Remodeling June to December 2018, first room was the BATHROOM

Once we got home from our month long vacation visiting family that was spread out from IN to FL we started the physical remodeling job on the house. I say physical because I researched and looked through all kinds of sites including Pinterest, I also went to showrooms to get ideals of what I want each room to look like. This went on for at least 6 months before we even started the physical work.

This was suppose to be fun, so we thought but turned into a nightmare. The stress level was high and wearing thin on my nerves. Yes, it was worth it now that I get to enjoy the end results but this was started in June and lasted until December. The only reason I stopped was because of the holidays and January 2nd I had surgery on my foot so no walking or standing until it healed. (It is healed enough now so I will start back up as soon as the warmer weather is here. I rather air out the paint smell that do it now and have to smell it in a closed house.) Anyways, little things need to be done, a door painted here or a molding there. The hallway needs another coat but no real big projects left. Technically, it isn't completely finished but all the hard work is done (nothing but painting left) and last week I got the custom made spice rack so everything is in now in and hung were they are suppose to be.

First room to be done was the bathroom:

Before

Yes, that is a shell sink from the 80's.

After

I never took photos for the intent of 'before and after' so I have no photos of the rest of the bathroom but it was towel bars on the walls, and that same yellow floor and wall board or whatever you call that stuff from the 80s. Naturally it is yellowed and cracked from all those years. Notice how dark the before picture is? Yep, that is all the light I had in there. It is a good thing I don't wear either makeup or contact lenses, I'd be really in sad shape trying to do those with that lighting. However now it is a different story. I love my bathroom now!

I wish I could have captured it but those tiles look like cut glass inside and they reflect the light in a way that makes them sparkle, much like a diamond sparkles. There is a new vent fan with a light over the tub/shower and recessed lighting in the ceiling in both the front of the bathroom as well as the back. (I did turn some lights off in some of the pictures to cut down on the shine.) With the new light bar over the sink, no more darkness!!! 

Also I decided not to mar the walls with towel bars and put up art instead. I bought a standing towel bar for by the sink to lay hand towels on and for bath towels we use the stand that is under the window (not in one of the pictures so look at 2nd from last) which we lay there to dry and then hang it on hooks inside the closet (which is why I want them dry first) until we get enough for a load of laundry. No more ugly hooks on the bathroom door with damp towels hanging so every time you wash your hands, your brushing up against wet towels plus the unsightly towels hanging from the towel bars on the wall. 

I love the clean lines and pictures. This room was what kept my sanity when the rest of the house was a mess! I would come in here and look at the trees. That wire tree hanging by the toilet is a great for stress relief by bending the 'roots' in different shapes. This room would always remind me why I am going through it and put a smile on my face every time. 

So much going on...so little time..

The year just flew by and here we are already talking about Christmas. I have so much to post however so little time to do it but I will get to it soon. I am remodeling the house and can now finally see the light at the end of the tunnel so it won't be long. So much to tell you all about but ...it will have to wait just a bit longer.

Since I already darn near missed everything this year, I just want to be sure to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving.

May 2018 Trip

We went on vacation for the month of May to visit family and attend our granddaughter's high school graduation. We made a bit of a vacation out of it as well as our first stop was Gettysburg, PA. We talked for years about going to see the battlefields but never got there yet so on our way to IN to see our three granddaughters there, we stopped at Gettysburg to take a tour.

This is how I toured the battlefield.

 

 

 

Jerry's first time encountering a horse up close and personal. I never knew he never touched a horse until this day. 

 

 



Our hotel was amazing with the décor but they wouldn't let me bring the cannon home.

 

The stay was much too short to really see much but we had 3 beautiful granddaughters waiting for us to visit in IN.

Sammy, Lexi, and Christa with Jerry

 

It was so totally amazing to spend a little time with the girls. I didn't want to leave because it was just a few days and certainly not enough time to really spend with them. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed and was thankful for every second we had with them but I still cried when it was time to go. I love them and missed them and that was even before we even got out of the state! My saving grace is knowing it is only for a little while and I will see them again in a year or two if all goes right.

 

Next stop is MS to see my dad. He is doing great for his age but time catches up with us all sooner or later.

 



So we spent a couple of days visiting dad and then went across to finally cross off the French Quarter, Louisiana off our bucket list.

 

Now I thought I would love this place but truth be told, I did not. First off, I couldn't breathe there. It was May so it wasn't like it was super hot or anything but the air there is so thick, it is like there is no oxygen in it. It is hard to explain but the other problem with the place is if you don't drink, there really isn't much to do. There are some nice restaurants around but I can't eat that much. The place is like bar after bar with little tourist traps in-between.

Luckily, I booked us on the tour, not only the French Quarter but other areas as well. Now that was interesting! All the architecture, history, and the rebuilding after Katarina was really interesting. We stopped at the park which is where the flowers (Brugs) I sent down went. At the park is where the garden is but we didn't have enough time to see it. We just ran into the park 'stop' to grab a drink and use the bathroom. Maybe one day we will go back just to see more of the areas we touched on during this tour.

So to sum it up, I am glad I went but I wouldn't go back to the French Quarter. Once was enough. I would be interested in seeing other things though, such as the park and other areas of LA. Maybe some day I will but now it was time to head to FL.

 

Daniel, Christina, Damien, and Willow came down to FL and met us there before the graduation. It was nice having the kids together again.

Funny thing is Mel and Willow are so close in size and looks, everyone kept mixing them up.

Graduation was nice but raining....actually, the whole time we were there it rained.

Before we left, I wanted to see an alligator so we went to the Everglades and I finally saw some.
 As if it isn't bad enough that it basically rained the whole time we were in FL, now there is a tropical storm/hurricane that insists on coming ashore in the south and going up the coast basically chasing us all the way home. So we left a little early to get a quick jump on it since the problem is the downpours make for nasty driving and with that much water, a lot of flooding as well.

I only got to see my brother in GA, Roy, for a couple of hours and then we had to head out to stay ahead of the rain.

 

A quick check of our property in NC and we were on our way home. I really missed my dogs and it was so nice to finally be home.

 

Although, it was May and I purposely had us going through tornado alley and even stayed in Tuscaloosa, I did not see any storms however the day after we left to start our trip, CT was hit by tornados. (Tornado alley went on record as being one of the most quietist season yet.) I figured at least in FL I could catch some nice thunderstorms however, it rained just about every single day and I did not see even 1 bolt of lightning. No thunderstorms!!! What the heck! When we left and didn't even make it to the border yet, I get text of funnel clouds were we were. Figures!!!

 

I come to the realization that I should not ever bother booking myself on one of those tornado chasing tours however Jerry insists he is going to rent me out to tornado alley so I can scare all the tornados away.