The Bathroom Reveal January 26, 2012

Finally!  I’m ready to reveal our new bathroom.  But first, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

This is what it looked like for 6 years.  Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture before we started cleaning it out, so you don’t see the glass shelves we had on the wall above the toilet or any of our accessories.

A shot of our shower.  Note that the tile only goes partly up the wall.

Here is where the trouble all begins.  See the rust coming through the paint?  Yeah, that’s thanks to a wonderful leak we have had pretty much since Day 1 (back in 2005).

After a couple of years of trying to figure out why it was leaking, we finally discovered that it was because our tub was not level.  It was about 1/4 inch off level in both directions, which meant that all the water that would sneak behind the tile (thanks to the tub not being installed correctly so when you stepped in it, it would pull the grout away from the wall), and then flow all the way to this corner.  It would drip down the wall and into our basement.  Not good, especially as we try to finish off the basement.

Additionally we had a roof leak issue a couple of years ago that has since been fixed, but we never had time to patch up the wall.

We got two estimates and decided to go with the contractor we had used to paint the exterior of our home.  We were comfortable with them, and they were well aware of our problem and were headstrong to fix it!

So let the demo begin!

It took them almost 5 hours to get the tub in right.  And you can bet that I was checking whether it was level as soon as I got home!  (Oh, we have a brick house, hence the brick exterior wall.)

It’s starting to come together.

The tile guy was meticulous!  They scared us at first when they found out we bought clay tiles because clay tiles are not easy to cut without chipping away some of the glaze.  But this tile guy took his time and cut the tiles perfectly.  It was pretty amazing to see, and we were super happy with the results.

Side note: Cooper loved coming home from school every day to see what they had done that day.

After grouting and caulking everything back up, the bathroom was ours again.  We had been showering at Kristin’s every other night that week.  Luckily we still had use of a toilet and sink, though.

Before we could put everything back together, though, we had to paint.  And who would have thought this tiny bathroom would take 2 people 9 hours to do?  Not me!  All the trim, all the cutting in, all the small spaces…  It was a long day.

Finally, after all our hard work, we had a finished bathroom with no leaks!  But unfortunately we had a door that didn’t close and wood blinds that look too beige.  Luckily my husband is pretty handy and always trusts in our local hardware store to have the right thing for old houses.  Who knew they made hinge shims?  Not me!  Thank goodness for those or else we would have had to take off our bright new chrome hinges and put back on the rusted and painted over white ones.  Ok, it’s time for the reveal.  (Just please ignore the “off-white” blinds on the window.)

Are you ready?

Ta Da!

We went from Benjamin Moore’s Oak Ridge, which was very tan, to their Revere Pewter, which is almost gray.  It’s like a French Gray, and we LOVE it!  It makes the bathroom feel so much lighter (well, the paint and the really bright white tile helps!)  Every time I pass by the bathroom, I take a glance and smile.  We were definitely nervous to take this project on for something that seemed so minor.  And no one wants to redo their bathroom twice in 6 years!  But the peace of mind is worth it, and we are so happy with the finished product.  I love this bathroom so much more than the old one.  I feel like it matches our house better, and it’s a great new feature to show off!

So Good, I Had To Share January 24, 2012

I made these cookies on Sunday on a whim.  I was in the mood for chocolate, and I realized I had about 4 cake mix boxes in my cabinet.  I checked out my Betty Crocker Cookie Book for a recipe and found something similar to the below recipe.  I tweaked it a little bit to include mini MnM’s. It was the perfect addition because it adds a tiny bit of crunch to a very soft cookie.  Delish!

 

Ingredients:

1 package devil’s food cake mix

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup mini MnM’s

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat half of the cake mix (dry), the butter, vanilla and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, or mix with spoon.  Stir in the remaining cake mix and MnM’s.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are set (centers will be soft).  Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.  (If they make it that far!)

According to the cookbook, these should only be 75 calories each.  They are small cookies, but a perfect chocolate fix.  Enjoy!

Blissful Sunday January 22, 2012

I’m sitting here on my couch with my family watching the Ravens battle the Patriots.  The fact that all four of us are on the couch is a new thing – and a temporary one.  Last night Jeremy and I rearranged the living room so the couch is directly in front of the TV rather than perpendicular to it.  It’s just for fun, and we certainly can’t keep it this way, but it’s been great not having to strain my neck just to watch the TV.  Jeremy and I even watched a movie together all cuddled up next to each other, which is a rarity due to the layout we’ve had.

I’ve got cookies in the oven, which are delicious!  A new recipe using a devil’s food cake mix and mini MnM’s…   They are so soft and moist.  While I am trying to watch my calories, what’s better on a lazy Sunday than baking?  Umm…  Nothing!

