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!
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???
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......
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.
Ma
ndy 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.
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!
Well it's time to continue working on the laundry room, the upper cabinets went in two months ago (to the date!). We're putting in the sink base cabinet & another small cabinet (leftovers from the pantry auction cabinets), nice light maple, looks beautiful with the morning sun!But wait!!!! DejaVu!!!
We're missing the drain pipe for the slop sink! Hmmm-we know it was there...
Where or where can it be???
Perhaps hidden behind the drywall.....
just like the light fixture in the 1/2 bath....
or maybe like the water hook-up for the dishwasher......
or maybe the duct work for the A/C in the ceiling in the kitchen or the thermostat wire in the laundry room that was missing.....
Unfortunately, unlike the kitchen, I have no photos of that section of the laundry room before the drywall went up.
Well Tom & Mandy narrow it down, we know it's here...the question is...which side of the stud...Mandy thinks left, Tom thinks right...let the drywall slashing begin!
Mandy is the Winner-luckily we went with her choice first!
By the way-this just in-just in case your interested we're still missing a thermostat wire for the foyer. We have at this time, 3 differing opinions on where it could be. Hopefully I'll find a picture for that too.
So the cabinets go in, counter top goes on & slop sink was installed today. Yippee!!!
We're getting there...
Just a quick note for those of you building next year-(since you obviously haven't read a thing I've written in the last year or think "It can't possibly happen to me..")TerryLynn & Mike, Mandy & Brian, Jill & Jeremy-
Take photos of wiring & plumbing before you drywall!
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 inbetween 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?
The
Well not actually....but we do have a kitchen counter!!!! We ordered a corian countertop.
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 backsplash....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, cooktop & dishwasher (YIPPEE!!) will be delivered on the 19th. Not that I really care, I have decide that washing dishes by hand each evening burns up the calories I consume from wine, so who needs a dishwasher?
Just kidding Tom.......
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).
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.
