The Laundry Room

Is no longer bare! It's been decorated with my bear collection. I've collected bears since I was 11 y.o. & my parents bought the "expensive" paper towels so I could save the Viva seals & send away for my Viva teddy bear! (They went back to the store brand towels after that.) My love affair with teddy bears had begun.You'll find them surreptitiously placed thru out the house as each room nears completion (notice I did not say "when completed", unsure if it ever really will be). But there has to be a primary bear room & the laundry room just seemed to lend itself to it. So I unpacked my favorites from the attic& they all have a new home. Hey-if you have to do laundry it might as well be in an enjoyable atmosphere.
A few years ago Tom felt like he was being overrun by bears so we came up with a compromise. I wouldn't buy anymore bears, but if they were gifts -well no problem!
For example: For Eva's 1st Birthday, her Grama made her the most beautiful bear for her room. Of course being the dutiful aunt, I oohhed & aahhed over it.
(OK-I drooled & whined & begged.) In the beginning of Dec, a pkg arrives & isn't there the two most adorable bears looking for a home! Not one mind you but two! Talk about a spoiled Auntie! The "Grama Colleen" originals have a special place in the laundry room! Thanks Grama!

Master Bath

The stairs to the Jacuzzi tub & the trim around the shower are done. The vanity unit has been installed & the door hung. The tile trim work around the casing can now be installed & we'll order the counter top for the vanity. The molding around the bay window & the crown molding in the tub area are next. We're getting closer!!!!
We learned our lesson & sent Mandy under the Jacuzzi tub before it was closed in to take pictures of the location of the valves, pipes & motor. Thank goodness it was before Christmas cookies & she still fit under there!

The Finished Foyer

Beautiful!
Need We Say More?????

Foyer Tiles

The layout has finally begun on the foyer tiles on the 7th of Dec. We're using the same slate style tiles that we used in the hallway & laundry room. Mandy's laying out a contrasting color & outlining it with mosaic trim which will create the illusion of a rug in the foyer. She'll use the same design on the landing on the stair case.

Posted by Tom & Martha at 7:56 AM 1 comments

Garage in a Box???

Thanksgiving is over-time to get to work!!! This beautiful weather isn't going to last for ever you know....Before we can move any farther in the house we have to be able to move some stuff to the garage; which is it's own seperate challenge. See, there is no room in the garage & in order to work in the garage & finish it , the walls need to be insulated & covered with plywood,the rafters need plywood to create a flat ceiling to prevent heat loss ('cause some day we'll have moderate heat in there, 50-55 degrees) Then above the ceiling we'll need to blow in insulation. But none of that can be done until all the junk is out of the garage.
So...we can move it into the house to work on the garage & then move it back out...NOT!
Enter one... Garage-In-A-Box! We bought a portable garage-12x20-(just to put it in perspective, a 2 car garage is 24x24). So my brother Dan put it together & proceeded to fill it up! We can now start working on closing in the garage (and making room for my car...maybe before the next big snow?)

Thanksgiving

Temperatures are quite moderate for this time of year, the sun is shining behind the clouds & we're up early to clean our kitchen, run a trial cycle thru the dishwasher and polish our new Corian counter tops to a beautiful shine! We're Ready! Uh-Oh, there's water on the floor in front of the dishwasher-well hell-not much-who cares, it's a concrete floor & I'm not giving up my dishwasher on Thanksgiving!!! (Someone please explain again why we're doing Thanksgiving???) So we have all these new appliances, an awesome island/work area & where is Tom cooking?? The Pantry!


It was a great day! My brothers, niece & nephew got some fishing in off the deck while my Mom just enjoyed the weather.
Small group this year, dinner was served on a 6ft folding banquet table in what will some day be the dining room-Good Eats!

Posted by Tom & Martha at 6:21 PM 2 comments

Appliances

Well the appliances were delivered on the 19th of Nov. Looks like the kitchen will actually become a reality! Mandy & Tom are installing the microwave first, then the stove. The microwave went in with very little problem. Then the stove; the stove was about 3/16th of an inch too large to fit in the opening. Uh-Oh! So Mandy gets out the trusty palm sander & begins to sand down the new Corian counter top. I'm not likin' this....I'm thinking this might be a good time to go shopping...They attempt to slide the stove in; nope; not yet.
I'm really thinking I don't want to see this... Sand some more, another attempt-Nope.
On try #3 Mandy's frustrated,(note pic upper R) Tom's thinking it's time to user a hammer, I'm flippin out not knowing he's joking...phone rings...saved by the bell! While Tom's on the phone, Mandy discovers there are screws in the back of the stove & by removing them, the stove has some "give". Doesn't the little bugger slide right in!?!? Lot's of head smacking at this point-I was wise enough not to take photos of this!
Take a break (like a day) now it's on to my dishwasher! YEAH!!!
The good news is it fits & everything works...the bad news is there's a glitch in the wiring (not the first mind you) I can't run the dishwasher & garbage disposal at the same time.
Hello!!! Like I Care??? I've never had a garbage disposal, tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I NEED a dishwasher!

