Bubba Love

We made some definite progress with the bathroom this weekend, but not really anything you can "see". We bought the new tub (YAY!!!) with every intention of installing it yesterday. BUT we needed the fixtures - and they aren't here. Hopefully Overstock continues with their excellent shipping and gets them here soon. Like, by next weekend.

We have a bit of plumbing to do so the pipes fit the new tub and some insulating to do in the walls since there was only insulation on the exterior wall (and not much - weird) but none on the interior walls, so Brian will be working on that today.

We bought the tile for the floor - $0.66 a square foot! - so 33 square feet cost me $22.44. BONUS. Of course the grout, adhesive and concrete board cost twice as much as the actual tile. Go figure.

I painted the inside of the vanity so that's done. Now I have to paint the drawer interiors and put a top coat on all of it and that will be done.

So, there's not much to "look" at, but definite progress is being made.

Here's the plan:

1. I will finish painting all the drawers, cabinet doors and face of the vanity today.

2. I will sand and paint the window and door frame today

3. We will insulate the walls and rework the plumbing today.

4. Next weekend we will install the new tub.

(assuming that the fixture arrives on time - FINGERS CROSSED!!)

5. Once the tub is installed, we'll finish the drywall.

6. Once the drywall is finished, I'll be able to paint the walls and ceiling (my favorite part).

7. Once the painting is done we'll install the floor.

(We've never done this before so it should be interesting - ha!)

8. Once the floor is installed, we can install the new toilet and get the vanity put back together.

9. Once that is all done I can FINALLY get the mirrors and the pictures I got hung.

10. I will be the first person to use both the toilet and the new shower!!!


It's finally starting to come together. I knew it would take weeks, since we can only do this on the weekends and our lives are so crazy right now.

I've made a bit of progress on my Practicum, and since I have to make a mini-presentation next week and turn in some "deliverables" I want to get as much done on the bathroom as I can today so I won't be distracted by it during the week.

Beth continues to do well with her treatments and we are moving forward with the Benefit Concert on April 24'th. It's going to be a great time and we've gotten such incredible responses from people so I hope it's successful.

Olivia had a sleepover at a friends last night, so Sydney had Bubba over here.

(Yes, his real name is Nathaniel, but he's been Bubba since birth and is known, by me, as "Bubba Love", usually sung to the tune of Elvis Presleys' "Hunk of Burning Love" - he thinks I'm nuts.)

They went to bed and were sound asleep at 8:30 (what?). I was shocked! Usually I am telling them to go to bed at 10:00. Those two are like two peas in a pod - we call them "frick and frack". It's going to be a very sad day when they can no longer have sleepovers because they are too old. The kids consider themselves cousins, and Sydney has a trundle bed in her room, which is where they sleep now. Bubba is of the impression that we got the trundle bed for him and both he and Sydney call the roll out bed "Bubba's Bed".

So the flip side of them going to bed at 8:30 is them waking up raring to go at 5:30 a.m. I had to get up and direct them to the playroom at 6:00 in the morning so they could play "crash 'em up cars" which was a bit loud coming from Sydney's room that early.

But, we love Bubba like our own and having him here gives Beth a little break from having three kids run around and gives Bubba a little break from all the strange things happening at his house.

We're off to the store later to pick up some groceries for us and a few things for Beth. Bubba told me this morning that we have to get his mommy good food because she doesn't feel good and good food makes you healthy.

What a sweet boy you are Bubba Love......

Little Bathroom Update

So not much has been done in the bathroom, but I have accomplished a little!

The old light in the bathroom looked like this:

I repainted it here and bought new light covers for it and we rehung it so we would have light as we worked at night so now it looks like this....

We took out the tub and the faux "wall"

So now we need to go get a tub and we hope to do that this weekend......

And then we put the epoxy on the sinks.

It was a nightmare.

But it's done and I am REALLY happy with how it came out.

I rolled up cardboard to shove in the holes so epoxy didn't get in them.
It's not the best job in the world, and there's a lot of divots (that you can't see unless you REALLY look) but if it lasts two years until we can afford to replace it altogether, then the $30.00 and the few hours I spent doing it were worth it.



I found some fabulous oil rubbed bronze faucets at Home Depot but they were $80+ and I needed two.

So I found something like this which was similar on Overstock.com for $45 each PLUS I got $1.00 shipping and a 5% off coupon - BONUS!

I heart Overstock - I ordered the tub fixtures too - can't wait for them to get here!!

All kinds of things happening!!

The sink is done.

The tub is gone.

And a bunch of amazing women came to my house today to show their support for Beth.

I have pictures of it all, but I'm so tired, I need to go to bed.

I'll post updates tomorrow, I promise :)

But wait.....

Two weeks of being home in the snow and bored to tears and perfectly healthy, and the night before they FINALLY go back to school Olivia catches a little stomach bug and is up all night.

*Sigh*

They're going back!!!!!

Yes, that's right folks, after nearly two weeks, two blizzards, two very frazzled parents and a two hour delay tomorrow morning, my girls are FINALLY going back to school!

They haven't been to school since February 4'th.

Yes, you read that right.

FEBRUARY 4'TH!!!!!

They have now been off longer due to snow than they were due to the big fat man in a red suit and Auld Lang Syne.

Crazy.

Unfortunately, we have blown through all of the snow days they build into the school year and have lost two days of their four day Spring Break (OK really? Not so very upset about that.....) and will now attend school straight through to next August.

Well, OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration but not much!


I'm just glad we can all get back into our routine.

(Ask me if I still feel that way tomorrow when I try to get them out of bed before 8:00 a.m.)

Ten Years Ago today.......

I became a mom thanks to this gorgeous girl.



Valentine's Day is now celebrated as Olivia's Birthday. We wouldn't have it any other way.

