Random Sunday Blog

I thought I'd write just to touch base since it has been a little while.  Things have been going very well lately.  I am enjoying work more than I have before, we have decided on a contractor for our bathroom, and it hasn't gotten unbearably hot in Texas yet this summer.  Life is good!


Also my oldest is getting married in August and I'm so looking forward to see her again and seeing her getting married to a man she has loved for years. 


We have had fun picking out colors, vanity styles, etc., for the bathroom. We are getting sliding barn doors for the closet and bathroom entry. These are doors that roll across a track that is on the outside of the door above the doorway. Anyway we were wanting to find 3 antique doors to use for the doors and I thought it would be easier than it has been. There were a few places we checked in town yesterday and one lady had a few doors but none that were the size we need.


Hubby knows a guy that he thought would have some and he happened to have his business card from years ago when we owned Wood Stock. This guy salvages things as well as gets some props that have been used on movie sets.  There are the fake wooden windows that were used for the movie True Grit that we got to see on an outbuilding there.  Anyway, there were not as many doors as had hoped they would have.  We did see two matching ones but they wanted $200 a piece for them and that was giving us a break. Ouch!  They didn't look any better than the doors we saw yesterday at an antique store for $40 a piece. So we passed. It was  a nice ride out to the country and we got to see where we used to have Woodstock, but we went ahead and ordered some knotty pine doors at a local store that we will have stress painted by the same gal who did the one in our dining room so we are happy with how we think they'll turn out.

Good Monday!

I know I usually hate Mondays!  But got an early start with my walk and took Merlin with me.  It was still a bit cloudy so it was nice not having to wear my hat (which just makes me sweat more).  I watered the balcony gardens (pulled 5 caterpillars from my parsley that got on them at some point and tossed them off the balcony and over the fence).  I don't know why I keep thinking I won't get bugs by having plants up on the balcony, because they come anyway.  I have a pepper plant in the front that is fighting a losing battle still with the aphids too!


Anyway this was going to be a happy post not sad.  Anyway got dogs fed, washed up and got to work at 8:00AM.  I got through a lot of work today.  I was on a roll and also got some great news as well and cannot go into particulars but let's just  say I'm a happy worker! 


I had some yummy leftovers for lunch from eating at Cotton Patch on Saturday evening and enjoyed a Mike's lemonade (hubby surprised and bought it for me to try) with dinner.  Overall just a great day!! Just weird for a Monday to be so great!  I'll take it though!


Here is  picture of a few recent houseguests and no they were not invited :)

Both were set free unharmed.  Just don't want them back any time soon. I don't mind the cute little gecho type creatures but the lizard was about 6 inches long and not a tiny cute thing

Almost Friday

Another seeming long week is almost over.  I have been getting up earlier and walking in the morning instead of after dinner. Did I already write this?  I hope not. Anyway it has made me a little more tired than I'd normally be I thinking, because instead of getting up at 7:30AM on the days I don't do my regular exercise routine, I've been getting up at 6:30AM to do my walk early.  I've been taking one dog with me too which makes it take a little longer, for sniffing stops and peeing/pooping stops.  But it is fine. I get washed up when I come back and grab my coffee and am ready to go.  So I'm trying not to complain about feeling tired right now.  LOL


I think we've decided on our bathroom remodel. We picked some great guys who after revisions, gave us a decent quote that we can live with.  It is going to be at least a month away, but it is nice to know that it is really going to happen.  Now that's something to be excited about. That and the fact that tomorrow is Friday. Yea!!!!

Happy Father's Day!

Posted this today on Facebook. Wanted to share...

 To a man who served in WWII...married my mother...had four wonderful children (no bias there)...ventured out of state to start a business with a small group of like-minded men determined to not just simply punch a time clock...who refused to succumb to advanced stage non-Hodgkin's lymphoma nearly 10 years ago...and who will most likely be holding a winning bridge hand until the day he passes....to you I wish you Happy Father's Day! I am so proud to be your daughter!

Back on the shelf?..

We had ReBath here yesterday and forget them!  If we are lucky our $15K may cover a really nice shower but that's it.  The estimate they gave us using the same foot print and replacing with new (not extravagant mind you) is $22,150. WHAT?!!  I'm sorry but a bathroom remodel should not be that much.  And with this guy yesterday everything was expensive.  To remove some minor wall paper and get the walls paint ready, not even painted, just 'paint ready' was $1200. Seriously?  I don't know we may just forget about it for now. 


Oh and that interior designer that was here it will be 3 WEEKS ago as of tomorrow?  She called today to follow up with us?  Follow up? We thought she just blew us off.  She left a message that she had been away on a long vacation for a week and a half. Okay that accounts for half of the time it took for her to get back to us.  We're not bothering contacting her back.  Poor service from the start is a red flag to us. 


And the rest of the companies we've had out here have not gotten back to us yet. Two of those were here a week or more ago. And every one of them said "Give me a day or two to get back to you".  It makes me feel like our measly little bathroom is not worthy of the remodel it needs. Or our budget is too small of a job for anyone here to be interested in. All I know is that something that should be exciting and full of anticipation is turning into a nightmare. 

Old Bathroom

I am finally posting pictures of our old master bathroom before I totally forget.  Here is our 32 year old 'vintage' bathroom. This should present a fairly good picture of why I can't wait to get it redone! I didn't take close ups of the cabinets under the sinks but they are pretty scratched up or worn as well.

Closet bi-fold doors full of dog scratches.

trim for closet more dog scratched areas

Double sink with long (fake) marble top

My sink...faucet is eroding away....yucky sink!

Tub and shower crammed into the rear of the bathroom (past the sink area)

Old vinyl curled up along bathtub edge

Inside of the tub/toilet area with the door nearly closed. OLD wallpaper too

Old bathtub and fixtures...I've always hated the tub not matching shower

Dirt is ground in (porcelain is worn away, dull finish)

..

Next

It has been a wonderful couple of nights not sticking to the sheets.  Now the focus is on remodeling the 32 year old bathroom. That interior designer never got back to us, now that has been 2 1/2 weeks so forget her.  We have had 3 different contractors/remodelers here so far and expecting a Rebath rep here on Monday.  Of the 3 that have been here we liked the ones today the best so far.  They were the only ones to look in the attic to see if there was plumbing above the toilet, wrote down the most on their notepad, and were the friendliest!  To top it off I asked them if they have a crew or crews that they use, waiting for them to say yes and how many.  They said they do all the work themselves!  Wonderful!  They are also the only ones who asked us for our email to send correspondence.  So that is a good sign.  


I won't forget to take the 'Before' pictures either. I just keep forgetting about it.  Long work week. Very glad it is over.  Have some friends over for dinner tomorrow evening so that will be fun.  Have a lot of cleaning to do tomorrow to get the house presentable.  Then Sunday it is relax time!