Penitent

I'm sorry.  I'm still here.  Please still visit.  Please come and read again.  Please accept me back, prodigal blogger that I am.  I don't mean to have neglected you.  But the in-laws are here.   They are finishing our basement.  And somehow, it seemed very wrong of me to leave them, broken backs lifting, bloody knuckles hammering, to go knoodling with my interpeeps.  (Although I had no problem leaving them to go to the salon.  Ahhhh, 2 hours of scalp massaging bliss. Priorities you know.)  While they have been doing all the actual work, I have still been kept very busy with frequent trips into the bowels of the house to give important counsel like, put those light switches here.  No, put them there.  I would like two can lights here.  Never mind, make that three sconces.  The smaller vanity sounds fine.  Actually how about the bigger one--no, the smaller one.  Cubbies would be great.  But maybe a closet. Can I have a stage?  A climbing wall?  Swings?  A monkey gym?  Can we just make this a gorilla habitat down here? Etc.  I'm sure Grammy and Pops are overjoyed every time they hear my stealthy tread coming down the stairs to deliver more confusing and preposterous plans.   And I'm fairly positive my leaving with a positive nod and "I'll be back later to check on your work" doesn't help.  (there's a movie quote for you!)  In all honesty, they have been working very hard and I have tried my best to not be an exasperating costumer.  Thankfully, we are all, Chris, boys, Grandparents, and I, taking a break later this week and traveling south while the dry-wallers come and do their job.  So if I go on hiatus again, it's legitimate family time.

One of Chris' friends has been asking for pics of the ongoing basement.  The only ones I have just show only partial framing and it is intensely boring to look because you can't tell what's what.  Here is one decent picture. 

 It shows what will be a craft area for the kids (where the slide is sitting--yes, that's a slide.  He He.  More about that in later posts) with a craft/work area for me behind it and a storage room behind that.  My area will have a nice window looking out onto the kids area so I can go in my room, shut the door to keep busy boys out, but still be able to see what they are doing and holler commands like, "Matthew, don't swing Will by the head," and "Joseph, let's not drink that glue," etc.

Sorry I only have one, thanks for your patience Brad!  Currently the framing, electrical, and plumbing are all done and the dry-wallers arrive tomorrow morning.  Once that is done the photos will make more sense and I will post some more.  If I can get down there in the morning before the workers I will also try to get some pics.  And if you, dear reader, will forgive my blogging fast and come again, I'll favor you with a little remodeling photo update. 

Drum Roll Please--bdddddddddddddd

What is it?  After this week and a half or more of absence what do I have for you.  Finally . . . I have pictures of our completed home projects!  So, without further ado, I present to you:

4 very small and not very extreme HOME MAKEOVERS!

these are the little things we have done since living here

(a disclaimer:  I am having severe formatting issues with my blog publisher--so please don't mind the fact that I am showing only four projects, but the numbers list 10 or so)

1. The powder room:  Please don't think worse of me.  I'm usually not one for wall paper--BUT--I'm a sucker for toile.  I love it.  So this small powder room off the kitchen has red toile wall paper and white bead board.  I think the toile gives you something nice to look at and you can imagine stories about the people in it while you're sittin' around in there. Even if you're having a bad day it reminds you--at least you're not washin' your clothes in the river like that French peasant.  Though she does look so happy doing it . . 
2. The kitchen back-splash:  This was our first tiling project.  I learned lots of things.  For instance:  if you are tiling around electrical outlets, and therefore need to turn off the electricity in that part of the house, try your very best to finish before dark.  Otherwise you will be running around trying to find an extension cord to run electricity from a different part of the house to a small lamp that will cast a light so lean you will be squinting at your work from every direction and contorting your body every which way to avoid casting a shadow.  It turned out decent in the end.
3. Here's a close up of the slate we used.  I fell in love with all the different colors and the few sparkly pieces.  Everyone can use a little sparkly!
4. The boys bathroom:  More than once in my life when taking on new projects for the first time, I read all the directions, am meticulous about following them, attend to every detail, and religiously watch and wait over it, willing it to turn out right.  And it does. Unfortunately, more often than not, the SECOND time I try to do the same thing, I am far to confident in my previous abilities, throw caution to the wind, don't pay attention, and the entire thing is botched, tremendous amounts of time are waisted, and people fall ill (i.e. Chris and my second batch of hollandaise sauce).  This tile floor was hollandaise sauce #2 all over again.  After hours, days, weeks, and months of grouting, grouting, and grouting, and drilling, drilling, drilling the grout out, and grouting, grouting, grouting some more we finally finished.  We added some bead board (I love bead board) and threw up some paint.  Here's what we got.
5. A close up of the tile.  I love the watery wash of blue.  
6. (Another noteworthy lesson:  if you should pull your toilet up and put it in the tub to tile around the plumbing hole, and then haul the toilet out of the shower so a visiting guest can bathe, don't set the toilet nicely on the tiled floor next to, but NOT on top of, it's original plumbing hole post.  This sends a false message to neighbor children that the toilet works, and they might unknowingly use it.  For #2.  And you will be left with a smelly mess.)
7. The master bathroom:  This was all Chris' idea but I did get to help pick out the tile. Here's the before shot.
8. Not bad.  Painted walls.  Linoleum floor.  Here's the after.
9. Travertine floors, wall, and tub front.  Onyx shelf.  And let me tell you--12 inch square tiles are SO MUCH easier to grout the 1 inch square tiles.
10. The best part--the little brick shaped onyx tiles that cover the shelf are packed so tight they don't really need any grouting.  I love that.
11. And their yummy buttery color lifts my spirits each morning.  Anything buttery lifts my spirits in the morning--or any other time of the day.

So there you have it.  Our little home improvements.  Now for our BIG home improvement. The reason I have been gone the past bit is because of the new project coming our way.  I love to be organized but am not the best at staying organized.  This past week I have been de-cluttering, organizing, and throwing away hoards of stuff in preparation for my in-laws to arrive (they should be here within the hour).  They are going to stay with us for the next month or so and this gave me great incentive to do a bit of long needed "spring cleaning."  As for the reason they are coming . . . to take on a project much to big and much to difficult for Chris and I . . . the basement.  Yes, they are coming to finish the basement and I tell you, this mother of three young boys is EXCITED!