I remember the day she was born like yesterday - every little detail.



Posing in her new hat

She had the most gorgeous ivory skin, ruby red lips and a head of gorgeous dark hair.

My very own little Snow White.

We've had a full weekend, with a sleepover party - and girls who stayed up until 4 a.m. - a birthday lunch today.




Getting ready to tell ghost stories





Playing "Freeze Dance"



Hamming it up with Ashlyn



Oh, the things Pop-pops will do for their granddaughters.....

Happy Birthday to my Pookie.

I love you so much.

Time is flying by so fast.

Liv's birthday lunch with the family

PARTY TIME!

The snow has decided to give us a break for this weekend, so we can still have Olivia's birthday party - YAY!

In exactly eight and a half hours, six 10 years olds will descend upon us to watch movies, eat pizza, make ice cream sundaes, dance to the Jonas Brothers, give each other manicures, stay up late talking and finally fall asleep in the wee hours of the morning.

Tomorrow is Olivia's actual birthday, so we'll celebrate with lunch at the restaurant of her choice (which this year is Red Lobster, as it was last year) if we can get a reservation....

Wish me luck tonight!

State of Emergency

Frederick County, Maryland has come to a complete standstill.

A State of Emergency has been declared and the County has mandated that no cars are allowed on any County road until further notice.

In the County, 75% of the roads are impassable.

Every major highway is closed. You can't get in or out of the County.

Every news station is covering rescue efforts with a live feed.

Apparently, our county was the hardest hit in the state of Maryland due to the drifting snow because of the topography .....

We have cars stranded in snow drifts of up to 15 feet high.

Helicopters are searching for stranded motorists and pulling people from their cars.

Snowmobiles are the only vehicles that are able to get around in many places.

Even our emergency services personnel have been stranded and had to be rescued.

It's a little surreal, since the sun is shining and our driveway is clear.

But the winds are still gusting up to 30 mph.

Looks like we're stuck for a few more days......

The wind is howling and the snow is still coming down......

And so it begins......again.....

Round Two has begun.



I've stopped watching the weather channel, checking the weather forecast on line or generally looking at anything weather related because every time I do, the snowfall totals are increased.



Last time I checked it was 16 to 24 inches.

On top of the nearly three feet we already have.

Um..........



The boys are sick of climbing over the snow bridge to get to the yard so they can sink into three feet of snow.



Poor Baxter is depressed. He typically loves the snow, but it's too deep for a dog who has no hip joints due to dysplasia and surgery at a very young age.



He can't run, jump and bury himself in it like he typically would.




But he's still gorgeous.

Did I say I needed more snow?

Apparently someone is listening to me because we are due for another storm tomorrow that will drop an additional 8 to 10 inches through Wednesday morning.

Woot!!

I must confess, that even with two major storms in two months, plus a few smaller snowfalls in between, I just can't get enough of it.

If it has to be cold, there should be snow.

I should probably live in the mountains of Colorado.

Except Brian hates snow and wouldn't live there with me.

{SIGH}

Unfortunately, the kids are out of snow days, so they will start taking away spring break and then tacking days onto the end of the year.

And Liv's birthday is this weekend and I have NOTHING for her. But she also hasn't asked for anything.......

I'd order something on-line, but I don't even know if it could be delivered in time since the snow has pretty much brought all things in the Mid-Atlantic to a screeching halt.

And again, she says she doesn't really want anything. Believe me, I ask her everyday and suggest things, which get me a very non-committal shrug.

Saturday I am supposed to have a bunch of ten year old girls here for a sleepover, but they are calling for the possibility of another storm this weekend so I have already begun gently suggesting that to Olivia that the party may have to be postponed.

She's actually OK with it - so long as we just "postpone" it and don't cancel it altogether.

On the bright side, every single piece of laundry in the house has been washed, folded and put away.

Do you have any idea how big an accomplishment that is for me? I don't believe that's happened since before I had children.

Of course, I'll be behind in laundry again come next week, but at least, for the moment, we all have drawers full of clean, warm socks.

Now if only I had the new tub and tiles for the girls bathroom I'd be set!

I need more snow.....

Beth was able to stay home this weekend because her wonderful mother in law offered to come over and get snowed in and take care of her and the kids. I was pretty happy because I knew she'd be more comfortable in her own home, her own bed, with her own things. Let's face it - doesn't everyone want to be snuggled under their own covers when they're sick?

So, since I didn't have to take care of anyone this weekend and, I couldn't go anywhere (I don't know if you heard or not, but the snowpocolypse of 2010 opened a big ole can of whoop-ass on us), I figured there was no time like the present to do this.....

That's as far as he got.

I removed the rest - along with all of the concrete board - by myself today.

I am woman - hear me roar.

Now it looks like this!

Go me.

Then, I tackled the counter top and took it from this......

...to this....

....and then to this.....

.... and finally, to this......



I sanded the gloss off the old counter top, used Kilz on the sink bowls and Glidden gripper on the counter top. The I taped the sink bowls and covered them with paper and sprayed Faux Stone on the counter (the sinks will HOPEFULLY remain white)

It's difficult to see, but it looks really cool, it's neutral, and the blue is gone!








Next step is to seal it with a waterproof epoxy sealant. I won't get to that today, but I might be home another day or so since, you know, we had a snowpocolypse and all. And I figure if I screw it up, no biggie. It'll last a few years until we can replace the counter top.

This is what three feet of snow looks like.......

The front yard

Brian getting ready to clear the driveway

Forget it.

The front walk - it's under there somewhere!

The Back Deck

I had to clear a path for the dogs.



Chauncey trying to figure out how long he can hold it - he is NOT going out in that.

The girls going out to play

The snow is almost as tall as Sydney...

The snow is still falling and will be for another eight hours or so with eight more inches expected

See you next spring!