When I do have to get up from the couch to check on the cookies, I get to pass by our “new” bathroom (before and after post to come soon) and smile knowing that we worked so hard (and paid too much money) to have peace of mind but also got a beautiful bathroom out of it.

It’s just one of those blissful Sundays – the end to a blissful weekend.  We had our first snow of the season yesterday, and so this weekend has just been an inside weekend.  We spent 9 hours on the bathroom yesterday and then finished putting the final touches on it today.  All the while, the kids played together and by themselves with barely any fighting.  Talk about a miracle!   Unfortunately it’s the end of the weekend, but knowing I had such a good one gives me the energy for the week ahead.   I’m thankful for weekends like this.

Lessons Learned (Food Version) January 18, 2012

Have you heard about myfitnesspal?  I was turned onto it a few weeks ago by a friend, and I’ve become an avid member.  Basically, it’s a free website to track calories, track exercise and set weight loss goals.  I’m sure there is much  more to it, but I’m only using those three features. 

I mentioned it to Jeremy, who told me he was already a member from over a year ago when he downloaded the app to his phone.  He just hasn’t used it at all.  So I encouraged him to map a plan for himself, and together we’re trying to lose weight and learn about healthy eating.  We have decided that this is not a diet.  This is a way to learn about the foods we have been eating and try to make smarter choices.  We certainly have exceeded our calorie goals on heavy-eating days, but we’re still in our learning phase.  For instance, we were traveling this past weekend, which meant a lot of eating out.  We stopped at Dunkin Donuts on our way out of town, and while we tried to make better choices there by getting a low-fat blueberry muffin and munchkins for the kids, we learned that even what you think is a better choice is still not great for you.  Granted, we knew that eating donuts was not good for us.  We’re not naive.  But the kick-in-the-butt moment comes when you enter food in to your calorie tracker to find out that one of your old stand-by meals easily takes up half, if not all, of our daily caloric allotment!   

One of my favorite features is when you complete your entries for the day, it will tell you what you could weigh in five weeks if every day were like that day.  So if I had a particularly bad day of eating, it would tell me how much weight I would gain in 5 weeks if I kept that pattern up.  On the positive side, it confirms my good days by telling me how much weight I could lose in 5 weeks.  It’s definitely a motivation booster!

I’m learning a lot, and I know Jeremy is too.  It’s something we’re enjoying doing together, and I’m proud of the progress we’ve already made.  We have a goal in mind – losing a certain amount of weight before the Warrior Dash we’re doing in May.  The race will definitely NOT be a reward, although it will be fun.  So we need to set another reward as an incentive.  Granted just learning to eat healthy is a reward.  And being able to pass that knowledge on to Mason and Cooper will be great too.  But it’s hard to stay diligent and on track, especially with our busy lives when the unhealthy foods are so much easier and more enjoyable on bad days.  Having another reward will help, though.  I’m thinking an active vacation to Colorado this summer.  (Andy and Cory – keep the pressure on so we can make it a reality!)  Don’t you need to be all healthy and stuff to go hiking in the high altitude? 

Anyway…  myfitnesspal.com is a great FREE site.  If you join, invite me to be your friend so we can encourage each other along.  It’s a great learning tool and a great tracking tool.  We’re gaining new insight every day into what we eat – Lessons Learned!

Cooper’s Birthday Recap – Finally! January 13, 2012

Apparently when your house is a mess due to bathroom construction, it’s hard to get anything done other than just wallowing in your mess.  That was the case for me this week.  We’ve been getting our bathroom redone (just tub and tile), and therefore the main floor is full of stuff – stuff from the bathroom, stuff we take with us to Kristin’s to shower every other night, stuff we can’t put away until we thoroughly clean…  Just stuff.  And since I don’t want to clean until everything is fully done, I haven’t wanted to touch a thing each night.  And that included downloading all the pictures from Cooper’s birthday week.   So here we go.

We started off the birthday celebrations a day early with Cooper’s party at school.  Tiger, monkey and zebra cupcakes and paper plate masks.  I got the inspiration for the cupcakes from Betty Crocker.

On the actual day, Cooper woke up to opening presents, spent a full day with Nana, lunch with Kristin, Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner, and then a few more presents.  Not a bad way to spend a birthday.

Mason got him a Ken doll so they could play Barbies together. We need to get that Ken some clothes!

Sorry, I had to include a shot of me and my baby - now four! Ack!

He was so excited to get this movie.

Then we had a couple of days sans birthday celebration until we got to the big one – the party!  Family and a few close friends joined us to celebrate.  It was a great way to cap off Cooper’s birthday week.

