need knick knacks or things to dust and worry about where to put.  If anything I am slightly divesting myself of such things.  So storage containers for spices, warm socks and new fleece leggings and a box of single serving snacks for work were really perfect gifts.  Also the gift my son KC made me.  Which requires a bit of a back story.  When he was little he used to draw a lot of comic type things. (think ages 4 to 10)  He had a story he worked on off and on about us as super heroes.  We all had a super power and he would spend more time drawing us than he did actually writing the story line.  Fast forward many years.  Last year he took an on line course that taught him photo shop techniques and script writing.  He used the photoshop skills to create a poster that looks like it belongs in a movie theater.  We are all featured in it with updated superpowers (I am holding a drill and wearing a tool belt for instance)  And it says The JE Team in the middle.  He even included our two beloved and departed pets in the poster.  It is going to hang in our living room.  It is an AMAZING gift and represented so much love, creativity and thought.  I am still in awe of it.

I am off from work for a few days so I am planning to work on projects in the bathroom and possibly in our cellar for a few days.  I am sure I will be boring  thrilling you all with more reno updates in the new year.

And for those who are curious, here is the poster he made!

Catching up!

 Gosh did life get busy!  In the past few weeks, we have managed to finish enough of the bathroom renovation to have a fully functional three piece bathroom.  We hosted Thanksgiving.  I got sick after that and lost 2 days of my life to sleeping! LOL We decorated the house for Christmas inside (outside was all ready decked) and more. . . 

First, the bathroom renovation that never ends   the progress on modernizing our bathroom!  At long last we have a functioning LARGE shower and a functioning SMALL sink.  The sink was intended to be as space saving as possible and it is.  The shower is epic and for us seems gigantic though I know there are others much larger.  It is 48 inches wide and when you used to shower in an old tub shower combo, truly this is the very lap of luxury.  The showerhead is high and cascades wonderfully. The hand shower option works as planned. And we did a good job levelling the floor as we have no water pools in the shower pan after a shower. It drains as it should which was of considerable concern as nothing in our house is level and plumb and this includes floors!  There is still a lot of finish work to do.  We need to tape and mud the walls, paint them, get up tile, finish the closet, trim out the window and get a floor in.  But everything is at least workable and with the possible exception of finishing the interior of the closet, further work is on hold til after the holidays.

This is probably  not the best picture, but there are 6 niches so every family member has their own spot to put their beauty products.  

Next up was Thanksgiving.  We were hosting this year and I was super excited. Last year with lockdown it was just us. Ilove to host gatherings!  This year we were able to have my father in law, sister in law, the kids godparents and a friend of theirs at the table with us.  This meant that in order to have enough room we had to empty our living room of furniture and rent tables.  Much of the week before the holiday was devoted to such things.I had Wednesday off from work and finished up prep that day.  There is lovely brass flatware that my FIL and MIL got when he was stationed in Thailand and I use that every Thanksgiving.  My MIL died far too soon and it is kind of a way of having her with us at the table as those meant so much to her.  We made 4 pies, I made 2 batches of parker house rolls, we brined our turkey for the first time ever.  I did not have to cook myself a veg option because a friend brought me eggplant parm which I adore.  It was a day filled with laughter and fun.  By the end of the day I had a slight cough which I thought nothing about.  I had been up and down from our attic getting supplies. It is dusty up there and I was of course talking like crazy.  

I woke up Friday tired and with the same little cough.  We spent the day putting away harvest decor and putting the living room back together. I felt fine, just a bit tired but the pace of life could easily explain that.  Saturday I woke up and it was decorating day.  As the day went on I had a bit more cough but again I was up in the attic as we had 12 boxes of decorations to bring down. We decorated the inside of the house to a fair-thee-well.  It really looks great.  By afternoon though I was realizing this cough was not dust or allergies or talking too much.  I was also starting to get congested. I decided I should stay in my room till we knew what was up.  

To further add to the drama, KC had invited friends over for a game night that night.  I was able to get a covid test and it was negative, so we decided if I just stayed in my room the kids could have their friends over.  I did, and spent the rest of the day reading and sleeping.  That was my life for Sunday and Monday too as the cough got worse.  That and lethargy were my only real symptoms.  A second covid test was also negative and by Tuesday I was highly improved so I went back to work.

This weekend was also busy.  Yesterday was our church's craft fair.  Elisabeth and I visited there, looking for unusual gifts for people on our list.  In the afternoon KC and I went downtown to our city's Festival of Trees.  We have done this together every year except last year and it felt good to admire the trees together again.  In the evening we decorated chocolate houses and then watched Jingle Jangle which is one of our favorite Christmas movies.

Things are busy all through December but I am grateful that we have opportunities to BE busy, especially since last year had very little ways to celebrate with others.  I feel we did a good job making it special and we all were grateful for our health but this year feels like some of our beloved traditions have returned and I so love that!

The bathroom update you've all been waiting for!

 Life has been super busy lately.  We are still moving Elisabeth from one room to another as Rob slowly brings his things back home.  I have a very big very important site inspection at my job on Monday. This has engendered extra hours at work and no small amount of stress.  In the past this site has not scored well and I want to show that it can and will. However we have had curve balls of leaks and short staffing that are making achieving our ambitious goal rather challenging.

And here at home, renovations continue--with the knowledge that we are hosting Thanksgiving in a few short weeks. EGADS!  On the plus side much has been done in our bathroom.  

Almost all our drywall is up.  I figure you brave folks that occasionally read this blog only need to see one picture of walls with drywall.  We have one full wall behind the washer and dryer yet to do and the back side of the shower wall, but all other areas are fully drywalled.

Our sink is in place and almost plumbed.  I was two pex fittings short the night we were doing the install.  Since it was 11:30 when we got to this point, the big box store was well and truly closed.

The shower is installed.  It is plumbed except for the drain..  Isn't it big and gorgeous!  There is a niche for each member of the family to put their beauty products.  It is so spacious.  I have a box covering the floor to protect it from construction debris as we continue our work.

Also the entire ceiling has been drywalled and the recessed lights reinstalled.  So we have done a lot (and this weekend we have worked on framing in the closet for linens as my friend E was away on a scout adventure and it is his tools I use for plumbing.  But the punch list of items yet to be done remains large--finish the plumbing. Tape and mud all the drywall.  Prime the drywall and paint.  Install tile around the sink and over the shower. Install the vinyl flooring.  Finish work around our window (we need to build a sill and do the trim work around it) Trim work around the door. Install the shelves in the closet. (ordered and will be here next wkend) Build the platform that the washer and dryer will stand on so that I can have storage underneath. Install light over the medicine cabinet. Build a faux barn door for the linen and beauty closet.  Install the doors on the tiny sink vanity.

So yeah, a few things left to do.  But you eat an elephant one bite at a time, right?