Posted by Tom & Martha at 7:28 PM 1 comments

Kitchen Tiles

While Tom was working with the guys on the garage, Mandy was tiling as much as she could on the kitchen wall-the back splash-the rest would have to be finished after the appliances come in. Delivery is scheduled for the 19th. Just a few days before Thanksgiving.
And guess who's having Thanksgiving this year???

Posted by Tom & Martha at 11:11 PM 2 comments

Garage Door & "Man" Door

It is the 15th of Nov., 2 weeks after our garage talk; today the garage door was installed so we can move forward on the plan of getting the garage done. Yippee!
Now if you look at the newly installed garage door, to the right of it is a section of plywood that will soon be replaced by a regular walk thru door. Only in the garage it is called a Man-door (it's OK ladies, I know you appreciate these lessons); one would assume it is called a man door because it is used for people to enter & exit, whereas the overhead garage is used for vehicles to enter & exit.
This would be wrong, it is called a Man-door because this is man's domain. There is a lot of power in a man's garage, be it his tools, his lawn mower & snowblower, his vehicles, or just a powerful ego.
Not my husband of course, I am the one who packed his garage, moved his garage, cleaned & arranged his garage, I therefore think in this instance, the door should be referred to as the Woe-man door, "cause woe to him , when he can't find what he needs he comes to the Woman!"
Will keep you posted on the garage......

Posted by Tom & Martha at 9:48 PM 1 comments

Garage

This is the inside of our garage. Most people woud be ashamed to show you this, much less admit it.

But since I joined "Wahwiose" (pronounced wahh woo see), I am no longer ashamed! I am able to hold my head up!
I can walk out that garage door (well not really 'cause I have trouble getting to it then lifting the door up) & look any neighbor in the eye & say "I Am Not Responsible"!
What has changed my attitude you ask????
What is "Wahwiose"?
"Women against husbands who insist on saving everything"!
If you know of some woman who would benefit from this support group have her contact me!
It's not too late, change can happen!
So newly enlightened, I approached my husband, "could we please tackle the garage next so we have a place to move stuff from the house & then we could finish the house?"
"OK", he says. Wait, that was just too easy....... I'll keep you posted.

Posted by Tom & Martha at 4:39 PM 1 comments

Mistress' Bath

Mandy began the next phase of finishing the Master bath the end of October, it was sporadic, since the exterior work was the focus on good weather days. The stairs were built for the tub & the floor tiled. Then the border tile was installed around the shower. Kinda looks like some Medieval torture chamber.....
the nails were to keep the tiles in place while the mortar set, likewise the blue tape.
And the tree trimmer you ask????...Well I just might be going out on a limb here, but my guess is to hold the board in place that's holding up the tiles. It has an adjustable handle so the support is just right.

1 comments:

Grama Colleen said...

I think you should be working on the guest quarters.......in case of unexpected company !!!!!

10:50 AM

The Old Boat

The yard (& I use that term loosely) in the front of the house is now multi-levels of different grades of soil, layered on top of washed aggregate and is a few inches above the neighbors driveway. So creative landscaping will come into play here in the spring. That's where I get to start having some fun. Plants, flowers, retaining walls, paths, ponds, waterfalls....my hands are just itching to get into that dirt!

But back to the present, it's nice to look out and see the backhoe gone, even if it's only for a few days. But better yet-it's thrilling to see the old red & white boat gone!It seems like it's been in every outdoor photo of the front!

When Old Charlie who sold us the property, he had stored in his garage, a 1959 fiberglass Whitehouse Runabout with fins on the back. It came with the house, even still had the motor on it & the water skis in it. Seaworthy??
Maybe, but not after sitting outside for a year in all four seasons. So off to the dump it went! The tires on the trailer went bad, had to replace them, but in order to replace them a couple of holes had to be punched into the boat to drain the water out-it was listing broadside-no way they were going to be able to change those tires without getting the water out.
So the boat's gone & the boat trailer with the new tires is now part of the front yard landscape vista!

