Home Remodeling Part 1- Bathroom

As soon as we first looked at this house we knew the first project would be the bathroom. It's not that it was horrible or falling apart or anything like that, it's just that there's not even a shower. Just a tub. Could you imagine Adam taking bubble baths everyday? No me neither.
The other deal is that there is just one bathroom (not counting the toilet in the brick cellar/basement that terrifies me). I can live without a kitchen for a period of time, but I can't live without a bathroom.

So demo on the bathroom started right away (after a pipe in the basement was moved to make room for the new basement stairs that are going in as well) and we are continuing work on it tomorrow. Sorry I don't have pictures of me helping to take down the wall, but trust me, it was fun.

We took down all the tile (cheap plastic stuff) and also the layer of drywall that was over the plaster. Took out the old cast iron tub, built in vanity and sink and are even taking up the linoleum floor. We will eventually take out the toilet too, but have to leave it working for now.

We took out the wall behind the tub that was a closet accessed in the master bedroom. It was a second closet, so all is not lost, and we now have a lot more room for a regular sized tub (the previous one was only four feet long) and can build a false wall allowing for a shower as well. We will be laying new ceramic tile for the floor, baseboard, and behind the tub, new drywall all around to cover the old plaster with a lot of holes in it, a new toilet, corner tub, and vanity will go in. We are dropping the ceiling a few inches to allow electricity to be run through to put in new lighting and a vent/fan. Then of course you have your regular painting, etc. that go along with everything else.

Just so we are very clear, when I say "we," I mean Adam and I being bossed around by the much more knowledgeable men from our church who are helping. Jim has kind of taken on the bathroom project for us and is patient in teaching us all kinds of new things and giving us his expert plumbing and building opinion. Tom is helping out building the new basement stairs.

Now for the pictures:

Before

View from the door leading to the kithchen. Viewed are tub, vanity/sink. Don'tcha like the wallpaper?

The little addition for the toilet


Another view, so you can see how compact it is, the edge of the toilet on the left, tub with the vanity in the way.

Current View

The pink is the original bathroom and the blue is the closet once the wall was down. The door leads into the master bedroom but will have a wall built over it and the tub will sit in front of it in that corner. The door will be plumbing access from the master bedroom.


View into the toilet cubby


The mess! Drywall on the floor, but so much more space


Once more view that would have been similar to the first picture view.

Looking at the change already makes me really excited to see how this will all shape up. It's so hard to show these things in pictures, but I'm working on making a mark up of all the products and things we are using so give you some idea of what it will look like finished.

Tomorrow we are expecting to spend all day at the house and I believe Adam will be learning to put up drywall. I'll of course have baby duty and will be starting in the dining room taking down a chair rail, paneling, and wallpaper. Too many people in the bathroom are not a good idea as it is a small space. Plus the demo is a lot more fun than the putting back together anyway. :)

Let us know what you think! Also any suggestions or ideas are helpful too! We want to hear from you about this process as we go along.

I saw snow today. Not on the TV, but in real life. Well, it was just flurries, but it was too much for me.

Five Reasons I Miss Working (These are for you Tina and Elea)
1. Adam doesn't encourage my crafting the way you did
2. I didn't have to clean up poop once while working at the Auto
3. I miss having lovely conversations with Hessina
4. I don't get updated on the news nearly as much and I haven't been to YouTube in months
5. I have a pile of magazines taller than my kid that haven't been read
And Bonus #6 - I haven't had good coffee or tea in quite a while
Oh yeah, I also miss Chinese food with brown sauce,
Oooo and making fun of Kerry while he's asleep and to his face :)
Oh! And I miss our secret club where we took over the universe, because we are way smarter than everyone else on the planet and a lot less annoying.

I should be

I should be sleeping, but I'm still up. Lots of things have been accomplished today, and so my body just can't seem to wind down. I'm also really excited about tomorrow.

Tomorrow we go to the Ohio State vs Illinois game. I haven't been to a game since I graduated. I can't wait to hear Carmen Ohio live and watch Script Ohio. Yup the football's nice, but the band is my favorite.

I've got a pile of clothes waiting to be donned in the morning and a list for those watching Max on what to expect (luckily, all of us are feeling much better, thanks for the well wishes and prayers).

Adam finished ripping out drywall in the bathroom at the house while I did a lot of shopping today. New tub ordered, check! New guest mattress picked out, check! Sponges, soap, dust masks for the new house, check!

Monday starts my adventure in pulling down wallpaper....

I read this little story today and thought it was really good. But then again, I love James Thurber and am a big fan of embroidery too. I also love little, strange stories.

Happy Birthday to You- Thankful Thursday

I am so Thankful for my little baby boy! He's completely changed our lives and we don't know what we'd do without him.

Today is Max's half birthday! I can't believe 6 months ago we were still in Dallas, not knowing where we were going to be living in the next two months, just graduated from seminary, and I was still laying the delivery room, staring at the most beautiful thing in the world and feeling overwhelmed that he was ours.