Hayes was eager to help.

More paper plate masks.

The zoo centerpiece.

The lion cake. I used Paula Deen's Mama's Pound Cake Recipe and the Wilton Buttercream Recipe.

The birthday boy... I think he liked it, which makes Momma happy!

With real animal masks from the San Diego Zoo (thanks Kolegos!)... a tired but happy zookeeper family!

Purging and Organizing January 8, 2012

Today was a day to purge and organize.  Isn’t that what Sundays are for?  Maybe not, but after Christmas and Cooper’s birthday, we were overwhelmed with “stuff.”  The kids’ room was filled to the brim; their closet (that’s also an extra little room or secret hideaway spot) was a mess; and toys were overflowing to every room of the house.  It was time.

After us all sleeping in until 7:30 am (say what?) and a pancake breakfast at Woodside Deli, it was time to get busy.  Jeremy and I first went through the house to determine how things would get rearranged once the basement is complete.  That helped us understand what furniture could be moved and where we should focus our time considering the basement completion date is still a couple of months away.  After that, we corralled the kids to help us.

I really wish I had taken a before picture.  And I also wish I had taken an after picture.  (Side note: I realized that I feel like I need pictures in almost every post.  If I don’t have a picture, I don’t post, which means there are considerably fewer posts these days.  I don’t want not having a picture to stop me from writing, though, so you’ll start to notice more posts from me without pictures.  I’ll try to make up for it on the ones that actually have photographic evidence.)

We spent the majority of the day emptying bins, clearing the floor, cleaning off tables, making piles, and secretly throwing a lot of stuff away.  (If the kids don’t notice us throwing it away, they won’t remember it.  We think if we haven’t seen them play with something or reference it in over a month, it’s forgotten about.)  We moved furniture to and from the basement, which allowed us to really organize all their craft materials as well as gave us extra space for all the new toys.  We even have a box full of items they kids don’t want anymore and are willing to donate to other kids.

So in the end, the kids now have a new “closet” that is more open for their crafting/drawing/writing and is much more organized than the piles of unknown junk they had before.  And because we can’t just leave it at that, we switched their beds too.  It was just a change of sheets and swapping duvets, but we also moved the bed closest to the window away from the wall so now the bed can be made more easily, especially by a 6-year-old or a 4-year-old.  (New chore for the 4-year-old – a post on our chore charts will be coming soon…  when I actually have time to figure out a system.)

After all the purging and organizing, we went out for a hike on this beautiful January day.  In the end, it was almost a perfect Sunday.  We were productive and active with a side of some relaxation at the end of it all.  I need to have days like this more often!

P.S.  We’re starting a big purge tomorrow with the start of demo in our bathroom.  See ya leaky bathtub!  More on this when I have the before and after pictures to show what happened.

Four Already? January 4, 2012

My baby turns 4 today.  Ok, so he’s not my “baby” since he is four and keeps telling me, “I’m already a big boy, Momma.”  (The fact that he still calles me “momma” always kills me.  I never want that to end.)  But nonetheless,  he IS my baby – my last to grow up. 

I love watching him grow and learn, but it goes by so fast.  Part of my wants to cuddle with him in my arms forever, while the other part of me can’t wait to see the boy, young man, and adult he will become.  I have no doubt he will be handsome.  I am extremely confident he will be silly and full of laughter and joy.  I know he will be smart, and his memory will surprise many.  I hope he will continue to be kind and loving, a good friend and an adoring son.  So while I can’t wait to see him grow up, I don’t want it to go TOO fast.  Four years has already flown by. 

In just four years, he went from this…

To this…

It only took four years to go from this…

To this…

And the past four years took me from this…

To this…

Be still my heart.   The past four years have been quite a ride.  I can’t wait to see what comes next with my little guy.

Happy 4th  Birthday, Cooper!

Love,

Momma

My Favorite Things About Christmas December 23, 2011

Christmas is just 2 days away, and I am honestly giddy with excitement.  I look forward to this holiday all year.  Between being able to spend time with my family, give gifts I have lovingly picked out and bake to my heart’s content, there is no reason for me not to love Christmas.  Here are some of my favorite things that I’m looking forward to.

1.  Baking cookies for Santa with the kids.  We usually do sugar cookies, but I might let the kids do most of the leg work with this easy recipe from Picky Palate.

Mason helping with Spritz cookies last year.

2.  Reading The Night Before Christmas to Mason and Cooper from the very book my dad read from when I was little.

Christmas Eve 2009

3.  Seeing the kids’ faces when they open their presents from Santa (and the subsequent other two present-opening sessions with both sides of the family.)