Stoned Patio (or at least a great drinking spot)

The 2 patios have been stoned and look beautiful!
Tom & Mandy did a spectacular job!
Very challenging, like piecing a puzzle together. The first few days were a little rough but they ended up getting a routine going. Each piece is fit in individually and "dry stacked", which means there is no grout in between the stones like ceramic tiles to hold everything in place.
These only have mortar on the metal lath & the back of the stone, so each stone needs to support the other.
I did help on occasion, when Tom was tied up, he sent in the "second string" (me) on non-baby days.
Mandy & I worked great together, not that Tom needed to know that, we actually were in tune with which stone size & color went where (but damn she's picky!).
I wasn't too keen on using the wet saw to cut the stones though if they needed an edge trimmed or a hump shaved & when you see my husband after using it, you'll understand.
You'll also be proud of me-I never caved-despite the pressure of Mandy mumbling while having to climb down from her high horse-oops-I mean scaffolding to use the saw until Tom came back. The cement dust mixed with the water really does a number on your face & hair.
Hey! I'm not a wimp-Mandy doesn't like it either!
We just let Tom do it!
Just look at the pic of Tom above, cripes-he can't even see out of his glasses!
He also looks like this when they're tiling-am I blessed or what?

1 comments:

Grama Colleen said...

IT is fabulous...I know I saw it before completion...but it is truly awesome. What a talent that girl has (and her sidekick Tom !!....sorry Tom) It is beautiful.....

5:42 AM

Is There A Kitchen Yet ?

Well not actually....but we do have a kitchen counter!!!! We ordered a Corian counter top.
When they came to measure, they used a a unit called a digitizer which actually digitally measures the from point A to point B, inputs the info into the laptop & you have a actual visual to look at so you can see just what your counter will look like!
Then you need to choose the color, sink size, edging style, height of your back splash....will the decisions never end?!?
The counter arrived & took 3 men to carry in the sections & install them. It came in 5 sections. Only one had a slight problem fitting, a little tight resulting in a wall ding (Mrs. Mandy Fix-it to the rescue), they took the counter back out, filed down the edge & it slid back in just like a glove.
One section-the island- we didn't have them glue down yet because we were making a slight change to the cabinet & we'd glue it when we were done. Apparently that was a good thing, when Mandy (The Mistress of Tiling) looked it over, she commented on how the edges weren't right for tiling (& since she was doing it she ought to know). So the largest counter (upper right) has to go back to the factory & be readjusted. Since they're at it, Tom wasn't happy with the edges so they'll sand & polish those too.

The counter has all of a sudden become an ideal place for setting all kinds of tools, work parts, etc. What is it about a clean empty flat surface that begs to be covered with all sorts of tools, papers. parts, etc.?
The counter looks absolutely great with the rest of the colors we chose for the kitchen. The guys were great & the counter looks just like it belongs....
The microwave, stove, cook top & dishwasher (YIPPEE!!) will be delivered on the 19th. Not that I really care, I have decided that washing dishes by hand each evening burns up the calories I consume from wine, so who needs a dishwasher?
Just kidding Tom.......

1 comments:

Grama Colleen said...

Old wives tale - "flat surfaces smooth and pretty ?" wrong....flat surfaces collect papers, tools, and misc stuff...just because....well keeps the dust from showing !!! BUT of course !

5:38 AM

The Siding Is Almost.........

Who ever knew what a difference siding could make???
Mom stopped over the other day & commented on the color of the roof.
"Mom" I said, "that's the same roof that's been there since we moved in."
"Well it never looked blue before", she said.
Apparently the siding & trim really make it stand out. How beautifully it's all coming together.
As soon as the new garage doors are in, the garage can finish being sided.
Well it's getting closer to completion (the siding that is), with the exception of the front porch where you currently see the white tyvek. That's not scheduled to be completed until spring since it's being stoned, weather is too iffy now & that section will be time consuming. We are considering just covering the tyvek with tar paper so it doesn't look so bad.
Instead of being referred to as the neighbors who's house isn't done yet, we can be the Medaj's at The Tar Paper Manor .
Now, just for something light & entertaining, if you look close at the top pic (after double clicking to enlarge), that smiling face in the center of the blue tarp is Tom & in the upper left corner of the blue tarp is his sidekick Mandy (she wouldn't come down off her high horse-oops-I mean scaffolding).

1 comments:

Grama Colleen said...

I just love it...Looks wonderful...what a difference..I LOVE the color combo's....Did I say I LOVE it ?????