Yesterday at the doctor's office Max weighed in at an even 18lbs. Yup, 18lbs- That puts him at 65% for his age. The doctor and I agreed we don't have to worry about his weight anymore ;)

He also has another ear infection and a pretty bad cold. So we are back on antibiotics for that and he'll have to get his shots next week sometime.

And today we demolished the bathroom in our new house. Literally. I got to help knock down a wall. It was awesome.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll find the time to blog about the end of our time in Florida and get the first post of "Our Home Makeover" together.

Quick (but not long enough) Update

We've had a lot going on, so here's a run down

Vaca
The beach was awesome! Just the 12 days I needed. However, I was not thrilled to come back to 40 degree, rainy weather. The high on Saturday is 35. When we are supposed to be at the Illinois vs Ohio State game. Yeah, that'll be fun. I've got more pictures from the beach, but I'm too lazy to get up and find the camera, I'll have to get back to you on that.

Our Household
We are fighting sickness here. Max and I have been yucky since we've been home and have just the general crud as far as I can tell... We're just hoping Adam doesn't get it.

Max
So much has been happening with him lately. Being sick, I rescheduled Max's 6 month checkup for tomorrow, so I'll hopefully have some stats on him tomorrow. But we've reached a new stage in our house. The "DON'T LOOK AWAY FOR ONE SECOND" stage.

While we were on vacation Max perfected his rolling and scootching skills and now cannot be trusted to stay anywhere. As I'm typing this, he's gotten himself all the way across the room and is now playing with the screen indicating he'd like to write my blog for me. He's super fun and follows toys and people around the room. He's also a self feeder, or increasingly so, but can't understand that if he rolls over his bottle doesn't work so well, and that I still have to spoon feed him his baby food, he thinks he should be able to do it himself.

I have kinda relished him not feeling well because he's been super cuddly today, and baby sneezes are the cutest things ever, he's a smiler even when he's sick. I love that about him.

House
We closed on the house yesterday and I've already had nightmares about the line that shows you the total amount you will have paid after 30 years. Gosh that's a lot of money. But nonetheless, we signed anyway and this afternoon work started on the bathroom. And I was too sick to go over and watch and start my own work removing wall paper. Maybe tomorrow.

Randoms
I've realized I'm really behind in music. I've decided I like Taylor Swift and today she released her second album, I'm not sure where I was when she released her first. Yeah, I also realize she sings country. Oh well, she seems like a sweet girl.

We are having Chicken Enchilada Soup for dinner.... It's a recipe from the Ladies Mug Run we had at church a few weeks ago and I've altered it a little. Here's how I made it...
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups milk
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis (Rotel for those of you in Texas)
2 cans enchilada sauce
1/2 teaspoon minced dried onion
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
shredded sharp cheddar
sour cream
tortilla chips

Put milk and cream of chicken soup in crock pot and mix until lumpies are all gone (important to do first) and then add the rest of the ingredients until the cheese put on high for 4 hours or medium for 6 stir in cheese until all melty and mixed in before serving. Serve over tortilla chips and with sour cream.

Other things.... I would love this with guacamole. The original recipe also called for one medium onion (instead of dried onion) and also a red pepper chopped and a jalepeno instead of the chilis (and instead just using plain diced tomatoes). But let's be honest, I was makng this so I didn't have to make anything major toinght for dinner and I didn't have an onion or jalepeno, and I wanted Adam to eat it (so no red pepper, but I didn't have one of those either). Thanks for the original recipe, Lynette, which I then completely butchered.

Thankful Friday

I missed Thankful Thursday yesterday because we were at Universal Studios for Adam's birthday. We had a great time (without the kiddo) and acted like kiddos ourselves for the day.

So Thankful Friday it is, and this is what I'm thankful for today.



We leave tomorrow evening for home, where I saw it's only supposed to be in the 40s tomorrow. Yuck.

I could live here....

Talking with my mother in law, she asked if I thought I would ever get sick of being here. I replied with a not likely response and so did she. I thought, I could be a beach bum my entire life, but then where would I vacation?

We joined Ryan and Laura at their church on Sunday. It was interesting for me to be back in "big" corporate worship after adjusting to our smaller church. It was nice, but I missed listening to my husband preach God's Word. The highlight of my morning however was the woman sitting next to us, she said about Max, "He sure looks well fed." My mission is complete, I have a chubby baby. :)

The whole family is here together now, Adam arrived on his birthday on Monday and my father in law arrived yesterday. The eight of us (Dad, Mom, Adam, Cara, Ryan, Laura, Ella, and Max) all had lunch together and went to the Florida Aquarium for the afternoon. Max actually loved watching the fish and trying to get them through the glass and Ella seemed to love the turtles the most.

I don't know what's in store for today, it's a little overcast, but I'm enjoying the sound of the waves, the quiet while Max and Adam are still asleep, and that the elections are OVER. At least it's over.