Finishing the Bathroom

One day long ago we decided to rip out our bathroom tile because it was leaking in to the basement.  The tile was falling off so this was not an unexpected project.

Sept 2009

When we did that we realized there was yucky mold growing behind the tub on the drywall.  So instead of a simple fix this job turned in to a total remodel.

SIGH

January 2010

Then another day not so long ago we replaced the tub, tile, vanity, floor tile & mirror.  See my strong men?  Don’t drop it guys!

April 2010

Somewhere along the way my hip started to hurt and we stopped working on the bathroom for an intermission of a year because I could hardly sit, stand or walk.

In January, I had hip surgery & now I am loving to sit, stand and walk.  Having no pain helps with that.

Now we are puttering along on the final stages of the bathroom.

The trim boards.  Some are original—frugal people that we are we saved them.  So they must be stripped.

SIGH

Last weekend, while the kids were sick & the husband was away helping to roof a house.  I decided to work on this little time consuming project.

First, you apply the stripping stuff(seems better to say that than the stripper—something wrong about that).  We used Formby’s.  Then you leave it on to bubble and turn in to a yellow mess for about 15-30 minutes.  Resist starting early.  It REALLY works better if you let it go a while—don’t ask me how I know.

Second, you take a plastic scraper(Pampered Chef for me) and scrape the mess off.  This will get most part of the stain off.

Third, you have a choice.  Repeat steps 1 & 2 or dip some steel wool in the stripping stuff and rub it on the spots where the stain was still present.  I did a little of both of these methods.

Steve is steadily working on the few pieces that are left.  He’s also been testing a few scraps with the stain.  On the new pieces we had to buy he’s found that using a pre-stain conditioner(Minwax) helps the stain to achieve a darker color faster.

I also recommend this kind of project to build your marriage.  You learn so many things about a person as you work together. 

Tonight it was awesome to watch him apply the stain to a few pieces which have been through the whole process, stripping, sanding, hole patching, conditioning & staining.  

It is looking REALLY nice!  I am so thankful that this project is moving forward.  I love our new bathroom. 

But I will love it even more when it is DONE!

Repackaging Vinegar

If you’ve been around here for very long you know I love vinegar for cleaning, getting rid of that sour smell in the washer & removing hard water stains. 

Around Easter I got a couple of great coupons for some almost free Vinegar!  I used the coupons to buy vinegar in this size.  For some reason I really loved the glass bottles.

Plastic just doesn’t do it for me.

I have plastic in my kitchen but I would rather store in glass if I can.  There is a reason for this but I am not going to follow that bunny trail right now—maybe later.

Before long my nice glass bottles were empty.  What is a girl to do?  Recyle—yes but I just couldn’t.  So I discovered that I can keep my glass bottles from the vinegar & USE THEM!

I bought one large size vinegar for a whopping $2.38 from Walmart.  I had never bought this size before as it doesn’t fit in my cabinet but those glass bottles do!

So I just got out my cute little funnel & repackaged the vinegar in a smaller size REUSABLE bottle!

Buying the large size vinegar is less per ounce than a smaller bottle.  This saves me some cash, is good for the environment and stops me from buying more plastic that I just have to remember to take to the recycling drop off!

Sewing Swimming & Iphones

The house is quiet.  I am basking in the moments of being home.  We’ve navigated a couple of weeks of extremes.

Two weeks ago we caught the mysterious fever, headache yuck.  It traveled through the young of the house while I was trapped at home for days(well it seemed that way).

One week ago we started the daily mad dash to & from town.  It was a week full of late nights & being gone from home a lot.

I can only do that for a little while before I start to come apart at the seams.  It has been fun but I am going to be doing some preplanning tomorrow to make this upcoming week flow better.

A mom prepared means a mom who survives.  That and getting to bed at a decent hour would help.  I struggle with that.

We have been at swimming lessons each day.  We skipped last year so it is good to get them back in lessons.

Monday they were so tired but by Thursday it was better.  Joshua needed some one on one coaching so we went for some fun swimming on Friday with Michael.  Water slide, lazy river etc!

On Mondays the girls are doing a sewing class for a few weeks. 

I can sew but it never seems to be the right time to teach this so my friend Kellie is doing a great job of helping me get this done.

 

Our family is now the part of the iphone craze! Michael bought a phone & has been happily texting & using his internet ever since.

I admit I am “thinking” that I might really like to have one too!

The girls participated in a clogging performance on Saturday & did an awesome job!  I love watching them move their feet & see how much they’ve learned in a year!

Joshua didn’t perform as he was the only one from his class there.  He said “NO!” to performing by himself.   But he was there to support his sisters!

The end of a crazy week of adventures—I am hoping the next one is a bit calmer.  But I bet it isn’t.

Motivation to Work

I defrosted my freezer this weekend(among other things).  I haven’t gotten to do that in 2 years.  I was SO happy!

There are SO many things that I have needed to do for the past year and half.  I was limited by my physical capabilities.  That was terribly difficult & it has changed how I look at work.  I can honestly say I like to work.

But you say . . . nobody likes to work!

That is obvious from the effort it took tonight to get my 9 year old on board with picking up sticks in the yard.  He didn’t want to do it.  I was even bribing him with a movie afterward.  Still he dilly dallied and avoided as much as possible.

On the other hand my daughter works very hard every day on a puzzle.  She has one going all the time.  Puzzles are hard and difficult so why does she willingly work on it?  Because it gives her pleasure when it is done.

Pleasure in the process

I have found that if I can find an enjoyable part of a task then I am much more likely to go willingly to do a job. 

An example—mowing the grass.  I really don’t like sweating and getting bug bites but some times the grass has to be mowed(if I can’t get Elizabeth on the task).  On the other hand I know that it is one job that will stay done(unlike laundry) for at least a few days & I get a bit of a thrill driving up to my nicely mowed lawn each day!

Pride in the finished product

Neatly stacked laundry. A clean kitchen counter. School papers any papers filed where I can located them. Those all bring me pleasure.  So focusing on that helps my motivation.

Change in Perspective

At times the amount of work it takes to keep a neat & clean house seems overwhelming.  I can walk in to a room and I see a million things that need doing.  On some days I would have to make lists or avoid that room. 

In the past year I haven’t been able to do the things I needed much less wanted to do.  I never knew that limitations like that were so hard.  I used to dread the work that awaited me every day.

My perspective has changed.  I have found that work can be a source of satisfaction.  It doesn’t mean I don’t get tired.  It doesn’t mean I don’t resent the continual mountain of laundry or dishes.  But it does mean that I am much less likely to complain about having to do them. 

Confetti Fish

My main goal these day is to not turn on the oven.  The directions are for the oven but last week I went out on a limb and did this recipe on our grill.  It worked out just fine!

Confetti Fish Fillets

vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil or butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup diced red pepper(I use MORE!)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1 1/2 lbs tilapia or any firm white fish fillets

1 T fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray 9 x 13 pan with vegetable oil spray.   Heat oil in skillet.  Saute onion & bell pepper for 2-3 minutes.  Turn off heat and add crumbs and lemon zest.  Stir thoroughly.

Arrange fish in pan.  Sprinkle with lemon juice and salt.  Spread vegetable mixture evenly over fish.

Bake about 10 minutes per inch of fish or until fish flakes easily at the thickest point.

Grill option:  Line a grill basket with aluminum foil and arrange fish in the basket.   Grill on a medium heat for 15-20 minutes.  (or until the crumbs start to get black—LOL)