4.  Getting Jeremy’s reaction when he opens the gifts I picked out for him.  (We gave each other a $10 budget this year, which did not include stocking stuffers.  So I had fun with the stocking stuffers and made my real gift to him.  I obviously can’t reveal it yet since my loving hubby reads my blog, but I can’t wait for him to open it!)

5.  Stocking stuffers at my in-laws.  It’s so over the top (and spilled out onto the stairs), and I love that every single gift is wrapped – no matter how mundane or extravagant.  It’s a fun tradition!

Stocking stuffers and excited kids - Christmas 2010

6.  Spending time with all the family.  We get a full 24 hours + with my mom, sister, brother-in-law and nepher.  That’s rare around the holidays so I can’t wait!  And seeing Mason, Cooper and Hayes together is always a treat.  I hear Hayes is kissing and hugging our Christmas card everyday, so I know he and Mason will have quite the reunion together.

7.  The time between opening presents and eating dinner.  We play with new toys, watch a movie and just relax.  Oh!  The joys of relaxing!

8.  Time away from work.  This year it is a huge blesing to have a break – I really need it!

9.  The “spirit” of the season.  (Hopefully drama-free and germ-free.)

Christmas Eve at Meema's 2010

10.  The phone calls and texts with extended family and friends.  I love spreading the love and joy!

There is so much to look forward to.  Sadly it is only a few days of celebration before life is expected to return to normal.  But I won’t think about that now.  I’ll enjoy the moment, the season, the love and the togetherness while I can.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.  May your hearts be filled this holiday season!

Source: Christmas card created on Minted

Random Holiday Musings December 19, 2011

I was on a roll last week.  And then some nasty stuff hit the fan.  Work was full of stress, and Mason got the stomach flu.  It was horrible timing.  I had been looking forward to the weekend so much – my mom was going to take the kids so that Jeremy and I could get stuff done for Christmas and attend an adult Christmas party.  When Mason got sick, I thought the whole weekend was ruined.  Luckily she woke up Saturday in good spirits, and my mom was still willing to take them.  Unfortunately, Mason started feeling bad again Saturday night, so it wasn’t all fun and games at Meema’s.  But thankfully Jeremy and I got the time we needed to buy new tile for our bathroom (more on that later) and attend the party.  Here are my thoughts from the weekend…

1.  I am so glad we got the majority of our Christmas shopping done before this past weekend!  We had to go to Michael’s for something, and it was mayhem in the shopping center.  Sunday we got to the mall at 10am, and it was surprisingly empty.  We were able to buy the last of our gifts (gift cards for all the teachers in my kids’ lives) and get out of there without any harm.  When we were back near the mall 4 hours later, the parking lot was full!  Thank goodness for Amazon and Etsy this year!

2.  Did you know that bull-nose tile (the kind with the rounded edges that you install around the border of the shower) cost just as much as the amount needed for the entire shower surround?  We learned that the hard way this weekend.  Since gutting our bathroom 6 years ago and starting over, we’ve had to deal with a mystery leak.  We’ve spent the last 2 years trying to figure out where the leak was coming from.  And now the end result is that we have to tear out the entire shower area and install a new tub and new tile.  I’m sure you can imagine how happy we are about this.  And I’m sure you can imagine our surprise when the number we had in our head for buying tile came out twice as much thanks to all the bull-nose tile!  BUT we’re very much looking forward to the new look in the bathroom that we chose.  I’ll blog about it when the process starts in 3 weeks.

3.  Every year around Christmas, someone in our family gets the stomach flu.  Every year around Christmas, I spend most of the time worrying about who will be next.  Who will get sick on Christmas?  Who will it be the unlucky one?  I have not been spared that stress this year, but I’m trying to think positive and keep the family healthy!

4.  I can’t wait for vacation next week!  I only have a few days of vacation to use, so I’ll have to work a couple of half days, but hopefully I can do that from home.  Just the thought of having almost an entire week out of work is keeping me going during this stressful pre-holiday week.  Jeremy is taking two weeks off, and I’m super jealous, but I know he needs the time too.  I’m looking forward to some relaxed family time coming up.

5.  Less than 3 months until we’re at Disneyworld!

Time to get back to wrapping presents for Santa.  Gosh, I love Christmas!

Finding the Good December 12, 2011

December 12, 2011…

Honestly the best part of my day today was getting on the treadmill for 30 minutes.  This morning when my alarm went off at 5:30, I had no desire to get up.  And I didn’t.  I slept in until 6:20, and it felt great.  BUT this afternoon, I left work a tad bit early to be able to come home and run.  I really enjoyed it.  (Which may or may not have had something to do with being able to watch the latest ABC Family Movie “12 Dates of Christmas” in peace.)