summer weekends ~ part 2

Summer continues and so does the fun. Mitch and I both had our 10 year reunions - on back to back weekends. Great times, great friends, great food!

One of Hubby's favorite places!

More summer fun to come this week ~ visit from my sister and then Hubby's brother and sister-in-law. Bathroom project is taking a (needed) break!

it's done!

Our shower is tiled! We still have quite a ways to go - need to seal the shower, finish the molding, finish the back splashes, touch up paint, and install hardware (and then do the same thing to the other 2 bathrooms). We're definitely not set to go...yet. But, this is a huge step in the finish direction!

And we put on our new counter top last night. It couldn't be a closer fit!

(That old cabinet hardware is about to go as well!)

let there be tile!

For those who have been following our bathroom renovations, we hit a major milestone today. Most of the shower tile is in. Tomorrow, José (who is awesome!) plans to finish the floor and grout. We LOVE it. José let me take a peak early this afternoon and I was in awe. Finally something is going well (I guess that's what happens when the professionals take over!). Enjoy some of the progress pics!

cute prints

I saw the cutest wall art at The Land of Nod. Neat stuff for some of my pregnant friends or friends with little kiddos!

project organization ~ part 1

A couple of weekends ago I began some much needed re-organization projects. We have quite a fair amount of closet space in our home - enough that I have no idea where I stored everything before we moved in! But, with all this extra space, I still have a huge mess in my closets. It's time to do a re-organization - a clean sweep of sorts. So, I tackled one of the guest bedrooms and found many treasures.

Many of the items I found deserved a home in my office at school. So, in the car they went. Other items needed to move on - old cell phone boxes, used pencils, a broken camera. Their place is no longer in this closet. After a few trips to the car, the trash, and other areas that served a better fit, I was able to condense everything and clear the space.

But, there is more disarray. Stay tuned:

bad blogger

I have been absolutely TERRIBLE about blogging lately. I have several, in my opinion, good reasons.

1) I am teaching summer school. Read it: SUMMER school. Ick. But, the bright side - only 8 more days.

2) I just finished a big presentation for work. I had no idea the prep work would take so long - HOURS and HOURS. But, it was worth it. My staff is so wonderful.

3) HOME PROJECTS. I really do not need to say anymore. I would love to report on progress but I'm just not so motivated right now to photograph and document every little thing. Plus, that would be boring. But, the shower tile is set to be installed on Tuesday.

4) I'm tired! All of this wears me out! But, with only 8 more days of summer school and our bathroom renovation moving along, I might be able to stress less and relax more. Maybe.

I am hopeful I will be re-inspired to blog again soon!

let there be walls

With the help of my dad and a friend, we were able to get a lot accomplished in the old bathroom this weekend. I can't say I was much help. The bathroom isn't that big, especially the shower area and with 3 men in there at once, I didn't see a need to be in the way. I worked on my own side projects (which I will share soon). We were able to get all the dry wall up, dry wall taped, mudded, and sanded, counter top off, mirror off, and lights disconnected. Hubby still needs to do a few more rounds of sanding and mudding but things are looking really good. I am thankful we have had great help from friends and family. And, I'm very proud of the old Hubby. He is working VERY hard. We're making progress!

To come: my weekend project and my upcoming staining adventure!

Counter top is gone!

No more lights!

Ready for tile.

Ready for tile and a new shower faucet.

plugging along

Checking the blog and publishing posts has been difficult the past few weeks. Life has been moving at a very fast pace! Home projects continue this week. My dad is coming to help Hubby and I finish up a few things in our bathroom so it is ready to go as soon as our tile arrives. Hopefully we will soon have some solid after pictures ~ we have plenty of middle pictures right now!

Image from www.wellesley.edu

cracking up

I knew going into this project there was no way we would be problem free. It didn't take long. Today while the plumber was here installing our new drain for our shower I heard some very loud drops. While it was raining pretty heavily outside, this drop sounded rather suspicious. As if I knew what was happening, my eyes went to the ceiling in our hearth room. Yep, leaking.



To give a bit of history, when we moved in, we noticed some patch work that had been done on the ceiling in our hearth room. Obviously, there had been a previous issue but in the 2 years we have lived here, we've never had a problem. Unfortunately, Hubby and I had a hunch that patch work was going to give us some issues.


The plumbers checked and no leaks. I have no idea where the water came from or why there is now a crack which is bulging. So, furniture moved, tarp down, bucket in place, we're ready for what might, but hopefully won't, come.

summer weekend ~ part 1

With a college roommate and friend in town and a cousin's wedding, this weekend was full of friends, family, and laughs!

and so it begins

Wow. We're almost there. With some wonderful help tonight, most of the drywall is up in the shower. Next week - plumber (and then finish drywall). The week after that - the shower transformation begins. Below are the final "design" plans for the bathrooms. The green glass tile is our shower accent and tub/counter backsplash and sidesplash with the majority of our shower being comprised of 6x6 inch porcelain tile which counter complements the tile on our floors. Faucets have been purchased and light fixtures are set to come in next week. It's finally happening!

Master Bath by nicolelynn on Polyvore.com

Guest Bath by nicolelynn on Polyvore.com

Half Bath by nicolelynn on Polyvore.com

cherry-oh!

These are my new favorite summer treat!

not just for wax

I've been needing something to hold my rings. I have a habit of taking them off at night and grabbing them before I head out the door in the morning. I think my placement (on top of the dresser) was making Hubby nervous…he mentioned I should get something to set on top of the dresser to put my rings in. Hmm… Probably a good choice. Wouldn't want one of them slipping away. I didn't want anything too big, bulky, or gaudy. I already have a jewelry box and even though I can put my earrings in there each night, I just don't seem to have the motivation to do that with my rings. I wanted something simple, plain. While I was wandering at Michael's today, I found my vessel. What is normally used for votives will now hold my rings each night.

Perfect fit!

{fried} green tomato

We have a tomato! We planted earlier this spring than last and I am a little surprised to see this guy so soon – hopefully not too soon. I'll eagerly wait for him to redden up. Next up: peppers and jalapeño and then pico here we come!