Jan 13, 2017

home happenings

In my post in late December, I mentioned that Charles was working on a forced bathroom repair situation complete with leaky and leaning toilet and disintegrating particle board in the master bathroom.  The project was finally completed on Friday January 6th--woohoo!  I've got some before and after type pictures to share.

You can see Charles down on his back in the crawl space with the flooring cut away that was under the ruined flooring.  He got it all filled in and then discovered that particle board was just flaking away when the two courses of vinyl flooring were removed.  (DJ had just put one layer down over the existing flooring while my bathroom went down to the bare flooring).  He had to cut out about a 24 x 30 some section total.  Thankfully we had the two varying thicknesses of plywood on hand for the initial placement and no more lumber was required.  Just lots of that mud stuff and sanding.


In order to remove the leaky toilet, the curved counter top over the stool had to be removed.  Here you see the sink's residence while the work was ongoing.



In this picture Charles was getting ready to cut down the existing counter top over the vanity from the top side.  You may be able to see how it narrows where he has his left hand placed.  We were able to salvage the trim for the cutaway and re-use it.  I am not fond of this counter (UGH it is in the kitchen and my bathroom too) but it did save money to NOT replace it.


How it looks now.  New bathroom accessories and door pulls.  The wall paper border we applied to covers the tears to the paper when the counter came out.  Charles idea there so we would not have to strip off the rest of the wall paper or paint. It brightens the room up and matches the existing drape in there.  The vanity also got a new coat of stain to freshen it up.



He also tried to cut down the full size mirror that had been in place.  That didn't work out so well.  A friend saw a comment I had made of facebook and suggested a place near here that can cut hers down and then she used molding and rosettes on the corners to give it new life.  Too late for mine but we are talking about updating mine next.  THX Brenda for the suggestion!  We picked out this mirror from Lowe's---our home away from home lately!!--when the plan did not work out.



Charles is a retired master electrician so it was a piece of cake for him to move the electrical box over a bit to center the new light fixture over the sink.  The problem was that it did make a larger hole.  I thought we would have to get a different fixture with a bar like base but he suggested using a ceiling medallion, painting it and using it behind the round light base.  I didn't get what he wanted me to do with two different colors of spray paint as it was not working to try to spray on the darker color on lightly.   It was either one color or the other.  He finally told me to spray some of the darker paint on paper plate and then daub it on the high spots.  LOL, I finally "got" that he wanted me to use like a stenciling, pouncing technique to sort of antique it.  In person it looks good with the light globes we picked out.  The lighting is much brighter in there now especially with one bulb not hiding behind the medicine cabinet.

Finally the new toilet made it into the house on Friday morning, once the flooring was completed.




And here it is in place along with all new quarter round and the shelving above the stool for a bit more storage space.  We got a chair height one so it is easier on the knees as several of my friend's were suggesting.  One of them asked me the other day what I thought of it and I haven't used it yet!!  I have always thought that one secret to a good relationship is never having to share a bathroom with your spouse or significant other if you can help it!  I bought a baker's dozen more of the tile so we can use what remains in my bathroom down the line.


In between tasks and waiting for glue to dry for the umpteenth time, he put a small ceiling fan up in the laundry room.  I tried to do what I could to help mostly being the ground guy and holding the flashlight, LOL,  That and pick up the stuff that got dropped.

Earlier THIS week he corrected an long time electrical situation in my living room.  For almost 20 years there have been light switches that turned on nothing. From the hallway and the kitchen I had to cross the living room to turn on any light source.  Well, that was like waving a red flag in front of a bull or at least throwing down a challenge to the electrician to solve this mystery.  We picked up some of his electrical tracing equipment from his home shop and he was off and running.  The problem was in the wiring to the ceiling fan and he took the thing down to wire it correctly.  I can turn on the living room ceiling light in three places---hallway, living room and kitchen.  I can turn on the fan on its own switch--not the speed, I still have to reach up on my tiptoes for that part--but off and on works great.  There is one remaining mystery switch in the kitchen and that's challenge for another day, he said.   I have been happily flipping switches since he fixed it.  Woohoo!  Doesn't take much to make ME happy, LOL.

We had some raining and cold weather recently along with some ice and freezing rain/sleet stuff a week ago Friday.  Enough that they preemptively cancelled school on Thursday.  In light of the cold weather he couldn't work out in the shed or set up on the sawhorses on the patio.   I told him he could work on our chain saw here in the house if he protected the table. Here he is working on the primer pump and tubing which had disintegrated out in the shed. ( He took a small engine repair class after he retired.)  It is still not completely fixed but it did take off some limbs on the large crepe myrtle tree yesterday!  He borrowed his son's temperamental chain saw to get the last of the holly bush limbs down.  I helped haul off the sections to the burn pile and did some of the go-fer stuff.


Wedding plans are still in a stall pattern.  That recent ice deal cancelled church on Sunday but mostly it is because of the pastor's wife's continued health concerns (recent transplant).  We went at the appointed time but found a note on the door.  He had lost Charles' phone number and we didn't have his cell number so we were not making connections.  I think that is resolved thanks to one of church members/usher/deacon that was at the church today helping the missus set-up for a baby shower. We'll try again this Sunday.  I should be writing down some of my questions and get my nose back in my Weddings for Dummies book.  At this writing we are 43 days away for the big day---yep, the calendar is marked and we're counting!

I haven't mentioned the critters.  Oscar is back to wearing his belly band as he has been peeing on everything lately but especially since we were gone on that 2nd trip to Gulf Shores.  Charles is always asking him "where is your diaper?" as Oscar shimmies out of it when he crawls under the bed.  Skyler just gets more clingy but especially at night when Oscar has gone to bed.



Guess that is it for now---he is asking me if I am writing a book, LOL.  Maybe but that is what I get for not blogging for over 10 days.  Lots going on but I CAN take a hint.  Tomorrow the grandkids are coming for a bit so Mama can go shopping.  Decent weather means they are all going to the park and burn off some of that energy!  Till next time---------


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