Before and after

As you can see the first picture is the "before" and the second is the "after". We discovered broken floor tiles also, and of course couldn't match the old ones, so we decided to put a "tile rug" down. Nothing has been grouted yet, but that should be tomorrow. Since we really weren't planning this repair, we didn't tear everything out. Eventually, we will have to do that. I put in bedding plants today. My neighbor and I found some really good plants for cheap and I am known to be a cheapskate. I have also been working on a quilt repair which was not going well for me, but is now done. I did get to go to Denver with a couple of dear friends on Saturday and visited an elderly cousin. It pains me to see everyone getting so old. She has gotten frail, but still retains a good sense of humor. This is just a catch-up blog and I hope to get back to some "fun" things.

More bath blog

Not to bore you all too much, but after all, this is what we do! Tile is going on after the drywall was replaced with the wonder board and the holes were filled and primed!! Yeah!
We had ten inches of snow a couple of days ago, it is raining cats and dogs as I type and tomorrow there are two big plant sales taking place down at the botanical gardens and the depot. I don't know if I am in the mood to get plants yet although by this time, I usually have some bedding plants in the soil. We have had freezing weather this week at night. Summer, summer where are you? (Still in the bathroom I bet!)

Bathroom renovation

Just a quick post for my "friends" who follow our flipping processes. As you can see from the bottom picture, all that was holding the tile on the wall, was the paper from the drywall and the grout! There was NO drywall behind the area around the spout. This is our main bathroom and for those who don't know this story, one of the tiles seemed a little loose, so in exploring the reason, we found that the drywall had dissolved as a result of a prior leak. Unable to get all of the tile in that area off without breaking them has forced us to totally re-tile the area and more pictures will be posted. This is our 3rd bathroom renovation this year! The Mr. has become quite an expert!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers....even if your children have 4 legs. For some....those little fur babies are their children! My mother has passed on to another life, but I do remember that our Dad always made it a special day. Dad would take us to the drug store in the neighboring town and we could pick out a box of candy which we proudly presented to her, knowing very well that we would get the better portion of the box of chocolates. Even though life was a struggle for our parents, Dad loved our mother and us very much and we always knew that we were loved. There was never money for luxuries, only necessities and then not always. I remember Mother wearing a pair of shoes and seeing the soles "flopping" loose when she walked. She sacrificed a lot for us, but there were a lot of people then like us, struggling to make a good life. Mother had a very difficult childhood from what we know now, having a mother who had come to the states from Belgium and a father who had been murdered when she was a small child. The life Dad provided for her was so much better than what she had known growing up. She continued to struggle with some issues from her past I know...but Dad was her pillar of strength.
As her oldest and firstborn, I think my birth was the easiest for her, but my other 3 siblings were all difficult births, each having serious complications. She stayed strong (that is what mothers do) with the support of our Dad and we all survived with happy childhood memories. However he managed it, Dad would load us up on these special days and take "Mom" out to dinner which was a treat for all. I cherish the "good time" memories with Mom, and there were so many! Mom's come in all shapes and sizes but it is one of the most difficult and rewarding jobs of all!

"Of course I can do anything. I'm a mother." ~ unknown

May Day!

Does no one celebrate May Day? I had a dear friend ask me that and although I am among the young at heart, the fact that I qualify for Medicare this month and the fact that I remember celebrating May Day, made me stop and think. When I was a youngster, not even in school yet, I spent a lot of time with my paternal grandmother, Lucinda. I remember that we would spend all day, April 30th making pretty little baskets and filling them with candy and flowers. I do not remember what kind, but it was probably jelly beans or the like. Then May Day, she would watch as I ran to each of the neighbors on her street, drop a basket on the front porch, ring the bell or knock and run as fast as my little legs would travel back before they could get to the door. What fun! At our small little two story brick schoolhouse, it was tradition to make May Baskets and I really don't remember when that custom ceased to be. (There is a lot I don't remember..but May Day--yes.) Google information about May Day..International Worker's Day if you are interested in researching it. I don't think my neighbors would know what a May Basket was. Oh! For the simple life! I still haven't mastered my new cell phone, but I could whip up pretty snazzy May Basket I am sure!

The Mr. and I and our two little furkids spent the last two weeks in Washington state with our daughter and son-in-law. The cherry trees and apple trees were in full bloom and the rhododendron and other blooming foliage were spectacular! The mossy growth above is at the base of the cherry tree in their backyard and the cherry tree is huge as you can see by the 6 foot fence in the background. The weather was very cooperative as the Mr. spent a good deal of time under the house? Why, you might ask?
He was renovating the main floor bathroom. She spent many trips shuttling him back and forth to the big hardware store for parts and he helped the Mr. with the removal of the tub and the numerous other obstacles encountered with this undertaking. That is another story for another time. Her best friend from Virginia flew out and his sister and some of their friends came to support Erica in her first screen print poster display for the Artwalk held last week in Olympia.
I got to see first hand how the process of stretching screen fabric, applying emulsion, exposing the images and printing the colors, evolved into a finished poster. There was also a Parade of the Species which is an annual event in which the local residents participate. This was no small event either. Hundreds of people of all ages dressed in costumes, mostly homemade as various species. We had to guess at some of the interpretations, but there was sea life...crabs, shells, fish, seaweed, mermaids etc. There were bugs of all kinds, lady bugs, butterflies, bees, etc. There were dogs, cats, apes, hippos....you name it. There were lots of bands, very few with traditional instruments...drums from 10 gallon paint buckets and water bottles..let your imagination go wild. Then we all went back to their home for an evening of drink and great food..all prepared by Erica and her friend and I helped a little. She and Jeffery were two busy people the entire time, but we all enjoyed the trip.

So I am back at the keyboard just in time for another snow storm!

Oooops!

I blew my new year resolution to be better at posting, but gee....I find so much to do! Stay with me...I will try more! We finished the basement bathroom and here are a few pics of the finished project. Remember, there were no walls..nothing! The shower was elevated to accommodate the plumbing without having to tear up the concrete. We have done that before.


The larger tiles were installed on the shower step because they have a matte textured surface which was a safety precaution and we think they look great.
We spent the weekend in Saratoga at a pool tournament and the Mr. did quite well. The roads were closed Fri a.m., but we did make it out after they opened the interstate. It snowed on Sat and Sun and we made it home OK although the wind blew with pretty strong gusts. It is storming now as I type and this is springtime in the Rockies. I have columbine up, tulips, dianthus, alium, canterbury bells, delphinium and more. Brave little souls they are! I cannot wait to get my hands in the earth and see what survived this brutal winter!

"The trouble with gardening is that it does not remain an avocation. It becomes an obsession."
~ Phyllis McGinley