major remodel

We have been majorly busy over this past week. The Jensen's have been here helping us do the major projects in the bathroom and completely update the mantle and fireplace..here is our wonderful progree (thanks mom and dad!) for before shots...

main bath

master bath

fireplace
the tile pulled up, it was a breeze in the master but there was linoleum tile under the current linoleum in the main bath that was a pain..

and the new stuff going down, you can see the old counters on the left
the new tile all ready for grout, we just love the pattern

and the toilet going in, a 2 person task
the final project: new tile, toilet, vanity top with sink, painted vanities in both baths, and new baseboards and door trim (and before paint, mirror, light fixture, and tp and towel holders) basically we have all new bathrooms that are CLEAN
Then the mantle....we did the reno before the parents got here

We had to cut a hole for the electrical to run behind the tv and redo the drywall behind the old tile

the final project..we got a second bookcase to balance out the wall, ran electical and tv cords, mounted the tv, and retiled the fireplace

we just lOVE all the changes and really appreciate all the help. Keep a watch for our next few projects, painting the exterior trim white and putting in engineered wood floors throughout the whole house.

Mantle demo

In preparation for my parents arrival we've demo'd the mantle ...

Please notice the sticky tape on the back of the mantle:that's not even real wood under there! what were they thinking. I should also mention that ALL the screws were stripped...these people must have been really disfunctional.

Next came the tile:
and the GUNS! these babies have really done a lot of work around this place lately :) thanks hunny

Things I NEED

Since I've recently discovered blogs I've found quite a few things I NEED..today was the flip video camcorder I just love its small size and the price. Plus it's not just for short videos, you can record up to 60min! and it's cute to boot, the white is so modern and classy but the pink or orange is really drawing me in toothen there is the chumby this would only enhance my addiction to the internet by allowing me to be online from the moment I wake up. You can see the weather, news, digital pictures, and it's an alarm clock. this thing is so useful I'm not sure how anyone can survive without it. you can customize the look of your chumby but I quite like the latte color below.
I apologize if I've contributed to any spontaneous purchases ;)

Since I was off work today I was really excited that I was able to schedule the hot tub removal for this morning. How were they going to cart this huge thing off anyway. I mean it took the two of us to slide it around and they need to LIFT the thing and get it out of here. I heard the truck about 8:30 this morning as I was perusing said blogs which lead to me NEEDING things. I shot a picture just so you can see how it's done. Do you see that the truck is stablized to the ground with the huge orange things on the sides, probably because that things is heavy folks! and it lifted with ease, made me feel like getting to the gym. (and yes I was sore yesterday but my hubby was feelin' great, what a strong man)

Cleaning up

I almost forgot...We cleaned up the guest room/office to make room for my parents while they're here and I forgot just how big that room is! On a downside, the dining room is a cluttered mess

Busy weekend

I would like to start my showing you how much eclair loves sitting with her daddy and how he lets her NO MATTER WHAT...case in point a game of Halo on Xbox and eclair perched atop his lap...and for good measure an up close shot of our first born...

We're trying to get the house and the projects ready for my parents arrival so all of our renovations go as smooth and quick as possible. we had a lengthy to do list this weekend and we cleaned the house top to bottom, painted the new mantle and trim for the bathrooms, mowed and edged the yard, planted a new lemon tree, trimed up the herb garden and last but not least totally removed the hot tub from the back yard....YEAH! it was a pain because it's quite heavy and there are only 2 of us, one of those 2 is me and I just can't lift that much and we have a NARROW exit to the street where it needed to go...here are some pics of our progress...oh yeah, and I unhooked the 220v power supply from the hot tub myself! GO ME

First, our freshly mowed and edged lawn...the front of the house needs something and I'm not sure what, window boxes maybe?

Our new lemon tree (on the right, the left is the pear we planted last year...yes it's alive)

A lovely reminder of our hot tub taking up 3/4 of the small back yard

and where it now awaits the garbage man's pick up

The wonderful back yard now! We can actually get some furniture out here now. Before placement was so ackward and we hardly used the hot tub so when it stopped working a few weeks back we decided it HAD to go...We've been looking at new yard sets, this was a hand me down from Cindy

Some people don't listen.

As I've been with this practice longer I've started having repeat patients...I still refuse to 'give out my card' which means the hospital can contact me NO MATTER whether I'm on call or not. I have one patient in particular who keeps telling me she'll refuse to push if it's not me...I've tried telling her that isn't the way this office works and she just ignores me...LADY, I'm not going to wake up from my beauty sleep if I'm on on call, I have a life. I feel like planning a vacation just so I have an excuse. UHHHHHH
On a better note, Dominic is in line to be promoted at his office, the one only a mile from our place, as soon as his current boss leaves for Nevada. Problem is her house is a short sale which means this could be a while...Come on lady we really need that company car!

the remodel bug!

It seems like everyone has been bitten with the remodel bug, us included. This weekend we went to the Zank's and helped them kick off their kitchen remodel. Taking down the cabinets seperating the kitchen and dining area really opens up the space and lets so much more light into the kitchen...check it out!

From inside the kitchen

Looking into the kitchen from the dining roomAfter! The guys just sat there drinking beers while us women took care of everything...:)

new 'view' from the other side


This weekend was busy for us too, we bought the toilets and vanity tops for the bathrooms so we know everything is a go when my parents get here. We can't wait for their arrival so we can get the house cleaned back up again...and we get to see Hailee again