5:34 AM

The Princess

THE PRINCESS

THE PRINCESS ON CHOCOLATE




In case you can't figure it out, Eva turned 1 on the 24th of October.
She had a "Princess" party, definitely more for Mommy than Eva.
She certainly had a great time being the center of attention.
Chocolate was definitely preferable to white,
& the fact that she could dig right in (hands & face) to
"her end" of the cake was the "crowning" glory.

1 comments:

Grama Colleen said...

Isn't she the most beautiful PRINCESS you have ever seen ?????
Not that I would be the least bit biased...

5:31 AM

Chicago Marathon

WOW!

Our Bestest Buddy Patty ran the Chicago Marathon this year.
It was her 50th birthday present to herself!
Damn doesn't she look good!
What an terrific birthday gift to yourself!
Her first Marathon and out of 708 women in her age group(50-54) she came in at 199!
HOT DAMN! IS SHE AWESOME OR WHAT!

We are so proud of her we just had to share

Most of you have met her at one point or another in our lives.

Posted by Tom & Martha at 5:17 PM 0 comments

Delayed NY State Fair Pics

OK, these were just too cute not to share.You'll definitely want to click on this picture grid to blow it up-she just makes you grin! Eva got her first purse from Auntie Martha at the fair & decided it was a great place for her pacifier & her O's (Cheerios). Aunt Donna & Mommy got new purses too-Aunt Martha tried , but nothing said take me home.
Dipping french fries in hummus is way better than ketchup! She even tried Aunt Donna's Felafel's, Aunt Martha's Gyro & decided Greek food is good.
Aunt Donna, Aunt Martha with Eva; Mommy made it into the next picture.
Eva, tired of riding in the stroller decided to help push.(And a big help she was!)
Her first ride on the dairy cow in the Dairy building.
First Cowgirl hat, she wasn't too keen on it.
Eva crashed after a hard day at the fair.
The rest of us were ready & raring to go (NOT)! After some good Greek food & a beer or two, cheesecake on a stick, assorted other nibbles & of course the 3 foot long fried dough...walking a few miles for quite a few hours, body slamming with a few thousand people, we were trying to figure out how to climb in with Eva.
Weather was beautiful though & the obvious lack of husbands certainly made shopping easier,the only one who complained was Eva if we didn't move fast enough, (Daddy did you give her tips before we left?) apparently crafts are boring.

Now despite you're political preference, The Clinton's happened to be at the Fair that day & Eva & Mommy got to shake his hand (we didn't see H-)not too many baby books have pics of the baby shaking a former President's hand.
Thanks Mandy for the photos!

Posted by Tom & Martha at 9:12 PM 0 comments

Septic System

dbl L click to enlarge pics

It's so hard to believe these tanks were put into the ground over a year ago (Sept 05) & we're still not done! Three truckloads of soil dumped & spread this week, then over the soil, two load of stone which must be washed & all the stone must be a certain size range,

3/4" to 1 1/4". Then that's spread & the pipes are laid for the leach field. In the picture grid, the year dates were cut off, the dump truck load of dirt begins the 2006 pictures.
The Engineer came to inspect on Saturday & called back on Monday, the pipe lay out needs some alteration. All the pipes were removed & the stone will need to be spread out a little more.
Apparently our bodily functions cannot quite make this long a run before they seep into the leach field. We need to shorten the travel distance.

Posted by Tom & Martha at 8:59 PM

Outdoor Progress!!!!

The lower stoned patio was finished on the 2nd of Oct., Mandy fitted the pieces in the last corner! Tom & Mandy started the upper patio on the 3rd.
That went quite slow after the 3rd though,Tom got bit in the wrist by the neighbor's dog, (not the love us, bought our house,feed us neighbors-the ones on the other side). If he hadn't thrown up his arm when the dog lunged at him, it probably would have gotten his neck or face. 4 Puncture wounds, took him to urgent care-took 2 hours to stop the bleeding, apparently the dog nicked a vein. In a sling to control the bleeding for 2 days, so he's not getting much done.
Needless to say, Tom's sore, pissed & looking at his options.
The dog is a pit bull/Rottweiler mix. Just a friendly neighborhood dog.
Obviously, our nieces & nephews are no longer allowed on that side of the house, in addition, we also have a concern for the workers.

In the mean time Coop & Larry actually started siding & it looks great! Got bored with siding, so, they installed the porch posts. The weather has been great & it looks good for the next week. So we should get a lot of outdoor work accomplished this week.

Posted by Tom & Martha at 8:23 PM